rick archer meets HIS FUTURE wife
 

2001 was not a good year for me.  Fresh off a divorce, I was in a pretty grim mood for most the year.  More or less as a way to keep moving forward, on a lark I decided to organize a dance cruise out of Galveston for my studio.  100 friends from the studio joined me for the trip.  This included a woman who had mysteriously signed on at the last moment without her boyfriend of six years anywhere in sight.

Marla was a student at SSQQ, my dance studio.  Over the past six months, Marla had not shown a flicker of interest in me.  Nevertheless I had never been able to suppress my serious crush.  Consequently, the absence of her boyfriend gave me sudden hope.  When I saw Marla at our evening 'Welcome Aboard' cocktail party, I made a discrete inquiry about the missing boyfriend.  And her reply??

"Oh, we just got back from a weekend trip to Miami.  Chris didn't want to do two trips in a row.  We spent last night together and he drove me to the cruise ship this afternoon.  My car is resting safely in his driveway."

My hopes dashed, I disengaged to deal with my disappointment in private.  At a Midnight party later that night, I saw Marla standing alone next to the dance floor.  My eyes lit up as an ancient memory crossed my mind.

"The fastest polite way for a man to get a woman he doesn't know in his arms is to ask her to dance." 

Without hesitation I walked swiftly across the floor. 

"Marla, would you like to dance?"  

We fell deeply in love that night and have never been apart since.  It seems the boyfriend had made a serious mistake.  Never let a woman of Marla's beauty and intelligence take a Singles Dance Cruise without an escort.  I might there were circumstances strongly indicative of Fate that shadowed our courtship.  If you are curious, I tell the story in Gypsy Prophecy. 

When Marla and I decided to get married three years later, we wanted to bring things full circle.  Since we had met on a Galveston cruise, we wanted to have our wedding aboard a Galveston cruise ship as well.  On September 26, 2004, 30 friends and family drove down from Houston to Galveston to witness the ceremony.  After the reception, our friends drove home while we stayed aboard for our honeymoon.  The last people to say goodbye were my daughter Samantha, 13, and Marla's daughter Marissa, 21.  Since both girls were in school, they could not join us on the weeklong trip.  After a tearful round of happy goodbyes, Sam and Marissa headed back to Houston.

Just like that, Marla and I were alone.  We were happy of course, but totally exhausted from a long day which had started before dawn.  Too tired to return to our cabin, we collapsed on a comfy couch in the Centrum area of the ship.  Still dressed in our wedding clothes, we sat there totally unable to find the strength to get up.  Thirty minutes later we still had not moved. 

It was 5 pm at this point.  Just then an announcement for the life boat drill came over the loudspeaker.  We both groaned.  We were far too tired to participate, but what choice did we have?  Unfortunately, participation was mandatory, so we waited for some crew person to bully us into leaving.  To our surprise, no one came.  I guess we had been sitting there so long they assumed we were part of the furniture.  Grinning with delight at being allowed to skip the life boat drill, Marla and I relaxed to the music.

Just then a really pretty song came on.  It was an instrumental version of Time Goes By from Casablanca.  I could not resist.  Neither could Marla.  We slowly dragged ourselves to our feet, stumbled to the nearby dance floor, then melted into each other's arms.  Swaying to the slow tempo, it was a sweet moment.  We were very much in love, a love that has never diminished.  By chance, a friend spotted us dancing and took a picture.  I did not see the lady snap the photo, but I am so glad she did.  Her kind gesture allowed us to memorialize this very special moment we shared. 

We owed this special moment to none other than George Mitchell.  In 1968 Maria Ballantyne, my Fairy Godmother, had given me the strength to carry on.  In 2000 Maria's brother brought the cruise ships to Galveston.  This dynamic gesture ensured that Marla and I would live happily ever after. 

how George Mitchell brought the cruise INDUSTRY to Galveston
 

Once upon a time, Galveston was the mightiest port in the entire Caribbean.  Then came the Great Storm.  Then came the Houston Ship Channel.  Eclipsed in the shadow of a mighty city, for 100 years Galveston's value as a deepwater port remained dormant. 

Things would have stayed that way if not for the extraordinary effort of one man. 

In the early 1980s, George Mitchell envisioned Galveston as a port for cruise ships.  For several years Mitchell pursued this goal only to be met with obstacles, apathy and lack of cooperation.  He could not get anyone to listen.  Carnival Cruise Line was not interested and Galveston's Port Authority had given up asking them to reconsider.  Although he was very frustrated, Mitchell was undaunted in his vision that the cruise industry would do well in Galveston.  Taking matters into his own hands, he bypassed the city managers and approached Carnival on his own. 

