The Weekend Ahead

If you are completetly totally 100% offended by LGBT people, don't read this post.  If you're not offended, go right ahead.

Saturday, 25 June 2011, is the 33rd Annual Pride Parade and Festival in Montrose. The largest lgbt event in the southern US, an estimated 150,000 people will watch as it goes through the Montrose district down Westheimer with a festival featuring over 200 vendors, multiple stages of performances, and plenty of places to eat, with restrooms easily accessible.

With the groundbreaking 2009 election of Annise Parker as mayor, a shockingly progressive move for a conservative southern city, Houston became the largest city in the world with an openly gay mayor, making international headlines and nearly every major American newspaper from the Seattle Post-Inteligencer and Houston Chronicle, to the St Louis Post Dispatch and even the locally owned Advocate right here in Baton Rouge. Since then, the city has constantly made headlines around the world, which when considering its goals of eventually hosting the summer olympic games is a very good thing, and has seen a boost in its economy, helping to drive the local unemployment rate below 8% and making it yet again the nation's wealthiest city home to its strongest economy, and the nation's number one city for college graduates.

Whatever your moral stance on gay rights is, you must admit electing a gay mayor was arguably the smartest decision the city ever made, increasing tourism to levels never before yet seen in Houston. Not in a long time has the city shined as much as it does right now. Oil, Gas, and Energy companies are making record profits as oil slowly but surely surpasses $100 a barrel, tourism is at an all time high, the museums are doing well, the performing arts scene is great as always, and its public schools are outperforming all others. If the rumors of governor Rick Perry running for president are true, we may be witnessing the birth of America's next great cultural mecca as Houston finally reaches its full potential.

Architectural Landmark #2: The Galleria

Signage

Nieman Marcus Store#2

The Galleria, aka theGalleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development centrally located in the Uptown District of Houston. Anchored by Neiman Marcus, the first outside Dallas, it was modeled after the famed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, borrowing, as its most distinctive architectural feature, a glazed barrel vault spanning the central axis of the mall. The Galleria was a trendsetter.

The development consists of a retail complex, two Westin hotels, and a private health club. The office towers and hotels are separately owned and managed from the shopping center.

With 3 million total square feet of space that includes 2.4 million of gross leasable area with over 375 high end retailers, the Galleria is the largest mall in Texas and seventh-largest in the United States. It is currently anchored by Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and two separate, full-line Macy's.

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE LOUVRE GALA

American Ambassador Charles Rivkin and Becca Cason Thrash

Prince Albert of Monaco and Becca Cason Thrash

Here it is ladies and gentlemen, one of the biggest and most anticipated social events of the year has occured. Saturday night was the annual American Friends of the Louvre Gala. Held in Paris at the home of the American ambassador, Charles Rivkin and his wife Susan Tolson, some of Houston's biggest names were in attendance including the event's creator, the one and only Becca Cason Thrash, who looked stunning in a beaded caftan by late designer Alexander McQueen, who was quoting JFK,  "fighting for the human spirit". Guests dined on a decadent dinner featuring foie gras risotto, white asparagus topped with cream, and chocolate-covered pears with vanilla ice cream and socialized in the former Paris residence built for famed New Orleans businesswoman Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba, who among other things, established Jackson Square. Aside from a "who wore it best" moment that occured when Valerie Sarofim (ex-wife of Chris Sarofim and former friend of Courtney Lanier Sarofim) and Ranjana Khan, who arrived wearing the same feathered cape by Naeem Khan, after which they posed together for pictures, the event went off without a hitch. Congratulations Becca, your event was a massive success, but we already knew that was going to happen.

American Ambassador Charles Rivkin and wife Susan Tolson

Janet Jackson and Becca Cason Thrash

Andrew Echols and Valerie Sarofim

 Becca chatting with guests

Becca Speaking about the importance of the Gala

Becca's Dinner Setting



Major Events of the Past Week

Lets see what happened in the past week in H-town thats juicy:

A student and teacher relationship produces two children

Student falls from ladder at Texas State University, 2nd casualty of the year

Scientists at Texas A & M (go aggies!) say dead zone in Gulf of Mexico will most likely grow

Opening Day

Today is the first day of a blog titled "View From Outside In" a Houstonian's take on the goings on around Houston from the point of view of of a former Texas resident living in Louisiana. The blog will be a monday-through friday type and will be divided as follows:

Monday: Society News
Tuesday: Famous Houstonian Profile
Wednesday: Major Events of the past week
Thursday: Society News and Architectural Landmark Profile
Friday: The Weekend Ahead

Please Enjoy and note that what is said fact where stated and opinion everywhere else.