houstonmacbro

You are a god! Wow ... that is amazing.

The Marriott?

Quite possibly.

I was almost thinking a HoJos, but Marriott makes more sense in my memory.

From the front parking lot I believe you could even see the Astrodome complex.

Does anyone remember a hotel, possibly in the 70s and maybe into the early 80s that was on North Braeswood between Main Street and Greenbriar? It actually faced the Bayou.

KCOH was let down by the community it "serviced" but at the same time, KCOH did nothing itself to make it stand out and rely on history which ain't paying bills....Houston is such a sorry radio market

KCOH pimped itself as its sad you can pay a few bucks and get prime radio time to peddle your product on their best shows

They never seemed to have shows I was interested in listening to. Also, the times I tuned in, I was kinda offended by the silliness of the show topics.

Also, what are they doing to get their station on streaming radio. I listen to TuneIn on my mobile devices and they are nowhere to be found.

They have to get with the times.

Ella Boulevard near FM 1960.

I'm just saying don't count it out. Same as Sharpstown. In the long run, I think it (Sharpstown) will come back if for nothing else than its proximity to the Galleria which is growing like gangbusters.

In 20 years Houston will look very different. Just look at Kirby and Uptown Park areas. Skyscrapers?!? Who whudda thunk.

No, Sharpstown doesn't. But TWENTY YEARS AGO someone was killed in the Greenspoint Mall parking lot, and for whatever reason, that trumps all. The Soviet Union dissolved... we've had four presidents, three governors, four mayors... grunge rock came and went... the internet went from a pipe dream in then Senator Al Gore's imagination to an essential reality today... a kid born the day the shooting happened would be in college today... in other words, change is all around, yet in all that time, whenever you think of Greenspoint, you think of "Gunspoint," even though it was twenty years ago.

I say that not to condemn the place... I'm a big backer of Greenspoint and the Aldine High School area... I'm just stating a fact. That place will never come back, and that's a shame. You can put all the lipstick you want on a corpse, but at the end of the day, it's still a corpse. Having spent a lot of my youth and having worked at the Greenspoint Mervyn's from 1992 - 1995, I wish i weren't so, but that would be denying the obvious.

They do have a new digital movie theater at the mall. Also Greenspoint has access to three major freeways, Sysco Foods just built a major distribution center there, and they have immediate proximity to the airport. Sharpstown doesn't have this.

Agreed. I think Houston is going to keep growing like gangbusters.

I think Houston's pinnacle is very far away and we're all gonna be dead by the time it arrives. Maybe HAIF will still be around five or six generations from now and they'll be intrigued by our discussions and progress.

I haven't watched the weather channel in years. If I want info I can't wait until the 8s, I just do the website and get it all right now. Weather isn't that exciting. I wouldn't be surprised if they cut way down on the on air talent in favor of keeping the updates on the 8s and random documentaries.

There was a news channel awhile back when I lived in DC. It's premise was local news all the time. I think it was simply News Channel 8 and was kind of like CNN and Fox where they show news all day. It eventually got sickening to watch with stories just being repeated all day. I mean, how many times can you watch the same piece knowing that it's canned content.

What's going on with The Weather Channel?

It used to be a reliable source for (of all things) weather updates. When a thunderstorm is approaching, I don't want to see a documentary about some 1950's hurricane. I want to see the current radar.

I hear you. But I will say the weather app (iPhone and prolly now on Android too..) has some great features. If you have a smart phone I would definitely check out their free app.

I think there was also one at South Post Oak.

I was riding down Almeda yesterday towards downtown and noticed a skyscraper in the distance with these really cool looking vertical windmills on top. Does anyone know what building this is, and the story behind it?

Geeze, What would they do if you just continue using the Tripod? Taze you. Wrestle you to the ground and throw you in cuffs? If rent-a-cops touch you they can be open to lawsuit.

I really wasn't willing to find out. LOL

 I knew what I was clicking, but did so any how. That was something I really could have done without this morning.

Richard Simmons

I looked at the clip again and it's possible that the houses are in Fifth Ward. They are on blocks and many houses out in that area are raised like that. Just a thought.

Nice photos. Is Bellevue considered Redmond? I saw one photo of a Microsoft tower.

Yeah, I don't believe it's a city thing as much as a property management thing. It's the same at Rice University. No one will say anything when your just walking around snapping pictures but as soon as you drag out a tripod your going to be confronted.  Is a tripod to "professional" looking?  I don't know and I don't blame you for wanting to use one. That's just the way it is. 

Yeah, I think it's because people started using it for official photos (weddings, portraits, quinceneras, etc.) ... I know I shot a singing group's portrait out there, but had to do it without the tripod (security stood there and made sure I didn't use it).

I guess they figure tripod = profession. No tripod means - amateur (or semi-professional).

Guess I really don't have a desire to hang out there (or any of the other bars down there). That said, I wouldn't know what their dress code is.

Now if they will only be flexible enough to run the trains later/more frequent after events at reliant...

Or a train to my neck of the woods (North Houston).

I am impressed by the number of buses with bike racks. Seems they get a lot of use out on the 86 in the FM 1960 area.

I'd heard most of the movie was taped here.

Just read that the Village institution Variety Fair will be closing down within the next 90 days...what a shame, what a great place of fond memories, just another addition to the dwindling number of Houston landmarks that come to a sad end.

Never heard of it. What type of shop is/was it?

This was from a few weeks ago.

Swamplot link

To me it is astounding that Houston has this endless cycle of bars migrating en massefrom one neighborhood to another. Richmond strip to Shepherd Plaza to Downtown to Washington Ave to Almeda. Do other cities have anything remotely like this? I should imagine the residents around Washington Ave will be thrilled to see the "scene" move.

It's because we have all this space. In other cities (like Washington, DC for instance) there are not that many places for new 'hot spots' to migrate too. Georgetown, Adams Morgan, or U Street. It's pretty confined.

Here, you can keep expanding inside the city in an almost endless choice.

Niche, you are right-on. I grew up eating at cafeterias such as Wyatt's, my all time favorite! I suppose the all-you-can-eat buffet has taken them out. I admit, I like the freedom of multiple choices, and one price fits all. But, I still long for the days when the old cafeteria was around.

Have you eaten at Cleburne's Cafeteria? Now that's my kind of food! A little pricey, and they only take cash - no credit cards, or checks. Man, talk about fresh good solid food! I eat there on special occassions when I really want to dine, instead of just eat food.

I gotta try Cleburns. I have heard a lot about them, but have never been.

As for concepts, maybe Luby's SHOULD implement all-you-can eat buffets like a lot of places along I-45. They seems to be doing blockbuster business.

I remember they started phasing that in about 10 years ago. The Piccadilly on W. Bellfort tried that a few months back, but they've reverted to the old way. I guess it was holding up the serving line?

Or the 'waiters' could handle the payments at the table near the end of meals.

They're probably speeding you through the line as fast as they can. But when you have things like people who can't decide what they want, larger orders and such, you'll have the hold up. Perhaps what they need to implement is a double line with the servers in the center and two lines on the outside. I saw something similar at a cafeteria in NC, though the second line was for to go orders.

Remember they used to have you pay at the exit. I am not sure what happened (maybe lots of people were skipping out on their tabs?).