editor

8 hours ago, ChannelTwoNews said:

KHTV's logo was a break from the previous one that had been around since at least 1983 or 84 and the station was probably trying to get away from the "39 Gold" branding, even though the "39" had been used independently of said branding through the end of 1987 and into 1988. The updated logo came about in the spring or summer of 1988, and it's then parent company (Gaylord) introduced a unified graphical look and music package around September of that year for all of its' stations - though interestingly enough - each of those stations had completely different logos and they kept it in one form or another until the summer of 1992.

All before my time.  I didn't land at 39 until 2005ish. 

I still have a WB39 Houston pencil rolling around here somewhere…

8 hours ago, Nate99 said:

The parking situation downtown is by no means difficult, but a lot of people get hung up on it.  They had a derelict building that they didn't know what to do with and a bunch of people complaining about finding a place to park. Whatever other use the block may have had, or might have eventually, I'm in the "don't begrudge" camp watching them spin this as a good thing and move on.

I doubt they care that much about real estate at this point, or at least (as a "dues paying member" of the diocese) I hope that they don't.  To the extent that there are laity within the diocese that would manage such things for them on a volunteer basis, perhaps they could offer to do so, but who knows if the bishop would be receptive or who gets to make that particular call in his office. 

Would the bishop be involved at all?

I haven't been involved with Galveston-Houston the way I have been at other archdioceses, but in the ones I'm familiar with, this would be a parish-level decision. 

Like when the roof of the church I went to caught fire during renovations, the archdiocese wouldn't help us pay for a new one.

6 hours ago, steve1363 said:

Bear in mind that the performing arts groups don't really perform downtown in the summertime.  The season kicks off in September.

The library has miniature concerts every week at noon year-round.  I wonder if this plaza could do something like that, except on a daily basis.

3 hours ago, 004n063 said:

I also wonder whether the progress here is hampered somewhat by the expectations of what you might call "all-inclusive" housing. Could dormitory/boarding house-style conversions happen more quickly and inexpensively?

My observation of these types of conversions in other cities is that they take just as long, if not longer than condo/apartment conversion.

I don't know for a fact, but I suspect the reason has to do with more units = more work to do.  More walls to build.  More plumbing to run.  More fire suppression systems to install.  More elevators to rehab.  Things like that.

1 hour ago, mkultra25 said:

We use these (pic is of a different brand, but same concept). They fold flat and easily fit under the grocery cart until you're ready to use them at checkout, and three of them are usually sufficient for a week's worth of groceries. On the odd occasion when we managed to forget to load them in the car before heading out, they've always had paper bags available at H-E-B.

 

I have a couple of those I got from Mariano's markets in Chicago with the big Mariano's logo on the side.  They're awesome.  But only if I remember to bring them with me, which is not often enough.

They're far more durable than they look, so I use them for all kinds of things around the house and neighborhood, otherwise I'd just leave them in the car ready for the supermarket.

I used to have four, but I only have two right now.  I had a garage sale a couple of years ago, and a guy whose name was actually "Mariano" showed up and his friends goaded him into buying two of them from me.  I was just using them to drag things around, and they weren't for sale, but he offered $20 a pop, and I couldn't refuse.

39 minutes ago, 004n063 said:

it's a stroad mindset

Stroad?  I didn't find it in my dictionary.  A combination of strange and toad, or a typo?

If you're environmentally-minded, HEB still lets you have paper bags, instead of plastic.

1 minute ago, hindesky said:

Scorpion Town sounds like it in what is called Frost Town according to this article where the Elysian Viaduct was created.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/article/Archaeologists-A-Houston-neighborhood-called-15073904.php

The article I'm thinking of is more recent than that one, because that one was published before I moved back to Houston. 

I'm pretty sure it was earlier this year, and it was tied into the I-45 demolition.

On 6/25/2023 at 5:33 PM, hindesky said:

Everything but the slabs are gone.

Is this the neighborhood that the Chronicle said used to be known as Scorpion Town or something like that before the freeway came through?  There was a pretty extensive article about its impending doom a few months ago. 

If this becomes a detention basin with a park in it, it would be nice for there to be a monument or something nearby showing what it used to be.

36 minutes ago, nate4l1f3 said:

’ve honestly mostly been disappointed with the rooftop. After going up there once what’s the appeal to go back up there again? There’s really nothing to do but stroll. They could easily replicate the lodge at Bryant Park in NYC up there and that would do wonders. 

Agreed.  I was up there a couple of weeks ago when they had the craft fair.  Even the urban farm seems mostly dead, except for some rhubarb.  I wish I had their light and space for my garden!   I'm harvesting bell peppers these days, and all I have is a balcony.

The food court is good, but the craft market was lame.  These were the vendors:

• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Candle lady
• T-shirt guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Candle lady
• Home-made jewelry lady
• Another t-shirt guy selling the same t-shirts as the other guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Home-made jewelry lady
• Sneaker guy
• Candle lady
• Another t-shirt guy selling the same t-shirts as the other guy
• Another t-shirt guy selling the same t-shirts as the other guy
• Another t-shirt guy selling the same t-shirts as the other guy
• Another t-shirt guy selling the same t-shirts as the other guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Sneaker guy
• Salsa stand

At least it was well-attended, but I didn't see anyone buy anything except from the food court.

I got a couple of pictures from the roof:

Just now, Houston19514 said:

Would love to see that.  Any chance you can post a picture or pdf of the postcard?

I love the part about "This Could be YOUR Street" 

Well, that's how most streets are in Houston already because people like the Greater Houston Builders Association insist that everyone needs multiple cars, and that public space should be used for storing private property.  If the GHBA was really concerned about dangerous streets, as illustrated, it would encourage the better sidewalks and shared driveways proposed by the city so that people will walk and not fill the streets with their dinosaur-burning farm machinery.

