dalparadise

Sounds like management theory BS to me. They put the big dogs in the center, so they are more accessible to the rank and file, then promote their "open-door" policy.

I saw The cure at The Coliseum...or maybe The Music Hall in 1987. I was new in town then. Even then, we thought the building's days must be numbered. It seemed really out-dated.

You asked for input -- Downtown needs residents. Clubs have scared potential residents off. Stupid prices of "chic" empty buildings whose list of amenities includes urine-stained doorways, throngs of "parking lot pimps," weekend hooptie parades and lack of basic goods and services have also scared people off. Entertainment is not the answer -- no matter how low the cheese factor. Dining will help, but it won't really bring in the permanent residents. And you can't have shops or even grocery and basic services stores until you have residents to support them. So the key is to get 30,000 or so urban pioneers to rough it until Downtown is recognized as a viable neighborhood. Then the stores will start opening up and it will feed on itself. To do this, Downtown must abandon this silly, misconceived TriBeCa fascination it has, with expensive lofts for people who want to pretend they live somewhere else. Listen to me Houston -- urban living has very little to do with exposed brick and ductwork and everything to do with the fabric of the neighborhood around your loft conversion. That charming bum taking a crap on the sidewalk that you wear as evidence of your gritty, Manhattan sensibility is an anachronism. Manhattan is cleaned up and user-friendly. If you want real big-city living, make neighborhoods. Make regular apartments and make them close to small markets and places for a quick bite to eat. Make sidewalk cafes and bakeries. Make a decent newspaper, or two, to replace the piece of ____ that's printed on Texas Ave. Make our performing arts scene more accessible to the public and more open to up-and-coming artists. While you're at it, make the scene before every ballgame a 2-3 hour party, with street vendors, ticket scalpers, performers and more that closes off, if not Texas Ave., then one of those side streets that can't be driven on anyway. Make our train actually go somewhere. Make all the tunnel businesses relocate to street level, where they'll stay open past 4pm. Make it shameful for large companies to locate their headquarters outside this district. Make different kinds of companies want to come here. Make a signature style of barbeque sandwich or fajita -- something that can walk -- and make it available on street corners. Then, make it famous, by talking about it like it's larger than life and better than it really is. Make an advertising community and legalize the practice of their craft. Business begets business. Oh, and throw in a couple more newspapers. Ours is ____.

Exactly.

I'm hoping for Raising Cane's.

furthermore -- Parking lot pimpin' = thug appearance outside the club that discourages people who might otherwise go inside. Congratulations idiots -- you've found a way to turn a $million investment in the revival of downtown into the grown-up equivilent of a skating rink. Parking lot pimpin' is profit poison.

Yeah... they were making plenty of money, but because Walgreen's wanted the space, they closed.

At the risk of being dubbed a Republican, racist or both, I'll ask this question -- Who thinks the elephant in the room downtown is black people? You can't help but notice that several Main St. clubs, which used to have a couple of black people in them on a weekend night are now almost exclusively black. Does this make a difference to the viability of residential development downtown in a city that I believe is still pretty racist at its core? Do white Houstonians want to live in a neighborhood that attracts black people by the hundreds every weekend? What if these black people are dressed well and not causing any problems (they are)? I think it's still a stretch for Whitey in Houston to pay over $300K for a small condo to live in a neighborhood frequented by black people. Maybe that's why residential development is being held back.

The clubs are fewer than they were a couple of years ago. So is the activity. There has also been a real shift in the demographics downtown. Just know that clubs don't close because the money is pouring in too fast. And a well-run club won't won't close over a couple of slow months, especially when they happen every year. I'm not saying it's dire. I'm saying it's much less of a hot spot than it was two years ago...which was less than it was two years before that. I don't think this is really an indication of a cycle. Downtown is different. And it's not getting better. I think it needs some retail and residential to get it back in shape. Perhaps the waning nightlife will help people who are nervous about buying in a primarily nightlife district, bringing more residents and thus more retail. Maybe.

This guy gets it: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=dw-b...o&type=lgns "Pro soccer is never going to be a major sport in this country unless it becomes fundamentally more entertaining. This will certainly drive the soccernistas (the elitist, overbearing fan) nuts, but the reason America hasn't taken to the so-called "beautiful game" is not a lack of sophistication, but a wealth of superior and noisier entertainment options." "The soccernistas want to believe that a well-played game will win over America, but that's naive to the way sports and entertainment work. Athletic excellence is all well and good, but it pales in comparison to colorful characters, rich rivalries, wild feuds and other assorted mayhem." "Scoff if you wish, but that's how NASCAR and mixed martial arts have gotten big, that's why boxing and tennis have faded and that's how the NFL, NBA and MLB have remained on top. It isn't just the quality of the game (although that doesn't hurt); it is the intensity of the entertainment." "Because not even Becks and Posh can make soccer a beautiful enough game to thrive in this country."

