Jump to content

ricco67

Full Member
  • Posts

    6,775
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    24

Everything posted by ricco67

  1. Well, after 9/11 it was no big deal at all. Before that, I always had the tickets issued to me by the secretary or whomever told me to go wherever I need to go. They'd give me the ticket and I MIGHT know where I'm going the next day. Ricco
  2. You'd think. But also consider people that have a tendency to only have their tickets issued at the airport. I know with my Eticket, I had a delicate flower of a time getting to the terminal (of course, this was right after 9/11...) Ricco
  3. You make some good points in regards to that. As far as telling visitors, I'm sure something at the airport would suffice. Business travelers will catch on quickly. The occasional traveler isn't really all that well informed on movements around unless they're visiting someone here. As far as the locals that are going to the airport, I would imagine just hopping onto a bus would be interesting unless you have a serious load of luggage. In regards to parking your car...I couldn't tell you. It will be interesting to know the logitistics behind it. Perhaps a megagarage for only people that have airline tickets? Ricco
  4. Amen to that, it'll give us men a chance to put the bags away and rest while the women run and test the melting point of various credit cards. Ricco
  5. What is interesting, is when the topic of the Dome being turned into a Hotel, I BELIEVE the reaction here was universal in their approval (including myself). I was rather taken aback by this article initially, until I reread it and saw the sound logic in the article. I rarely post MY personal opinion after I make a post from the chronicle to see where everyone stands, and I find the reaction just as interesting. My personal opinion is the fact that I was initially pleased about the Dome conversation, but now I face it with a bit of apprehension as to whether or not such a thing would be good for the city of Houston. The reasoning for my hestitation for an overall blessing of this project is due to the fact attendees would be rather hesitant to go to downtown and spend more money and spend time in downtown if all that they really need is at the Dome. One also must take into consideration that not everyone will be booked at the "Dome Hotel" for a variety of reasons, a factor in that decision would be the cost of housing for attendees to be in that hotel. Knowing how some of these things are booked, the people going to a convention may ASK to be put downtown "trying to save money", but the cost ratio to productivity (and common sense) would vary from company to company. I've known companies that put up their people at a hotel 6! As far as the George R. Brown being underutilized goes and competing with the Dome Complex that is difficult to say, I just hope that we're able to get enough convention business to be able to keep both places busy. Ricco
  6. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/f...hoffman/2836077 Oct. 9, 2004, 11:33PM It's time to lobby for a shuttle stop at Hobby, as well By KEN HOFFMAN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Q: Thanks for pushing for sensible public transportation from Bush Intercontinental Airport to downtown. Maybe you could convince Metro to extend an express route all the way to Hobby Airport, too. It would be convenient for travelers needing to change airports in Houston. ADVERTISEMENT Jay Badugu, Houston A: Metro is thinking about starting a true, nonstop express bus between Bush Intercontinental Airport and downtown, which is so overdue it's ridiculous. The bus will run from the airport to the Downtown Transit Center on St. Joseph and Travis, which is really several blocks south of the touristy part of downtown. Reader Bob Martin sent an e-mail criticizing (correctly, in my opinion) this plan. He said tourists aren't going to shlep their luggage several blocks just to hop a bus to the airport. He said the bus should make three stops downtown (two at centrally located big hotels and one at the convention center) and then go directly to the airport. That's how they do it in other big cities. Metro needs to think smarter. Q: When does three strikes mean you are not out? Answer: when you are Ken Caminiti. Apparently this rule does not apply to baseball players since his agent said he has a great future ahead of him. Maybe he should have added if he keeps his nose clean. Just wondering. Mary Booker A: Caminiti was found guilty for violating his parole agreement on a drug charge and sentenced to 180 days in jail. Since he already served that many days (and more) in jail he was released. The conviction stays on his record. However, the Atlanta Braves shortstop recently was sentenced to jail ... as soon as the Braves are eliminated from the playoffs. And it looks like a Baltimore Ravens running back will have to go to jail ... during the offseason. It's unfair and ridiculous. No wonder some pro athletes think they're above the law. Last weekend I completed the MS150 bike ride from San Antonio to Corpus Christi. I did it very slowly. I was perfectly paced to get rained on the entire first day. Did you see the lady riding with two dogs in baskets? She passed me with ease. Repeatedly. Wave when you pass me next spring on the MS150 to Austin. Or join me on the Sun and Ski team and we can ride, slowly, together. Jim Tidwell, Houston From now on, I'm riding with an umbrella
