TGM

The Heights came back because it was able to keep 19th street in good condition and full of interesting retail. Eastwood completely lost its original retail developments and is light years behind the Heights in property values and gentrification.

I think it is more about being in the "right" quadrant of 610, more than "the magic mile" of 19th street. That and a good portion of the potential Eastwood expansion areas was converted or has always been commercial/Industrial, which means that nothing will change for decades.

The closet comparison to what 19th street should be is South Congress in Austin. The problem is that those that live near 19th might not want the noise and traffic issues associated with expanded growth and hours. I can see both sides of it.

While signature boulevards with quirky stores can be important they still need a significant anchor, often a major brand name to stimulate further development. The Penzy's store is an excellent example of a non-local mom & pop "fitting in" and drawing others in.

It's the lack of curb/gutter streets that keep the heights appreciating! And here I mistakingly thought that curb/gutter was a good thing. I must retreat to the burbs now...

Heirloom/vintage drainage no doubt. Some of us are just a little early on realizing how superior these were back in the day. Waiting on the rest of folks to catch up...

Got to run, my blacksmith is almost finished with my 4-wagon wheel alignment.

Oh. My. God. Next thing you're going to tell me they have a Sbarro and a Great American Cookies, I can't handle this any longer, sell the house and cancel our membership to the country club, we're moving to the Heights where at least they have 19th street!

I guess the tipping point is when you have more than one store. Sellout. We the elite want you to eek along for years barely getting by, all the while making sure you do not carry a product that consumers would demand so much that you would be required to open a second, or gasp, third location. Because once you get bigger than what we elite feel is best, your product and brand is hopelessly compromised and doomed for sneer and lowered-bi-focal stink-eye.

Besides....

So basically grub, cash-money, miscellaneous accoutrements, trinkets, baubles & beads, bric-a-brac, and flotsam & jetsam?

Here is all I said:

"If 19th street was full of stores from the mall, people wouldn't be beating each other over the head to buy a house in the Heights."

The obvious point was that if the retail section of 19th street looked like a chunk of Willobrook Mall, the neighborhood would not be getting the huge premium it is getting.

Then how is it that homes in Afton Oaks also command huge premiums despite the presence of despicable chain stores in the Highland Village? I hear they even have a corporate coffee chain there. Gasp!

I guess the real question is; will this thread last longer than the Yale street bridge?

Your view of bars and music clubs is rediculously skewed.

Well for starters the historic folks are living in the Prohibition Era. (Think of it like a Heights version of Midnight in Paris) Because of this your vision for smoke-filled dens of iniquity will never be approved. I suggest you go the speakeasy route.

The good news for crackhouse owners is that in Midtown you're not required to seek approval for a modern window if they happen to kick in a historic one.

It's a pentagon. 5th stop is the morgue.

a small blurb that caught my eye in today's business section---

re: Bus station's location

.

Inviting other issues during the question-and-answer portion of her talk, Parker was asked if the Greyhound bus station would ever move from 2121 Main.

She said the possibility is high on the agenda of Andy Icken, the city's chief development officer. But she acknowledged that finding a new place for the station would be a "NIMBY issue," referring to the "Not in my backyard" argument.

"You have to site it in an area where it won't cause pitchforks and burning tar to come from the neighborhood," she said. "And it has to be somewhere where it's accessible to the bus system."

She said the city is "actively participating in discussions on what alternative sites could be

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Narrowing-the-distance-between-street-tunnel-4516479.php

"actively participating in discussions" sounds like a cross of the attourney's "we'll take it under advisement" statement and the "we'll have to get together soon" comment.

If anybody spots an Osborne 1 tossed from the building I'm interested in purchasing it.

(Hmm, is that you Mr. Kerry)

Any updates on our pearl-handled revolver packing, Mercedes driving robbers?

I have a feeling this is going to end up with a duel in the Spaghetti Western parking lot.