According to Douglas Matthews, former city manager of Galveston, over the years George Mitchell had contributed millions of dollars into his many projects on Galveston Island.  One would think this generosity would buy Mitchell a million dollars worth of credibility, but apparently not.  Matthews recalled how Mitchell fought the Galveston City Council and the Wharves Board over his request to build a cruise ship terminal plus a $750,000 cruise ship walkover in the late 1980s.  The walkover would connect nearby hotels to the cruise ship terminal.  By crossing Harborside, the busy street below, hotel guests could dodge traffic while wheeling their luggage to the ship.  Mitchell thought the walkover was important, but no one agreed.

So what was the problem?  Here is how Matthews explained it. 

"The critics just couldn't see it.  They labeled George's walkover idea as the 'Walkway to Nowhere.'  To them, it was a pie in the sky daydream.  Thank goodness George had the vision to persist.  In defense of the obstinate officials, this cruise project was a huge, costly gamble.  Galveston would need to build an expensive cruise terminal without any guarantee the cruise ships would come.  Given that the city's economy had been in dry docks ever since the Texas Rangers ran Sam Maceo out of town, no city official had the courage to do it.  It was beyond their imagination, far too risky.  For one thing, no one was banging on the doors begging to take a Galveston cruise trip.  They interpreted this to mean there was no cruise market in Texas.  So the Port Authority officials said no.  George blew his top.  Fortunately he had the sense to wait till we were alone to explode. 

Speaking out of earshot, George said, 'Damn it, Doug, if they're not going to do it, then I'm going to do it myself!" 

This priceless interview with George Mitchell explains what happened next.

George Mitchell:  "We worked hard to get the cruise ships down here to Galveston.  Oh, yes, indeed we did.

I had a friend tell me, "George, how in the hell did you get the cruise ships down here?  What a great move!   We like visiting Galveston.  Hey, buddy, you're costing me money.  My wife says we need to come down and buy some real estate as well."

Sure enough, bringing in the cruise ships was an eye opener.  It made everybody realize something big is going on down here. So now we're pushing to put two more cruise ships at the Del Monte terminal.  They would have seven cruise ships in a row and you should get an aerial picture of that.  Very impressive!

A lot of American cities would be jealous of what we have here.  I'm telling you, they would be.  Bringing the cruise ships was a valuable addition to be sure.  Soon everybody's going to be saying the same thing, "What the hell is going on down in Galveston??"

There's an interesting story about that.  I kept asking the cruise terminal people to do something.  We had a committee, but they weren't very strong, certainly not bold and I wasn't getting anywhere.  Every chance I got, I'd ask the Galveston Port Authority, "Hey, guys, you've got all this empty space down at the docks.  Why don't you work on getting the cruise ships?"

They said, "Well, no, George, we've tried.  We don't have a chance.  They don't answer our calls, they don't give us the time of day."

What a runaround!  I got tired of listening to them.  So I sent a representative to Miami four years straight at my own expense, five thousand dollars a pop, just to talk to the cruise ship companies.  "Hey, guys, why don't you come to Galveston?  Give it a try."

Every time my guys did that, Carnival would just yawn.  The Port people would hear that I struck out again and would send me a message, "You're wasting your time, Mitchell.  You're wasting your money, you're wasting your time, you're wasting our time.  Give it up.  Why don't you listen?  They won't come here.  They have said so repeatedly.  There's no market!"

No market?  What kind of nonsense is that?  Has anyone looked at a map lately?  Finally I said, "Okay, give me a package to take to the cruise people.  Let me see what I can do."

So I got the Galveston port people to say, "This is what their taxes will be; this is what this cost would be; this is what that cost would be." 

I was impressed.  These were good terms.  They were fair.  Now I had something tangible I could put on the table.   So this time I decided to make the pitch myself.  I got on the plane and took the package to the Carnival cruise ship people over in Miami.  They were pleased.  They thought the numbers looked pretty good too.  Okay, I thought, now we're getting somewhere.  They are finally starting to get interested.  Or so I thought.  Next thing I knew, the deal almost fell through. 

As long as I live, I will never forget the moment.  I have been at this for more years than I can count and just as I think something is finally going to happen, a Carnival guy begins to frown. 

He shakes his head, then looks at me.

"George, where are the customers going to come from?" 

