dalparadise

I just hope it's more "architecturally significant" than Hines' last building here.

They are nice sketches, but that really looks like a building suited for Ft. Worth, not Houston.

The "whites"? The "blacks"? Is this some archived page from 1957?

It looks like they're responsible for a couple of things even uglier than this. Ugh -- that abomination at 59 and 610 is on their site. If I had any part of that, I'd never let it be known.

Nope -- those cables are the barrier, I believe.

For now, it appears Midtown will be the next place, though things are still pretty scattered there. Sooner or later it will move out of Midtown, too. One thing that might concern people this time is that, while the observation that the club scene does tend to move around a lot is correct, it hasn't ever seen the investment poured into making it permanent like it did in Downtown. The bars and clubs of Richmond Strip, Shepherd Plaza, Lower Westheimer and such were 1/10 or less of a cash outlay to get going. They were built to be disposable. Owners bought into Downtown to stay there a long time and many lost big. It's not easy to rebound from something like that. HP may be our last chance to see a thriving restaurant, club and bar scene develop in this area and stick. Rather than just dismissing the cyclical pattern as the nature of the business in Houston, perhaps we should look at some causes, to try to avoid this fate in the future. Metro's lack of vision in destroying the district's infrastructure all at once was a big factor that Downtown just never seemed to shake off. But I believe changing demographics in mainstream clubbing presented the most problems for owners, and will continue to do so, as long as that business continues to be as racially divided as it is. Simply stated, Houston is a town where there are a lot of well-heeled minorities with disposable income for bars and clubs -- more so than many cities, where many of the club-goers at the most posh establishments tend to be white tourists and can recycle. I know there are plenty of notable exceptions to that last statement, but bear with me... Mainstream club owners open up with the goal of attracting a mostly white audience and build their ambiance to that crowd, as that's how its generally thought money can be made the fastest. Then, about a year in, long before their seven-figure investment is paid off, Houston's small number of tourists and the "Fickle 500" have moved on and are replaced by local, often monied, Black and Asian patrons. They only stick around for a short time, as the atmosphere is slow to change, while the club owner resists re-tooling, in a desperate attempt to save his sinking ship. I've known a few of these guys and they all say the same thing -- they believe as soon as the Black or Asian crowd moves in, the club is done. It's racist and wrong, but it is the prevailing attitude. So, this club can't support the minority audience that wants to go there and it repels the white audience that no longer finds it relevant. White people in Houston don't feel comfortable around large groups of minorities. Many club owners actually try to push away the paying customers they have to lure them back, but it's too late by then. Hundreds of thousands of dollars later, the club owner is left scratching his head and looking through the help wanted section of the Chron. I believe that's the reason for the transient nature of Houston's club and bar scene. It's like that in some other cities, too, but not really to the degree we see here. Most other places have a steady influx of tourists that can keep hospitality industries a little more consistent. Here, it's all about the locals and Houston is a diverse city. I hate to say it, but perhaps we should look to Atlanta for some ideas on this matter. What does this have to do with Houston Pavilions? Well, the local bar and club districts that have bucked the trend I describe above, like The Village, Clear Lake and the 1960 North Side have done so because they have been largely insulated from minorities and have kept their operations quite small, attracting more of a local, neighborhood clientele. There just isn't enough going on in The Village to make most people of color want to drive half-way across town to try it out. HP will be different, though. They will be on people's radar -- everyone's radar. Bayou Place's failure to really take hold should be of prime interest to the developers of HP. I believe it suffers partly from the condition I describe above, as it cannot exist independently from the prevailing Downtown vibe. It will be an interesting experiment to see if Houston has reached the maturity level to put its racist ways behind it. Because, in order to be successful, HP will have to attract locals -- there aren't enough tourists to keep it going over the long term. I hope, for our sake the club owners have learned, because this time, we're talking nine figures.

Any development along the rail line has the potential to be an interesting and constructive addition to Downtown. It just takes a little vision. We often dismiss things too quickly because of an over-zealous desire for Manhattan-style developments.

Okay, I'll take your word for it. Sure did look like a lot of red, though.

So what's wrong with Robertson? I watched a Dynamo game on ESPN2 the other night. It was 15% full. Seems like Robertson is able to accomodate the number of fans who want to watch this stuff.

