Flashman

A youngster working for my wife asked if she had been to that cool club on Westheimer called "Hashtag 2"

they are geckos. small non-native lizards

Saw Steve Forbert there in what must have been 1980. I thought it was a great venue.

I think the plumber was reveling in the fact that he is a ****.

No, it is showing that 8 of the 16 have reached the threshold. Wishing don't make it so: http://swamplot.com/8-out-of-16-houston-historic-districts-are-now-up-for-reconsideration/2010-11-18/

I remember many years ago (I would guess 1983 or 1984) a woman killed herself by jumping off the West Loop onto I-10 outbound lanes at about 4:00 PM. I was trying to get home, and was not at all happy. I figured she impacted more people's lives that one day than she ever had in her entire life. Not in a good way.

My wife just sent me a note that a garage apartment is on fire on Hawthorne between Roseland and Stanford. Anyone have any information? The house is being used as a law office, but the two houses next to it (I think 801 and 803) have been abandoned for a couple of years.

So, do you think they will make it? I think back to when Hugo's opened, and you couldn't get a table for love or money. I guess time will tell.

We tried it Saturday. Not a dissimilar experience, except there were no buxom blonds in attendance: Eating at Ocean There is a new restaurant just down the street from us called Ocean's. It just opened this past week. We generally try to avoid restaurants in the first couple of weeks of operation, but it was close (walking distance) promised some interesting food (Mexican Ceviche) and had margaritas. So we wandered over about 5:30 on Saturday afternoon. Sure, that is very early for dinner, but we had our lunch/brunch of Trouta's waffles early (about 11:00) so we were both getting a little peckish. As we walked in, they were just setting up the patio. We were greeted by Randy, the Maitre'd, and said we could sit anywhere. He told us that they just had their ceviches and some tacos and tostadas, and the the whole menu would be coming out in a couple of weeks. We settle back, got some cold water, ordered a couple of house margaritas, and looked at the menu. There were about six different ceviches on the menu, a couple of salads, maybe four tostadas and about six tacos. (I did not have my camera, so I have no photos. I am sure that their website will soon have the menu and food pics online soon.) The margaritas came, and I was surprised by the neon yellow color. We tasted them, and I thought they were very good. Doreen thought them a bit tart, but that is not bad. They are colored by the real lime juice, real orange just, and agave nectar used. The house pour was Jose Cuervo silver, which was fine by us. We must have liked them, as we had five between us. We settle on two ceviches (Ocean's Cechive, and the second one on the menu. I can't remember its name. Must be the margaritas). They were using flounder as the fish, and both ceviches were great. The eponymous ceviche was nice, crisp and simple. Good quality fish, lime, peppers, and onions. The second one used a chipotle reduction as well as the citrus juice. I liked that one better. We ordered the Maximiliano Taco (Lobster) and the Ocean's Special (grilled shrimp) tostada. Both were served "open face" with the difference being that the taco was on a crispy tortilla, and the tostada on a soft one. Both the lobster and the shrimp were excellent. Neither were overcooked, and the remoulade like sauce. These came with french fries (somewhat incongruously.) (The fries were OK.) Finally, we had a Tres Leches cake for dessert. Too much icing for me, but it was a nice finish. I hope they make it, as it is nice to have another place around the corner for an interesting meal. They are also planning on hitting the Montrose Sunday Brunch market. With La Strata gone, and such a nice, big patio, I think they have a chance. Oh, and the menu is much more limited than Yelapa. But they said that they will be moving to their full menu "soon"

I agree it would be great to see more cops there. But I am not holding my breath. It is sort of sad that one can't walk from one side of the spur to the other without getting hassled by the homeless. I would walk to places like t'afia and the continental club, but it is just too much of a pain in the butt. I have to say, though, that all those Skylane Apartments (did they change the name?) are part of the problem. It is like watching The Wire when you see cops drive down the street. (Rollers! Rollers!)

I live in Audubon Place (North of this location) and have seen prostitutes in the actual neighborhood very infrequently. North of Westheimer is another story. The Apartments on Alabama and the Spur also frequently have prostitutes and what I assume are drug dealers hanging about. If the city can start cracking down on the sleazy apartments I think that would go a long way to reducing the street crime in the whole of The Montrose.

The rumor was not such a good rumor, I will admit. Plus, it was not clearly enunciated above. Kroger wanted to rent the space, and the new owners wanted HEB to let go of the lease for that reason. They didn't. Of course, maybe it isn't renting because nobody wants it.

RE: SW Corner of Montrose & Westheimer: I understand that there is a long term lease on that property held by HEB. They are letting it sit idle to stick it to Kroger. The new owners want to do something there but their hands are tied. Not sure if I believe it myself (Mr Butt seems to be a good citizen) but that is the rumor.

I think you are forgetting about Boobie Rock and all the other SOBs. Then Elanor put in the SOB law, and all the intersections sprouted "No Turn" signs and all that traffic went away. How many of you have EVER had to wait for more than 1 light cycle at the Montrose/Westheimer intersection? More than 2? I can't even think of the last time I waited through 2 unless some goober head was texting and not watching the lights.

I guess it all depends on whose ox is being gored. I walk, drive, and bike that intersection with great regularity and find it easy to navigate. (compare Kirby and Richmond, or Kirby and Alabama) We need more density inside the loop. If the price we pay is a little more traffic, so be it. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. If you want to live in the "inner city" you can't expect it to feel like Sugar Land or The Woodlands. I have a friend who lives in Afton Oaks and brags about being an inner looper, and how cool it is to be able to be so close to everything downtown. But he bitches and bitches about the light rail - just the thing that would enable him to take advantage of the things downtown he likes - but without a car. The intersection of Montrose and Westheimer is an embarrassment. That should be a vibrant, throbbing, active, hot, and happening place. And what is it? A smoothie king, a gas station, a buffet restaurant and an empty lot. For goodness sake! Think about the city for a minute or two. But if your little problem getting across that intersection is more important than making Houston a more livable city, well I guess that is just the way you roll.