Off to Texas

The friendly and efficient CLEAR ambassadors are available to assist at 50 airports across the US.

Once late January arrived, it was again time to continue my visits to our Presidential Libraries and Museums. On this occasion, I traveled to Houston, Texas, using that city as a base to take in both the George H. W. Bush complex in College Station and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which is located about twenty-five miles southeast of downtown. I was booked on a direct, late afternoon flight from the Raleigh-Durham Airport and was happy to have the opportunity to put my CLEAR membership to the test at my home airport. Once in the CLEAR Lane at Terminal 2, I stepped up to the pod and scanned my boarding pass. I was then prompted to verify my identity with either my eyes or fingerprints, without having to stop and present my ID. Once verified, a CLEAR ambassador escorted me to the front of the TSA PreCheck line for the actual screening. The entire process took less than two minutes (I timed it) and after clearing security, I stopped at the United Club on the third floor across from Gate D3.

The United Club at RDU Airport is a haven of comfort and serenity. It was the first new club in its network in15 years.

This United Club opened its doors back in August of 2019 for members traveling through the Research Triangle region. While I watched the club take shape as one of the airport’s Volunteer Ambassadors, I hadn’t had an opportunity to check it out as a traveler before the pandemic struck in March of 2020, forcing its closure for nearly a year and a half. Like other large US carriers, United now encodes club membership status in the boarding pass barcode so there was no need to present a physical or digital membership card at the reception desk. It was a pleasure to spend some time there before my flight to Texas and nice to catch up with Marianne behind the bar, who used to work at the RDU American Airlines Admirals Club. The 3,800 square foot lounge was formerly a US Airways Club, but now features standard United Club decor, lighting and furniture. I particularly liked the comfy leather armchairs with plenty of outlets and USB ports, along with a number of black and white vintage United aircraft photos on the back walls. Though I was having dinner on my flight, the food offerings on the buffet looked impressive. They included Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Herbed Croutons, Tomato Basil Pasta with Mozzarella, Spicy Potato Wedges and BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and Cornbread, along with Shrimp on Flatbread, Sliced Turkey on Sandwich Rolls and salad fixings. Chocolate Chip Cookies were also available for dessert for those who managed to save some room.

I chose the Cheese Tortellini over Stewed Tomatoes as my dinner entrée, but I should have eaten at the United Club.

The carrier was flying an Airbus A320 aircraft to its Houston hub on that afternoon with twelve First Class seats in a 2x2 configuration in three rows. Each seat, which included power outlets, was 19” wide with a pitch of 39” and a 6” recline. I took my usual aisle seat 2B on the port side of the aircraft. There was no pre-departure beverage service offered and, while several flight attendants walked back and forth through the forward cabin on multiple occasions, no one ever offered to hang up my sports jacket, which ended up lying across my lap for the entire flight! On a brighter note, I was happy to discover United has continued to publish its award-winning Hemispheres Magazine, a copy of which was available in the seat pocket in front of me. I wish that American and Delta would follow suit. Using Runway 23R, our departure was pretty much on time and the pilot informed us our flying time would be two hours and forty minutes. No warm nuts or snacks of any kind were offered before the dinner service began. Suffice it to say that United’s catering continues to lag behind its peers. The food was bland and unfortunately, the service was indifferent at best. We arrived at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 6:24 PM local time and taxied for eleven minutes before arriving at Gate C5.

The famous Westin Heavenly Bed has a plush, pillow-top mattress for a very restful sleep with comfort and support.

Kudos to the Houston Airport System and Uber for the crystal clear airport signage and pickup directions. After requesting my ride, I was instructed to exit Door #103 in the C Terminal and then follow the signs to Zone A, a short walk from the exit. My driver Fredy arrived in just seven minutes’ time. It’s a twenty-two mile drive to the downtown area and it took us about forty-five minutes to complete the journey to the AAA Four Diamond Westin Galleria Houston Hotel. This 487-room hotel in the Uptown District is a high-end property attached to the largest mall in Texas, offering direct access to more than four hundred high-end shops and restaurants. An iconic Houston landmark, the twenty-four story hotel was built in 1971 and renovated in 2018. It has a rather cosmopolitan vibe with striking design and modern sophistication. Check-in was seamless and my king-bedded room was located on the 16th floor, featuring a comfortable sofa and well designed work desk, along with dual nightstands with multiple plugs, a 55” flat-screen television, coffee machine and in-room safe The bathroom had a nice tiled, walk-in shower with a rainfall shower head, but I was disappointed to find that body wash, shampoo and conditioner were only available in refillable, wall-mounted containers. It seems that Marriott has shifted away from single-use toiletries to these dispenser systems. I’m not a fan due to the real possibility of contamination. Besides, from the hotelier’s standpoint, they’re simply more labor intensive. But, that’s just one man’s opinion.

Hosting thirty-five million persons annually, the Galleria is the most-visited attraction in the Greater Houston area.

Before turning in for the night, I took a walk around the attached Galleria Mall. It’s really quite the mixed-use development, consisting of a cluster of retail stores as well as the Galleria Office Towers complex, which is separately owned and managed from the mall. There’s even another attached hotel called the Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria. This vast, multi-level mall contains an astonishing three million square feet of space! It’s home to a “who’s who” list of designers, including Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Chanel and Ralph Lauren, among many others. Scattered alongside these upscale boutiques are anchor stores Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom and two Macy’s Department Stores. A range of restaurants to suit just about every taste can also be found throughout the Galleria, from steakhouses and dumpling bars to sandwich shops and fast food. To top it off, an ice rink can also be found on the lower level in the heart of the food court. A shopping aficionado would surely be in heaven here.

I turned in later that evening with great anticipation of my visit to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Center the next day. I’ll tell you all about my journey in a future post.

Until next time...safe travels.