eelimon

Let's leave Hooter's out of it... we have enough of those joints already. Besides, the few times I've been, the food has always been crap and the service even crapier. On my last trip there a few years ago with some friends from work I had to ask the waitress four times for a clean fork because the original one had food caked on it that hadn't come off in the dishwasher. Rather than bring me a fork she just continued to flirt and flash her goods in my face. I finally had to tell her I was gay, had no interest in anything she had to offer but a clean fork and I was tired of asking for one. After that I had a fork and even lousier service the rest of the meal.

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I only suggested Hooter earlier in this thread b/c San Diego has one near there downtown mall and in the Gas Lamp District. It seems to bring in good business. However it does suck when it comes to the food and service. But most business types go for that soft porn scene at lunchtime I am talking about straight business men Ya

Well, as you've stated before, other than cities like Orlando which are mainly tourist destinations, most passengers flying to/from/through a large commercial airport are business travelers. But still, people living in those rural areas do make up a significant portion of Houston's airport business. And, there are places in those communities that business travelers are going to who are flying through IAH. Case in point, I know of at least seven universities and community colleges outside the Houston Metro area that are current clients of my company's that we have people traveling to several times a month. The farthest of these is in Nacogdoches (SFA). Our consultants in almost all of those cases are flying into IAH and driving to the client, which may be a two hour drive or more away. The only exception is in the Beaumont area, but still, because of the smaller number of flight options, some of our people are choosing to fly to IAH and drive to Beaumont rather than transfer onto Continental Express or Continental Connection to finish the trip. So those outlying areas are also driving business travel as well, because they are still destinations for some business travelers.

And you'd be amazed at how many frequent business travelers there are that choose to live in a rural area and drive 50-100 miles to an airport every Monday morning and back home at the end of the week. There are a lot of fully remote employees, like myself (I'm actually employed out of the Philly area and report to managers in Rochester NY, southern California, and rural Washington state) who can live just about anywhere they choose. If I wanted to live in a small town, I could easilly move to one tomorrow and not change anything about my job other than the distance I drive to the airport each week.

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I totally agree and thank you.

I understand ssullivan.  Commuter flights as part of trip alway increases the price.  Typically driving is cheaper.  I would drive to if I was them.

I also gues they don't fly that often (like once a week).  I think daily or frequent fliers will use the commuter portion because of the time component of driving.

People that drive that far aren't the primary source of business for IAH and/or  Hobby.

Primarily these airports are serving there largest source of travelers, business travelers.

Some Airports like Orlando Int'l make a large portion of there profits from vacationers.  Orlando has a huge bus terminal at the Airport to take tourists from the Airport to the Hotels.  This bus terminal makes IAH look pathetic, but Houston doesn't need that large of one anyway.

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But the projected volume of people in the next 20 years will grow too in areas like Victoria or Lufkin/Nacogdoches I think you have to take that in consideration. Houston is not the only city that will grow in the next 20yrs.

I am thinking that ssullivan is not the only one in Houston with family outside of Houston. Think about all the people who have to fly out of IAH now it may not be a lot but it will add up in time. I am sure they have to be part of the equation too.

You're probably right, and if so, that's fine.  Downtown is big enough to handle it.  Besides, it would allow people like me and MidtownCoog to make fun of the "tourists". 

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You can include me on make fun of the "tourists."

I assume you are taking about suburbanites?

The one point no one has brought up it that both IAH and Hobby sever not only the Houston region but beyond like East TX and the Gulf Cost. So a third airport will certainly be needed in the near future.

I hope to build or buy a home in Midtown soon.

However, I have to admit I have not kept up with this tread, but could one of you help me out what is the latest news on this project? When will it break ground? Will it be built?

The problem is that it's difficult to bring in mom-N-pop authentic retail to places with relatively high rents. The average "individual" doesn't have that kind of jack and needs assurances that their investment will see a return. Opening a new retail unit DT, even with its impressive strides over the last seven eyars, is risky for an individual, because they don't have the longterm financial backing to help them through the rough couple of years they need to establish a competent and reliable customer base. I don't think you should reasonably expect a significant growth in smaller non-chain type places DT until the residential population is above 10,000 within the downtown "loop". The larger residential population would be more dedicated to these establishments, especially more so than your casual visitor to DT.

As it stands, if you want people who don't live DT to find DT "comfortable", yes, you want to have some uniqueness in place but you want some of that old stand-by: the familiar. Uptown isn't wanting for activity, and it has a mix of chain and non-chain establishments.

It also has a higher inventory of residential within a 2 mile radius.

Downtown Houston needs the same in order to remain viable, and, more importantly, to become the urban "hot spot" that urbanists want it to be.

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YEah! That is why the plan for the next 25 yrs calls for an influx of 20,000 residents in the downtown "loop" I hope you meant the one made up by the I-10 + I-45 +I-69 highway interchanges.