1 hour ago, 004n063 said:

getting rid of minimum parking and setback requirements is that it would cost the city nothing to enact, likely lead to more tax dollars per acre, and have no immediately radical impact on anyone's experience of the city, so the political lift can't be that high.

You might be surprised.  Some groups are against any change at all.

I got a postcard in the mail from the Greater Houston Builders Association that was loaded with pearl-clutching hysterics trying to convince people that having better sidewalks will make neighborhoods more dangerous.  "Tell city hall to keep out streets safe!" it implores, clearly written by someone who's never walked on a sidewalk in Houston before.

3 minutes ago, 79ta said:

I've cleared cookies, cache, and tried different browsers. It looks the same as the photo above. @BeerNut are you able to post in there now?

Sorry, by "try now" I meant "I changed a thing."  I didn't expect you to actually be online when I wrote that.  Give the system a few hours to re-cache things on its side.  If it doesn't work, e-mail me at editor@houstonarchitecture.com.

On 6/25/2023 at 7:33 PM, cowboybud said:

I always found it strange that channel 39 copied the font used by Fox 26 for their logo in the late 80s/early 90s.

Generally, the TV stations don't pick the actual font.  They pick a graphics package from a third party, and that may be the font that came with the package.  In some cases, the package is dictated by the company that owns a group of television stations.

On 5/1/2023 at 4:27 PM, hindesky said:

I hope whoever owns the 3 horses is bringing them hay because they eaten the grass to bare ground.

Having that view out my back window would make me very sad.  They don't even have shade.  What kind of Texan treats horses that way?

On 6/26/2023 at 9:22 AM, 79ta said:

Looks the same. The Way Off Topic forum is fine it's just the Subforums.  Screen shots what I'm seeing.

OK, try now.

On 6/26/2023 at 8:31 AM, samagon said:

and for anyone who knows about them,

This is a problem in a lot of airports.  The art of helping people get where they're going has been lost.   Airports around the world seem too wrapped up in "move people past shopping and restaurant opportunities" to realize that their primary function is getting people to their destination. 

Wayfinding in most of the airports I've been to recently has been abysmal.

On 6/26/2023 at 1:36 PM, Pleak said:

That hobby must have been bigger than I thought.   I think there is/was an RC race track up on 59N somewhere.  Remember seeing it when we would go to East Texas.

Also on Chimney Rock there was one right north of Bissonnet.

 

 

I remember a place around 1999 up north somewhere.  It might be the place on 59 that you're thinking about.

I was more of a model train guy.

There was a review of this place in the Chronicle this morning.

The verdict from the paper's chief hamburger correspondent was that it's good, but perhaps it's better to wait in line when the weather is cooler.

Does anyone know how "Texas hot chicken" is different from "Nashville hot chicken?"

@Blue Dogs You seem to have a keen interest in KRIV.  Are you a current/former employee, or just a fan?

I knew a couple of former 26 employees who remembered their time there very fondly.

19 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Anyone else notice how great driving down W Dallas looks in this area? Just density all around. It's really piecing together nicely. 

It is nice.  Sometimes I drive home that way instead of taking Allen Parkway because it's calmer, slower, and seemingly safer.

It could use more trees, and wider sidewalks to encourage people to walk more.  But it's certainly much better than it used to be.  For the number of people who live on that stretch, I'd expect to see more joggers and dog walkers.  Or maybe they just go down to the bayou.

On 6/26/2023 at 10:27 PM, steve1363 said:

I went to a funeral mass on a Wednesday morning recently.  Many people arrived late due to parking issues and the procession to the cemetery was problematic due to the lack of cohesive parking.

That's not a parking problem, that's a problem with the funeral home.  It's their responsibility to make sure everyone knows where to park and what to do.  Also, the cathedral should have more information about parking on its web site, but that thing has been "under construction" for at least a year.

On 6/26/2023 at 10:27 PM, steve1363 said:

I’m not a member but I don’t begrudge the church for wanting a better parking solution for people that go there.

I am, and I do. 

On 6/26/2023 at 9:51 AM, Houston19514 said:

Yeah, they could have created a lovely green space/plaza fronting the Cathedral, and even included some parking.  Instead they seem to be going ahead with an asphalt lot with a small corner "plaza" (if the renderings are any indication, it is not even worthy of the title "plaza".  Woo-Hoo!  They are using 1/10th of the block for their pathetic little plaza.  Just imagine the "events" they will be able to hold in that space.  .  It's an insult to the late Archbishop. Members/Attendees, please give them feedback on their funding requests.

In an ideal world, they world have a parking deck underground, and put greenspace/events space on top.  But the cathedral is running a deficit ($375,398 for this year alone, so far), so I imagine they went with the cheapest option.

Maybe they're just banking the land, expecting its value to go up when the Pierce Elevated comes down so it can be sold for development at a better price than is available now.

On 6/26/2023 at 4:50 PM, steve1363 said:

The church needs surface parking for midweek services.  Haters are gonna hate… whatever.

Why?  Plenty of space in the Amegy garage next door.  And the Archdioceses' lot a block away isn't anywhere near maximum capacity, either.  There's no shortage of parking in that area.

15 hours ago, steve1363 said:

I didn’t even know it was there and I love a good bowl of gumbo.

This is an ongoing problem with many failed restaurants and small businesses.  They don't advertise.

They think posting a picture on Instagram is advertising.  It's not.  Social media is a useful supplement, but it's not the same thing. 

It happens to me all the time that I learn about an interesting restaurant by word-of-mouth, only to find out when I try to visit that it's out of business.