Purpledevil

So, it is just fine when your parents decide to send you to a different school because of concerns about the affect the student body may have on your education, but when parents of children zoned to Love do the exact same thing, they are monsters. Please.

It is easy to wag your finger at someone when it is not your kids.

No, I wanted to attend Reagan. It's where my friends from the neighborhood went and I wasn't happy about going to Waltrip. I'm sorry, I didn't make that clearer in the earlier posting. It was a bad school in the 80s. There's an iron fence around it as a result of that period, but it was my preference. I would've received the very same HISD diploma from Reagan, but in my mind my folks didn't trust me to do what I needed to do to graduate regardless of the surroundings. My parent's decision to know "what was best for me" in their mind, is a direct result as to why I have the opinion I do about it. My parents had that racist side that many of their generation did. That was par for them and so many like them, so it was accepted. Sad to see that their are those out there, here in the 21st century, that share in those antiquated ideas. Please yourself, the poor and foreign born are people too, and neither deserve to be looked down upon.

Btw, before I'm accused of being one of those that moved out of the Heights to the lavish lifestyle of the ritzy 'burbs, as of last Saturday, I live in Acres Homes now (N. Shepherd @ Parker). Prior to that, my wife and I lived in Camden Park (Vets Memorial @ Antoine). Not exactly the wealthiest class of neighbors, either.

Longtime former Heights resident as many of you know. My family lived on East 26th from 1947-2002. The schools have come a long way since then. I went to Waltrip because my parents looked at John H. Reagan for what it was back then, a cesspool. Things have changed tremendously from just 15 years ago. Sure, the Heights is much cleaner now, the biggest portion of the original occupants of the bungalows have died off, and businesses that never would have set foot in the Heights back then, are now beating down a path to set up shop in the old neighborhood.

The Heights has gained a lot in the last 2 decades and lost an equal amount in the same time frame. The biggest gain is that the area is overrun by yuppies as opposed to gangbangers these days, the biggest loss would be the charm. The Heights used to function as its own little community, and a very tight knit one at that. Sure, it was significantly rougher then than in it is in its current state, but we survived, we learned, and we were more street smart for it.

The commentary above is somewhat amusing to me. People are scared to send kids to Love?!? Love Elementary? Simply wow...please be careful. There's a significant chance of rain this week, and with that nose so high up in the air you just might drown.

What a travesty if your child ends up going to school and ends up sitting next to a poor person.

Let's also add that a significant amount of those old people that moved out of the Heights did so because they were priced out of their homes that they had owned for decades and decades.

When taxes doubled and tripled on these Heights homeowners in the late 90s, many of them that relied solely on thier SSI check just to get by, didn't have much of a choice other than to move out. Think about this, my grandparents house on 26th wouldn't sell in 1992 for $38,000. We couldn't have given it away, if we'd tried. Same house, no major changes, sold in 2002 for $105,000. The guy we sold it to removed the 220 window unit, stripped the aluminum siding from the house, added central AC & heat, repainted the house, and took out the carpeting re-exposing the hardwoods, turned around and sold it in less than two years for $190,000. A lot of people left their homes because they had to do it. Others unfortunately were rent houses and the slumlord owners that owned those falling down disrepaired shacks, pulled a Steve Miller and took the money and ran. That's what started the whole thing right there. Slumlord owners that saw the chance to dump their beaten down old bungalows to a developer for big land money, they sold, other landowners saw what the developers were paying for the run down properties and figured what the hell, they can have mine too for that kind of money. I mean, you show 100 grand to someone that hadn't made that much money in their entire lifetime, and of course they're going to jump on it. That was big money to my parent's and especially my grandparent's generation.

In conclusion, I'd like to offer a one man standing "O" for both Bullman & Ross. It would be my privilege to shake hands with both of you gentlemen. You are spot on with your responses.

As an aside, you can see that parts of the Heights used to be a bit scruffier than they are today.

Lol, yeah...but it sure looks alot more like home.