Why not?

when I moved back to Houston from Dallas in about 1999, I looked at this place -- it was a new, lease building then. The breathless sales lady showed me a smallish apartment and really hyped the downtown view. She said, "isn't this an amazing view?" I told her I liked the view, but that, at the prices they were asking, I should be looking at Coit Tower out my window. She replied, "Oh, those all pre-leased before we opened."

I believe when that theater opened, it was the largest in the US. There was quite a bit of news coverage about it. For years, it was the only first-run theater convenient to Montrose, West U and Uptown. I used to go there for movies all the time in the late 80s. They had framed newspaper articles about their opening in the lobby, from various cities across the country. This was the first of the "megaplexes". It seems small now.

I know from working with the Midtown Management District a few years ago that the Randall's has never been very healthy. It's not the brand -- although that has declined with the Safeway buyout and is a contributing factor -- it's the location. There just aren't enough sales at that store to offset operating costs. It's pretty well known among chains operating locally, too, so I'd think they'd avoid moving in if Randall's closed. Whole Foods or Central Market might be viable in Midtown, but not in that location. They'd need to build a really big one -- a "destination" grocery store that could draw customers from several miles away. The Randall's vision in Midtown was to draw people from about 2 miles away, along with a bit of MetroRail traffic. It has never worked to their projections. Essentially, Midtown/Downtown is a small town of about 10,000-11,000 people. "Upscale" grocery stores just don't work in small towns...at least I've never really seen one work.

Yeah, nobody stays in Houston hotels unless there's a racquetball tournament in town...Then, it's CRAZY packed with over 100 rooms occupied.

Why is it funny? I haven't changed my opinion. Also, perhaps you should ask yourself why the city is cracking down on this noise ordinance now. They didn't seem to mind when the clubs were making money. Now, when there are just a few that attract a lot of loitering, it's an all-of-a-sudden issue. My theory is that they're trying to hurry along the clubs' demise, so they can start over. Regardless, the writing's on the wall for nightlife in Downtown.

I don't think I wrote anything too cryptic to understand. But, I'll say it again in plain English: When clubs and bars Downtown -- where major investments in design, rent and promotion are required just to stay in business -- begin only attracting one minority racial group, it's a sign they're on their last legs. These clubs are like theme parks -- they must draw from the largest group with the most disposable income that's willing to put it in their pockets. That group generally starts out as single people (non-race specific) 25-34, making over $50,000. To truly be successful, a bar or club that aspires to be a "destination," as most in Downtown do, must find a way to build a big night out of one of the Sunday-Thursday opportunities. So, add "willing and able to spend on off-nights on a regular basis" to our customer criteria. And, because it's bars we're talking about, you need a healthy turnout of people who live very nearby, so the drive, walk, or train home is short and "safe". You may not like to hear this, but the vast majority of people in this city who fit that criteria are caucasian. I know there are African Americans, Koreans, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Native Americans, Samoans, Mexicans, Argentinians and maybe even a few Aggies who also meet that criteria. However, when you decrease your sample down to a single race, it gets increasingly difficult to hit all those hot buttons. Don't believe me? Ask yourself why a country dance club hasn't been able to establish itself Downtown. One could assume it would draw exclusively whites. No, the places that have been successful for the longest times have spanned racial lines. I used to see a really good mix of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics in places like Tonic, Mercury Room and the other mainstays. When they started going all-black or all-Asian, or whatever, they signalled that they were going out of business. It's not a black thing. It's a green thing. A Downtown club with big overhead can't survive on two nights per week of parking lot pimping. That's why 4/5 of what was the nightlife district is now boarded-up. Yes, I told you I saw a couple of clubs with people hanging around outside. To say that having something like that is an indication that Downtown is healthy for retail, restaurants and nightlife tells me you don't have a good understanding of what will really make Downtown viable as a residential/entertainment destination in the long run.

Wow, you're right. If I had known about that racquetball tournament, I'm sure my perception would have been altered. Over 100 checkouts? Whew! I can't believe a city this size can handle such an exodus. Perhaps that's why we couldn't find a cab to the Hilton. The streets were empty. No cabs. No nothing.

