barracuda

No offense, but I think I prefer the empty lot to more generic, suburban development, especially in this location.

As a boneheaded sidenote to this topic, Friday evening I was walking next door to talk to my neighbor. Since I was going to be in view of my house, I did not take my keys, and instead, was going to simply leave the front door unlocked. As I reached to push the 'unlock' button on the door knob, I realized that it had been unlocked since the last time I did this in early January. Since I often do not deadbolt my front door, this means my front door has been unlocked for over a month. Oops.

I did something similar and left my keys sitting visibly on my porch overnight one time (including my car keys). I must have gone to grab something and forgot about them. Luckily, they were still there in the morning, as was my car .

Funny how they spin it as "one step closer to reduced traffic congestion." As if a massive development ring is going to reduce traffic congestion.

The Chronicle had an article on the vast swath of food deserts in Houston. The map of grocery stores by zip code helps show why it is so critical to divert funds to building big grocery stores in 77007.

http://www.chron.com...p#photo-2275447

This is besides your point, but their definition of 'food desert' is misleading. Zip code 77006 has access to plenty of supermarkets, including the remodeled Montrose Kroger and nearby H-E-B. Only the zips that have no supermarkets and are far removed from those in neighboring zip codes should really fall into that definition.

A few things I notice about people who dislike kids in restaurants 1) they are bitter and relatively unhappy people. 2) They generally don't have kids because nobody wants to be around them long enough to reproduce 3) They believe the world caters to them, 4) No matter what their income level they are snobs.

I could post a point-by-point counter argument regarding breeders, but it wouldn't be fair to profile an entire group of people based upon this single attribute.

I'm curious, but I've been trying to understand this new trend of hanging out at a grocery store like it's a restaurant or coffee shop. To me, it's like saying "I can't wait to hang out at Target's food area". Yeah, it's much fancier, but still... you're at a huge grocery store. Can someone explain to me why they'd even consider spending a second hanging here over a place like Brasil or Agora? Is it an older generation type thing?

I think it's about watching people as they push carts around and shop, and hearing cash registers and kids screaming in the background. You know, atmosphere.

Michelle is one of the biggest hypocrites I have ever encountered. Traveling on Tax pay dollars repeatedly, often times on separate flights from Barack to the same destination only hours apart....she tells us to eat healthy and does not, she tells us to care about the environment and does not, Barack says he and his family care about the deficits spending and then they take more tax payer funded vacations and campaign stops than any other president in history, wasting more government money than any president in history - the list of her hypocrisies is not hard to find with this First family. They are living the high life on our dollar. Also if her body is your idea of a fantastic physique - then I think the standard for fantastic has really fallen.....way way down. As to RUDH - they are anti Walmart snobs - they are not actually some group of taxpayers concerned about how our tax dollars are spent - they are anti-heights walmart snobs. They are pulling at any loose string they can to stop the Walmart. They dont care for Kroger much either so the Kroger will get some attention - but this whole thing would not ever have existed if it had been an HEB as they wanted.

Your claim about vacation was widely refuted back in August. After 31 months in office, Obama had taken 61 vacation days, compared to 180 days for Bush and 112 days for Reagan at the same point in their presidencies. http://www.cbsnews.c...n20093801.shtml

I know facts won't change some people's opinions, but anyway, I'm not sure what attacking Michelle and the president have to do with the Heights Walmart...

It seems like carmakers feel more of a need to create "brand identities" these days. In my opinion, Honda/Acura and Volkswagen have suffered as a result, because they've chosen identities that are ugly or bland compared to the vehicle designs they replaced.

I personally don't see why I'd want a car that follows the same design cues as every other car in that automaker's lineup...some distinctiveness is a good thing IMO.

Of course they should be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their labor...though I am not as articulate as you, we are in agreement here....this administration is making it as difficult as possible for someone to get ahead. They want to impose the same restrictions upon the American people that those third world countries impose on their people...the OWS folks support the restrictions that prevent someone from ever getting ahead....They want it all shared as a collective. That is un-American, and is contrary to everything that made this country exceptional in the first place.

Which restrictions are those?

You see only what you want to see in it. Its full of anti-capitalist, socialist people who do not have any desire to actually goto work. You support it, and you work, and many more do as well - but that does not change the movement. I doubt you are one of the bozos camping on the street thinking they are making a difference.