Wow...yeah, the second picture is Northline. Photographer stood in front of Joske's entrance and took the picture looking down towards Montgomery Ward's. The S.S. Kresge's on the right of the second picture was my treat as a kid if I behaved and kept my mouth shut while my mom & grandma "looked around" at Craig's (on the left). Kresge's had a lunch counter on the far left side of the store front, and went almost halfway down the wall. Mmm...I can taste that cherry coke float now...

The first picture, to me, looks like Northwest's Foley*s. That one may be more difficult to pin down, since Almeda & NW Foley*s were basically identical then. Given that we know the 2nd pic is of Northline, I would rationalize that the close proximity to one another, likely means the Foley*s picture was taken at NW than Almeda. In '66 the brand would have only been in Downtown, on the Gulf Freeway, Sharpstown, & the NW/Almeda pair in Houston.

Thanks for posting, torimask.

1997 or '98. It was right before the turn of the century.

The railroad you reference was the Southern Pacific Kenedy Line and went all the way into downtown way back when. I'm old enough to remember it actively reaching as far as Shepherd, in service to some paper company or other type of industry that required boxcar service, because that's all you ever saw on the line. The tracks used to cross Montrose, but that section had long been abandoned once I was of any age. I had an uncle that lived on Sunset Blvd, and it seemed like we'd always catch a train crossing Greenbriar when we'd go to visit him. My brother worked at River Oaks Chrysler Plymouth for many years, and the same line ran right next to the dealership crossing Kirby at grade.

The last service that line provided was in 2003, which was storage for the Ringling Brothers Circus train, parked directly across from Compaq Center. Once the circus left the arena, within a month the destruction of the rail lines west of the UP double main next to Fox 26 commenced. If you go by the Central Bank building, next to the McDonald's, you used to be able to see where the line crossed Main, but with the light rail having been constructed, that probably isn't the case anymore.

Very cool. My favorite thing about the Galleria was being a long haired teen, walking through Marshall Field's with a couple of my equally undesirable looking friends in tow, and watching as the old snooty women would stare us down for even having the audacity to walk through their uppity store in route to the new Galleria III. I mean, how dare we!

We used to hang out in the parking garage near where Mickey D's & the second theater was. You could still smoke inside back then, just not what we were lighting up, lol.

One of my favorite road signs was beside the West Loop frontage road at Westheimer... an FM1093 sign, and below it a green one with an arrow pointing west that read "Fulshear 23."

That's awesome, mollusk. I remember that very sign. We still have a gem or two of those signs here in Houston, that given how Houston has grown seem a little out of place. 2 right off the top of my head are both on FM 525, Aldine-Bender. Coming west from 59 to your right there's a green sign proudly displaying "Aldine-4". At the intersection of 45 & Aldine Bender sits another advising you that Houston is still another 17 miles to the south, and equally as many miles for a visit to Conroe heading north on 45. I mean, I guess it IS 17 miles to City Hall from Greenspoint technically, but it's about time that sign was retired, lol.

That is interesting, Tiger. I've never noticed a lack of a 700 block. As long as they leave 616 alone, I'll be ecstatic. Aw man, got me craving a fried pickle now...

Anyway, the original alignment of Farm to Market 1093's (a.k.a. Westheimer Road) western terminus was Farm to Market 3013 in Eagle Lake, Texas. Eastern terminus was the West Loop. Once they cut the Westpark Toll through there, I couldn't tell you where it ends now. The Westheimer name used to drop from the road at FM 1463, not too long before you hit Fulshear. Now, that makes me want to stop in at Dozier's market for some of the best BBQ down here. I wonder if it's even still there? The kids HAVE to be running it by now. Of course, Westheimer has always switched names to Elgin @ Bagby, as far as I go back. We used to use 1093 when making our way to Altair. You'd think 10 would've been faster, but not even close given the headache that was the Katy Freeway.

I guess I may be oversimplifying this, but really, other than pulling out any birds nests that may have found their way into the interior of the clock, replacing the burnt out light bulbs on the face, removing the Central Square letters on the back, greasing the gears and components necessary to make it spin, and slapping a coat of paint on the whole thing, I wouldn't think restoring it would require a crane or anything that dramatic. Heck, secret squirrel was standing right next to it when he explored and documented the building. Given the angle of the pictures he submitted for viewing, a good sized ladder on top of the roof would seem efficient enough to get the job done. I mean, the thing worked right up to the very end of Central's life.