Which is why everyone, even those who ride in the back of chaffeur-driven embassy limos should know their rights, and appropriate demeanor for situations such as these. My guess is the Constitutional scholar or holier than thou taxpayer approaches don't help matters.

I always found this video funny and disturbing at the same time.

http://youtu.be/eDJrQBwJpqk

Case in point being this thread, I'm not sure someone can be cited for jay walking when they are trying to get in their car that is legally parked on the street.

If they're using the sidewalks that we all like to continually talk about, examine, measure, attend public forums about, etc, then no they won't. If they're walking down the middle of the road like some drunk teenager that was stood up by his prom date then it could happen. Cross at the corner, cross at the light, practice self-awareness, it's pretty simple. We don't need a date-night "school zone", we don't need need adult crossing guards. If mastery of walking and stopping has not yet occurred in life then ask the stranger next to you if they would hold your hand while you cross the street. Think of it as a adult buddy system. Heck, it might even turn in to nap time.

I think one of the next things to be done is to lower the speed limit in certain areas at night. 30mph during the day is pushing it in Midtown by Bagby, but at night, 10mph is pushing it for safety.

A couple of cops walking the beat the old fashion way would be awesome as well.

I don't think so. If 10mph is pushing it for safety you have a jaywalking pedestrian problem, not a speed problem. If the ultimate goal is always safety then it's an impossible goal when you're tasked with protecting people from their own stupid selves. If the number of pedestrians significantly out numbers the vehicle traffic then you simply close off the streets at night similar to what Austin does/did on 6th street during weekends and let people walk on them.

Cops walking the beat is a good idea, and in short dress weather it won't be hard to find volunteers.

... white devil.

You must be from Piney Point Village...

Whites compromise 85.1% of the population, 11.0% are Asian, 4.5% Hispanic, and 1.7% African American.

The 11.0% Asians are probably married to white males, the 4.5% Hispanics are actually Spaniards, or Catalans, and the 1.7% African-Americans are actually old white refugee farmers that still talk about the good old days back in Rhodesia.

I don't always stay in Amerika, but when I do...

I hope the new design incorporates the existing barbed wire. I really enjoy that Eastern Europe/Cold War era brutalist look. Not enough of it here in town IMO.

Ditto. It looks like it belongs in a Front 242 video. Somebody get them on the Telex, maybe they can play a tribute show.

I would love to see some of the vintage stuff they are pulling out. Dumpster dive anyone?

Now, all let all you white guys and gals go back to lecturing others on racism and racial profiling so that you'll feel better that you're not racist.

What do you mean by you white guys?

No need to lecture when I just attended one, Prof.

Sorry, but the first part of the typical argument, "you're new you can't complain" is just as stupid as the second part, "they were here before you were and have tenure to ignore ordinances or laws that have not been enforced."

To the homeowner: You knew what you were getting into when you bought.

To a nuisance business: You knew what you were getting away with before people started complaining.

banning high capacity water hoses will certainly help protect the innocent walkers by at 2am. So that should be an easy target.

How about a registry and waiting period? With the size of lawns in Midtown no one needs more than one hose, and a very small one at that. Then again hoses don't kill people, nozzles do.

klaxons and strobes and perhaps a recorded message

Klaxons. I think I liked this post simply because you used Klaxon in a sentence.

if you feel that this joy is missing, you can PM me your address and for a small fee, I can help you capture this joy yet again.

Sorry, but I'm chock full of dealing with thieving urban wildlife.

I thought the problem was those with a little TOO much voice. At 2am. Outside your window.

Not outside my window. I no longer have the joy of hearing drunk renditions of Sweet Caroline outside my windows at 2am.

I wonder if there will be a corresponding drop in city funds for the park?

It's a possibility as HPD asked some TIRZ to contribute monies to offset the cost to patrol.

Odds are it will be used to improve the park. More important is that property owners in the proposed area are given the opportunity to hear the full details of the proposal as this impacts them in a variety of ways.

Hmm, could this mean rail on Memorial?