ssullivan

In over two years as a Netflix customer, only twice has a DVD that was at the top of my list not shipped to me because it was out of stock. And when that's happened, I've still received it on my next shipment. It does happen but it's very rare.

Netflix also has more than twice the selection of the average Hollywood Video or Blockbuster, and it's rare I have problems getting a movie I want when I want it. I like a lot of independent and gay/lesbian films, and those can be hard to find at the traditional video stores. Besides, with Netflix I don't ever have to make a trip to the store. That alone is worth paying a couple of extra bucks a month. And I love their software. If you've been rating all of the movies you rent, the system "learns" what you like based on your rental history and ratings and starts to suggest films you may have never heard of that you'll probably like. After over two years as a Netflix customer, I find this to work really well. I've rented several outstanding selections I wouldn't have even known about otherwise. Netflix did go up in price about $2 back in June, but $23.80 a month for unlimited DVDs with three out at a time, no late fees, no shipping fees, and delivery right to my door is not bad. And some of my friends love that I have the service because they get invited over to see films they've been trying to find at Blockbuster for ages.

I hadn't noticed these until reading this thread yesterday. Then this afternoon while headed home on MetroRail I noticed two of them connected to a SBC utility cabinet on Fannin at MacGregor, on the south side of Hermann Park. Now I'll probably be seeing these things all over the city since I know to look for them.

Yes. The new tower will be on the block between Main and Fannin on the south side of MacGregor, and directly across Fannin from the Memorial Hermann/Houston Zoo MetroRail platform.

Wow... what a loss! I love the angles of the roof line.

Yep, and that's why I avoid shopping at Wal-Mart and most other large national chain stores whenever possible.

I prefer smaller stores like Southland because they're faster to get in and out of and the employees do seem to be a lot more knowledgeable. I also like being able to buy items in bulk that the box boxes only carry in packages, such as some nails and screws. Of course I may also be biased, as my family owns an Ace Hardware store in a small town and I grew up working in the business. But even now I try to go to stores like Southland and even Bering's over going to Home Depot or Lowe's.

Can anyone post a picture? Where was this house?

Why would anyone want to get their airline ticket issued at the airport? What a hassle! Anyway, most airlines are charging fees for tickets issued at the airport and tickets issued on paper (which soon will be a complete thing of the past). I've never had a problem with an e-ticket, including right after 9/11, and I've been using them exclusively for as long as they've been in existence.

I haven't eaten in the Terminal E Fox Sports Grill yet but it's there. I walked up and looked at it back in January not too long after that section of the new terminal opened. It looks pretty neat. Speaking of Terminal E, if you're ever caught hungry at IAH while waiting on a flight, it's definitely the best place to go. Two food courts feature a nice variety of fast-service options, including Pappasito's Express. There's also a full service Pappadeaux restaurant in the concourse closer to Terminal C between gates E4 and E5.

One thing that has not been mentioned in Ken Hoffman's recent criticism of Metro's lack of a nonstop route to IAH (or maybe it has and I missed it) is the history of such a route. In 1999 Metro started the 112 IAH Direct route, with nonstop service between downtown and Terminal C at the airport. In about a year's time, the route was cancelled because of extremely low ridership. The 112 was started in response to the public voicing its concern that such a route needed to exist, and Continental Airlines stepping up and saying that its employees would greatly benefit from a route connecting their airport terminal with their downtown headquarters. Yet, despite the public demanding that the be started, people did not step up and ride the bus. So it was cancelled. I think nonstop service to both airports from downtown is a great idea, and personally, I'd be interested in riding it. But convincing the masses of Houstonians that never set foot on a Metro vehicle (some of whom are probably the ones complaining about the lack of such a route to Hoffman) that they need to ride the bus to the airport too is a different story. Maybe this time it will be more successful, with more people living downtown and in Midtown than there were five years ago, and MetroRail providing a link to other areas. But unless people actually ride it, don't expect Metro to keep such a route in operation very long, especially in a time when the agency is doing whatever it can to control escalating fuel costs and avoid an increase in fares. As for Hoffman and reader Bob Martin's comments that tourists won't want to drag their luggage several blocks through downtown to catch the bus at the Downtown Transit Center, I have several criticisms. I agree that the bus should maybe stop a couple of other places downtown, like the George R. Brown, also. But Hoffman and Martin are ignoring the fact that the Downtown Transit Center provides connectivity via MetroRail to the northern part of downtown, and several hotels (Courtyard, Residence Inn, Icon) are located next to MetroRail boarding platforms. Additionally, these guys must have never taken public transportation to and from the airport in other cities. Not once have I ever taken a bus or train from the airport to a downtown hotel that I didn't have to pull my luggage at least a couple of blocks. You can't expect Metro to have door-to-door service to every downtown hotel. No matter where the bus stops, many people will have to carry their luggage a few blocks. That's why most of us have rolling bags these days. And the majority of people who are used to taking public transportation when they travel are going to expect and be prepared to have to carry their luggage a short distance. Those who want door-to-door service are going to take an airport shuttle or cab or rent a car and probably won't be on Metro anyway.