All the others nodded.   Every man in the room had a worried frown on their faces.  With the deal hanging in the balance, I looked at them dumbfounded.   Are these guys kidding with me?  No!  They were dead serious!  They didn't get it!!  They actually didn't get it at all.  So I spoke up.

"Gentlemen, Texas is a very populous state.  17 million, 12 million of whom live within a 300 mile radius of Galveston.  NASA is Galveston's next door neighbor.  Houston, the 4th largest city in America, is just over the causeway.  This is an untapped market!   You men are looking at a gold mine!"

They all started to blink.  If I didn't know better, they acted like this was the first time they had ever heard such a radical concept.  The fourth largest city, gee, what do you know about that?  

"How far away is Houston?" they asked. 

I almost laughed out loud.  These men were college graduates, but they acted like none of them had ever looked at a damn map.  I was so incredulous, I couldn't help it, I raised my voice. 

"Come on, guys, Houston is just 50 miles away, an hour drive at most!"

An hour away?  Really?   Gosh, that's close enough for passengers to drive down!  There are two airports in Houston.  Better yet, the whole state of Texas was within driving distance.  Seriously, it took every ounce of self-control for me to keep a straight face.  Now they started to nod.  Hey, what do you know, this might just work!  They turned their attention back to me. 

"Well, George, we would have to do some serious advertising."

"Promise me you will come to Galveston and we will help you do the promotion for the first year.  How much do you need?"

They wanted $250,000 to begin promoting the arrival of the cruise ships to Texas.  I said okay, guys, that's a lot of money, but I will see what I can do.  So I took the deal back to the Port Authority.  That was 1992.  After the Port Authority did the final negotiations with Carnival, the company requested $250,000 from the private sector to pay for a portion of their first year’s advertising budget. 

So I went about raising the money.  The Moody family, the Fertitta family, and the Park Board each contributed $50,000.  That left us $100,000 short, so I threw the additional $100,000 into the pot.  That did it.  We closed the deal with Carnival. 

I was excited.   I could not believe after all that work, Carnival had finally accepted the deal.  Let's do this promotion and try it out!  

Weren't they surprised!?   Yes, almighty, it was a success from Day One back in year 2000.  After a year or two, statistics reported that 75 percent of the people were driving in, not flying.  These were brand new customers from  within that 300 mile radius I had spoken of.  That made all the difference in the world to Carnival.  They expanded as fast as they could. 

And then the other companies smelled the bait and they came too.  Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney.  But give Carnival the credit, Carnival was the first.   Carnival got the ball rolling."

America's 4th busiest cruise port
 

"But, George, where are the customers going to come from?"

Following Carnival's successful launch in 2000, in the space of just a few years, Galveston became America's fourth busiest cruise port, trailing three previously established locations in Florida.  Galveston was bigger than Boston, bigger than New York, bigger than L.A. 

Galveston had more than just cruise ships going for it.  It had Moody Gardens, a busy water park, and a beautiful warm-water beach within walking distance of the hotels.  Once people discovered what a great spot Galveston was for their kids, they had reasons to come again whether booking a cruise or not.  Overnight Galveston's tourist industry began to compete with the popular San Antonio Riverwalk for the almighty tourist dollar in the State of Texas.  

The boost to Galveston's economy was astronomical.  With a flood of Texans driving down to the city, many cruise passengers came a day early, some two days early, maybe even a week early.  Not only did the hotels thrive, all sorts of tourist-related attractions popped up.  With jobs being created right and left, Tourism brought prosperity back to Galveston for the first time since the days of Sam Maceo.  In retrospect, it seems so obvious.  How could anyone have possibly overlooked the cruise potential of Galveston?  

The image of a flabbergasted George Mitchell staring in shock at those Carnival executives tickles me no end.  Well, duh, has anyone in Florida ever heard of Houston?  It staggers the mind that George Mitchell had to explain Texas was the second most populous state in the country.  Not just that, Texas was an untapped market.  Why fly to Florida for a cruise when you can drive to Galveston??  Talk about a Blind Spot.  My guess is the Florida-based executives had been locked into the mind-set that Florida was more than sufficient.  While it was true Eastern USA residents were used to cruising the Eastern Caribbean, George Mitchell suggested that mysterious body of water known as the Gulf of Mexico had vast potential.

