Greetings from Galveston!

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
So here's what happened:

When we went to leave Panama City Beach for Biloxi, my car wouldn't start (the motorhome is in storage and we're driving to Austin). It clickclickclicked but wouldn't turn over. So Monello gave it a jump start and we made it to Biloxi, no problem, and had no problems the four days we were there.

This morning I go to start it so we can head out to Galveston....and it barely cranked over. Hesitated, then slooowly started. But since it did start, we began our journey. :jet: (That's what AAA is for, right?)

Only turned the car off when we got gas, then held our breath when it finally started again. Here we are in Galveston, and of course it's later in the evening and of course tomorrow is Easter. So Monday I'll take it (or have it towed) to the Toyota place to either get a new battery or a new starter, whichever is causing the problem. The good news is we have our bikes and there's a ton of cool stuff right in this general area.

I was freaking because, after the Motel 6 debacle, I'm leery about 3 1/2 stars on TripAdvisor (which this budget LaQuinta has) and obsessing about the bad reviews. So here we are, car on the fritz, walking into a potential disaster of a motel, mentally preparing myself for Hell....

...and our room is great! *yahoo* It's not the Taj Mahal or anything, but it's clean and comfortable and we have a Gulf view from our room. There's a Saltgrass next door and Pleasure Pier about a mile down the road. There's a beachy vacation feel to it that I'm happy with.

So far Galveston looks interesting. It's not PCB, but we will spend four happy days here, I'm sure, unless something is really wrong with my car. But I'm pretty sure it's the battery, and if it's not that it's the starter, both of which can be fixed.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
I hope the ol' hoopty can be fixed easily enough. It gets seriously irritating when you can't just get in and go! :yay:

Can't wait to see Galveston! :yahoo:
 

Larry Gude

Strung Out
I can't hear the word "Galveston' without hearing Glen Campbell. So, any stories of the place will have that rattling around in the background. :lol:
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
I can't hear the word "Galveston' without hearing Glen Campbell. So, any stories of the place will have that rattling around in the background. :lol:

:lol: As soon as I saw her post about it on FB, I had the earworm! Foxhound, too.

Gotta love music!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
So batteries and starters aside, today we took a bike ride down the beach for a bar hop. I've become a fan of frozen margaritas because lots of places in FL and along the Gulf have those slushy machines so I don't have to be "that dick" who makes them bust out the blender when they're three deep at the bar. Had lunch at a tiki bar called Long Board, or something like that, then came back and fell asleep by the pool at our hotel. :jet:

Galveston is a pleasant surprise. I figured, meh, stopover for a few days on the way to Austin, but no. Our few days here will not be enough and we'll definitely be back, AND we'll stay at this La Quinta again.

It has a lot going on, touristwise, but not like PCB. It's more laid back beachy. After Ike in 2008 I looked at properties in Galveston because they got nailed hard and had big damage, so beachfront lots were going for a song. There were a ton of homes that got so damaged they were abandoned, and you could get a Gulf front lot with a damaged home for around $20k. A little elbow grease and BAM! Now I wish I'd have pulled the trigger on it.
 

DoWhat

Deplorable
PREMO Member
After Ike in 2008 I looked at properties in Galveston because they got nailed hard and had big damage, so beachfront lots were going for a song. There were a ton of homes that got so damaged they were abandoned, and you could get a Gulf front lot with a damaged home for around $20k. A little elbow grease and BAM! Now I wish I'd have pulled the trigger on it.

What if I did this or that.
You are having fun, don't look back at what could of been.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
And the verdict is... (drumroll please)...failing battery! (wild applause) $125 and out the door!
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Today we took a windshield tour of Galveston Island. The homes are a hodgepodge of various styles and conditions. The downtown is a historic district. The area looks to be up and coming. They have a cruise ship pier that will dump a few thousand people in the area every few days. Plenty of bars and restaurants. A lot of kitschy stores and boutiques.

Broadway has a bunch of very old, majestic looking homes. A few have been turned in museums. Clearly this area had a good deal of prosperity decades ago. Closer to the beach are raised homes and condominiums. The homes are in the 7 figures as you can imagine for beach front property.

Here are a few stock photos of what we saw today.

Cool-Tours-29.jpg

Galveston-Historical-Dist-1_Bishop.jpg

bishop-s-palace.jpg

galvezcolor1.jpg
 
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