  7. that IS funny. Hope you enjoyed your smoke, I had to fight temptation to buy something. Ricco
  8. Midtown_res.., I dropped by McCoy's thinking about you. I talked to the owner and they said they're open from 10-6pm and stay until 1am on fridays. I think they also offer a delivery service as well. Ricco
  9. I took after taking the train to the med center, I decided to take a quick trip to downtown to see what all was happening. I was there briefly for a bite of pizza and seemed like there wasn't that much activity downtown. What's up with that? I was there at about 8-9pm, so I figured it was early, did it get busier as the night went along? I did notice how COOL (Temperature wise) and people seemed to dress appropriately. Ricco
  10. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/e...outlook/2838216 Oct. 8, 2004, 10:30PM Astrodome dream is a nightmare 1,000 new hotel rooms would mean certain doom for George R. Brown center, many downtown hotels By BRUCE H. WALKER Houston's downtown hotel industry is vulnerable to a devastating financial hit if the proposed 1,000-room Astrodome renovation project is approved by Harris County Commissioners Court. The city's hotel industry is already oversupplied and will not correct itself for years. If they approved such a project, Houston City Council county leaders would be ignoring economic realities and jeopardizing the viability of all the hotels in the downtown area. The Houston hotel market is typical of what is happening in cities around the country. There are more hotel rooms than occupants to fill them. In Houston, aggressive hotel growth plans were caught by a national economic recession. Since 2001, the downtown room count has grown by almost 130 percent, from 2,200 to more than 5,200 today. Occupancy levels, however, plummeted from 79 percent in 2000 to 47 percent today, well below the break-even mark. This uncontrolled supply growth is responsible for today's hotel depression. This glut of new rooms was caused in large part by the city of Houston when it built the 1,200-room Hilton Americas next to the George R. Brown Convention Center with public funds, and offered tax abatements to entice hoteliers to build another 1,258 new rooms. Simply put, an additional convention center hotel like the proposed Astrodome would cannibalize the already struggling private and publicly owned downtown hotels. The city had good, but misplaced, intentions when it entered the hotel business to attract more and bigger conventions. The rationale for Houston putting on its capitalist hat was that a new headquarters hotel adjacent to the existing convention center would make the city better able to compete for conventions. However, the evidence shows otherwise. Low convention demand First, current national demand for convention space is about half of what it was through the 1990s. Convention attendance has been deeply depressed for the past four years, with few signs of a recovery. Trade Show Week reported an average of 111 million convention/trade show attendees per year from 1995 through 2000. Today, that number has been cut in half. There are a number of reasons for this, and the economy is only one of them. Others include a fundamental change in how business does business. Improving teleconferencing and other trends in technology and supply chain management all contribute to lower demand for conventions. For example, Home Depot and Lowe's have largely replaced local store owners; consequently, the need for conventional hardware trade shows has lessened. Second, local governments all over the country keep adding convention space, worsening the oversupply. Since 1990, some 80 cities have significantly expanded their convention center space and added convention hotels. Third, the evidence so far is that adding a convention hotel does not increase a city's demand for convention space. What worries hoteliers Because Hilton Americas' rate of earnings is currently about half the rate the city must pay on its bonds, the project will probably not be able to cover its bond obligations, resulting in a cash drain for Houston. Consequently, Houston hotel occupancy tax receipts will probably have to be used for the cash shortfall, resulting in little or no marketing funds left to promote Houston! Most worrisome to hoteliers in the downtown area is that all the market gain in room nights sold has gone to the new public Hilton rather than to privately owned hotels. The promise that major new convention volume was on the way has not happened. So, what's in store for downtown? Even without an Astrodome hotel, a dismal 47 percent occupancy rate is expected through the first half of 2005, meaning red ink will prevail. Look for hotel closures or conversions to residential usage. Lesson in earlier mistake Many cities have the naive notion that if you build it they will come. But, city leaders need to consider the overall impact that development will have within the city. Private operators knew the Hilton Americas hotel was a probable failure and so would not develop it. The addition of another convention center hotel next to a private convention venue would mean certain doom not only for the city's George R. Brown Convention Center and the attached Hilton Americas, but for the majority of the privately owned downtown hotels. For the city of Houston, what should have been a straightforward analysis has turned into a costly mistake. It is one local leaders shouldn't make again
