Pleasure Pier in Galveston

I've been a bad blogger and didn't keep up with my blog for two weeks. One of those weeks I was sick, the other I was on vacation in Galveston, Texas. Time to catch up!

Last week we took a family vacation to Galveston. My mom, sister, nephew, myself and my three kids all went to the beach for a few days for fun in the sun. The only thing missing was my husband who had to stay behind to bring home the bacon. On Sunday, my mom and I drove down to the beach house she had rented and spent the day setting up house.

Monday we waited for my sister's arrival by visiting the beach. Once she got there we made our way down to Pleasure Pier. Something I learned about Pleasure Pier was that it was originally an entertainment facility for the U.S. military during WWII in the 1940's. It remained a prominent tourist destination until Hurricane Carla in 1961. After that, the pier was reconstructed into the Flagship Hotel. It remained the Flagship Hotel until Hurricane Ike in 2008. In 2011 construction began (by the Landry's Corporation) and Pleasure Pier opened in 2012.

Enough history, on with the review. Now that the pier is being used as an entertainment facility once again, how does it measure up?

My Take

I had a family of four, all over 48 inches tall. I bought the family four pack for $99.99. With tax the amount was just over $108. This meant we could ride all of the rides as many times as we wanted all day long for roughly $27 per person. Pleasure Pier has 16 rides. If you have kids under 48 inches, there are rides for them as well at a reduced ticket price. We rode nearly every ride in the park. The kids had their favorites, the adults had theirs. Of course, if you don't want to ride rides you can just pay the $10 entry fee. That sounds kind of like a waste to me unless you're going to supervise your kids, though. Other than a few lookout points over the ocean, there isn't really anything to see as a sightseer that you can't see from other points on the Sea Wall.

We were there during the work week. It wasn't very crowded and we were able to park nearby. There is a paid lot across the street but we were able to park on the Sea Wall for free. Yes, it was hot. But being on a pier has its advantages. There was a sea breeze all day plus we were riding rides which creates its own air conditioning. There was one ride in particular that was like a log ride. It had a splash zone where you could stand and get completely soaked so even though it was hot, it wasn't miserable. Needless to say, that was the kids' favorite ride and favorite place to hang out for the day.

Like any amusement park, there are rules about food and drinks. No outside food and drinks were allowed in. The Pier provided their own restaurants, food and drink services. At inflated prices, of course. A bottle of water was $3.50 and a large fountain drink was $5.50. I didn't bother with the restaurant prices but if you're interested Bubba Gump is the restaurant on Pleasure Pier. They also have kiosks that offer the standard hamburgers, pizzas and funnel cakes that most amusement parks offer. We chose instead to take advantage of the Pier's re-entry policy. We went back to the beach house to eat lunch, hydrate and rest before returning for more fun.

The staff was friendly and attentive. They were mostly Russian, which I thought was strange. They all had names like Viktor, Ivan, Igor, and Inga. It was almost as if a casting call went out for Russian models to work at Pleasure Pier. They were all good looking young people running the rides. I hadn't originally planned on riding rides because I was going to save a few pennies by buying the $10 day pass. The family four pack ended up only being a few dollars more than what I intended to pay so I bought that instead. Since I wasn't intending on riding rides, I wore a short blue jean skirt for the day. I'll tell you what, there's nothing more intimidating than a good looking Russian man having to check the seat connections between your knees when  they're separated by a metal bar and you're wearing a mini skirt. And you're all sweaty and nasty from being out in the sun all day on the Gulf Coast in June.

All in all I thought the expense was worth the trip to Pleasure Pier. If you think about how much you pay at county fairs, festivals and other amusement parks, I felt like I got a good deal. The rides were in excellent condition. The Pier was immaculate. The staff was friendly and responsible. There are only two designated smoking sections on the Pier so no one is walking around throwing their butts on the ground or blowing smoke in your face (a personal pet peeve). My only complaint would have to be the price of refreshments.

The Verdict

Overall I give Pleasure Pier 8/10 roller coasters. Why? Because after paying for entry, you still have to pay to play midway games and for the high price of food and drinks.

Inseparable (2011)

Inseparable is a movie that I had sitting in my Netflix Instant Play Que for a pretty long time. Last night was one of those nights where we were looking for something to watch and Kevin Spacey caught our attention. Both my husband and I are huge Spacey fans, which is probably how Inseparable ended up in my Que to begin with. Because most people probably haven't seen this one, I'm not going to give a full synopsis but I will give you my take on on the flick.

My Take

For starters, the movie is subtitled the entire way through, spoken in both Chinese and English. So if you can stand that, you're off to a good start. The main character, Li (the very talented Daniel Wu), is facing some personal demons and has come to a turning point in his life. Do I end it all or go on living in misery? A new friend happens to show up just at the right moment. The new friend, played my future ex-beau Kevin Spacey, (don't worry, we'll always be friends) gives Li a new outlook on life. They team up as a superhero duo and try to right the wrongs they feel have been the burden of common man. Eventually Li begins to question Chuck (played by Spacey) about his motives. Who is he, where does he come from, etc. And that is where the conflict begins. There are clues throughout the film that lead you to the inevitable conclusion of events, but the joyride it takes is worth the wait. 

Daniel Wu and Kevin Spacey make an interesting pair, to say the least. There is something charming and warm about Wu. Spacey's character is sarcastic and pushy. Together they make it work. So much so that when they don their superhero costumes, it actually makes sense. The themes of friendships, relationships, need, loneliness, and mental health were not lost on me. But I appreciate the writers and director not beating me over the head with it. It was easy enough to identify with a person who just wanted to fix things so badly he temporarily loses his touch with reality, I didn't need a PSA on top of it. So I commend the decisions made in production. Well done.

The Verdict

I give the movie 4/5 superheroes. I really enjoyed it, but I recognize it's not for everyone. But if you want to see Kevin Spacey running around in superhero tights, this one is for you.