moni

Ever will be? Time to take that broken crystal ball of yours in for a tune up. I think your kidding yourself if you are judging the future popularity of soccer on what you and your friends like.

Next, wxman will be trying to convince us that Galveston won't build anymore hotels because he doesn't like it either. Get over yourself.

My grandchildren love soccer. It is the only sport they care about. My kids enjoy basketball and we love the NFL. Times change. We need great soccer stadiums and not to make too many enemies here, but Texas A&M has a fabulous soccer stadium and one of my grandsons has a scholarship to same, so I'm seeing soccer as a big deal in a few years when all the youngsters grow up. We even have a big soccer field in our little town and the kids really turn out. No doubt in my mind, soccer is the game of the future.

lol

I only guessed about NYC and Chicago (since NYC has so many tall buildings and Chicago is called the "windy city"), but the wind tunnel effect was worse in Montreal, at least between the McGill College Metro station and my classes at McGill. I don't know if the fact that the street was on a steep hill lined with 30-40 story buildings and I was walking up the hill made things worse, but it was pretty damn windy and cold on that street! I remember the wind being so strong it went right through my pants and coat and hat and scarf! That makes me more glad to be in Houston than anything...

That's a "wind chill" factor, and I hate that cold weather too.

The first step to improving Galveston beaches is everyone learning to clean up after themselves. I am there just about every weekend and am amazed at all the garbage left behind at the end of the day. Just last week while riding my bike I saw a woman parked on the seawall changing a child's diaper. On my ride back the woman and her car were gone, but the diaper was lying on the seawall, not 10 feet from a trash can! I agree that more could be done to maintain the beaches, but everyone has to be a part of the solution.

You certainly are right and people should clean up after themselves but a public beach invites everyone, good and bad, just like neighborhoods. Maybe a strict enforcement of the rules and a really high fine for breaking the rules, at least $500. Probably more beach patrols would help. With all the new developments moving into Galveston, you can be sure that those people will become more vocal about beach and seawall littering. Hopefully these kinds of things will discourage the "lower classes", to stay home and mess up their own place. And I don't mean racial classes, I mean "dirty" people, they should keep their nasty selves away from others.

I actually like the wind tunnel effect that the tall buildings create, it's better in Houston than other cities at least. It feels great especially in the summer when you walk from the hobby center back to the metro rail and it's hot out. And besides, it's not as bad as the wind tunnel effect in the north where it gets really cold. Montreal can feel damn cold when its already 30 degrees below zero and you have a strong wind blowing because of the buildings. I imagine NYC and Chicago would have the same problem. So the wind tunnel in Houston, in my opinion, is actually like outdoor air conditioning!

To be honest Jax, I never experienced the "canyon effect" anywhere like downtown Houston. I am not a very large person and I have been downtown in Houston when it took 2 people to keep me upright. I guess I am a tunnel fan.

Thank you worldlyman for your keen insights. I realize that complaints about the beach at Galveston are really made by people who only want the best for the city. The thing is, the majority of people are not even thinking about the beaches in terms of white or brown. Beaches are beaches, colors are colors, I mean...who cares really? Of course the city of Galveston has much to offer besides the beach.

It isn't that the Houston zoo is bad, rather that a city the size of Houston, should do something nice for it's people. Give the residents some place to go and enjoy without costing them money. The Parks are great but families deserve a little more.

Well, the St. Louis zoo is world famous and much larger with great exhibits, (90 acres). I can't remember when it wasn't nice and it is clean too. St. Louis is a very small city and the city charter will not allow it to grow. Most of the growth in that area is in the county. Chicago's Lincoln Park zoo is small but very good and extremely walkable. The little red squirrels follow you everywhere, lol. It is a true urban zoo. The problem with the Houston zoo, is the small size (55 acres), you can only do so much. Houston should keep this as an urban zoo and then build a world class zoo where they have more land. Also, Harris County could potentially support a larger zoo.

This fare increase is not fair. Houston's zoo is not very large and should be free. I was raised in St. Louis where there is a wonderful zoo, it was free and still is. If St. Louis can offer a free zoo, then Houston can. I think the families of Houston deserve this and this would make an excellent campaign issue.

News about Starwood:

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...63&hbx=e_du

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/...alofthotels_com

I think it is cool because it sort of looks like a stack of crackers. I can't think of another building like it.

Students who attend UCDavis are called Aggies, too. This is because UCDavis was once only an ag school--originally founded in 1905, called the University Farm School and designed to give provide a farm and practical experience for UCBerkeley which offered coursework in botany and such, but nothing in the way of practical experiences. Not until 1959, did UCDavis become part of the UC system as a separate campus. Although it now offers a much wider range of majors-- including the only vet school in the UCSystem-- is still referred to as the ag school and subject to numerous jokes about being rural, backwards, and conservative, particularly when compared to its older more famous urbane, liberal brother UCBerkeley located 90 miles away.

Students attending New Mexico State University are called "aggies" too. Agricultural colleges you know. :-)

Oh well, I really love the colors and it is Quirky, just like Houston. Yes I love this thing.

New info today:

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories...63&hbx=e_du

In NYC you can't buy an "apartment" in a nice highrise no matter what your race or creed unless the owners agree to let you in. Usually no "show business" types are allowed. Also, they interview you and your life becomes an open book. They want to see your financial statements and your references have to be top of the line. It most certainly is discrimination of the worst sort and it is legal.

Yeah, I think you're probably right. She's probably perfectly content in her corner of the world. The irony in that photograph is of course the sign for new townhouse development - coming soon to this location.

Oh yes, then she will have to move, I get your point. Now, that, I find sad because she won't be able to afford a new townhome. That is the downside to progress.

I like the colorful townhomes and the lovely old brick streets. This is a neat little pocket in urban Houston and don't you see enough cookie-cutter stuff these days? You know what I think, I think that lady enjoys watching the traffic and the people. I'm an old lady and I know that I would. She isn't even thinking about exhaust fumes or narrow streets. Go ask her if she enjoys sitting there watching the world go by. See what she says.

I check the Galveston webcams daily. Doesn't look like a bad place to me and apparently has great appeal to the developers. I have "The Spot" webcams on my daily journal so everyone can see the fun place known as "Galveston".

Maybe some of you oldtimers might remember a club downtown that had a Viking out front. He was a fully dressed version of a big Viking dude. I remember we sat on the floor on pillows. Can't remember the year.

Well, ok, I know I can be reactionary at times, but why would anyone make a statement saying that Galveston needs another hurricane?? That's a terrible thing to say. I mean, nobody makes anyone go to Galveston. I happen to think it is a very special place and I have fond memories of my children growing up enjoying the beaches there. You people who hate Galveston should have seen Long Beach, CA when the oil derricks were up. I also enjoy the Ship Channel and the International Port in Houston. I love everything about the place and wxman really offends me with his comments.

Well the so called "fake" beaches are so much more beautiful to look at and more comfortable to lay out on, too... just my opinion.

That is a very true statement. You know, sometimes a city such as Galveston just needs a little push to go in the right direction. Letters to the Editor regarding "trashy beaches" would help. Also, as the city builds up with all these new high rise condos, hotels, and possible casinos, the investors will insist that the beaches look as good as possible and it will follow. In the meantime, am a great believer in calls to the city and editorials, they have worked for me in my area.

i think that's what this architecture is. nothing special.