GreenStreet: Mixed-Use Development At 1201 Fannin St.

[KinkaidAlum]

It's about comfort for most. People would rather take advantage of technology such as AC/heating vs. living primitively.

LOL.

Yes, shopping outdoors in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Fran, Portland, Seattle, etc... is so easy, even a

can do it!

[Jax]

Haha! Yeah, I guess that's why there are so many cavemen in NYC an San Francisco.

[musicman]

LOL.

Yes, shopping outdoors in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Fran, Portland, Seattle, etc... is so easy, even a

can do it!

well most people don't shop for boats and hoes.

[Trae]

The simple truth Houston is if you don't create some sort of active, livable downtown you will continue to be the laughing stock of the United States. Someone mentioned their big house, big truck and huge yard. That is fine. All big metropolitan areas have this. But for god's sake have an option for Houston citizens. Not all Houstonians love cars, freeways and strip malls. If that is all you have to offer visitors, business travelers and your own citizens then you are lower than low. To hell with tunnels and malls and everything enclosed. The weather/heat is no excuse. Is it hot now? I had a great opportunity to move to Houston but the more I thought about it the less excited I got. So I decided to stay in Seattle. At least I can walk the streets, bike around and visit our thriving downtown which I truely love. Houston you have so much potential. Maybe one day dt Houston will look sort of like dt Seattle.

...and build some housing downtown. It is probably the most important element to a vibrant dt.

This is Christmas time in Seattle. Not normal Seattle.

[WesternGulf]

Well I wouldn't say Houston is a laughing stock - at least I hope not. And like it or not, weather is going to have an impact on how cities develop.

Yeah and our architecture use to reflect our weather also until we thought underground tunnels were better than having awnings over retail like the Rice Hotel and FOLEY's building. New Orleans and Miami Beach are just as hot and humid as Houston but it does not keep everyone indoors.

[Trae]

I do wish the tunnels were never built though and awnings were built over retail all over Downtown. Imagine if all those tunnel workers/shoppers were walking Downtown streets instead. The tunnels have spoiled so many workers there, that they won't go up because it is "too hot" and they won't go up because it is "too cold" (like now). I hate it.

[kdog08]

I think the main problem with adding more residents to downtown is that uptown is where most of the high-rises are being built. Hopefully, the light rail line will make uptown into a pedestrian environment. I don't think Downtown will surpass Uptown in residents.

[pwright1]

This is Christmas time in Seattle. Not normal Seattle.

Trae the first pic was taken this past Saturday the others were taken several weeks ago.

Lockmat what are you talking about?

Redscare I was not the one who made the claim that Houstion is the laughing stock. I'm just telling you whats been said and what I read.

[Mister X]

Seattle, NYC, Chi, SF, Boston, and LA are all laughing stocks for one reason or another. You can now pass this information all over the internet because now it has been said, written and read. It's too late, you can not un-read it now. Seattle has been branded a laughing stock forever. But don't worry, it may or may not be booming and have thousands of people pouring into it every month like Houston, but I'm sure it has potential too.

I laugh at Seattle. Now you can go on to a Seattle based web site and tell everyone that their town has been laughed at. It has been written and been established. Now that you've read it, the statement is just as legitimate as the 'laughing stock' claim about Houston. In other words PW, now you have more internet dribble to waste people's time with.

[Trae]

Trae the first pic was taken this past Saturday the others were taken several weeks ago.

Lockmat what are you talking about?

Redscare I was not the one who made the claim that Houstion is the laughing stock. I'm just telling you whats been said and what I read.

Oh Saturday. The big shopping day after Black Friday?

[RedScare]

I find it much easier to deal with my laughingstock status when it is sunny and 65 to 75 degrees, like it is this week, versus raining and 30s, as it is in Seattle. If laughing at Houston while it is raining and cold outside helps relieve the suicidal tendencies that Seattle is infamous for, then we are glad to help.

Just curious, why did you only take photos on the only sunny day Seattle had in a month? Is it perhaps because the crowds aren't so great on a typical Seattle day?

[lockmat]

Even if the crowds aren't there when it's raining, the streetscape in the pictures is really nice.

[RedScare]

Even if the crowds aren't there when it's raining, the streetscape in the pictures is really nice.

Yes, that is true. And we ALL know that it is far more important for a city to LOOK good than to actually BE good for the residents who actually live there.

[Zippy]

I just noticed that the HP will have a Pete's Dueling Piano Bar. When I lived in Dallas we would drive all the way from Uptown to Addison just to go to this place and it was always packed. It should draw a lot of the midtown folks into the Pavilions. When they opened the one up in downtown Fort Worth the line was out the door for months.

Not to squish your flowers, but there already is a dueling piano bar in midtown.. "Howl at the moon".. I hadn't been to the one in Houston yet, but the one in San Antonio is ALWAYS packed as well..

Cheers!

[musicman]

And we ALL know that it is far more important for a city to LOOK good than to actually BE good for the residents who actually live there.

of course a woodlands resident would say that.

[lockmat]

Yes, that is true. And we ALL know that it is far more important for a city to LOOK good than to actually BE good for the residents who actually live there.

It was just an observation. HAIFys are always wishing for better architecture. We're always yearning for nice streetscapes on these new structures. I'm just saying, there's no reason we can't make our city LOOk better while it BECOMES better. Don't you agree?

[PuroAztlan]

"THE HOUSTON PAVILION WILL BE GREAT SUCCESS!"

