The Great Hizzy!

The city also did a piss poor job of getting Citgo to relocate here. <Insert rim shot>

LOL

I used to prefer HEB over Kroger's and Randalls, but since all the HEBs near me are so busy nowadays, I shop at old reliable: Kroger's. Randall's has always been too expensive, and their selection is surprisingly ho-hum compared to their competitors. I mean, go to the Randall's in Midtown, for example, and they barely have any Lil' Debbie snack cakes. I mean, c'mon!

I hope they've touched up the sections near the intersections of the N-S streets. I drove along the repaved section from San Jac to Bagby and the road looks unfinished, with some pretty significant dips/potholes near the intersections of the N-S streets. Looked pretty ragtag and I can't imagine the city would pay for such an unfinished job.

No. The Texaco Building is a much older building sitting on a block bounded by Fannin, San Jacinto, Capitol and Rusk. It's the block across from the new Club Quarters.

I saw a sign advertising vacancies for a 1/1 unit @ West Creek on Westheimer for just $575/mo. That same complex was renting the same type of unit for $690/mo. a year ago.

@ 2112 I was also thinking that, hey, look... even if the current quest for the Shamrock ends with nothing being built, such a project as the one planned for Main @ Polk could still be a catalyst for another type of residential project at that location. If it's a matter of the development group, then I don't think there's much to worry about longterm, as people have already (allegedly) shown enough interest in living at the location. And even if it is a problem with attracting interest from buyers, I think having a project like the mixed-use property down the rail line would give that lot more visibility to a broader range of interested people.

There aren't that many tenants at Bayou Place, and of those who are there, Hard Rock Cafe & Slick Willie's are the only two that really mean something to those who don't spend a lot of time downtown (those who would be needed to make the place swell with activity). Also, Bayou Place has no consumable retail. The new project is supposed to have manufactured retail available, which is important in helping draw interest to the project overall. I mean, people like to eat but they spend more time shopping and they shop at all times of the day. The West End in Dallas doesn't have much consumable retail either and is mostly dependent upon people visiting the Sixth Floor Museum or what have you wanting to eat (although, the West End has more recognizable venues and better overall attendance than BP). On the other thand, Bayside in Miami not only has your Hooters, your Hard Rock Cafe and Your Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., they have a litany of stores, from Banana Republic to J. Crew. The difference in attendance between these two projects (and Bayou Place, for that matter) is very noticeable, especially on weeknights. You also have the advantage with regard to this new project of having Foley's nearby along with the rail line, and a denser conglomeration of office buildings and residential (such as the Commerce and Kirby Towers). There's also a large hotel across the street as well as two others within a few blocks down Dallas Street. So I think it has the potential to be a great success from the get go both from the perspective of locals and of visitors.

The idea isn't new at all, as they considered doing the same for the rail stations in Miami. The problem here, though, is the same as it is for advertising on METRO vehicles: there's nothing stopping Treasure's Adult Entertainment from competing and bidding for the naming rights to a METRO rail station. And METRO has to award naming rights fairly (that is, without bias).

Well, there isn't much to be done about the building from a design standpoint so the Wulfe Co's efforts are to be commended (though I still don't find the building particularly attractive in its revised condition). Anyway, that would explain why I still see guys waltzing in and out of the building with hardhats (they're not doing anything all that spectacular inside but they're tooling around with ladders). Maybe they're taking inventory of the space for the designers. I know the building probably needs to go through asbestos abatement still. Anyway, I'm glad to see that there are concrete plans for the building.

I thought the NFL owners would be announcing the next SB site in May?

Obviously, the writer's never spent time in Brooklyn, Queens, the South Side of Chicago or the San Fernando Valley, but I agree that you're prone to see that in, say, the Third Ward, where blocks of run down shotgun houses are bordered by mostly well-preserved two story homes from the early 20th century, which are then bordered by mansions (some of which are larger than what you'd find in River Oaks) even further south. All of this is within a ten or twelve block span of each other, more or less.

Right. I take a gander at 'em and most of it speaks for itself so I try not to ruin the info by commenting.

Shut yo' mouth!

Someone mentioned that the mosque is moving because they can't handle the rent (or something to that affect). If that's true, what do you all think would work in that building? It looks a tad too big for a club but also doesn't look like a good setup for residential or a hotel. Thoughts?

KZ with a very good and poignant post. That's it in a nutshell. San Antonio and Phoenix have the same issues as well. Los Angeles had those issues too in the 70s. What I like is the fact that the city of Houston has decided to take a step back from annexation for a while (they have no plans to annex anything for the next four years) while Mayor White has talked about addressing the lack of infrastructure in some of our last major annexations, such as in Alief, Acres Homes and the outer Fifth Ward. I also like the fact that I'm seeing more streets being repaired than I did four years ago.

Too bad that TxDot doesn't have the juevos to depress at least parts of the North Freeway north of the Loop. It'd be pretty cool to view the I-45 as a fully depressed freeway from the Loop to about W. Little York. But alas... Matress Mac would cry foul.

What HR just said. It's a very interesting project.

Sarasota #5 but Miami #12? Odd. Oh well. I would say it's an improvement at least in terms of perception. Four years ago, Houston wouldn't have been listed--even if the list was for the Top 30 locations. Or 40.

