Exploring Houston, Part 3 - Touring Midtown Central on Cinco De Mayo Houston Style

So yesterday was a great day to be in Houston and on Cinco de Mayo. Cinco de Mayo is not really a big holiday in Mexico but Texans really sure do like to celebrate it. BTW, Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican Independence Day..

So my friend, Laura, aka San Antonio, decided that she wanted to shake things up a bit and go hang in Midtown for drinks and sushi instead of Mexican food and margaritas...as is customary on this day...We ended up having a good time. 

We ended up at a great new restaurant called Tarakaan. Tarakaan, at 2301 Main St, Houston, TX 77002. Tarakaan Sushi Bar is perfectly situated in the heart of Midtown, Houston. As you have read in my other posts, Midtown, Houston is one of the hot spots in our city. It is home to many young professionals with many restaurants, bar and clubs right down the street. It is also close to Main street which is where the rail runs and it can take you to many places around the city. The food at Tarakaan was very good and it tasted super fresh and the drinks were good as well. The ambiance was very nice and the decoration was stunning. 

Now the neighborhood where Tarakaan is located has many homes to rent and for sale including town homes, condos, single family and apartments to rent as well. It is a great part of town and it is easily accessible. It is a straight shop to downtown as well. It really is a great place to hang out and live, play and work. 

Let me know if you are buying, selling, leasing or Investing in Houston, I want to be your Realtor. 

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonrentals  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties  

Great Houston Heights, Ravens Tower and White Oak, oh My

Yesterday was the first annual #BigGiveHouston Charity event in the entire city of Houston and the party for the event was held at Ravens Tower.

"Big Give Houston is a 24-hour crowdfunding event designed to empower every person to  give back to their local communities by supporting the organizations they trust to tackle today’s most critical issues.

On the first Tuesday in May (May 3, 2016) we help strengthen the foundation of our local communities, by providing critical funding for and celebrating the work of our community partners. We invite every person and every nonprofit to join us to improve the long-term outlook of our communities and ultimately, our country.

Please join us as we celebrate our local communities and support those organizations who work tirelessly and selflessly to keep our communities vital and strong." 

This just goes on to prove my point that Houston really cares about Houston and Houstonians. We are a people that takes care of each other in many ways but yesterday we remembered are non-profits. They are in some way the life blood of our community. I see it as in the way when city or state government funds fall short, the nonprofits steps in to fill in the blanks and voids and our lives. 

I want to really thank the organizer, Megan and her volunteers, Sarah Peacock, @somecallmewoo, for putting this together and helping us build a better Houston. In spite of Houston and our neighbors that going through some very tough times, it is nice to see that many people continue to shine a light in the respect of charity and good southern values. 

Ravens Tower located at 310 North St, Houston, TX 77009, is an awesome bar, music venue and patio. With plenty of parking and good drinks, it is a great place to sit and relax in the heart of the city.  The environment is awesome, the people are cool and the views from there are spectacular. It sits in the Northside Village neighborhood, it is truly an oasis in a go-go city. As you can also see, home prices have continued to steady rise since 2009 to the present. This area is very coveted and the surrounding stores, restaurants and new venues only prove this even more. 

It was my pleasure to be there. The people were great and so was the event. 

I continue to love Houston our people, new and established. Let me know how I can help you find the place of your dreams. Remember, Buy, Sell , Lease of Invest, I want to be your Realtor. 

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonrentals  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties 

My Weekend Trip to the Great NW, Houston that is....

This weekend was great for me in Houston. I was able to attend the first annual brunch for the Latin Wave at Under The Volcano. Under the Volcano,  2349 Bissonnet St, Houston, TX 77005 Is a great bar located in The Village  area of Houston right off of the SW freeway. They have good food and great frozen drinks but it more bar then restaurant, um.. more like lite bites then heavy meal. It has a great environment for happy hour drinks after work during the week and also a great atmosphere during the weekend and awesome waitstaff the whole week through. 

I was able to be there for The Latin Wave's first annul brunch. The Latin Wave is the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Latin Film Festival, now in its 11th year. They bring directors, actors, producers and other film people to have a Q & A session usually after he screening of the movies. They are all independent movies, which usually also brings distribution companies and their representatives to our great city.  The movies come from all over Latin America, Spanish speaking and Brazil. 

