MaggieMay

I walked to 1MC today from OST--wanted to try the cafeteria again because I can't eat at Luby's every day.  Pickings are slim in the area.  

The sign for this place certainly caught my interest.  There will be food!  Still no construction, but it will improve the area.  

So, I was glad to see this thread had been so active.  I use light rail most days as part of my commute & I've been wishing for better shopping downtown. Wasn't Macy's closed because someone else wanted the land?  It only used half the Foley's building, but that part did have customers.  Between commuters & the new people living downtown, I'm sure more shopping could be supported. Phoenicia is great--just a few blocks from the rail; many of us like to walk or ride bikes. (I knew Georgia's was doomed the day they had no caffeinated, unflavored coffee beans.  That was months before it closed.)

Alas, I found no news about the shopping area on Dallas. Isn't there a better place for "Light Rail Sucks" posts?  Things have improved downtown since it was finished even though there's plenty of room for improvement.  And no, buses are not better--the (fairly) recent bus route upgrades were great but the rail part of the commute is always more pleasant.  But what do I know?  I ride public transit in Houston--I don't live in Chicago. 

So, what's up on Dallas? 

Great new!  I wait at the light rail stop across from the old Gulf Building four days a week & I've been wondering what will be going in.  The MFAH had a walking tour to support Sculpted In Steel & we got to check the building out.  The bank lobby is spectacular & will probably remain as it is. The corner being reno'd was originally Foley's.  Also liked the frescos mentioned in the article--here's Modern Houston!   

On 9/12/2016 at 0:36 PM, sevfiv said:

Yeah, this is definitely not a (NOT an!!! ugh) historic renovation - it is a modern renovation of an old shell of a building that was badly neglected for a long time. But those are just nitpicky words - I'm glad to see prime waterfront property repurposed by a nonprofit entity any day....

Love Street was a dump.  Some fine music went on there.  And the surrounding area was site of some interesting hijinks.  

But the old building itself was hardly memorable.  It started to crumble as renovations began, so something useful was constructed on its bones.  

This source seems pretty good.  Hedgecroft was located at 5010 Montrose. 

The building was originally the home of Neill Turner Masterson, son of Harris Masterson I and father of Harris Masterson III. The Masterson family only lived there until about 1925 and it became home to the Sterling Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Beginning in 1949, Hedgecroft Hospital was located on Montrose Blvd. at the current site of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Administration Building. The Hospital, opened in 1942, was run by Nell H. Stone and underwent a 10,000 square foot modern expansion in 1952 to house polio patients ... Later it became a mental institution and then was torn down in 1970.

I seem to remember that Roky Erickson was a patient at one time...

Do you even live in the Heights?  I had a slice at Pinks with my kids just this past weekend.  They love sitting at the tables with the stools that spin around.  Gelazzi served ice cream.  They never served a drink.  Neighbors were upset with Coltivare and presumed that Gelazzi was subterfuge for a Washington Ave. bar.  It wasn't.  it was just a hard working couple who opened a little ice cream shop that is loved by the neighborhood that can't serve gelato made with liquor ('cause everyone knows that if you want to get rowdy drunk, you eat a bucket of 5% ABV gelato).  The crawfish place on 11th shut down last year because the crawfish season was over.  They are back open with lots of people gobbling up mudbugs and peeing all over people's porches all weekend.  They had tables too.  Better call the city and shut them down.  Maybe they can share the pad Funky Chicken left vacant with Connie's pizza so our neighborhood can stop being so damn walkable and full of great places to eat.

Thanks for the reality check.  

I was wondering--which Gelazzi are they talking about?  I thought they just served frozen treats.  (Delicious frozen treats.)  

So, I was not hallucinating....

The goal should more be to make downtown bustling and attractive enough that a different business (say Target with a urban concept) comes in and says "I want to lease this space and I'm willing to pay more than what the food mart is"

 

It's the market at work.  The government is best when it sticks to incentives (i.e. the DLI) and stays away from restrictions (building moratoriums, zoning, parking minimums)

I agree.

When I caught the train at Central Station (while watching Foley's/Macy's being destroyed), I used the convenience store a few times.  It's in business because people find it useful.  I don't blame them for the sketchy street scene.  

Sure, make the area a thriving retail center so that other retailers make better offers for the space.  In the meantime, let the store be run by people willing to be retailers downtown instead of begging for tax breaks or waiting for massive street reconstruction.  

This is the train of thought that has led to Houston's reputation as having a lack of regard for historic preservation.

Don't omit the racism....

