Hellooo nerds! Earlier this spring I had a last minute long weekend (thank you shift swaps!) and decided to take a somewhat spontaneous trip. I knew I wanted to visit somewhere I hadn’t visited yet and I knew I wanted it to be with someone from my nerd family. Turns out Houston, Texas was cheaper flight wise out of everyone else’s hometowns. So I booked my flights and gave a heads up to our resident Houstonian and captain of our nerdy ship Curiosities, Roni. This is a recap of all the fun things I got to experience with Roni and her family. Let’s go!
The Galleria Mall
My first full day in Houston, we hit up the mall because I needed new sunglasses. Not only did we get a new pair of sunnies for me, we went to a bunch of other shops as well.
BoxLunch
This is my first visit to a BoxLunch store franchise. I am in heaven! Seriously, I would be in so much trouble if we had a store here in Vancouver. I love the fact that this store franchise’s mission is to give back to the community. In this case, their charity of choice is Feeding America, providing meals to local food banks. $10 is all it takes for BoxLunch to provide one meal for a person in need. And all Feeding America needs is $1 to provide 11 meals for food bank members in your community. That is a lot of meals for a lot of people who need it.
(Photo Credit: Roni)
So of course, I fell in love with the Princess Jasmine and Mulan Funko Pop vinyls. Let me state that this was the first time I broke my “no Funko Pops buying” rule because I knew I would be addicted to it. I fully blame Roni on breaking my Funko Pop rule and for getting me addicted to these cute vinyl collectibles. How can I say no to my two all-time favourite Disney Princesses?
Hot Topic
Right next door to BoxLunch was Hot Topic. Again, another dangerous store. This time it was the Her Universe Star Wars clothing line for The Force Awakens. That First Order bomber jacket – LOVE! But I passed on it because the Canadian Dollar at that time was pretty low in comparison to the US Dollar, so I decided to wait until I got home to get the jacket. In any case, doesn’t it look rad??
(Photo Credit: Roni)
(Photo Credit: Roni)
Hermann Park
After our mini shopping spree (we checked out a few more stores) we went to Hermann Park. Seriously, this park is gigantic. We found parking for Ruby (Roni’s car, it was apropos) by the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion. It is a new addition to the park and since Roni hasn’t seen it yet, and of course, I’m wanting to see everything, we decided to venture inside. We did a mini photoshoot to document the momentous occasion of me purchasing my very first Funko Pops, and we walked around the pavilion and climbed up the hill to the viewing platform.
(Photo Credit: Jenine)
(Photo Credit: Roni)
We attempted to go on the Hermann Park train ride. We purchased our tickets and were first in line for the next train to arrive, only a thunderstorm and rainstorm decided to crash to the party. Had I known I needed rain boots, I would have brought them with me to Houston! My Toms were completely soaked and squishy, I had to leave my shoes behind in Houston because they weren’t dry enough for me to take home!
(My flight home – literally leaving my shoes behind / Photo Credit: Jenine)
Galveston Island
My last full day in Houston, we decided to join Roni’s family and venture out to Galveston Island to see “Morticia” the corpse flower at The Moody Gardens! We were ready and prepped for the stank that we were going to encounter!
(Photo Credit: Jenine)
We went through the butterfly emporium and witnessed a really cool moment where Roni’s mom was able to get a butterfly to land on her hand and then transfer that butterfly onto Penny’s (Roni’s sister) hand!
(Photo Credit: Jenine)
(Photo Credit: Jenine)
When we got to Morticia, we were kind of disappointed that she didn’t stink as much as we had anticipated. It was kind of a let down in that sense, but at the same time, it was still pretty cool that we got to see her in full bloom.
(Photo Credit: Jenine)
Overall, I had a great time in Houston and would totally go back again and again and again if money and time will allow me to. It’s a great place to visit, not sure about that hot weather and humidity yet…
Stay tuned, as the adventure continues next week in Nerdie Foodie!
‘Til next time,
Stay nerdalicious!
-Jen
