KinkaidAlum

Quite frankly, with what we know about what our continued sprawl does to our environment, I see let the friggin' dumb$@#$@ who continue to move further and further away from the center city wallow in traffic. Their selfish deeds... we want a bigger yard we will never use... we want drive thru banks and pharmacies and dry cleaners and liquor stores and fast food joints...we want better schools but we don't wanna work to improve the existing ones... we want better roads to drive through your part of town but dammit, we ain't gonna pay for your lightrail...we want more square footage of house than we'll ever use... we want 30 lanes of highway... we want lower taxes... and on and on and on. ENOUGH. We need to tell people since the developers aren't listening that if you choose this lifestyle there will be consequences. One of those will be spending a third of your life in traffic.

It's my understanding that the image you see was one of the proposals for the 5 Houston Center project. Obviously, they went with a different design. Too bad because I prefer the Ziegler Cooper desing over what is currently standing today.

Unfortunately, too many people tend to vote for the PARTY (Republican) first and foremost without giving any real thought to the actual candidate. How anyone in their right mind could vote for the Hammer this last election cycle is beyond me. I simply don't get it. Maybe there are just more people who vote "morality" over any other issue, but it's not like Tom DeLay is a man who anyone with decent morals would admire. He has harmed the entire region (banning Houston from earmarked federal funds for rail, hurting NASA research through his "moral" grandstanding, backing development of the Katy Prairie, lining his pockets with donations from companies which harm the environment, and pretty much disregarding the rules to gerrymander districts for the sole and stated purpose of helping Republicans win office).

Hizzy is on the mark. Try and secure funding right now for a huge residential building in Houston! Almost all of the buildings you mentioned at the 300 feet mark are residential in nature and until Houston matures, we will continue to see "smaller" hi-rise development. As for a 700 foot hotel downtown, forget about it right now. The market (not just in Houston but nationwide) for hotel lending is very weak. AND, considering we just opened a Hilton, Icon, Magnolia, Sam Houston, Ballpark, Residence Inn, Courtyard by Marriott and have a Club Quarters coming on-line soon, it just isn't needed. That said, here's my dream development for downtown. The Ritz-Carlton Towers 5 floors of underground parking. 3 Levels of retail (15 screen movie theatre, Sports Club LA, day car facility, 3 restaurants, Virgin Records, etc...) 55 feet 10 levels of a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. 190 rooms. 130 feet 5 levels of extended stay/corporate leasing units. 55 feet 15 levels of office space. 225 feet 17 levels of condos. 187 feet 652 feet and then throw in a 100 foot spire. Downtown Houston needs a spire! Place the development on the northside of the proposed new park to take advantage of the proximity to the park, the Toyota Center, the Houston Center, and the Ballpark. Could become the eastside of downtown's signature tower!

Gorditas Aguascalientes are DA BOMB. I prefer the one on the northside. Has a better atmosphere. You better know some Spanish though or you might feel totally lost (which, in my mind, adds to the place). These places are my favorite Mexican. Mission Burritos are better than Chipotle, but I do hate to admit that for a big chain, Chiptole makes a damn good guacamole. Here are my other faves by cuisine/region/time... SEAFOOD- Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen on West Gray. A blue-haired institution. STEAK- Flemings. Packed Place. Crazy Scene. Buttery steaks. Flemings potatoes are to die for and probably will take at least 50 days off of your lifespan. MEXICAN- Gorditas Aguascalientes (see above) FINE DINING- Cafe Annie. Does Houston proud. ASIAN- looking for a favorite place. Any recs? LATE NIGHT- Mai's on Milam. Ga-Luc-Lac is my staple along with the tofu and onions dish. LATE NIGHT WESTSIDE- Chacho's. Cheap and tasty. SUNDAY BRUNCH- Brennan's old school in midtown. DRIVE THRU- Beck's Prime FRIED CHICKEN- Frenchy's on Scott St. near TSU. A UH tailgater favorite. LUNCH SCENE- Eatzi's Market. I dig the sandwich line. JUST GOT DUMPED- James Coneys all the way and chili cheese fries to go

My facts are all taken off of the official www.tamu.edu website comparing enrollment trends and figures from 1999-2003. So, if you have a complaint with them, take it up with the institution! Additionally, has it ever occured to you to ask why minorities are not wanting to attend ATM or is it just easier to say "we are accepting and they are rejecting? As for my personal experiences with TAMU... My older brother is a graduate. I have been a "visiting" fan at numerous sporting events. I have spoken to 4 undergraduate sociology classes as part of a speaker's bureau. I have spent numerous weekends visiting friends who were students. I have been to the Dixie Chicken.

