Jump to content

Galveston


RollLeft

Recommended Posts

I live here. AMA. We recently had some nice water in Galveston during Memorial day it got everyone in the state riled up. A friend in Dallas asked me if I had ever seen it like that lol. I've only lived in Galveston, other than about 7 years in Austin so I've seen all kinds of different water conditions. Mullet (sharks), seaweed (dead fish smell), red tide (red eyes), big waves (fun hurricane surf), no waves (bacteria) and everything between. A couple of years ago they did the sand replenishment from the East end to 61st street, prior to that they did 61st street going West to the end of the seawall. It's kind of nice to have more beach but temporarily changed all the good surf spots. 61st is best on a high, incoming tide. PP is best on a lower, outgoing tide or crazy current/wind conditions. 37th still isn't working. 

MOD Coffee shop is great, food and coffee is good. The view is better.

I eat Mexican food alot - Taquilos is awesome. For a more authentic experience go to Gorditas. For breakfast go to Bronco Burrito. For seafood I like Millers. For BBQ I like Smooth Tony's or Queens. Star Drug store and Sunflower Bakery have good sandwiches. I used to like Stuttgarden for german beers and food but their food somehow started sucking recently. It was never as good as Scholz Garten.

Friday and Saturday night start at Float then go to Yagas if you want to go out. Buckshot Saloon is cool too sometimes, but the construction right out side has kept it kind of empty. Old farts should go to Galveston Brewery. Brick House is a decent sports bar. O Mallys or Island Pier club for little dive bars.

Avoid pleasure pier like the plague. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grew up going to Galveston.  My folks actually had undeveloped beachfront property at Pirate’s Beach but, thanks to Alicia, the State claimed it for dunes.  Now we spend a long weekend there each April.  We always get a beachfront house through VRBO or one of the local rental places like Wolverton (saves a few $).

Gaido’s has my favorite fried shrimp in the world, but I prefer skipping the upscale Gaido’s and going to the more casual Nick’s.  Same kitchen, same shrimp, and I can sit outside.

Others have already covered The Spot, but next door to it is a complex of bars/grills (I think that The Spot is a part of it).  I like rum, so I like going to the Rum Shack.  Touristy, but fun.

Mario’s Pizza West Beach is good.  Their chicken fettucine alfredo pizza is our favorite white pizza.

Shrimp and Stuff’s food truck at the Jamaica Beach car wash makes surprisingly good poboys.

Speaking of poboys, the fried oyster poboy at the West End Marina’s Sandbar is my favorite hands-down.  The oysters are like butter.  A great place to have lunch and watch the charters come in / hear how the fishing was that morning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lived there for about 18 months...Pho Tai and Maceo's where my lunch jam.  PT has top notch bun and pho, and the owner's daughter is a hot little minx.  Thursday are spaghetti and meatballs at Maceo's, and along with half a muff (toasted) you won't find a better lunch anywhere.

Mods coffee is great brew as noted above.  Gumbo Diner, Sunflower (oysters eggs benedict for the win) or Mosquito Cafe for breakfast.  Eat Cetera is a damn good sandwich/salad/soup place on 25th.  

Brews Brothers has by far...BY FAR...the best hamburger on the island, and it's not up for debate.

no one has yet to mention Cajun Greek or BLVD for seafood...fuck is wrong with y'all?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/5/2018 at 2:23 PM, Kyrie Eleison said:

Brews Brothers has by far...BY FAR...the best hamburger on the island, and it's not up for debate.

I concur.   The Spot it more family friendly though.  Brews Brothers can get kind of a motorcycle gang feel some times.   

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, staboner said:

my family used to own some units in the Victorian in the 80s. used to love the swimming pool there when i was a kid. 

no clue what its like now

One of the guys who was part of our drinking crew was selling units there and could get us a place to party/take chicks to. Was a lot of fun. We played tennis on their courts quite a bit too. Seems like they had a racquetball court as well but the memory is a bit fuzzy on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goin' Thursday,  not Wednesday.  Bringing a computer, my writing projects, my big beach umbrella, and about 4 Coors tall boys. 

