wxman

Looks like Mayor Turner is working to secure direct flights to Africa, possibly three African nations. I wonder how Ethiopian did while they were here as far as passenger counts and if they were successful? Probably not being that that route didn't last long. Direct flights from Houston to Africa may soon be a reality (chron.com)

Looks like a building that belongs in Phoenix--the height, color, design. No?

I believe Conroe Lone Star Executive is currently being explored for commercial flights as of last year.

👀 Mmk bro. If that’s what you think makes Houston exciting then more power to ya. There’s not a single person more than 30 miles out that would visit any of that. And if you have to include crawfish and fried chicken as part of the appeal, that does nothing but endorse my point. Houston is ghetto and lame with a sexy skyline. I don’t think Dallas or Austin is all that either but what I will say is that Dallas certainly appears to be a nicer, cleaner city but that’s a fairly low bar to clear when compared to Houston.

Tongue-n-cheek comment here but... Houston consistently ranks as one of the ugliest cities in America. I'd have to agree. What would draw people to Houston outside of business? The Space Center? Galveston? The Museum District? Those are very lame, mediocre "attractions" at best. I'm sorry but Houston has a horrific reputation for its endless billboards, traffic, sprawl, endless highways, graffiti, urban decay, and outside the skyline (which interestingly enough I think is one of the better ones in the US), it's a nasty place with stifling humidity. The beaches are probably the worst in all of North America. There's no mega-attractions here that people just have to see. We're a big city with not much to offer unless you like to eat out. I'm not saying this to shit on Houston. I'm from here. This place is home and I'd get super defensive really fast if somebody else crapped on it the way I have but Houston has made absolutely no effort to draw tourists here or to change its reputation. I doubt Houston will ever be a trip given away on the Price-Is-Right. If I was an investor or a developer, Houston wouldn't be a place I'd be looking to build a luxury brand.

Couple more I took while taxiing…

Here’s a couple of updates of terminal D I took this morning on the train. Coming along!

Has IAH regained all the service/routes we lost during the pandemic? What routes are we still waiting on to return? Sydney? Addis Ababa? What routes/airlines are not likely to return? Ethiopian? What new airlines will the new Terminal D likely attract? Maybe Virgin? China Airlines? Another European or Asian airline we haven't had previously? What are the next major markets IAH is likely to service next that we haven't had before? I'd like to see Rome, Athens or Zurich. Maybe Melbourne or Johannesburg. Okay, Im done with the questions .

Looks like terminal A will get a $40 million dollar face lift and a 4 gate expansion. renderings look decent! https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Houston-s-IAH-set-to-modernize-expand-terminal-17441354.php

It’s 17.5 hours. I’ve taken that flight and it’s every bit that long nearly to the minute.

Welcome back, Air New Zealand! The flight will be three times weekly. Does anybody know what it was before the pandemic? Was it daily? Air New Zealand restarts flights from Houston after over 800 days (houstonchronicle.com) What other Int'l flights are we still missing? Has IAH-SYD restarted yet?

I feel like so many of these 30-ish story residential high rises look the same. It’s not grand but it’s not ugly. I just sort of feel so-so about most of the shit that has gone up in uptown/downtown. No?

So much for challenging Williams for dominance.

2nd quarter of 2023 is a full year from now. This thing is likely to be cancelled, put on hold, and eventually value engineered down to a one story mattress firm by the time it actually breaks ground. Bet.

Is it fair to assume that based on the amount of elevators banks in the proposal of the office building that it will be taller than the one that's currently under construction? Seems like a large number of elevator banks--more than on the floor plan of the tower currently U/C.