plumber2

I particularly like the refineries at night as you pass over the top of the 610 bridge. It appears endless. 

The 18 wheelers do enormous damage to highways (moreso than cars), but remember that tolls are done usually by axles anyway. Finally, remember that truckers are a significant lobby in this type of things (just like the NRA). It has been suggested on HAIF that the teamsters would rather have trucks on the road than have freight trains go the distance.

not hospitals specifically, but the fact that a lot of the high-paying companies are moving to the suburbs.

Blame unions for increased tool roads? I don't think any current Texas politician would listen to, promote, or have anything to do with a  union cause these days.

The article says that the City of Lake Jackson and Brazoria County gave incentives to Dow to build the new complex. Again the local taxpayers are subsidizing an expansion of an existing company. Yes it's a major employer and yes it  brings a ton of economic activity to the area, but does the local welding shop get a tax break? Does the existing grocery store get a tax break? What if Buccees wants to add a new office wing to their building, would they get the same treatment? I'm just asking because it doesn't seem fair to all.

What's the marketing edge?

Yeah, what marketing edge. I've heard that Toyota was lured away from California using Texas Enterprise funds. I don't get how it's alright to pay, or lure a business to your area, if it's going to cost taxpayers money. Yes, I'm aware of all of the downstream benefits, the synergistic affect and so forth, but what about the companies that are already here in Texas, the ones already paying taxes and shouldering the burden. Can't they get these tax benefits too? What if an existing company threatens to leave unless they get tax cuts, or a big Texas Enterprise payment? Is that okay too? Is that really a marketing edge?

My second vehicle came later, around 1975. It was a 71 Chevy pickup. It was an old plumbers service truck that had about 4,000 miles on it. It was sitting under a shed, unused behind the old Crestwood Cleaners (now Wabash Antiques) on Washington Ave. The owner had died and the truck had been sitting for 4 years. The widow was a family friend and asked my dad if he wanted to buy it. She was selling the building and all of the old tools that had accumulated in the shop behind the cleaners.

The truck was totally spartan, stick shift, no a/c, no radio, just a heater. It ran forever. It was my college vehicle and I was of course very popular as everyone's moving buddy.

I'll quote Bill Maher from his recent HBO "new rules" segment.

"For those atheists who get upset about seeing a cross or two in your town, get over it!. You're not a vampire for christ's sake, it's just a @*#!?""% cross. If you're that easily offended by the occassional cross here and there, you probably need to find another country to live in."

I remember the "Magic Circle". Kind of a stupid marketing name being as there was no circle anywhere near Post Oak and Westheimer, other than someone's penciled in circle on a map. Voila!, a magic circle.

Using a trendy name in real estate is an old ploy. All of those "Briar" named subdivisions that popped up out Westheimer in The '50s an 60's capitalized on the once exclusive "Briar Hollow" area just west of River Oaks. It should be a form of flattery, but I understand how some would object to having their neighborhood names changed without asking for their opionion first.

My son bought a souvenior reprint of a 1963 Dallas Morning News at the School Book Depository museum the other day.

Inside is an advertisement for nonstop TTA service between Dallas and Houston for $13.99, four times daily.

Most people do not understand how difficult and time consuming it was to get around Houston before the present freeway system was completed. I agree with Swts, our free system has been the driver of our success.

The Cruise Terminal business has more to do with the Port of Houston charging fees below market, and below ROI, just to get someone in their empty building. The Port of Houston built the cruise terminal on the assumption of "Build and they will come". Well when they did not come (with the exception of post Hurricane Ike business), the Port of Houston lowered their fees to fire sale levels just to lure away whoever they could from Galveston.

I have actually seen aircraft in some Google imagery, but as you zoom down on top them they disappear. There was an aircraft over the intersection of OST and Griggs for sometime, it is now gone. A larger passenger jet showed up over Mykawa and Dixie Dr. but it is no longer there either, and didn't stay posted for long.

Is Herman Lloyd the same architect that desinged the Medical Towers building on Fannin in the Medical Center? The buildings look very similar and are from the same period.

I know for a fact that Air Force Two landed at Hobby at least once when George Bush Senior was Vice President. It came over me while I was traveling south on Telephone Rd. It was the older 707 and it scared the bejeebers out of me as it passed seemingly right over my head.