I do my best writing buzzed on the seabreeze.  Probably going to be about Beach Access 10ish (notice 13 is closed this year for some reason).  Then meet my daughter for(translation:  buy her) dinner at Benno's afterwards (going with Old Faithful, I'll be going back about 3-4 times at least this summer, so I can branch out).

Holla if you're around Thursday, but I'll be writing and meditating (closed-eye buzzing).  This is what "semi-retirement's" all-fucking-about.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My young kids really loved the Pleasure Pier. Granted we are Landry's card people, so we did the Rainforest cafe too and did the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for lunch one day (ducks the flying swords of surly), but it was fun. I enjoyed the roller coaster Iron Shark, fwiw.

I tell people I went or am going to Gavleston and you get 1 of 2 reactions . Either, someone who has been recently and says cool have fun or someone who hasn't been in many years and remembers the dirty needles in the hard-packed dirt/sand and the bums and undesirables strolling up and down the seawall who look at you horrified you'd take your wife and kids to such a place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Jomac0928 said:

Did a day trip this past Friday and stopped by the Original Mexican Café. Shrimp quesadilla plate with a couple Modelo Especials was solid.

Subscribed-always go to the Original when in Galveston.  Never been disappointed.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mosquito Cafe for breakfast/lunch

Number 13 is a good steakhouse

Leon's for decent bbq

Shrimp & Stuff for very casual fried seafood

I'm a big fan of Cajun Greek as well

BLVD seafood may be best spot on island imo

Olympia Grill good if in Strand

Little Daddy's Gumbo Bar

Jimmy's on the Pier for basically view and drinks

Porch Cafe

Got to hit La King's Confectionary if you have kids and watch their eyes explode

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/13/2018 at 9:56 AM, ScottishHorn said:

Cajun Greek

Totally forgot about this one.   It's sort of a hole in the wall but good and reasonably priced.

 

The original Shrimp 'n Stuff is better but there's one down near the Strand now too. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/5/2018 at 8:44 AM, Sidney Sherman said:

61st is best on a high, incoming tide. PP is best on a lower, outgoing tide or crazy current/wind conditions. 37th still isn't working. 

If you surf and you call it the Pleasure Pier, you're doing it wrong.  It's the Flagship.  I bet you say "Ladybird Lake"

Realistically speaking, Galveston does get some clear water days... all depends on currents.  I remember paddling out on some spring days, sitting up on my board and seeing my feet below in the water.  Rare but happens.  

My problem with Galveston is the cost of hotel rooms.  Typically you overpay for total turds.  That said, I'll second Benno's.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey PhD, what are you writing about?

i like be Galveston. Have 2 small kids, live im Seabrook, and we go probably every other weekend to the beech or moody Gardens or something. Would go more often if I didn’t work. We’ll be staying at a rental past 8 mile late July. Micheal’s pizza is our go to when we stay. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

Hey PhD, what are you writing about?

i like be Galveston. Have 2 small kids, live im Seabrook, and we go probably every other weekend to the beech or moody Gardens or something. Would go more often if I didn’t work. We’ll be staying at a rental past 8 mile late July. Micheal’s pizza is our go to when we stay. 

Hey PhD, this guy wants to edit your writing. How about giving him a job?

 

j/k. drunk posting is best posting. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

Hey PhD, what are you writing about?

i like be Galveston. Have 2 small kids, live im Seabrook, and we go probably every other weekend to the beech or moody Gardens or something. Would go more often if I didn’t work. We’ll be staying at a rental past 8 mile late July. Micheal’s pizza is our go to when we stay. 

Great!

Returning to music (making another thread for that, look for it today) and literary writing, two things that have taken a back seat to child rearing (and I'll be happy to discuss the why's and why not's of all that another time/place). 