Galveston is well aware of the debt it owes to George Mitchell.  They have statues of him scattered all around the city.  In addition, they renamed the bridge that connects mainland Texas to the island in his honor.  From my vantage point, the Mexican city known as Cozumel should also erect a shrine to Mitchell.  Cozumel has become one of the the richest cities in Mexico thanks in large part to Galveston.  As many as 8 cruise ships per day dock on its shores.  I know this for a fact; I've seen it with my own eyes.  Can you imagine 20,000 cruise passengers a day visiting with money to spend?  Cozumel is so swamped with tourists it has built three piers, one for Carnival, one for Royal Caribbean, one for the other cruise lines.

Cozumel had a clever idea.  Well aware that 80% of all cruise passengers are too lazy to explore the island, they built giant tourist traps to surround each pier.  These complexes are so large, they operate like a maze.  Even better, there are virtually no Exit Signs.  Unless you make a determined effort to leave, you wander from shop to shop without seeing an escape route.  Nobody complains.  These people can buy everything trinket imaginable within easy walking distance of the ship.  Most people buy at least a tee-shirt, then stop for several rounds of margaritas with their friends before returning to the ship. 

The amount of money that flows into the Cozumel economy is beyond comprehension.  And the thing to understand is that same thing has happened to Galveston.  The same people who have made Cozumel rich have made Galveston even richer.  However, back then no one could see it but George Mitchell.  How could the cruise executives be so blind?  They were the smartest guys in the room, experts who theoretically had a working grasp of geography and population statistics.  The sheer ignorance of it all is mind-boggling.

Fortunately, Mitchell's dogged determination won the day.  Once Mitchell did the heavy lifting, the Galveston city officials gave in and built the expensive port terminal.  Galveston is now the major cruise port in the Gulf of Mexico.  In the end, George Mitchell's vision was absolutely correct.  His determination to bring the cruise ships to Galveston paid off handsomely. 

GALVESTON RENAMES ITS CAUSEWAY
FOR GEORGE AND CYNTHIA MITCHELL
z

The Galveston Causeway is a long two-mile bridge that connects Galveston Island to mainland Texas.  Compare that to the Golden Gate Bridge, 1.7 miles long.

The Causeway is incredibly important because it is only direct way to get on and off the island.  It serves as the direct link between Houston and Galveston.

There is a ferry that operates at the far end of the island, but it would be of limited use in an emergency.

The Causeway is Galveston's lifeblood.

John Wayne Ferguson | Galveston County Daily News | October 25, 2016

Sheridan Mitchell Lorenz remembers driving across the Causeway with her parents as a child.  The family, 10 kids, needed two cars to get everyone from Houston to the island.  Everyone would get giddy when they reached the causeway bridge because Galveston was their home away from home.  Galveston was where they came to hit the beach and have fun.

One day Sheridan's mother Cynthia was pulled over for going too fast on the bridge.  Her father was pulled over one minute later for the same offense.  Two police officers asked Mitchell why he was speeding so fast.

“Dad said, ‘Officer, I was just chasing my wife to tell her to slow down.’”

When the policemen recognized Mitchell, they laughed and tore up Mom's ticket.  “That's Dad for you.  We got away with speeding.  The bridge to Galveston is a reminder of great memories for the Mitchell family."

Today the bridge officially bears the name of Sheridan’s parents.  State Senator Larry Taylor commented, "This should have been done a long time ago.  George Mitchell is a true American hero and I can’t think of a better way to honor him and his wife."

dancing at sea
 

Rick Archer's Note: 

I can trace a direct path that led from the worst moment of my life - being tossed from graduate school - to the happiest moment of my life, falling in love with my future wife aboard a cruise ship.

After my graduate school dismissal, I had no follow-up career plans.  I suppose finding a new career should have been my first objective.  However, my loneliness was so oppressive, meeting girls was more important at the time.  Easier said than done.  Returning to Houston with my confidence shattered, I was too shy to approach any woman I found attractive.  That is when I ran across some valuable advice in The Mistress Book. 

"The fastest polite way for a man to get a woman he doesn't know in his arms is to ask her to dance." 

27 years later, I found Marla standing alone next to a dance floor at the stroke of Midnight.  Wasting no time, moments later I had Marla in my arms.

Oddly enough, that was not our first dance together.  Over the past six months, I had asked Marla to dance at the studio several times.  Marla enjoyed dancing with me, but I could tell the spark was missing.  Marla was invariably cordial and always thanked me, but otherwise I remained invisible.  Something was different when I asked her to dance on the 2001 Caribbean dance cruise.  This time the spark was there.  Seeing her eyes light up as we danced, it was like she saw a different side of me for the first time.  We were inseparable from that moment on. 

