SWITCHING GEARS
A new year is upon us. All the trappings and trimmings of the holidays have been packed away (maybe), and thoughts have turned to all the things we will and will not do (maybe) in the coming year. In our house, there was no Christmas tree to take down and haul away. We didn’t make the trek to the tree farm to labor over the decision of which conifer was the perfect size, shape and color. We never put one up at all, in fact. Our living room is in a state of semi-chaos, a rather lengthy one resulting from an enduring remodel-in-the-works. So, we made the most of the situation. My daughter Chloe recently turned 13, and part of the celebration of such a momentous occasion was a slumber party, where she and her friends Maya, Clare and Holly painted a Christmas tree on one wall of the living room, complete with decorations and presents underneath. Why not? After all, the wall will eventually be repainted when the remodeling project is complete. Maybe. There’s nothing wrong with shaking up the routine. In this issue, you’ll meet four locals who shook up their own routines, taking big detours from their chosen paths and embarking on new adventures. The payoff, it seems, often far outweighs a little fear and trepidation. We also take a look at some of the projects that have altered our city’s cultural landscape – many that made it better, a few that can’t quite get off the ground and others that hold promise for the future. All things change, and we change with them. And so we arrive at the dawn of a new year, taking stock of what is behind us and what lies ahead. We seek to correct mistakes, but will likely repeat a few, and to undertake new endeavors – large and small – that will make life better for ourselves and those around us. As you embark on your journey, we at Slice wish you peace, love and laughter in the coming year. May your approach be unique and your confidence unwavering. You never know what’s just around the bend.
A new year is upon us. All the trappings and trimmings of the holidays have
been packed away (maybe), and thoughts have turned to all the things we
will and will not do (maybe) in the coming year.
In our house, there was no Christmas tree to take down and haul away.
We didn’t make the trek to the tree farm to labor over the decision of which
conifer was the perfect size, shape and color. We never put one up at all, in
fact. Our living room is in a state of semi-chaos, a rather lengthy one resulting
from an enduring remodel-in-the-works. So, we made the most of the situation.
My daughter Chloe recently turned 13, and part of the celebration of such
a momentous occasion was a slumber party, where she and her friends Maya,
Clare and Holly painted a Christmas tree on one wall of the living room, complete
with decorations and presents underneath. Why not? After all, the wall
will eventually be repainted when the remodeling project is complete. Maybe.
There’s nothing wrong with shaking up the routine.
In this issue, you’ll meet four locals who shook up their own routines, taking
big detours from their chosen paths and embarking on new adventures.
The payoff, it seems, often far outweighs a little fear and trepidation. We also
take a look at some of the projects that have altered our city’s cultural landscape
– many that made it better, a few that can’t quite get off the ground and others
that hold promise for the future.
All things change, and we change with them. And so we arrive at the dawn
of a new year, taking stock of what is behind us and what lies ahead. We seek to
correct mistakes, but will likely repeat a few, and to undertake new endeavors
– large and small – that will make life better for ourselves and those around us.
As you embark on your journey, we at Slice wish you peace, love and laughter
in the coming year. May your approach be unique and your confidence
unwavering. You never know what’s just around the bend.
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PURSUITS | Getting Away<br />
A Grand Gulf Fete<br />
BY ELAINE WARNER<br />
Avast, me hearties, here there be pirates – and parades –<br />
and parties! It’s Mardi Gras in Galveston.<br />
Galveston boasts the third-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States with<br />
22 parades, 38 concerts, 20 balcony parties and five masked balls. Over 300,000<br />
people are expected to show up for the festivities.<br />
Weekends are the busiest, with many of the days featuring multiple parades.<br />
A number of the parades and concerts take place in the Entertainment District<br />
near the harbor. This is a controlled, ticketed area so there’s a small charge – buy<br />
online ahead of time and save a little money. Check out the Funky Uptown Umbrella<br />
Brigade Parade online and consider bedecking your bumbershoot and joining the<br />
record-setting umbrella dance through the Strand. Tickets are also available to<br />
some of the balcony parties; grab one for a bird’s eye view of the parades and the<br />
chance to throw beads over the railing.<br />
BETWEEN PARADES<br />
Sightseeing opportunities in Galveston range from erudite to eccentric. On the<br />
serious side, guests can better understand the island’s history with a visit to Pier<br />
21, home to the Texas Seaport Museum and the 1877 tall ship Elissa, and a viewing<br />
of the short film “The Great Storm of 1900,” which documents the city’s greatest<br />
disaster. I took a great tour of the historic eastern end of the island and saw many<br />
homes that survived the devastation, including the magnificent 1892 Bishop’s Palace<br />
– worth a visit all on its own. Methods of touring include Segways, carriage<br />
tours, tour train or self-guided by bicycle.<br />
Once a working drilling rig, the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum now<br />
sits in the Port of Galveston and offers an insider’s look at life and work on an offshore rig.<br />
For another view of the harbor, take a Bay Watch Dolphin Tour. The playful<br />
mammals are almost guaranteed to show for a close-up.<br />
In the center of the island, the Lone Star Flight Museum houses many historically<br />
significant aircraft along with 1,500 artifacts related to the history of flight.<br />
For a real thrill, check on the availability of flights in some of the vintage planes,<br />
including an open-cockpit PT-17 Stearman Biplane.<br />
Clockwise from top: Several of the largest Mardi<br />
Gras parades start along the seafront. // Pyramid<br />
through palms: the Aquarium Pyramid at Moody<br />
Gardens houses life from four distinct ocean<br />
environments. // Built of cypress, this Victorian<br />
beauty is lavishly trimmed and features a sunflower<br />
motif. // The imposing Bishop’s Palace is<br />
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.<br />
MARDI GRAS SEAFRONT COURTESY GALVESTON ISLAND CVB; AQUARIUM PYRAMID COURTESY<br />
MOODY GARDENS; VICTORIAN HOME AND BISHOP’S PALACE BY ELAINE WARNER<br />
78 SLICE // JANUARY 2015
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