V&A's and Strip House suffer from the same crappy train syndrome as Hilton Americas. Sambuca is awful. Artista is nice and close, but completely isolated and in the wrong direction. Plus, everyone in my group agreed that the service is terrible. Cabo and St. Pete's do not warrant a response. I'm all for saving fuel and avoiding stress, but our train doesn't go anywhere in Downtown. It only goes to Midtown -- a choice I agree was your best one for finding an interesting place to go... at an early hour... in the middle of what aspires to be a vibrant city. That's a shame. It's one of the best looking places in town.

Not to nitpick - but "all the restaurants at Bayou Place were packed" means three places plus Hard Rock Cafe (which I don't count) were packed. Then Mia Bella -- agreed, the only decent place in the nightlife district Downtown -- makes a fourth place "packed". This is the downtown rennaissance of the fourth largest city in Texas? there just isn't much going on. The fact that you had to go to Midtown to find something that suited you is telling of Downtown's dire prognosis...at least until HP changes the landscape...hopefully.

I don't disagree. I didn't say Houston was dead, just that Downtown was.

Hurry up, Houston Pavillions. Downtown Houston is dead. I went to the Symphony last night for a Pops show -- "Hooray for Hollywood". It was very nice, but after the show, there was nothing going on, ON A FRIDAY NIGHT at 10:00pm. We wanted a view, food and drinks, so we decided on the Hilton Americas. Poor Houston, with its crappy train -- you just can't get there within a nice walking distance on a hot, humid night, through deserted, dark streets. So, we walked a few blocks to our car and drove the many blocks to the hotel. The hotel, which looks kind of like the Bellagio inside, was practically deserted. The lobby bar had 4-5 people. The "Chop House" seemed empty. There was another deserted restaurant in the lobby. We rode up to the 24th floor "Restaurant" on top of the hotel. It is very beautiful and the view is magnificent, but we were informed that no food is served at that hour -- 10:30 after a show on a Friday night, mind you. I asked if we could order room service or ask if food could be brought up to us from downstairs. The waiter said, "No, corporate says no service up here after 10:00pm" Can you imagine a hotel in a town that courts tourism or even local business responding this way? Big surprise -- this place was also virtually empty. Nice investment, City of Houston. So, we drank our $8 drinks and decided to go back to the Theater District to try to find something open that wasn't a club or a dive. We just caught Sake Lounge before they stopped serving. We were the only people in the whole place at 11:30. The sushi was pretty good, but it felt like 2 am, the way everyone was trying to rush us out of the place. Afterward, we walked up to Main. There were a couple of clubs that had a few people waiting in line. The street was pretty empty, though. Main St. Square -- the supposed center of the Downtown Rennaissance was deserted. Farther north, toward the Preston St. Station where all the clubs are was quiet too. I couldn't help noticing that African Americans made up the largest percentage of people I saw. Whether this is good or bad is up to you. Having some experience in the bar industry, though, I know that this is an indication that a bar with aspirations to appeal to an upscale audience is on the verge of going out of business. See Mercury Room/Boaka Bar, Suede, Tonic, M Bar, et al. The homeless were also out in force. Restaurants were closed, except for a few dumpy places. Retail was non-existant. The few people on the street were drunk, loud and hoochied-up. It looked like "the stroll" out there. Why anyone would want to be here, much less live here is beyond me. HP has some serious work ahead of it. If this was Friday, I'd hate to see a Wednesday.

Where is "Jullians"?

I used to go to Last Concert regularly about 8-9 years ago. I especially liked to go on Wednesday nights to see Carolyn Wonderland and the Imperial Monkeys play. Her set-break song was "Let's Go Get Stoned". Then, the band and the audience would all adjourn together to the patio and smoke dope for 15-20 minutes until she was ready to play again. Good times.

I've worked with Carr in several advertising productions and I have to say he is the most un-celebrity-like pro athlete I've ever met. I absolutely don't mean this as a compliment, either. He just had this 1000-yard stare that said there wasn't much going on upstairs. He had no swagger whatsoever. At charity events in his name, he didn't mingle or work to endear himself to the sponsors. He had everything given to him -- all he had to do was step up and take it. The guy just isn't very bright and lacks leadership chops. That's a liability in his position, regardless of his natural talent. I'm glad to see him go. It's a credit to Mr. McNair and the Texans' sense of loyalty that it took this long.

The mall as entertainment is an anachonistic idea. Plus, even in New York and Vegas, Tiffany is closed at night.