Grown-Up Galveston

Galveston has always been a great family spot. But it’s also a grown-up escape, close enough to be easy, but surrounded by enough water to feel far away. And if you’re looking for a date night? There’s not much that can beat crossing the causeway.

“About four years ago, we started looking at property in the Hill Country,” says Buzz resident Sandy Sales. “The boys [husband Travis and son James] really wanted some hunting property. I’d go and see, and then I’d say, ‘Okay, how far is the grocery store?’ Eventually James said, ‘You clearly aren’t real gung-ho about this.’ What was there for me to do out there? Cook and clean?

“So James said, ‘What do you think about getting a bay house?’ And that was the beginning of a love affair with Galveston.” They bought a house on the bay.

“There’s just a casual state of mind. You feel like you’re a million miles away from a city. And there’s a lot to do, or nothing at all. You go over that causeway and your blood pressure goes down. There’s no mail, no bills. Instead of reading the paper, we work on puzzles.”

A couple of times a month, Sandy and Travis go alone. “Sometimes we tell the kids, ‘It’s date weekend, so don’t come.’ They’re like, ‘Really?’ and I’m like, ‘Yes!’”

Sandy says she and Travis typically head to BLVD. Seafood for happy hour and dinner. After, they’ll sit on their dock with wine. “We sleep in Saturday morning and then usually head out to the beach with a Bloody Mary for a four- or five-mile walk. After, we hang out by the pool.”

If they pick up lunch, they’ll run by Café Michael Burger or the Shrimp ’N Stuff food truck at Jamaica Beach. Otherwise, Sandy makes appetizers and sangria.

For dinner, they are fans of local favorite Rudy & Paco. Other favorites: Saltwater Grill, Galveston Country Club or Nate’s West End. “If we’re in the mood to stay out, we’ll go to the San Luis bar for cocktails and live music – with a dance floor, of course. If we’re going to a show at the Grand [1894] Opera House, which, by the way, is a fantastic venue to see a concert or play, we’ll go to bars on the Strand – Stuttgarden Tavern, with indoor and outdoor seating, O’Malley’s [Stage Door Pub] or the Sky Bar.” For casual dining, Sandy suggests Farley Girls Café or Porch Café – overlooking the Gulf, but you’ll feel like you’re in Florida.

On the first Saturday evening each month, they like ArtWalk.  “We love to get a glass of wine and roam through the shops,” Sandy says.

Buzz residents Myrna and David Engler’s love of Galveston started when he was doing his fellowship as an allergist at UTMB. “When we first started dating in 1985, the San Luis Hotel had just opened,” Myrna says. “We would go sit at the bar at the pool.”

They’ve been going back ever since. “We’ve also stayed at The Tremont House, and we’ll go to the old [Hotel] Galvez bar. We don’t stay there because they have all kinds of ghost stories, but we love the bar and always wind up meeting cool people who have been going there for years. Actually, my parents were married there.” Myrna says to order the Ghost Bride martini.

To celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary, they had a getaway at The Villas at The San Luis, their beloved hotel stepped up a few notches. “The Villas are gorgeous,” Myrna says. “There’s a huge, beautifully decorated room and a huge bathroom, and a private spa as you walk out of your room. There’s also a private pool with a bartender for the villas. It’s a totally different experience than going into the hotel.”

For dinner, the Englers like the Steakhouse at the San Luis, the Strand-area’s Black Pearl Oyster Bar and the island’s famous seafood restaurant Gaido’s. Myrna loves The Sunflower Bakery and Café for breakfast.

“Galveston has always been a favorite,” Myrna says. “Usually we just hang out by the pool or take a walk on the seawall and go to the little shops. We haven’t been to the Pleasure Pier [amusement park] yet.”

But after coming full-circle, from dating to newlyweds, to parents of young girls and now back to empty-nesters, there’s bound to be another chapter to bring the Englers back to the island again.