jpcampbell
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Posts posted by jpcampbell
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Do you work in an office building along shepard? perhaps the one next to the Huntington?
I work @ 610 and San Felipe (next door to Clear Channel). My building is right on the feeder overlooking the freeway. I was zoomed in to 150mm, so it may appear closer.
jpc
Here's mine. I love skyline pictures.
I really like this photo. The contrast of the bayou trail greenery and the skyline is great.
jpc
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My favorite view is the one from my office window.
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This why I would never move waay out there...
<yawn> You can do better than that ltawacs. Come on! Your "outside the looper" insults are getting pretty weak these days.
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i still dont understand how an indoor skating rink could be that loud.
Indoor?
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Ohhh... La tee.
who could be so stuck up?
i mean, jeez, it couldnt really be THAT loud to be disturbing. I sleep fine living 2 houses down from a busy railroad track thats busy 24 hours a day because the sound is blocked out by the AC and ceiling fans and the walls, and my house is pretty small. In a huge house, how the heck are you supposed to hear something from inside another building?
I know one of the kids that skates at this rink. The family that owns it had a permit, but they built the lights 4" higher than their permit. That is what the angry neighbor and The Woodlands are using as leverage. I was surprised TWA let them do it at all.
As I said before, I think it's being a bad neighbor. Even the father of the kid that skates there twice a week told me that he would not want it next to his own house as it is very loud.
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We moved up to the Woodlands less than a year ago, and in the past two months we have been having water pressure problems at least twice a week.
Wow, that is pretty bad. We've been in Sterling Ridge for 2.5 years and have always had great pressure. I would complain, and complain very loudly.
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There is a tiny little restaurant called "Standard Sweets" on 5696 Hillcroft. It was a staple during my days at Rice. They had a veggie buffet (all you can eat) for $2.99. If you wanted to splurge and get meat, it was $3.99.
It's not the best atmosphere, or frankly the most awesome food, but it's significant bang for the buck.
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Observer, one thing that someone mentioned that is very significant...don't assume you'll be working downtown. I've lived inside the loop near the galleria for 6+ years, and I've never had a job inside the beltway. I worked at Compaq (pre-merger) off 249, a small company in Friendswood off I-45S, and now I commute 40 miles to the Woodlands. All of my commutes were 25+ miles. I would say if you live within the 610 loop, you can't go wrong. All the suburban workplaces would be 30 - 60 minutes away. I'd imagine it would be much tougher to commute from the burbs to downtown, or from the burbs to another burb.
You're on the right track picking a neighborhood you like. That's more important then the house itself.
I could not agree more with this post. In my years here, I've worked in 5th Ward, The Woodlands (twice), 249/1960 area, I-10/Dairy Ashford, Westheimer at the Beltway, and now finally at The Galleria. There is no neighborhood near all of those places that could have been super convenient for a commute.
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Sounds great, but who's going to pay for it? Its too expensive for the average American. Thats why sprawl exists in the first place. Why would I pay 160,000 dollars for a townhome in Westchase, when just 10-15 minutes west of there I can buy a new home, with a yard?
Explain the logic to me..
Agreed. The idea of a townhome or mid/high-rise may be appealing to some, but for me, I'd be miserable. I want a large single family home with a yard big enough for my kids and dog to run around in and still have enough room for a pool.
If that were available inside the loop for anywhere close to what I pay now, I'd do it. But I'm not sacrificing my family's lifestyle just for my personal commuting convenience.
For others, that kind of lifestyle may be what they are after, and that is great too.
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My commute time varies, altho I usually leave at about 7:30-7:45AM and leave in the evening 5:00-5:45PM. These are peak times and would explain why it may take a bit longer than if I left at say 6:30 AM.
In the evenings, I have noticed a big difference if I leave at 5:15 vs. 6:15. If I left at 6:15 I'd be home before 7 myself.
I leave the house at 5am typically and return home at 6pm. I work hourly, so I don't care. I have found that the freeway speeds at 5am vs. 6:30am are about the same, but it's much scarier during the later times as there are more cars. I typically am going 80 all the way and getting passed up a lot. So, I leave earlier and have a much more pleasant commute.
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We live in Imperial Oaks. I have been trying various commute routes and times. I work near the Galleria on Post Oak. My commute varies between 34 and 38 miles and the time runs from 40 minutes door-to-door to about an hour. The quickest way for me is to take the Hardy Toll Road, then US 59 (or I-45) to I-10, then cut across to 610/West Loop. That's 40 minutes flat and has few, if any backups at all. If I take I-45 down and 610 around it takes about an hour.
What time of day are you commuting? I live 10 minutes west of I-45 on Woodlands Parkway, and I get to 610/San Felipe in 40 minutes by going I-45 to 610. I can make this time if I leave any time before 6:30am or so. Coming home yesterday at 6pm was the same. I left my desk at 6:15, down 15 floors, to the garage, and was in my garage before 7pm. My one way distance is 41 miles.
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Kingwood is actually closer than the Woodlands, and with US 59 having been expanded, you virtually fly into town.
I have to say the freeways on the north side are very much improved over the past. There are very few times that my commute on I-45 slows down at all and I'm usually leaving by 6pm.
Seven years ago, when I did a reverse commute from Downtown to The Woodlands, I took the Hardy every day as it was so congested and dangerous from construction. What a difference now!