From the moment I announced our inaugural cruise in 2001, the venture was a success.  It did not take long for the buzz to catch fire.  The idea of taking a cruise out of nearby Galveston appealed to a lot of people at my dance studio. "Hey, Rick, let's go dancing on the high seas!" 

To my surprise, my dance students signed up in droves.  No persuasion necessary.  In August 2001 I played Pied Piper to a group of 100 people from my dance studio on our inaugural trip.  Not only did these people danced themselves silly, the dancing spawned a dozen new love affairs.  I was very impressed at the potent effect of Slow Dance and Romance at sea.

This trip taught me that Dancing and Cruising are a powerful combination.  Cruise trips feature many opportunities for people to dance.  One of the real treats in life is dancing in a luxurious setting to soft rhythms complete with a live band and vocalist.  Nothing quite compares to the pleasure of dancing in each other's arms to a love song at sea.  For some reason, most of us don't take the time to seek out special moments like these back on land.  Thank goodness we have the magic of a cruise ship to give us enchanted evenings complete with moonlight and music missing at home.

As one might guess, the arrival of the cruise ships in Galveston played a huge role in taking SSQQ Dance Studio to the next level during the 2000's.  My dance studio definitely owed Mr. Mitchell our appreciation.  So do I.

Thank you, George Mitchell.

400 YARDS:

THE walkway to nowhere controversy
 

As I write, Marla and I have taken 50 ocean cruises, 20 of which have sailed from Galveston.  During my research on the story of George Mitchell and the history of Galveston, my mutual interest in Cruise dynamics caused me to dig much deeper than I ordinarily would have. 

George Mitchell began his pursuit of the cruise industry in 1985.  He made his big pitch in 1990, got final approval in 1992, then began an 8-year promotional campaign.  Finally the big day arrived.  On September 30, 2000, a Carnival cruise ship named Celebration made her inaugural voyage out of Galveston.  The project was an instant success.  Texans flocked to Galveston in droves.  In hindsight, it all seems so obvious.  Galveston was the closest port to Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico and other states as well.  Practically overnight Galveston became the fourth busiest cruise port in the country.  This happened because George Mitchell was able to see things that other people missed.  Galveston was back on the world map and its hotel industry was back in business.

To me, the most interesting part of the story is how hard Mr. Mitchell had to work to make it happen.  According to Doug Matthews, George Mitchell nearly lost his mind due to his impatience with the Galveston Port Authority over their refusal to approve his $750,000 "Walkway to Nowhere".  According to Matthews, former city manager of Galveston, over the years George Mitchell had grown sick of beating his head against the wall with the Galveston City Council and Wharves Board.  The most bitter fight took place in the late 1980s over his request to build a $750,000 cruise ship "Walkover".  Curious to understand why this Walkway was so important to Mr. Mitchell, I searched the Internet in vain for an explanation.  Frustrated, I decided to answer the question myself. 

I decided it all boiled down to 400 yards, the distance it took for a tourist to walk from the Hotel Galvez to Sam Maceo's Balinese Room.  I imagine this distance held powerful symbolism in George Mitchell's mind.

Following the Great Storm of 1900, Galveston had no choice but to finally begin the long-delayed seawall project.  Watching helplessly as Houston ripped the shipping industry from its grasp, Galveston's leaders decided to use their beautiful beach to attract tourism.  Crossing their fingers, they approved construction of the Hotel Galvez.  It was completed in 1911.  Unfortunately the gamble failed.  Not entirely, of course, but there was no rush to fill the hotel.  Fortunately, the arrival of Prohibition and Sam Maceo during the Roaring Twenties solved the problem.  For the next twenty years, Maceo's casinos help fill the hotel to capacity. 

Born in 1919, George Mitchell grew up during Galveston's resurgence.  His high school years would have coincided with Sam Maceo's master move, the opening of the fabulous Balinese Room across the street from the Hotel Galvez.   No doubt he witnessed the steady stream of customers walking 400 yards to the casino.

A very important thing happened in Mitchell's junior year of college.  Dead broke, Mitchell was convinced he had no choice but to drop out of Texas A&M with his education only half-complete.  That is when Sam Maceo mysteriously stepped forward with his shocking offer to pay Mitchell's remaining tuition.

Incredibly relieved that this powerful man was willing to help an obscure college kid he barely knew, Mitchell was overwhelmed with gratitude.  I am firmly convinced Mitchell's gratitude became the inspiration that led him to put Galveston on his shoulders 40 years later when the city was on the ropes. 

