Original Timmy Chan's

Assuming that the Nat'l Guard facility you're talking about is the one between Almeda and Fannin, it's about to be closed and relocated to Ellington Air Force Base. The Texas Medical Center (UT-Health Science Center maybe?) will be taking the land to build additional medical/research facilities. They just built a "proton therapy" center next door to it. I'm guessing there used to be a lot of cattle out that way when you used to drive through there...

I miss Tony Mandola's Blue Oyster Bar on the Gulf Freeway near Park Place. That was me and my wife's favorite place...especially during their lunchtime happy hour: $2.00 beers, $0.25 oysters and $0.10 boiled shrimp! I also miss the old Fusion Cafe at Main and Alabama. After it moved to Rice Village, it seemed to lose some flavor....and some "flava". It wasn't the right setting for soul food.

My wife and I went to Atlanta about 4 or 5 years ago. I really liked a lot of things about the city: the terrain (hilly and wooded), the MARTA made it easy to get around, nice nightlife, all the things you could want in a big city. We did notice that they didn't like race-mixing there, though. We saw lots of blacks and lots of whites there, but never at the same table. My wife is black and I'm white, and we got stared at everywhere we went like we were on fire. It was a strange feeling, and one that we've never once felt here in Houston. It's a tremendous city, but they've got a lot of work to do in that department, based on our experience.

The wheels of change move slowly. Be patient. I'm always amazed at how many people don't realize that real estate developments take years of feasibility study, financial structuring, engineering and architectural design and then contruction before you see a finished product. It often takes years before you see a blade of dirt turned on a property. There is a lot of planning and thought and effort that has to go into a project.

There's one in the shopping center on Kirby across from Reliant Stadium. The Petsmart replaced the old KMart there (next to Fiesta, same parking lot as Antone's). There's also a Petsmart on the West Loop between Fournace and Westpark. Either one of those are easily less than 5 minutes from Meyerland.

I wonder what this will do to the proposed Astrodome Convention Center/Hotel redevelopment? Does this actually help the redevelopment? It seems to me that it gives more options for the redevelopment plan, and takes away some parking pressure. It'll be interesting to see what becomes of the Astroworld property. And on a side note, where does Houston's next theme park get built? My guess is down 288 between 610 and Beltway 8. Tons of cheap, available land there, and it's relatively central to Houston. Not to mention the fact that its close to the old Astroworld location; people are used to driving to the South Loop to go to the local theme park. I think if a theme park tries to go any other direction they would be forced far outside of "central" Houston, thereby reducing the number of people willing to drive out to the park. How many Woodlands residents would look forward to driving out to Sealy to go to a theme park (or vice versa)? How willing are you to drive from Clear Lake up to the Woodlands, or out to Tomball, or out to Richmond/Rosenberg? Cause that's about how far out a theme park would have to go on any highway other than 288.

Isn't that the Maple Leaf Pub? I don't know anything about it, other than there is (was) one in NOLA. The boyfriend of a friend in NOLA loved the place. Our friend said the one in NOLA was a dive, but knowing her definition of dive, it probably doesn't jive with my definition. From the outside, and based on its location in the (high-rent) Midtown area, I think it'll be on the upscale side. Personally I'm also suspicious of the name...sounds like it caters to Canooks. Probably nothing but NHL re-runs on the tube there. Maybe some old Expos baseball if you're lucky. Unless they serve $2.00 (or less) Lone Stars, count me out.

I've been to Sig's Lagoon on Main Street a few times. I love his place. He's got a little section of Houston and Texas blues/jazz/zydeco CD's. Also got some good rockabilly and blues. Some novelty things, some of this, some of that... And then, he's got hundreds of $1.00 vinyl records. I got a couple live Flatt & Scruggs albums, a 1960's "various artists" R&B/Soul album, and a Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits album (for my wife) for a whopping sum of $4.00. Sig's Lagoon is right between the Continental Club and the Big Top Lounge on Main at Alabama. The owner is a very nice guy...good taste in music.

The old Sound Exchange on Westheimer was great...I'm ashamed to say I haven't been to their "new" store (on Alabama?) since they moved. They've been there for years. I may have to go there soon, though. I hear they have one of the best selections of record needles in Houston...which is perfect, as a friend just gave me a record player! Sound Exchange always had a great selection of music. Sound Waves was OK for used stuff back in the day, but I've always thought they were high on new stuff. 90% of what I buy is used anyways...I can't stomach paying $15.00 for a CD.

Rice's football isn't going to go away. Rice U has more than enough $$$ to make sure that never happens; we're talking about the school that used to own Yankee Stadium. All that being said, they're not a great team. More often than not they're an average-to-bad team. Now if they'd stop beating my alma mater, UH, everything in this world would be A-OK. Go Coogs!

