Friday, January 26, 2018

FMM - Final Roundup of Houston Weekend

I mentioned that we stayed at a different hotel this year, the Magnolia, which is a boutique hotel in an building that originally was home to the Houston Post Dispatch.  The building dates back to 1926 and there is a lot of original charm to it, although it's been extensively renovated.  It's located about half a mile from the George R. Brown convention center, which is where the race expo and start/finish line area is, so it wasn't quite as convenient as staying at the Hilton, which has a skybridge across to the convention center, but we felt like the hospitality of the Hilton toward the racers has gone downhill over the last year, especially when they shortened the late checkout to 1:00 pm, so we tried somewhere new.

Our room was nice enough.  It was race weekend and prices were steep but that's all part of the event.  We were on the 21st floor - the next floor up housed the suites (Karen and Jimmy were put there, lucky ducks), and the 23rd floor held the rooftop pool.  It was very cold when we went up there on Saturday morning to check out the views, but totally worth it:
You've heard that song refrain, I can see for miles and miles?  That's what it was like up there.  Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and  you can sure see why from this viewpoint.
 
The arched roof is Minute Maid Park, where we stood in the corrals before the race.
This building is right next to the hotel - it's GINORMOUS!  I have no idea who it belongs to, but it dwarfs all the other high rises nearby.
This building is super tall, but the ginormous one to the left is in another stratosphere.

One fun thing about the Magnolia is that they offer cookies, milk, and coffee in the evening - you know we all stampeded over once they were set out:
In case you were wondering, they were delicious.

After the race, after the ER visit, and still in my race clothes, I was feeling beyond disgusting, so when we finally got back to the hotel, I made myself take a shower between bouts of vomiting.  I washed my hair, wrapped it in a towel without combing it, and fell into bed.  Next morning, I looked in the mirror and realized that I had 80s rock-band hair:
Felt like garbage, but still had to document that hair.   

We didn't run last Saturday, but did get together for breakfast, and we got a picture of the Houston survivors, minus Julia:
Jeff, me, Brian, Cary, Andi, Diane, and Karen.  Bonded even more by Houston 2018.

********************

We are set to run a bit this weekend - not sure how far, but it will feel good to get out and shake out our legs.  Have a great weekend!

14 comments:

  1. At least you got to enjoy the city and hotel a bit before it turned icky!!

    Love the hair...it totally changes how you look!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We didn't explore as much as we've done in the past because it was incredibly cold and windy, but Houston is always so fun to visit!

      Delete
  2. I need to stay in a hotel that offers cookies in the evening (or maybe not).

    Glad you got to have some fun before the bug struck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cookies and milk went over very well with us, LOL!

      Delete
  3. Nice to see all those faces smiling again. Hope you guys have a fantastic run tomorrow, no matter the distance - you deserve it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree, it's good to see everyone healthy again. :)

      Delete
  4. That hair is hilarious. I've been to hotels where they offer cookies, but I've never seen milk before--nice touch!

    Its so nice that you all enjoy each others company so much that you get together even when you're not going to run! Hope your run tomorrow is super enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh for sure, we definitely like to spend time together, running or otherwise. :)

      Delete
  5. I wish my hair looked even that good if I let it air dry in a towel overnight.

    The one time I was in Houston I stayed in a similar hotel but have no idea the name of it. The views there are great! And cookies at night are a nice perk! Terry and I have stayed at a few hotels that had that, and it was such a nice treat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I promise, if I tried to replicate that hair, I couldn't.

      Delete
  6. I'm still shocked at how sick everyone was during your trip. (How do you scrapbook that? Ugh.) I've been to Houston once, but honestly can't remember now. Maybe on business? The Magnolia looks lovely. You had me at cookies...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For real, this race/weekend will go down in Renegade history for all the wrong reasons!

      Delete
  7. I didn't realize Houston was the 4th largest city in the US! The city looks fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't know that the first time I had to drive there, but believe me, the amount of people on the freeways will let you know it's a big, BIG city.

      Delete

Comments are now moderated to prevent spammers from leaving, well, spam - but rest assured that as soon as I read a real comment, I will publish it. So please, comment away, even though the blog is officially closed. Thanks!