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skwatra

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  1. skwatra
    I was out on the bayou Saturday (walking and picnic) and Sunday (biking). Both days there were a lot of people out- walkers, runners, bikers, skaters (inline and board), people reading, in hammocks, photo shoots - all ages, races, different kinds of people - heard 4 languages that were not english or spanish in a one hour timeframe. This is such a great asset for our city, and definitely being fully utilized. One good way to distinguish the transplants and locals: when you see non-runners in t-shirts next then others like my wife wearing their heaviest winter coat and hat - when it was 50F out. There were several people each time I went waiting out the traffic and crossing at Allen Pkwy and Taft. A light and pedestrian crossing will be important there - I just hope the city puts some smarts behind it to minimize backups on Allen during rush hour.
  2. skwatra
    Friday (1/8) was the first day they were officially open. Soft opening was 1/7. Pretty good burger, a little expensive at $10 but good quality. Price isn't that bad actually taking in to account its a hotel restaurant/bar downtown. But it is a Holiday Inn...
  3. skwatra
    Went to My Pie at Skyhouse and the line was out the door and a block long. Was going to be an hour we guessed and with a pregnant wife at home waiting decided against it. At Burger Theory (in Holiday Inn, opened today) now. Yelp reviews are limited obviously but positive. $10 burgers so we'll see. The place has a bar with 12 beers on tap, mostly craft. Will report back on the Holiday Inn thread.
  4. skwatra
    Does your wife know you call her Mrs. Joke??
  5. skwatra
    i saw they added showings for this week. Thanks for the details. unfortunately every movie on there that allows the pass he has already seen! hopefully next week.
  6. skwatra
    looking for movies next week since my cousin has has bday free ticket, and they don't have any showings after 1/7 other than: 13 Hours:The Secret Soldiers Of BenghaziAnyone heard any further info on the supposed attempted blacklist of iPic in Hollywood from the big chains?
  7. skwatra
    I didn't realize there were so many Fuzzy's locations. I've eaten there in Longview where my wife is from and also seen it in Nacogdoches and Tyler, just thought it was a smaller chain from east Texas. Its no Torchy's but its a welcome addition. Hopefully it lasts in that spot, and is open late.
  8. skwatra
    What's wrong with stucco? aesthetics? structurally a concern? life?
  9. skwatra
    better be careful the thread may be locked again!
  10. skwatra
    I don't know all the details, just whatever my wife tells me... What i do know - CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) is the federal agency that runs medicare. Anyone over 65 is eligible for traditional Medicare. There are a large number of patients that go to St Joseph that rely solely on Medicare. CMS has cut them off, so St Joseph can no longer bill to Medicare. So they will have to turn away patients that are relying on Medicare coverage. My wife works for a Medicare advantage program. This is where insurance companies offer added care on top of Traditional Medicare for a fee - supplemental insurance. She works in a clinic with Doctors that accept this advantage program. That won't be affected at the moment. Though obviously whatever happens to the whole hospital will impact everyone.
  11. skwatra
    My wife confirmed what was stated about the mentally unstable patient - i remember her telling me about it when it happened. After that shooting the investigation picked up a lot of scrutiny. The meeting the CEO announced Monday that was to be held on Thursday was canceled. There is an article about the findings in the chron: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/St-Joseph-inspection-finds-deficiencies-in-6641625.php
  12. skwatra
    iPic may appear to be winning now but it won't last. Why would a distributor care about one theater when the bottom line is at stake? They may have called Regal's bluff (which was not a bluff it appears) this time but will they continue to do so? I assume Regal would pay more for the rights than iPic - not sure if its based on numbers of seats or screens or tickets sold but iPic couldn't compete with Regal on any quantity measure i would think. So will distributors give in at some point? Those are some big movies. I can't imagine Edwards not getting Star Wars... We'll see what happens. And to reiterate I am rooting for iPic!
  13. skwatra
    I have definitely noticed it with iPic but I assumed it was because they were starting slow. For mock they were playing classics, then first week of charity donation opening they were playing the hits from the last year, leading up to the big opening of Spectre. For Sundance, I thought they had a variety of mainstream large distribution movies and independent ones as well. Now I'm wondering the same, were they forced in to this? There are no major AMCs or Regals really close by but you never know. Also they have been bought out by Carmike so that may chance their approach as well. Will be interesting to see what comes out of this, from based on what limited information we have I'm rooting for iPic!
