Reviews & Comments
Galveston, TX
re: Beaches - 8/11/2006 -
1/16/2008Looks Can Be Deceiving...
Galveston's beach waters sometimes APPEAR dirty primarily due to several reasons while (similar to most U.S. beaches, they're not "mountain spring pure"), polution is NOT one of them...
Here ARE the reasons as I understand them; 1) The Galveston beach shelf is shallow and the sands are easily churned - especially if the winds are blowing from a certain direction, though I honestly can't remember which direction that is. 2) Sometimes when the currents are being influenced from an easterly direction, they can and do pick up silt the Mississipi deltas Gulf. 3) Beach Errosion... 2/3 of Galveston Island is erroding. Some areas along the "sea wall" (and especially on the western end less in habited end of the island, at quite an alarming rate).
There are many many days that the beaches and ocean waters are absolutely beautiful. Being a former 12 year beach area resident of Fort Lauderdale, Florida... While I love the beaches there too, I can tell you that getting oil and gas stains on your clothing or feet were common place from their beaches, and that they too have days that the beaches are not all that pretty. I also remember many days when particular beaches were closed due to polution, sea lice, etc..
Interestingly, during my 2+ of living on Galveston Island, I have never heard of any beach closed here for any polution related reasons.
I'd almost rather people believed the beaches here were awful, however the multitudes of multi million dollar condo beachfront condo and residential developments, and multiple articles in the NY Times, Fortune Magazine, etc.. tend to lead me to believe that the Galveston secret is already out.
As for the crime... yep, there's a PETTY crime problem and a few wanna be teen gangs that tend to come from some of the islands lower income residents, which statistically due to the island's growth are being forced off of the island a rate of about 2,000 families per year. Does anyone remember how dangerous and blighted Key West, Florida was in many of its neighborhoods about 15 years ago? It was pretty rough when you got off the tourist track.
Galveston, TX
Galveston Island's Historic East-End -
1/16/2008Galveston Island and the island's historic East-End is home to one of the largest surviving in-tact inventories of Tropical Victorian architecture, in the country. Massive old growth Oak trees line most of the neighborhoods streets (some with their original brick curbing) and the wrought iron fenced homes that range from simple cottages to ornate mansions have helped make it a neighborhood of prominence and style since the early 1800's. The East-End's location on the island is ideal as, (depending on which direction you go is literally just blocks to get to the beaches, historic downtown Galveston, Galveston Bay fishing piers or the UTMB medical university and campuses. LOL.. In fact, If Martha Stewart lived here she'd an average day for her would most likely go something like this: Rise early in the A.M. and walk the Golden Retriever on the beach, stop by favorite coffee house for Cappacino and Biscotti, prepare then lunch with her (magazine and television related) people on the verranda of her picture perfect victorian home, check in with her parole officer, poke around a few antique stores, return home to slip into some stylish outfit she made out an old lampshade and unused set of curtains, then stroll back into to town (being careful to avoid the throngs of cruiseship toursists), for an early dinner from a top Conde Nast & Zagat rated restaurant, then onward to the Opera House to watch Evita from her box seat, followed by a night cap in the lounge of her favorite 4 star hotel, hire a passing horse and carriage for a quiet ride back home, let the dog out and set the alarm for her early day at her favorite spa at an elegant historic ocean front hotel... finally, as she fades off to sleep, a smug smile of congrats to herself for being "green" and "reducing her carbon footprint" since all was accomplished without having to turn the key to her recently detailed, full size european luxury sedan, once.
Okay, joking aside... While a resident could actually do all those things in one day (and lord knows some probably have), even in you don't, it's a pretty cool place, not perfect... but hopefully never will be.