Mr. Chenevert

Just got an email from the Dynamo this morning...

"Houston Dynamo to host Championship Rally on steps of City Hall"

Oliver Luck and Mayor White will be there... perfect opportunity to annouce a new stadium.

explosions create vacuums, which in turn create wind. Wind slams doors closed.

But if our CVSs, Walgreens and branch banks are any indication... its parking lot will take up more space than than the actually building.

Agreed. However, currently it is a vacant lot with 3 feet high weeds and a chain link fence surrounding the property.

If you want density, we gotta get rid of vacant lots first.

This is good news, even though La Quinta is typically a suburban style hotel with a wrap-around parking lot. The east side of 59 is really lacking in new development, and this is better than the current vacant lot.

normally true, but the one in downtown Austin is very tightly packed with no parking lot, only underground valet.

First off, fascinating write-up!!!

So the deed restrictions from the 1906 sale is why a new home cannot be put there today?

Anyone that thinks deed restrictions can replace zoning, I will refer to this example many times when I call you silly later on in life.

Where can one find a map of these borders? All of this Uptown/Midtown/East End nomenclature is unclear to me (and I've lived here for over 40 years).

Most area's dont have such defined borders. Neartown for instance, I couldnt tell you the exact borders of.

Midtown is a bit different. Since it was formed as a TIRZ (Tax something with an I Reinvestment Zone), it indeed has very defined borders. 59 happens to be the border to the east.

Anyway, even though many central Houston areas do not appeal to families, I add the info if it is not already on HAR, just in case a family wants to move in...

I think its great that you provide the school information, but I always wondered, HISD doesnt force you to go to the school that is zoned to your address as long as you can provide transportation.

Someone in the heights can send their child to Roberts Elemetary if the proper transfer is done.

What does this have to do with Midtown? Isn't it going to be in the East End?

The hotel is 1 block away from the Midtown border.

They are indeed building. Not sure which block you are referring too. But they are building directly across the street from their current showroom, towards 45. The 2nd story showroom will be visible as you are driving on the Pierce Elevated.

The new Impala (also a Holden design like the G8) will be a much sexier car than previous gens ('cept for the 95-96 SS's, those were hot).

Buick's new Park Avenue in China gives Maybach's a run for their money

Yea, those hood scoops just scream sophistication.

The new Tahoe/Suburban/Avalanche and the new Cadillac Escalade and CTS as well as Sierra and Yukon Denalis are all very nice interiors. The new Malibu is downright sexy.

I mentioned Full sized trucks (that includes SUV's) as well as the CTS in my earlier post.

I disagree that the new Malibu is sexy inside or out, but design is subjective.

I had an '86 accord as well. Drove it for 5 years until 1999. Great car.

If by hitting its target you mean a 20% decrease in sales, then, yes, GM is hitting its HUMMER target nicely.

http://media.gm.com:8221/servlet/GatewaySe...amp;docid=40014

The HUMMER was never a big seller, producing 30,000 to 40,000 in its 2002, 2003 heyday. Now, H1 is gone, H2 sales are destined for 12,000 or 13,000 sales in 2007, and even the supposedly fuel efficient H3 is dropping like a rock. Considering the H2 is only 5 years old, I don't know of any vehicle that has gone from "must have" to road kill in as short a time.

I meant design targets. It hit what the designers intended to create. The H3 has one of the nicest interiors GM has created in the past 20 years.

Spit on Hummer all you want, but it is one GM brand that picked its target and hit it. Too many GM products are watered down versions of when the design team originally wanted. Blame it on the bean-counters, blame it on whatever, but most of their mainstream auto's just dont hit the target.

The Corvette, CTS, Hummer, and their full-size pickups are the only products that dont miss the target. Out of all the cars and trucks they make, thats sad.

More efficient than RWD? How so?

Smaller package? How so?

AWD is even less prone to slippage in snow and ice than FWD.

