ldogg

Wildcat golf course is close enough to the Dome that the hotel would likely have some arrangement with them for shuttling their guests there.

personally I think both theme ideas being tossed around suck royally... I think the space aspect of this city is way overblown simply because we have very little else to focus on... Houston cannot be identified solely with the Johnson Space Center which isn't even in Houston.... and doing some generic small-town square is just not original at all... I don't see why this thing can't be more Houston-centric but without having to be painfully obvious.... make it more of a mini-Epcot center but with things relative to Houston.... for example, there could be a section with a few fake oil derricks and buildings/support facilities that would have been typical at the time of Spindletop... then a section that pays tribute to our shipping heritage with some old style warehouses found on docks and some old style barges in water... you could also toss in some replica old cranes, cotton bales or something for look... let the Disney people figure that out.. you could put in an exhibit of some sort for each of these and then hanging from the cieling of the Dome could be a replica shuttle basically looming over this fake city... mix in with all of this some generic Texas-themed buildings/concepts that tourists would expect and I think you've got a winning combo...

something similar already exists... check out "Houston It's Worth It".. http://www.houstonitsworthit.com/

looks like addidas brand maxi-pads glued on to the ball... and really.. is soccer the only sport that has a million different balls?? it seems every national league has their own ball and they're all a little different... do they make any difference?

Gotta plug Vietnam Restaurant on 19th.... outstanding food... family owned... family recipes... Marissa and Victor are the best out on the floor and Danny will prepare your food... got questions about things or want to make some slight changes and he'll do it for you.... he has even whipped up some family recipes not on the menu for my wife before..

DJLawrence... the problem I see with your math is that it isn't considering anything other than a reported final price tag... you've got to compare apples to apples... did the French or Greek govt's contribute to those stadiums? was the land already purchased or not.... what sort of labor costs do they have compared to the US... etc...etc.. those stadiums look nice, but in reality how do they stack up to Pizza Hut Park?? we can't really compare any of them as we don't know what the insides are like etc.... did PHP price tag include all the land and work done for all those other fields and such?? that makes a big difference... i tend to agree with you that a stadium can be built fairly economically... there is nothing fancy about permanent bleachers/seating and you can keep that aspect simple... after that it is building the simple innards for locker rooms, gym and bathrooms and concessions... the rest is window dressing... and I'd venture a guess that the brick of PHP carries a much higher labor/material cost than what those Euro stadiums have... of course the cost in those would be more in the design and maybe that is where the big difference lies in that we don't have stadium architects who are as effective/efficient?

hmmm... well the first one is land that I believe is owned by Hakeem Olajuwon right?? it certainly has good potential and plenty of space and could utilize the banks of the bayou for some parks and such... no doubt it would improve the landscape of the area for people driving through Houston... my main concern would be getting traffic in and out of that area... I've driven by there a gazillion times, but have no clue what exits to take or where to turn to actually get there... that location on Franklin is the current Post Office HQ right?? that could work but I'm not sure about having enough parking... it would be somewhat close to the Aquarium which lends itself to more tourism/attractions in the area... but the main problem I see with this is that there would be too much involved to make it happen... would the owners of the team be willing to wait it out? you're talking about moving a federal operation and buying the land... the gov't doesn't normally move too quickly on these sort of things and they'd have to have new facilities ready to move into pretty quick... how long would it take for them to find a new location?? how long would the design and bid phase of constructing the new location take? what sort of time frame would they have for construction?? how long would it take to get moved into the new spot?? then after all of that the team could demolish the site and begin construction which would take 18-24 months.... I just don't see them waiting for all that... not to say that the site wouldn't be a good option.. my main concerns would be available parking and also ease of access... remember, they want to not only attract the strong local hispanic population, but also all the kids in the suburbs and their soccer moms... it is why I think a place like Delmar is the best bet.... easy to locate.. easy to get to... in close proximity to a highly hispanic area... safer feel for soccer moms out in the burbs to load up 4-8 kids in the Suburban and head in to town for an MLS game...

god that Allianz Arena is hideous.... looks like the hindenburg didn't actually burn up... blegh... the stadium will be simple and cost effective... I don't see fancy architecture playing into what is a low revenue league right now... Houstonians need to check themselves about roofs on stadiums... it is insanity.... not to mention that soccer due to it's nature can get away with a much less luxurious stadium... you get in find your seat and don't leave for 45 minutes... then you've got 15 minutes to do what you need and get back for another 45 minutes... unlike baseball with tons of down time and minutes between innings and football/basketball with tons of tv timeouts, ends of quarters and halftime, soccer is a quick game with no stop... people don't want to miss a score because they are rare... so there isn't the need for fancy bars, restaurants etc..etc... slap down a field... put 10,000 seats on each side of the field with some luxury boxes at the top of one end and press boxes at the top of the other and 3,000 seats at each end... total capacity of about 30,000... do some simple cosmetic things to give the stadium a nice feel to it and make it seem fancier than it is...

eelimon... thanks for the pics and suggestions... but I don't think any of them would work save for the 2 locations near the Toyota center... the others are either too small and don't allow for parking, or like the one for MMP you'd be eliminating ALL of the parking for season ticket holders to MMP... I doubt Drayton would go for that... whatever happened to the suggestion of razing Delmar stadium and rebuilding it for the MLS team and HISD?? personally I think that is the best bet of all... it is very near many hispanic communities.. is in an area served by Metro transit.. and it would further serve to revitalize that area along with the new HISD headquarters..