Austin's a fine little city. I have to grin, though, at how much people seem to give it accolades it doesn't deserve. I've decided that rather than "debate" a perception, I'll just stick to learning about some things that are going on in Austin that might be cool if it were to also happen in Houston (if it wasn't already) rather than to get into a silly discussion about how much "more" of something Austin has than a city nearly five times its size. Perspective. Anyway, I like that they are starting to look at western Austin (that is, west of downtown) the same way that developers have been looking at Midtown Houston and Uptown Dallas over the last few years. It looks like Austin will be ahead of its development now that urban areas are being treated with a bit more respect in new growth cities, something that wasn't true in the 70s and 80s.

I don't know why more of the media don't come clean and admit that Miami is a logistical nightmare as well. The stadium sits, literally, in the middle of nowhere. To the south, there is a long swath of empty, dunish land surrounded by mid-size suburban homes and some ho-hum businesses--Checkers Burgers, Wachovia Bank, etc, etc. To the east are more suburban type homes seperated from the actual stadium by Florida's Turnpike. To the west are a lot of risky apartment complexes, which, at least at one time, were high areas of crime and mayhem. To the north is a race track and a hotel. By the way, it's the only hotel in the area over a two-mile radius. It's also a good little jaunt from: MIA (10 miles), DT Miami (12 miles), DT Fort Lauderdale (13 miles) and South Beach (19 miles). There isn't much public transportation, and certainly no rail. Also, getting to and from South Beach can be a record breaking hassle. Hell, getting to and from it on a regular weekend is hell, as traffic backs up across the intercoastal as people try to make a turn at either Alton Road or Ocean Drive. It sucks, in that sense. However, the hotels, bars and restaurants are outstanding and there's shopping to do nearby. But it's not as convenient as Houston's setup, and that's without debate.

1) The completion of construction on Commerce, particularly between Fannin and Milam, has provided a very charming corridor that makes the Spaghetti Warehouse building look a lot less isolated. It also does a decent job of psychologically tying in Main Street with the Allen's Landing area. People are more willing to park near here and stroll up Main Street. I was surprised last night by the number of people walking from Spaghetti Warehouse to places like Empire Bar. 2) It's a good sign for the area when El Rey is open late (like after 11:00PM) on a Thursday night. 3) Weather is very important to downtown's vibe. If there's even a hint of rain, you can expect things to slow down. Last night proved the opposite; a bit chilly, yes, but clearer skies give people more confidence to head out. Last night looked almost as busy as last Saturday night, which is pretty cool. 4) Curse be upon the owners of the entire "Jefe" indignation. They have no clue what to do with the site and it is ruining the flow of action on Main Street between Preston Station and Texas Avenue. It doesn't help that two units down, on the other side of Grasshopper, is another empty storefront that seems to be screaming for some type of shop or eatery as well. This will all probably look a lot less conspicuous once Glo opens across the street. 5) Azumi's (sp?) presence in the Rice is great. Along with Sambuca (and Bossa across the street, this section of Texas Avenue looks very cool and upscale, and it's great watching people hang out under those hanging lights from the balconies at the Rice. 6. I didn't realize that the Calpine Center had the potential to house ground level retail. There are about two units on either side of the main entrance that appear to be waiting for someone to move in, and they're not offices, or at least I don't think so. 7. I'm now in favor of a residential project in Phase II of Bayou Place. A 200-unit dwelling of some sort, with units priced mostly around $180 - $250K. The disconnect of Bayou Place from its surroundings will probably be best eliminated if you have people in the area who have a vested interest in being there on a consistent basis. The theater crowd is there but they're only there for certain nights and only for about three or four hours. Residents have a lot more reason to stroll over and take advantage of what the complex has to offer. As for Bayou Place, it's also too bad that Jones Plaza isn't used much between November and March. That really amplifies the lack of activity at Bayou Place compared to Main Street or Market Square. 8. The Shamrock would really complete the urban landscape of Main Street in northern downtown. It's absence is conspicuous, and just like the Jefe Bar fiasco, there is a disconnect in place between one section of Main Street's action and the rest. All in all, a lot to like. One thing that is without dispute, Main Street is very well lit, and the streetscape is very appealing for the pedestrian. It's too bad that Main Street can't look like it did this past Thursday night on Mon-Wed as well.

I'm optimistic about this. The fact that people are giving input, even if it seems contradictory to what we all would like to see longterm, is a good thing, IMO. I think the Katy expansion proceeded in design and implementation without enough input and consideration from residents, so hopefully, in this case, things are a bit different and we all, essentially, get what we want. That said, I totally agree with Max on this; inside 610, the eastern stretch of I-45 isn't very dense and there's very little residential that would be affected. If anything, the corridor renovations would then put it in better position to house things like retaining walls or better designed trenches. Just my opinion, though.

I agree. Right now, it's lilliputan next to Austin's downtown.

NP, man. From a professional standpoint, I'm sensitive (in the positive sense) to civic misinformation and acute city bashing because it's usually done so from bias and snobbery. These cities do a lot to try to change their image and promote themselves during such events as the SB or a Final Four, not just for the popularity contests (which I don't think are winnable anyway) but for their very survival, because you have to keep job growth in place, else you fall apart, like many rust belt cities. Giving your city a plug with the various business types who are visiting is important. Gives you an ear you might not have had ready access to otherwise. Anyway, it's all part of what I do for a living, to an extent