Jump to content

sarahiki

Full Member
  • Posts

    652
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

Posts posted by sarahiki

  1. I don't see replacing the trains as a good thing. I would have much rather seen them lengthen the track, and keep the old one's. These little trains were somewhat of an "icon" to Houston and Hermann park.

    I agree, the old trains were quirky. But for all the times I clocked my head on the top of the thing getting in and out, I am glad to see them gone. Those trains were not sized for grown-ups.

  2. This is the most disheartening thing about this discussion to me.

    No one, save for VERY VERY few people WANT abortions. Not even those on the side of choice. Yet both sides go after each other so viciously. It is sickening to me.

    I do not believe in abortion as a means of "oops" prevention. I also do not believe that an abortion in the first trimester is murder. I do believe that later term abortions should be banned. I also believe that save for the case of late term abortions, it isn't my choice what someone chooses to do to their bodies. I am a Constitutionalist and a firm believer that save for the cases where someones choices adversely affect others, they are none of my business.

    I just wish the two polarized sides could quit the self righteous pissing match and focus on helping people stay out of trouble rather than what to do when the mistake has already been made.

    The concept that we should ban abortion but we shouldn't teach sex education (how it is taught now isn't working) or promote safe sex is a pretty ridiculous paradox of the right.

    I disagree with this. The concept that the man should have no say is absurd. If he doesn't want it and she chooses to keep it, he is still held responsible financially for that child. Conversely, if he wants it and she doesn't, he has no right on the matter. This is the definition of unfairness.

    You put all of that very well... I agree with you on most points. The idea of an abortion, any abortion, truly breaks my heart. And yet, I am pro-choice. I think the most immoral thing happening today is the way that our government and others are putting obstacles between people and birth control. To limit access to birth control is morally abhorrent, in my view.

  3. So the Children's Museum office building on Binz and Jackson is now complete, and I've noticed that they've started construction on the adjacent lot at Binz and Crawford. I think they razed an old house there (I could be wrong though, whatever was there was apparently unmemorable).

    Any idea what's up?

    I think the adjacent lot was formerly the CMH offices; now that they have the new office building, my guess would be that they are going to use the old lot for some other purpose--education, auditorium, offices, I don't know. But I am guessing that it still belongs to the Children's Museum.

  4. Actually, the Fiesta down near Reliant is really a good one and there's a nice Kroger and Super Target near Main and Kirby. All of these are not really that far either.

    I think there's reason to hope for a supermarket on Almeda one of these days. Lots of new residential in the Museum District with nowhere to shop; not to mention the Third Ward with not much more than the neighborhood beer & soda stores.

  5. The Chronicle has become a practical punching bag for the right (via Dan Patrick) and (though maybe not now) the left (the Houston Press). I have also noticed on their website that some of their stories have misspelled words and run-on sentences.

    They also endorsed George W. Bush - a liberal in conservative clothing to be truthful. Even Texas Monthly gave them a "Bum Steer Award".

    No wonder they can't seem to get most of the big prizes other big papers get.

    Who is a liberal in conservative clothing--George W. Bush, or the Chronicle? You can't mean W.

    If you mean the Chronicle, I would agree that there is something a little schizo about their politics, but I wouldn't describe it as liberal in conservative clothing. More like liberal but too woosey to follow through on it some of the time.

  6. (I base my comments on the chron.com web site. Does anyone actually read the dead tree edition?)

    P.S. I am really tired of the weekly litter that appears in my driveway, tossed from their van. I don't ask for it, and I don't want it.

    I concur re. the weekly litter... my mailbox gets stuffed with those stupid trashy fliers. I complained to our mailman who told me it was from the Chronicle.

    I miss the dead tree edition. I read it online now, but it means I have to see all the stupid blogs, videos, etc. and it's harder to get to the editorials and commentary, which is the part I like best.

    IMO the Chron has gotten noticeably worse in the past 2 years.