I'll just add that I have been inside this building and it is already set up to be a museum quite easily.... there would not be much build out necessary... obviously the issue is that as a museum it wouldn't be a big moneymaker thus for the price tag it probably won't happen...

frankly I think it is a very cool building that sort of fits for the area.... perhaps it could be gutted and turned into another museum?

Scharpe... Alamo Drafthouse does do rentals for corporate events/seminars, and with the tables provided at every row it is ideal for that purpose as business people can put their papers on there and laptops etc... I graduated from UT back in '98 when there was only 1 Alamo Drafthouse in Austin... now there are 3 there I think and the one here at West Oaks Mall... I believe they have one coming soon to Deerbrook Mall as well... from talking to one of the managers the reason they haven't invested yet inside Houston is that land is expensive and there aren't any old theaters to purchase and convert... call me crazy, but I think their business model fits in perfectly with the downtown crowd... fun campy and cult films during the week with drink specials to attract the nearest residents and your mainstream releases all week long to keep people coming in... anyone have access to some venture capitalists? if the AD people aren't in on this deal I should be!

as for the movie theater discussion.... I don't think your run of the mill cinema concept would be good for downtown nor economically viable... I do think that a theater like the Alamo Drafthouse would be ideal either in midtown or in the Pavillions...

I really don't understand how anyone can like Lupe Tortillas.... their fajitas seriously taste like spoiled overcooked beef that they are masking the flavor with lime juice... bllleeeccchhhh.... the point of beef is to taste it, not the seasonings... my favorite places for different reasons: 1. La Jaliscience - the salsa is to die for... the rest of the food is good, but I could eat that salsa till I am full 2. Tony's (Ella at 610) - there are some excellent chicken dishes here and the shrimp quesadillas are top notch 3. Berryhill - fish tacos or fish burrito.. super yummy... and the reason Mexican don't eat there is that they aren't marketing to Mexicans and the locations are in their neighborhoods 4. El Meson - fresh cool salads and zesty salsa are great before a well prepared meal... I prefer the Cuban fare here, but nothing wrong with the Mexican food at all... 5. Cafe Adobe - the avodado is fabulous and their chicken dishes are good as well.. 6. El Tiempo (dinero) - the only thing I'll ever eat at this overpriced establishment is the beef fajitas... but oh my they are the best...

I guess by now some of you know that the Astrodome is going to be taking in the evacuees from NOLA.... I believe starting today there are 400 buses or so that will be shuttling the 25,000 people to Houston along with supplies and other equipment... it's not quite the 'Aints, but this certainly is a major thing..

you need a picture of your kitchen on the listing... especially since it is mentioned that you have upgraded there...

yeah.. I'm under the assumption that the $450million is for the total buildout.... so there would be revenues earned from whatever concessions/attractions they put inside as well as leases to businesses/shop owners that wnat to operate inside... my gut tells me that room prices would be somewhere around $150-200 normally and double that for special events...

not only would there be the potential for a Super Bowl every 6 years or so, but yes the Final 4 would be another HUGE draw.... and on the off years the facility could host one bracket of the Sweet 16/Elite 8 like San Antonio often does... you also can expect the Big 12 Championship every couple of years as well... with soccer becoming more popular on a large scale in Houston you would also have the ability to pursue more international frendlies... think of the big matches like Argentina/Columbia, Mexico/Brazil etc that currently are played in NYC, LA and Miami... perhaps an upgraded college football bowl game... all of those events coupled with the 10 guaranteed Texans dates, the rodeo and the current soccer events could be huge... I think the dream scenario for Houston is to have this project go forward as well as the downtown Pavilions.... then find a way to connect these two areas with the Galleria via mass transit.... we've got one leg done, lets make this a golden triangle of tourism and life in Houston.... tourists could take the rail to nightlife and shops downtown, high end shopping and dining in the Galleria, family fun theme park stuff at Reliant and in between there are the stops at the Zoo and museums and perhaps around Highland Village?

so all this talk about Mexican restuarants has my stomach grumbling.... here is a question for the chefs in here... do any of you know where I can get a recipe for the salsa like they serve at La Jaliscience on Montrose or El Meson in the Rice Village?? they are by far my favorites and destroy anything I've had anywhere else..