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Montrose1100

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Everything posted by Montrose1100

  1. Are you suggesting we enslave workers from around the world to build up a fabricated city? Where we'll also import office/admin workers from India & the Philippines, force them to live way out of the city in segregated communities, and pay them way less? Shanghai comparison is silly as well. Their population in 1990 was what, over 12 million? So already a super dense city. Then you have them enter the skyscraper world stage in the 90s before the APAC financial scare, then to the largest migration/urbanization in the history of the world? Look at a picture of Houston from 1970-1990 and you'll see a similar stark contrast. As for red tape and government spending, can't speak for why it takes so long to get infrastructure in this country.
  2. Maybe I've just lost it. I kept thinking KHOU was briefly at 1803 Allen Parkway post Harvey.
  3. What's to become of the KHOU site? Might as well ponder that corner tiny lot on Temple & Walker too.
  4. Houston, we would never dare consider a subway, but an underground Bus station? Yee-haw!
  5. Houston - The architecture of yesterday, today! Sincerely love this. Makes me wonder if the shades are on the north side as well?
  6. WOW they are going to build a divider wall inbetween? To prevent the rubber necking of a wreck on the opposite side? Meaning there could be a fender bender traffic on the opposing side wouldn't have a clue? Do it on every freeway TXDOT.
  7. Dare challenge me? 😉 I've been on this site long enough to know I should have provided a source in my post initially. However, spent too much time reflecting on what I like about this city.
  8. You want a source for our country's two giga alpha cities being more diverse than Houston? Alrighty. 2019 Source with links NYC Same source but updated to +700 2021 World Atlas says 800 I'm having a hard time finding updated sources for LA, but the last shows 2015 almost 250 languages spoken. Visit Houston says: Visit Houston There's a ton of different metrics to rate a city "diverse" or not. Similar to how we get to claim We're the world's busiest port* *in terms of foreign bound tonnage. Wallet Hub has a good break down and rates us as #1. If the 800 languages in NYC is true, and ours is only 145, then my statement isn't farfetched.
  9. In terms of percentages, sure, we are more evenly spread between. As far as total numbers and languages/cultures/nationalities go? NYC and LA blow us out of the water. I'm Houston's biggest fan but also our biggest hater. So I'll start with what I like: Food We have an abundance of excellent food. It's a major thing that sticks out to me when visiting other places. Yes, there are wonderful places in this world that have great food options but I always draw this comparison to our restaurants as a place hold. Generally many other cities lack what we have. Not just fine dining. and it's amazing how less expensive our food and drinks are compared to other towns. Do we lack specific things? Yes. Fire House Pizza being the only decent "NY" Pizza place in town is evidence of this. Doesn't mean you can't get a good pie. Pools Everyone has one or knows someone that has access to one. Private, Public, Neighborhood, Apartment, Hotel, that's one thing I really enjoy having access to. Particularly those 2-3 weeks in August. Greenery It's so green here. Trees of all types everywhere. This is a blanket statement as there are new development areas and obvious parking lots that lack them. Direct Flight Options Can't stand to waste any minute of time in a layover. Our direct flight options are great and I never take it for granted. Diversity of Things to Do This is what it's really about. Do you want to go to the Beach for the day? Go Karts? Taco and Marg crawl? Hang out at the pool all day? Traveling exhibit at one of the Museums? Concert? Picnic in the Park? Cycle? Hike & Camp Sam Houston Forest? Gawk at some new building? Production at a theater? Drink $17 beer at a sports game (Let's go support our Rugby Team the Sabercats)? Throw a dart on the map and check out the closest coffee shop? Additionally there's a branching of options of each thing I've mentioned. Do I want to appreciate a different culture and see how they celebrate a specific holiday or religious event? Interesting Citizens Apart from the worst drivers in the US - Houstonians are interesting. We're not as shallow as LA, but, also not as tightly wound up like New Yorkers. When we look past our differences is when we have a good time. We kind of capture that. At least I've witnessed it. Edit: There's more. Just what comes to mind anytime I tell myself I hate it here and need to move away.
  10. I'm not sure if you're aware of what's going on in this town relative to all of our drainage ditches? Perhaps not so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. The Freeway comment is silly. There's already a large portion of the White Oak Bayou Greenway either adjacent to a freeway or underneath. Same with the Sabine Promenade, and essentially all of BBP through to the Theater District. Even then it's under the web of street bridges to the courthouses. If the City of Houston thought no one would use this why would they even entertain the idea? Just say you personally won't visit it and move on.
  11. If you've ever got off the MKT/White Oak trail into Downtown count me in the people who want to go to a park surrounded by warehouses, freeways, and jails. Anyone wishing to connect from the west to east side, be it bike, hike, picnic, whatever, the North Canal will be a seamless transition. Why wouldn't we make this connecting park land. It's a waste of space otherwise. Forget about me, I'm sure the residential population within a few blocks of this would like to use it. They already chose to live next to it ;)
  12. The Aeros played in the Toyota Center for almost a decade after they lost the Calder Cup to Chicago in 03 (Compaq Center).
