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KinkaidAlum

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Everything posted by KinkaidAlum

  1. KinkaidAlum
    LOL that lower Westheimer was sketch and risky 8 years ago. Montrose has thrived for 60 years and it has always been sketchy. I'd argue that's why it thrives. The issue facing retailers is AMAZON/Delivery and high rent. Why stop at Whole Foods and deal with a garage when you can just order stuff to your door? Retail is changing. There will be a lot of consequences. People that want ground floor retail and no surface parking tend to also be the types to order stuff off of Amazon daily. Can't have it both ways.
  2. KinkaidAlum
    The Intercontinental has two restaurants on the ground floor with doors to Main St and outdoor seating. There's a railing to protect from the street and some decent planting. I thought it was well done. I was there for two weeks with my dog so we walked the area a lot. It is one of the better developments in the TMC. The main problem is it is surrounded on the West side of Main by suburban hotel types that basically just use the street and sidewalks for utilitarian purposes.
  3. KinkaidAlum
    You are 100% right. Property taxes are absurd in Houston. I paid 3 times more in Houston than I do in Los Angeles despite my home being of higher appraised value here. It's a real issue. If I ever move back home, I've already decided I wouldn't own.
  4. KinkaidAlum
    Landlords are in for a rude awakening. The market is/has changed and Amazon, First Dibs, etc... is killing hard retail. If they chase off restaurants as well they'll be in big trouble. Retailers are hurting in every market but rent keeps rising. What I noticed most about the Rice Village was that in the two years since I moved away, there are vacancies everywhere where there used to be none. It's the same in LA's upscale neighborhoods. Vacant buildings sitting with outrageously high rents. Something has to give.
  5. KinkaidAlum
    Anyone have a clue as to what this will look like other than masonry and stone? Museum Park has long been my favorite neighborhood. Easy access to all the best things in Houston.
  6. KinkaidAlum
    Ah, so this was the original source of those no seven story apartment signs. Sad to see art deco replaced but glad to see the developer compromise.
  7. KinkaidAlum
    I know dozens of people that live in midtown/downtown hi- rises. Most of them only use their cars socially. They commute via walking, rail, or bike. That's why building along a simple transit corridor is so great. It's why I don't get excited about the Uptown 610 freeway hi-rises. Those places 100% require a vehicle for virtually everything. My sister at One Park Place walks to work in the Houston Center. She walks to plays at Hobby. She rides the rail to UH for football and basketball games. She tells me she can go weeks without her car and usually only uses it for larger store runs or when she leaves for her ranch.
  8. KinkaidAlum
    and Midtown wasn't always a place to just go through. I think providing upgrades to make Midtown a better neighborhood for those that live there are far more important than providing upgrades for commuters just buzzing through. Hell, who knows, maybe if that becomes decent park space, someone will decide the commute from Sugar Land isn't worth it and move to Midtown taking a car off the highway.
  9. KinkaidAlum
    Big news today. The medical school got initial accreditation. Fist class of students will start in July with philanthropic gifts covering full tuition.
  10. KinkaidAlum
    OMG. Those are great examples of art deco. This must be what all the "NO 7 story apartments" signs are about.
  11. KinkaidAlum
    Obama put heavy sanctions on Russia that Trump immediately wanted to reduce but bipartisan pressure stopped him including a veto-proof override in Congress. But hey, you continue to post memes so you must be wicked smart. And our bases were not empty in Syria until Trump made his announcement that we were going to be leaving the Kurds to slaughter. We evacuated Syria in days and the military was unprepared for the executive "tweet." Facts matter but you just continue to destroy norms and The Constitution to own the libs. Our collective stupidity is going to destroy this great experiment.
  12. KinkaidAlum
    But the real question is, if Putin just decided to take Alaska like he took Crimea,our bases in Syria, and is currently taking the Donbass region, would Trump do anything about it?
  13. KinkaidAlum
    Did anyone think Trump would ban Nigerians or people fleeing genocide in Myonmar? That we'd be holding 70,000+ children? That he'd openly admit to cheating an election by bribing an foreign nation (remember, impeachment and the vote to convict was bipartisan, only acquittal was 100% partisan and even some who voted to acquit said he did it)? Did anyone think we'd have the children of a president who couldn't get a security clearance handling our nation's top security threats? So, yeah, selling Alaska because Orange Julius might somehow profit isn't a stretch.
  14. KinkaidAlum
    Club No Minors has a Felix's menu and it's pretty much spot on to how I remember it. We still go every christmas eve to buy pints of Felix queso.
  15. KinkaidAlum
    The building won't be missed, but my family grew up going to that Felix's (Uchi) every other Sunday night for family dinner. I bought my prom date's flowers at the floral shop that used to be in this center being torn down. As I've lived in other places a lot, I used to wonder if Houstonians lack a sense of place compared to other cities I've lived in because so few are from here but I am beginning to suspect because nothing ever stays the same. This building isn't a loss, but Montrose is losing it's flavor and it was one of the few places that had it in Houston. That said, Montrose has the potential to grow into something much grander so don't take this as a criticism post... just observation.
  16. KinkaidAlum
    Is that really the location? That church is relatively new and quite massive relative to the surroundings.
  17. KinkaidAlum
    They bought this valuable plot 11 years ago. It's much more valuable now as the neighbors are tons of towers and mid-rises and Whole Foods and a completely rehabbed park. They don't pay taxes on it while it sits designated as a "park." I would be surprised if they eventually sell this at a HUGE profit all while never paying a dime in taxes. Hope I'm wrong but the older I get the more cynical I become.
  18. KinkaidAlum
    I agree. I was concerned they were going to transform them too much. As a 70s kid, I've always liked these two black boxes. I actually think these street level improvements compliment the architecture quite well.
  19. KinkaidAlum
    Critical Mass rides all over the city and it doesn't take hours to wait for them to pass. I rather enjoyed seeing them ride down Sunset when I lived there. Much rather them than the folks driving 50 mph in a residential area.
  20. KinkaidAlum
    I know you're using NRT but I'd switch and take ANA via HND. A huge difference in service between United and All Nippon! I've flown Air China but it was a long time ago. Their reputation isn't the best. I'd pack food for sure. Thai is a solid carrier. Not as good as the premiere Asian carriers but much better than United and Air China. Never flown Thai Air Asia but those are short duration so doesn't really matter.
  21. KinkaidAlum
    The lack of the subtle setback and balconies on the penthouse levels is what kills me the most. What we got is a cheap EIFS box.
  22. KinkaidAlum
    Auckland? UA already has a JV with the Air New Zealand flight. I cannot imagine there'd be room for double daily flights to Kiwi and connections to Oz.
  23. KinkaidAlum
    We've gotten Spokane. Ontario used to be served multiple times a day with 737s and then vanished. United brought it back with a once daily flight on a regional jet. Personally, I miss seeing the 757-300s at IAH that used to serve LAX, DEN, SFO, EWR, SAN, MCO, etc... but now are exclusively at other hubs.
  24. KinkaidAlum
    All cities that United has either dropped or cut flights to. It's nice to see another airline at Hobby. Bring back Muse!
  25. KinkaidAlum
    Grew up in Houston. College in upstate NY. Returned to Houston for work and grad school. Job took me to Boston for 13 years. Back in Houston for 7 years. New job has me in Los Angeles.
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