I just got back from an amazing solo vacation! I have list of k-pop groups I want to see in concert and when Enhypen announced their latest US tour I grabbed a ticket. The best stop for my schedule and travel convenience turned out to be Houston. I’ve never been to Texas!! What better season than AUGUST, right? Also, Enhypen are heavily vampire themed, and the irony of seeing them in the sweltering heat was too funny! I didn’t try to get a partner for this trip. I wanted to travel solo to see if I can enjoy myself (spoilers – yes I can!) and I wanted the freedom to book everything, including ticket price, to my own comfort and convenience.
Tuesday morning I finished packing, did some yoga, and packed a sack lunch before Ben dropped me off at the light rail station. This was my first time taking the train to the airport and it wasn’t that bad!
Mom lovingly booked me a room at the Marriott Marquis downtown. The hotel was gorgeous and sparkly and just two blocks from the venue! But the cherry on top? They surprised me with an upgrade! I learned later that they put me in the Vice Presidential suite that normally costs almost $3000 a night! Insane. The room was incredible. I spread out and used every room. It felt a little wasted being alone in there, but it was so comfortable and luxurious even by myself. I spent so much time gazing out the windows at the amazing views. I had a perfect view of the concert venue. I arrived on Day 1 of the this tour stop, with my ticket for Day 2. I could see the fans lined up for the first night, and I watched them leave later too.
After unpacking I walked to the venue to scope out the plan for Day 2, and check the merch booth. I had my heart set on a certain keychain and was sad it was sold out. It was exciting to see fans though, and my lightband synchronized with the concert signal!
I walked to a foodcourt to see more of the town and grab dinner.
Not very tired, so I floated a lap around the Texas-shaped lazy river and gazed at the city from the whirlpool. Then I took a long shower, put on a face mask, and played online games. I watched the engenes (Enhypen fans) leave the venue and went to bed.
I woke early and had breakfast in the club lounge, then summoned a ride to the suburbs. There was a special pop-up shop at the Memorial City Mall! Only 2 of the 4 US stops got shops, so I felt I HAD to visit. Ben requested some juicy mall pics and I obliged. I arrived at the store 45 minutes before opening and the line wasn’t long yet. Freebies were passed out. I was very sad that they were long sold out of that keychain and the employee suggested I come back next week. Boo! I bought a towel (I have a growing collection that I use in dance class) and stopped at Uniqlo down the hall.
Now, I could have called a ride to lunch, but the map showed it was only a 17 minute walk! I can do that! I ditched my cardy, whipped out my parasol and sunglasses, and swigged my water bottle. Ugh. It was a terrible walk along highways and between parking garages. But I made it!
Dude, this barbecue was SO GOOD. I got the brisket and a bunch of veggies, with okra being the big winner. I thought the bread looked dumb, but it was actually a ncie contrast with bites of meat. I had 3 refills of diet coke while I cooled off and chatted with my family. I definitely caught a few looks from the local patrons – it’s mostly men 40s-60s, and none had brought their ita bag along!
Once again I had a choice – do I walk the 21 minutes to a shop with dairy-free ice cream? Or do I call a car? My feet were starting to blister, but I needed to walk-off this lunch before I’d have room for dessert – tally ho! This time the walk was mostly a windy sidewalk along the freeway. I made it to a pleasant outdoor mall with Jeni’s Ice Cream, the same company that stocks overpriced pints in my local King Soopers. My store doesn’t have dairy-free, but this one had two flavors and I got them both – Texas Sheet Cake and Lemon Bar. Both delicious! I savored the AC and watched birds struggle to steal a waffle chip.
I felt done with the suburbs and called a car back downtown. I had it drop me at the venue to check the merch booth one last time, even though it had opened a couple hours ago and surely was sold out of keychains. But NO! I got it!!! Seriously this made me so. happy. I loved the design and I finally got to give a blood transfusion the week prior to this trip. I used to give tranfusions regularly in dialysis. Despite 1 1/2 years at my new unit and many e-learning modules covering them, I hadn’t needed to transfuse blood until just before this trip. Hooray!
I walked back to my hotel and slapped on more sunscreen before spending a blissful hour in the pool. I stretched my aching calves in the infinity pool and massaged my feet in the hot tub. I watched the security line get longer at the venue across the park. I laid on the deck lounger watching the low clouds bloom and sun rays spray down. My music playlist was peak even on shuffle mode. It was fantastic.
On the way down to the club lounge for a light dinner, I met some young engenes on the elevator. I shared in their excitement but gasped: you’re going now? To stand in the sun for two hours?? They said they were nervous because they heard on twitter that someone waited an hour to get in. I showed them my photo from 7pm the night prior when you can easily walk in, no lines (the show was at 7:30). They said they just wanted to be ready, so I wished them well and to try to stay cool in the sun.
After a quick shower I dressed for the show (and gave up on making my hair look decent in Texas humidity). I reeeeelly didn’t want to stand in the sun, so I watched Enhypen music videos while eating cake and monitoring the crowd. by 6:20 they had the line processed, so I went down and walked straight in!
It’s late tonight and this is already a very long post. Part 2 coming soon!
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