LOCAL Houston | The City Guide May 2017 | Page 60

THINGS I LOVE BY SUSIE CRINER, Guest Editor Guest Editor Susie Criner owns Gulf Coast Entertainment, a high-end entertainment booking agency based in Houston. She also has a new music venture called Music With Friends, which brings legendary per- formers to an intimate setting, three times a year. From the 1970s to early 2000s, she and her husband Sanford pioneered businesses along Washington Ave., including Rockefeller’s, which presented such greats as Ray Charles, BB King, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Matthews and Garth Brooks, to name a few. When she is not in Houston, she is likely in Maine or playing with her three grandsons. Texas Gallery Fredericka Hunter and Ian Glennie own my favorite gallery in Houston. My husband Sanford and I have been patrons since we were newlyweds and have purchased some of our most beloved works from them, including the Pat Steir paint- ing that we built our new house around. Carl Palazzolo’s Studio One of my best friends, Carl Palazzolo, is a fabu- lous artist who is represented by galleries in NYC and Houston. His studio in Houston is one of the coolest and coziest places I know. If you are lucky enough to go for a studio visit, ask for Carl’s perfect espresso and some Boz Scaggs on the hi-fi. 60 L O C A L | may 17