ssullivan

ssullivan, did you mean to say Texas or Rusk or possibly Walker, rather than Crawford?  Crawford is not one of the options for the downtown connector rail line, as it runs parallel, not perpendicular, to Main Street.

My mistake. I wasn't thinking late last night when I wrote that. I meant Walker. The proposed location of the line, if built underground, is down Walker.

Wasn't it supposed to go along Texas Street?  It was either that one or one other street, I can't remember...

The downtown connector rail line has been proposed as a subway under Crawford St. (my preference) or a surface line on Capitol. Last I heard Capitol was winning out because of the expense of a subway line, but someone else may know something more. I still prefer the subway option, because it provided the easiest connection to the Main St. line, as well as stations under City Hall and the George R. Brown, and it would be closer to those locations than a line on Capitol.

If they work on 45, they should build it below-ground level like they're doing to 59. The pierce elevated is an eyesore.

Even better, give us a "big dig" like Boston got with I-95 putting it in a tunnel completely out of sight.

But realistically, that's not going to happen. I think the Pierce Elevated it here to stay, unfortunately.

Trains coming south from the Northline Transit Center (the planned terminus of the first extension) not be able to continue onto the existing Main St. line as currently planned and complete their trip at the Fannin South Park and Ride. People going between the north side and Medical Center will have to transfer trains. And, with a new technology, that means probably another expensive train barn and maintenance facility will have to be built, or major modifications will have to be made to the train barn at Fannin South, along with a connector line between it and the "new technology" lines. That just adds to the cost of extending the system.

Were those curves always there, or is it something they did when the convention center was built?  Is that when they put the existing field there?  Why did they just make a field and not do anything with it?

The curved streets were built when the George R. Brown was under construction. Those streets originally continued on straight but were rerouted to help route traffic around the convention center, since it cut off several blocks.

As for why nothing was ever done with some of this land, I don't know. Crescent has owned much of that land for years now. Some of it had been developed into a park-like setting but much was left undeveloped. I'm glad the city made this purchase, as it will keep the space open and green. As long as Crescent owned it there was the chance that it would be developed into a building or parking garage.

Here's the write-up on this from the Houston Business Journal:

City acquires land for downtown park

Jenna Colley

Houston Business Journal

The City of Houston plans to groom a 13-acre park in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center to serve as downtown Houston's cultural core.

While speaking at Central Houston Inc.'s annual meeting Tuesday, Mayor Bill White announced that the city has acquired 5.29 acres from Crescent Real Estate Equities Ltd. to complete the municipalities' ownership of the "Superblock."

That zone includes space in front of the convention center and a block immediately to the west - all of which will be made into the urban park slated for opening in late 2007.

The new central park will require more than $35 million in private contributions, according to the mayor's office.

"Great cities preserve land for public plazas, parks and gathering places for the future," said White. "We now have an opportunity - probably our last opportunity as a city - to create a place like that for us in Houston's central core. A new major park will be an enduring legacy for our efforts to improve Houston's quality of life."

Eighty-percent or more of incremental funds required to complete the acquisition and development of the park will be raised from private sources. Design and development will be accomplished through a private/public partnership.

White currently is working with a number of interested individuals and organizations to secure the private funding required for site acquisition, design and construction.

The schedule calls for site acquisition to be complete by the end of 2004, pending Houston City Council approval of the project and agreement with those private funders. Design is scheduled to begin in 2005, and construction will commence in 2006.

A main driver behind the park is its impact on attracting high-quality, mixed-use urban development, with residential, retail and uses that complement the convention center and sports facilities.

"Real estate experts believe that the park will sharply accelerate responsible growth within the city, strengthening the tax base of the city and county and school district, and allowing the taxpayers to recoup this public investment," said White.

None of the city's contributions will be funded through property taxes.

re: Netflix - do you ever have problems with movies that are unavailable for long periods of time? As I understand it, you make a list of movies you'd like to see, and they send whatever is in stock.

In over two years as a Netflix customer, only twice has a DVD that was at the top of my list not shipped to me because it was out of stock. And when that's happened, I've still received it on my next shipment. It does happen but it's very rare.

Netflix also has more than twice the selection of the average Hollywood Video or Blockbuster, and it's rare I have problems getting a movie I want when I want it. I like a lot of independent and gay/lesbian films, and those can be hard to find at the traditional video stores. Besides, with Netflix I don't ever have to make a trip to the store. That alone is worth paying a couple of extra bucks a month.

And I love their software. If you've been rating all of the movies you rent, the system "learns" what you like based on your rental history and ratings and starts to suggest films you may have never heard of that you'll probably like. After over two years as a Netflix customer, I find this to work really well. I've rented several outstanding selections I wouldn't have even known about otherwise.

Netflix did go up in price about $2 back in June, but $23.80 a month for unlimited DVDs with three out at a time, no late fees, no shipping fees, and delivery right to my door is not bad. And some of my friends love that I have the service because they get invited over to see films they've been trying to find at Blockbuster for ages.

I hadn't noticed these until reading this thread yesterday. Then this afternoon while headed home on MetroRail I noticed two of them connected to a SBC utility cabinet on Fannin at MacGregor, on the south side of Hermann Park. Now I'll probably be seeing these things all over the city since I know to look for them.

Is that what there Building by The Zoo Light-Rail station?

Yes. The new tower will be on the block between Main and Fannin on the south side of MacGregor, and directly across Fannin from the Memorial Hermann/Houston Zoo MetroRail platform.

Wow... what a loss! I love the angles of the roof line.

Anyone ever notice that you'll find a random Home Depot along I-45 in the middle of nowhere?  The irradicate businesses left, right and center...

Yep, and that's why I avoid shopping at Wal-Mart and most other large national chain stores whenever possible.

