HOUSTON FOR A WEDDING WEEKEND

Celebrating a marriage in the family of great friends was the reason for 2+ days spent in Houston .... and how many of you know that Houston was named numero uno on the Forbes List of the Coolest Cities to Live in the U.S.???   Of course by coolest ..... Forbes obviously was not referring to the weather (can be very hot and humid) nor the prospects for winning the World Series anytime soon.

Having said that, on my 6th (I think) visit there I would concur that Houston has a lot going for it.   Open spaces, great shopping, reasonable housing prices (in certain areas), professional sports teams, close proximity to Austin for UT games, the rodeo and good business opportunities.

We'll start with the accommodations of choice ... the St. Regis (gotta love those Starwood points).  The close proximity to the famed Galleria and the newer Uptown Park, plus the main highway (freeway?) for access to our events, made this hotel a great choice.  We did take issue with one minor detail, and I'm wondering if any of my fellow travelers regard this as a pet peeve.  Upon calling "Private Dining" (Room Service) to request our table be removed after we were done, I was advised I could simply put it in the hallway.  Uh-uh, that is a major no-no.  Not only would I never do that, but (on a different trip) after walking by someone else's table a couple of times over several hours and finding no response to our requests to have it removed, the hubby put the table in the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor while he came back to our room.  Yep, probably won't be returning to the Park Hyatt in Melbourne any time soon ... Seriously, back to discussing our expectations at fine hotels, if I wanted to experience dirty dishes I could just stay home!

The rehearsal dinner (which truthfully should be called "the night before dinner for anyone who came in from out of town plus the bridal party, etc.", 'cuz all the rehearsing has already been done) was at a fun Tex-Mex place called the Cadillac Bar.  Yummy fajitas, margaritas and a chance to wear cowboy boots that mostly gather dust at home made for a great evening.  

Yep, well said.

Saturday lunch was at Houston's famous Kenny & Ziggy's, which has been featured on Triple D with Guy Fieri.  Pretty much anything on the menu is delicious, ample and what one looks forward to at a deli.

Classic roasted chicken (with paprika!)

On to the main reason for the trip, the wedding reception on Saturday night.   With a guest list topping 550, finding a space large enough was no doubt a challenge.  The choice of The Corinthian in Downtown Houston, an historic space built over 100 years ago, was both beautiful and spacious.  Indeed they were able to accommodate the crowd with plenty of room to dance.

Son Sam, me and the hubby at the wedding ...

With beaming Mama of the Groom and BFF Kay

Tough to resist desserts at Pann's

Sunday was spent hanging with our friends and their friends/family before flying Southwest home.  (BTW, their Early-Bird fee for automatic check-in is now $12.50 and if you change your ticket that part is not refundable ... more costs passed on to the customer!)  We landed at dinnertime and unfortunately our fave Mexican place close to LAX (Paco's Tacos) had a long wait.  Having spent my growing up years in nearby Ladera Heights and knowing the area well means only one one thing: eating at Pann's.   This iconic coffee shop always brings back memories of my family's weekly dinners there.  Maybe sometime soon I'll order something other than the Deluxe Dreamburger, but likely not.  All you movie buffs, Pann's has been featured in quite a few films, from Pulp Fiction to Little Miss Sunshine.  And after 60+ years, the food is still really good!

My forever go-to ...

Hasn't changed a bit since the 50's

SANTA BARBARA ORCHID SHOW

Happily a recent journey required neither a lot of cash nor a huge investment of time.  In fact, who wouldn't want to play hooky and, at the same time, indulge in a favorite passion ... anyone who knows me at all can guess this would involve orchids.

Every year, my best re-bloomer, now with 8 spikes

Another beauty in bloom

I have been an active orchid grower for 15 years give or take.  By that I mean several years of regular attendance at orchid meetings, having a greenhouse at home (gone by the wayside in favor of an outdoor kitchen), and operating a "plant hospital" for resurrecting relative's plants as well as all of my own.  I rarely throw a plant out unless it's hopelessly diseased, and am happy to report success at repeat blooming year after year.   

My plant hospital ...

 As shown above, I grow mainly above my kitchen sink in two large shallow trays.   The plants sit inside the trays on a bed of small pebbles.  Once a week I put the plants in the sink, water liberally and put them back in the trays to drain.   The pebble base aids in creating humidity which the plants love (orchids need only 4 things to survive:  water, air circulation, food and indirect light).  My other growing spot is a rack attached to the side of my garage for my cymbidiums (outdoor plants).  The area is shaded which the plants like and need.


The recent journey was a day trip to the Santa Barbara Orchid Show held early March for more than 60 years now.  A huge number of both growers and orchid societies compete for the coveted prize ribbons, all of which have been decided by the time the exhibits open to the public.  But what I really go for (no surprise) is to buy plants.  Get ready to ooh and aah at these remarkable displays!