Soon after this I had the pleasure of getting my client's into their new home in Sugar Land. After the floods that took place recently in Houston, many people are still going through some tough times and my heart goes out to all of them. I am glad that I could make it at least a little more bearable for my friends and clients.

 On Sunday I had the opportunity to travel to another part of Houston for my best friend's birthday party, NW Houston to be exact. NW Houston, is a great place for families or young professionals that work on that side of town. With great older homes and brand new construction alike, NW Houston has lots to offer. You can literally work, live and play in NW Houston without ever having to come into the city. 

Just so that you have an idea of the area, the Mandolin Village Neighborhood is just an example of just what NW Houston has to offer. 

 So in conclusion this weekend was good. I learned a little bit more about Houston's film culture and met some great people. I ran into other friends and I helped out my friends and clients after the flood. I love Houston and I really like to help people via my real estate knowledge. So Buy, Sell, Lease or Invest, I want to be your Realtor.

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonrentals  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties  

Night Out on the Town - Puttin On The Ritz with #kscopehouston

So another day, another networking event..A Realtor's job is never done, literally and figuratively. I started off the night again at my usual watering hole, Byzantio.. Yes, i love that place. It is central to all of my networking events. So obviously I ran into my friends, Ilia and Julie. 

Then,  I was off to my networking event of the night with Kaleidoscope's monthly happy hour and meet and greet. Kaleidoscope is a fun group of arts people that are into Fashion, Music, Film and Art. 

"Kaleidoscope focuses on the expansion of this culture by spotlighting the economic increase of fashion design, clothing merchandising, music influence, visual and performing art, photographic and cinematic film, and a variety of other art and entertainment."

With its founder Pamela Andino, the monthly event was sure to be lively and creative. 

This is Pamela, after i saw this picture, I thought she might be in the witness relocation so i might have blown her cover.. hope not though. 

At the event, I met some really creative people and I think I made some new friends. We even exchanged numbers.  They also had a really great art piece, so i decided to take a picture of it. The event was held at The Flat. 

The Flat is a great location that never fails to deliver. The Flat, 1701 Commonwealth St, Houston, TX 77006, is a great spot with a great out door patio. They have food and drinks and AWESOME music. I don't know if they have a resident DJ but the music is always on point. 

The area is a near the heart of the city and it is home to many creatives and professionals alike. It is called Montrose and it is full of charm and good vibes. There are many restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Many people travel to this area to be around young "bohemian" types and great food. This area is also very central and close to everything cosmopolitan. It is truly "of the city."  Although it has changed lots since the 70's when many "alternatives" came to this area to come to a liberal part of town, it still holds its joie de vivre. 

I then returned to Byzantio to see the Thursday night Belly Dancers and to say "kali nichta" to my Greek, Indian and African buddies...

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonrentals  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties 

My Exploration of Houston, Part 2 - The Other Side of Midtown

Yesterday was a great day. I started out the evening going to my favorite bars and home away from home, Byzantio, a Greek cafe and restaurant located just outside of midtown. I ran into a friend of mine who is just one of the sweetest lady girls in the world. 

 I also got to see some a couple of great guys as well, (no picture taken bc I forgot) my friends John and Stephen, grabbing a spirit on the countdown to school letting out for the summer. Then is was off to the next stop of the night, Axelrad. 

I had a chance to go to a new bar in town that really lived up to everything everyone had been talking about and I got to celebrate a real mensch in the community, Navid Zanjani.

Axelrad, 1517 Alabama, Houston, TX, is a great looking bar with LOTS of outdoor space. It serves beer, mostly and they are just now starting out with a margaritas. They have food right around the corner, a great ambiance and good looking people. I really enjoyed myself and now I know why everyone has been going there for months now. It is awesome. It is right on the other side of midtown, so close to everything, and it comes to you from some great local guys that have been doing wonders for the city with their brand of businesses. Thanks for helping make Houston fabulous guys!

The best part of the night was that I ran into my favorite childhood friend and fake-cousin, Patty. I had not seen her in a couple years. I don't know why, I guess people just get busy but I love her. 

While at Axelrad, well, I got hungry. So I decided to go and look for food. Luigi's Pizza is right around the corner and very tasty but I wanted a little something different. 
I found a crepes pop up shop that will soon be residing almost next door at a new coffee shop to be called, Retrospect Coffee. Here is a crepe-ista and what she had to say....

