Houston: The New River City?

[The Great Hizzy!]

That's pretty sweet, unless the lighting is tacky and not handled properly.

[dbigtex56]

Today I took a walk along Buffalo Bayou, starting at Allen's Landing. I took the light rail downtown, and (in my imagination) was showing a hypothetical visitor how much has been accomplished in that area. And I ran into something so odd that I need someone to confirm that, maybe, I'm not going crazy.

Walking from the Preston stop to Allen's Landing is a piece of cake. And it's an attractive little park. Well, not unattractive. Many smaller cities would be happy to have such an attraction in their downtowns. I was the only one there. The homeless have become bored with the place, apparently. Thank goodness for the ducks...but even they were napping.

So I thought, let's head west. I wanted to show my imaginary friend the new walkway over Buffalo Bayou, and how much progress has been made in tying the whole walkway together. Good thing my imaginary friend is a patient sort. At the Main Street bridge, the path abruptly ends, and one either can trudge back up to street level, or take a muddy, possibly illegal path through private parking lots along some of the most desolate landscape that can be imagined. A corpse or two wouldn't have been unexpected; in fact, I'm sure that it's my sheer lack of observation that prevented me from finding one.

Somewhere behind the Spaghetti Warehouse, I gave up, and my imaginary friend asked why we were heading back to street level. I explained that we are making progress, and not to be such a delicate flower.

Street level, as it turns out, is no picnic either. Intersections are not marked by street signs, and often lack pedestrian crossing signals. Since I was determined to follow the south bank of Buffalo Bayou as closely as possible, my imaginary friend and I had to do quite a lot of zigging and zagging. Eventually, we had to go as far south as Commerce Street, and found our way back to the bayou somewhere around the new Bayou Place II (Cordish) project. Some of the new construction is impressive, but the walkways were covered with bayou silt.

Now here's the bizarre part; you can get back to the bayou walkway somewhere west of Smith Street, on a path straight out of "Through The Looking-Glass". And at the bottom, there's an overlook, next to a bridge. And I swear to God - and my imaginary friend will bear me out on this - they have a speaker system to repel bums.

At first, I just thought man, someone's got an awfully loud 18 wheeler, and he ought to be issued a ticket. Then I noticed that the sound didn't change; it just repeated. After a minute or so, the source could be traced to somewhere below the bridge; apparently there's a speaker mounted under there to provide this sound. I walked a couple of hundred feet away; the sound stopped. I walked back again; it resumed.

So my imaginary friend was impressed by at least one aspect of the new Buffalo Bayou walkway. "Damn!," he said "you have some strange priorities in your city!"

(If you think I'm making this up, go there for yourself; south side of Buffalo Bayou, west of Smith Street.)

Edit:

My imaginary friend thinks that maybe this is an artistic statement, rather than a practical way to discourage the homeless from snoozing under the bridge. He might be right. Sometimes it's the newcomers who understand the mystery and potential of this city.

[RedScare]

Don't know about the speakers...sounds a bit like psy-ops. But, the bridge area and Travis Street next to Spaghetti Warehouse are still under construction. Street signs, etc., are the last things installed.

[Houstonian in Iraq]

I don't know about the speakers either. As far as the area behind Spaghetti Warehouse I'm not to sure about, but as far as your tour I would of started at the UHD station and gone downstairs. Right there is where the trail stop/starts on that side. From there you can only go west towards the aqurium. It's still being worked on between the Hobby Theater and Sabine lofts. If you go past the Sabine loft you'll end up I believe at Eleanor Tinsley Park right off of Allen Parkway. That park/parks(not sure if there is more than one) will lead to Shephard Dr. all together that's about 4 miles of bayou/park trail.

[Subdude]

When the trail is done there is also a plan to illuminate the underside of the Main Street bridge.

[The Great Hizzy!]

^^^ That last part will be greatly appreciated by Yours Truly.

