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totheskies

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Everything posted by totheskies

  1. Wow thanks for the expert opinion from an industry insider!! I suspect that much of the issue lies within Houston's layout which affects our hotel needs. The issue isn't that there is a lack for number of rooms total, but number of rooms in an area like the CBD. As long as the number of CBD visitors continues to increase, then we have a reason to want more hotels in the area. I agree... the city may be saturated for hotel rooms, but there are a disproportionate number of rooms within the CBD. I'm of the opinion that the CBD rooms could also be more expensive, but precedent is helping to keep the prices low.
  2. So is there going to be any street-level retail for Main Place?
  3. I think it's worth it to talk about the general trends for Downtown retail (restaurants being a HUGE part). In recent months, several new eateries have opened in downtown, and in the coming months we will gain some true Houston staples like BB's cafe, Niko Niko's and Phoenicia. Along with others. So the question is this... is downtown finally the new hotspot??
  4. Wow... this is all I could have hoped for downtown... and more!! I am a loyal Phoenicia customer. Only problem is I live so far away that I only get out there about twice a month. Now, I'll be able to take my bike there!!!!!! I agree that eventually we want downtown to have a "mainstream" grocer, but this is and Byrd's market are a great start. The crowds that come for Phoenicia are the type of crowds that downtown wants to be "discovered" by. They are young and/or independent with fewer suburban ties (generally) and more disposable income. This IMO is the perfect fit. And we can still meet the "mainstream needs" via the rail line... Randall's and two Fiestas are there. I will guiltily admit that I'd rather sit on the train a few mins more and hike across the road to the Fiesta by Reliant than the one at Wheeler station... selection-wise, there's just no comparison between the two.
  5. Knock Knock...

    -Who's there??

    Ida...

    -Ida who???

    IIIIII-duhrrreeeammm of Jeanie with the light brown hair!!!

  6. So you're saying that the blue lights that we saw a couple of weeks ago were a collective figment of our imaginations? The Chase building is in fact an inanimate object. But being an object that houses living humans, it also houses their actions and conversations... which therefore means that it can and most certainly has housed disagreements. I was not referring to a disagreement between the physical building an arrangement of letters posted into the blogosphere. I was (obviously) referring to the ongoing discussions among people that decide the Chase buildings lighting scheme.
  7. For now... hopefully we will continue to "see" disagreements like those from the Chase building.
  8. ^^ Right. As I said.... TXDOT. Last time I checked, smoke is not flourescent in most cases, but it can definitely obscure vision when combined with light sources. The downtown lighting scheme generates far less light pollution than our ever-constant high-mast freeway lights. So if you want to see stars, you need to either turn off those power-lamps, or cut on up to Cut 'n Shoot.
  9. You probably need to talk to the chemical plants and TxDOT if you want to see stars in Houston. As Niche posted above, the downtown scrapers aren't going to help you see any stars alone. I stand by my viewpoint that having a coordinated outdoor lighting scheme is progressive as opposed to regressive, while recognizing the fact that a lighting scheme involving indoor lights could also be progressive and/or regressive. Sounds like we should press the city to develop an ordinance that says we should be "all on" or "all off". That's the only way this argument would ever be solved.
  10. Considering that the Astrodome has its own zipcode, and inner loop Houston is desperate for hotel space, I wish that they would reconsider the hotel idea. Astrodome could easily divide up into 1200 spacious rooms.
  11. Sorry, but no one needs to have a fact-based preference. You either prefer a more progressive lighting scheme in downtown, or you don't. The consensus among most major US cities is to have a more progressive lighting scheme. Houston doesn't and there's nothing "wrong" with that. But some people want more lighting in downtown Houston. I for one am glad that someone over in the Chase building hasn't given up on outdoor lights for their building, and I hope that the other skyscrapers in downtown follow suit.
  12. They're not right now, but that mentality seriously needs to change. This city is hurting for hotel rooms... especially inside the loop. The Galleria doesn't even have enough for its daily business. Downtown would be able to attract a lot more conventions, festivals, etc. if we had more hotel rooms. Tall is not something I care about, but we need another hotel that is at least the size of the Hilton Americas to be truly competitive. ES is going to make an awesome impact from 45s.
  13. Services are a priority... especially for the current mayor. But the problem is that everyone in Texas is cheap and they want something for nothing. If we want more policemen, better roads, more frequent and reliable transit etc., the city has to make more money. The only way for the city to make more money is for us to pay higher taxes. HPD is severly under-staffed, and they're not about to go and find more officers until we start footing some of these bills. I wish we were paying higher in sales tax or something... as long as the money is put to good use.
  14. Don't think so. Unlike Houston Pavilions (downtown is still considered a deadzone for the serious retail shopper), West Ave is right across the street from River Oaks, and only a few miles from Rice Village, Highland Village and The Galleria. This is prime retail space for sure. Also, I think enough Houstonians have been to Dallas and been jealous of how nicely the uptown developments have come together there. They want spaces like that in central Houston. Now we finally have one.
  15. It would be so great to see someone build a parking garage with some street-level retail right here. That way, we take care of the growing parking needs for the area, generate some more retail interest, and form a solid link from Houston Pavilions to Discovery Green.
  16. Did anyone catch that the Chase building has BLUE LED lights now?? They were on briefly tonight!!! Woohoo, downtown is going to get its lighting back!! My guess is that all of the major towers are now working on replacing their lighting with energy-efficient LEDs. The Chase Building wins the race though, with red, white and blue settings (perfect for Independence day)
  17. Fully agree. Another big issue for the main campus is a growing concern for safety. This is a big open campus that is active for basically 10 hours of the day, five to six days a week. Yes, there is a "police force" but they (like most departments) are grossly under-staffed. So most of the time, this place sits vacant and ripe for vadalism towards the few people that are here after hours. So campus improvements and encouraging student life help in another very important way... they make UofH safer because more people will be around. Not to mention that many of these new additions include retail components that are desperately needed on campus as well.
  18. Not much skyline imparct, but it will be so great to get much needed hotel space in downtown!! And great to see another burned parking space.
  19. Yes... we now have setback What floor is MP on now? When is the topping out party?
  20. is celebrating a time-honored Lenten tradition... the post-Mardi Gras HANGOVER.

  21. As an East End resident, I hope that the city and county stick to their guns and build it downtown. I am good friends with the President of the East End Management District, and she has been organizing citizens to put more pressure on the City and County to close this deal. We don't want to lose this stadium in our area!! The benefits to the East End are much greater than the Galleria/ Meyerland area. This will help spur developement along the East End rail line and for the whole neighborhood. Plus, the last thing that the Galleria needs is another major traffic burden during rush hour.
  22. I think I prefer the Red lights atop the JP Chase Bank Building... it looks really nice. They should consider keeping that lighting throughout the year (and using it). It would be especially classy if Chase kept the red, and Enterprise Plaza went back to it's white lights. Would be a nice contrast for the lighting scheme, which is something we haven't seen much of lately. It certainly wouldn't hurt if Wells Fargo decided to rejoin the party and fix its damaged lights too.
  23. One thing's for sure... the performing arts crowd will be taking full advantage of the new park for our constant rehearsals and shows. This is going to be very exciting.
  24. wow that's awesome... thanks 312!!! I have a rehearsal in downtown late Saturday night... I'll be sure to tell people about Nit Noi!!!! BTW... restaurants for downtown. We need more "chain places" in downtown too! A Freebirds, Taco Cabana (don't understand why this hasn't happen yet) and some other places that can immediately help to stir late night and weekend culture. Mongolian BBQ joints are always a plus for me too.
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