Anyway, my writing is two main things right now:  1) movie scripts & 2) non-fictional novelettes/short stories based on cultural historical events... working right now on several bildiungsroman type ideas.  Mostly stuff I've wanted to tackle for the past 20 years but took a back seat to "bread-earning" stuff and raising the kids.  More another time?

Catching the buzz I did off of the tall boys, man I was writing like a motherfucker, knocked out about 20 pages in an hour, then my daughter dropped by (she lives in Tx City) and we had the dinner at Benno's.  So I had to put it down, but man I do REALLY well in just the right conditions, the best/easiest writing for me.  I mean, who the fuck can't relax and get creative while staring out at the Gulf with a light sea breeze?  Yesterday was perfect, mostly because the wind was light, about 5-7 mph.  Sometimes as you know it can get breezy down there, but it was really nice.

Next trip will probably be the cusp of July, figuring on going to Cajun Greek... maybe.  Daughter says there's some fish&chips place opened up by her (in Tx City so if it's good I might try that, otherwise some other seafood place.

But I will be back at Benno's at least 2-3 times more this summer.  Why?  Because I'm not down there enough to be back 15-16 times!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Dewey said:

You picked a great day to be at the beach, those are my favorites, just to sit and say nothing, with no interruption.

Yep, always go down there Tue, Wed, or Thur.  I was at Access 12, and there were a fair number of people there at noon, but by 2 I had the place almost to myself.  Awesomeness.

The only thing about that beach is that often it's narrow (depending on the tides) and often a little damp (there's not a wide strip of "dry, soft" sand).  But no shits given, it's fine and I can get lost.  Did a lot of bodysurfing, yeah the waves weren't huge, but good enough for a 10 second ride. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Did my second summer installment yesterday (Thurs).  It was nice, about 91°.  Pretty good SE wind whipping through though. The tatooed hipster and the 2 girls with him (no pics, you don't want them) brought one of those retractable shade things (like parents throw down to watch their little angels play baseball etc.).  The thing almost took off for Houston.  They tried to fix it and the wind bent/broke it.  I was going to go over and suggest pointing a corner directly into the breeze so the pressure would better flow through the framing and keep it intact, but 1) the girls were not good looking at all (one had a big tentlike shirt on, that should tell you enough), and 2) I was buzzed and writing.  Selfishness rules when I'm on my beach punching my laptop keys.

It was a marvellous day (no pics, the beach, Gulf, and sky are still there and look like you'd think they would).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you know why girls don't drink beer on the beach?.... they get sand in their Schlitz.   ba-doom-ding ... Seriously though, How is your laptop not getting destroyed by all of that windblown salt air and sand?

One hotel not being mentioned is the Harbor House at Pier 21.  I stayed there last week and the rooms are very nice and the location provides quick access to all the restaurants near the Strand.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Did my second summer installment yesterday (Thurs).  It was nice, about 91°.  Pretty good SE wind whipping through though. The tatooed hipster and the 2 girls with him (no pics, you don't want them) brought one of those retractable shade things (like parents throw down to watch their little angels play baseball etc.).  The thing almost took off for Houston.  They tried to fix it and the wind bent/broke it.  I was going to go over and suggest pointing a corner directly into the breeze so the pressure would better flow through the framing and keep it intact, but 1) the girls were not good looking at all (one had a big tentlike shirt on, that should tell you enough), and 2) I was buzzed and writing.  Selfishness rules when I'm on my beach punching my laptop keys.

It was a marvellous day (no pics, the beach, Gulf, and sky are still there and look like you'd think they would).

phd, you are one interesting dude. Why not just move there to Jamaica beach, or there about?

Bother has been living there for last five years. They love it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Despite living in Houston for 8 years now, I'm still a Galveston novice. We usually just take 61st straight over to the seawall and set up shop right there. Now I feel like I'm doing it wrong.

 

Learn me a little bit on the beaches. First post of this thread has a good suggestion. We're usually just looking for a nice, uncrowded place for my wife and I to sip beers and our kids to run around and build sand castles and stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...