Homeless or not, they do attract a lot of attention here. 

I don't live downtown but commute there by bus to catch light rail.  Originally I waited at Main Street Square; there were often folks congregating on the sidewalk but rarely at the platform. Then the bus switched to the Bell Street stop; the number of people lying on the sidewalk was sad & distressing but they didn't bother anybody in the morning. After The Big Bus Switch, I walk through some lovely skyscrapers to the Houston Central station; one or two fellows are often sitting on the benches by Jones Hall. Just sitting; is the location limited to The Very Best Street People?

After work I'll often check out a bar or restaurant; I'd spend more time downtown if there were more retail than The CVS in Nieman's. Still, I have few problems. Perhaps eyes front & a brisk walk make me seem an unlikely target. (I'm not in the Forever 21 demographic.)  I've seen plenty of street people in other cities--mostly unnoticed because they were outnumbered.

That's my experience. Perhaps this thread would be a good place for others to post their experiences, complaints, suggestions, etc. 

So the next time I notice the thread on the Bar Scene bumped--it will have new information on bars & restaurants downtown.  And action in the Main Street Improvement thread will indicate work on the aforesaid Retail Problem....

So, I was hoping to see some information on Main Street Improvements.  Instead, it's yet another screed on Those Dreadful Panhandlers. 

ew, car-oriented

It appears to be on a couple of Metro Bus routes!  

I dont think its location next to those places mattered. I do think that the inconsistency of their food and drinks does. Its a nice small location. 

Recently in the Houston Press :

Interestingly, Ken Bridges of Delicious Concepts announced this morning that Witchcraft Tavern & Provisions Co. will re-emerge as Republic Diner + Sojubang, “the area’s only kitchen and bar offering a Korean menu.” 

 

I liked the curries at their original place. The Witchcraft Tavern was handy for a high-class burger & craft beer before or after a visit to Kroger; also for the occasional happy hour, with interesting snacks at the bar. 

Never made it to the "new" place.  The revamped bus system has made access less convenient (while making many other places more convenient).  And the "no lunch" policy made it useless on the weekend.

Location might matter for a place with what appeared to be a trendy, pricey, mostly-appetizers menu. Perhaps more suited for those hitting another bar or restaurant nearby, or looking at some interesting shops or galleries. Bundled with a trip to Kroger, Ross or Tuesday Morning, not so much.  Hope the new plan works out. 

Meanwhile, the El Cantina Superior remains shuttered. Their site promises a "Relaunch" but there has been no sign of work.  (I think a Brewpub was mentioned.)  Too bad.  The location is great & they put a lot of work into the place. But, except for the period when the Liberty Kitchen people had their hands in, their Tex-Mex was definitely sub-par......

i dont get this huge thing about their burger, its really nothing special. since the new owners came in, their fries are AWFUL

Yeah, burgers at the White Oak location suffered after the ownership change. Still, hope the downtown Christian's does well.  (How many years has the ground floor of the Scanlan Building boasted that "Live Sports Bar Coming" sign?)

Meanwhile, I'll plot my next visit to Jackson Street BBQ. Definitely out of the way but well worth it. 

Since the topic's been bumped, I though I'd remind everybody that there's been a La Madeleine in the center for some months now.  It is a chain, too.  I've been to Freebird a couple of times.   But, as convenient as Target is to my home, there are non-chain eating options even closer....

I'm sure it will be. The decor and colors are beautiful.   Food is OK at best and yes they are getting your money. Im just saying if you explore a little, there are many hidden gems around the area.....for so much less $$.

 

What is real Mexican food? Depends, if your in Mexico, its there. Youre in Texas, so there goes your answer.  

Since new management took over at El Superior, I've determined that it's worth my money.  On occasion. 

I've lived in Houston for many years & do plenty of exploring.  

These prices at these restaurants are just ridiculous. Ive lived here a long time and its comical what some folks think is good food. How are you going to open a Mexican restaurant that doesnt serve REAL Mexican food? Putting a car on a building and hanging up colorful lights doesnt do it. The food folks. Its the food.SMH. I'll just keep on making a trip to the other side of 45 or East Houston for some authentic Mexican Food. 

Since the Liberty Oyster crew took over, The El Cantino Real Superior food has improved considerably.  As has the service.  Of course it's their spin on Mexican food--but it's tasty.  

(What is REAL Mexican food?  Tex-Mex?  Or from some region of Mexico?  Which region? High-brow or low-brow?  Seafood? The city boasts fine examples of all those subtypes & they all get my money in turn. El Superior is, at last, a good addition to the neighborhood.)

