wernicke

That the Red Line is popular only proves that the Red Line is popular. And it should be. It connects the two largest employment centers in the region, acts as a replacement shuttle system between the TMC and outlying parking lots, and has numerous parks, stadia, and museums along the route. Never mind that METRO has used it as a funnel for bus passengers, this was low-hanging fruit. The University Line is the next lowest because it'll tap all the bus traffic coming out of Southwest Houston and also patch in to Uptown and Greenway. Lines such as the East End, North, and Southeast are probably really bad ideas, though; that stuff just replaces busses.

To me, the University and Uptown lines both seem to be the next "lowest hanging fruit". The other lines serve populations dependent on public transportation and although they may not yield the same sort of ridership numbers, in time, I believe these lines will catalyze private development along the rail that will provide lasting benefits for Houston...

And the goal should be to invest in an interconnected system of rail, looking to the future as Houston's core becomes more dense (and the development of commuter rail will eventually tap into this system).

Also, in the coming decades, I think grade separation at problematic areas could be revisited... but it is better to build the framework now at a lower relative cost than building later.

Trains can carry far more people than buses, and its easier to load many people at once. The fact that its jam-packed on my Light Rail ride every morning is proof that its a popular and effective transit option. They need more doubles on the Red line, and more lines.

I love riding the rail. And the small taste of Metro's bus transportation I got after Ike was not good. People may pooh-pooh rail bias, but it does exist and for good reason.

I'm surprised there hasn't been more interest in the bookstore, Books-a-Million

The store looks good... they went with an industrial interior design. I just hope there is enough seating for people who study/read at bookstores (I couldn't tell from the windows).

It has a soft opening this Thursday right?

The Pool is featured prominently in the movie "The Hot Spot" with Don Johnson and Jennifer Connolly.

Nice trivia, TJones... some fantastic scenes.

There is a lot of content on VP linked on the posted article too. A lot of the comments on the article are very negative... seems the locals are a little restless with the way it has panned out.

VP needs some active park space like DG, in addition to cheaper restaurants/pubs/apartments. There's really nothing to do there, and all the condos in the area start at like $500K.

It has definitely been dead the few times I have gone to explore on a trip to Dallas. Some of the buildings look really cool though.

I have been several times. The collapsed grotto and the preserve make for great scenery.

And the pool is cold at all times of the year, but tolerable when it's hot outside.

The retail floor plan does show Mia Bella on level 1 (161A).

So has anyone heard definitively if they are moving from the Main St. location or just opening an additional location? To me, the current location has always been part of the draw due to its charm.

This is an additional location, their 3rd. I think a 4th is going in somewhere else.

Not only does it help to link east and west downtown, but by linking Macy's with Houston Center, it actually serves to create a retail/shopping district for our downtown. I think this was a key move that will start to "zone" things for downtown Houston. most of the future retail that comes to the area will be in the vicinity of HP and HC.

I definitely think Dallas St. from GRB to Main St. should be made into a pedestrian friendly corridor, and the city should encourage (incentivize) development of hotel/residential/retail projects. There are 5 blocks adjacent to Dallas between HOB and Hilton/DG/GRB just waiting for it...

Just walking around, the blocks between HP and Hilton/DG/Toyota have such huge potential if they are used correctly... I would want hotel/luxury apts/condo/retail in the 30-story range or above.

Took some pics of HP today.

I got bumped off at Rice U stop on Friday and immediately experienced a replay of the Metro's inadequate 700 bus substitute after Hurricane Ike.

Think a large mob, few buses that do come by are full (or the driver will not open the doors despite adequate standing room), and general frustration.

Subway down Post Oak Blvd. Connect Uptown line to Downtown near Memorial w/ new rail. Redevelop strip mall across from BLVD place to office/apartments/condos/hotel. Get the proposed Deyaar and Ritz buildings done at proposed heights.

Bury the West Loop...? Would never happen, but could be cool.

the HOB is nothing but a planet hollywierd and a hard rock cafe.....fluff and nothing more...it is the chain restaurant of entertainment and when its trend fades so will you and its supporters

House of Blues is a music venue, Planet Hard Rock are restaurants with memorabilia.

what will HOB become when it shuts its doors in a year or two

can we discuss that here or should I start a new thread

it is amazing for all the people that complain on this forum about chain food they think nothing of drooling over chain entertainment especially at stupid prices

Actually, HOB has a lot of shows at very reasonable prices... matisyahu and blues traveler starting at $25, bob schneider at $18.50. But you are going to pay if you wanna see Jay-Z, BB King, etc... which is expected I think.

I think HOB will be fine. The 20 restaurants... I'm not sure.

Also just FYI, if you look at the commercial/office brochure on the site, it has a few more places plugged into the layout (a bank, T-mobile, etc)

There will be 3 stations, with the new main station near the Lake Plaza currently under contruction...

Wow... a lot of restaurants. Hard to believe there is a demand for all of them.

The "100 Days of Escapades" sounds interesting...

i believe house of blues is opening the 18th. they are having some kind of opening party cause of friend of mine is proud of his tickets.

Attell was supposed to open on Friday, the 10th, but cancelled. HOB opens this Saturday with Cowboy Mouth.

Has anyone seen those Jay Z tickets for the HOB? It's a second mortgage.

I wish I had 2 tickets. House of Blues Concert Schedule and Jay-Z prices.

There are some good shows coming.

Just drove by again tonight... they have been putting trees in, no palm trees thankfully. They also put in the House of Blues sign... and lit up some of the blue lights. Looks good... of course they are opening in 4 days.

if it were that easy, there would be tenants. there's quite a bit of space in the area that is available already.

But not many places with the amount of high traffic volume that 24 Hour Fitness brings to the building...

I saw some palm trees waiting to be planted the other day. I don't know where they're going.

I'm not sure how I feel about palm trees in this location...

I've been wondering the same damn thing... hard to believe something hasn't gone in yet. Not sure what that means.

Drove by tonight... still no signage.

McCormick and Schmidt's looks finished... Books-A-Million looks nearly finished... there were workers inside Forever 21 doing sheet-rocking at 1030 PM.

It looks good, some places better than others... I hope Books-A-Million has some nice study areas. And it looks like they have a lot of trees to be planted along the streets, which should look nice.

There is a lot of good information and insights in this retrospective. Solid work.

What's different about Body Worlds 2 than the one a couple of years ago? And what dinosaur exhibit?

They always show those Body Worlds commercials while I'm eating.

Body Worlds Wikipedia

The previous exhibit was Body Worlds 3: The Story of the Heart. Part 2 concerns the nervous system.

I went to BWs 3 and was very impressed... the body's are really works of art, in addition to being educational. Preserving delicate structures is technically difficult.