callisthenes

No opinions on the Yucatan thing as I have never been, but there is plenty of demand for more restaurants in the Heights. You cannot get in the door at Teotihuacan on Friday or Saturday night. Yucatan is more upscale and might find a niche in the Heights.

I can wait in line for good Tex/Mex or Mexican, but this is Tacos Yucatan del norte: "now open in OKC, Ft worth and the Woodlands".

Kind of reminds me of the Tamale Factory on Studewood/11^th that had the “best tamales south of the border”.

We'll see, their website description suggests a mishmash of Latin American culinary stereotype-branding that could appeal to the late night White Oak crowd, but The El will have them locked up.

This reminds me, I wanted to post about that poor abused tree behind Dacapo’s on Studewood.

After Ike, the old fella was pretty mangled; there were perhaps a few living sprigs, but he wouldn’t be long for this world.

Then some intrepid troubadour artist painted red “pants” on the remaining two limbs, and affixed garbage bags atop each one to serve as “boots” for a whimsical, upside-down buried giant.  I don’t know if children were involved, but it certainly evoked the workmanship of 8 or 9 year olds.  Then over the ensuing months, the paint peeled and garbage bags rotted away, and each time I went by I contemplated buying a cordless reciprocating saw to end the misery on some dark night.

Then suddenly trees turned blue down on Memorial and Waugh.  “Natural blue pigment” they said, which would fade and disappear within months.  An interesting and arresting blue color I noted as I drove by.  Turns out that by making those crepe myrtles stand out, the artist is trying to draw attention to areas around the world where trees are disappearing.

A few weeks later, the old tree behind Dacapo’s was suddenly blue.  Was the tree bemoaning its own loss, or “blue” with jealousy over how good those spry young crepe myrtles look?

Close examination revealed that only the half facing the roadway was irregularly spray painted, with some paint sprayed on the grass around the trunk.  Since most artists have access to drop cloths, painted grass must be a statement of some kind.  I guess if trees are disappearing, the grass has now joined in.  Although, I think fewer trees would mean more grass?  Maybe the blue color is meant to evoke some sort of blue image to the world but dead behind the blue façade.

Anyway, I plea for mercy.

I think it is because rocks of that size and shape are completely foreign to this area. Limestone would have been cliche, but appropriate. Round stones are stupid.

The "rocks" are fake.  Well, they could be real rocks covered with a thin coating of colored concrete, but most likely they are just fake.

Since little bedrock is exposed in the Houston area, most rocks are foreign.  Maybe they will rename the development Karankawan Estates and make them out of wattle and daub?

For people who think that parking is not a legitimate complaint for the houses who are near bars are just flat out stupid...nobody tolerates non-residents continually inconveniencing residents...nobody...its not a realistic expectation.  If bars can do it, why not just let Tommie Vaughn park all their super duty inventory up and down neighborhood streets until they sell or get stolen? 

People can complain about on street parking if they want.  It just doesn’t seem to be brought up when the “right” businesses are opening up around here, and dealing with it is a minor part of living in a city.

In my case, I am betting if a restaurant or gym opens up in the building at 11 ½ and Studewood it will impact parking on the street around my house.  And I am sure that people not wanting to go to River Oaks, City Center or Sugar Land (suburbs, ew!) will park there too when Ruggles Green opens up and brings the suburbs to the Heights. But whatever, I don’t have an issue with people legally parking on the public streets.  But if problems do ensue from it, I’ll pursue remedies to get the COH to manage the city street better. 

BTW the mechanics at Tommy Vaughn park on the street along 12^th, blocking two full lanes and forcing my bike into traffic.  Maybe you can stop by and tell them to stop making bikes get in your way?

I don't think a neighborhood should have to be inconvenienced with a bunch of cars parked on their street all the time so that some bar owner does not have to pay to buy sufficient parking.

Not sure what the Historical District’s restrictions are on those parking lots.  I suppose if Victorian homes are razed to make way for the lots, they would have to be paved with cobblestones and have Victorian-era hitching posts along the perimeter.  If it’s Craftsman style homes removed to make way, maybe Prairie style fencing and concrete or tarmac paving with era-appropriate gravel.  No painted lines designating spaces on either one, unless it’s era appropriate lead based.

