JasonDFW

In the Baylor hospital district in Dallas, all of the parking lots take these $1 vouchers that let you park as long as you want (multiple days in my experience) and they don't expire. Of course, you have to know they exist, but usually if you're there enough to have parking fees add up you'll have read the website or your doctor told you. I'm sure they still get lots of $ at the regular rate though, it's too easy to swipe a credit card. I wouldn't mind them jacking up the rates a bit like the TMC when rail comes in late 2009, hopefully enticing people to use that option.

Jason

WHOOPS, I see the vouchers are now $2. Still less than a Dart day pass though, which should change IMO.

Reminds me a bit of the TMC (just maybe not as compact or as many cranes). Nice pano there though.

There are 17 cranes in that photo, which for Dallas is quite a bit. I imagine it hasn't looked like that since the 80s, which I missed entirely so it's all new to me.

Jason

I guess those are the ones that will be arriving via tilt-rotor aircraft, then

I read the threads backwards so I thought you were kidding, but I see not. Hopefully Fort Worth can work it to promote its defense industry.

Jason

This way you don't have to twist yourself into a pretzel by trying to justify slapping your city's name on a team that doesn't play in your city and doesn't reap the rewards. It's just so....Dallas. Fake and pretentious with low standards...consistently failing to achieve them.

This sort of ignorant and emotionally charged post is what separates the typical Houstonian and the few childish Haifers that troll here. Dallas has zero say on what name goes on the Cowboys. I know it would work toward your agenda if it were an elaborate plan by the city council to pay them off for naming rights.

Jason

Houston by day, Dallas by night.

Not that my opinion matters much, but I agree.

Jason

The siren in my neighborhood goes off every Wednesday at 10am. I had never heard a tornado/flood/civil defense siren until I moved to Wisconsin in 1997. Now I'm used to them.

The sirens in Dallas go off only on the first Wednesday of the month, which is hard to get used to after growing up in Wisconsin. They're spaced just far enough around here that you forget about them nearly every time!

Back in the Appleton Wisconsin my desk sat a few feet away from one of the siren's test button.... but I was a good kid so no pranks.

Jason

Dallasboi... ?? I know you're there... ;-) Any source for your numbers?

The class A space always seems to be in the 15-22% range so perhaps that's what he was talking about. I don't know myself, I'm not a vacancy expert.

Jason

Those are awesome pics, Boris. What kind of telephoto magnification were you using?

The quick and dirty answer is the JVC GZ-MC200 camcorder used to take those shots has a "10x" zoom lens. The problem is unlike binoculars, it is impossible to compare the magnification by a simple number like that with cameras. The issue is there is no standard on magnification, so that 10x number is just the ratio of the focal lengths at each end of the range. So, my telephoto 4x lens would have way more magnification that say this general purpose 10x lens. My 1x lens has way more magnification than even my telephoto 4x lens.

However, for models similar to this, the simple 10x number would get you fairly close. The shot of the alamo was taken at a true 45mm which is likely near 400mm equivalent on a 35mm camera, although the resulting detail would not be equivalent.

Jason

Don't know why the census dept. does it that way, but have you ever noticed that their figures never add up to 100%? Example, SA's 2000 census goes to 135%. Houstons in the 120's%. Seems weird to me.

I think this was covered heavily in the press during the 2000 census as far as why it was done. Not everything is mutually exclusive. For instance you can be white with Hispanic origin or white without Hispanic origin.

Jason

Houston isn't abnormally wet this year. Rain gauges across the metroplex are close to average, a bit above or below depending on location.

I could have sworn the KB index was close to 400!!! for Harris county last time I checked.

I do subscribe to the Palmer report and I know for sure the whole upper texas coast stands is stark contrast to the rest of the state of Texas as it is listed as wetter than normal while the entire rest of the state is listed as moderate, severe, or extreme drought.

Plants are "what have you done for me lately" sorts of creatures so the last 2 full months of data would be most useful:

July @ IAH = 247% of normal

July @ Hobby = 178% of normal

June @ IAH = 147% of normal

June @ Hobby= 161% of normal

My point is of course not that San Antonio is supposed to be as green as Houston, but that the differences are *very* exaggerated right now. Last time I was in San Antonio is was bone dry.

On the other comment, basically the there is a swath of land from east of Houston all the way to just east of Atlanta that is more green than the Houston area but there aren't many big cities in that area to compare to Houston.

Jason

2. If you're from Houston you will really notice the lack of green. Part of it is that it's a drier climate (35 inches per year, I believe). But another big part of it is just lack of effort or awareness of how much nicer a city can be with lots of public greenery.

More importantly right now on the matter of the lack of green is weather rather than climate. San Antonio is in the middle of a severe drought while Houston is in the middle of an abnormally wet year. Houston has had more rain during 3 specific days of this year than San Antonio has had the entire year combined.

Jason

I hadn't heard of this project before. It looks just like the Gaylord Texan up here, which has been a great success so far so I'm sure it'd be the same down there.

SNIP ... does anyone know if the Nashville and Texas hotels have, or are close to, golf courses or other attractions?

There are 2 nearby golf courses but there is always the lake. I stayed there with my wife a while back when our Dallas apartment was being painted and we walked down to the lake and rented a pair of jet skis and had a fun time out on the water.

Some pics from our visit:

I know I'm acting as infantile as the rest by chiming in on this, but this article lists the mall at 2.35 million square feet while the Galleria (Houston) is 2.4 million. So wouldn't that make the Galleria larger. Not that it matters either way.

Either that firm in Manhattan is measuring in a different way, or it has out of date info for the Houston Galleria. You'd think given its function it wouldn't have out of date info but screwups happen all the time.

Jason

Hey, is it true Coloradans hate Texans?