Galveston badly needed a new source of revenue.  Mitchell wanted to use the cruise industry as a way to turn the island into a tourist destination.  Getting the cruise ships was a huge step, but Mitchell understood that the hotels were just as important.  Recalling the link between the Balinese Room and the Hotel Galvez, Mitchell decided to take a little walk from the Tremont House Hotel he had just purchased over to the proposed cruise terminal location.  Just as he thought.  400 yards.  Well aware the cruise ships would be just as effective at drawing tourists to the shores of Galveston as the Balinese Room, Mitchell authorized Tremont's $20 million renovation.   This was a huge gamble.  Why?  Because there was no assurance the cruise industry could be persuaded to come.

With this in mind, Mitchell's next step was to contact Carnival while simultaneously seeking city approval for the cruise terminal and Walkover.  To his dismay, neither Carnival nor the obstinate city Wharves Board showed the slightest bit of interest.  Mitchell was fit to be tied.  The hotels were the perfect way to pump tourist dollars into the economy, but there was a problem.  Mitchell feared most Texans would bypass the hotels as an unnecessary added cost. 

If someone lived in Dallas, San Antonio, or Austin, they could get up early, drive four or five hours, then board the ship in the late afternoon.  If all a passenger did was drop his car off in a parking lot, that would not do much to improve the Galveston economy. 

How could Mitchell persuade people to come a day early, maybe even two days early and stay in a hotel prior to the trip?  

If Mitchell could find a REASON to fill the hotels, that would be the finishing touch.   Mitchell had one advantage.  Except for people living in the Houston area, most Texans were looking at a long drive.  Noting the drive from Dallas was five hours, a hotel offered tourists a chance to rest up plus an evening to enjoy the nearby beach and Galveston's fine seafood restaurants.  That was a good reason to consider coming in a day early.  But was there some way he could make staying at a hotel even more valuable than that?

Yes!  There was a looming headache known as Harborside Drive.

Long before anyone else, George Mitchell foresaw Harborside Drive as a serious obstacle on Departure Day.  Let's say a cruise ship has 2,000 to 4,000 passengers.  That adds up to thousands of cars.  Indeed, based on personal experience,  Harborside is packed with wall-to-wall cars on Departure Day and again on Return Day.

First you sit in traffic on Harborside for 30-60 minutes in an endless wait to drop family and luggage off at the terminal.  Then someone has to drive the car to the parking lot a mile away.  Then the driver has to wait for a bus to return him to the terminal.  Once reunited with family and friends, now comes another 30-45 minute wait in the Registration line before being allowed on the ship.  Since there is no way to widen Harborside Drive and no way to streamline the process, boarding the ship is often a two-hour ordeal IN ADDITION TO THE DRIVE TIME DOWN TO GALVESTON.

Although Harborside is a curse to Departure Day passengers, it was a blessing to George Mitchell.  "400 Yards" was his ace in the hole.  He could promise people who stayed at the Tremont or another nearby hotel such as Harbor House that they could get to the Cruise Terminal in 7 minutes.  Tremont House is so close to the terminal, people can actually walk rather than drive.  7 minute walk, 10 minutes tops.  What could be easier?  Walking to their destination would allow guests to leave their cars safe in the hotel parking lot for the entire week.  "Walking" would save two taxi fares: to the ship and back to the hotel at trip's end.  Even better, by leaving the hotel early, hotel guests would be first in line to register.  That would give them the rest of the day to relax on the ship.  In a sense, staying at the hotel would be add an extra day on the ship. 

However, for this to work, passengers would need to cross busy, traffic-clogged Harborside Drive.  This would not work for families with kids.  Mitchell had a solution: Build a Walkover.  

Mitchell suggested building a bridge to connect the nearby hotels to the cruise ship and let people walk 400 yards to the ship.  Since modern luggage is on wheels, let the kids tote their own suitcase.  What a great sales pitch!  This would give people a valid reason to drive in early as opposed to arriving on Departure Day.  Drive in a day early, enjoy the city, get a good night's sleep, and skip the hassle of traffic in the morning.  This solution made a world of sense. 

However, it also had a hefty price tag.  $750,000.

