SaintCyr

Just to clarify, there was a strong push to NOT have them put the feeders in. The mayor and the city pushed back because they didnt want the $8M in "free" fed money to dissappear to another project outside of Houston. There was even a statement from the HHA stating the opposition.

according to an official of a local neighborhood assoc, lots of the residents (don't know if "lots" is a majority or not) of the Heights and the gentrifying Washinton Ave area near Heights and Yale had wanted feeder roads for easier I10 access for themselves.

ironically, TxDOT's decision to build the feeders they said they wanted made a 25 acre plot inaccessible from the current fwy attractive to Walmart, and now those same residents are battling to keep Walmart out.

as grandma tried to tell you, be careful what you wish for...

It could be the start of the reconstruction of 11th... I'm not sure of all the details but do remember seeing the plans when we were going through the Yale reconstruction debacle (which ended with them going to retop the road again and reassess in 2016(I think?)) . Someone else can chime in and add more, or this might give you a start to see if the construction is starting for 11th.

D

14th and Yale during off-peak hours. That way all the people driving 50 and 60 mph should be able to hit 75 mph with out much worry b4 they hit 11th or 19th. Kidding of course, I do wish people would slow down but don't see the need for a light at 14th and Yale after peak... Maybe during peak too, I've never seen it during the day so can't make that call.

Well of course RedScare (and I) (and CleaningLadyInCleveland) (and heightsyankee) (and 20thStreetDad) are in the minority. It wouldn't be quirky if Realtors advertised it to their mouthbreathing clientele. It'd just be another lame amenity.

You also wouldn't dare emphasize the random crowing of neighborhood roosters, the gritty urbanity of derelict brick warehouses, the local gang of nutria, a dive bar within stumbling distance of home (or the taco stand along the way), the neighbor that decorates art cars, or the delighted laughter of immigrant children playing outdoors (because their parents, your neighbors, can't afford to buy them video games).

You must live near 12th and Yale... I think you just described my neighbors and the random noises we hear throughout the week... You can add my wife and I to missing the distant train horn. I understand it would be different if it were in my backyard but still going to miss it. Now if we could just find that dive bar within stumbling distance...

D

I have modest three bedroom Montrose bungalow that sustained no damage in either Allison, Rita nor Ike, and for which I have never a claim since moving in nine years ago. My latest policy premium from State Farm arrived yesterday and was a 20% increase over last year's, which was itself up 20% from the previous year. Now I tend towards loyalty in these matters and have been a State Farm policy holder for over 12 years (counts for little apparently), but this is getting out of hand, my agent won't return my calls of protest so, enough is enough, I'm shopping around. Anyone have any recommendations? GEICO? All-State?

I got popped with that increase when Ike came through. I switched to Amica.... they have been awesome. I suggest giving them a shot, the 4 guys i work with and my boss have all switched over in the last 3 years.

They do. Have you read the chron lately? I think their reporters barely made it out of middle school.

At least they distinguish that there are neighborhoods in the loop... Talk to people from Katy or Woodlands, they consider everything inside 610 loop as "downtown".

I think it's going to be a Walmart. How would you feel about that? Maybe upscale doesn't sound so bad?

How bout a King Dollar?

Honestly, a Berings would do well there, however, would hurt C&D which I would hate to see happen. Guess only time will tell.

Are there any other such programs like this for other parts of Houston? Like.. south side, east end, or the like?

It's something the Houston Heights Assoc. put together... It can be implemented anywhere with a willing civic association and enough cash. Send them an email, I'm sure they would be happy to share the info with you.

Over half of the homes on my block have new numbers and half are still pending. Every one of the 2010 numbers is identical to 2009. It appears that your feelings may not be in tune. Look for a number to come in identical to last year, unless your 2009 was a steal, in which case they may try to equalize with the rest of the block.

Ditto. Mine went up $28. I can handle that w/o protesting.

Ok all we need some helpful advice on something we hope to beautify our house as well as dressup/disguise a neighborhood eyesore (at least from one side)....

So just to give you an idea of what we are trying to do. We are building a wire fence along the front of our house and want to plant a VERY well behaved evergreen vine along it to not only be good looking but also dampen the sounds of traffic along the street (I live on Yale)... The well behaved piece is important here as I don't want huge vines taking over the sidewalk and the front yard, just a nice looking vine to knock down some of the sound from the street.

In addition to this we are putting a trellis (10 foot 4x4s and wire strung at every foot) along the ENTIRE north side of our property to hide a 9-10 foot multicolored sheet metal fence and also to stop the traffic noise from being amplified. This is where I would like to get creative and don't mind a vine that isnt as well behaved... I'd like to get something in there that is evergreen just to knock down the sound BUT also would love to have several different vines all intertwined that bloom at different times of the year to create some sort of mask not only from our house but also from the street. I am open to ALL possibilities!

Just some additional info... The front fence is full shade as it's under a live oak tree and the north side of the property is partial shade to full shade. Once the vine gets to 8-10 feet tall though it would be full sun. Let me know your thought or questions because I will be planting in the next 2-3 weeks! Thanks in advance for all your help! Hopefully when this time comes around next year you all will be able to see the results!

Thanks,

D

I will be going through the trash to pull out all my yard crap thanks to the new COH rules. Need to stop at Home Depot and buy the special yard waste bags... Grrrr.

Why not start a compost? They have those "quick composters" that do a pretty good job... I used a few old pallets and built a couple of slow compost piles. We throw leaves and kitchen scraps in there. When it comes to branches we usually bury them in the bottom of the compost and they dissappear in 3 months or so. Seems to me this would be the cheaper route in the long run.

