Corpus Christi
This week I'm in Corpus Christi, Texas. It's a great place to visit, usually. Unfortunately, this is spring break time and it's a bit more crowded than usual. Still, it's not nearly as crowded as Austin has been with SXSW and the high school basket ball championship. So I am enjoying my stay here. I have a great view of the Lexington (old battleship, dry docked and used as a museum) and the bridge to Portland, Texas which is one of those high causeway bridges. It's very interesting for someone who doesn't normally spend time at the beach.
Yesterday morning I spent time bird watching. I saw big birds flying (pelicans?), smaller birds flying (seagulls?) and birds floating in the water (ducks??? I don't think so). I am not a bird watcher by nature so I have no idea what kind of birds I am seeing. I also saw shrimp boats heading out for the day and some big tanker looking thing coming into the harbor (port? I'm not nautical either). The water here has that greenish grey cast that the gulf is known for, but it's a lot cleaner than the waters around Houston and Galveston. If you look out really far towards the horizon, you can see the oil derricks (oil rigs??).
The beauty of Corpus is that it is a city, but it has this small town feel to it that makes it comfortable and charming. It's fairly easy to get around in and there's not a lot of traffic even at rush hour. The people who live here did say that on the weekends during spring break it gets pretty packed. One lady I met said her husband is always volunteering to go to the grocery store during spring break so he can ogle the girls in bikinis buying beer! They said it's hard to find toilet paper, beer, ice or ice chests during this time of year, but other than that it's not annoying to them because most of the crowds are over at Padre Island.
The news is reporting an increase in violent attacks out on the Island. That's kind of sad. It seems like you can't do anything anymore without worrying about being attacked or robbed. But I am sure there are plenty of kids out there having a great time without any problems. (except maybe sunburn and hang overs).
A couple of things to see in Corpus. The drive down Ocean Drive is interesting with all the big houses. It ends up at the causeway to South Padre and Texas A&M Corpus which has a nice campus. There's the Texas State Aquarium which is a lot of fun. The USS Lexington if you're into that kind of thing. Then of course there's South Padre Island which is a bit of a drive where the real beaches are. You can also take gambling boats at night out into the gulf if you enjoy that kind of thing. There's a greyhound race track nearby, the Whataburger stadium, the memorial to Selena (not much to see really) and tons of sea wall to walk along for exercise.
Restaurants are abundant. I liked Water Street Seafood Co. but it's kind of pricey. There's also the City Diner (less pricey, less seafood) but kitchy cute. Snoopys out under the causeway is a rustic dining on the water place. I hear Blackbeards just on the other side of the bridge to Portland has the best seafood in the area. I have also heard that the Yardarm is an interesting place to eat. You can dine along the water at Landry's (chain restaurant) and some other big restaurants out on People's T-head if you like that kind of thing.
Corpus is just a leisurely place. It has a small amount of cute shops and a bit of touristy stuff, but all in all it's a pretty "real" city with a laid back atmosphere. I know I will be back. It's the best place to come to if you have to travel for work.
Yesterday morning I spent time bird watching. I saw big birds flying (pelicans?), smaller birds flying (seagulls?) and birds floating in the water (ducks??? I don't think so). I am not a bird watcher by nature so I have no idea what kind of birds I am seeing. I also saw shrimp boats heading out for the day and some big tanker looking thing coming into the harbor (port? I'm not nautical either). The water here has that greenish grey cast that the gulf is known for, but it's a lot cleaner than the waters around Houston and Galveston. If you look out really far towards the horizon, you can see the oil derricks (oil rigs??).
The beauty of Corpus is that it is a city, but it has this small town feel to it that makes it comfortable and charming. It's fairly easy to get around in and there's not a lot of traffic even at rush hour. The people who live here did say that on the weekends during spring break it gets pretty packed. One lady I met said her husband is always volunteering to go to the grocery store during spring break so he can ogle the girls in bikinis buying beer! They said it's hard to find toilet paper, beer, ice or ice chests during this time of year, but other than that it's not annoying to them because most of the crowds are over at Padre Island.
The news is reporting an increase in violent attacks out on the Island. That's kind of sad. It seems like you can't do anything anymore without worrying about being attacked or robbed. But I am sure there are plenty of kids out there having a great time without any problems. (except maybe sunburn and hang overs).
A couple of things to see in Corpus. The drive down Ocean Drive is interesting with all the big houses. It ends up at the causeway to South Padre and Texas A&M Corpus which has a nice campus. There's the Texas State Aquarium which is a lot of fun. The USS Lexington if you're into that kind of thing. Then of course there's South Padre Island which is a bit of a drive where the real beaches are. You can also take gambling boats at night out into the gulf if you enjoy that kind of thing. There's a greyhound race track nearby, the Whataburger stadium, the memorial to Selena (not much to see really) and tons of sea wall to walk along for exercise.
Restaurants are abundant. I liked Water Street Seafood Co. but it's kind of pricey. There's also the City Diner (less pricey, less seafood) but kitchy cute. Snoopys out under the causeway is a rustic dining on the water place. I hear Blackbeards just on the other side of the bridge to Portland has the best seafood in the area. I have also heard that the Yardarm is an interesting place to eat. You can dine along the water at Landry's (chain restaurant) and some other big restaurants out on People's T-head if you like that kind of thing.
Corpus is just a leisurely place. It has a small amount of cute shops and a bit of touristy stuff, but all in all it's a pretty "real" city with a laid back atmosphere. I know I will be back. It's the best place to come to if you have to travel for work.
posted by AustiNative | 5:33 AM
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