Reefmonkey
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Posts posted by Reefmonkey
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On 5/22/2019 at 8:33 PM, UtterlyUrban said:
I am glad that you feel that midtown is better.
I have lived in downtown for 5 years and I can say that it is significantly worse today than 5 years ago.
On what do your base your opinion that it is worse? I'm looking at the statistics, which show that homeless numbers have significantly decreased over the last several years. This comes from the Coalition for the Homeless's 2018 report on the Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey for the Houston area, which is required by HUD. It shows a 51% decrease in overall homelessness since 2011, and a 63% decrease in unsheltered homelessness in that time. There has been a slight uptick since Harvey, but it's still significantly lower than it was 5 years ago.
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It definitely seems better to me. I moved into Midtown in January 2000, lived there until April 2004. Any time day or night I wanted to walk from my apartment into Downtown, I had to pass under the Pierce Elevated and all the homeless camps. Turning all that into fenced parking lots some time after I moved was an obvious solution, one that was about 30 years overdue.
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1 hour ago, Response said:
Don't confuse the Grand Texas Development with the Grand Texas Theme Park. The theme park is just one aspect of the development. The Grand Texas website does corroborate that there are multiple facets to this development. Not sure how you miss that. There's even a map showing you where all the various parks and side developments will be located.
No matter what the Chronicle says, what they are opening now is not a theme park (9), it is a water park (5) and an adventure park (3). There is a difference. The theme park may well never open. But they have opened the water park, the adventure park, the speed sport racing park, the RV park, some retail and some of the hotels/motels are currently under construction. So they're almost halfway there.
Right before they started construction of the water park and adventure park, (around December of 2017) I was very skeptical that they were ever going to get any more of this project built. But to my amazement, they actually did get 2 of these parks open. So who knows, we may actually see a theme park there one day. But it's years away if it's coming at all.
A theme park is a monumental feat of construction. Water park development is small potatoes compared to theme park development and I can't blame anyone for being skeptical about a theme park ever being built. The developers have missed so many timelines and come up with so many ridiculous excuses for delays that I for one would take anything they say with a grain of salt.
With that being said, I think it is a miracle they have even come this far. So I'll cut them some slack for now because although it seems to be taking forever, so far they have been delivering what they have been promising. I certainly credit the developers with persistence.
If the theme park is built on the scale of Hanna-Barbara Land or Busch Gardens Houston (those places were built for little kids and had no major rides at all) , it probably won't be around long. But if the theme park is built anywhere close to this plan, I think it will have a very good chance for success. As for the success of Big Rivers, the one thing that will set them apart from the other water parks in town is that the Gator Bayou Adventure Park is included. No rides, but those zip lines look like fun to me.
I did see that map, after 10 years with multiple missed deadlines, a big red block that says "coming soon" doesn't mean anything as far as I'm concerned. The theme park is what Galland led with in his promotion of the project both when he started it and for several years after - even as late at 2017, he said "We bought this land for one purpose, and that was to build a theme park.” Now when I click on the "Theme Park" link on the Grand Texas website, nothing happens, the Investor Information page mentions Big Rivers Waterpark, Gator Bayou Adventure Park, Speedsportz Racing Park, the Grand Texas RV Resort, and then says "shopping, dining, and hotels currently under construction or in planning," but doesn't mention anything about a theme park in planning. So what is it that I'm missing?
I'm not just skeptical about the theme park ever being built, I'm skeptical about the wisdom of using a water park as a stepping stone to a theme park, especially out there. The Houston area already has Schlitterbahn down in Galveston, Typhoon Texas in Katy, and Splashtown just 25 minutes away from Grand Texas - and Splashtown is closer to both the Woodlands and Houston's population center. Water parks have such a short operating season with high expenses, I question whether even Houston can sustain four. I don't know enough about adventure parks to know if that'll be enough of a tie-in to keep luring Houstonians away from other water parks, and given Galland's obvious lack of knack for capitalizing projects like this or managing marketing and promotion, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't look into whether it would be enough of a lure either.
Sorry to sound so pessimistic, because I like theme parks and would like to see Houston have a good one, and I initially followed this project with some excitement, but its course has been disappointing, and I worry it may make it less likely for investors to want to participate in other, better theme park projects in the area.
