Hey everyone! How's it going? It's been a while but here I am lol. Before we continue this post will not be like my typical travel posts as it was a different kind of trip :)
So, 2017 was the year that I first went to American-Houston, Texas to be precise! I went for my
cousin's wedding which was great! My trip was a real whistle-stop tour (5 days) but I know that I'll be back for more ;) It'll be my second time staying in an air bnb on my travels and this one was ok.
Prior to going to Houston I was not aware at how bad the public transport was. Like it's
really
bad.
Downtown Houston had buses (or metro as they call it) but outside of that it was pretty much non existent. This meant that Uber or Lyft was the only way around and of course it all adds up. So yeah, if you happen to go there you've been warned lol. I didn't really go out as much but I still managed to check out a few spots/events. It would only make sense for me to start with the wedding seeing as that is why I went.
Before going on holiday I had been checking out some MUAs (make up artists) on Instagram because nobody is going abroad to a wedding just to look meh. I settled on 'MorleiaahBeats' who was amazing and her customer service was second to none. Below are some photos of me at the wedding. It is worth noting that the pictures taken with my camera were taken 9+ hours after the make-up was applied so it held on pretty well.
The Lyft driver that I had on the way back from the wedding was really good and recommended some spots that I should check out. Upon his recommendation I went to check out the Old Town Spring which was pretty cool. Some of the shops were closed so that was a bummer but it was lovely to actually walk around even though pavements for pedestrians are non existent. Like, pedestrians aren't considered because everyone drives. That was another weird thing; you never saw anyone on the streets. It actually creeeped me out for the first day and a half but hey it is what it is. I think coming from London it was a culture shock to me.
Afterwards I went to downtown Houston to check out the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park . Admittedly, when the Lyft driver suggested this place I thought 'What can be great about a waterwall?' but I was oh so wrong. It was quite therapeutic and conducive if you wanted to just chill or write a few lines in your notebook. I wish I'd stayed longer to be honest but alas I had other places I wanted to check out like the Galleria. I checked out Sephora which every girl seems to wax lyrical over and it was pretty cool. I then went to Macy's which was great as I got myself some heels because a girl can never have too much shoes, right?
Below are some pictures taken at the Waterwall Park. I've become much more confident in asking strangers to take pictures of me because I really am about capturing every moment in picture form. I've come a long way since Barcelona where I was a bit nervous about asking passers by for pictures. Just go for it! You don't want to regret not capturing those moments that you could have.
I decided to checkout 'The Cheesecake Factory' and silly old me thought that all they sold was cheesecake (cheesy I know, get it?). Alas, they offered a lot more and they had a decent seafood selection too. If truth be told the highlight of my meal was my starter. My main was basically fish and mash so I was really sold a dream there and I was full/fed up so couldn't be bothered to get a dessert which is ironic really. My mocktail however was really good. Afterwards I went to the toilet and it has to be the worst toilet I have ever encountered in all the restaurants I've been to. Tissues strewn across the floor and on every available space by the sinks; bins full to the brim with no chance to breath. It was truly disgusting and I don't want to assault your eyes with the photos I took. If I had seen the toilet beforehand I wouldn't have eaten there.
Afterwards I went to a poetry event which was interesting to say the least. The venue wasn't where I would typically expect a poetry event to be held at but hey I'm all about trying something different. Unfortunately it did not quite pay off this time. For starters it began late and when it did eventually start I didn't really see much poetry/spoken word. I think it would have been better if it was just called a talent night as there was a whole lot of other things taking place- just not poetry/spoken word. I am still keen on checking out the poetry scene in Texas so if you know any serious poetry events let me know so I will bare it in mind for next time!
On my last day, I went to my local shopping mall which wasn't too bad and it had all that you needed really. I decided to go to the cinema inside the mall and watched 'A Question of Faith' . The fact that Kim Fields was on the poster caught my attention and overall the movie was a bit cliche/ typical but it was ok nevertheless.
Is any trip to America complete if you didn't get yourself some candy/sweets? I think not. I got myself quite a nice amount of candy, especially the ones that are hard to come by here. I think it summarises my trip in general; short and sweet ;)
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