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UtterlyUrban

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Everything posted by UtterlyUrban

  1. UtterlyUrban
    Are we sure it's a garage? Looks to me like that are starting to build a pyramid to bury Khufu right here in Houston! BIG tourist attraction, I think.
  2. UtterlyUrban
    Does this mean hammers will be pounding shortly? that would be great!!! Another empty building brought to life by a hotel!!! Now, if there was just some way to actually get hard good retail back to downtown........
  3. UtterlyUrban
    I am not a fan of "mega churches" for a litany of reasons that I won't go into here. But, this church is not a "mega" church. Yes, it is affiliated with one (i think) but this physical property can seat only 700. That is a good size and, frankly, I welcome a lively congregation of 700 folks coming to worship and engage in other activities at this location. I hope that it draws a lot of college students and families into downtown on a Sunday and I hope I find some of those very same folks at the brunch table next to me. My takeaway: "welcome to the neighborhood...."
  4. UtterlyUrban
    Unions need "salvation".
  5. UtterlyUrban
    I am glad to hear this. Empty nesters aside, Phrases like "From $1.25m" still shock me though. What would the property tax be on that? $36k/year? More? Add HOA which might be, maybe, $1000 per month and that means $4k per month in taxes and fees every month, forever (or until taxes and fees go up more). Wow!
  6. UtterlyUrban
    Many a business traveler will not care and will book it for the right price as long as it has a bed. But to me, that interior design is a jumble of tack trying to find call itself class. Yuck. Hopefully the actual rooms and overall interior design feel better than this schlock.
  7. UtterlyUrban
    WeWork is just an "office share" arrangement like others that already exist downtown and elsewhere, right? I have a friend with a budding consulting business renting a shared office space now. She loves it. But, how is WeWork different any why should I be more excited about this than another shared office space?
  8. UtterlyUrban
    I continued to be impressed. This is a lovely building. It just feels "lux" to me.
  9. UtterlyUrban
    You can take the various partisan sources for what they are worth. However, a google search on "Obama real wages" surfaces many articles across the spectrum of legitimacy. In my view the "economy" isn't about the economy but rather about real wages for real people. Since 2008, did they rise? You can do your own research and sort through your own data and sift the partisan mud to reach your own conclusions. Many would say that real wages fell under Obama and that led to Trump. Many others would say that statement is untrue. After research, you may agree or not, but I think that talk of real wages for " real" people is central to the discussion (not the economy broadly). Voters vote with their pocketbook. And I personally believe that they voted for Trump because their pocketbooks, in real dollars, are smaller after 8 years of Obama. But, I am not smart enough to prove it. I can only try to synthesis what I read (much of which is contradictory). here is one place to start: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-08-10/inconvenient-jobs-revisions-obama
  10. UtterlyUrban
    Does this account for the new empty lots created by Camden and the bulldozing of that warehouse building (deemed structurally deficient) on Austin ( and maybe Texas-ish) and the Lancaster owners historic bulldozing and, likely a few others?
  11. UtterlyUrban
    Yep. about a three weeks and counting. We'll see when the ropes come down across the park. I'm guessing that it will be close to 6 weeks before the park is restored.
  12. UtterlyUrban
    This is a wonderful project. Seems like it is live/work/commercial. I wish the developers great success. Houston can use more of this and it success might drive more developers to take the risk.
  13. UtterlyUrban
    Austin gets a 58 story residential condo building downtown. Houston gets ..... ....... ........
  14. UtterlyUrban
    Biggios, the few times I walked by did not seem crowded. There were people in there but it wasn't "crowded." That new place, "Brasserie du Parc" seems a little thin but twice I have seen a "good" crowd. I think that they could use better signage. Xochi seems to be doing well. The others I can't comment on.
  15. UtterlyUrban
    This project would sell/lease well, IMO.
  16. UtterlyUrban
    This is a great point and a key point. What is at issue is NOT whether the park should be an "active" park. That is its mission. The point in question is whether it is currently an "active PARK" or an "Event venue" (i.e. Not a "park" for families or to read a book on a sunny day but rather a place to attend a concert or a private corporate event). the existence of events is NOT the issue. Rather the NUMBER and SIZE of the events actually are what needs to be understood. Once that is understood, decisions can be made regarding hardscapping or other mechanisms to keep the land looking appropriate whether the land is considered a "park" or an "event space". If the Disco folks want to turn away families more often and have more corporate events, fine (I guess). But the needs of the land will be very different if one wants to have 12 concerts and three private events requiring a function tent a week vs green space for family picnics and 2 concerts per week.
  17. UtterlyUrban
    IMO, as much as I don't like the Billionaires Boys Club and how they seemingly have no issue convincing the dupes we call "politicians" about the "economic benefit of the "big game", The grass at Disco was essentially dead before the Billionaires arrived. as I have said earlier in this post, Disco needs to either: 1) stop hosting as many large events or 2) change the park to more hardscaping ... make it an "entertainment venue" not a "park" right now the folks that run Disco have allowed the park to have the grass die, dead, each year for the last several due to overscheduling of activities. It is time to either change the mission and keep the grass or change the surfaces to support the current mission. Having half the park closed for several weeks now following the same thing happening during the final four and a summer with nothing but dust is not a sustainable story.
  18. UtterlyUrban
    Yes. They have seeded the entire area. About 2/3 of all the lawn areas are either closed or under significant repair. Parts of the park without lawn area are still open.
  19. UtterlyUrban
    Seems that the Billionaires Boys Club has left the city. They are all counting their green. Sadly, the families and children of Houston are left with a park that is about 50% closed. I wonder if the Billionaire Boys Club paid for any of this restorative work? to be fair, it seems that the Disco folks are using the heaps of dead grass to bring in some good soils/compost as part of the reseeding.
  20. UtterlyUrban
    I went a few years ago -- maybe 3 or 4. It was fun. But, tickets are expensive (at least I think that they are, or maybe I am just cheap?). I think I'll keep my meager funds, and read a book instead. And if I have a bit extra at the end of the year, I will give it to a charity.
  21. UtterlyUrban
    "Giant steak (400g)". What is that, about 14 ounces?......... that's an appetizer to many a "cowboy" in Texas.
  22. UtterlyUrban
    Could it simply be a dedicated bus like the Greenlink?
  23. UtterlyUrban
    I have absolutely no idea what this paragraph says. How are the various things you write about related?
  24. UtterlyUrban
    Sounds about right, but I did stay at a holiday Inn express last night.
  25. UtterlyUrban
    The current owners are thinking about planting grass that turns to weeds. Adding an "astro turf lawn" for the sake of nature, and painting flowers on stairs. Unfortunately, they seemingly have yet to find a large tenant for the property to go into the ex-bookstore. Hopefully the hotel works better than the rest of it. Remember the renderings when midway bought the place? I defy you to look at those and what is there now and see much comparison.
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