You're right, all vehicles must obey speed limit signs. I haven't seen any on the bike pedestrian path, though!

The trail through part of Terry Hershey has some signs suggesting bikes pass pedestrians at 10 mph. They are not "official" looking signs, maybe a park conservancy group or neighborhood association put them up.

Most bicyclist are riding 10-20mph, and if they are going to pass somebody from behind they call out "on your left" to give fair warning. I myself only do this if the situation calls for it, i.e. I can't get past without having somebody move out of my way. I don't yell at everyone I pass on a bike path just as I don't honk at everyone I pass in my car on the streets. In part that's because sometimes when I do signal my approach, walkers will make some random move rather than just moving over to let me pass, which can be dangerous for all of us.

The path through the Heights is a hike/bike path - not a bike path.  (except on Heights blvd which is clearly a bike path).  I frequently use the hike/bike trails...its clearly designated for walking & biking.  Ive got kids and I let them walk on the path...The law pertaining to bikes is the same as it is to cars.  Pedestrians have the right of way.  When I see a biker coming I will try to get my kids hands or pick them up to keep them from getting in a bikers way.  However, many times they come up quickly from behind, or are riding 2 across taking up the whole path.

 

I can only do so much to ensure that a bike rider is being responsible on the trail.  Many ride way too fast for a trail that is not specifically for bikes only....the really obnoxious ones like to get close to you as they zip by in their little bike-tights.  I can tell you this with authority.  I would not hesitate for one second to knock a bike rider off his bike if he was about to collide with my kids.  Not even one second...nor would I feel guilty, or take responsibility for his injuries or his bike.  Bike Riders are required to ride their bikes at a safe speed, exactly like a car is required to operate at a safe speed...if a bike rider is riding too fast on a trail with kids on it they are acting irresponsibly and will have to suffer the consequences of their boneheaded self righteousness...Pedestrians have the right of way.  Its almost ironic that bikers complain about pedestrians...its the same complaints that cars have about bikes - slow, taking up the whole road, and difficult to safely pass.

Man, the bicyclists are not trying to run into you.  If you are scared of bikes and bicyclists or hate them so much, walk someplace else besides a hike/bike trail.  Guaranteed you're gonna see bikes there.

People have been asking for an actual traffic signal for 11th/Nicholson and bikepath/Yale.  A stop sign would not make sense as it would force everyone to stop.  A traffic signal that was activated by users of the trail would be a great idea to make the crossing safe for everyone, not just cyclist.  People do go for walks with family.  People on the west side of Yale take the bike path to go to Donovan Park with their kids.  Crossing Yale St. with little kids is a major challenge and it does not have to be that way.

 

Waiting for pedestrians and cyclists to cross a major thoroughfare is just part of the urban driving experience.

Those streets can be crossed safely now.  Look at the challenge as an opportunity to teach your kids how to wait patiently and cross streets safely. 

There are “bike route” signs on 11^th coming up to the Nicholson trail.  Given Houston driving culture, I don’t think making them neon or putting warning lights on them will slow traffic down, and since some drivers like to stop when they don’t have to and wave bikes through intersections, it might create a more dangerous situation.  Given the volume of traffic on 11^th compared to that on the Nicholson trail, stop lights or signs aren’t justified. 

Waiting to cross major thoroughfares is just part of the urban cycling experience.  Welcome to the streets.

It's actually going to be at 904 Westcott, but that's still close enough to panic, right?

Certainly concern about the structural integrity of the roundabout is justified, but since the location is well outside the "historic Heights", other historical contexts must be invoked.

In this case, the location's proximity to historical Camp Logan must be addressed.  No doubt historical presevationists in that area will press TJs to acknowledge, with some sort of architectural flair or on-site memorial, the riots that occurred there in 1917, as well as the influenza outbreak the following year.