D

Was wondering if anyone knew of a good place around Houston to find OLD double loop wire fencing? I know I can buy it online for an arm and a leg but thought I would have better luck find a place around here. I need only about 30' of the 48" tall. If anyone has any tips or leads please let me know! Thanks,

D

So they are named Jus Mac but they will spend money on advertising to make the point that they are NOT Jus Mac? That is counter-intuitive at best.

I predicted the demise of McCain's Market after my first visit there.

I know I'll get hammered on this one but... I don't see "Noodle Houses" or "Pizza Joints" having this issue. What about Souper Salad? Seems to me it's pretty successful and sustainable. I don't see them spending money on advertising to show the fact that they have sandwiches as well to bring in business.

I'm also a bit confused how your prediction of the downfall of McCain's Market supports your point that Jus' Mac is a dumb idea? Your statement also implies that you would have to be a patron of the establishment in subject to predict its downfall, which would then lead me to believe you would discover that it isn't just Mac n Cheese. Quite the pickle we are in here.

Where it wouldn't be my first choice in business, I wouldn't venture to predict its downfall just off the name alone.

Too narrow a niche. Dumb idea.

I've been instructed to post this per the wife.

"Open your mind, my dear “Dumb Idea” friend. Mac n’ cheese is anything but narrow. Have you ever thought of what’s in most of Italian food dishes? Pasta, cheese, sauce…. Hmmmm… sounds a bit like the ingredients to your Plain Jane mac n’ cheese. I dare you to put on your creativity cap for a sec, and think about all the wonderful variations there could be to this fine traditional dish. Perhaps some pancetta could spice up your oversized macaroni noodles, or a different type of cheese beyond the powder and/or Velveeta (try Gouda, Grueyere, or a nice Alfredo sauce), or they might even be able to add …gasp?!... VEGETABLES?!!!

I invite you to give it a whirl. You may be surprised what others can do to open your closed minded taste buds. I’d truly hate to see you miss out…."

Mrs. D

I hope there's like a gourmet mac with gruyere or something...

We had mac and cheese (with Guyere) while visiting Guyere in Switz.... It was A-M-A-ZING! Had potatoes mixed in with it and I can see myself gaining lots of weight if they do offer it.

I'm not sure. I didn't see those posts, but it appears there may be another parrallel thread. Either way the listing does not include an improvement. It specifically denotes "cleared". The house was moved one lot north. The question might be who wants to buy a cute house next to a strip center?

It won't last long with the hole in the top. Ever seen what rain and bugs can do to the inside of a home?

Where are they commuting from that they would need to get on the train to get to work? Are people driving to predetermined parking points to park and board the train north of the medical center?

My wife rides the bus (line 50) from the Heights to the Light Rail... She works at TCH. It saves us around $500 a month we would normally have to be spending...

$200.00 Car Payment

$100.00 Parking

$100.00 Insurance

$ 50.00 Gas

$-85.00 Tickets for bus and light rail (TCH has a Q-Card they put $87 on each month for her).

This way is actually faster for her than driving by about 10 minutes due to traffic. My 0.02 cents.

Additionally... All of our signals have the ability to blink red. All of our intersections that involve rail have the ability to read when the train is coming.

With these two facts, why do we not have these intersections going overboard to warn when the trains are coming. Seems going from solid red to blinking red would be appropriate when a train is coming.

I agree with you for the most part BUT... blinking red signals mean stop and go, essentially the same thing as a stop sign. I agree that there needs to be better indication of red lights for those of lower intelligence but we need to becareful not to confuse them with other already known signals.

A lot of intersections along the rail line now go "all red" for traffic when a train passes through. It was the solution to cars making illegal left turns in front of trains.

James beat me to it. Also, if you notice there is another light that looks like a vertical bar or a horizontal bar, those are the signals for the train, they don't use the red yellow green traffic lights.

Anyone know where I can look for my home in old photos or abstracts? I recently bought Houston Heights, Images of America by Anne Sloan and saw that there are homes very very close to me that are featured which gives me small hope that mine might be somewhere as well. Also, I am originally from Eureka Springs and they actually have an architectural archive that has a lot of photos or abstracts of the homes when they were first built. Can anyone help me out with this?

Thanks

D

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but this sounds like political posturing to me. If they can't fund the East End line, it probably never gets built. If they can't fund the University line, it creates a lot more media coverage and a stronger case to gain outside funding.

The same thought went through my head... Secure the least likely, that won't draw media coverage and leave the most critical that will get media coverage in doubt. This creates an urgency and NEED to fund the other 2 lines in order to see success. Almost creates a job security type situation for METRO, which may have been the plan all along. I'm really hoping they don't pull the rail projects, as I think its critical for Houston's economic success in the near-distant future.

also, i heard through the grapevine recently that Lola lowered their breakfast prices. they did make the portions smaller but it was way too much eggs. i think they have listened to their customers and brought their breakfast dishes more in line with what people expect- both in price and portion.

My wife and I live across the street and have noticed they seem to be evolving their menu to fit their clients. We like it for a good bottle of wine (BYOW) and a nice meal away (200ft) from the house. Their prices are still high on somethings but have come down a lot since the opening... I'm looking to sit outside soon and watch the neighborhood go by.

As to not jack the thread, we look forward to trying Pie in the Sky soon!

That truly is great news!

I stay inside the loop for the most part as well... Just easier from a mobility stand point and we have everything we need within 2 miles from the house, including all our fave restaurants. From a beauty stand point... Take a walk down Bayland, Main by the medical center, or any other street that has a bunch of majestic live oaks lining it... Thats something special from my POV... Been here 3 years and still discovering Houston.

Try eating icecream or doing something else that makes you happy every once in a while.

Fact: Eating icecream makes me happy!