[houstonfella]

Buffalo Bayou hike, bike, pedestrian trails and leisure sidewalks and bridge are a great beginning for what can be a very unique place. Kudos to those who have made it happen thus far; and kudos for those who are working behind the scenes to make this a very viable and attractive waterfront. We work with what we have.

[Houston19514]

I believe your imaginary friend is correct. I think the sound is an art installation. (Art may not be exactly the right word, but I think it's part of the plan of interesting and entertaining features. I believe there is also a button you can push somewhere along the trails that will cause a "bubble" of air to gurgle up from the bottom of the bayou.)

[Houstonian in Iraq]

I believe your imaginary friend is correct. I think the sound is an art installation. (Art may not be exactly the right word, but I think it's part of the plan of interesting and entertaining features. I believe there is also a button you can push somewhere along the trails that will cause a "bubble" of air to gurgle up from the bottom of the bayou.)

Now I'm really curious to see what those speakers might be.

The bayou burp is a bit away from where dbigtex56 said he/she was at.

It's on Preston St(could be wrong) the little red button is on the bridge near the Wortham Center.

[dbigtex56]

Don't know about the speakers...sounds a bit like psy-ops. But, the bridge area and Travis Street next to Spaghetti Warehouse are still under construction. Street signs, etc., are the last things installed.

Forgive me, I'm unfamiliar with the term 'psy-ops'. Could you elaborate?

"Street signs, etc., are the last things installed."

Last things, indeed! I'm not talking about signs relating to the bayou walkway itself, but to conventional street signs in the area. I'd like to tell you which intersections lack these signs but, since there were no signs to tell me where I was...

Another area which is currently overlooked is routine maintenance of the completed walkways. Long stretches of recently built walkways adjacent to the bayou are ankle-deep in silt. How long has it been since the bayou flooded, anyway? Several weeks, at a minimum.

I think keeping them clear would be a good project for those who've been sentenced to perform community service.

btw, KHOU-TV had a progress report on the bayou walkway last night. They reported that the stretch between Wortham Center and Allen's Landing will be the next phase built.

[RedScare]

Forgive me, I'm unfamiliar with the term 'psy-ops'. Could you elaborate?

"Street signs, etc., are the last things installed."

Last things, indeed! I'm not talking about signs relating to the bayou walkway itself, but to conventional street signs in the area. I'd like to tell you which intersections lack these signs but, since there were no signs to tell me where I was...

Another area which is currently overlooked is routine maintenance of the completed walkways. Long stretches of recently built walkways adjacent to the bayou are ankle-deep in silt. How long has it been since the bayou flooded, anyway? Several weeks, at a minimum.

I think keeping them clear would be a good project for those who've been sentenced to perform community service.

btw, KHOU-TV had a progress report on the bayou walkway last night. They reported that the stretch between Wortham Center and Allen's Landing will be the next phase built.

Easy now, Tex! I'm not the contractor!

Seriously, Travis Street was the last street reconstructed, and the north end of Travis was the last section to be redone. They just finished paving in November. New light standards were installed after the repaving. Street signs are attached to the light standards. If you came up by Spaghetti Warehouse, you would have been at Travis and Commerce. This intersection is still getting final touches.

If you were not at that intersection, I don't know what the problem is.

BTW, Psy-Ops is military speak for Psychological Warfare (Operations), such as playing bad music at ear splitting levels, water boarding, Lynndie England photos, etc.

[dbigtex56]

Easy now, Tex! I'm not the contractor!

Seriously, Travis Street was the last street reconstructed, and the north end of Travis was the last section to be redone. They just finished paving in November. New light standards were installed after the repaving. Street signs are attached to the light standards. If you came up by Spaghetti Warehouse, you would have been at Travis and Commerce. This intersection is still getting final touches.

"Helga, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at the dirt."