 




 

Santa Barbara is one of the ideal agricultural locations for growing, not just for orchids but roses and plants too numerous to count.  There is the right combination of agreeable weather and ample space (both in Santa Barbara and neighboring communities such as Carpinteria).  Part of the allure is not only going to the show but visiting local growers:  Cal-Orchid, Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, and, my all-time fave, Gallup & Stribling.  G&S has a number of huge growing spaces with cymbidiums as far as the eye can see!  Now, just how many do I really need???



 

Just one of several enormous greenhouses at Gallup & Stribling

And the kids are safely strapped in for the ride home!

So my advice?  Go buy yourself a plant .. they last much longer than cut flowers and give yourself an "attaboy" when they bloom again!

I recently read one of the myriad travel articles I receive, this one regarding travel sins one can commit.  This got me thinking that there is a lot more useful information that was offered besides the patently obvious, like leaving the plane bathroom in a complete mess or shouting at the flight attendant or even walking off with someone else's bag!  Herewith, a sampling of Travel with Teri B. do's and don't's (by no means all of them!):

Do adhere to the local custom of donning head-covering, covering up bare arms/legs, and/or removing your shoes if you're in a place where that is not only the custom but expected.  After all, you're technically invading someone's turf and the expectation is to respect the custom even if it doesn't make sense to you.  

Don't take a picture of someone without first asking permission. That doesn't mean one can't surreptitiously get one in ... as I did at Buckingham Palace of Kate's dress.  At least it wasn't of a person.  But while visiting the Vienna Zoo last year, we encountered the most precious group of 5-year-olds and we were speaking to some of them about what it is like to live in America, etc..   I asked to take a photo, to which the chaperone nicely said no.  I get it; I could be a stalker and these kids were her responsibility.  It is irrelevant that I know there would be no harm; it wasn't my place to question.

Don't feel that you must re-use your hotel towel.   I am very conscious of the environment at home -- recycling like crazy and even using both sides of copy paper.   But when I am spending my hard-earned cash on a hotel, I'm dumpin' the towels on the floor (in a neat pile). I believe that is what I'm paying for.  Do I necessarily waste?  Absolutely not.  But towels are a luxury and I often evaluate a hotel based on the quality of said towels.  Call me crazy, but that is a big comfort that I have come to expect.

Don't (and this is a big one) put your bag in the overhead space at the front of the plane when your seat is in the back!!  I might add if you can't lift it yourself, it's probably too heavy for carry-on in the first place! The funnyman Adam Carolla recently said he believes the bin over one's seat is sacrosanct territory and everyone should know that.  There is a definite absence of reasonableness and courtesy when some passengers literally lay out their belongings end-to-end and then become incensed when someone invades what they believe to be their space ... the nerve! 

 

Taking it to a whole new level ...

Do go ahead and leave a tip even if it isn't the local custom.  Who among those hard-working folks in the hospitality and tourism industry cannot use a few more shekels?? And what seems like a pittance to many Americans goes a very long way elsewhere.  So be generous and the return is bound to be more than the investment!  

Do make every attempt to keep your voice down in an airplane. 

No need to talk above the din (nonstop sometimes). Seriously, does one not realize that we all must get along in tight quarters and be respectful of that?  Obviously crying babies will forever be in our midst, but must there be the unnecessary additional noise factor?  God bless my family for the wonderful recent birthday gift of noise-cancelling headphones!

What advance planning do you do prior to actually arriving at your vacation destination?   Do you research museums, theater, restaurants, zoos??  Well, one of the great pleasures and surprises I've been fortunate to experience in a lot of different places are some truly great gardens ... 

Yep, you certain readers ... and I could probably guess who you are ... don't roll your eyes just yet.  Even the hubby, who has less-than-zero interest in my particular passion (I'm known as "gardener girl" at home) has willingly gone right along with me and, I dare say, enjoyed himself!  But I'm not talking about some miniscule square yardage ... I'm talking about some dedicated and serious plots of land.

The biggest surprise in discovering some of these great treasures is the luck of being somewhere at just the right time of year.  Even the best laid plan to see fall color at the exact right moment is challenging, and, in all the trips I've made to D.C. (25+), I've yet to see a single cherry blossom!   But let me recount a few unbelievable experiences ...

Not all photos are mine but these are!

1.  Without a doubt, Keukenhof -- about an hour outside of Amsterdam -- was not only a trip highlight but a life experience.  I'd like to tell you I was smart enough to plan the trip around this visit but the truth is my big vacation is always mid-April to early May, and Keukenhof is ONLY open from mid-March to mid-May.  Many people know this truth about tulips, that they originated NOT in Holland but in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire!  Yep, that is a fact.  At Keukenhof each fall, a huge team of gardeners plant 7 million tulip, daffodil and hyacinth bulbs spread out over 80 acres to be enjoyed during the spring months, and of course the planting must be staggered so that the flowers don't all bloom at once.  This site is worth planning a trip around. 

