BILL CHERRY'S GREATEST DALLAS PARK CITIES REAL ESTATE BLOG: TEXAS REALTORS CONVENTION IN GALVESTON - WELCOME FROM A BOI

                                                                           BY BILL CHERRY, BOI

                                                                               BROKER-REALTOR

                                                                    MY 43RD YEAR SELLING TEXAS                                                                   

It was darned sure exciting for me when I learned that this year's Texas Realtors Convention and Trade Expo is going to be held in Galveston, and if that isn't enough by itself, you'll be learning, meeting others and having fun not more than four blocks from the home where I grew up.  (I'm writing this from Dallas where we now live and operate our agency, but at one time I founded and owned the largest brokerage business on the Island, and it's still blowing and going today.  In fact, you'll meet the owner, Carolyn Clyburn.)

Back in those days -- we're talking about the World War II years until I guess the late '60s -- people in that neighborhood bought their homes as young people, got them paid for as middle-age people, and were still living in them when they breathed their last breaths.  People just saw no reason to move from Paradise.

After all, it was the highest point on the island and behind the famous Seawall, so the threat of storms and hurricanes was never more than a mere inconvenience.  Schools were nearby and since that period was before the invention of busing, we rode our bikes to school, rode home for lunch, and then meandered here and there as we peddled home after the 3:15 bell rang dismissing us for the day.

And you're right, it was when only a few people bothered to lock their doors, and those who did had told everyone where they had hidden a key.

And we saw our very first TV in that neighborhood.  It was about 1951, I think, and all of us were outside playing as dusk began to settle in.  One of us noticed a strange glow coming from the Ben Levys' front window.  We ran up on the porch across the street for the additional height we needed to investigate the glow.  It was snowy people walking around like in the movies.  One of us had the nerve to ring the Levys' doorbell and ask if we could take a closer look.  "Sure, come on in and I'll pop some popcorn," Mrs. Levy said.  We learned that the silly guy on the TV screen was a fellow named Milton Berle.  Who'd ever heard of Milton Berle?  Why not Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, we wondered.

Were Bud Abbott and Lou Costello busy that night?

When you go to this years convention, if you do it right, you'll uncover the wonders of the Island, the place where Jean Lafitte lived in his home named Moulin Rouge, and buried his treasure in the marshes at least ten miles from his bedroom.  You'll see the largest and most famous collection of iron front commercial buildings in the US, on a street one block from the wharves.  It's called The Strand.

I had the privilege of representing George and Cynthia Mitchell for twenty years as they invested many million dollars in the adaptive restoration of about fifteen of those buildings, and that gave the district enough umph to make it return to commercial vibrancy.  I have written about and spoken about how we did that to meetings of architects, town fathers, and people like you and me for years.  You're going to love the Strand.

The Beach is the Beach.  There's a good one across from the convention's hotels.  But the place to really absorb beach-going is at Stewart Beach, and that's about forty blocks Galveston East (In Galveston vernacular, if you're looking at the seawall, you're looking at what we call Galveston South.  If, on the other hand, you're looking at the wharves and you see big ships, you're looking at Galveston North.)

Go to Stewart Beach, smell the Coppertone on the bikinied young gals as they walk passed, mixed with the wonderful odor of the gulf, salt air and sand, and sit on rented canvas chairs under the big beach umbrellas.  When you do this, you drink a beer.  You drink a beer whether you like beer or not.  And get a hot dog smothered in onions and chili from the vendor on the pavilion.  A small bit of sand will find its way on top of the chili, and you'll fall in love with the taste of a gritty chili dog.  I promise.

The president of the Galveston Association of Realtors, Sue Ellen Johnson, is a broker and the co-owner of Gateway Real Estate.  I don't know her.  I guess she got there after I left.  Nevertheless, she wrote a very worthy read in the June issue of Texas Realtor titled "Sightseeing Tips from a Local."  She gave some excellent advice.

I'd like to make an additional recommendation, Galveston's most famous seafood restaurant, Gaido's.  It's on the Seawall about fourteen blocks to the east of the convention hotels.  Gaido's has been in business since 1911, and has served millions and millions of people, and it is run by the fourth generation of the Gaido family.

From the very beginning until now, there is a Gaido who looks at every plate of food before it leaves the kitchen. Every plate!  And this is the place where you can be assured you are going to eat fresh seafood.  If it can't be fresh, it's not on the menu,  Period.  You must eat there, and somehow, someway, you've got to have lump blue crab meat, sauteed in butter with a smattering of chopped green onions.

BOIs are sure God is from Galveston (the very first BOI) and that he eats Gaido's sauteed lump crab meat at every meal, and we understand why.

As an aside, growing up when we had an impending date and no money, we'd pull our seines off the beach-font, then sell our fresh catches through the back door to founder Mike Gaido.  I love thinking about that and I love Mr. Mike for letting us do it!  I guess primarily that's because it was how we paid for our tux rentals, dinners at the Turf Grill and the like for our senior prom, and let me tell you, my date was totally georgous!  Was I proud!  Were the other guys envious? Ha!  You bet they were!  They still talk in wonderment about how could I have ever gotten that date.  (I never have told them. The answer is you ask early...piece of cake.)

The list of things to do and see goes on and on.  I can't close without inviting you to tour the East End Historic District, the Silk Stocking District and the newer designated historic home districts.  They're not hard to find, and they are the total evidence that a town can be saved by using care and having many participants in the plan to save it.

Finally, my lifelong friend, Doug McLeod, has directed the development of the wonderful tourist destination explosion known as Moody Gardens.  There's no need for me to even begin to tell you what all is there.  But save a lot of time for that exploration, and give thanks to Robert Moody and his family's Moody Foundation for bringing that wonderful place to you.

Did I tell you what a BOI is?  It stands for "born on the island," and those of us who were are very proud of that pedigree.  I've been writing and speaking about Galveston's rich history and the people who caused it for more than fifteen years.  My monthly column appears in the famous Texas web magazine, http://www.texasescapes.com/.  And while it was a weekly thing for more than ten years, I still write a piece every month or so for the Galveston County News (Texas' Oldest Newspaper) http://www.galvnews.com/

And then there's my book that was published in 2000 that has sold thousands.  Lots of people visiting the Island pick up a copy, but a free read is also available at most public libraries in Texas.

Finally, I want you to meet the absolute best association of Realtors' executive director on the face of the planet.  His name is Bruce Landry, and he has run the Galveston Association for years.  Find him at the convention, introduce yourself, and ask if he'd mind if you call him the next time you have a question about ethics, procedures, etc. 

                                         Welcome to Galveston!  You're going to love your visit!

                 BILL CHERRY, DALLAS BROKER-REALTOR. MY 43rd YEAR SELLING TEXAS. 972 380-7347

                                            Meet me on the web at http://www.billcherrybroker.com/