They dont just want corporate money out of politics, they want the money that the corporations and the top 25% of the country have. They want to take the money away from the corporations and banks and they want it redistributed....and they want it redistributed to them.

I have not seen the right or the left defend the bailout the banks or GM received....nobody is defending that except for the politicians and Unions who benefited from it. That is why this "protest" is so misguided. They are protesting against the wrong people. If OWS is ever going to make any real difference its going to be a the ballot box not the streets.

I dont see that these kids taking their $150 out of the banks on 11/5 is going to do anything either. You actually have to have money in the bank for that to make any difference at all.

I think it will eventually lead to the ballot box, but for now, my take is that the anger is mostly directed at immense power Wall Street has over the political process. It's also easier to protest en masse against Wall Street than against hundreds of individual elected officials who are a year or more away from re-election.

Oh, well of course... I forgot that Apple doesn't engage the world with its corporate financing processes and does not rely in the least bit on consumer credit. They have absolutely no interest in politics or the global financial infrastructure. They are blameless and should be held up as a shining pillar of corporate morality. No doubt exists that Apple will also detach itself from the financial sector on 11/5 and they will no doubt ask that their employees stand united with OWS protesters and wag their fingers at those that have enabled its success.

It would certainly be news if Apple actually had something to do with the financial crisis other than the indirect associations of being a functioning business.

Walking the dog this morning was terrible because of the mosquitoes. They're swarming and the breeze is gone so they attack relentlessly. They must be breeding in the sewer. Everyone, call 311 (M-F 6am-8pm) and get the city to spray. We haven't had any mosquito control in at least a year.

Early in the summer the city was still spraying my area every Sunday evening. They stopped sometime mid-summer.

I walked outside this morning, and there were dozens if not hundreds swarming around the mulch bed near my door. It's the worst I've ever seen here. My old perception that mosquitos only thrive during wet conditions is obviously wrong.

I am also appalled by the number of joggers that think the street is an appropriate place to run, and the parents that push a stroller in the street.

It depends on the street. Many of the side streets in the Heights have haphazard or missing sidewalks, and sometimes the sidewalks are blocked with overgrown plants that property owners don't bother to prune. I'm tempted sometimes to prune them myself. I see nothing wrong with walking or running to the side of the street in these cases. But on a busy street like Heights where there is a clear running path and navigable sidewalks, I agree pedestrians should be using those.

Has anyone else noticed the mosquitoes in the Heights are absolutely vicious the last couple of days? I haven't seen any spraying trucks lately, either.

Do any of you HAIF-er's have a Mosquito Magnet or one of the other trapping devices? If so, do they work?

Yes, I have noticed. I haven't tried the mosquito magnet, but I'd be willing to buy if it works. I was outside earlier for about 30 seconds and was bit 3 times through clothing.

I'd love a Nixon presidency!

I wish conservatives could get everything they ever wanted.

I too would love to see a conservative like Nixon...one who created the EPA, signed the Clean Air Act, and proposed a national health insurance plan. In fact, I would love to have a conservative party in this country that could challenge the status quo by using facts, logic, and rational discourse instead of lunacy and outrageousness. It's a fantasy of mine...

If anyone is interested in the 'movement,' google Kalle Lasn and culturejamming and start reading AdBusters. These are the same people behind Buy Nothing Day. Without belaboring the point, I support OWS, but do believe that short of near-societal collapse, people in wealthy Western companies will just continue to happily eat all the crap that's fed to them, figuratively, politically, literally.

I read Adbusters periodically...they make some very uncomfortable critiques, and while I think they are often a bit sensational, most of the time I'm afraid they have a valid point. I do like that they engage in important topics the MSM ignores. That said, they are reactionary and dont really seem to offer much in the way of solutions, which seems to be a challenge for OWS also.

I don't think the medium used for payment is necessarily important. As so long as you use prudence and have the liquidity, a credit card doesn't have to cost anything. I'm one of those customers who the credit card companies probably hate, because I pay off the balance every month yet still accrue points that I don't get when writing checks or paying cash. Those lacking self-control can really hurt themselves though.

