When I received an invitation from my friend and former
Borondo Pines neighbor, Linda Riley, to attend a show at The Grand Opera House
in Galveston, I was thrilled.
Like many other local places I’ve never seen, this popular
theater was on my bucket list. Linda snagged four tickets to an evening event,
and invited two other Borondo Pines neighbors, Noemi White and Carolyn Gandara,
to join us for a “girls’ night out”. Here we are in front of the theater (L-R)
Noemi, Carolyn, me and Linda.
We started off the evening at The Original Mexican Café
(since 1916) on Market Street. It was almost unanimous, with three-fourths of
us choosing the chicken quesadillas—muy deliciosos! And you can’t have Mexican
food without M-A-R-G-A-R-I-T-A-S. Three-fourths of us chose “The Original” version
of those, too, with Linda volunteering to be our designated driver. Three cheers for Linda!!!
From there, we moseyed on over to the opera house to explore
the unique architectural features of the building, which was built in 1894. In
1924, it became the Martini Theater, featuring both vaudeville acts and movies,
and then, in 1937, the name changed to the State Theater. Carolyn remembers
going to the movies there as a child. The State closed in 1971. Reconstruction
on The Grand started in 1974 and the Opera House reopened in 1986, hosting hundreds
of famous entertainers since that time. As you can see in the photo above, it
is a beautiful building.
After the show, we stopped at The Marble Slab on 61st
Street for a late night snack—with three-fourths of us (I won’t say who) scarfing
down cups of creamy, sweet, chocolaty ice cream. YUM!!
Thanks, ladies, for a fabulously fun night out!