I live nearby, there's been work going on there.  SilverJK's observations of worker comings and goings is accurate.

Not sure why they're having trouble getting a business to commit to the location, but I've always wondered about the business model of selling $400,000 + condos in a sea of $300,000 homes.  Remains to be seen if that works out.

There's an interesting practical effect of the construction that I've noticed.  Initial worries were expressed about the building blocking sunlight from surrounding homes.  That may be happening, but what definitely happens on the east side is that in the morning, the highly reflective windows cast beams of light onto the street below.  Walking through them is sort of like being an ant under a magnifying glass!

I think that place is/was auto service/inspections, etc and not convenience store.

Maybe that's why they weren't doing well, no convenience store profits.  Big Car Dealer Mechanics and Big Oil Change and Inspections stole their business.

It is almost impossible for independents to compete with the oil company owned stores anymore.

That gas station was a franchise of Citgo, just as others are franchises of Chevron, ExxonMobil, Valero etc.  They all get their gas from the refineries, with additives here or there depending on brand, and are all running on the same economic model (minimal profit on gas, so maximize profit in convenience store).

Right, the staff recommended denial last week after reviewing the application, but it was still on the agenda for 24Jan. The hahc could have concurred and denied, concurred and deferred final action with recommendations or gone against staff and approved. I don't know the outcome.

Well OK. All the fulmination against HAHC wrt the petition made me think the committee had ruled previously, and the owners were in some sort of appeals process after that. But I couldn't get info on that from the petition, other than an appeal for the Mayor to exercise some authority in the matter. In the interest of understanding the process, I wonder if planning staff based the recommendation of rejection on general standing city codes/restrictions or restrictions specific to the Heights district/HAHC. I think the ambiguity of some of the Heights historic restrictions was one of the worries dicussed on here, could this be an example of capricious application of the rules.

I got interested in the 1207 Harvard part of the thread this morning. Anybody know if it got approved at the Jan 24 meeting? The minutes are not yet posted.

Also, in regards to the petition, it's not clear to me when HAHC first denied the 1207 Harvard plans, because the property is not listed on minutes from previous meetings, at least I couldn't find it. If it wasn't brought to the HAHC prior to Jan 24, were the owners responding to hearsay from their developer rather than HAHC action in posting the petition?

As to the reason the cars stop without a stop sign when the bike is coming from a direction with a stop sign - its because we know from watching these yahoos that most times they wont stop, and the pain in the butt of dealing with an accident and possibly hurting someone is not worth the 1 second saved by slowing down to be sure the biker was actually going to stop.

Some of us may get a tiny bit of enjoyment from ensuring that the bike rider has to follow the rules and actually stop.

You are not doing me any favors by making up your own traffic rules at intersections, you are just demonstrating that you have some power and control over my progress and, ultimately, my safety. Behave in a predictable, legal and safe manner and you will have fewer problems interacting with bikes.

And if you are driving, and becoming frustrated and angry at bikers, and making up traffic rules, and trying to use your cameraphone to take pictures of them, you may be a more dangerous driver than I thought. I have made the necessary adjustment to my bike riding risk assessment, thanks.

You create a problem you get to deal with the repercussions.

It’s statements like this that suggest to me you’re potentially a dangerous driver. If you think bicyclists are creating problems, what repercussions will you resort to out of frustration when you’re driving?

It’s not personal. When I’m riding my bike, my own safety is my priority, so I have to adjust my risk assessments accordingly.

I don’t need to know that you’ve got a ticketless driving record, that you take the kids bike riding, or that you have a cool ride. I’m still lobbying for a new pickup truck; last time wifey got a new car, all I got was a new bike

When I ride, I always believe the cars have the right of way, regardless of the law.

You may be expressing the same thing I am saying about my priority of my safety when I ride, but I also think you’re operating under the misperception that cars have the “right of way” over and above anyone else on the road.

