April 9, 2024
Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 9)
By Simon J. Lau
This morning, we explored Galveston’s East End Historic District, a neighborhood known for its Victorian-era architecture. The area is mostly residential, filled with grand mansions and elegant churches. Many of the homes are brick with tall windows and wraparound iron patios, the kind of detail that reminded me a little of New Orleans. Walking through, you can sense the wealth that once defined Galveston and how much pride still goes into preserving these buildings.
The standout is Bishop’s Palace, also known as the Gresham House. Built between 1887 and 1893 for lawyer and politician Walter Gresham, it later became the residence of the Bishop when the Roman Catholic Diocese of Galveston purchased it in 1923. It’s obviously not dog friendly, so we admired it from the outside, but even from the street its scale and detail are hard to miss.
Walking through other parts of Galveston, it’s easy to see how significant the city once was. However, natural disasters and shifting economics took their toll. The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 devastated the island, killing thousands and wiping out much of what had been built. Not long after, the opening of the Houston Ship Channel diverted maritime traffic away, stripping Galveston of its role as a major port. Since then, the city has never really recovered.
Later we left for Lafayette, a city known for its unique mix of Cajun and Creole culture. People have asked why I’d go to Lafayette instead of New Orleans, but I’ve already been to New Orleans twice. This time I wanted to see a different side of Louisiana.
Our first stop was the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The campus isn’t huge, but it’s beautiful, especially with its oak trees. Their first president, Dr. Edwin L. Stephens, planted many of them more than a century ago. Now they tower over the grounds, providing the kind of shade that feels like a lifeline during those brutally hot Louisiana summers. I grew up appreciating large oak trees, the town I’m from is even called Fair Oaks, but this display of oaks still impressed me.
For dinner I had Cajun food at Prejean’s, where the jumbo stuffed shrimp and corn maque-choux were excellent. I also couldn’t help but love the name of the restaurant. It reminded me of Jean, my wife, but back in the days before Jean. Pre-Jean. 
I had high hopes for Lafayette and even planned to stay two nights. Dinner lived up to the hype, but the town itself felt very run down, with whole areas that seemed pretty sketchy. One night is more than enough for us. Tomorrow we’ll be back on the road.
Finally, our route from Galveston to Lafayette (238 miles or 383 km).
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