I didn't say they were - but I did post a photo from the Hermann Park website that is of the reflection pool. Under that, before the photos of the lake and the Japanese Tea Garden, I mentioned that the following photos were of other places in the park.

It's not a US Mint, but close. It's the new Federal Reserve Bank building, which will replace the much smaller building the bank is currently in downtown on Travis St.

No. No White Castles anywhere in Texas. The closest one is probably in Missouri or Tennessee.

A peoplemover? What are these people smoking? Geez, it's a kiddie ride. Leave it alone! Besides, people that are too lazy to walk the 10-15 minutes it takes to get from the MetroRail Hermann Park/Rice U platform to the zoo entrance are likely too obese to fit in the miniature train anyway (and the walk might do them some good). This is just another sign of how lazy some people are and Tilman Fertitta's greed. I agree he has done some good projects (Kemah, Downtown Aquarium, Inn at the Ballpark) but I personally don't want every attraction in the city contributing to his pockets. I hope the train remains what it is now, and continues to be run as a family operation, not by some greedy corporate tycoon like Fertitta.

This is from the home page of the Hermann Park Conservancy website: I have a few other pictures I've taken of the reflection pool but they aren't online at the moment. I'll try to get them uploaded so I can link them here. But here are a few others of the park.

Hallelujah! This is great news. I hope the redevelopment is successful but at least the property is now in the hands of a gropu that actually intends to do something with it.

Yes, the improvements to Hermann Park are great. I love riding MetroRail over there on Saturday afternoons to have lunch by the lake and walk around. It's a beautiful part of the city and unfortunately I think a lot of people either don't know what's there or don't make the effort to drive into town to use it. It's certainly a lot nicer than any of the suburban parks I've seen. The Hermann Park Conservancy (formerly Friends of Hermann Park) has a great website on the park and the projects they've completed so far, along with ones that are in the works. Check it out at http://www.hermannpark.org/. This group is a shining example of a citizen-led nonprofit working in partnership with the city to bring about civic improvements that the city alone would not have the funding to do for many years.

On a related note, has anyone heard anything more about Whole Foods Market's proposal to relocate the Woodway Dr. store to a new, larger building to be built near Post Oak Blvd. in Uptown? I think one possible location across Uptown Park Blvd. from the Uptown Park Center. I think it would be great if Central Market opened a second store here. That location on I-10 isn't the easiest to get in and out of, but it would be close to the affluent Memorial Villages, which is very much the demographic that Central Market targets.

I agree. I for one prefer to buy books in a store. I know there are eBooks now but those really don't seem to have caught on all that much, and I certainly don't want to have to sit at the computer to read a novel before going to bed at night. I do make some purchases from Amazon, but those are usually because I do some travel writing work for a website that offers non-cash compensation, and I usually pick Amazon gift certificates as my redemption. And, unfortunately, sometimes there are books that I want to read that I can't find at any of the local stores and I am forced to order them online. It would be nice if Houston had a large, independent bookseller like Powell's in Portland, Tattered Cover in Denver or BookPeople in Austin. I'd gladly support a local operation over Borders or Barnes & Noble.

I didn't mean a store in that format (some retail ground level, some tunnel level). I should have been more clear - I intended that to mean I didn't think downtown could support a large bookstore like that yet.

That could be a good concept for helping to bridge the gap between tunnel and street retail. However, I don't think downtown's reached a point where it can support such a store yet.

Several from long ago in my childhood when we used to come to Houston to see my grandparents: -Kapan's on South Main at Kirby (where the Eckerd's is now), our usual Sunday after church lunch place - good steaks and seafood, and those excellent crab ball appetizers that the guy in the white suit used to bring around to all the tables -Angelo's, another long gone seafood restuarant -The Strawberry Patch on Westheimer, the Pappas family's country/home cooking concept (Pappas Bros. Steakhouse is there now) -Tokyo Gardens, the first place I ever had Japanese