  11. I'm sure Houston will grab it today, I have to eat a bit of crow when it comes to Backe, then I read and heard the analysis and came to the realization that backe had the advantage because he's a relatively new player and there are few tapes on how he performs, so every pitch is a surprise to the opposition. hopefully, atlana won't score much, but I'd be happy with a 3-1 score. Ricco
  12. Yeh, I might have to agree with you on that one. I'm not sure about the new kid's arm yet. Aside from some of the vets on the team, I'm not confident in some of the newer arms. Oh WHY did that Hernandez have to slide HEAD FIRST into 2nd base?!?! WHY GOD WHY! He COULD have been awesome!
  13. actually, the S&B buliding is on Rice, the univision buildin is a bit further down. I pointed out the sign on old HAIF a number of months ago but no one made a comment about it. <shrug> Ricco
  14. Well, I'm sure a few other apartments will come up eventually and then SOMEONE will come up with an idea of ground level retail to lure in not only THEIR tenants, but the tenants from the surrounding communities AND be able to make a little money from it to boot! Ricco
  15. For those that don't want to click off site. <scowls at 2112> Houston Ballet
  16. This is most excellent news! The construction along main should be interesting, though! The one thing I hope is that they put the emergency entrances AWAY from main, and it will be a relief for people who can't, for one reason or another, are able to make it to the med center proper. Ricco
  17. The one I REALLY miss is Yakov's Deli. It was THE place to go. I cried for a couple of days after I found out he left. He was supposed to open another shop, but he never got around to it, I guess. Ricco
  18. Welcome back Greystone; The thing is that during the daytime it's a completely different scene because everything is busy and it's always activity as far as the food establisments go. The tunnel system isn't really a tourist place, but rather a functional part of Downtown Houston that actually serves a vital importance. I don't think I'd like to see the Tunnel open AFTER hours as that would suck away the nightlife on the surface. Ricco
  19. what time do you go by again? Everytime I've walked by he was open. He generally doesn't stay open late on saturdays. Who knows, maybe I'll drop by this week and ask about that for you. He just got a new shipment you would love, if you're a smoker. Ricco
  20. Ah, I see. That goes against the information that was given to me by people that interviewed that mental defect (May whatever devil shove something sharp and uncomfortable in every oriface). But as far as I know, my information was good, but he DID put out alot of information, so it's possible I might have missed something. Ricco
  21. No, I think after awhile, it will all balance work out as far as more street level retail. While talking to the owner of McCoy's Cigar shop, he said that it's been cost effective for him to stay open late on fridays. Saturdays is a different story, but I covered all this on a previous post. Does anyone know how the CVS is doing downtown? Do you think they'll kill one or two of the other convience stores nearby? Ricco
  22. I think they did rather well overall. Only one sack that I recall seeing. It's just a matter of keepin the turnovers to a minimum. It was the turnovers that killed us. They'll improve, and it IS only the begining of the season. wait for a trend to start. The defense IS alot better than last year. Ricco
  23. I think what would be interesting is to allow a section of the tunnel to be accessed more easily along several areas of downtown without having to trod into an office building (or have a segregated passage) to do so. The only problem with that is the fact if the weater does turn foul or uncomfortable, it will suck everyone on the surface into the tunnels. Ricco
  24. I read that earlier this morning, and I have mixed feeling about it. Downtown does seem rather empty to me even during the weekday afternoon that it doesn't seem that lively; but underneath is a totally different world with a ton of people hustling about. I think that as more and more retail goes on main, and Shamrock FINALLY gets built, that will change significantly. At least, I'm hoping it would. Ricco
  25. We don't have to be specific, just general fields or whatnot.
×
×
  • Create New...