20sGirl

I wonder if most of those are in Austin? Has Houston gotten any new companies?

When energy deregulated, the geniuses at HL&P/Houston Industries decided to split into 2 seperate companies, hence, the downward spiral of Reliant... Anyway, the building at Louisiana and Dallas now houses CenterPoint Energy. They also have office space for lease. I guess since Reliant was getting a little extra money from round trip trading, they wanted a brand new building in which to do their bidding.

I think 1000 Main is where Reliant Energy headquarters. (Where the fountain is, right?)

Don't forget to factor in the price of owning a car to the cost of living in Houston. Insurance, gas, inspection, registration... The bad thing about builders is that they keep building the same old cheap-quality crap that all look alike. When you have no choice, you have to take what's out there. We need a city-wide survey of random people (similar to www.whatmichiganwants.com) to show the builders that people really do want walkable neighborhoods and scenic streetscapes. Maybe if the suburban areas weren't so boring and cookie-cutter, everyone wouldn't be clamoring for the inner-city residences. If you look at other cities that are considered tourist destinations- places where people actually pay to go- you'll see that they look nothing like the "planned communities" the builders are churning out. Chances are, they are cities and towns built before WW2 with a traditional neighborhood feel. Who wants to sit at a coffee shop overlooking a barren parking lot? It's really no surprise that "upwardly mobile" folks are choosing to move back to the city. They've all seen the end results of builders' equivalent to Walmart housing and they've chosen to reject it.

What do they do with the bones? Did you "feel" anything strange when you were on the tour? (You know - some people say they get cold, tingly or nauseous, etc...) They didn't take you to the Ideson Library with the old haunted tree out in front? Supposedly there is a ghost inside the library who plays a violin at night. And, some say one of the trees in front of the building is haunted and has cold spots around it. I don't know.

Looks like you're destined for the burbs, my friend. But, Realize that just because the neighborhood looks shabby, it may be on the verge of a comeback. Years ago I was looking for an older affordable house near Almeda and OST area. I thought the neighborhood was too ghetto-ish. Now look at that area. Sigh. Good luck to you.

Cinco, Glad you liked the bus. I currently work in a place where bus service is nonexistent, so I'm forced to drive with all the other suckers. Boy, do I miss those days of a relaxing commute. All I gotta say is drivers in NW Houston are very rude and aggressive. Thank God this is a temporary assignment.

One reason the traffic is so bad is that Austin grew so fast and the freeway system just couldn't handle it all. I don't know if Austin is still growing since the tech boom is over. Houston does have one of the best- if not the best- freeway systems in the US. You've got the wheel and spoke system that can take you anywhere. The big problem is lack of public transportation, too many cars and unfriendly bike lanes (if any). I don't forsee Houstonians giving up their cars anytime soon, so I fear we'll have to live with the traffic since widening freeways is not going to help anything- at least not in the long run.

I can definitely see the benefits of NetFlix. Especially if you have kids who like to watch alot of movies. (I don't but that's what I hear from friends who have kids) This way, you have a constant flow of new movies and you don't have to make room for their storage in your house. The Blockbuster near me is awful. It's a choice between Spanish movies and big Hollywood blockbusters (hence the name I guess.) Someone mentioned Cactus for movies. Their selection is awesome but sometimes hard to find on DVD. Also, you can't rent a whole bunch of movies at one time because their due date is so short. The price is right though, and if you live near Cactus, it's a great alternative to the typical Hollywood drivel.

Great. Now all we need is an In-N-Out Burger. Mmmmm.

I have to agree, Cinco Ranch, you opened yourself up on this one. Good God man, do yourself a favor and take the Park and Ride. Straight shot right to downtown- you can drink your coffee, read a book, take a nap or look at all those poor suckers stuck in traffic.

I think it looks awful- like some nouveau riche dreamland. The entry way is so overblown with the fake "island waterfall and rocks.." Looks like something Donald Trump or our own Tilman Fertitta would have built (but without the neon). Yikes! I don't know about you guys, but when something has this many bells and whistles it makes me wonder what they're hiding.

Hey, I'll see you there. I'm moving there in '06.

Is this the building? Check ghpa.org under Endangered Buildings. "Current plans call for the Settegast Estate Building to be demolished for parking when the new school is completed." I don't know how up-to-date this info is but it would be a real loss to demolish this for yet another parking lot. What is it with this city and it's love of the automobile?

Soledad Mission- CA: San Antonio de Padua Mission: Models of CA Missions: Monterey, CA:

A Carmel courtyard: Carmel Mission interior: First Murphy House, Carmel: San Juan Bautista Mission:

More photos: Jeff Davis plan: Interesting building somewhere in the Heights; And, finally, our pitiful little Amtrak station complete with train in the background:

A nice little church in NW Houston: Interior: Another church in Houston: An old gas station: Super Happy Fun Land: Houston: Old Jeff Davis: Apparently, there's some limit on how many photos I can post. I'll see if I can add more in an additional post.

Actually, the Literacy Advance of Houston, Inc. is a nonprofit that provides free English classes for adults. Many of the applicants are Hispanic/Mexican women looking to help their children with homework, get better jobs, go grocery shopping, etc. They try their best to attend classes but sometimes family obligations make it difficult. But, you do what you can. Life in America is easier if you know English. That doesn't mean you have to give up your native language and traditions. If you volunteer to help them learn English and actually get to know them, you'll find that they're people, just like you and me.

Native English. High school Spanish. Tourist French and Italian.

Thanks, Subdude, for the history. It's fascinating to hear about what these buildings used to be and how they've been altered over time. A friend of mine used to work at a grocery store on Washington. His parents lived above the store. They sold it in the 90's and I believe it became a meat market. Now it is the Daily Grind coffee shop/restaurant. We went in there a few weeks ago and got the tour from the current tenant who now lives upstairs. The place no longer resembles a grocery store in any way. But it was interesting to hear (from my friend) where everything used to be- like grocery aisles, meat locker, cashier stand, extra windows, etc... Also, the man who gave us the tour explained that almost every alteration was made using salvaged materials from various other buildings.

Thanks. Anybody else? I don't know about other people, but we moved out here about 5 years ago because inner loop was out of our price range for home ownership. Go figure. When they start building affordable houses inside the loop, more people will move there instead of suburbia. Believe me, if I could afford it, I'd rather live in the Heights or Montrose any day.

A question for all you real estate folks out there: I live out on I-10 and W. Belt area, N of I-10, not Memorial. My husband and I will likely be leaving Houston in 2006. How do you think the katy fwy expansion will affect house values at that time? Also, do you think the construction will alter the flood plane even with all the drainage projects that have been completed? I'm wondering if I should consider selling my house now to avoid all that mess in the future (since I know I'm going to be moving) and just rent a condo somewhere until I move? Do y'all think the house value will hold up?

IMO, downtown housing won't take off until affordable options are presented. Part of what makes a city work is the diversity. Right now, you might as well build a brick wall around downtown and put up a sign that says "Only for the Rich".

Houston hasn't been specifically mentioned yet. I think it appears later in the book when they write about gas consumption/traffic and asphalt problems. The book is about suburban design in general. Although they cite some specific cities in their examples, they don't single out any one city to critique. I think you'll agree that no matter what city you're in, suburbia pretty much looks the same and follows the same layout. The opinions in the book are not out of the blue. They provide facts and figures and they compare older cities with newer cities (i.e. Virginia Beach and Alexandria, VA; Plam Beach County, FL and Washington DC; and so on...)