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I don’t see anything in the Chronicle article or the Grande Texas website to corroborate that, unless you want to count a broken link to a theme park page. After a decade of delays just to get this much open, I’ll believe it when I see it IRT a theme park ever opening. Let’s see if what they’ve got now survives as long as Hanna Barbara Land or Busch Gardens Houston.
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So ten years later, "Grand Texas" is finally opening next week.
Here's what it offers:
QuoteThe first of its kind in Houston, the combined water and adventure theme park boasts some impressive attractions that are considered some of the best and biggest in Texas, including Houston's biggest lazy river (the Rio GRAND River) and the largest inflatable obstacle course in Texas (Wild Isle.)
The parks offer plenty of kid-friendly attractions, including a 300-component interactive play structure - another attraction that is considered the largest in Texas - called Gator Splash. A petting zoo, pony rides, massive maze, catch and release fishing, gem mining and more are also offered at the parks.
Anyone looking for an exceptional thrill ride can challenge themselves on the adventure park's multitude of aerial and ropes courses. Entry-level to expert-level zip line courses and rock climbing walls (including one of the tallest climbing walls in Texas according to Grand Texas) are offered year round. The park even offers a gator attraction that lets visitors get up close and personal with real life alligators, according to the release.
One-day general admission starts at $44.99 at the gate for adults, $34.99 at the gate for juniors. Some of the adventure courses are not included with admission and run extra.
Doesn't really sound like a theme park to me. Seems to have scaled back a bit from what they were saying it would offer 10 years ago. And they ashcanned the "no admission fee" idea.
QuoteGrand Texas is supposed to consist of several areas, including Boomtown, an indoor entertainment center with rock climbing, a mechanical bull, a giant arcade and other activities; Flint Ranch, an agriculture based play area with pony rides, petting zoos, pig races, hay pavilions, peewee rodeo and exhibits on farming and ranching; and Gunslingers, a state of the art, family friendly paintball facility with four themed fields made out of movie sets and one competition, airball field as well as target ranges. Galland is hopeful these areas, which will incorporate rail and oil history as well, will open in April 2010.
According to the website, Grand Texas also is to boast Wild Texas Frontier, an island filled with activities for all ages, including high ropes courses that traverse a river, canoeing, catch & release fishing, and a giant maze; and The Mansion, a reception hall reminiscent of the Texas State Governors Mansion, which can be used for a wedding reception of up to 400 guests or more intimate business functions. Galland hopes these parts of the park will open within a year of the park’s projected opening in Spring 2010.
There is to be no admission fee into the park, though some activities will have ticket charges.
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1 hour ago, wilcal said:
Is "mixed-use" tenants not residential+commercial?
Not necessarily:
https://www.completecommunitiesde.org/planning/landuse/what-is-mixed-use-development/
QuoteWhile mixed use has become a popular buzz word, the term can be confusing. It is not just limited to a multi-story development that incorporates commercial use on the first floor with residential uses on upper floors. The Urban Land Institute’s Mixed-Use Development Handbook characterizes mixed-use development as one that 1) provides three or more significant revenue-producing uses (such as retail/entertainment, office, residential, hotel, and/or civic/cultural/recreation), 2) fosters integration, density, and compatibility of land uses, and 3) creates a walkable community with uninterrupted pedestrian connections.
Also, the Houston Chronicle article uses the term "mixed-use" in regard to Memorial City in the following way:
QuoteThe Fort Worth-based company is tasked with reimagining the former Sears store on the south side of the mall, as well as developing plans for additional public spaces and mixed-use tenants to complement the 265-acre Memorial City campus in west Houston.
That comma, followed by "as well as", means that plans for mixed-use tenants (whether residential is part of that or not) is separate from what they are going to do with the former Sears store. And the 265 acre Memorial City campus is more than just the mall and its parking lot, it is also Memorial Herman Hospital and medical/professional buildings, as well as several office buildings and even apartment buildings which are already there:
http://www.memorialcity.com/about-us/metronational/
QuoteToday, the ‘city within a city’ is 265 acres of Class A office space; retail centers, including Memorial City Mall, a 1.7-million-square-foot super regional center; the Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center (the region’s second largest medical campus); the 33-story Memorial Hermann Tower; The Westin Memorial City and Hotel ZaZa Memorial City; and highrise and garden residential living.
