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In the late 1980s, Roy Rogers restaurants were highly rated by Consumer Reports magazine. When I worked for GE (Instrumentation, Communications, Electronics Service), I remember stopping at several Roy Rogers restaurants located in central and south Florida while traveling to and from job assignments. While on assignment for several weeks at the GE service center at the Hadley Center near Piscataway NJ, I jogged each night from my motel to the Amtrack RR station near Edison NJ and back to my motel. On the way back, I stopped and ate my evening meal at a Roy Rogers restaurant located about halfway from Edison to Hadley Center. Based on my experiences in Florida and New Jersey, Roy Rogers restaurants offered consistently high quality food.

Based on my experiences with living in a beach community while working in an adjacent large city: [1] Car pooling can offset some of the detriments (boredom, fatigue, fuel costs, wear and tear on your vehicle, etc.) of a long commute to and from work. [2] Car pooling works best if the respective commuters live relatively close to one another, have similar work hours, and are able to "get along" with one another during their daily commutes. My experiences with living in a beach community and commuting to an adjacent large city may not apply to the converse situation (living in a large city or densely populated suburban area and commuting to work in a beach community).

Land availability and cost on Galveston Island is, like anywhere else, subject to the ordinary process of supply and demand. The high percentage of people from adjacent areas commuting to and from Galveston is more noticeable due to the distance separating it from the mainland. Unlike Galveston, many other beach resort barrier islands have only a relatively narrow waterway separating them from the mainland.

Based on what I have read on the various postings, the round trip distance between the city of Galveston and adjacent population centers is farther than most people are willing to travel on a long term, 5 days per week commute basis, particularly during morning and evening "rush hour" conditions. Fortunately, a 45-50 mile day trip to Galveston on weekends or other days off from work is a reasonable option for those living in Houston and its adjacent suburban areas.

It's likely that most HAIF members and guests know that [1] the Galvez Mall was an enclosed shopping mall located at the intersection of Broadway and 61st streets from circa 1968 until its demolition circa 2000 and [2] it has since been replaced by two large stores, Home Depot and Target, as well as several smaller stores. All the stores in the present facility have their own entrances and exits leading directly to and from the outdoors. Some online maps identify this area as the Galvez Shopping Center, following a common, but not necessarily universal convention of referring to enclosed shopping areas with indoor interconnection as malls and enclosed shopping areas with outdoor interconnection only as shopping centers.

Another member discussed commuting to and from work at a military base in Europe via self-powered (internal combustion prime mover connected to an electrical generator traction motors) rail passenger vehicles. He stated these vehicles (in Europe) were significantly larger than the self-powered trolleys in currently operating in Galveston. The self-powered vehicles described appear to be more modern versions of the "Doodlebugs" which were used for similar purposes in the United States in the years prior to World War. The "Doodlebugs" could and did operate on the same track as the ordinary multi-car freight and passenger trains; but it was not stated if the European rail passenger vehicles operated on the same track as ordinary multi-car freight and passenger trains, or they operated on dedicated track. Presumably, there are different expectations regarding noise and vibration for riding a rail vehicle for routine transportation versus riding a rail vehicle for entertainment.

Several members have identified the significantly higher costs of residential construction, maintenance, and insurance in areas of Galveston Island beyond the western end for the seawall. The original 3.3 mile segment of the seawall cost almost $1.6 million in 1904 dollars. Given the inflation rate ($1 in 1904 is equivalent to $35.35 in 2024) adding another 3.3 mile segment would cost roughly $56.5 million. This does not include the cost of compensation to property owners displaced by eminent domain, or the construction of the sidewalk, road, and parking areas adjacent to the extended seawall.

The City of Galveston population peaked in 1960 at 67,175. Its current population (estimated 2022) is 53,089. This decline of approximately 14,000 has been attributed to various causal factors including, but not limited to, the shift in housing construction/utilization from structures intended to be primary residences to structures intended to be vacation rentals.

Houston's average elevation of 50 feet is high enough to resist tropical storm surges (wind driven surface water augmented in height by low barometric pressure), but it's very flat topography causes rainwater during storms to accumulate faster than it can drain off.

The recently opened Gordon's Food Service store is a welcome upgrade of what was a long-time blighted area into a modern wholesale grocery which not only serves restaurant and institutional customers, but unlike typical wholesale grocers, is also open to retail customers. Galveston Primetime movie theater (11 screens) is another welcome upgrade of what was a somewhat run-down theater (particularly the seating which had seen better days). Although Gordon's Food Service and Galveston Primetime are upgraded existing locations, Island Bowling is located in a new location, on Seawall Boulevard near the movie theater. The original (before Hurricane Ike) bowling alley building is currently abandoned and derelict.

Avoiding destruction of vegetation on Broadway/Avenue J also required the trolley tracks to be installed on the inner lanes of the paved road surfaces adjacent to the median strip. Because the top surface of the track is roughly the same height as the paved road surfaces, ordinary rubber tired cars and trucks can pass over the trolley tracks without damage. The inside track surfaces have a narrow gap between the track and the pavement to allow the trolley wheel flanges to seat properly, yet allow safe passage for rubber tired cars, buses, and trucks over the trolley tracks.

The original Galveston trolley system was powered by overhead electric wires. The trolley "trolled" for power by means of trolley poles that made sliding contact with the overhead electric wires (approximately 600 volts DC potential) and completed the circuit through the metal wheels contacting the metal track (0 volts DC potential). When this trolley system was discontinued in 1938, the overhead wires and their supporting structures were removed. When a new trolley system was in its planning stages (circa 1980s) it was decided that because reinstalling overhead trolley wires and their supporting structures would require the destruction of most of the trees and vegetation now present along the median strip of Broadway/Avenue J., a self-contained electric power system was required. Each of the 4 trolley cars now in service has it own, self-contained power source (diesel engine driving an electric generator).

As stated in a recent issue of the Galveston Daily News, only the three trolleys that were in working condition when Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston Island were eligible for federal disaster relief funding. The fourth trolley, not being in working condition when Hurricane Ike made landfall, was not eligible for federal disaster relief funding. Fortunately, other sources of funding became available to repair and restore the fourth trolley. As of the date of this posting, all four trolleys are currently in working condition.

addendum to USS Battleship posting: Gulf Shores, Alabama is the nearest (approx 51 miles) full service beach resort to the USS ALABAMA Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile AL. Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina is the nearest (approx 13 miles) full service beach resort to the USS NORTH CAROLINA 1 Battleship Row, Wilmington NC.