C2H

I think the rockets are gonna do some great things this upcoming season with the addition of Steve francis. Having several key star players are the reason why the Lakers were such a great team for a while. As for the new floor, its definitely an improvement but I just wish they'd change up the color and add more coloring than just red and white. kinda boring!

wait! I thought they were building a parking garage, not using an existing one! Can anyone confirm this?

I thought the parking garage was going to be the lot closest to the Hilton Hotel.

Nvm, I looked at the renderings of the new version and it looks like they are using the existing parking garage already in place.

yeah the garage across the street just south of the 2nd lot i think is the garage they're going to use. The first 3 blocks are land dedicated to the actual Pavilions itself

This is definitely some good news. I used to work for Embassy Suites in Colorado Springs and it is definitely a nice hotel. I just hope that this park continues to attract new great projects like this. I think Houston will end up having quite a hopping little downtown here in the next upcoming years.

That's quite an old article but interesting read though.

Check out what Toronto is doing with their skyline lighting...

Keep in mind, all of those buildings on the waterfront are residential.

awesome. i wish downtown houston was that visionary!

My wife and I had dinner at the Spindletop while I was in Houston July 28-30, 2007.

I guess some people scream panic when black folks dominate an entertainment area.

This is the truest statement that alot of forumers on here often try to avoid saying. I notice when people of color come and dominate an aera, people say the place has been overun by thugs!

Sorry to play the racecard here but many know this to be true.

I confess, I am one of millions that love Las Vegas for the gambling AND the lighted buildings, billboards, strip, etc.

Las Vegas never ceases to amaze me. I love the audacity if the innovation and creativity the designers put into building it up. The skies the limit! For years I have bragged about Vegas being like a huge movie set built up in the desert. Each casino trying to outdo or compete with the other for tourist with stars and $ in thier eyes. Call it too much glitz and glamour but I lust it! It has everthing one could want that has an interest in entertainment. I could spend hours just checking out each and every dazzling billboard. So, maybe I'm in the minority but I love the madness of the lights and excitment, in the blood I guess.

Thank you for helping to strengthen my point . I was a travel agent for 6 months and was able to see many surveys conducted on how Las Vegas's lights are considered a tourist draw within themselves. Las Vegas isn't the only gambling depot in the U.S. Here in Colorado, there's several. The closest one from me is an hour away at Cripple Creek and Denver also has one about an hour away from there called BlackHawk. Casinos are a dime a dozen

I don't think BRIGHT lights would be high on the list of wants...

I've said this before and i'm going to say it again. I'm not suggesting that Houston be like Vegas or anything else. I merely pointed that out as an example as to how lights can have an impact on the city and make it more of a 24hour place.

I've talked with many travelers and yes, they go to Vegas primarily to see the entertainment shows and gambling. On the other hand, most of the time when they do talk about Vegas, they asscoiate, "I just love the lights and walking the strip at night".

Now for Houston. No you don't have to be Vegas, NYC, Tokyo, Atlanta, Dallas or anything else. There are many cities that light up their skyline tastefully without being too bright. Examples are: Denver, Portland, and Austin. But Houston could at least stop lighting virtually every building with Christmas lights and replace it with something else. That's all i'm saying.

^^^ and just because the 2 of you don't travel to see the lights doesn't mean that other people around the world don't. Many people love lights and flash. As i said before, gambling can be done at your nearest gambling depot (unless you live in Texas). Vegas wouldn't get half the recognition the hype if it wasn't for the lights and flash. Face it. Musicboy, i think you know that, you're just being difficult for the hell of it.

I'm done with this now!

you're explanation is weak. think about it, do you honestly believe that adding lighting is going to make a large number of people want to head downtown? or would adding some nice restaurants/shops/etc cause people to go downtown?

honestly, a little bit of both. Now i don't make the rules. Don't ask me why people and out of towners are attracted to lights. Don't ask me why so many people visit Vegas a year primarily to see the lit up strip. Most states (besides Texas) allow gambling, so if you think about it, they can do that anywhere. Don't ask me why so many people like Time Square's lit up scene. It is what it is.

lit buildings don't determine whether it is a 24/7 place. people make it that way.

I give up!

Some people just don't even want to try to understand. I'll let someone else take it from here.

PRIORITIES, people!

In the end, I don't care about decorative lights. I prefer the offices to be lit from the inside!

You're missong the point. True, Decorative lighting doesn't define a city, but to help downtown be more of a 24 hour place like Central Houston wants it, decorative lighting that's tasteful wouldn't be such a bad idea !

Yeah, it must be cool to see that buglamp from 30 miles away.

You can hate on Dallas all you want but Dallas's colors look better in the night sky than Houston's christmas lights. It looks too much like lighting was an afterthought.

I'm not saying that H should try to be like Dallas, but Houston's building owners need to hire some lighting architects to where they can light up the buildings in a tasteful manner without being too gaudy or showy.

This topic is something that i've always been in support of. I started a similar topic related to this long time ago on the old HAIF thread before it crashed.

Everytime i'm in Houston, i wonder why the City doesn't highlight the best aspects of the city (i.e. the Skyline). I think its great that they started to light the Buffalo Bayou with the blue flood lights. I think they should do it every night instead of a few nights every month. They should also paint the columns under that portion of the freeway and clean the Bayou more. Last time i was there, the Bayou was starting to look neglected again.