I am sorry, but someone has to say it... ATM can bring about a great sense of togetherness if you are WHITE. As of 2003, out of the 44,813 students on campus, just 1,051 were African-American. I wonder how many of those were on athletic scholarship? Since 1999, the student populations for African-Americans and Asian-Americans have DECLINED. To this day, ATM remains over 82% white. That is shameful in a state as diverse as Texas. Over the past few years, there have been major incidences of race-related problems on campus and a HUGE scandal involving rape and hazing in the sacred corp of cadets. Yet, most aggies turn a blind eye to these things and then spout off to outsiders that we "just don't understand" what it means to be an Aggie and that we have no business talking about "ATM family" issues!

Actually, 1900 Holcombe is a different project located across the street. 1900 is a proposal for a 30 floor residential tower featuring rental units. The developer is the same one that is constructing the Dominion on Post Oak building right now.

I am surprised nobody has mentioned this news... Lyme Properties of Cambridge, MA has announced that it has closed on property located at 1911 Holcombe between the Spires Condo and the Ronald McDonald House. Plans call for a building that will house 25,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, 125,000 square feet of research and lab space, and 350,000 square feet of medical office space. The best news is that Lyme Properties erects FIRST CLASS projects. Here's a look at a similar sized building rising in Boston's Longwood Medical Center right now. The Blackfan Research Center will have underground parking and rise 300 feet above ground (18 floors). http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/newspics/blackfan.jpg It's also another sign that the Texas Medical Center is really taking off. I cant wait to see what the Houston project will look like. To see more examples of Lyme's work, check out www.lymeproperties.com

I would argue that none of Houston's suburbs are urban at all. Period. When the city of Houston itself is mostly suburban sprawl, it would be pretty hard to have an urban suburb. In fact, I would argue that Galveston is the most urban of any city in the entire Metro area, including Houston.

What is up with this "Print It." nonsense? What are you, twelve?

Apartments don't ruin a neighborhood. People who flee because they are too good to live near them do.

This announcement is nothing but a positive. Houston lacks park space when compared to most American cities. Thus, any new park is a good plan. Secondly, Houston is far less "forested" now than it was just 20 years ago. Thus, any new green space is a plus. Thirdly, if this does spur local development, I will trade the possible "kickbacks" to developers for the new tax dollars and hopefully increases in local population. More folks living, working, and playing in downtown means potentially less sprawl and congestion. Additionally, building a park to help spur development is MUCH MUCH MUCH better and cheaper than building a highway to nowhere (Grand Parkway). Honestly, ONLY in Houston would the development of 13 acres of green space on lots that are currently used for surface parking, bring out the conservative naysayers. It really is unbelievable.

For the most part, Europeans are correct, we are a nation of morons. Far too many people simply vote for a person because of their party affiliation. I have a feeling you could put Bubbles (Michael Jackson's monkey) in a suit, teach him a few key phrases (God Bless America, defend marriage from the homosexual agenda, and I will fight the liberal media), call him a republican, and he'd win the hearts and minds of the good folks in Sugar Land! Of course, what do we expect when 50% of Americans think Entertainment Tonight is a hard-hitting news program.

The first pic is of the Isabella. It is original and it is beautiful. One of those rare places that withstood the decay and never quite faded away. Here are some more...

Here are some Midtown pics I took about two years ago.

I am sorry, but why should anyone have to chill when it comes to DeLay? The man single-handedly witheld federal MONEY earmarked for Houston forcing us to pay way more than our share. He then said he wouldn't hi-jack future plans for rail if the voters passed the referendum. Well, guess what? The plan did pass and he is indeed holding up the process. Seems like flip-flopping to me. AND, if you believe this man has positive motivations, then you probably also believe we still might find WMDs in Iraq! Additionally, the man has gerrymandered the entire Houston area, not to serve the people, but rather to serve the Republican Party. Get back to me when you think carving out the Clear Lake area around NASA and putting it with Ft. Bend County burbs is a good idea for anyone other than DeLay. Of course, none of this even begins to talk about all of his apparent troubles with upholding the law...

Midtowncoog- Nice try. I am still waiting for an answer to a very simple question.

MidtownCoog- I am very clear how the "agencies" work. The fact remains that it is completely LEGAL to ask if the person who takes care of your child is a doucmented worker. Either you or the agency has an obligation to do so. I have no problems with people hiring illegal immigrants to do work most naturalized Americans are unwilling to do. What I do have a problem with is someone like yourself; you're willing to belittle immigrants on a public forum but in private, you are all too ready to employ them cheaply if it benefits you.