The intersection which gave me fits probably was Travis @...Franklin? Congress? And compared to bigger problems in the world, this may be nit-picking. Yet, there's something discomfiting about being stranded on a patch of concrete in the middle of busy, unmarked streets - especially when traffic signals are placed in such a way that they're not visible to pedestrians. One begins to understand why Houston has such a dismal rate of pedestrian fatalities.

Keeping streets (and sidewalks) safe and passible is too often overlooked during street reconstruction. This isn't a matter of having to spend more money; it's about caring enough to plan intelligently.

[dbigtex56]

Another area which is currently overlooked is routine maintenance of the completed walkways. Long stretches of recently built walkways adjacent to the bayou are ankle-deep in silt. How long has it been since the bayou flooded, anyway? Several weeks, at a minimum.

To be fair, yesterday I went back to that stretch of Sesquicentennial Park behind the Wortham Center, and much of the silt that had covered the pavement has been cleaned up.

Wonder if they're reading this at City Hall?

If so, thanks. It looks a lot better.

[RedScare]

Wonder if they're reading this at City Hall?

If so, thanks. It looks a lot better.

If so, hey Mayor White, I need a job. This lawyer thing is getting old.

[THE CHAD IS GREAT]

I believe your imaginary friend is correct. I think the sound is an art installation. (Art may not be exactly the right word, but I think it's part of the plan of interesting and entertaining features. I believe there is also a button you can push somewhere along the trails that will cause a "bubble" of air to gurgle up from the bottom of the bayou.)

I have seen this before just passing by and I thought "Thats Odd" but now it just makes perfect sense. Well anyway thanks for the info.

Its nice to see the city fixing up Buffalo Bayou, I just hope that they acutally do most if not all of the projects they metioned on the BBP. It would make Dowtown great especially with the new park and the Houston Pavillions.

[jt16]

Be a buddy to the bayou

Find out what the Buffalo Bayou Partnership is all about and how you can help preserve and revitalize this natural wonder. Come to the Bayou Buddies Happy Hour event from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Alden Hotel's a+ Lounge, 1117 Prairie Street at San Jacinto, to view the works of bayou artists John Runnels and Mara Scrupe while enjoying appetizers and sleek drinks in an ultra-hip atmosphere. For more information, contact Trudi Smith.

In case anyone here wants to support their cause.

[wharton transplant]

As I'm no historian, I may be mistaken. But Allen's Landing does represent the site at which the Allen brothers docked their boat, got down on the ground, and said, "Hey! Let's cut down these trees and start building a city!"

It is literally the heart of the city. It's starting point. And every Houstonian should learn to recognize it as such. I hope that the city and state are able to make this site very attractive and educational.

Plus, I'd love to be able to jog from Eleanor Tinsley down to there and back. Anyone know if they are going to make-over the trails along the Bayou in Eleanor Tinsley Park (Allen Parkway/Memorial Drive area)? I'd also like a pedestrian bridge to cross over Memorial and enter the park (along where the railroad bridge used to be before Memorial Heights began being developed). I fear for my life every time I try to walk across Memorial Drive and the Bayou on the Studemont Bridge. Yikes!

[jt16]

As I'm no historian, I may be mistaken. But Allen's Landing does represent the site at which the Allen brothers docked their boat, got down on the ground, and said, "Hey! Let's cut down these trees and start building a city!"

It is literally the heart of the city. It's starting point. And every Houstonian should learn to recognize it as such. I hope that the city and state are able to make this site very attractive and educational.

Plus, I'd love to be able to jog from Eleanor Tinsley down to there and back. Anyone know if they are going to make-over the trails along the Bayou in Eleanor Tinsley Park (Allen Parkway/Memorial Drive area)? I'd also like a pedestrian bridge to cross over Memorial and enter the park (along where the railroad bridge used to be before Memorial Heights began being developed). I fear for my life every time I try to walk across Memorial Drive and the Bayou on the Studemont Bridge. Yikes!