  7. Finally checked out Discovery Green today... it was great! Got the seal of approval from my 4-year-old. He did not want to leave. Played in the fountains all morning, ate a hotdog at the Lake House, played at the playground. I love the design of the park and all the features... the wood decking, the beautiful play structure, the landscaping. I hope it stays clean and well-maintained (unlike Hermann Park, where the splash area is permanently full of trash and the drains are always clogged).

  8. No, definitely not a developer's phrase, not as far as I know. I just wasn't sure how to phrase the fact that I have long felt like that particular area should have been built up a long time ago but for some reason was left alone until now. And now that people are realizing it's not far at all from the TMC, I am not suprised that the development occurring there is of (what I think is) very high quality.

    I guess I would be interested to know how/why Pearland was left alone for so long. I do like this "Waterlight District" thing and think the concept is somewhat novel for the Houston area. The presidents thing is somewhat dorky, however.

    Oh, okay, I see. I agree!

  9. Only 15 min from TMC? This development must have been in-potential for quite some time. No wonder it's so upscale.

    ? I don't understand what you mean by "in-potential." Is that a developer phrase?

    If you are questioning the 15 minutes from the TMC, I have to say that despite all the talk about the traffic on 288, I have driven to Pearland countless times, since we are looking at houses there. It does take 15 minutes from the museum district or med center. I'm sure it's much worse during rush hour, but it takes me 30 minutes to get from UH to Rice at rush hour, so who's going to use rush hour as a measure of travel time (especially in a promotion). Plus, rush hour on 288 is much briefer than, say, rush hour on the Katy, which as far as I can tell lasts all day.

  10. Except it will have stupid heads of presidents along it.

    Sweet fancy Jesus, this is dumb.

    At least it's different. I like to see a little creativity at work. The whole country is turning into one big indistinguishable strip mall; if it takes monstrous presidential heads to make a place stand apart a little, I'll take it.

  11. <zips mouth and waits for someone else to say it>

    Okay, okay... I'll bite...

    We live pretty close. We COULD ride bikes. In fact I keep meaning to get our bikes outfitted with baby seats for that very purpose. I gotta say though, after the bike ride, and dragging the kids through the zoo, and riding home, especially if it's hot, I'm going to have to call you to take care of the kids all afternoon while I take a nap.

    We COULD also ride the train. But we'd actually have to drive further to get to the Fannin South lot than we drive to get to the zoo. Add in the cost of parking, and the train tickets, and the time, and it gets kind of stupid.

    Add a couple of toddlers to any equation and driving often makes more sense. But don't get me wrong, I heart the train and we do use it whenever feasible.

    • Like 1
  12. There was some sort of festival going on on Saturday (maybe Sunday, too) that put extra cars in the zoo lot. Hermann Park needs more parking.

    I have memberships at the Museum of Natural Science, Health Museum and Children's Museum, so I get a discount on nearby parking. A big underground lot would be a good idea, especially if it was next to a stop on the new park train.

    I agree. On a reasonably nice day, you have to arrive pretty early to park. And those traffic cops do not help things at all, IMHO they make it worse.

    • Like 1
  13. We are planning to send our kid (2+) to some sort of pre-K/Daycare/Montessori and would like to get feedback on the Programmes/Places around TMC area.

    We need only 2 or 3 days a week and trying to find out whether that is an option.

    Specifically, anyone has feedback on 'Childrens Hour Montessori' / St Nicholas school in Medical center area ? Also, I heard there are some programmes operated by Churches.

    Appreciate feedback with a note about fees they charge.

    I recommend you check out St. Catherine's Montessori (south loop and Main). It's a wonderful school. I'm not sure about the price; it varies depending on the length of day, etc. They have a website.

  14. We are renting one now, nice place, NO insulation = huge electric bill from heating and A/C. i dont know if all of the places are like this, but since they are from the same era i wouldnt doubt that a majority were without major insulation. Weird layout with two bathrooms upstairs right next to each other, one of which is a half bath. They allow you to paint and stuff inside which is nice. Good neighbors and it is routinely patroled by St. Thomas Police. I didnt know that there were any issues about who rents them out though, it is for my sister and her roomate, both students at Rice and St. Thomas. Lots of character though

    We found the same thing when we lived in one--huge electric bills. Not all the houses have been kept up very well, so there are lots of gaps around windows and doors, letting air out and critters in. All that aside, though, lots of charm and lovely neighbors. Not to mention the best neighborhood in Houston for walking.

