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totheskies

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Everything posted by totheskies

  1. totheskies
    Right so that's the textbook difference between successful retail, successful entertainment venues and the advantages of one over another. Got it. HP's current retail scheme is sub-standard (being kind there)... I hope they are trying to recruit more variety for that end of the development. Ok, but 2006 was a world of crazy-ass speculation anyway, and no one could have predicted how bad things were going to get when HP was ready to open. I'm sure that the developers faced some ridiculously hard decisions to get this thing off the ground, and now thanks to so many businesses backing out or stalling, we're left with a half-empty development. Sounds like a story that virtually every city in the United States could tell about it's malls or shopping venues right now. No one is healthy, and we're not even sure what healthy is anymore. IMO, HP should narrow in its focus first and choose who's more important. They've got the hipster Gen-Y crowd on lock with the entertainment venues. Now they need to go for some things that will appeal more to conventioneers and general Houstonians... a Houston-themed gift shop, a Metro RideStore, a nice Western wear shop like Cavender's. These are places that will appeal to both the tourist crowd and the "downtown tourists" that aren't as familiar with the inner city. It would be a nice way to foster retail interest without trying to redefine what is already working.
  2. totheskies
    OMG how old are you??? I guess I'm trying to reason how the House of Blues is considered a "weak entertainment-oriented anchor". It's been very successful, and hasn't had any trouble competing with the Verizon or Warehouse Live. Pete's is doing very well every time I go there, and it seems that Andalusia and LSL are off to a good start. I agree the reatil of HP is beyond weak becuase it's not well-planned and there's not a healthy retail population in downtown yet. But if you're calling the entertainment segment of this developement "weak" then you're not familiar enough with the project to be making a comment. HOB Houston is in the plus column... so much so that it makes Live Nations 3Q profit earnings report... http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MjAwNjl8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1
  3. totheskies
    I recently posted my thoughts of Houston Pavilions on SSP... PROs -NRG leased ALL of the Pavilions' office space, so this basically has allowed them to stay alive. And insured that we'll at least have retail space for the future in that area. -The House of Blues Houston is the rock of this development hands down. It's been one of the most successful of the HOB franchise to date, and continues to draw top notch crowds for it's concerts. Don't know how the restaurant has held up, but HOB is certainly not going anywhere. -Forever XXI has a steady stream of retail customers, so it can be counted on the plus side. -Business overall has started to pick up in the restaurant arena. Guadalajara has been a big hit, and has a strong showing of daytime and evening customers. Still a little early to see about Yao, III Forks, Mia Bella and Andalusia, but what I've heard so far has been good. -Houston Pavilions has went above and beyond the call for promoting retail shopping in downtown. They have contracted out pedicab services that go to the Theater District, Discovery Green and Midtown to pick up shoppers and bring them to HP. Most people don't know about this, but it's really handy and (hopefully) is adding to the visibility of HP. CONs -Lidz and Journeys were early casualties... they opened too soon, and were in HORRIBLE locations. The development is just now getting enough "interest" that people are willing to actually walk through it, but at the beginning there just wasn't anything there. -Books-a-Million is (IMO) the crappiest of the big bookstore chains. It doesn't fit in downtown Houston. I applaud them for their bravery, but I think that B&N or Borders (or an ORIGINAL big bookstore!!!) would have been much better for that area. I do shop there though, because I want to support retail in downtown, and their travel guide section is passable. -Pedicabs aside, they still haven't done enough to forge a link with the new "zone of activity" by Discovery Green. There's still way too many people that come to downtown to visit the park, but don't know about HP. They need to be more aggressive with their promotion. I continue to hear that there's "nowhere to eat" or "nothing to do" once people are done at the park. -It's half empty for crying out loud!!!! So frustrating! So for me, HP is still in the plus column by a 5-to-4 vote. We're much better off having what we have of it than we were with 3 surface parking lots, but there's still a long way to go. I think that 2010 is going to be a good year for HP though, especially on the retail side.
  4. totheskies
    I voted for Parker, and will still vote for her in the runoff, but losing the Houston Dynamo is HUGE mistake... and we WILL LOSE THEM if a stadium deal doesn't go through. And we need it built in the central city... all of our major sports venues are in the same area. It would be so stupid to build this in Pearland and cut off a huge swath of Dynamo fans from being able to get to games via public transit. I've written the Parker campaign twice now about this issue... guess it's time to write them again.
  5. totheskies
    Hmm I may come and check this out after Lohengrin.
  6. totheskies
    Man, I'd kill for all of these retailers (in URBAN format of course) to come to downtown. How cool would it be for downtown to have a Best Buy, a Kroger Marketplace, or a Beall's???? We've gotta work on this stuff for downtown!!!!!!
  7. totheskies
    Yeah, I've seen this too. I think it's a branch bank location.
  8. totheskies
    Well if y'all don't like Calhoun Lofts at UofH, get ready to not like a lot of other stuff. Stadium Parking Garage and Cougar Walk... http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/regents/board_meetings/documents/081209Facilities/FCMP6.1.pdf New Business classroom building... http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/regents/board_meetings/documents/081209Facilities/FCMP8.1.pdf
  9. totheskies
    Quote from Dude, Where's My Car?? "The continuum transfunctioner is a very mysterious and powerful device whose mystery is only exceeded by it's power." Such is the case with Tier One
  10. totheskies
    Yes, I was incorrect in that. It is owned by the university, but it is "separate" from RLH's other projects. Essentially, the university is copying the business model that they have observed from Cullen and Bayou Oaks, just keeping the operation in house (which is a dumb idea, unless they lower the prices).
