maceo9903

I hope this project goes through. I know this is off topic but can someone tell me if the Shamrock tower is going to be built or what? For that matter I would also like to know about the Hardy Rail Yard Project and the Intermodal Station. Ive read about them but I want to know are they going to happen and if so, when? Again, sorry for getting off topic.

Not anymore...

It's NorthPark's big day

High-end mall becomes Texas' largest with unveiling of $225 million expansion

10:31 AM CDT on Friday, May 5, 2006

By MARIA HALKIAS / The Dallas Morning News

NorthPark Center takes its place among the nation's exclusive malls Friday, unveiling a $225 million expansion that has been in the works for more than a decade.

The 41-year-old Dallas shopping center joins a handful of U.S. malls with anticipated annual sales of at least $1 billion. At 2.35 million square feet, it's now the largest mall in Texas and one of the five largest in the U.S., according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

It's where new stores such as American Eagle Outfitters' Martin + Osa and J. Crew spinoffs Crewcuts and Madewell will open first. And it's a beachhead for the European invasion of hot specialty stores that include Intermix and Mango

Interesting, that this poster chooses the handle "Maceo", then misspells "Fertitta".

Coincidence...or perhaps something more sinister.

Well, Maceo is my real name and I never really knew the last name of the guy. Im not even from Houston. Im in the atlanta area. I just love Houston though. I think its a wonderful city.

The Houston 2012 bid had the Olympic Village at Scott St. and I-45.

After the games they would be converted into Apartments for students.

UH definetly has the track history to support a new stadium. If they do, I think you'd see the Village in the same proposed location for 2016.

We already have mass transportation, and the venues are compact.

What in the world is your idea of mass trasnporation?

I bet it's rail.

Yes it is rail, and Im just telling you what the world wants and what it would take to get the olympics. Dont shoot the messenger.

In response to Redscare, peoples uninformed view of Houston sickens me! I have no problem with someone who has been to Houston, experienced the city and what it has to offer (good and bad) and decides its not for them. I respect everyones INFORMED opinion. To each his own. No city will ever be able to please everyone. At least they tried it for themselves. What pisses me off is people who have NEVER set foot in the city and have these 1880 views of Houston and Texas as a whole. Like everyone lives in ranches and is a cowboy. Any media exposure the city does get the first thing they want to show is a damn cow or an oil drill in an open field! When the Astros, Texans, or Rockets play a national televised game just notice at how they rarely show off the skyline but they will show the things I metioned before in a hurry! Then they will always say things like "We got us an old fashioned shootout here deep in the heart of Texas." Ugh! These things just boil my blood! I know all of the above metioned things are, and always be a part Texas and they are what made Texas....well, Texas. I just think there is so much more to Houston than that and the media simply will not convey that to the public. People who have never been to Houston still (in 2006!!!!!) think of it as a hick town with nothing to do! Thats because of what they see on T.V. and the movies. Its why you couldnt tell anyone who is not into census stats and dosent know any better that Houston is bigger than atlanta. One other thing that got to me is that in the days preceeding the NFL draft, they had Reggie Bush doing a few interviews for ESPN. They would keep asking him his feelings about coming to Houston like he was being sent to exile. His only response was "No state taxes." My point in telling you that is something like that sticks in peoples mind and makes them feel like Houston is exactly what the media tells them or leads them to beleive it is: in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do. The only reason people are there at all is because of oil related jobs. Then there is Bush who has just killed any chance at all of people liking Houston or any other Texas city.

These "people" that you speak of are not reliable sources. No matter how you shake it, 2 million people is 2 million people. And for the metro area, 5 million people is 5 million people. Comparisons are all relative. San Fran has nothing on Hong Kong or Bangkok or Karachi and it never will. Philadelphia has nothing on San Fran, and it never will.

I would also like to point out that in your own post, you show how these "people" are schizophrenic at best. They brag about how dense their cities are, but then they also want to brag about the size of their sprawled out metros? I've flown into San Fran and seen the curvilinear, tract, cookie cutter homes south and east of the city. So they say Houston is not "really" the 4th largest city due to low density, then it's not even the biggest city in Texas because of metro size??? Which one is it? Because everyone's metro sprawls--a lot.

So all that you have established is why "people" will never get anywhere if they only look at what "people" say. It changes with what makes them feel better.

By the way, I believe ultra-dense, got-all-that-is-right-with-a-city San Francisco is losing population, and not only losing population, but losing family population. Like it or not, that is a key component.

Back on topic, I hope that Houston wins these Games or at least the Games for one of these years. I would like to see them here and it would just make it even sweeter to have them before the "powerhouse" US cities like New York, Philadelphia, or Boston. If we think we get Houston Hate now, I can't imagine what it would be like then--if anything, it will be comical.

Even if not the Olympics, I'll take the Pan Am Games or even the World Cup or the World Basketball Championships.

I totally agree with you guys and you're right, I have heard that a lot on ssc, and that they dont consider Houston to be a "real city." I have also used the same argument that 5.5 million people is 5.5 million people no matter how you slice it, but they (ssc people and especially the ones from philadelphia) dont want to hear that. I was just saying that according to the rest of the country S.F. is defiently a flagship city and Houston is no where near being even a city of intrest for them.

I want to ask this question to you guys and maybe someone can help me out with this. What is it that Houston so desprately lacks (mass transportation aside) that other cities have. I have been to most large cities in this country, except for Las Vegas and Seattle, and I just dont see it. Houston has just about everything that Chicago, L.A. and every other World Class City in America has.

Lastly, I'll get back to the original topic. Houston could defiently host the Olympics if mass transportation were built and I hope that gets done very soon. If so nothing should be able to stop the USOC from chosing Houston to represent the US bid other than peoples stereotypes and unfounded hang ups about the city. Maybe once people are there, Houston will finally get the name reconition it deserves.

San Fran is not a flagship city of the US. They're under a million in population and not in the top 10 list of US largest cities. They're beautiful.. Thats all they got going for them. Nice terrain, nice bridge.. Thats all.

NewYork is the flagship city.

LA and Chicago are the 2nd and 3rd.

Hell, Thats LA too. Beautiful fake people. If it weren't for the fact that the film industry set up base there.. LA wouldn't be on that list.

Clearly you dont understand what peoples mindset is. People dont consider Houston to be the 4th largest city because of its relitive low density when compared to a city like San Fran. San Fran has a population of 800,000 in an area of 45 square miles making it the 2nd most densly populated city in America. People say Houstons population is not accurate because of its physical size. People (especially those in Philadelphia) will always say "if S.F. or Philadelphia were 600 sq miles like Houston they would be bigger than Houston"

Secondly, people tend to go by metro populations in which Houston ranks 7th, but again this is not taken seriously because of the size of the area. Also the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro is larger so most people dont even consider Houston to be the largest city in Texas.

Next, someone said something about IAH not being able to handle the Olympics because it not world class.

If an airport that rank 2nd in the nation in the number of non stop domestic and international flights with 221 trialing only atlanta which has 250 is not world class then exactly what is?

Forgive me if Im just spreading rumors, but I heard something of Tillman Ferrita (sorry if I mispelled the last name) might be considering doing something in the Bay Area. I think adding it to the Kemah Boardwalk is the plan. Again, I dont have any facts, just telling you something I heard through the grapevine.