I'd think the worst case scenario would be that rust may have locked up the mechanical components necessary for it to rotate again, and perhaps a dry rotted electrical wiring harness that could be rebuilt by a certified electrician fairly efficiently.

That's right, Carnation was just south of Allen Pkwy on Waugh, Borden's was downtown on Texas Avenue, and Oak Farms on Westheimer. Thanks for the memory jog, Tiger.

Was that always Oak Farms? Why am I getting a picture of Carnation in my head? I certainly know the building. Heck, I worked at the Academy right by it. "Thank you for calling Academy Sporting Goods #15 Westheimer, this is Joe. How may I direct your call?" Lol, ah the memories this site triggers.

That's amazing to hear they were using it for meeting space in the 80s. It was pretty old and worn by then, and by the mid 90s vagrants had really beaten the old dairy up.

KMAZ-LPFM has commenced broadcasting from high atop the Wells Fargo building with 1.35 watts (that's no mistake) at 310 meters. KMAZ is playing what sounds like Gospel & older R&B. Signal is (for 1 watt) pretty good due to it originating from the top of a skyscraper. Anywhere inside of the Loop should pick this one up pretty easily, on the other side of 610 will be hit or miss. Outside of the Belt, forget it.

FCC data on KMAZ-LPFM Houston: http://fccdata.org/?facid=&call=KMAZ&ccode=1&city=&state=&country=US&arn=&party=&party_type=LICEN

Don't know if you've seen it yet Blue Dogs, but Angela has indeed made her move to Fox 26. Saw her on the 9 o'clock broadcast Monday night.

It sure is. I wouldn't be surprised to see it open this weekend at some point. They have really been putting the pedal down to get this project wrapped up.

Good observation, Sunstar. If we were to see this happen, the team would have to hit the ground running. The Texans have the benefit of being a football team in a football crazy State. A hockey team wouldn't have the same luxury. They send a mediocre or bad team out on the ice, and it wouldn't be long until the arena attendance would be rather thin.

Exactly the point Cloud made. Rock concerts, the circus, heck even the WWE's house shows would outdraw a hockey game if we send a bad team out on the ice for more than a season. We'd need a situation like Colorado had. They picked up the Nordiques from Quebec City, which was a decent team. The year they debuted in Colorado, they won the Stanley Cup. Now, that's not the only thing it took to be successful in Denver, but it sure didn't hurt. The team is currently in good shape, with a solid fan base.

On the other side of the spectrum, there's the Thrashers, who relocated a Canadian team to Atlanta, toiled in mediocrity for a few years, and left town as soon as they could get out of their lease for Winnipeg Manitoba last season.

Cloud, I'd vote against earmarking any property near downtown. I really don't believe the next wave of stadiums will be located downtown. That's another cycle right there, entertainment venues started off in downtown Houston, then moved to the "outskirts" of town when the old girls like Sam Houston, Buff, and Jeppessen became obsolete. The Dome was built out in the middle of nowhere in '65. The Summit wasn't exactly surrounded by the vast amount of commercial property it is now in '75 either. This wave of new sports complexes returned to inside or near downtown, with the glaring exception of NRG, which to me was a mistake. NRG, in my mind, should be standing where BBVA currently does, but that's an entirely different argument in itself.

My thought is that when Minute Maid, Toyota, BBVA, and NRG become "obsolete", our new ballparks will move out to the exurbs again, giving each of them ample room to surround themselves with entire entertainment complexes, either owned wholly by the teams themselves, or in combined arrangement with the county they will be built in.

Maybe then, we'll get our damn amusement park back, lol!