As far as the skyscrapers, i can't help but wonder why some people in this city don't think that Houston's night skyline needs improvement. I didn't at all understand Redscare and Musicman's opening comments at the beginning of this thread. When i was watching the MLB World Series last year, i was a tad embarassed when they showed Houston's dim lit skyline in the back when comparing it to the light show Chicago did. I don't know what it is, but people like lights. It makes a city seem more vibrant and upbeat. Take it from someone who visits Houston quite frequently like myself. I always like hanging out in the Uptown/Galleria area because it seems like the center of Houston's activity. Downtown sort of seems like it sits in Uptown's shadow. Yes, partly the reason is because of the way downtown Houston is so poorly lit at night. Even though Main Street is lit up nice, everything surrounding it makes it seem like Pleasantville.

To improve Houston's skyline at night, the first thing that downtown owners need to do is to remove the white christmas lights from the rooftops. Whoever thought that would look good needs to be fired. Christmas lights on a building doesn't even flow well for a skyline. Its like they just light it for the sake of lighting it so an airplane won't crash into them. The Christmas light concept might work well in smaller cities like Baton Rouge, Fort Worth, or even Tulsa. If Houston wants to be treated more like the 4th largest city, it needs to start acting like it. For a visual example, Houston should look to it's neighbor 238 miles north.

Scarface, you have my support. I've already written a letter last time this topic was brought up several years ago. I still think the more letters that get out, the better chance of something getting done. Let's do it folks!

PS. Thanks for the address

Central Houston: New Phone #(713-650-3022

Robert Eury

909 Fannin Suite 1650

Houston, TX 77010

Thank you! Finally someone who agrees with me! And Welcome to HAIF!

I agree with you too

It just seems that some Houstonites have just settled in mediocrity.

I'm excited about this development. Can't wait to get to Houston to see all these projects popping up out of the ground like weeds!

Well the closest entrance into the tunnels that I can think of is the Park Shops. It wouldn't seem unreasonable to connect them.

yeah you're probably right, they'll probably just connect them with skywalks.... alot cheaper too!

does anyone think they will expand the tunnels from the houston center to connect with HP, Park Tower, and Discovery Green

Will we be getting some moving HDTV's?

That'd be cool but i wouldn't count on it. Denver Pavilions doesn't have them.

I think that a place in the new downtown Park would be cool for a large TV or jumbotron. So we don't hi-jack this thread, it can be discussed here.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...?showtopic=6331

^^^^^

Is that the sound of Semi jumping on board J/K

I know i'm a little late on this but...

Denver is a tourist destination?

No Denver is not a tourist destination. I have no idea what Shasta is talking about. Denver is a business city with a weak economy. Although its improving, its still not up to par for a major city.

I love Denver and it is the largest city in the state i live, but for real, just because it attracted "Real World" does not define it's vitality of an interesting city. Austin got real world, does that discredit San Antonio and Dallas as being interesting places?

I'm actually surprised at Shasta, usually his posts are usually way more imformative. That last one was a tad bit ignorant.

After looking over that list more closely and comparing it to the current tenant list at Denver Pavilions, I think it is pretty clearly a combo list of tenants who are currently in the Denver Pavilions and tenants who have signed leased for Houston Pavilions. Some tenants are in both categories. Perhaps others to be announced are on the list and are currently in Denver Pavilions. But I would not expect all of the businesses on that list to end up in Houston Pavilions. Personally, I would be very surprised, for example, if we see either Corner Bakery of Hard Rock Cafe in Houston Pavilions. But of course, one never knows (at least until tomorrow)...

I would love for them to announce a new hotel as one of the anchors they are supposed to be announcing tomorrow...

That's why i hope they don't waste good space by putting in the same tennants we already have. Seriously, if they put another Red Cat Jazz cafe or a Corner Bakery, i'm gonna be sick to my stomach. We need more variety, something we don't have down there already: Barnes and Noble, NikeTown, ESPN zone, Virgin Megastore, or Movie Theater. PLease, Please, PLease lets not waste this thing on things they have a block away. I thought the idea was to bring in more exclusives to downtown.

It won't help bring people downtown if we're rebuilding the same Main Street we already have all over again.

That said, the tenants do seem a little specific as far a 20-30 screen theater. Denver's is 15 isn't it. Plus is a local in the list such as Yao's.

Yeah Denver's is only 15, so maybe the movie theatre did make the list.

I'd say Niketown, Movie Theater, Barnes/Noble, Virgin MegaStore, and ESPN Zone!!!

Oh yeah! I forgot about Vigin Records and ESPN Zone. I hope they make it too!

Relax. The list is fairly accurate.

I don't know, WesternGulf might have a point. That list was only a list of possible tennants, not ones that will be actually filling the space. The ones i'm really hoping that will still make the list are: Niketown, Movie Theater, Forever 21, and Barnes/Nobile.

But i wouldn't expect all those tennants to be in there. It's just too many for the amount of space available.

OH MY GOD! I really think this is the tenants for Houston Pavilions, at lease I hope it is. I've checked Denver Pavilions web site. They don't have a 20-30 screen theater, it's only 15 screens. I'm guessing they decided to built a Multi-Use Cinema Complex to make up for the residental. So, pretty much this is a dream come true for downtown Houston!

KEY TENANTS...

HOUSE OF BLUES

UNITED ARTIST 20-30 SCREENS (THEY HEARD MY PRAYERS)

LUCKY STRIKE

COYOTE UGLY

HARD ROCK CAFE

YAO'S

MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY

CORNER BAKERY

MCCORMICK & SCHMICKS

LAWRY'S PRIME RIB

VIRGIN MEGA STORE

BARNES AND NOBLE

BANNANA REPUBLIC

GAP/BABY GAP

ANN TAYLOR

EXPRESS

VICTORIA'S SECRET

NIKETOWN

FOREVER 21

BRIGHTON COLLECTABLES

BCBG

All i gotta say is... WOW! That will mean a whole new downtown Houston.

Semipro, thanks for that list because the link wasn't showing up on my computer. Are you sure you didn't add anything to the list yourself just to play with my emotions?