Unfortunately the Port authorities refused to approve the overhead walkway.  Too expensive.  Nor was it necessary.  Just hire a couple of cops to stop traffic every time someone wants to cross the street (who cares if this makes the traffic problem worse?)  The critics labeled George's bridge idea as the 'Walkway to Nowhere.'  They could not see this bridge as anything other than a huge waste of money.  In defense of the officials, this project was a very risky, very costly gamble.  Mitchell tried to get them to see the logic of the move, but he had one major vulnerability.  What if they built this bridge and the cruise ships still refuse to come? 

Ultimately Mitchell realized the only way to make his plan work was to first convince Carnival to commit.  He could then use their commitment as a way to persuade the Port Authority to build the Walkway and Terminal.  In the end, once Mitchell got Carnival to commit, he finally got his Walkover approved.   The years since have proven that George Mitchell's foresight was correct from the start.  Once people caught on to the advantage of arriving a day or two early, Galveston's hotels and restaurants were blessed with countless customers.  The economy boomed. 

turning the tables on Houston
 

Houston's business leaders could hardly believe their eyes.  They were flabbergasted.  Right under their noses, that damn George Mitchell had appropriated the cruise industry that by all rights belonged to them.  The nerve!  To have this monumental prize snatched from their grasp by this upstart had to sting.  This was a man who had made his great fortune in Houston no less.  Traitor!!

One has to wonder why these men were so outraged.  Did any of Houston's business leaders spend 15 years and invest $100,000 of their own money to win this prize?  No, of course not.  But since when did business ethics matter?

Here was the problem.  As a long-time Houston resident, I can report the Bayou City does not have a clue when it comes to Tourism.  Thanks to Houston's thriving economy, it is a good place to work and raise a family.  But when it comes to relatives or friends coming for a visit, in my opinion Houston does not have much sightseeing to offer.

I feel sorry for my home town.  No mountains, no hills, no lakes, no rivers.  And no apparent inclination to beautify either.  Although Houston's climate grows abundant trees, we decimate entire forests in order to build more freeways.  The concept of railway used widely in every other parts of the world seems largely lost on Houston.   Plus we do senseless things.  Can you believe we tore down the city's popular water park and rollercoaster amusement park?  20 years later we still have nothing to replace them.  Nor can anyone figure out a practical use for the obsolete Astrodome.  I am embarrassed to say I cannot think of a single thing of compelling interest to draw tourists to our town on a consistent basis.  Everyone knows if you want to have fun in Texas, go to San Antonio for margaritas and music along the sexy Riverwalk.  Or try the Six Flags amusement park in Dallas.  Or take a Galveston cruise.

Given that Houston lacks the slightest sense of creativity when it comes to luring tourists to the Bayou City, what was there to do?  The idiots on Houston's city council decided to steal Galveston's tourists.  Not a visionary in the bunch.  Or more likely a well-heeled mover and shaker working behind the scenes made it in someone's best interest to vote yes.  Sorry, but considering how shameful this decision was, I have no choice but to be cynical.  Whatever the reason, Houston authorities plotted to take over Galveston's thriving tourism industry.  They were convinced Houston could easily poach that business.  After all, Jesse H. Jones stole the shipping industry from Galveston one hundred years ago.  If it worked once, hey, let's do it again.  Brilliant!

Galveston is a very small city compared to Houston.  It took a major effort for Galveston to put together the package necessary to build the original cruise ship terminal.  Houston on the other hand is very wealthy.  We build sports arenas at the drop of a hat.  Some cities combine baseball and football stadiums into one facility.  Not Houston.  Our Football stadium and Baseball park are not only separate, they have fancy retractable roofs plus air-conditioning.  Our Basketball arena and Soccer park are state of the art facilities.  So were there any misgivings over building an expensive cruise terminal?  A voice or two, but no one listened. 

If we build it, they will come!   At the cost of $108 million dollars, Houston's Bayport Cruise Terminal opened to great fanfare in 2008. 

So how did the Grand Experiment turn out?  It failed miserably.  This was not much of a surprise to one man in particular.  State Senator John Whitmire had argued hard against it.

"No one with common sense will build cruise ship capacity where you have to go inland to pick up your passengers.

It is pointless to build an expensive facility when there is already a far better option for cruising out of Galveston."

Alas, Whitmire was whistling in the wind.  Similar to the immortal Cassandra, the seer who warned the Trojans to leave the suspicious horse outside the wall, no one paid a bit of attention to State Senator Whitmire.  As a result, $108 million dollars went down the drain.  

Almost overnight it was obvious the Bayport Terminal was a colossal mistake.  For one thing, it was easier for someone driving in from Dallas or San Antonio to reach Galveston than it was Bayport.  Even the Houstonians preferred Galveston.  Prettier.  More fun.  Easier to get to.  Nice hotels.  More things to do. 