I'm going to be the devil's advocate here, (no pun intended with my screen name) I don't know how old any of you are, however I can certainly remember Houston thinking they had an invitation to the NHL in hand, signed, sealed, and delivered, with the original Houston Aeros. This was back in the 70s. The World Hockey League folded, and 4 WHL teams were allowed to migrate to the NHL as expansion teams. Houston just KNEW we had a ticket to the dance, because the original Aeros had a pretty good following and a successful franchise. When it all came to a head, Hartford's Whalers were invited, so were the Winnipeg Jets and Quebec City, but the Aeros...well they folded, because Houston is just not a hockey town and the support to overhaul The Summit to NHL specifications just wasn't there.

The Aeros have been rebirthed twice now, the latest incarnation now sporting the name Iowa Wild. If you saw an Aeros game live, even after hoisting a couple of Calder Cups and placing banners up in the rafters, you'd know first hand that (much like Atlanta) the desire to support an NHL franchise in Houston is largely not there. You've got your fanatics like me, that love the thrill of a hockey game breaking out in the middle of the gloves and haymakers getting tossed, but there's just not enough of us to support a hometown team. Chuck Watson tried to make it happen, even Les Alexander was ready to pony up the money. Both realized what their return would be on such an investment, and backed out. Watson retained the IHL Aeros, Alexander gave us the 4x World Champion Houston Comets instead.

To even ponder building another stadium for any professional league franchise, much less for a hockey team, is preposterous at best and assinine at worst. Toyota is perfectly capable of becoming the home venue for the Houston NHLs, Aeros, Wombats, or whatever clever name that may arise. It was built to accommodate an NHL team, since that was a big argument against expanding the NHL to Houston due to The Summit's layout. Then you've got the monstrosity of an idea to build another 70k+ football stadium next door to the original one, and 3 brand new stadiums all within a block or two of each other in downtown. And folks, I've got bad news for you. In another 15-20 years, the cycle will start all over again, because Reliant/NRG/Whatever will be old and dilapidated by NFL standards, as will Toyota, as will Minute Maid.

I mean, where does it all end?

There are a large number of superb ideas from several great people that frequent this forum, but friends and fellow Houstonians, this just isn't one of them.

That's weird

That is weird, but retraction or not, Kenny Stabler did pass away yesterday. I clicked on the Fox Sports link provided by mkultra and it gives details of his life, career, death, etc. Mkultra, what did the retraction say at the time you linked it?

Apparently, Fox has retracted their retraction. Journalism sure ain't what it used to be.

Looks like we're all right. Started out on Cullen, ended up on Hillcroft. Here's something I found that gives a bit of history to the establishment.

http://www.pinosrestaurant.com/

Former Oiler, Saint, and most notably Raider quarterback Ken Stabler has passed away at the age of 69.

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20150709/NEWS/150709694?tc=cr

It was probably shut down because it's easier to ogle at big-breasted woman online

Given what happened at that particular Twin Peaks, it would be much safer online too! Twin Peaks is done at that location, corporate office pulled the franchise.

I remember an Italian eatery named Pino's down on Cullen Blvd when I was a kid. Right there by UH and the old Jeppessen Stadium off the Gulf Freeway. Seems like it was called Pino's anyway.

My father, being from Sicily, loved Joe Matranga's on Irvington Blvd. Of course, that being the case, there's where we went for Italian dine-out. Man, I still get a craving for the spaghetti and meatballs from Matranga's. Sure hated to see that fade away after Mr. Matranga's death.

I don't know about what you'll do while you're in Dallas, but on your way home Tiger, go a couple miles out of your way and head towards Waco. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g55686-d2142107-Reviews-The_Horny_Toad_Bar_and_Grill-Cranfills_Gap_Texas.html

I drove it this morning on the way to Greenspoint. It is much better, but a little disconcerting. I had the strangest feeling I wasn't in Houston momentarily. Never seen Vets Memorial and Shepherd from that elevation before and it's a bit odd on the first pass. Couldn't agree with you more, LoveCowboy. That SB ramp opening is what I eagerly await opening as well. Just look at how bad the feeder road was flooded between Little York and Gulf Bank yesterday, resulting in 45 being snarled most of the evening. That ramp will help to alleviate some of the problem once it's opened.

Call me stupid, but I had to look up what a woonerf is, lol. We used to call them alleyways when I was a kid. God bless the Dutch...