Anyway, onto your new topic. You know, Colorado is funny. These are generalizations, but many in Colorado don't like Texans. Sometimes there is a "go back home tourist" attitude, but the funniest thing about (and the only reason I find the topic interesting) it is that of the other 49 states, I think Colorado is the one most like Texas as far as the people. I didn't think that before I started visiting there a lot because there is another political vibe I used to get a lot. Lots of transplants there, including lots of Texans so in that way it's like Texas and perhaps that's why I get this impression. It's hard not to generalize about the state only looking at a select few cities though, as the population is so small and so scattered.

Jason

There are MANY great stores here that are not in malls. Are you looking for anything in particular? Sounds like you're just looking to walk around and burn some time. Instead, there are many great museums and several great parks that would probably be more enlightening.

I personally will be looking for something in particular that can't be found at a mall, but my wife will probably want to visit a mall just to waste some time. I will ask her about museums, but after just coming back from DC I don't know that she'll get all that excited about them.

Jason

Ok one more time. We could care less. This is sooo comical. I know when i visit another city, my first priority is visiting a mall. I'd recommend Northline, yea Northline. There's a lot of history behind it. I guarantee you it will be an experience.

Does it really matter that "we could care less"? I asked the person that brought it up, because *I* care and clearly the person who brought it up cares enough to mention it. My purpose of visiting Houston this weekend will not be to shop, so it will not be my "priority." However, I probably will end up shopping (as the wife is coming along) so is it a bad thing to ask where the nicest malls are? I asked for a couple so I may pick the closest mall to wherever I end up.

Jason

Anyone from Houston or any other big city will be very disappointed if they go there expecting much more than what they already have close to home.

I thought this goes without saying? In fact I'd say most anyone in any big city will not see much more than what they have by going just about anywhere in the US. Even visiting the MOA if you don't have kids to tour the rides is not much different than anywhere else in the US.

So, are any of the Malls in Texas you mentioned that are way better than Northpark in the Houston area? If so could you list a couple because I'll be visiting this weekend and would enjoy checking one out.

Jason

I'm not sure where Northpark mall is though, so i owe it a visit next time i'm in Dallas. I'm wondering if its the huge mall in Frisco.

Northpark is a bit bigger than the huge mall in Frisco. Everyone has their favorite. I get the impression young kids like Stonebriar the most. Older folks tend to prefer Northpark. Some people prefer the Galleria and I've even heard some say their favorite is Willow Bend. I think Grapevine Mills will start becoming a bigger tourist attraction as more and more attractions like the Gaylord Texan pop up around it.

I on the other hand think the Dallas West Village, Southlake Town Center, Plano's Legacy Town Center, and Firewheel Town Center are better than any of the malls in most ways.

jason

Is Dallas' Galleria upscale like Houston's?

What Mall in Dallas compares to the Galleria?

Do they have several shopping areas that do? Like Northpark, Galleria Dallas, Highland Park Village (in Dallas).

Yes the Galleria is upscale. I haven't been there since they just renovated it, nor have I been to Northpark since the huge addition. There are 25 or so pretty decent size malls in DFW, and about 10 that have something special although some of them might bend the rules for what you consider a mall. I'd write more but without writing 5 pages I'd leave something out.

Jason

Dallas fans only show up when the team is winning. That, my friend, is not the definition of a sports town.

At least with respect to football, Dallas fans don't show up when they're losing OR winning. I spend a lot of time in real football towns (and grew up in one), and that was the first big thing I noticed when moving to Dallas, there were no Cowboy fans nor hardly any support for them. It quickly became apparent that a big problem was nobody I met was from Dallas. On my block of the 8 neighbors I've met not one is even from Texas. They all retain their favorite teams from wherever they're from. Houston may be better about that but it certainly has some of the same problems in creating a "sports town" name for themselves. (e.g. huge pop. influx from other areas).

Jason

I guess by the rest of the country you mean Dallass/Ft.Worthless.

You guessed wrong. When I had formed that opinion and viewed it elsewhere, it was around the time of 95/96 season and I had never stepped foot in "Dallass/Ft.Worthless."

And by the way Lawrence, I don't think the Rockets deserve asterisks. They were the best team in the league those two years. Someone just brought up that "what if" scenario that I commented on.

Jason

Not true. The Rockets had one of the best, if not the best, records against the Jordan led Bulls during Jordan's tenure. The Rockets surely would've beat a Jordan led Bull team in the NBA Finals. No doubt in my mind.

The consensus in the rest of the country is the Rockets would not have gotten the titles. The consensus inside Houston is the opposite. No surprise then that you have no doubts. I have little doubt that if the Rockets had won the first championship Jordan would have trained so hard the next off season he'd have slain the Rockets by himself.

Jason

However, I will remind everyone here that the only reason the Hakeem and the Rockets got those championships was b/c Jordan was playing baseball those 2 years.

Most definitely. 91, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98. He didn't come back until 3/18 and that was too late to get into prime shape for the playoffs. That was obvious from even his first game back, which he'd have loved to make a 50 point game.

Jason

So they hate Madison. They hate Chicago. And most of all -- they hate Milwaukee.

Informative post. I'm not sure about them hating Madison though, definitely not to the degree of Milwaukee. And just as an FYI, Appleton-Oshkosh did in fact end up being the big market, and Green Bay the smaller one.

Jason

now we know where most of the growth is coming from in the DFW metro!

Most of the growth in the Metroplex occurs east of the Dallas-Tarrant county line, but barely. By percentage Collin county is the clear leader though (out of the big 4 counties). The west side is basically filling in the suburban areas north of the city that would correspond geographically to say Richardson, Plano etc.. which were filled in several years ago on the east side. Both the west side and east side are slowly creeping up to Oklahoma as the locals say, but the east side got a big head start.

Jason