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If the architecture embraces street level retail - aka store fronts and sidewalks and patio tables up to the street - then what is wrong with having some of the same kind of stores that you see in the

I just want to mention that building an airport in Addicks reservoir was considered in the 1950s but was rejected due to the high cost of landfill, compromise of flood control capability, and flight patterns over urbanized areas (Spring Branch). If it couldn't be done in an era where environmental issues were not considered, you surely couldn't do it today.

If Houston ever needs another commercial airport, I vote for Sugar Land airport. Still, I would be very surprised if that ever happens.

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I agree that Sugar Land would be the best place, but what about my suggestion of building the airport at the Addicks reservoir on stilts. I think a large track of land to the north of the Addicks reservoir is industrial. So a flight plan could go over that or just over the near by I- 10 or belt.

and as for the enviromental concerns I think since we already took the time to disrupt natural water ways for flood control and that basicly created a man made enviroment that deserves to be perserved but it could work if the runway was on stilts

I know it may cost more but well... you know I am not paying it out of my pocket

Doesn't LA have 3 airports?

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I just googled la airports the first listing says LAX, Ontario, Van Nuys and Palmdale airports.

here is the link

http://www.lawa.org/welcomeLAWA.html

Doesn't LA have 3 airports?

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There is LaX and then there is the one in Ontario. I can not recall if ther is a 3rd one

Build it Already!

I wanna shop!

Will there be a Hooters too? How about an Outback? Will there be a Mega Marshalls?

How about a Barneys Houston ala Barneys New York?

I am telling y'all I am ready to go shopping there I can't wait.

I could go for a good steak at Outback, and not have to drive all the way to the southwest corner of the 610.

IAH is seen more office and unbelievably residential developement around it.  Not exactly urban decay.  Hobby is another story, but I think it would be that way regardless.

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But then again IAH is fairly new when compared to Hobby or other airports I had in mind when I wrote that.

How about instead of stilts, an airport on skateboards. Then you could roll it to wherever it was needed at any particular time!

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Are you being cute or are you trying to be original?

No more complaining about the cost of the Katy Freeway rebuild on this site as long as people are talking about airports on stilts! 

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I don't really think it would cost all that much more then building an airport on ground level. Think of it as an airport on an oil rig, or a Naval ship.

Plus, I have never complained about the cost of beer or the katy-freeway! However, I am seriously think of not driving my car until gas prices go down about $0.30! But I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

You can't just raise the land!!!  Those facilities are there for a reason.  The Addicks and Barker Reservoirs exist today to prevent what happened in the late 1920s.

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You are very right they can't just raise the land, but I think Houston builds the airport on stilts the city could use the land for dual purposes. And anyone Flying in would see a green space rather then ugly city urban decay that usually builds up near airports.

Easily solved, we raise the land. Besides there aren't oo many other places on the West side that have the area needed to complete such an understaking.  There's Bear Creek Park, but it also is in a resevoir.

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If they do put an airport there they could raise the landing strips on platforms leave the enough space under for the flood plain, reservoir, or what ever it is. The engineering itself would give Houston some notoriety like the airport in Japan or in Hong Kong. I am thinking the Discovery Channel could make a documentary special on it and it would give people around the world something to talk about Houston.

I have always thought that would be a perfect place for an airport ever since they wanted to build the one behind Katy. I think Houston still owns the land out there. Maybe they could try to build it out there. I think the Katy's city counsel has changed; they were an instrumental part when it came to shooting down the project.

Great idea.  I think auto dealerships are the second worst use for inner city land.  Parking lots are the worst.

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I defiantly agree open ground parking lots are and eyesore for the inner-city, but if a car dealerships opened up downtown with a parking structure with ground level pedestrian access and large widow displays to allow the public to view their showroom. I bet you would think it was cool and urban.

The fact of the matter is that when developers build in the inner city they need to rethink how they build, and not just build designs meant for the suburbs. I don

I want to know if it is true that they want and will bury the I-45 and build a suspended bridge over the Buffalo bayou. Central Houston posted 2025 plan for downtown and the illustration is amazing but it took me a second to notice that this was part of the plan. The website has a link to the report in PDF format. Have a read, and let me know what you guys know. Below is the link

http://www.centralhouston.org/Home/FrameworkfortheFuture/

They should have built Clear Lake inside the Loop.

(....am I the only one that misses LTAWACS?)

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But then the lake would be too far away to have called it CLEAR LAKE

Build it Already!

But like I said earlier they should change the slogan from:

"Hot Doggin It"

to

"Heart Attackin It"

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that is too funny!

But anyhow I cant wait for it all to get built

WOW! Thanks. largeTEXAS Tells were you got that. Is there website up and running?

Any recent news about Indigo Earth Project?

Oh it would be nice if someone went to the area and took some pictures and posted them on here I am not about to drive out to Katy just to see the site. I will wait until it is complete. OR I may drive out there when I go see the parents.