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1 hour ago, wilcal said:
A second CityCentre right next door? Who tf would want to live at the mall? "Hun, pick me up a cinnabon on your way up from the parking lot"
I'm not seeing in the article any mention of any plans for anything like that, so don't know where you're getting that.
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Huh. I took my daughter here two-three (maybe four?) years ago, for old times' sake for me, and because I thought she'd like the ghost stories. Interior was just as cool as I remembered it, food was a lot worse than I remember, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did, especially since the late 90s revitalization of downtown and all the much better dining options. My nostalgia aside, it's probably for the best that building is going to be put to a better use.
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1 hour ago, BeerNut said:
https://buffalobayou.org/visit/destination/buffalo-bayou-park/
Rules and Regulations
- Scooters and skateboards are prohibited.
- Motorized vehicles prohibited off roadways & beyond parking areas.
Violating city regulations for scooters on a trail as their very first activity in our city - kinda sends a message about what their attitude is going to be vis a vis respecting and working with city authority, and pretty typical for these "disruptive app" companies.
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^^^^The Dunning-Kruger Effect displayed in real life^^^^^
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2 hours ago, arche_757 said:
@Reefmonkey I should have stayed out of this discussion altogether, as I really don’t care either way.
I should add you seemingly took a defensive approach with my comment(s). I understand that the Galveston sub-forum has devolved into some ...tense replies here and there. I’m not here to challenge your opinion, or that of others - everyone is welcome to express what they think.
Sorry if I misinterpreted your intent, brotastic dudebros tend to stretch my patience. But I was also hoping to provide an explanation once and for all of why the lack of a Crystal Lagoon in Galveston isn’t due to Galveston city fathers’ lack of “vision”, but due to real geographical limitations, for anyone who’s really interested.
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16 hours ago, arche_757 said:
Yes I’m aware of those developments. They’ve been around for years. I think the assumed “large manmade body of water” was a Crystal Lagoon or similar.
A Crystal Lagoon is basically just a very large beach entry swimming pool, filtered and chemically treated like any other swimming pool. Which is exactly what Moody Gardens's Palm Beach and Schlitterbahn's Kristal Cove, Kristal Bay, Wave Lagoon, et al are. What is it you guys are thinking is so special or magical about a Crystal Lagoon compared to what is already there? The only thing really difference is the size, with some Crystal Lagoons being large enough to do water sports in. Okay, lets look at the practicality of having one of those. Once you get west of the Moody Gardens complex (around 99th Street), the island narrows significantly. It's pretty obvious there is no room for a Crystal Lagoon gulfward of FM 3005 (among other issues), and the distance between 3005 and Stewart Road is about 1500 feet, and already has a lot of developments between the cow pastures which would limit the contiguous land that could be bought up. Bayward of Stewart Road the island is crenellated with multiple coves and inlets, and much of what appears to be solid ground on a map or satellite imagery is actually wetlands, and the solid land that is there is mostly already occupied by vacation home subdivisions. As soon as Stewart Road ends, you hit Galveston Island State Park, which spans the island from beach to bay. After that, the island gets even more narrow. And you have subdivisions like Jamaica Beach, Indian Beach, Sea Isle, with maybe a parcel or two of land in between them, but none big enough for one of these water sports-capable Crystal Lagoons and the infrastructure and the parking that would be needed for them. And who is going to want to pay to do watersports on some tiny little sterile confined body of water where type and size of craft and speed is going to be heavily restricted, when the freedom of navigation of West Bay is right over their shoulder? So basically, again, we're talking about a big beach entry swimming pool, and why would someone drive out past 12 Mile Road to go to a new one when they could go to Schlitterbahn or Palm Beach practically right after I-45 dumps them on the island?
See, this is where having actual knowledge of the island exposes brotastic "vision" as unrealistic pipe dream.
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11 hours ago, arche_757 said:
The idea of a large body of water that is manmade that is inviting and perhaps a part of a larger resort setting would be good for Galveston. Instead... we’re getting that in... Texas City!!
http://www.moodygardens.com/attractions/palmbeach/
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11 hours ago, Elseed said:
Maybe I didn't articulate it perfectly but AnTonY gets it. Galveston has so much potential. It has potential to be a Savannah or Charleston or whatever it wants itself to be.
The problem is people like you who have no vision, no pride in your community, and quite frankly, "no swag" want Galveston to be the same or at best a poor mans Mobile, Alabama ( No offense to Mobile). If people like you were with the Allen Bros in 1836 all you would've saw is a mosquito infested swamp not a thriving port city that they envisioned. You probably called Tillman a fool for wanting to build a boardwalk even after the original got destroyed, but he still did it; visionary. You would've probably be against spending millions in developing Discovery Green in Downtown Houston but somebody thought it was a great idea; a vision. Whatever Galveston does it MUST be world class. Its got too much going for it not to be: close to a major metropolis, beaches, charming urban city center, historically preserved buildings, close to at least 4 other major cities (N.O., S.A., Dallas, ATX), theme parks. Having nothing less than the best or should I say aiming for nothing less than the best is really doing Galveston a disservice. So there you have it. Oh, but one thing that is clear as day is; this whole topic has really gotten your panties in a bunch lol. Its OK snowflake we're on the same team. No need to be a NIMBY.
You and Antony can socially groom each other all you want, but you still have no idea what you are talking about, either about me or Galveston. I never said I was anti-development, I welcome quality, sensible development; I merely asked you to elaborate on your vague assertions of "crystal clear blue lagoon" and "Hamptons-type" development and you couldn't. If you can't do that, then you're the one without any "vision". "Vision" isn't "yeah, let's develop more, and make it something swag," vision is actually having a detailed and sustainable plan. Vision isn't trying to copy someone else, which is all you've been able to offer with your "let's be like the Hamptons and Miami", you want Galveston to be a lame wannabe Hamptons or Miami instead of something unique. And at the most basic level, knowing what is already there is a prerequisite for vision, and you don't know jack, you didn't know about Beachtown, didn't know about Palm Beach at Moody Gardens or Schiltterbahn. So the more you try to camoflague your lack of vision or knowledge in made up straw man mischaracterizations of me or use of moronic dudebro insults like "no swag" and "snowflake", the more transparently pathetic you are. As for anyone having their "panties in a bunch" over this thread, it's been lying dormant now for almost a month, you're the one who revived it with your juvenile chest-thumping macho rant, so simmer down, son. The fumes from your Axe body spray seem to be going to your head.
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Still, best venue in Texas is the Bass in FW.
I’m guessing j Cuevas was a victim of Autocorrect.
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1 hour ago, CaptainJilliams said:
We visited the JFK Assassination Museum, it was very nice! I wouldn't say Houston has a museum quite like that downtown, but we do have Sam Houston Park and The Heritage Society (granted those houses could use some upkeep and maintenance). Most of the museums in Houston are centralized in the Museum District near the Medical Center.
The Majestic Theater is also very nice, but again, I would say that the Houston Theater District is superior to the one in Dallas, just in terms of venues and performances the city hosts.
And in terms of Neiman Marcus, I have to be honest in saying I didn't even know one existed downtown. That being said, I have to question whether or not having that store downtown is a significant draw for locals or tourists. True, Houston doesn't have a major retail store like that downtown (correct me if I'm wrong), but we do have GreenStreet and The Shops at Houston Center. By themselves, they aren't anything too impressive, but at least there are renovations/expansions planned for both venues. Furthermore, most of the high-dollar retail is concentrated in Uptown Houston with the Galleria.
Yeah, I've been to the original Neiman Marcus several times, it's nice and all in a mid-20th Century downtown department store way, but I keep hearing retail is dead, I'm not sure how important downtown department stores are to a vibrant urban life anymore. Up until a few years ago Houston still had the original downtown Foleys, and Macy's closed it because it wasn't making enough money. I agree about Houston's theatre district being superior to Dallas'. Dallas' only really nice downtown venue is the Meyerson, but it is only for symphony and other musical performances. I don't understand why they built it the way they did, but it was extremely short-sighted, which is why if Dallasites wanna see the national touring production of Hamilton, they've gotta go down to the Music Hall at Fairpark, which is a dump.
And I'm not saying this to diss Dallas, it was my college town, I visit friends there a lot I actually like it, I could live there again. I always see Dallas and Houston as two equally good, slightly different cities, I've always thought the back-and-forth rivalry was silly.
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On 4/4/2019 at 12:34 PM, AnTonY said:
Of course it has, people are too busy dancing around the answer and bloviating to infinity rather than acknowledging the point and its nuances. Reefmonkey did this a lot, and it really kills the quality of discussion.
Smearing me in absentia to try to distract from the fact that you're making a fool of yourself in yet another discussion - you're a gutless tool.
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On 3/11/2019 at 1:52 PM, nate4l1f3 said:
Serious question because I don’t know, but if there are occasional gators in the bayous what’s stopping them from attacking a kayak or canoe? Have there been incidents of this in Houston?
I've kayaked near alligators many times. Most of the time they've ignored me, occasionally have swam away. I don't think they see a human in a boat as food, though maybe something big enough they don't want to mess with.
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I've been noticing the construction for months now, but didn't really register beyond usual road maintenance stuff to me, until I was down there yesterday, and they were far enough along that I noticed something different, the protected lanes in the center of the median. I was trying to figure out if they were bike or pedestrian lanes (which seemed weird to have in the middle of the road), knew they couldn't be light rail because of the way they were being laid down and the trees that were being planted were too close to them. Looked it up and found they are dedicated express bus lanes. Still seems like the trees are too close to them. I'm wondering what people think of the utility of having these center bus lanes, if it is practical and will really benefit traffic/speed and use of buses in the area?
https://theboulevardproject.com/the-project
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I've always thought if the Buccaneer Hotel hadn't been demolished in the late 90s, it would have been a prime candidate for the boutique hotel/luxury apartments-in-historic-building trend of this century. A great location with a great view and great architecture as well. I've never mourned the Flagship, even though I don't go on the pleasure pier because it's overpriced and cheesy, I think it's an asset to Galveston, and the Flagship was an eyesore, but I do lament the loss of the Buccaneer.
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On 3/19/2019 at 11:05 PM, samagon said:
is anyone badmouthing Texas? is anyone badmouthing Texas because of straws?
the reality is, plastics pollution is the biggest environmental issue we face. far greater than climate change (whether you believe in that sort of thing or not).
these plastics are getting into our food system. if that doesn't alarm you, it should.
I agree, your drinking straws are probably not having a huge effect, especially when you consider where most of the plastics pollution is coming from. overall, for the sake of our food chain (and not eating plastic), plastics need to go away. completely.
I have to agree, that while I don't discount climate change, it is a very serious threat, unfortunately in the public's eye it overshadows a lot of extremely serious environmental/human health threats, like plastics, endocrine disruptors, oceanic dead zones, deforestation, fresh water depletion....
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Ah, looks like you edited out the "deep in your heart" histrionics and replaced it with a completely baseless accusation of reasoning errors. I'd say let's have a show of hands as to which one of us is off base here, but the replies and likes in this thread have already established that.
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9 hours ago, AnTonY said:
It's not that anyone has been wrong about this, just that there's a sheer lack of vision. It's one thing to learn and understand that information through a Master's level education, but it's a completely different ball game when it comes to taking that information, and connecting it all together as pieces of the grand plan.
Troll is an overused word, by the way, which reeks of compensation and defensiveness in the face of defeat.
That’s pure gibberish. And you ARE wrong here. You haven’t actually articulated a “vision “ or “grand plan“, your idea echoes the shortsighted “rain follows the plough” cargo cult-type reasoning that lead to the Dust Bowl. You’re displaying blatant confirmation bias; because you don’t like the look of the prairie and because you don’t want to “lose” an Internet argument, you’re scouring the web for information that you interpret as supporting your position while overlooking and attempting to minimize any contradictory information. But again you fall back on accusing people of “defensivess” for calling you out on your BS. “Troll” may or may not be overused, but in your case it’s warranted.
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Maybe AnTonY can get EIseed to chime in on his side: "Nah dudes, AnTonY's idea would be totally awesome. Like a cross between South Beach and the Hamptons. Maybe add a crystal clear blue lagoon. It's kinda lame as it is.You guys just have limited thinking. Not wanting to tear up natural habitat to make it 'better' is very old school Texan thinking. You have no imagination. It would be epic."
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Electric Scooters Sharing
in Bicycles and Other Low-Impact Modes
Posted
As wilcal said, the Lime rep rode the scooter from the Galleria area to downtown. Matthews's tweet:
" I rode the lone operating Lime scooter in Houston yesterday. Lime scooter rep rode it from the Galleria down the Buffalo Bayou trail to his downtown hotel during rush hour. Would you use these scooters instead of driving your car around Houston? "