FWD became popular back in the 80's because it enabled cars to become smaller. Being able to turn the V6 engine 90 degrees and have it run laterally in the engine bay powering the front wheels created a much tighter drivetrain 'package'. Not having a driveshaft tunnel running down the middle of the car, also allowed a larger interior in an otherwise smaller overall car. A lighter and smaller car can be powered by a lighter and smaller engine, which is why FWD cars were deemed more efficient. Even today, that holds true for the majority of FWD platforms.

FWD also enjoys the benefit of having a large percentage of the car weight, usually greater than 60% over the drive wheels, which naturally give it better traction in the slippery stuff. Certainly, AWD is better, but after driving a RWD Miata, and a FWD Accord in the snowy mountains of WV, I can assure you, that FWD is all you need, whereas the Miata would stay in the driveway as it was useless in any snow.

To correct some other posters erroneous statements, FWD cars do not have less understeer than RWD cars. In fact, FWD cars only have understeer. Once you hit the limit in a FWD car and start to understeer, there is nothing you can do to correct the path, the car will continue to push until the speed is brought down to a point that grip is again gained.

On a RWD car, if understeer is encountered, one can use the throttle to induce oversteer, thereby correcting the issue. Therefore, a RDW car would have less understeer than a FWD car.

If I recall, the existing parking garage that will be adjacent is kinda dumpy looking. Does anyone know of any plan to renovate it? The model still keeps the dumpyesque exterior.

They are definitely cleaning it up a bit. I dont think you will see a total redo, but I have seen some walls and paint going up around the garage. Not sure what the finished product is going to look like, but its apparent they are at least addressing the garage.

As for the building, lots of steel beams were laying on the ground this weekend and a crane is on site. I think we will be seeing the shell being put up very soon!

Stopped by last night. Place is opened, and it was packed. Long line outside to get in. $7 cover charge was a turn-off, but the crowd obviously didnt mind. It was kind of cheesy in the standard piano bar way, but I enjoyed it. Its certainly something different than the standard club or bar.

Considering what the place looked like a year ago, its amazing what they have done inside and out.

I saw a homeless guy sleeping at McGowen and Jackson this morning at 7:30am. Thats the farthest away from SEARCH I have seen them sleep. I wonder if its just pushing them further away.

Are you serious? Downtown L.A. makes Houston's look like The SugarLand Town Square.

What blows my mind is the number of people in this thread who talk about punching the homeless in the face, treating them like animals, etc... Many of these posters are the same ones that like to talk a good "Christian" game in other threads.

Call me crazy, but I doubt Jesus would be sucker punching the homeless when exiting a BW3.

Thinking about doing something, and actually doing it are two different things.

Im sure Jesus had thoughts about being violent.

What, should I offer the guy some hot soup after he threatens to break into my car?

Get real.

I almost punched a homeless guy in the face for the first time ever.

I was at the CVS in Midtown, he asked me on my way in for money, I said no. He asked me on my way out, I said no.

I then heard him say "Im gonna break someones car" in an aggrevated, but soft voice.

I turned around and asked him to repeat what he just said. He wouldnt of course and just walked off.

If my gf hadnt been right there, I would have put his face into the wall, and I am not a violent person at all.

The homeless need to go away.

These buildings indeed are the same buildings that were supposed to be the UH branch campus. HP sold these buildings a couple of years ago.

Right around 8pm, the same chopper was circling over my house in Midtown. There is a large overgrown vacant lot across the street and it seemed to be looking at that lot for about 10 minutes.

I was in my garage working, and figured it was time to go inside.

I didnt even think of pulling out the bearcat scanner. That thing has been sitting in a box for 7 years.

For a year or more there was a sign saying another strip center was going to built there.

Not sure if thats what is actually what is happening though.

From Houstonist...

"The 800 block of Main

excuse me if this has been discussed in another thread, but why do they have to pick a block with several historical buildings when dozens of surface lot blocks exist all around the proposed location?

As excited as I am that a new skyscraper will be in our skyline, it worries me that we will loose several historic buildings.

Who owns these surface lots and why in the world would they not be used up first?