 

2.  Butchart Gardens, located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, was the home of a very successful cement manufacturer whose wife lovingly created the garden "rooms" that exist today.  A Japanese garden, Italian garden, and rose garden are part of what Jennie Butchart created from her world travels.  What is unique about this destination is the year-around appeal.  There is always plenty to see and it has remained a family business for over 100 years.

And these are too!

3.  Powerscourt, located in County Wicklow, Ireland, could almost be a "suburb" of Dublin -- within an hour's drive at most.  This visit could only be described as "luck of the Irish" as the day had been consistently raining until we arrived ... then blue skies and sun.  What is so striking about this once-historic castle and multiple garden rooms (and now an adjacent and gorgeous Ritz Carlton Resort with golf course) is the sheer vista from the top looking down.  Nothing short of magical.  A shout out to my bro-in-law who said Powerscourt was a must-see for us on this particular trip in 2011.

Well, not this one ...

4.  Giverny ... going way back into the travel archives, I was fortunate enough to visit this gorgeous site way before I started getting my hands full of dirt at home -- on my honeymoon in 1986.  Of course this is the longtime home (and final resting place) of the brilliant Impressionist painter Claude Monet.  Serene, scenic, and full of breathtaking views, this is certainly worth the trek from Paris -- round-trip tours are offered and one could throw in Versailles as a two-fer with some brilliant gardens there as well ...

I'll discuss locations on my wish list in a future blog entry and maybe a few others previously visited!

Due to (assumed) popular demand, Travel with Teri B. is now officially in it's second year!   How about starting off 2013 with a local trip to what we Angelenos affectionately refer to as the "South Bay" ... 

Early morning view from the villa ... Catalina in the background

More specifically, I am now making my first visit to the gorgeous resort known as Terranea.  But as one who visited this area innumerable times growing up in Los Angeles, I have a hard time not thinking back to the original occupant of the site, namely Marineland.   



Marineland and I both got our starts in 1954, even pre-dating Disneyland by a year, so maybe that is why I may be a bit nostalgic.  To imagine what it was like back in the day, think about today's SeaWorld but with the added bonus of awesome Pacific ocean views.  Of course the drive undoubtedly took much longer and I doubt there were any "interactive" features but this was the original theme park that we so enjoyed.  Then, as well as now, anyone taking off from LAX and seated in a left-side window seat knows what I am talking about, this incredible perch of land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.   Read more about Marineland's history and ultimate demise here ...  

 

Almost makes me want to cook (but not quite)

And now on to the visit at hand.  Fortunately for me, the hubby's client owns one of the 2-bedroom villas here and has given it to us for the weekend.   Shhh, don't tell the kind resort manager that our anniversary is actually in August because we so loved the cheese, wine, and cupcakes sent up with their kind wishes!  (This visit is really for my recent birthday).

This particular unit has 2 bedrooms plus den, 2-1/2 baths, gorgeous kitchen, living room, garages, laundry, and outdoor terrace with fireplace.   If one wanted to cook, the kitchen is fully equipped to do so.   What’s lovely is all the amenities of a fine resort are also included – robes/slippers/twice-daily service plus room service.   So it is really the best of both worlds!

We enjoyed their famous Seafood Buffet on Friday evening which looked to be populated both by resort guests and others coming for the meal itself.  And why not?  If you like crab legs, you'll likely tire out from eating and cracking due to the non-stop onslaught of them....

 

Saturday was our time to explore the property. The view is magnificent from everywhere, but particularly at the edge of the Ocean Lawn -- obviously an ideal spot for weddings. There were tons of dolphins quite visible diving in and out of the water. We opted to lunch at Nelson's, named as a tribute to the star character (Mike Nelson) of Sea Hunt, a T.V. series which filmed often at Marineland. Ok, all you baby boomers, who played the lead? (Answer is below if you're having a senior moment) The spa, fitness center, and pool all take maximum advantage of the views so working out is more pleasurable!

 

One brave soul was actually swimming in spite of the record low temps California is experiencing this weekend. As my friend and client notes, we Angelenos are known to get out the puffy coats when it dips below 65, but this is a bona-fide cold snap!



For dinner I researched top-rated restaurants in the area and selected Restaurant Christine, long established in the area. Full disclosure, I don't agree with Zagat's 27 food rating but they were so hospitable and welcoming and the food was fine, all making for a very nice evening. Best discovery was the ice cream served with the really delicious homemade strudel, a local brand called Dandy Don's.  Might just have to go to their location in Van Nuys and/or order some other flavors online, it was that good!

After breakfast at the Marmalade location in Rolling Hills, it was back home in no time flat. And the best news? Coming back here again in a few weeks with my business colleagues (and great friends) for our annual Spa Weekend. These very accomplished women know how to work hard and relax hard as well. Yippee ... cannot wait!




(And the answer is of course Lloyd Bridges)