Just one hour south of Houston lies Galveston, a small town located on an island within the Gulf of Mexico. Among locals, it is most famous for the beach promenade and a number of entertainment venues.
I went there on my second trip to Houston in order to beat a terrible jet lag. After a 11 hour flight I arrived around noon at IAH. The worst thing one can do in the case of a jet lag is to just lay down after having arrived at one's final destination. I only made this mistake once, hopefully never again. Instead, I recommend trying to stay awake until the evening (local). It will be much easier during the following days.
I always wanted to visit the Gulf of Mexico, so Galveston seemed like a perfect excuse not to fall asleep.
The beach is rather long. However, it didn't strike me as a picture-frame beach as I would have expected down at the Gulf of Mexico. I would say the beaches are decent, but so are the beaches available in northern Germany. The only thing different here is the weather.
Panoramic shot I took with the impressive capabilities of the iPhone 4S. Not much was going on at the beach but I saw a number of couples walking during the sunset and families with their kids playing.
Apart from the beach promenade, the area is not so special, I thought. Many restaurants, bars, clubs with a disturbingly high number of bikers as customers. I also saw a lot of chubby Americans walking up and down the boulevard. This is consistent with the fact that Texas has one of the highest obesity rates in the United States. Some studies even suggest that according to current projections, almost 60% of Texans will be obese by 2030.
Driving back to Houston on the highways.
I went there on my second trip to Houston in order to beat a terrible jet lag. After a 11 hour flight I arrived around noon at IAH. The worst thing one can do in the case of a jet lag is to just lay down after having arrived at one's final destination. I only made this mistake once, hopefully never again. Instead, I recommend trying to stay awake until the evening (local). It will be much easier during the following days.
I always wanted to visit the Gulf of Mexico, so Galveston seemed like a perfect excuse not to fall asleep.
The beach is rather long. However, it didn't strike me as a picture-frame beach as I would have expected down at the Gulf of Mexico. I would say the beaches are decent, but so are the beaches available in northern Germany. The only thing different here is the weather.
Panoramic shot I took with the impressive capabilities of the iPhone 4S. Not much was going on at the beach but I saw a number of couples walking during the sunset and families with their kids playing.
As everywhere else in Texas, the signs are written in both English and Spanish. These are the different flags displayed by the lifeguards to ensure safety of the visitors. On this day, however, I did not see any flag hanging outside.
Apart from the beach promenade, the area is not so special, I thought. Many restaurants, bars, clubs with a disturbingly high number of bikers as customers. I also saw a lot of chubby Americans walking up and down the boulevard. This is consistent with the fact that Texas has one of the highest obesity rates in the United States. Some studies even suggest that according to current projections, almost 60% of Texans will be obese by 2030.
All in all, a nice place to visit if one is to visit Houston or its surroundings if the weather is nice.
Driving back to Houston on the highways.
Comments