I prefer smaller stores like Southland because they're faster to get in and out of and the employees do seem to be a lot more knowledgeable. I also like being able to buy items in bulk that the box boxes only carry in packages, such as some nails and screws. Of course I may also be biased, as my family owns an Ace Hardware store in a small town and I grew up working in the business. But even now I try to go to stores like Southland and even Bering's over going to Home Depot or Lowe's.

Can anyone post a picture? Where was this house?

You'd think. 

But also consider people that have a tendency to only have their tickets issued at the airport. 

I know with my Eticket, I had a bitch of a time getting to the terminal (of course, this was right after 9/11...)

Ricco

Why would anyone want to get their airline ticket issued at the airport? What a hassle! Anyway, most airlines are charging fees for tickets issued at the airport and tickets issued on paper (which soon will be a complete thing of the past).

I've never had a problem with an e-ticket, including right after 9/11, and I've been using them exclusively for as long as they've been in existence.

Yes, there is definitely a Fox Sports Grill in the new Terminal E. It is actually quite neat. It is nicknamed the "Skybox" because it seems suspended up in the air near gates E 18 and 19.

I took a flight to EWR last week and you could hear the games being played on the large screen televisions from the boarding area.

I haven't eaten in the Terminal E Fox Sports Grill yet but it's there. I walked up and looked at it back in January not too long after that section of the new terminal opened. It looks pretty neat.

Speaking of Terminal E, if you're ever caught hungry at IAH while waiting on a flight, it's definitely the best place to go. Two food courts feature a nice variety of fast-service options, including Pappasito's Express. There's also a full service Pappadeaux restaurant in the concourse closer to Terminal C between gates E4 and E5.

One thing that has not been mentioned in Ken Hoffman's recent criticism of Metro's lack of a nonstop route to IAH (or maybe it has and I missed it) is the history of such a route. In 1999 Metro started the 112 IAH Direct route, with nonstop service between downtown and Terminal C at the airport. In about a year's time, the route was cancelled because of extremely low ridership. The 112 was started in response to the public voicing its concern that such a route needed to exist, and Continental Airlines stepping up and saying that its employees would greatly benefit from a route connecting their airport terminal with their downtown headquarters. Yet, despite the public demanding that the be started, people did not step up and ride the bus. So it was cancelled. I think nonstop service to both airports from downtown is a great idea, and personally, I'd be interested in riding it. But convincing the masses of Houstonians that never set foot on a Metro vehicle (some of whom are probably the ones complaining about the lack of such a route to Hoffman) that they need to ride the bus to the airport too is a different story. Maybe this time it will be more successful, with more people living downtown and in Midtown than there were five years ago, and MetroRail providing a link to other areas. But unless people actually ride it, don't expect Metro to keep such a route in operation very long, especially in a time when the agency is doing whatever it can to control escalating fuel costs and avoid an increase in fares.

As for Hoffman and reader Bob Martin's comments that tourists won't want to drag their luggage several blocks through downtown to catch the bus at the Downtown Transit Center, I have several criticisms. I agree that the bus should maybe stop a couple of other places downtown, like the George R. Brown, also. But Hoffman and Martin are ignoring the fact that the Downtown Transit Center provides connectivity via MetroRail to the northern part of downtown, and several hotels (Courtyard, Residence Inn, Icon) are located next to MetroRail boarding platforms. Additionally, these guys must have never taken public transportation to and from the airport in other cities. Not once have I ever taken a bus or train from the airport to a downtown hotel that I didn't have to pull my luggage at least a couple of blocks. You can't expect Metro to have door-to-door service to every downtown hotel. No matter where the bus stops, many people will have to carry their luggage a few blocks. That's why most of us have rolling bags these days. And the majority of people who are used to taking public transportation when they travel are going to expect and be prepared to have to carry their luggage a short distance. Those who want door-to-door service are going to take an airport shuttle or cab or rent a car and probably won't be on Metro anyway.

While this man seems to know what he is talking about, and he says it well.

The photos above are not of the reflection pool. Those are photos of the pond located by the train station attraction. The reflection pool does not have boat rides. It is rectangular in shape and as Talbot stated, similiar to the one in Washington D.C.

Reflection pool

A website highlighting Herman Park and the museum District.

Texas Explorer

I didn't say they were - but I did post a photo from the Hermann Park website that is of the reflection pool. Under that, before the photos of the lake and the Japanese Tea Garden, I mentioned that the following photos were of other places in the park.

It's not a US Mint, but close. It's the new Federal Reserve Bank building, which will replace the much smaller building the bank is currently in downtown on Travis St.

Isnt there a White Castle on the Southwest Freeway?

No. No White Castles anywhere in Texas. The closest one is probably in Missouri or Tennessee.

A peoplemover? What are these people smoking? Geez, it's a kiddie ride. Leave it alone! Besides, people that are too lazy to walk the 10-15 minutes it takes to get from the MetroRail Hermann Park/Rice U platform to the zoo entrance are likely too obese to fit in the miniature train anyway (and the walk might do them some good). This is just another sign of how lazy some people are and Tilman Fertitta's greed. I agree he has done some good projects (Kemah, Downtown Aquarium, Inn at the Ballpark) but I personally don't want every attraction in the city contributing to his pockets. I hope the train remains what it is now, and continues to be run as a family operation, not by some greedy corporate tycoon like Fertitta.

Very nice, thank you.

Can someone post a photo or two of the reflection pool?

This is from the home page of the Hermann Park Conservancy website:

I have a few other pictures I've taken of the reflection pool but they aren't online at the moment. I'll try to get them uploaded so I can link them here. But here are a few others of the park.

Hallelujah! This is great news. I hope the redevelopment is successful but at least the property is now in the hands of a gropu that actually intends to do something with it.