41 Ate There

My trip to Houston wasn't too bad. I didn't expect much. The area where we stayed just didn't have much. There was a Galleria and lots of shopping. I'm not into shopping and everything in the Galleria is way too expensive for me. I could just barely afford to walk in the place.

I made one big mistake - my shoes. I didn't take any comfortable shoes for after work activities. My feet really hurt. I thought at one time that I had blisters on my right foot but it turned out that I didn't. On one evening 3 of us took Segways out and around the area. No wear and tear on the feet this way. We had to stop at a CVS and recharge batteries just to make it back to the hotel. As soon as I pulled up to the hotel, my battery literally died. What timing!

The food was excellent! I never did get a chance to go to Panchos Mexican Buffet - so sad. A group of us did go to Ninfas (mexican food). This was better than I had remembered. The first day there I went to the Cheesecake Factory. I had fish tacos and they were really different. I enjoyed them. The Raggin Cajun probably had the best atmosphere! There were many in our group that sucked the heads of crawfish. That was disgusting! One of the Sheriffs in our group got so disgusted that he had to leave the restaurant. Now that was worth it all. Probably the best food came from Otto's (BBQ). Yes, President Bush Sr. (No. 41) ate there. The brisket was good but not the best that I have eaten. However; the links were delicious! This place definitely had some atmosphere and worked better with a larger group.

Johnson Space Center - I was able to hitch a ride and take the tour. The tour itself was disappointing. Not much to see. The tour contained two parts: Hanger X and the ISS simulation training facility. The ISS facility was really neat, I just wish we could have seen and understood more of it. We did get to see 3 astronauts in this building. Back at the building where the tour started we watched two separate movies, one of which was severely out of focus in one corner. Lots of space suits, kids activities, and moon rocks filled the remainder of the room (This would be a great place to bring children - tons of activities and fun things for them to participate in). This building also contained the Presidential podium used in the media statement announcing the landing on the moon by President Kennedy.

The whole trip did improve as the days progressed. I was very glad to get home.