For some one In OHIO who is used to be in a 45 Degree Cold temperature needs a hot place, especially in this part of the year. So we choose Texas for our Vacation. The way this vacation was shaped was really cool. We had our Company's Christmas
Party
a weekend before Thanks Giving Long weekend. So all that I need
to do is take a three-day vacation which will give me a 9 Days
vacation. So 9 days of Fun, Adventure, Drive etc etc. Our
Trip Started as we flew from Columbus, OH to Oklahoma
City, OK connecting in St. Louis, MO. As usual it was
TWA. We got a drop off in Columbus Airport. Thanks a Million to
Ganesh &Family who were able to get a time off from Work for
Couple of Hours. We had a nice Time as both the flights were on
time and we reached OKC. Our friend Rajesh was waiting with Lots
of Enthu to see us and we drove back to his place in Norman, OK. Saturday November 17th was our Company's Christmas Party. We all were really busy for the party. For any Party the hardest part is to find the right dress for the party. For Men its really cool because all that we are concerned is "Ironing" our Marriage suit and Dressing up our hair with a Hair Gel that suits our Hair. But for Female it's 100 Times more than that. Getting your Hair Dressed is the main concern. We went thro' all those things that day and got a good dress for Priya and it was all fun. Finally we arrived there in "Cowboy Hall Of Fame" in OKC for a Grand Party of Our Life. We enjoyed each and every moment of the party, which went till 12 in the night. Sunday 18th November 2001 was a Kind of Rest day for us. We got late from our bed. It was a day to talk about the Party, Make a good Lunch "Chicken Biriyani" and we went to our Employers place and we spend the rest of the day. Evening, it was a Movie with Kids. I am pretty sure you would have guessed what movie we went. Yes it was "Harry Potter". The Kids and Priya were really impressed! Monday we went to our Office and we were really preparing for our Long travel. Arranging and Packing. Myself, Priya, Rajesh & Sujatha and SAKTHI drove from OKC to DALLAS.
DALLAS:
We started to drive On 20th November and we reached Dallas, Texas. Dallas is one of the cities that is developing to a great extend and it is one of the top 5 cities in the UnitedStates. It is located in the North Part of Texas and it is very much an
International
City. The city of Dallas is almost 50 Square Miles. When you
drive from Oklahoma to Texas the first thing you find different
is Multi Layer Bridges. It's really pretty and fun to drive. We
stayed in our Friends place in Dallas. His name is Eby and our
Long time friend. We roamed around in Dallas. There are lots and
lots to do over there. One thing, which is unique about Dallas,
is "JOHN F KENNEDY"s Memorial place in
Downtown, Dallas. That night we ate in
"RAZOOS" a Louisiana special, Cajun Restaurant
and our Day Ended at 2 O'clock in the night as we were chatting
and laughing for everything! HOUSTON:
November 21st 2001 we were in Houston, Texas. Houston is the Biggest City in Texas and it is the fifth Largest City in USA. We drove from Dallas to Houston and it took us more than 5 hours to reach there. The traffic was really very heavy. We directly drove down to "The Galleria" Mall. The Galleria Mall is the Second Largest mall in the US. The first largest mall is "The Mall of America" in Minneapolis, MN. One thing that you need to make sure before going to Galleria is to find a Parking space. The mall is huge and beautiful. There is an Ice Skate Place out there, which adds more beauty. The Mall had a huge Christmas tree. It was fun! We all skated and it was lots of fun. That Night we stayed in Ezhil's Place. He is also a consultant in our company, a very good friend who made nice delicious food that night. The Next day 22nd November 2001 was again in Houston, Tx. Houston that
has lots of Indian Population. It has one
of the best South Indian temple Called "Meenakshi Amman
Temple". The Temple is just a replica of any South Indian
temple. We had a great Dharshan in the temple for more than 3
hours. The temple serves People with Curd Rice, Tamarind Rice for
Just a Dollar. Then we Visited NASA. NASA is a
dream place for everyone to visit. Our friend EZHIL got tickets
for us for $9 and normally its $16 a person. NASA has various
exhibits. They have the APOLLO Rocket Exhibits, which is a kind
of cool. We took lots of pictures. Then we drove up to GALVESTON,
TX a beach resort, which is located 50 miles away from
Houston. I never expected a Beach Resort in Texas to be equally
good as the one in California and Florida. MOODY GARDENS
in Galveston is one of the major attractions out there. The Moody
Gardens has various different activities and they have a good
package that is not costly. You can have a Boat Ride in Gulf of
Mexico, Visited their Rain Forest, Aquarium, Watched I-Max movie,
Galveston, TX is an Island which is located in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean. To reach there you need to take a Ferry. The
Ferry ride was so good. You drive your Car into the Ferry. You
Drop the Car off in it and you can come out and enjoy the ride.
When you reach the island you can drive down your car into the
Island. The beach is pretty good and the temperature was 80
Degree!! Cool !!! We had nice time out there and we turned back! SAN ANTONIO, TX:
On 23rd it was it was SAN ANTONIO, TX. To me San Antonio is the Best place to spend in Texas. You can never find such a huge crowd along a riverbank other than San Antonio. San Antonio known to the world for the Famous River walk. Once we
reached San
Antonio downtown it was filled with lots and lots of activity.
Huge crowd listening to music. We were so happy and we were
wondering what to do next. We climbed "America's
Tower". From the top of the tower you can have a very good
view of the city. You can see the ALAMODOME, which is the largest
Basketball stadium. Then we walked on the beautiful streets of
San Antonio and to our surprise there was a THANKS GIVING
"BOATPARADE" in the river. You need to have
1000 eyes to enjoy the beautiful display of the Parade. It was so
nice and well organized. It was the first day when the Christmas
lighting was on !! The city was filled with Beautiful People and
Ever smiling hosts. To have a dinner on the Riverside you need to
book your tables three days in advance. We had a great dinner in
a Mexican Restaurant. Then we had a great walk on the Riverbank.
We had a group picture. Then comes the climax. We also had a boat
ride. It was so nice. One must see Priya, Sakthi, Rajesh and
Sujatha !! They were filled with lots of excitement. A real cool
Boat ride and I bet one cannot have a better boat ride in his
life in the middle of a downtown with thousands of lights hanging
on the buildings and on the trees. San Antonio is filled with
lots and lots of activities. "SEA WORLD",
"SIXFLAGS" etc. The largest water Park in
America "Scottenburg" Sorry I think I didn't spell it
right, is there in San Antonio. We rented a room in Red Roof Inn
and stayed there right next to the airport. It was cool. Then on
24th November we drove back from San Antonio back to Oklahoma.
While riding back we stopped in San Marcos, Out let mall. It was
huge and there were various Thanks giving sale going on. We did a
great shopping. Then we stopped in AUSTIN, TX for lunch. Austin
is another Beautiful place and it's the Capital City of Texas. We
just had a look at the State Capitol and then we drove back. We
passed DALLAS downtown again on our way back in night. The newly
constructed AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA was hosting
a Match. It's the Arena where the DALLAS MAVERICKS play.
Then we passed the RENAISSANCE Hotel. Then we reach
Norman, OK safely.