I'm no D/FW expert, but I lived in Arlington for about 1 year and have lived in Houston for 5. I've also lived in various parts of the city... Northshore on the East Side, Meyerland Southwest, Inner Loop east, and now Montrose.

Houston is more centralized than D/FW. Period. Our largest business districts are a mere 6 miles apart... it's like having downtown Dallas, downtown Ft. Worth and downtown Irving all close together. We still have a few outlying BDs (Greenspoint, Mem City, etc.), but it's very different from how far D/FW metro's "serious" jobs are located.

D/FW is more aesthetically pleasing and more user friendly. Things like shopping districts, employment centers, etc. tend to be in a more predictable pattern up there. Whereas in Houston, you have to get to know the city a bit before it's feels user-friendly. If you're going by freeways, you'd think that there are no shopping districts at all inside the loop. But two of our best are not located near a freeway. Stuff like that takes some getting used to.

D/FW has a great (if under-utilized) rail system. Houston is still working on ours, but right now we've got one little train that basically connects DT and the Med Center.

Just a few thoughts.

I agree with the cleanliness too - Houston seems grittier an messier overall - but it doesn't necessarily mean Dallas is more aesthetically pleasing. I think Houston has more charm and character than Dallas, at least inside the loop, and even with the drought, Houston is a much greener city. Dallas does have cleaner, more cookie-cutter suburbs and freeway strip malls than Houston.

The biggest difference for me is the people. Houston just has a different feel than Dallas. It's not just the pretentiousness of Dallas, as there is some of that here too, but there's a certain laid-back, accepting, friendly vibe in Houston that I don't feel when I'm in Dallas.

The Ashby site is within one mile of Rice University, St. Thomas University, the Menil Collection, the core of the Museum District, the Red Line, the (eventual Universities Line), Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo, the northern part of the Texas Medical Center, the greater part of Rice Village, and Shepherd Square. The neighborhood surrounding it is very pleasant to walk through, with most streets having sidewalks, and with the neighborhood not having a reputation for harboring any significant criminal element.

The neighborhood is already walkable. A highrise simply enables more people to take enjoyment from that fact.

Yes, the neighborhood is ideal for recreational walking. But it's 13 blocks to the nearest supermarket, 12-17 blocks to the Village, and 4+ miles to the CBD. The future residents are likely to drive for the vast majority of their trips.

I will grant you that if I lived in the area, I would bicycle as much as possible.

Just curious...do people favoring this project do so out of spite for the NIMBYs, or do you genuinely think it's ideal to errect high-rises in the middle of low-density neighborhoods consisting primarily of two-story homes and businesses? On one hand, maybe this is our best hope for residential densification in this city, since it's clearly not happening in the CBD. On the other hand, maybe such buildings will in fact degrade the surrounding neighborhood and diminish the desirability, as these are car-dependent developments that aren't going to make neighborhoods more walkable and livable for existing residents, at least with the revised plans. I have similar mixed feelings about 1111 Studewood.

Trees are nice and all, and done well they can cut down on your energy bill (until they fall over into your roof in a storm), but isn't the natural state of most of Houston a prairie, and not a forest? Shouldn't urban prairies be promoted instead of urban forests?

Yes, although I doubt that would be acceptable for most homesteads. People generally overlook the immense biodiversity of parries and grasslands. And invasive Chinese Tallows take over most of what people don't outright demolish.

I always like to check Zillow to see how home prices are in different areas. It seems Florida and Nevada got hit really hard. I know my home's pricing has held up pretty well but one of my rentals has tanked. Of course, that's a tale of two different areas. One has great schools and low crime while the other has terrible schools and crime is rising.

I wouldn't put much credence in Zillow's estimates. Their numbers go up and down in extreme fashion for no apparent reason. They lack the details to determine an accurate value, which is why they call it a Zestimate and not an appraisal. I suppose they may be okay for researching general trends, at least when they are able to obtain recent sale prices for homes in an area.

I've been collecting the AC drip in a bucket and using it to water plants, but it fills up in just an hour or two. I'd like to make a rain/drip barrel and have enough to water all the plant beds without drawing from the tap. I never would have bothered with this if rain was in the long-term forecast. But I suspect water restrictions may get even tighter if we continue averaging just over an inch of rain per month for 2011, most of which fell back in January.

The other Sundance Cinema locations have bars with limited menu items (small pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers).