mm mm good

St. Joe statue to me seems really superstitious. Just sold ours to a Hindu couple, St. Joe wouldn't have helped. Price (and far below market value at that) is what moved it.

Eye of the beholder.

As for 'McMansions" I don't care for them, and I am not the one who believes everything told to me by the bobbleheads on DIY and HGTV.

I believe that style should best compliment the geographic region where one chooses to call home. An area like The Woodlands or Kingwood IMO wouldn't be a good fit for a postmodern design, just as an English Tudor wouldn't fit in Sharpstown.

It was Frank Lloyd Wright who had the philosophy that a building is more than wood, bricks and glass - it should be a near-spiritual experience to view and enter it. Wright was truly a renaissance man, borrowing from the European predecessors who designed cathedrals and such. The Guggenheim Museum and Falling Water among his other works remain a testament to the man and his art.

Back to MCMs and Wright's philosophy, it really has to grab you. Since I don't particularly care for Swedish meatballs or Ludefisk a MCM designed by a guy named Lars doesn't grab me. My $0.02

Eye of the beholder, I s'pose.

MCM designs are at best appealing to flakes and anal-retentive Nordic types (Lars Bang?). Seems to me MCMs have limited marketing appeal, cumbersome flow, and if one is found that doesn't need major structural repairs major updating is needed instead. Why are there so few survivors, or so few of the ultra-mod "fab 50's" properties out there?

A friend of mine's brother hometended one in Meyerland (circa 1964) that had been on the market for nearly five years before it finally sold in 1997. Updated kitchen with Sub-Zero fridge too. Nice neighborhood (Chimney Rock/N.Braeswood) section, good condition, soft market?

I'm no architect or real estate professional (my friend's mom is a career broker), there's some things I just can't understand.

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Good luck with that. I wonder if "up and coming" means it's a crappy neighborhood now and will still be crappy years from now.

Shepherd's Pie is probably the only English dish I can eat without gagging, and I can get it cheaper at the Black Lab. I'll pass.

Good luck to them, competing with Michaelangelo's, La Strada, Ruggles and Katz's Deli. English cuisine is a hard sell.

Excellent location, although lacks curb appeal. Among the Kickerillo designs that dominate the areas surrounding Champions this subject is unique albeit it's not what one would come to expect. An inner-looper seeking to escape the inner-loop insanity will snap this up at a bargain.

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In Houston with the high number of places to dine out I must say the majority of the ones I've been to realize that service must meet a minimum expectation just to compete. However, since moving to Corpus Christi many places here have employees who are incompetent, apathetic, and are both most of the time.

Places to avoid while visiting the Coastal Bend:

Big Fisherman in Rockport (food poisoning)

Aka Sushi/Hibachi on Everhart (rip-off)

Joe's Crab Shack (both locations)

King's Inn in Riviera (decent seafood, adequate service, owned and operated by bigots)

Any Weinerschnitzel store

Luby's Cafeteria near Spohn South hospital (operated by morons)

Blackbeard's on North Beach. Overpriced, so-so food, service okay.

Recommendations for dining out:

U&I Restaurant on Water St. They have a mesquite-fired charbroiler, excellent steaks and seafood. Moderately priced.

Water St. Seafood also on Water St. Most if not all seafood is fresh, about what you'd spend at Red Lobster.

Kiko's Mexican Restaurant on Everhart. Family owned and operated, 30 years running. probably the best Tex-Mex you'll find in the area that has family pride in their recipes and quality of service. Come hungry and be prepared to wait, as they're consistently packed (usually 30 minutes) but worth it.

Pier 99 Seafood on North Beach, next to the USS Lexington. Unpretentious, very casual, moderately priced and good value for the dollar. Service usually consistent, all seafood is fresh, good experience for all. Popular among visitors to the Lex and other attractions.

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Sold

I disagree, any funds committed to rehabbing/remodeling the A'dome to transform into a hotel/convention center would be a bust. The space is more valuable for parking than anything else.

I know, it's a landmark, eighth wonder of the world, etc. Truth of the matter is, H-town's identity crisis couldn't have been overcome unless we had an NFL team again, and Reliant Stadium was born. After all, was Bud Adams really being such a jerkoff when he said a new stadium was necessary?

Knock down the 'Dome. White elephant.

Livin' in your own private Idaho, underground like a wild potato...

I say knock down the 'Dome and pave over the hole. Yes, there's memories aplenty there and it will be painful for many to witness its demise, but time marches on.

The neighborhood surrounding the 'Dome is blighted, forget about family attractions going in its place. No financier will touch it.

The only way I'd see the 'Dome becoming a successful hotel/convention center venue is if all of the other motels (read - ma-&-pa fleabag dives) that surround the complex went away. The neighborhood is seriously overdue for urban renewal on a mass scale.

Nightclubs, like raves, are fleeting - the idea of turning the 'Dome into a giant disco sounds like a joke. As someone else suggested I'd rather see it knocked down before it was disgraced by being transformed into a puke pit.

Remember when the Shamrock Hotel met its demise? People cried but the scars healed. Sometimes letting go can be a good thing.

I used to live in the apartment complex that's across from this building on Imperial Valley Dr. My friends would go skateboarding in the parking garage at night. Ahh, memories...

It might sell for $145K, but that's one helluva low-ball offer. What hurts is its location, and as we all know that's everything.

Yeah, it's pretty sweet from the pix and actually nicer than my patio bungalow.

How low can you go? HCAD appraised at $168,206.

Good luck getting that for it, Fondren Southwest isn't exactly The Woodlands. It's in an undesirable market area, particularly since it's teetering on the edge of becoming blighted.

yeah, like the north side. i am at fm 1960 @ i45 and i cannot name a single library out this way. not sure if there is one or not, hcl or hpl.

There's one on Cypresswood and Stuebner Airline, across from the county courts building.

I'd go with Spanish Mission. After all, we are in Texas. Remember the Alamo.

anyone remember "bobby mcgee's" near aldine-bender? the waitstaff dressed like different characters.

I do, that was a fun place. After it closed someone wanted to re-open it under the name Charley Ragg's but it never happened. I think the concept could be done again and be successful if someone savvy enough were to make the right decisions. Everything old is new again these days.

Can't wait. I work for them and this new facility is a long time coming.

I guess it's a false sense of security to think that because one lives in The Woodlands you won't ever become a crime statistic. I'd advocate The Woodlands not rely upon Montgomery County for civil services and have their own instead, especially with taxes being what they are.