In terms of natural selection, you are correct, the car will win over the bike every time in an accident. In terms of legal right of way, that’s how things work in less developed countries, i.e. the larger the vehicle, the more right of way it has. For some Houston drivers, it works that way here too. But actually, we have traffic laws geared to make things as efficient and safe as possible, accommodating the diversity of modes of transportation we have in the city. Bicycles have as much right to the road as other vehicles, even if the driving culture says you have to rebel against the notion.

100 people add 5 minutes to their commute and probably burn cumulatively more than 5-10 extra gallons of gas so ONE person either does not have to navigate around trash cans, OR so that same person does not have to start/stop at stop signs on the next street over. And us vehicle operators are the selfish ones?

LOL stop the hyperbole already. Bicyclists are among the smallest effects on your commute time or gas mileage.

As I posted before, you aren't selfish, you're just lashing out because you feel powerless and out of control when you have to share the road with bicyclists. Which makes you a dangerous driver, IMO.

I didn't witness the aftermath but my business partner in the 401 Studewood building told me a bicyclist was blown over the side of the Studewood bridge about two weeks ago, messed him up bad. Apparently he tried to ride on that little walkway next to the low rail figuring he was safer than riding in the southbound lane with those important people coming off of the White Oak light testing their 0-60 times into a blind curve. That bridge has to be the most dangerous stretch for bicyclists in the Heights.

That guy tended bar at Liberty Kitchen, heard he broke his back and his broken arm had to get fused (?). He is now recovering though. Scuttlebutt is that his friends are getting some sort of benefit together for him soon, maybe at Big Star Bar.

It is a VERY minor complaint, but it happens so frequently as to be frustrating. They are either oblivious to the back up, or they just flat out dont care....I believe its the latter....they have a legal right to do what they are doing so to hell with everyone else....

Houston driving culture is about power and control, with some third world drivers and a current societal fashion for victimhood thrown in.

You’re frustrated because the fact that bikes have a right to the road makes you feel powerless and out of control.

In a Foxworthy vein, you might be an unsafe driver if:

You feel that bikes are nuisances to cars

You are easily frustrated by interacting safely with bicycle riders on the road

You claim to be a victim of bicycles if you have to slow down or yield right of way to them

You site statutes that will justify your anger and frustration with bicycle riders

You are amused that people who ride bikes gripe about how people in 1-2 ton cars drive

You are not smarter than a fifth grader

Just get out of the way, your slow, you break all the rules of the road, and you are inconveniencing far more people than not. Bicycle riders are selfish, regardless of whether or not they have a legal right to use the road, they are still, nonetheless selfish.

See? The guy driving the 1.5 ton SUV is the victim, not the guy riding the 10 pound bike.

I'm a little worried that Walmart smiley-virus will infect my computer... will the new Walmart offer computer repair services?

we can do this all day

in a futile attempt to get sort of back on subject, did anyone else notice how the standard smiley looks very much like the walmart smiley?

You will never convince the majority of Houston drivers that they are not the victims of bicyclists.

And perhaps your attempt is not futile. Could it be a pro-Walmart virus infecting the forum?

As long as they stick with the plan to do 4 stories, it won't be out of scale for the neighborhood.

The neighborhood scale now includes the Studewood/11th condos, so does that increase the number of stories that are considered in scale?

Reads like it will be a box with Craftsman decor and accountrements:

"The property, which will be built in the Craftsman style to blend in with the neighborhood, will be about 80 units, including 20 independent living, 40 assisted living, and 20 memory care units."

Hip Replacements: Houston Heights Not Just for Hipsters Anymore!

Too bad. It’s a great local store, friendly people and decent selection of stuff. In addition to a meeting place for local oldsters, they gave part-time and summer jobs to local kids too.

The demographics of aging Boomers will drive more of this type of development in and around the Heights.

certainly a stretch to believe

http://blog.chron.co...roups-in-study/

From the article:

<The number of big-box retailers in a community can have social and economic effects that lead to the formation of hate groups, a recent study found…

“We’re not trying to pick on Wal-Mart,” said Goetz. “In this study, Wal-Mart is really serving as a proxy for any type of large retailer.”>

Walmart hate-groups only appeared in the Heights after the Target opened. Hypothesis confirmed!