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This will be a fun thread to look back on in 10 years time and see how that area has grown (or not) after the freeway expansion. I wonder what the "middle of nowhere" will be then?
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Congrats!! Your life just got a lot harder, but a lot more meaningful and joyful. I never wanted kids till the moment I had one. It's such a wonderful and indescribable feeling.
Congrats again.
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On the Houston area, I still have some reservations on home appreciation. How do you folks deal with that issue? Coming from the Northeast, people here view their house as an investment, as well as a place to live. So if they spend $300K on a home, they may hope to sell it for double the price or more when they retire. But it seems in Houston you would actually move backwards with your 'nest egg' since you're paying 6% or more in interest on a house that's gaining in value at less than that rate.
I don't consider a home an investment at all unless you live in a very special area and plan on moving to a much cheaper area later. I live in The Woodlands because my family likes it, not because I expect my home values to pop. That being said Houston has shown appreciation in a lot of areas.
My parents bought a house in Timbergrove Manor in 1973 for 30K. They sold it in 1981 for about 125K. They also sold my grandmother's house in The Heights for 32K around that same time (early 80's). I looked recently on that same street and houses are going for 200K+. In 1999 we bought a house for 237K in Braes Heights. We sold it 6 months later for 246K (job change). Allison flooded the entire neighborhood, but it seems the value has rebounded and is around 300K now. I'm sure there are examples of similar appreciation others can give.
I would still be very leery of considering a home as a serious "investment". We have neighbors who moved from California after making a million dollars on their home they bought 30 years ago. They paid cash for their big houses here and are living it up. Don't expect that here.
However, please move down. It's a great area for many other reasons.
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Could other people get the Debra Duncan show out of town? The reason I ask is because look at this. http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/ontv/072700_LT_Debra.html
Or is that just a link?
Interesting how the site for ABC 12 has a headline for show that says "Only on ABC13".
I actually ran into her at the Clear Channel building's deli this morning. I think she does her radio show from there.
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Evil is too strong a word. How about malevolent, insidious, or insipid? I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I've got kids, but I don't want to live in the suburbs.
If you truly feel that the suburbs have these influences of evil or have a lack of excitement, the they probably are not for you. I would never use those words to describe where I live. I have lived in many neighborhoods inside the loop and now live in the burbs. I don't feel that one is better than the other, so I was equally as happy in all my neighborhoods.
Just do what makes you and your family happy and what makes sense for you.
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Personally, I don't consider them evil, if it's conducive to your lifestyle, then it's appropriate. Otherwise, I don't think they're overally practical if it actually costs you time and money for the sake of having a larger yard.
But that's just me.
Ricco
Speaking as a resident of the burbs who moved out there because my job was out there, I can say that a larger yard is worth the extra cost and time for us and our 2 kids. Homes are actually cheaper out here, but I do pay with time as I now commute to the Galleria from The Woodlands. But it's a small price to pay for what my family has out there during the day while I'm at the office. The extra commute is about 30 minutes a day tops, so it's no big deal.
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Maybe I'm by myself in this but I hate it when some people bring there political beliefs on this site. It causes nothing but strife.
There are big problems with both parties, stop slamming on one or the other.
I second that. At least it's on "WAY off topic".
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Another good choice, but not exactly ritzy, is the Barbeque Inn on Crosstimbers and Yale. The barbeque is good, but the steaks, fried shrimp, and fried chicken are incredible. It is sort of retro east Texas style. I can't explain it, but you will know it when you see it.
The waitresses have been there since God was a boy and all call you "honey" while taking your orders and setting up the baskets of melba toast and club crackers.
Barbeque Inn was the "fancy" restaurant we went to on special occasions when I was a kid. Looking back, it's not exactly high class, but to me it was, and they just seemed to have the best shrimp in the world. I haven't been there for over 10 years, but now I must go back.
Thanks for bringing that one up.
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Keep Blinking!!!
I blinked today and they had the rest of the rebar laid down. If it stops raining, I bet they pour it tonight. Drive by about 5:30am and that is when they get a lot done.
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Once the West Loop construction is finished (it is way ahead of schedule BTW)
The workers are amazingly fast. I sit and watch them all day out my window. You blink an eye and an onramp is poured.
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Do y'all think the Texans make it to the postseason in 2006?
My thoughts. I think so.
I think they can if they get a pass rush and the cornerbacks are as good as they potentially can be this year then they have a shot at taking out the Colts.
Hopefully also they open up the offense a bit more. Jerome Mathis could be interesting as he is a burner that can contribute right away on special teams and potentially could help the offense a lot.
Oh yeah, and the RB position needs to stay healthy and deliver. And don't forget the OL needs to protect.
Wow, I just raised a ton of question marks, but I still believe!
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Actually, Austin's population has started to decline in the last couple years. The dot com bust and downturn in technology companies has hit Austin very, very hard... Austin is a popular/cool city, but it's not booming like it was a few years ago... they've hit a plateau.
True, it took a hit, but it is rebounding nicely. Startups are booming again and I also just read this yesterday where Austin ranks #3 for starting a business or career.
Downtown Skyline Update
in Downtown
Posted
This was taken a week or so ago (date when the photo was posted).
jpc