Houston has great things coming... Past, Present and Future, Houston is awesome. Stay tuned for my next travel around town. Remember Buy, Sell, Lease or Invest. I want to be your Realtor. 

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonrentals  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties 

Rain, Rain Go Away...Out of the darkness, I can see the light...

About a nine months ago, we here in Houston and in the surrounding areas, had lots of flooding and many good people were effected. After many months of rebuilding, we were hit again last week. Some of the same good people were effected yet again. This was and is a horrible situation not just for those poor people but also for Houston and our entire community. When one community hurts, we all seem to hurt and I stand by that. So I did what any good Houstonian would do, I reached out to those effected and I offered to help. 

Well yesterday and for the past week, I have spent my time in one of the beautiful area in the Houston areas, Sugar Land. I have been looking for rental homes for some of my dearest and long time friends that were effected by the floods. Obviously this by no means makes what they went through better but it is a small glimmer of light that will hopefully get their lives a little bit closer to normal for the time being. 

In Sugar Land there are really some great areas for example Greatwood, New Territory and Telfair. 

These areas are literally stunning and very well maintained. I remember touring these areas before they were fully developed and I could already see the potential. People then started flocking here because of the amazing schools, shopping areas and proximity to the city. I mean there was not one thing that Sugar Land does not bring to the table.  

Now the pièce de résistance is Telfair, a master planned community with its own Museum of Natural History. Sugar Land also has its own regional airport!! 

Well so although this is on going struggle for many people, I am just very happy that I can help out whomever I can and however I can. Please let me know if I can be of service. 

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonrentals  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties  

Supporting Houston and all of Texas, Is my Pleasure

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go and learn about Hispanic Women's, Voting and Educational issues in Texas and in California at an event called La Voz de La Mujer. It was an event that was put together by some very hard working people in the local community. The special invitee was Dolores Huerta, inspirational figure to many in the struggle for civil rights mostly in Southwestern United States. She was part of a panel of Houston leaders who's expertise covers non-profit services management to local and statewide school boards. These speakers were each great in their own right. The event took place at Baker-Ripley, located at 6500 Rookin, Houston, TX 77074. 

This place was literally a compound. It was massive. It was a clinic, a school, a meeting venue and a lot more that I did not have a chance to see. It is part of Neighborhood Centers which is a multi-million dollar non-profit that helps the community with classes for those that want to better themselves, bi-lingual clinics for those that are most comfortable speaking to doctors and other medical personnel in their first language. Houston truly seems to be trying its best in order to care for our growing population. 

The speaker that was motivating most to me though was our very own Houston former HISD school board member, Juliet Stipeche. She was great in her specific choice of words and explaining how, not only was serving in the school board was but also how difficult it was because of the extreme cuts to our Texas  public schools through our legislature. She talked about the struggle that continues and about how we must continue to fight for Texans, past, present and future. 


Houston really does seem to be doing a lot in respects to protecting our children and their parents in regards to their educations and their future properties and taxes. 

I was also able to hang out with some great Houston business persons and all around good friends at a local drinking establishment, Lizzards, yes with double "zz," 2715 Sackett St, Houston, TX 77098. We talked about everything including marriage, dating, careers and my favorite, Real Estate. Lizzards has a great patio and it is located in Upper Kirby area right next to River Oaks. It was a really great place to just sit outside and grab a drink. 


I then had the opportunity to visit my favorite place outside of my home, Byzantio, 403 W Gray, Houston, TX 77019. This place is awesome. It has great food, drinks, out door sitting and it dog friendly. It close to midtown and it has great downtown views. Their food is great and they have from Greek inspired burger to old Greek classic dishes that are so tasty. I love it hear from the great family environment to the regulars that make this place a "home away from home." Some of my best freiends come here often as well.

 You also get a chance to make new friends as well from Norway, Guyana, Mexico, Israel, Kenya, Colombia to Russia, everyone come here. 

Supporting Houston is truly my pleasure. Whether it is through Real Estate or connecting people and helping their dreams come true, I love it. Let me help you find your dream home via Buying, Selling or Investment in Houston. You wont be let down. I want to be your Realtor. 

#liveinhoustonproperties  #liveinhoustonapts  #realestate  #houston  #texasrealestate  #houstonproperties