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marc

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Everything posted by marc

  1. marc
    ^^^ Agree completely. i constantly transplant trees for friends and family (typical Virgo, i like to roll around in the dirt). i usually get them from around the Woodlands area and bring them into town. Anyway, a few years back, when my sister bought a new home, instead of having to buy new trees, i just went to our family land and dug up some 1-2 year olds and brought them back to Bear Creek. They did splendidly. BUT, there was a big storm about a year later and one of the oaks which was flourishing blew over. i thought, "oh, just straighten it up and it will be fine" For five years i had to nurse and baby the tree along while the others were growing like wildfire. Needless to say, i ended up pulling it up and putting a Crepe Mertyle in its place. i certainly don't want Disco Green, our new signature DT park, to have scraggly looking trees. Spend the money now for a much better look later. m.
  2. marc
    Haha. That's funny. BUT, exactly what i was thinking. When i came back to LA after my summer jaunt in H-town, i was asked by friends what all i did while there. One of the things i said was going DT to see all the rebar; to which they replied, "You're a dork!" SIGH Not everyone shares our enthusiasm for such things. Oh well, more sidewalk space for us to watch development! m.
  3. marc
    ^^^^Yeah, i know what you mean. i was in H-town this summer and hardly recognized some parts of it. My GOD, that's A LOT of rebar. i definately want to see the finished product, but like waiting for Christmas or a big vacation, the waiting is half the fun. Watching it slowly but surely rising on the skyline is a bit of architectural foreplay. m.
  4. marc
    They already do!! Well, fellow H-towners. i have put in for a transfer BACK to my beloved Houston. LA was good for what i need it for, but it is time to come back home, AND all the development around town is just the homecoming i need. i will know in about a month if my request was granted. Wish me luck! m.
  5. marc
    Made my tour of DT and UT this weekend via the Energy Corridor. Went to the Home and Garden Show at G.R. Brown- that was OK. BUT, my DT highlight, i do admit, was touring the Cathedral, Disco Park and taking pix. of all the construction. As soon as i learn how to download them to this forum, i will share. Great things happening for H-town! m.
  6. marc
    Very NICE! i am touring DT this Sunday. This is definately on my list. Thank you very much. m.
  7. marc
    i was wondering WTF happened to DT? i know i have been gone since around New Years, but good grief, no one told me about the complete infrastructure remodel! m.
  8. marc
    If you go to the KatyFreeway web site and read the prospectus and articles associated with it, there is a HUGE push to get I-10 done and NOW. i have ever confidence the "nightmare" will be over soon. (probably by the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2009) m.
  9. marc
    Same here. Due to our lax zoning laws, i have always enjoyed seeing a highrise go up next to an empty field and then watch development grow around it during the following years. i think only Atlanta has something similar to this H-Town phenomenon. Correct me/educate me if i am wrong. With all the projects going on in Houston, i cannot wait to see her in say, 5-10 years; highrises dotting the horizon as far as the eye can see- especially Inner Loop, Energy Corridor and i am predicting the "new" trend will be to start building along the 249 corridor. m.
  10. marc
    Really? What about the lofty minarets? i visited a HUGE mosque in Paris and it definately evoked the Heavenly by making one look upward. THE WHY OF VERTICAL? OK, here goes psyche 101. As we all know, humans have looked at the Heavens and the Stars for millenia. It only stands to reason that religion, from nature worship (honoring the Sun, Moon, Planets and Stars) to organized religions (like Christianity, Islam, etc.) would include in its tenets a striving to reach ......UP. I think architectural concepts like Houses of Worship and Skyscrapers convey a very similar concept. Both are pursuits which push people to go beyond themselves, and being creatures who have looked at and wondered about the cosmos since we crawled out of caves, i feel it makes perfect sense that most of our structures REACH up. To me, skyscrapers are not only a showcase of humanity's technological advancement, but also connotate the limitlessness of pure Capitalism. Cathedrals and other places of worship achieve the same. Tech. advancement, BUT also connotate the limitlessness of the Spirit. That's my 2 cents worth. m.