  13. No. I live in the inner loop and will greatly benefit from the reduction of dangerous short merging. Not to mention cut the time it takes to get past Downtown. Plus don't forget people also commute in from League City. Oh and it might reduce travel time to get down to Galveston for the weekend? Cool. It's also replacing some aging infrastructure and burying a portion to connect 2 neighborhoods to Downtown again? What would one call this? A benefit? Where do you propose we put these giant retention ponds so close to Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods? Something will get bulldozed. Uh, have you ever driven on 45 from Downtown to the Beltway? It's the worst freeway we have, apart from maybe the 225 & the south loop. Lanes are extremely narrow, the pot holes are enormous and bountiful, it's garbage. Traffic clears up past the beltway when the freeway lanes give you breathing room from the dump trucks, woodlands express buses, and paper plate nissan altimas. This confuses me the most. With the Pierce Elevated gone, there's more opportunity for renters and businesses to develop there?
  14. Yes, actually, we do need it. Parks improve our quality of life and this city is desperate for some nice places. BBP functions as both so why would this just be a ditch?
  15. It's basically catty corner to other high rises along a major thoroughfare?
  16. Hermann Park without a doubt is the crown jewel. You can do everything you can possibly think of in this Park because they're so much room. It's so classically beautiful with the views down the reflection pool toward the S. Houston statue. Speaking of we need the Zoo to do something cool on the opposing side of the lake. The brown Jurassic Park cone is not giving anything. The bird island, diversity of creatures, the Zoo, the subtle yet powerful TMC adjacent, Mecom Fountains, Museums, Oak Lined LR line and streets, it's the most "Houston" spot in the whole city. Not to mention it's the left chamber of our beating cultural heart. Buffalo Bayou/Eleanor Tinsley/Spot Parks are a solid 2nd. Really have come around but still have a ways to go. Sure you can almost do the same things, but it's very narrow and creates a lot of bottlenecks. I think we need more connectivity, having Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive strangling it sort of takes away the magic. The Skyline view is postcard picture perfect. Memorial Park is a close 3rd. Might even pass up BBP once more phases of the Master Plan open up. The Everglades is such a tasteful & beautiful way to showcase our topography, and the land bridge is vital to creating connectivity. Discovery Green is down at number 4 simply because it's a private enterprise disguised as a park. Imagine if the park somehow rolled above the GRB, spilled onto the roof, and then cascades back down over the future 59/69 & 45 cap. It needs more room to breathe, same as BBP. Although it's small, it's well thought out and buzzing with activity. Terry Hershey has a long way to go, and desperately needs lighting down the trails. Emancipation Park & Eastwood Park are honorable mentions. Haven't been to Levy yet but it looks nice. Grady Park in Uptown also holds a special place because it was so nice to run on crushed granite instead of concrete.
  17. I'll never understand the vision to make Dallas St the "Retail" street Downtown when we've got plenty of actual retail spots & streets Downtown. Understand we need garages and entrances/exits, loading docks, garbage entrances, but a true retail street shouldn't have these obstructions and should be put in as an ordinance. Greenstreet was doomed from the beginning and perhaps too much of a head start. Downtown can really become a retail destination, especially with the East side and Midtown exploding with apartments & town houses. Likely another 20 years before that happens.
  18. I was there this past weekend. Asked if they were talking about the Osaka on Westheimer that went way down hill after the pandemic. They did a great job and the food was amazing. Complete turn around.
  19. I caught the LEDs in red but forgot to share with class.
  20. It's on par with Memorial City Memorial Hermann Robot building. It's so bad, it's almost good? Love the darker blue glass which is refreshing to see since every new glass curtain is the light blue in the middle. The Aqua glass is awful, and the garage wrap is laughable. But hey, it's different, and It's not a parking lot? The bar is low in this town. Could be redeemed if they welded the Maman sculpture horizontally on the garage wrap facing San Jacinto. Then It would be a masterpiece.
  21. It's kind of cheesy. Gaudy maybe? Lots of design and ideas for the sake of having them to sell it as luxury. Replace the concrete with Stucco and remove half the stuff on the garage and It's a RD condo tower. The Lobby is how tall and looks smooshed under the weight of this fortress with air fins. Always thought of Downtown as being this classy institution and free from gimmicky Galleria area style buildings. The Aris is a fine building and compliments the area so well. Then you have this bright concrete busy box.
  22. This building is ugly. The fine details are nice - I'll give it that. The glass curtain and curve are the only saving grace. Podium is oppressive. The west side is awkward. In fact the whole structure is. It's like unbalanced in the worst way. It's even worse when looking from afar. Squatty blank window cleaning crane utilitarian tower. Market Square Tower is boring but at least it blends in. I know you all love it but I'm super disappointed in this Hines project. It's exactly what Randall Davis' projects should look like.
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