Galveston had a beach and tourist attractions, Bayport had nothing.  Plus everyone was already used to driving to Galveston, so why change?

Nevertheless, by offering exorbitant discounts, several cruise lines were persuaded to give Bayport a try.  It did not work.  The numbers were so anemic that by 2014 there were no ships left.  For the next two years, the terminal sat empty with weeds growing in the parking lot.  Not one nibble from the cruise industry.  After two years of unsuccessfully persuading a single cruise line to try again, in 2016 Houston gave up trying.

The irony involved in the Bayport story is overwhelming.  After eight years of futility, the terminal sits there doing nothing.  Meanwhile Galveston has had to build two new terminals in order to handle all the extra ships that preferred to call this port home.  And so Houston's attempted takeover failed miserably.  It makes me happy.  No one likes a bully.  This greedy, low-minded maneuver became a $108 million dollar embarrassment.

I find considerable Karmic Justice in Houston's failure to poach the cruise industry.  The question I have is why couldn't Houston have tried to be friends with Galveston rather than be its enemy?  That wasted $108 million would have made a nice down payment on a Houston to Galveston rail system connecting Houston's airports to Galveston's cruise terminals. 

In Hindsight, you have to wonder what the so-called smartest guys in the room were thinking.  Maybe they were former Enron executives.  Ouch.  They call Houston the Space City, but given the level of stupidity involved, maybe the nickname references the empty space in our leader's brains.  Not once in eight years did anyone discover a single advantage of using Bayport over Galveston.  Meanwhile, I have a secret wish.  Oh, how I would have loved to ask George Mitchell what he thought about the Bayport collapse.  That would be so delicious.

The cruise ships were Mitchell's master stroke, but he also deserved serious credit for reviving the hotel industry.  Citizens of Austin, Dallas and San Antonio love Galveston!  The chance to escape the heat and hit the beach prior to their cruise is a very appealing option.  I might add that even Houstonians have learned to try the hotel option.  Marla and I have stayed down in Galveston on several occasions.

As Mitchell hoped, Texans learned to come early and stay overnight at hotels like the Tremont, the Harbor House, and others nearby.  In addition to the "400 Yards" walking benefit, there are so many things to do.  A day at the beach, a visit to Moody Gardens, seafood on the Strand.  However, the biggest advantage is the dramatic reduction in wasted time.  On Departure Day, well-rested passengers can leave their cars safe at the hotel, walk a couple blocks, cross Mitchell's bridge and laugh at all the cars stuck below.  If they leave early, they can avoid long registration lines and head straight to their ship. 

A newspaper article in Galveston Monthly commented on Galveston's rebirth. 

"Following the economic problems of the 1960s, a massive collective effort would be required to fully rescind Galveston’s fragile history from the brink of obliteration.  Continuing the forward progress made on the Strand in the 1970s, the name that would ultimately define Galveston in the 1980s was one that conjures sincere affection and deep respect in the hearts and minds of local residents—George P. Mitchell. 

While he did not discount the value of the Seawall and its attractions, Mitchell’s faith in the city’s future was grounded in the potential of the historic downtown known as the Strand. Mitchell's unbridled enthusiasm for restoring this area to prominence was prompted by a deep love for his hometown."  -- Galveston Monthly

Who but George Mitchell had the power to create a "massive collective effort"?  Thanks to a massive influx of tourists, today Galveston is free from Houston's large shadow.  A major symbol of Galveston's rebirth is the Tremont House.  In 1981 the Mitchells purchased the aging building and restored it to perfection.  They timed the 1985 hotel reopening to coincide with the return of Mardi Gras to Galveston.  What an important moment that must have been for the Mitchells.  Galveston was so full of joy, even the missing ghosts returned for the party.

This has been the Tale of Two Cities.  What goes around comes around.  The Great Storm gave Jesse Jones the chance to rob the shipping industry from Galveston.  George Mitchell returned the favor by luring the cruise industry to Galveston.  It took 100 years, but thanks to George Mitchell, the man who turned the tables on Houston, Galveston was able to get the last laugh. 

In the process Galveston regained its momentum and purpose.  One million tourists per year.  Amazing.  The success of Galveston's tourist industry augurs a bright future of economic prosperity for this once beleaguered island.  Galveston is already America's fourth largest cruise port.  Who knows, as Texas continues to prosper, Galveston may someday become the largest.