I moved to the Galleria Houston Apartments area in the fall of 1997, into a hotel called the DoubleTree Galleria. This hotel would shape what I thought about Houston, especially the Galleria area. The amenities were nice, the location was luxurious, but the cookies were to die for (I got off to a good start…Doubletree cookies yum!). Let’s talk location; It was right next to the Galleria mall. Coming from Michigan, I didn’t know what the “gallery” was or even heard of the actual mall. When I found out that there was an ice skating rink inside the mall, I was blown away. I thought who builds a giant ice skating rink inside a mall that is already 4 stories high! I realized this was a mall the size of Texas. From the free Doubletree Cookies, Shwarmas, Gyros, and BBQ Ribs, I loved my stay at the Houston Galleria.

After a month at the Hotel, our Corporate apartment was ready at a property called The Essex House Apartments. It was a furnished two-bedroom corporate apartment with daily maid service. I remember having my first Texas burger at Becks Prime. I had my first Texas style Indian food at Kirans (formerly Bombay Palace) and Chinese food at PF Changs. It was nice to eat out almost every night. Numerous trips to Pappasitas, a Mexican restaurant famous for its sizzling fajita plates for two, would soon follow! It was so popular and successful with our family that we became weekly patrons of this great Tex Mex restaurant.

With so many unique retail boutiques and small restaurants you’ve never heard of, it’s no wonder the Houston Galleria area has become such a hit! I miss living in the Galleria area and driving down popular streets like Westheimer Rd. I highly recommend anyone coming to Houston from a city or state far away in the United States to definitely consider Galleria Houston Apartments as their new place to call home!