  15. I'm sure glad they are making improvements. Every time I ride with my kids and we go through that tunnel past the BIZARRE display windows I wonder why on earth nobody has required the owners of the concession to spruce things up.

    The little Hermann Park train that chugged and tooted its way into children's hearts for half a century will come to the end of the line Jan. 1 as workers make final preparations for the March opening of an expanded multi-purpose miniature railroad.

    The new rail line comes with a host of new bells and whistles

  16. I'm entering this thread late, but here's my 2 cents. I don't think any of these downtown projects (pavilions or bayou place) will really succeed if the target is mostly local people. We need to attract tourists. It kills me everytime I hear someone from outside Texas raving about San Antonio and RIVERWALK!!! Houston has much more to offer than San Antonio, but it's not packaged up as neatly and pleasingly as riverwalk, so tourists can't figure out where they're "supposed" to go. We need to copy SA. We need to turn the Bayou into Riverwalk and call it something else and suddenly we'll have a downtown scene.

    I'm sure many of you will agree that the Houston pavilions suffered a major blow when the developer decided to pull out the residential portion of this project due to financial reasons. The residential portion would have at least guaranteed that someone would have to been there 24/7 and if reasonably priced may have attracted the type of resident downtown Houston desperately needs. This would have really made this project as a true mixed use center for that side of downtown and created synergy.

    Knowing that the residential portion will not be included we have to wonder- How will the Houston Pavilions fare? Will it be an entertainment and restaurant Mecca as envisioned by the developers or will it be Bayou Place South and face sparse crowds at certain hours?

    WHY IT WILL SUCCEED

    1) Disco Green - This is going to be a blessing for this part of downtown and the day crowd around the park may lead to the night crowd frequenting the Pavilions a few blocks away. The question that remains to be answered will be how consistently will this occur?

    2) Metro Rail- The location of the Pavilions is along the rail line and this is a great location for the current line and those heading to the Pavilions from the future rail extensions.

    3)Lunch Time Crowd- The lunch time crowd in both the neighboring skyscrapers and the office component of the project will sustain the success of the restaurants at lunch time Monday through Friday. Hopefully, the trend here will not be like almost all of the rest of downtown- restaurants will have limited hours and very short hours on the weekends.

    4) Houston House Apartments- News of a developer intending to spruce up the Houston House may be good for the Pavilions. The more reasonably priced housing near this project the better.

    5) Future Development- This portion of downtown has plenty of room to grow and if designed intelligently this area could grow into a nice neighborhood and the Pavilions could definitely be a big part of it.

    WHY IT WILL FAIL

    1)No Residences. As stated before this will have a HUGE impact on the project and having so many people anchored to the project because they lived there would have turned this from a place you visit to a place where you call home. All of the tenants would have benefited from this in some way.

    2)Location -Let's face it. the location as it currently stands is not the safest and most inviting spot in downtown.

    3) One Park Place -True we are getting a new residential tower in close proximity to the project but I don't think a luxury apartment will have a significant impact on it. I doubt the resident of a second home 6,000 square foot penthouse in downtown Houston would be someone who contributes to the downtown Houston night life of the Pavilions on a frequent basis.

    4)Houston Shops- This is a great parallel for the Pavilions. It involves restaurants, retail, is close to many offices and is very busy during the weekday lunch hour but is DEAD come late afternoon. Even the fronts facing the street are dead after 5. Of course the pavilions will have more of an entertainment flavor to it as Bayou Place does but will it be enough?

    5) Not enough destination retail.- Do any of the tenants really excite anyone? Some of the restaurant and dining tenants are unique but again the Bayou Place also has unique dining and entertainment options and that has not reshaped that part of downtown as it should.

    Of course I would love to see the Houston Pavilions become a huge success, spur development, and fuel an renewed interest in downtown never seen before but I'm just trying to play devil's advocate here. What do you guys think?

×
×
  • Create New...