  11. totheskies
    Please refer to this Dallas Metropolis thread... Tier One is a very real and physical initiative, eventhough we're not discussing on HAIF very much. And again... elevating a school like UofH to Tier One status is a huge undertaking. It means that we eventually want UofH to be a direct competitor with schools like UT, Rice, A&M UofMichigan etc. It is within the Houston area, but what is the value of a UH degree once you leave Texas?? As Houstonians, we have a very practical side to our collective personality... practical almost to a fault. But doing something like this has very little to do with practicality and worrying about the present. We have to have spaces like Calhoun lofts to be competitive on the Tier One playing field. So I'm glad they built it. I'm also glad that it's sitting there half empty right now, because it lets UofH know that they are charging too much.
  12. totheskies
    Yes, of course, and there will always be students (regardless of income level) that will refuse to live on campus. But the proportion of students that want to live on campus is on the rise, and it's due tremendously to the fact that the campus is becoming more livable. The Cougar Den has alone has added a lot more vitality to the south end. Same business model that they have with Cullen Oaks and Bayou Oaks, only they are cheaper and have the goal of being less selective. But I do agree... the prices for these places are kinda ridiculous. I added up all my "living bills" including the gym membership and it's still under only 750/month with electricity, cable/internet, cell phone (no home phone here) and gas, and I live very close to campus. As long as students can find a good deal in places like Montrose and Eastwood, or just lease a townhome and have 4 guys or girls pile in there, Calhoun Lofts won't be nearly as competitive as it could be.
  13. totheskies
    Just called Davis Bros... they are HUD-funded apartments. No retail or amenities planned Target date for completion is 15 months, so we're looking at Feb. 2011.
  14. totheskies
    OMG... is it really too much to DEMAND street-level retail space?? How hard is it to do?
  15. totheskies
    I was so about to post this!!! I love the Lunch deal... that's an awesome way to get the word out! FYI... III Forks' opening date is October 27th
  16. totheskies
    Yeah, Cougar Place is hurting the university big time. They've "shut down" some of the buildings that are unsuitable for living right now, and it's over a quarter of the complex that's not being used. So while Moody Towers is filled to the brim, they don't have a place to put overflow students. Yes and no... depends on how "selective" they're being about their residents. They are trying to foster a true Scholars and research community with Calhoun Lofts. So if they're attracting the right types of students from other schools, it could end up being a very good thing. If not, then UofH is doing a disservice to it's students by not lowering the price. I think LRT is going to change this whole area dramatically. The Southeast Line (you know... one of the ones that is actually under construction right now) is going to link UofH, EaDo and downtown. So not only will Calhoun Lofts be competing with Montrose and Midtown to retain student population, it will also be competing with the East End as it transforms into the new "hot area" for the city. This is part of the problem that UH faces... when you're in the middle of a city as huge and diverse as Houston, there's very little incentive for anyone to want to live on campus. So UH has to remake itself into a "live, work and play" destination as well.
  17. totheskies
    Yeah, so all of this... It's apparent that UofH stuck their neck out a bit with Calhoun Lofts... it was "impractical". But UH is trying to fit the mold of other Tier One universities... in order to do that, they've got to look like one, and be able to attract the same students that the others have. So in totality Calhoun Lofts hasn't "paid off yet", but it is doing is serving as a showpiece for students when they tour the campus. It's a comparable living space to things like you would see at Rice, UT, Indiana or a host of other top tier schools. Regardless of whether or not they live there, many top-tier students will be expecting UH to have top tier living and working facilities. So I for one am glad they took the risk. However, if I were Renu, I would have built the underclassmen dorm first to meet the surging demand for freshmen residential housing, then made Calhoun Lofts the next big project. Moody Towers and the Quads are filled to capacity again this fall, and more and more UH applicants want to live on campus. We are quickly transitioning to a residential school based on student demand. But for most students, Calhoun Lofts is going to be a bit out of their price range, and they would prefer a more traditional dorm.
  18. totheskies
    So once Lucky Strike opens, can we finally consider Houston Pavilions to be open? Maybe move it out of the "Going up" section?
  19. totheskies
    The "big pin" insignia was being installed when I drove by there on Saturday morning. Whoopie!
  20. totheskies
    I've wandered around there a bit... kinda dead at the beginning of the week, but Thursday-Sunday they do quite well. BTW... Houston Pavilions is in the transportation business. They've partnered with the pedicabs agencies and the Electric car place to provide "quick shuttles" between HP, downtown and midtown. Since I have rehearsal almost every night at the Wortham, I get to encounter the shuttles quite frequently. I even met a few people that have actually "figured it out"... they parked on the rail line and rode it into downtown, had dinner at Guadalajara, and then saw a movie at the Angelika!! I've seen an HP shuttle or pedicab in the Theater district every single night.
  21. totheskies
    I've been on a run of making sandwiches at home lately... some sliced turkey, provolone, tomato, cilantro and guacamole all on country french bread. Ummm it's lunch time... gotta go.
  22. totheskies
    In Montrose?? There's always demand for food alternatives... whether they be smoothies, crack or any combination of the two. That vacant Blockbuster is getting on my last nerve. Why can't Taco Cabana move in there, or something else? This intersection is just too high-profile to go to waste like that with vacant storefronts.
  23. totheskies
    Regent Square is going to be very exciting for inner loop Houston. It'll be nice to finally have an area that is akin to the suburban lifestyle centers, and still relatively close to downtown. And yeah for Whole Foods!!! It'll be nice to see some activity in this area.
  24. totheskies
    I'm part of the Houston Pavilions 100 days of Escapades club. They sent me an email with the date, and a free pass to check out Pete's Dueling Piano Bar.
  25. totheskies
    Lucky Strike's official opening date is October 8th.
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