...or we could all start referring to South Downtown/Midtown as SoDoMi!

I read that there is also a new sandwich place called "Potbellies" going into the new UH parking garage retail space (along with a Lolliecup and an indoor Sonic).

If you see anything south of OST and east of 288, it'll be the area generally bounded by 288, OST, Corder and Tierwester. That area is a mix of some industrial and some residential and a lot of vacant land. East of Tierwester you've got Scott Terrace and LaSalette Place, which are nice, well-maintained middle-class neighborhoods. They aren't going anywhere...and there would be major opposition to any developer trying to get townhomes into that neighborhood. Besides, townhome development isn't appropriate to that area. There's enough vacant or near-vacant land nearby for denser development to occur. New homes are being built all through South Union and Foster Place (generally the areas south of Yellowstone and north of 610, all the way over to Cullen). They are generally modest 1500 - 2000 sf homes. They are definitely welcome additions to the neighborhood. I see the neighborhood staying a low- to moderate-income area of single-family residential, nothing more, nothing less. The area around OST and Scott is improving. Lots of commercial development is going in around the intersection (a lot of strip centers, but it's investment nonetheless). Washington Mutual just moved in at LaSalette and OST. A new assisted living center is under construction at Corder and OST. Scott south of Yellowstone is slow to improve, but it's made minor improvements over the last few years.

Houston has already been awarded the 2011 NCAA Final Four. It will be played at Reliant Stadium (and the game is "hosted" by UH and Rice, whatever that means).

Nope...keep going down Almeda a few blocks. This would be just east of the intersection of OST and Almeda. Just a block down Yellowstone from the fabulous wonderful amazingness that is Guy's Meat Market.

According to my wife, there's an Urban Lofts sign on the corner bounded by SH 288, Yellowstone, and Ardmore (on the west side of 288). Anyone know anything about this? As much as I despise the Urban Lofts on Calumet, I think they'd be a good addition to this particular area. It's mostly an industrial area right now, with a few commercial places mixed in. I'm all for some additional residential in our area. Eventually I'd like to see Yellowstone east of 288 becoming a commercial/retail strip. Right now it's a mix of vacant land and industrial areas (many of which are also vacant). It's ripe for development.

The Big Top Lounge has good prices all day...not just for an hour They're on Main at Alabama, by the Continental Club.

You're right. Maybe I'm confusing Charlie and Luke.

I used to live in the neighborhood across the street from that Randalls...about 7 years ago. When I was there, there was a taqueria in the parking lot. Strange thing about the taqueria...it was run by an Asian guy. There used to be Charlie's all over the place. What was their slogan? "Over 2 dozen sold"? I know there used to be one on Telephone Rd near Lockwood. There was one down in Clear Lake (Bay Area Blvd or Clear Lake City Blvd?). I also think there was one at Westheimer and 610...which has now become the classy "Zone D' Erotica" I only ate at Charlie's once or twice...it didn't leave much of an impression on me, but I wasn't as smart as I am now. What's everyone else's opinion of Charlie's?

Don't forget the Super Target on Main at OST. We usually shop at the Krogers on OST at Cambridge, but you can find some deals on groceries at Super Target as well. It's amazing the variation in prices at those two stores. Somedays you can find an item in one store for half the price of the other. Target's Archer Farms brand actually makes some good food...some of their frozen foods are excellent and CHEAP. Their pizzas in particular, are the best frozen pizzas I've ever had, and half the price of the "premium" brands. As for the Meyer Park Wal-Mart, my wife and I went there Sunday to pick up a few things...but we found that most of the items we needed were cheaper at Super Target (the rest of the items were equally priced at both stores). I was surprised that the Target was cheaper than Wal-Mart. I usually am not too bothered by these things, but that Meyer Park Wal-Mart IS extremely crowded everytime I shop there. On Sunday I drove up and down 5 parking aisles before I found a single parking spot. Not a "decent" parking spot, but ANY parking spot. Then once inside the store...let's just say it's a freakin' zoo.

When I first read that, I thought you meant "Taco Belgrade", as in...oh, never mind.

I think there's still a Grandy's on Edgebrook just east of the Gulf Freeway. If it's gone I won't shed a tear. That's just some bad stuff. Home-style cooking wasn't meant to be fast food.

Kahn's is good, good stuff. The prices might look high for a sandwich, until you realize you can get two or three meals out of one sandwich!

Ooooh! I know, I know... ...but I'll let guessing continue. I do know you gave away half the answer in your message.

I attribute that to $3.69 six-packs of Lone Star Tallboys... Seriously, though...I've wondered why we not only don't have brewpubs, but why don't we have more microbreweries here in Houston? I know in the mid-90's brewpubs popped up all over the place, but they all seem to have disappeared. Any recommendations for brewpubs inside the Loop, anyone?