Downtown/Rice/CityCentre

Manolis, Alex and I started the day downtown at Discovery Green. The current art exhibition there—a series of large globes emphasizing sustainability—is both attractive and thought-provoking. In addition, preparations were going up for the outdoor ice skating rink to be opened later today. I also hadn't realized that Hess Tower was going up so quickly:

After lunch at The Grove (seared tuna-Niçoise salad to die for), we drove through the Theater District and headed to Rice Village, the oak-shaded neighborhood around Rice University. We walked around for a bit, then stopped at Ruggles Cafe Bakery for dessert. Despite a valiant effort, we were unable to finish our gargantuan slices of red velvet cake and soup bowls of cappuccino.

Then we headed to CityCentre to watch Disney's A Christmas Carol. The 3-D kind of gave me a headache, but having milkshakes and sweet potato fries delivered to our seats was awesome. The concept of Studio Movie Grill—movies with comfortable chairs, good food, and a fully-stocked bar—seemed effective, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this idea around the country in the next few years.

For dinner, we walked through CityCentre to Straits, a new Singaporean restaurant/lounge next to Anthropologie. The appetizers we ordered were a bit disappointing, but the salmon and Indian street noodles were tasty. Extra points also for the very attentive and friendly waitstaff.

Afterward, we headed home to watch My Sister's Keeper with Scott, Cat, Tammy, Virginia, and David. Tears ensued. Rock Band followed.