The Astros AVERAGED over 37000 fans per game last season. That's for 81 regular season games. This was an exceptional year, but not unprecedented. They haven't drawn averages of less than about 25000-30000 since 1995 -- the season after the strike. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

Sorry, I dozed off. What were you saying about the demographics of soccer fans? Do you really believe it isn't considered a major sport because Channel 13 doesn't mention the thousands in attendance? The fact that you try to compare MLS's appeal with that of MLB, which even in a mid-market like Houston can draw 3,000,000 fans per season is telling of your skewed viewpoint. MLB has corporate sponsors and a fan base that here that sees it as more than just a curiosity. It has network TV deals. It is not hype about one player. It is built on an American tradition in the game. All the third-world countries in the world kicking cans on some dirt field in front of crowds who paid the equivilent of $.50 US for a ticket don't even compare to MLB. As for being the hottest ticket in SoCal -- I agree with you. There will be an initial groundswell of interest, fueled by hype. Once the demographic that matters realizes that the game is not that interesting, it will wane, though. It's just like NHL. Your LA Kings example is a perfect one for stating my point.

Sure I am. But soccer blows. It's for five-year-olds, Euros and the third world. The idea that you can somehow con America into having an instant soccer tradition has been tried with Pele and it failed. You just can't fake interest where it doesn't exist. It isn't that it doesn't get enough coverage. Fundamentally, the sport is just not interesting to an American audience. Comparisons you draw with the NHL are bad ones. The NHL has been bolstered by the sport's best athletes over the course of the past 20 years or so. Many would say the league is at its best now, with the most competitive teams and best skaters. But, by and large, America doesn't care. NHL is a diversion. It's a side note. Yeah, it's big in Detroit, just like soccer may be big in border cities like Houston and LA. But, if it doesn't capture the imagination of the larger fan base, it will remain a back-of-the-sports-page story. You keep calling out for the media to hype soccer in the US, but the media will cover only what interests people with money to buy tickets and advertisers' products. In America, that means people who have grown out of the soccer carpool set, namely those 18-34 who are big sports fans and enjoy MLB, NFL and NBA and those 34-60 who are upper-income and enjoy MLB, NFL and NBA. The core group of these fans is predominantly male and predominantly white. Yes, I know that other demographic groups buy the gear and are targets of a large part of the advertising targeting, but once again, that's niche marketing -- to expand the appeal and grow the revenue. The real money is in the core audience -- the people who buy the tickets. It's a lesson even NBA is learning the hard way, as they continue to alienate the core audience. Expecting soccer to play in the corporate season-ticket-buying American market after this initial bump from Beckham is expecting too much. It isn't flashy or competitive enough, the strategies are too simple to excite an American audience and the nuances of the game don't play well on TV. It's a fun game to play. It's just not made for an American sports audience.

It's only boring if you're awake while the game is being played.

Well, I'd suggest Galveston look into the same things other closely contained places have to move people around. I think a reliable trolly service from 61st to The Strand with plenty of regular stops along the way, at various points of interest would also do well. I can't really imagine conventioneers wanting to venture much past 61st street. Galveston is still small and dense enough to make a transportation system work. Maybe they should think about it.

I was thinking this, too. Using DFW as a domestic hub and running an American Eagle shuttle 3-4 times a day seems to make sense. It would also boost cruise traffic. Of course this idea would hurt Houston airport traffic -- especially international traffic, as it would be much easier for Galvestonians to commute to DFW for international flights, than to commute to IAH. So, I doubt it would happen. Perhaps a DAL without the Wright Amendment would make more sense. Most of the seats lost to commuting Galvestonians who would have otherwise gone to HOU would be Southwest seats anyway, so they wouldn't mind.

It is completely cleared of all roller coasters, including non-movable ones. A billboard at nearby Mike Calvert Toyota reads, "The park is gone. We've got the rides now." No other movement yet.

Actually, it wouldn't be anything like DFW. It would only be a name change...and the article goes on to tell why it wouldn't work. Perception is reality for travelers from outside this region. When they see that the nearest airport is an hour away, they stay away. Now, a high-speed rail between DT Houston and The Strand, with a stop at Hobby would probably work. How about deplaning at Hobby, hopping the rail and being on the island in 15-20 minutes? People would do that.

Okay...I'll stop being a stinkpickle, if Montrose stops being a turdburglar.

You're most likely right about this, too.

Ah -- thanks for confirming that it was you I saw that day walking down my street. Why else would you attempt such a bizarre insult? You denied it at the time, but the fact that it resonated with you enough to bring it up here tells me it was you and that you have added "liar" to your repetoire. Don't bother replying to this. You are now ignored.

I'm not being sarcastic. I'm sorry you consider my post rude. Perhaps you feel this way because English is not your first or best language.

Probably -- because I doubt you understand the meaning of the word "irony". I never apologized for stating facts on here. Just because you don't accept logical thinking, doesn't mean I'm attacking you.

So, again -- Originally called the Thriller and was operated as a traveling coaster throughout Germany. Built in 1986. Named Taz's Texas Tornado when it opened at Astroworld in 1998. Renamed to Texas Tornado for the 1999 season. Closed in 2001 and 2002 due to issues with the restraints. Your title never left.

Montrose1100 doesn't believe this rollercoaster has ever moved...or that rollercoasters CAN move. He believes -- quite passionately -- that they are built once and destroyed...kinda like how Carl Everett doesn't believe in dinosaurs.