Poppahop

I ride the 2 daily and there is no point in trying to start a QuickLine service now. Even if it zipped from Highway 6 to the Loop, it would get bogged down in serious traffic from the Loop to Buffalo Speedway, and now I understand that there is an imminent reconstruction project for the bridge over Poor Farm Ditch.

It would just be hurry up and wait...

And Bellaire, too (right?)

The Bellaire HEB is something more than a Pantry and something less than a full HEB.

Ah, cheap beer, I see. How much do they need to spend on their beer?

Maybe they should be sipping Pinot Grigio instead. It makes more sense to drink wine when walking the streets, as I know from experience that walking with beer makes the beer go flat fast.

Tradio was on KTRH from around 1960 till sometime around 1966 or so. The host was a guy named J. Kent Hackleman, who was probably the most laid back guy who has ever been on the air in Houston. He was so low key he didn't sound very interested in what he was doing.

His signature opening was always "Hi there. Hackleman here. J. Kent that is."

Tradio was a moderately popular program while it lasted, because it was unique I guess. Nobody else did anything like it.

A daytime flea market on the air, and about as interesting as reading the classified ads. People with something to sell or trade could call in, describe what they had and their asking price, and give their phone number on the air. Really exciting stuff.

Yes indeedy it was a different time in America.

Tradio is still all over the small-town, low-watt AM dial.

I remember when the last of the apartments were there near Mark Twain - they were in awful condition from my recollection.

The Thrifty Liquor on Stella Link has a neat sign that was still up last time I was in the area.

I don't think the Thrifty building will be torn down -- there's a big banner touting it for rent. A liquor store would probably do well there. There are two Spec's in the neighborhood, but one is kinda ghetto (Stella Link and Braeswood) and the Greenbriar/Bellaire one is hard to get to unless you are on your way home. Also, most supermarkets have a liquor store nearby, but Whole Foods doesn't.

On the other hand, the Blair House apartments on Bellaire and Academy are doomed. There are slated to be torn down and replaced with yet another upscale development. There are also at least two mid-rise projects scheduled on Bellefontaine between Academy and Stella Link.

Those are some bad choices, although the Kim Son parking garage is atrocious.

Also, the picture of the AT&T building was ridiculously bad.

Indeed, that is some abysmal photgraphy.

What would be ten buildings that are worse, though, I wonder?

I worked at 806 Main St. for 2 years and I tried to avoid the tunnels at all cost. After sitting in a cubicle all morning, I enjoyed going outside at lunch. On rainy days, I used this great invention called an umbrella. On hot days, I'd just walk slowly so as to not break a sweat.

Even when I used things down in the tunnels, I'd reach them via street level (like walking to the Bank One Bldg and then heading down to the Becks Prime down there).

The tunnels always felt crowded and the air felt dirty...sorta like sitting on an airplane for multiple hours.

I'm pretty much with you on that, but as for umbrellas...I bought one about five years ago and on the day I took it to the office, my wife predicted that she would never see it again. I thought, "I'll show her." So I pretty much forgot about it, for about a year, and then one day a bad storm blew in just as I was walking out the door to the light rail. "Good thing I have that umbrella," I thought. So I went and got it and opened it up near the Exxon building. And here's the thing -- the very first time I opened, a high gust of wind just shredded it to pieces. Absolutely picked it clean. So my wife never did see that umbrella, and I never even used it once.

last time I checked, the Marq-E's business was booming.

Then the last time must have been a long time ago.

I work downtown and I wish the tunnels were gone, except when I have to walk somewhere in the rain. The tunnels and huge surface parking lots are the main reasons Houston's downtown is still struggling after dark.

To be fair I almost consider Dallasites to be Yankees

The Yankees begin at Washington Avenue.

Fitzgerald's began its life in the 1940s as a Polish dance hall...It seems like St Rose of Lima is sort of a Polish church for assimilated Polish-Americans.

Obama, because someone needs to halt this country's slide into becoming Brazil.

That is so cool. I am happy to report that the church still retains and follows traditional mass and the long time parisoners for the most part still bring the whole family. On recent Palm Sunday everyone gathers in the outside courtyard for the blessing of the palms. Then follow back inside for the remainder of the mass. Very traditional. I must mention they have some of the best singers in a choir I have ever heard. Must hear live.

There is also St. Nicholas (2508 Clay; est. 1887, oldest traditionally black parish in town) and Holy Rosary in Midtown.

Maybe Afton Oaks. It's close to the Galleria, inside the Loop, and has biggish yards. As a bonus (for a Brit), the streets are named after places in the UK.

Check out this SatRad, with sound!

I didn't know hurricanes sounded like that!

South is not necessarily salvation. Carla made landfall in Port O'Connor.

You can by shrimp and oysters right off the boat just down the road from Seabrook at Hillman's.

It's about 30 miles from town.

What have all the saucy bootblacks gone?

Sounds like the title of a Decemberists song?

That would be awesome to see!! Can you post it somewhere?

Working on it.

My dad just had some Super 8 footage made into a DVD and there's probably three or four minutes of Kiddie Wonderland on there. The footage dates from 1972 or '73. There are also a few shots from the Rodeo Carnival and others shot on a snow day here. There's some cool scenes of hippy girls on the corner of Westheimer and Mt Vernon pelting cars with snowballs.

I heard the Smurfs were from Willowridge

I park on the roof of a low-rise downtown and a couple of months ago there was a peregrine falcon up there tearing a pigeon to pieces, not five feet from my front tire. Raptors and other birds of prey tend not to be willing to leave their meals behind, so he just kind of eyed me while I was up there -- didn't fly away even when I was just a couple of feet away. I wish I had a camera with me.

Woodrow's type crowd = LoneStar Guidos

The song would be about 100x better if the singer just referred to Montrose as Montrose instead of the 'trose. I've lived in and around Montrose for a very long time and I've never heard anyone refer to it as the 'trose.

bpe3

But it would sound funny if you accented the second syllable: "down in mon-TROSE."

I have heard it called "the 'Trose" before.