  11. marc
    Well said. As you noticed, i indicated i took a more idealistic view. i suppose what i meant to say is that i take a more Spiritual view concerning the building of the Cathedrals. YES, i fully agree that the people building them, from the lowely laborers to the Bishops inhabiting them, had a BIG stake in the cathedral. Again, the above mentioned novels sort of gives different perspectives on people's ideas regarding the PURPOSE of the cathedrals. i guess what i was getting at was that a concept of the Heavenly on Earth was trying to be conveyed. AND, if one is to imagine HEAVEN, i suppose the pushing of architectural boundaries is to be expected. At least, i would hope so. i for one have no problem with ornate, lofty, ethereal expressions in architecture as long as it is not gaudy. Ostentation just for its own sake. Make sense? m.
  12. marc
    Who all has been? What are your general impressions? I will be in Houston for part of the summer before traveling to NY and then on to Europe. I want to plunk around DT for a day and DG is definately on my list. m.
  13. marc
    Ken Follet's THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH and sequel, WORLD WITHOUT END addresses some of the above mentioned topics. Cathedrals of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (and to some degree present day) were what the skyscraper movement in the US (1920s- 1930s and this new present day rebirth) is to Americans, for the most part. What i mean is an IDEA was being touted and needed a concrete, tangible representation of the abstract. In the case of cathedrals, the abstract was GOD. SO, builders, commissioned and sanctioned by the Church, of course, tried to convey the Heavenly on Earth. That is a more gentle idealist view. A more pessimistic one is that the Church was not only flouting its power through architecture, but subjigated thousands to build the monstrocities. I prefer the more idealistic approach. Also, keep in mind MOST people attending the massive Cathedrals were poor, illiterate, worked long hours outdoors and believed ( or were force to) pretty much anything the Church told them. SO, the masses had a concept of Heaven based on what the Church hierarchy told them. These days, i think because of our open and free thinking society (yes, even in Christianity), Cathedrals can still convey the Heavenly or otherworldly, but don't have to be too flashy or too gaudy because people's views about those matters have changed. m.
  14. marc
    Thanks. I am glad it is the new stuff. It means that project is moving right along. m.
  15. marc
    ^^^ The pillars are from the old building being demolished, right? Not new stuff for towers? m.
  16. marc
    i bet that will change if the clientele is low. OR they are trying to keep a certain element out. With HP close by, maybe, just maybe there will be a couple of places there that are affordable. m.
  17. marc
    Absolutely, Ricco- This park is mainly intended for the urbanites who will fill DT in the next decade or so. It is also for those who work DT to lunch and lounge. Yes, there are going to be events for other Houstonians to enjoy, but mainly, it seems to be a place for those who make DT and the immediate surrounding area their home. Please, correct me if i am off the track here. m.
  18. marc
    i like it. It is different (or so it seems) than many of the other cookie cutter buildings in the area. I HOPE it isn't anywhere near the color of beige, brown or tannish yellow. (like the others) m.
  19. marc
    i agree. Without something to vitalize that part of town, more well loved buildings could perhaps, fall into disrepair, so this project will probably save more beloved historic spots. m.
  20. marc
    True about those with money could affort it, BUT still, 2 ML seems pretty steep for an unfinished condo. in Houston....albeit nice. Not to dog my hometown, but H-town is no NY, Chi-Town or LA. Nor is it London or Paris. Those rates are par for the course there. BUT, in Houston. Hmmm. I would guess some pricing modification will occur when the units do not fill up so quickly.
  21. marc
    I certainly want to see Main Place go up, so don't get me wrong. I was wondering though, how are some of these buildings allowed to be demolished? I would think the Houston Historical Society would be screaming bloody murder. Has this already been addressed? How does something like this get passed if historical buildings are to be demolished? m.
  22. marc
    Nice. Has construction started? And is there a definate completion date? M.
  23. marc
    As sense of literary history humor. I love it. Anyway, although similar in appearance, i like that finally, FINALLY, we have a couple of highrises which won't fit into the cookie-cutter mold. As said before, this is going to be a bold statement (along with Turnberry) on UT's skyline. Keep em coming. I just hope our housing market doesn't bust like most of the country is doing. m.
  24. marc
    IF the real thing is even close to the renderings, this park is a definate improvement over what we had before........uhhhh..........parking lots. Personally, i think this is just what DT needs to attract more urbanites. Some of you squawk about how the park isn't what it COULD be, about how the projects DT are going too slowly. Well, have patience. The vision will be realized, but it takes time. AND, if in a couple of years we see that the DT park is not the success it is planned to be, i am sure the powers that be will tweek it to attract more patrons. At least i would like to think that. m.
  25. marc
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