Yes there was more than one Jamails Grocery. They were run by different family members as stated by an earlier poster. There was also a family liquor store chain called "Richards".

But they all lived in a west side enclave on Fairdale in Glenhaven Estates. Basically the whole block on both sides of street between Fountain View (Ulrich Rd) and Greenridge. There were even a couple of family members that had homes facing Beverly Hill, but those got taken when Richmond Avenue was extended.

I like photo above. It is a perfect representation of grocery stores from that era. Good post Sub.

Yeah, I saw that type of construction all over Houston during the early days of freeway construction in the 60's. I45 underneath Patton St. still survives.

No, the log cabin sits on Hermann Park land.

This project most probably is on land that once belonged to the Shriners.

Dog Park. you make me laugh.

You're missing the artwork inside the building - that's what makes the cost of the structure worth it. Like all the previous buildings in the campus, this is supposed to have a special filtering of natural light

Fifty Shades of Grey.

Giant cross, giant flag, giant billboard...shoot, even a giant Flying Spaghetti Monster (if such should happen, he boiled for our sins) - they're all advertising something or another in a giant, in your face way.

 

I miss the "OWNER HAS BRAIN DAMAGE" car lot sign on 45 that I used to have to explain to out of town visitors coming in from the airport.  At least it was fun.

I miss the giant cock roach above Holders Pest Control on the Southwest Freeway! That just about summed it up to our visitors and the newly arrived. "Welcome to Houston Ya'll"

Randall's VS Safeway

 

Randalls was a non-union store that didn't sell beer or wine. The easiest way to get rich in Houston in the 70's and 80's wasn't by owning an oil well, it was by opening a liquor store next to a Randall's.

 

 

Safeway is a unionized store, so when they bought out randall's, Randall's went union.

 

Not so great service combined with higher prices combined with HEB opening up kicked Randall's ass.

 

Randalls used to be locally owned, but not anymore.

 

HEB is San Antonio owned, that's close enough for us  

 

 

My first job was as a bag stuffer at Randall's Number 7 at Wilcrest and 59 when I turned 16. We had at least 10 sackers on Saturdays and Sundays, sometimes more.

 

nowdays, you're lucky to find two.

So are saying that if a business has union employees that it automatically has lousy service? I've shopped at Krogers (a union store) and they have excellent service, better than their nearest HEB competitor. I'm all for locally owened, but having union or non union employees should not be a deciding factor. So long as the employees are local, that's good enough for me! 

Jews own Fiesta anyway...they just use the name to appeal to hispanics

Now why is that not offensive?

People screamed and hollered in the 90's when the last reconstruction of the West Loop was proposed. Even mayor Lanier jumped in with them and said expanding capacity would be a bad idea (Hummph!) They settled on just improving access and exits while keeping the same footprint. But yes, a better walking solution in the area would be good. They could build wide pedestrian ramps over the freeway at certain locations similar to the ones spanning Kirby at Reliant Stadium.

Awesome, I hope more neighborhoods like Lindale work towards protecting themselves from the townhouse blight. You let these guys build these homes in one block, they will soon spread to the others. They leave no room for parking. Tomehome owners and their visitors will start parking in front of their neighbors house because none is available in front of their own property. It's not fair to the original home owners. Eventually the original homeowners get blocked in on either side, the sun get's blocked out and the owner's have no recourse but to sell out themselves. It's like a cancer.

Montrose is evolving... too much money there now to be the ultimate - alternative destination. Eado is really the new hip affordable spot...

 

But Montrose is still montrose... I am 25 - and Montrose was a little weird but a cool artsy and creative place to live. I still think it is those things, just with alot more $$$$$

 

Eado is the place to go if you like the gritty alternative culture.

The eastend will never be hip if you keep refering to it as Eado! Just call it the eastend like it's been called for years and everyone will know what you are talking about. You don't hear people calling Montrose the "Mont" or "Wesdo". It just doesn't work. It doesn't sound right. It sounds like you are trying to refer to some type of amusement center or fun destination, which it's not. It's a bunch of grimey old warehouses, older homes, vacant lots and some newly built townhomes squeezed in. It's not Montrose, it's not bohemian, it's not culturally significant.