Yes, there is definitely a Fox Sports Grill in the new Terminal E. It is actually quite neat. It is nicknamed the "Skybox" because it seems suspended up in the air near gates E 18 and 19. I took a flight to EWR last week and you could hear the games being played on the large screen televisions from the boarding area.

I am still laughing at you, midtowncoog. Do you honestly think it is illegal to know whether or not the person you hired is a citizen or do you think the board is just foolish enough to think you are right? Seems to me that every job I have ever applied for has asked if I was a legal citizen and it seems to me that my friends that are LEGAL immigrants are asked for their documentation (green cards) from possible future employers. I am still left standing with the belief that you indeed employ an illegal immigrant to provide cheap child care for your family.

Midtown- Where was I being emotional? Also, why is responding emotionally to a racist post a bad thing? Or, are you just trying the old white guy patronizing routine by discounting the opposition (usually feminists) by claiming they are non-rational emotional beings? Going further, I notice that you didn't answer any of the "emotional" questions directly? Leads me to believe that you are indeed a total hypocrit unless that was your lame way of deflecting responsiblity to the "agency."

I am sorry, but after reading some of the posts on here I think we should make ignorance the official language of the USA. AND, for midtowncoog/otischance... here are a few questions I have for you. You stated that you employ a Mexican nanny. Is she a U.S. citizen? If she isn't then you need to shut your pie-hole about immigration. If she is, then do you pay her minimum wage? Do you declare her employment on your taxes? Have you thought about paying her a living wage so that maybe her family can have the same opportunities that you do? Additionally, has it ever occured to you that her relatively cheap employment (compared to private day care facilities) offers you several advantages in life that you and your spouse might not otherwise have? Going further, does your nanny have kids of her own? If she does, do you offer day care services to her kids so that she can work for you without having to rely on spending probably 50% of what she earns from you on day care alone? I am constantly amazed at the number of white folks who denegrate other races and ethnicities or disparage a lack of a work ethic about said folks, but at the same time, many of these white folks have to hire these people because they are too good to clean their own ____ out of their toilets! AND, if people are wondering, I am a total WASP and a direct descendent of Jane Long. I was just lucky enough to be raised to spot hypocrisy when I saw it.

Where in the hell did I say I was against all suburban development? I was speaking directly about this location. Additionally, if people would open their minds just a little bit, they'd realize that there are different type of development that can help out Houston in many ways. Here are just a few pertaining to this site. 1) Parking garages instead of massive paved surface parking. This will reduce the heat island effect and will also reduce potential flooding problems not to mention reduce the pollution runoff of motor oil that will undoubtedly make it's way into White Oak Bayou from the proposed lot. AND, if the developers of this cash cow are feeling neighborly, they might even add a little green space as a token to the 'hood with the leftover land. 2) Get rid of pod sites. Setting up seperate sites for every little fast food joint or other establishment just increases the typical Houstonian's laziness. Instead, add the sites onto the Target store so that people wont be idling in their cars while waiting for their SuperTacos. With how fat we've become, we could use the short walk instead. 3) Build green. Instead of just building a plain big box store, build a big box store with a green roof and/or one made of recycled materials. AND, before anyone starts shouting about increased expenses, I KNOW THAT. But, when do we as citizens start to demand more? We have rolled over and thrown our collective legs up into the air for developers for too long. It's time we make them pay for the ass-raping they give us! Hell, these developers could spend quadruple the amount they are planning *(assuming that they are building a typical big box site with pod sites) and still make a tidy profit. Besides the obvious demand for a store like a Target, this area is also a TIRZ area meaning these fellas will make out like bandits with the tax breaks!

Quite frankly, I don't give a crap about our reputation. What I do care about is that our air is harmful to breath. Yeah, a lot of it is from our refineries, but that excuses nothing. We have the technology today to clean up factories but our current administration in Washington has rolled back the tougher standards and is allowing the energy industry decide what consitutes "cleaner air." That should matter more than our bad reputation. Additionally, we also know that how we choose to develop directly affects our air quality. Yet, we still continue to widen roads, clear cut property for master planned communities (i.e. sprawling development away from the core), build strip malls on every corner, and other assinine things. AND, if I see another Hummer pulling into a Whole Foods Market, I think I will start shooting. Mark down one good outcome of the concealed weapon law!