Hotel ZaZa and Memorial Day weekend

Sometimes when you live in a city you never check out the local hotels.  Well this Memorial Day weekend I decided before I leave Houston it would be criminal not to check into Hotel ZaZa which is located in the museum district.  This is the former famed Warwick Hotel which opened in the late 1920's and is as fabulous as ever.  This twelve-story building was transformed into the glitzy ZaZa in 2007 much to the chagrin of some "old time Houstonians"

Located across the street from Mecom Fountain,
the standard rooms are deluxe, but I understand  cannot compare to what's known as the "Magnificent Seven" which are their luxury suites each featuring an entirely different theme.   They also have smaller “concept” suites which range from a Geisha House, lavishly decorated in shades of red, to "Houston We Have a Problem".

Monarch, is the onsite lounge and restaurant, which has an exotic "on the avenue" feeling.

But what really made the experience of staying so memorable was of course the company you keep, which was truly the best.

So I had the opportunity to celebrate "the company I was keeping's" birthday - a special friend . . .

and with so much to do in and around the Museum District it was easy to make ZaZa party central and then check out the surrounding area including some old time favorites and bucket list places.  I loved Sig's Lagoon, an old vinyl shop, and where we picked up tickets to see . . .

 

"The Night Owls" from Austin, who played one night only at The Continental Club.

You've got to check them out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHIzh2U_I3U

 Then on to . . .

     The Symphony

And the Museum of Fine
Arts.

We were also able to tour places like Rice University grounds and saw James Turrell's "Skyspace" light exhibit, which is a special place to bond.  

Other stopping points throughout the weekend included St Thomas University, Rothko Chapel, The Menil, Herman Park, and more. . .

including places like the famous Cactus Music where free music is always playing

And of course a glimpse into David Adickes studio,

















and Rockin Robin where you can sit and play as many guitars as you like.  So please let me introduce you to my special dear friend

Someone I've known for almost 1/2 of my life . . .

Frank T

It's been a thrill and life changing to get to know this man personally.  I look forward to every minute spent together.

 This Museum District and surrounding 5 mile radius is a tiny gem of a corner of the big city that was the perfect backdrop for a birthday.  It hasn't been a bad place to call home for awhile too, but I'm looking forward to the next chapter.