[lockmat]

"THE HOUSTON PAVILION WILL BE GREAT SUCCESS!"

That is hilarious!

[VelvetJ]

It was just an observation. HAIFys are always wishing for better architecture. We're always yearning for nice streetscapes on these new structures. I'm just saying, there's no reason we can't make our city LOOk better while it BECOMES better. Don't you agree?

Precisely. Why must it always be one or the other for some Houstonians? If something is built for the citizens of Houston, what is wrong with it looking nice as well? As my mother would tell me, " if you are going to iron the shirt, iron the entire thing including the areas people can't see". If something is built in Houston, every aspect of it should be important, not just the functionality of it. Maybe it's time for Houston to give a bit more attention to how things look in the city as opposed to only focusing on whether something will make someone a profit or how cheaply something can be done.

Appearance matters and it doesn't always have to be at the expense of qaulity or functionality.

[RedScare]

Maybe it's time for Houston to give a bit more attention to how things look in the city as opposed to only focusing on whether something will make someone a profit or how cheaply something can be done.

So, who is this Houston fellow of whom you speak? I would like to meet him, as he seems to control everthing that is built in the city.

[lockmat]

So, who is this Houston fellow of whom you speak? I would like to meet him, as he seems to control everthing that is built in the city.

lol, funny

[tanith27]

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and have to chime in on the Seattle thing a bit. Yes it gets rain, but Houston gets more. The winters can be cool and damp, but thats what seasons are about. Houston winters are much nicer, Seattle summers are impossible to beat. But the reason I live in the Heights is because it reminds me of the artsy side of Seattle. The outdoor cafes, the walkable neighborhoods, the art galleries, the live music venues, the mature trees are all things I found back home. Honestly when my company told me they were transferring me here, I was not impressed. I had no desire to move to a city that offered nothing more than concrete for entertainment. This was 7 years ago. A lot has changed, including my perception of Houston. I'd still take Seattle over Houston any day, but H-town has grown on me (and will get better as mass transit and inner-loop development occurs) and I think the biggest battle that Houston has to win is perception to the masses. Perception trumps reality...Houston is not a laughing stock, but our city has to do a better job of marketing itself to the rest of the country that thinks we are. And to do that we need to find a reason to bring people here to visit. What does Houston offer that can't be found in other places? Once we have that identified, we need to exploit it.

[C2H]

Seattle, NYC, Chi, SF, Boston, and LA are all laughing stocks for one reason or another. You can now pass this information all over the internet because now it has been said, written and read. It's too late, you can not un-read it now. Seattle has been branded a laughing stock forever. But don't worry, it may or may not be booming and have thousands of people pouring into it every month like Houston, but I'm sure it has potential too.

I laugh at Seattle. Now you can go on to a Seattle based web site and tell everyone that their town has been laughed at. It has been written and been established. Now that you've read it, the statement is just as legitimate as the 'laughing stock' claim about Houston. In other words PW, now you have more internet dribble to waste people's time with.

pretty funny there Mister X. I guess No one can really argue with logic.

[memebag]

I don't think there is, unless you want to email the developer.

That worked. Someone at "edginc" says the sidewalks will remain public space.

[PuroAztlan]

<br />I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and have to chime in on the Seattle thing a bit. Yes it gets rain, but Houston gets more. The winters can be cool and damp, but thats what seasons are about. Houston winters are much nicer, Seattle summers are impossible to beat. But the reason I live in the Heights is because it reminds me of the artsy side of Seattle. The outdoor cafes, the walkable neighborhoods, the art galleries, the live music venues, the mature trees are all things I found back home. Honestly when my company told me they were transferring me here, I was not impressed. I had no desire to move to a city that offered nothing more than concrete for entertainment. This was 7 years ago. A lot has changed, including my perception of Houston. I'd still take Seattle over Houston any day, but H-town has grown on me (and will get better as mass transit and inner-loop development occurs) and I think the biggest battle that Houston has to win is perception to the masses. Perception trumps reality...Houston is not a laughing stock, but our city has to do a better job of marketing itself to the rest of the country that thinks we are. And to do that we need to find a reason to bring people here to visit. What does Houston offer that can't be found in other places? Once we have that identified, we need to exploit it.<br />

I've heard (from people that lived there) Seattle is a depressing place to be. Its not even a blip on the international radar. What's it known for besides that "space needle" and a bunch of heroin overdosing 90's grunge rockers? Houston offers far more, which is why people come here for employment why were the fourth largest city and still rapidly growing. Id pick Houston over Seattle any day. But that's just me. I thought this thread was about the Houston Pavilions.

[dcdude]

What's it known for besides that "space needle" and a bunch of heroin overdosing 90's grunge rockers?

A little company called Microsoft....

[Trae]

And Starbucks that you see on every other corner...

[PuroAztlan]

<br /><br />A little company called Microsoft....<br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Microsoft may be headquartered in Redmond Washington but most people associate Microsoft with Bill Gates not Seattle.

[GovernorAggie]

*AHEM* So has anyone noticed the Pavilions construction progress this week? I was at the parade Thursday and was standing at the corner of Dallas @ San Jacinto and thought about how much nicer it'll be this time next year when HP is done. People attending the parade may be able to get their first look at HP.

[N Judah]

Pomo has been dead since 1996. And that pose is out too, Sunny Jim. The new thing is to care passionately and be right wing.

The pursuit of authenticity!