I too fear for my life crossing the Studemont bridge. According to Knudson and Associates(http://www.knudsonservices.com/services/public.asp), the management company in charge of the Memorial Heights TIRZ, they have tried to purchase the land abandoned by UP, but to no avail. I've written to UP asking what their plans were for that stretch of land, but got no response. I wish we could put some pressure on these companies to be good corporate citizens.

[Guest danax]

Let's not forget ol' #2, the Brays. I think a lot of Houstonians have never seen how wide our bayous become as they approach the ship channel. There are a few really nice spots for residential development eventually along the banks east of 45. This is looking west toward the Forest Hill bridge with an old neighborhood off to the right. That bridge is going to be replaced as part of the Project Brays flood control plan.

[Subdude]

I glanced over last night from Allen Parkway and it looked like there was blue lighting along the bayou path around the Pierce Elevated. Has anyone seen that?

The footbridge looks close to completion. It like the idea, but the placement seems off. It goes from the back of the Hobby Center garage to the underside underneath the freeway. It seems like a more exposed location would have worked better.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I agree, Subdude. The bridge is hard to appreciate fully when so much of it is obscured or seems to go into oblivion, depending on your vantage point.

[Houston19514]

I glanced over last night from Allen Parkway and it looked like there was blue lighting along the bayou path around the Pierce Elevated. Has anyone seen that?

The footbridge looks close to completion. It like the idea, but the placement seems off. It goes from the back of the Hobby Center garage to the underside underneath the freeway. It seems like a more exposed location would have worked better.

Glad to hear about the blue lighting. The Buffalo Bayou Master Plan includes an extensive and interesting lighting plan (part of the Lighting and Public Art Master Plan). The blue lighting you report sounds like the first stages of the master plan being put into effect.

http://www.buffalobayou.org/lighting.html

[MidtownCoog]

The past week I have been watching them plant squares of grass along this area.

Wonder how that will hold up after the next big storm?

[houstonfella]

The past week I have been watching them plant squares of grass along this area.

Wonder how that will hold up after the next big storm?

I was thinking exactly what you were on this one. It is beautiful now, but . . . when we get that next 8 inches of rain in three hours ..... I would think they would wash away. Even the lighting is down next to the water in the flood zone.

[Subdude]

Here's what I saw.

GLOW IN THE PARK: Architect Stephen Korns and the firm L'Observatoire have been commissioned to create the Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade.

Feb. 3, 2006, 11:02AM

Let there be enlightenment downtown

Promenade project part of Buffalo Bayou redevelopment plan

By PATRICIA C. JOHNSON

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Q: What is 189 feet long, 10 feet wide and glows?

A: The Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade, a light installation that is part of the $15 million plan for a new 23-acre park.

The Buffalo Bayou Partnership has commissioned architect Stephen Korns and the firm L'Observatoire to create a pedestrian- and bike-friendly environment on the bayou, where a new pedestrian bridge connects the Hobby Center to Theater District Parking Lot C at Capitol and Rusk streets.

As described, the trail, bridge and landscape lights "will change from white to blue and back according to the 29-day lunar cycle. An LED orb above the trail lights will change on a daily basis. All lights will be white on the day of a full moon and blue during the new moon."

Nine portals by Houston artist John Runnels will anchor access points from the street to the bayou, and both sides of the pedestrian bridge will be landscaped with native plants.

The full article

[bkjones98]

Here's what I saw.

The full article

That looks great!

I would think that a white light during a new moon and a blue light during a full moon makes more sense. That is, you would think that you would want the trail more illuminated when there is no moon. Of course, the dark light does "reflect" the darkness of a new moon. What was I talking about?

[NewMND]

What's on top of the bridge? I can't tell

[Houstonian in Iraq]

What's on top of the bridge? I can't tell

Yeah what is that?

[eelimon]

Here's what I saw.

The full article

That is so beautiful

[dbigtex56]

Gee, maybe Fertitta will follow suit, and install white lights on the aquarium and Ferris wheel during full moons.

And dye his white tigers blue during new moons...