nativehou

Any news on this? Can anyone nail down the groundbreaking date?

Their Asia Society Texas web site says...

"Groundbreaking for Asia House, to be located in the Museum District, will take place in late 2007, with formal dedication projected in 2009. "

Anyone paddle around the bayou around that area? It always seems like there's quite a current where the bayous join.. Might be an interesting struggle to paddle up-stream to get to river oaks.. But I've never done it, so maybe it's not so bad.

I took a Leisure Learning canoe trip down the bayou. We dropped in under the Shepherd pass and finished at Allen's Landing. I wouldn't want to try it upstream.

I am new to the area, where do residents of Westbury and Meyerland go to see movies now that the AMC is closed?

Edwards or the Greenway, both in Greenway Plaza.

It is my opinion that race is not a factor at all when moving into River Oaks. Rather, it is whether or not the surrounding residents deem you "worthy" of living there.

The unfortunate reality is that race enters into that assessment for some people.

It's just that it's been MANY years since I've heard anyone talk about going bowling. When I was growing up, I would always hear people talking about being on a team in a league, picking up a 4-10 split (whatever that means), advancing to the Finals, etc. I've just had a feeling that bowlings alleys are slowly but surely fading away as recreation and entertainment as roller rinks and drive-in theatres have.

You could be right, it could be a slow fade. But at least at the Palace Lanes, I know there are lots of teams that play regularly. I'm confident that other bowling alleys are equally busy. And the kids still love it. Go to a bowling alley on a Saturday morning and you'll probably see a few kids' birthday parties going on.

IThere are tons of modern bowling alleys around.

Yes, there are still lots of them around. My kid and his friends ride their bikes to the Palace Lanes on Bellaire fairly often. And it's always crowded. So rest assured, northbeaumont, that bowling is alive and kicking.

The budget is below 750K but if its good I may go a little over

If your budget is that much, would you consider a single-family house instead of a townhouse or condo? With the proliferation of townhouses, I'm afraid the resale value won't be as good. There are many nice, renovated homes in the Montrose area for that kind of budget.

They're on Austin near Wheeler. I just found them by searching for "Tuscan One" in the subdivision category at har.com. They nice looking, but nothing too spectacular, IMO.

Here's a link to one of them at har.com: http://www.har.com/8025103

Here's the link to the article in yesterday's Chronicle about them:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...es/4874774.html

I don't have any info on it, but I do have a photo:

I get extra sad when I read stories about people having ZERO respect for a place that can provide Houston with some much needed civic pride.

I agree. But these people don't have any clue about "civic pride." That's the furthest thing from their mind. People want the "most they can possibly get for the least they can possibly do," to quote the great Todd Snider.

Pennzoil is one of the few downtown Houston buildings I've never been inside.

You've got to see it. The lobby is the best -- especially the round elevator shafts to the parking garage.

My husband's office is on the top floor of one of the Pennzoil towers, with the slanted ceiling. I tell him he's lucky to work in a Philip Johnson building, but he just says it's too HOT! The downside of too many windows in Houston!

We went by today to see the statues. Here's a few pics of the Beatles and the president heads...

My dad attended Jackson Junior High in the early 40s. He said the principal then was Mr. Scarborough -- the future namesake of Scarborough HS. He also said that they had a female coach for the boys' gym class -- which caused quite a stir. But it was during the war when lots of women were taking over men's jobs (at least temporarily!).

Thank you, Ben, for taking the time to compose such an interesting post.

When we were teenagers we used to drive around River Oaks just to gawk at the mansions.

We did, too. One time in the early 80s several of my friends and I were driving down RO Boulevard, near the country club, and we saw donkeys in someone's yard. We stopped the car, rang the doorbell, and told the older man who answered the door that he had donkeys in his yard. He laughed and said that yes, he knew that. Supposedly he and his donkeys were well known -- but we didn't know, we were just hayseeds from the southeast side. Does anybody know who that man was?

I hope to go on Sunday. Last year's tour -- featuring homes on the bayou -- was awesome.

You should get the RDA membership -- then you'll receive their excellent quarterly, Cite.

Down the street a bit, at Montrose and W. Alabama, there is a drug rehab facility that doesn't keep a tight grip on its patients. The teenaged son of a friend of mine just spent time there, and he pretty much came and went as he pleased. Why the facility would allow this is beyond me. Another bad mark for the neighborhood.

Yes, it's open to the public. But don't wear shorts or a sleeveless shirt or you won't be able to go into the temple itself. And be prepared to take off your shoes. It is worth the effort to go see.

Hopefully more retail comes along and maybe some cool, swanky residential units on the higher floors.

The cafe is not actually in the hotel building -- but next door, directly across from Vic & Anthony's. But I would hope this would spur something to happen in the hotel building itself.

It was the site of a hotel -- don't remember which chain -- maybe Motel 6 or similar. Don't know what's going up but I'm anxious to find out. Anybody?

Weslayan and Richmond -- the former site of the HISD Headquarters building. See this thread:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...c=2169&st=0

They certainly didn't time construction right, did they? It would have been great to start off the baseball season with the new cafe. But I'm just thrilled SOMETHING is going on there now.

There is a sign on this lot (next to the Ben Milam Hotel) that says a new cafe is going to be built. I think it said the name was B&W Cafe. This is great -- especially if it's open before/after Astro's games. And it's great for the folks staying at the Inn at the Ballpark -- a less expensive option than Vic & Anthony's.