Where do you get the idea there will be a blank wall facing Main Street?

 

I changed my post a bit since you quoted me.  But, standing at the train stop, all I can see being built is a parking garage.  

Are there plans for retail on the first floor?

Dude, you apparently haven't been around the Fashionable Bars lately... 

Oh, you mean Lounge Lizards!  

While I don't mind palms or any other kind of tree to encourage shopping--first, we need someplace to shop!  

Macy's/Foley's That Was used only half of that old building--but shopping did occur.  Since I watched them gut the place over the months, waiting for the train every morning, I wasn't too sad when it finally imploded. Shorn of its purpose, the building was hulking & unbeautiful.  But when they began filling up the empty space, it was evident that the new building, with a pretty curved plaza, will turn its back to Main Street. Which gets the parking garage & is beginning to seem claustrophobic.  

Even a few fast food joints on street level would be better than a blank wall.  One hopes somebody will do something with the Bobby Sakowitz Memorial Parking Garage....

The new lines won't be opening this year after all....

Riders will wait a while longer for two new light rail lines, Houston transit officials acknowledged Wednesday, as unexpected repair work and ongoing problems have made a 2014 opening impossible.

Less than two months ago, Metropolitan Transit Authority officials said the agency's two new lines would open in December - just under the wire of the 2014 opening they pledged when work started in 2011.

Since then, however, continuing problems with axle counters along the route - the counters are part of the system that tracks trains along the line - and a downtown construction error that severed a chilled water line have made it impossible to open the lines this year.

The line break occurred under Metro's new section of track south of Minute Maid Park. As a result, an entire section of the roadway, rails and communications system along the new rail lines had to be replaced.

The segment serves both the Green Line that runs from downtown along Harrisburg and the Purple Line which connects downtown to the Palm Center Transit Center south of the University of Houston. The replacement will delay testing of the lines - a requirement before service can start.

"We're working to get a firm idea of what timeline we're on," Metro CEO Tom Lambert said Wednesday.

He said officials plan to present a revised schedule to Metro's board Sept. 25.

 

Where's a good viewing angle for this demo? Again, this demo is occurring sometime around 5 or 6am? I want to be there when it happens... 

I doubt there will be a good viewing angle with public access.  The "perimeter" will no doubt be published before the event, but everybody will be kept a block or two away.  There will be highrises a few blocks away with good views; those who work in those buildings & have weekend access might get lucky.  Still, not for the public. 

With luck, there will be a camera (or cameras) for internet viewing.  But you'll be able to hear it.....

The fluctuating rumors on what will replace the store really irritate me.  It was doing business well enough & was only closed by the landlords.  If the land stays empty for long or becomes a parking lot, I will be miffed.  Especially because I wait for light rail 5 mornings a week, right between the deconstructed Foley's & the empty monument to Bobby Sakowitz's bad decisions....

Old Navy is better than this? Ugh. No wonder I've never heard of it, and thank goodness.

You appear to be male & probably don't dress in drag--so there's no reason for you to know about Forever 21. They sell trendy clothes for young women.

I occasionally hit Books A Million for magazines. And McCormick & Schmick for happy hour. Got food poisoning at the Mexican place....

More information here on Sears Roebuck houses: http://www.arts-craf.../archive/sears/ They have many fans.

And most of them look much better than the McVics spilling off their lots. Or the large, nondescript piles with Craftsman-style details added at the last minute.....

Wait! Garden in the Heights isn't there anymore? Who is responsible for this? That's just wrong.

I don't know the details. But the buildings needed maintenance; it's possible the place just wasn't making enough money to continue. Then some developers probably showed up with wads of cash for such a desirable location.

'tis a pity, though.

Yep, and it became Garden in the Heights.

And then became a bunch of townhomes.

Both Bavarian Gardens & Garden in the Heights were lovely places for shows. I'm sure I saw Brave Combo at an Oktoberfest or two. After the Germans sold it, some Irish folks ran it for a while; pretty good folk & Celtic rock shows, with lovely live oaks to shade the pale folk. And beer!

And I seem to remember a Pacifica benefit, at which a full grown billy goat was auctioned off to some fool....

This sounds unnecessarily complex.

It might be useful for Outside-The-Loopers who don't know their way around Downtown. I work with some people who live Very Far Out (not in the 60's way, either). They drive in to work every day, then drive back. And are sure that Houston is full of dangerous criminals. I try to tell them about stuff happening on weekends--when it's daylight! Some are interested. Some are not...