Dreading family gatherings during the holidays seems to be the status-quo for many but I just can’t hop on that train – seeing family is my absolute favorite thing about this season.
Yes, they ask sweat inducing questions like “do you have a job lined up after graduation?”, “are you engaged yet?”, or “isn’t that your third piece of pie?” but seeing them is completely worth it. Plus, after navigating that minefield of questions I feel like I’ve really earned that third (or fifth) dessert.
Being with family has always been my happy place and now that we’re living in Morgantown (hundreds of miles away from the closest relative) I get even more excited to be reunited at the holidays.
This year we spent Thanksgiving in Houston, TX with Zach’s family. I was thrilled to be leaving our freezing 30° West Virginia weather behind for Texas’ more mild, sunny and 65°, and be back in the land of Tex-Mex (a.k.a. my kryptonite). My mom and sister also drove down from Austin to join the festivities, making it an extra special holiday with much to be thankful for.
We hadn’t seen each other in over six months and decided a girl’s day was very much in order. I grew up in Austin, just three hours away from Houston, but hadn’t ever really explored the city. We’ve popped in for different events over the years but never went just to explore.
I was excited to finally see some Houston hot spots and enjoy a day with the girls. We decided to avoid any kind of schedule so we didn’t have to feel rushed – just the way a girls day should be.
Houston Girl’s Day Itinerary
Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day so start your day off at Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café. It’s a darling little restaurant that serves the most delicious assortment of sweet crêpes and a full menu of breakfast/brunch food (if you can tear your eyes away from the crêpe options).
Mom and I shared the apple cinnamon crème brûlée crêpe while Sophie went for Nutella waffles and we ate every crumb.
Rice University
If you enjoy long walks and gorgeous scenery, take a stroll around the Rice University campus. We were there when school was out, so we basically had the whole 300 acres to ourselves and loved every second of it.
Old oak trees surround almost every sidewalk and Lovett Hall could be mistaken for the façade of a palace, not to mention the other 70 Byzantine-Romanesque buildings just waiting to be in the background of your artsy pictures.
Trust me on this one – go for a walk through campus and see for yourself.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
This was the stop Mom was most eager for. Until January 27th, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has an exhibit open called Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol. It features portraits of British royalty spanning 500 years and including 150+ objects, most of which are being seen outside of England for the first time. If there’s one thing to know about Mom it’s that she’s obsessed with the British monarchy – I’m fairly sure seeing us for Thanksgiving was really just a ploy to visit the exhibit.
Either way, this was an incredible exhibit. Our biggest takeaway from the exhibit was that royal court was treacherous to navigate without being executed – especially if you were one of Henry VIII’s wives (who in order were: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived).
We obviously had to get the official book guide for the exhibit to relive the whole thing again at home. All of the portraits were fantastic to see, but my favorite was the Annie Leibovitz of Queen Elizabeth II (below).
MFAH has a great permanent collection and is always getting in new exhibits so be sure to check their website and see what they’ve got going on. Plus they have a great café and gift shop – definite deal breakers for any good museum experience.
Kiran’s Afternoon Tea
Girls days always consist of special treats – for some it’s a spa day or grand shopping adventure – for us, it’s high tea.
Kiran’s is a fine-dining Indian restaurant and I was surprised when I came across it listed as a hot spot for afternoon tea (since one doesn’t usually associate British high tea with Indian culture) but we were blown away. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical going in, but it was possibly the best afternoon tea I’ve been to in the U.S.
The tea service begins with an “Indian Start” including Kiran’s chai blend, the smoothest, most flavorful chai I’ve ever had, and a potato samosa delicately drizzled with brown sauce. Once we had gracefully eaten our samosas (inhaled them and licked the sauce off our plates) our server brought us each a delicious assortment of finger sandwiches and refilled our cups.
After we again devoured every crumb, we switched teacups for the next part of our service, “The English Way”. We could choose between Earl Grey or Darjeeling tea and our server brought out a tower of warm scones, house-made jam, clotted cream, lemon curd, and delectable desserts & petit fours.
By the time we finished we were sure we’d never be able to move again, happy to remain forever in the comfy chairs listening to the harpist lull us to sleep.
Murals
Many cities have become known for the murals that grace various walls and buildings around town, and Houston is definitely one of them. No trip would be complete without stopping by at least one to take some pictures.
Here are a few of my favorites get you started:
- “Houston is Inspired” mural – 907 Preston Street
- Sugar and Cloth Color Wall & Staircase – On the Main St. block of Green Street
- “Greetings from Houston” – 3601 White Oak Drive
- Polka Dot Wall – 6521 N. Main Street
- Montrose Paint Wall (also known as Biscuit Paint Wall) – 1435 Westheimer Road
- “You Are My Sunshine” wall – 250 W 20thStreet
Shopping at Highland Village
No girl’s day would be complete for us without a little shopping (and we just couldn’t pass up those Thanksgiving sales). Highland Village is a posh outdoor shopping center in the River Oaks area of Houston and has a great mix of fancy boutiques, national retailers, and restaurants.
As a dessert connoisseur (addict) I was most excited about Sprinkles. It had been years since I’d sunk my teeth into one of their perfectly frosted cupcakes and I was excited.
You can of course go into the store and order your cupcake at the counter or you can walk around the building to their cupcake ATM (that’s right, I said cupcake ATM – you’re not dreaming!). Who could pass that up?? Certainly not me.
If you’re really looking to shop, hop across the highway to The Galleria – an indoor shopping mall full of upscale brands mixed in with “typical” mall stores. They also have an ice skating rink year-round and is always festively decorated for the holidays.
Dinner
We were still stuffed from our afternoon tea indulgence, so we snacked our way through the evening instead of sitting down for a proper meal. I can confidently tell you however that the list of great restaurants in Houston is not a short one.
No matter what you’re in the mood for or what part of the city you’re in, you’ll find great options. Since the Mexican food up here in West Virginia is the worst, I always tend to opt for that choice (and consume as much as I can before we have to leave again).
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A fabulous girl’s day and the perfect way to spend time together during a quick visit. We definitely didn’t see all of Houston but it was a good start and a fun way to cross a few things off our list.
Aimee Lerman says
That was a fabulous day, indeed – it was so nice to spend quality time with my not-so-little-anymore daughters. And Kiran’s is definitely on my list for dinner on a return trip to Houston.