  14. skwatra
    The CEO of St Joseph is speaking to the core team on Thursday. They are partially doctor owned (21%) with Iasis Healthcare owning the rest.
  15. skwatra
    My wife works in a clinic located in St Joseph. The federal program being terminated is for traditional Medicare only, which is a huge blow but there are other funding sources still in place. She just heard about it this week as well, not sure what will happen.
  16. skwatra
    Darn I was really hoping for a Steak 44!
  17. skwatra
    I'm a big fan of Mongoose vs Cobra, they always have good Porters and Stouts and rotate through so quickly there is always something new. Clown Shoes has some really good varieties I always like to try. Keep an eye out for B52s, relatively new brewery in Conroe. I saw it at iPic Theater which was surprising. MoonTower Inn is a good watering hole, no architecture except for a shack on picnic tables! Okra is an older building downtown that is worth checking out.
  18. skwatra
    The Premium Plus seats range from $18-24 (weekday or weekend timing dependent) for members, and comes with Popcorn. I'm not sure if that's the same pricing for regular membership (free) as that's what I'm seeing as a Sapphire member. That was free to sign up for during the promo period, but i think its nominally $15/year and comes with a free ticket on your bday (use 7 days before or after). We've talked about this before, its not some place I'll go regularly, but to splurge every once and a while its not too bad. And the food is pricey but really good at least. I'd rather pay $10-14 for a really high quality filling appetizer to split with someone over $5+ for regular theater popcorn somewhere else. And regular Premium seats ($12-14) aren't bad if you get the second row right in the middle. I saw Spectre that way and enjoyed every second of it.
  19. skwatra
    Too bad El Dorado and Bay Area construction at 45 is not near complete. Its such a mess over they may see a delay in response to this.
  20. skwatra
    They (hopefully) will generate taxes, build infrastructure, etc. Plus I'm not wealthy and I got 2 free movies out of it so far!
  21. skwatra
    I'm pretty smart. United has 5 direct flights to Cancun on Monday-Friday, 8 on Saturday and 6 on Sunday. Southwest has 2 direct flights to Cancun most days. Given they just started this service, I assume they may expand it depending on traffic.
  22. skwatra
    I lived in a 3-story condo complex for 5 years, built in late 2007. I was on the top floor and never had any issues. At one point my neighbor was dating a girl that would wear heels around his place and i could hear her footsteps, but not that bad. The person below me never complained, though he was pretty chill and traveled a lot. The person below my aforementioned neighbor did complain about the loud footsteps. With that many units I'm sure there will be drama between neighbors. I assume one major demographic will be younger people that go out and party, and there will be others that may not appreciate that. Another unrelated thought - i wonder how many people will buy in as an investment (with high hopes on the east end) and sub out their units? $100k mortgage runs you $500/mo + $150/mo HOA + $300/mo property tax. Could you rent out a 300 sqft studio in the east end for $1000/mo?
  23. skwatra
    Interesting thanks. I owned a condo and paid $200 for 1000 sqft that covered insurance/trash/grounds/water/parking. There was no pool or major amenities though.
  24. skwatra
    5001 Woodway which I happened to be looking at for other reasons has a monthly condo fee of $700 and it was built in 1975. I have no idea what amenities that comes with (i know there is a pool and two parking spaces), but I was blown away. And it was for a 1500 sqft two bedroom place and I don't know how many units they have total. I don't disagree with anything else you stated, my point was its not as straight forward as: apartment=throwing away money vs condo=equity Lots of other factors and fees to think about. 10 years is a no brainer in a normal market (buy vs rent), i just don't see the demographic for people wanting that size place in that location for the type of people that are settling down for 10 years.
  25. skwatra
    Thanks, I'm not as familiar with Uptown or the latest in the rental market. That building does look amazing, but keep in mind the smallest studio is 534 sqft. Someone quoted Ivy as having the smallest units at 300 sqft, which is an appreciable difference.
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