cottonmather0

I'll be there.

I can't really understand how you would think Telfair is more conveniently located than FC. It's further out and it's on the north side of 59. Anything commercial of interest is going to be south of 59 (mall, town center, etc) and those 59 intersections, 6 in particular, are brutal. First Colony, aside from the easiest access to the mall area, has another good, nearby shopping area in Missouri City's Riverstone area.

Anyway, I live in the Plantation subdivisions, which is east of 6 and just south of Sugar Creek. We love the location, even though it may be under your price range...homes in the area seem to top out in the high 200s. The ease to local shopping can't be beat, schools are good (no Clements though), and the area seems pretty stable, safe, and quiet. And I can get to 59 with no traffic backup in the mornings within 5-8 min. From First Colony, there is pretty much no traffic if you take the Williams Trace (I think, don't go this way often), Sugar Creek (use as a cut through sometimes, which I'm sure those residents don't appreciate), and 90A entrances to 59.

When I say location, I am mainly referring to proximity to my wife's job at Schlumberger on 90A, but yeah, I know all of the retail and amenities are on the south side.

As a "Venetian", I couldn't agree with you more but it's hard to find anything under 500k that doesn't need major work.

I am actually giving up talk radio for lent. LOL

I listen to all those shows and I like and agree with them all, especially Glenn Beck and Limbaugh.

Hannity is a major league hack and is hard to listen to in large doses and Michael Berry is a minor leaguer who sounds like a wannabe, although he's gotten better and he's growing on me. Savage can be entertaining, too, but his show is also cartoonish and purposely mean in a lot of ways and not particularly informative. Mike Gallagher is also entertaining, but he's kind of minor league, too. Prager is weird. Medved is OK. Hugh Hewitt is also a hack (but very informative). Dan Patrick (not the sportscaster) is too serious and too focused on state stuff so I find him mostly boring. And I never listen to Laura Ingraham because I never listen to that station.

But as far as Chris Baker goes, he's actually funnier than all of them except maybe Beck and Limbaugh, and since he is (was) local and doesn't just do politics, he gets a lot more "weird" callers. He is a comedian after all, and he's very good at playing along with the guests right up to the point of being patronizing without going too far. I thought he was VERY entertaining back in the day and look forward to having him back (although I hear he's not actually coming back to Houston as he is now in Minnesota???).

Thanks for all of the replies.

I am SICK to be moving from our existing house because my wife and I bought it old and unupdated five years ago and finally have it to about 95% of how we want it. It just doesn't make sense for us to stay here when we need more space and neither one of us needs to be near downtown like we did up until last summer.

Our listing is here fwiw. (Pictures of how it was originally are here)

The reasoning on Telfair is that the difference between the asking price and what things are really selling for these days seems to be 25% or more. My wife and our agent are worried that the low prices are going to attract downscale buyers and renters and that the quality of the neighborhood will suffer in the near term. I don't know if necessarily agree with that and I really like the idea of buying something brand new and up to date, especially with such a great location. It's not like it's 20 miles up Grand Parkway, after all. And as you can see, I've already done the remodeling and updating thing and I really don't want to go through it again, even if it's not a whole lot of money and minor-medium intensity stuff like countertops and flooring (as opposed to moving walls and plumbing).

(My wife also said yesterday that she heard the elevation in Telfair was lower and the soil stability worse, but I kind of think she was either fibbing or heard someone else who was... The only reason it was undeveloped for so long is just that it was under lease to the prison until recently...)

My personal objection to most of First Colony is that the housing stock is older and location isn't as good as Telfair. Yeah, all of the schools are great, but it's not like the alternative to Clements High School is Worthing or North Forest, either.

And from what I understand, traffic is really bad in the mornings getting to and from the schools and to 59 via Hwy 6 or Sweetwater Blvd and that seems to defeat the purpose of moving closer to my wife's office if she is still dealing with traffic, even if it's just a different kind of traffic.

It seems, though, that my question about whether First Colony is worth the money and hassle seems to be a resounding yes. No one who has responded has said that it's not.

They are indeed building a new bridge to connect the jogging trail to the south side of the park. There are going to be new parking lots (which is sorely needed), new trails, and a "running center" built over there to try and alleviate some of the awful congestion around the jogging loop and tennis courts. I can't wait for it to be finished, personally.

Mrs Cottonmather0 and I are moving down there as soon as we can sell our house here in Timbergrove.

Lots of personal reasons for doing so, but the main one being that she works at Schlumberger down there and has no need to commute 35 minutes each way everyday, especially when I run my business from home and neither one of us needs to be near downtown anymore. Not to mention that we have a second child on the way and we could use more space and are thinking about better schools than the HISD ones we're zoned to right now (Sinclair... BLACK MS... Waltrip).

Anyway... The conventional wisdom we are running into from most people - including our realtor - is that for our price range (up to $500k) we should not be looking at any area other than First Colony - that the schools are the best and that it's the most desirable area to live in. Nonetheless, from what I can glean from the houses I have seen down there, anything we can afford is going to be at least 15-20 years old and in need of updating, and, aside from being close to the mall, the location is TERRIBLE for getting out quickly, with winding roads and cul-de-sacs and layers upon layers of subdivisions. For my wife working at Schlumberger, which is roughly at 90 and 59, First Colony seems to be one of the worst possible places for us to buy if we're really worried about location.

So, for other areas:

We thought about Sugar Creek for a while, but most of the houses in there are pretty old and need updating, and my wife is rather concerned about the quality of the areas to the south and east (along Dulles Blvd) and that it's beginning to encroach into Sugar Creek proper.

We also really like Greatwood a lot, especially for the value of the some of the newer homes right now, but it's just so far away - and also pretty sprawling - and it's not in FBISD.

I personally like Telfair a lot, especially considering the value that can be had for newer construction these days. There are a lot of foreclosures and excess builder inventory right now, but if we're going to live there for more than 5-7 years, at least, I don't see how that can be a problem for us. Similarly, as far as my wife's commute, the location is just about perfect, especially considering that they'll soon be opening the entrance onto Highway 6 soon. Not to mention easy access to 59, too, compared to First Colony and Greatwood. Also, the existing elementary and middle schools are both rated exceptional and that they'll have the new high school built long before my son is old enough to attend.

Problem is, our realtor has just about convinced my wife that buying in Telfair is a bad decision because of the quality of buyers it will be attracting given the market right now (no matter where we look, my wife is very concerned about, ahem, demographics, much moreso than I am) and the risks that sometimes come from brand new construction. I just don't see how such a great location can be a bad decision.

And before anyone asks, neither one of us care much for New Territory or any of the older neighborhoods along 90 towards the Sugar Mill, fwiw.

So, I guess my question is this, is First Colony REALLY worth the money and the hassle? I am not at all denying its advantages benefits - I just don't see how buying an older house back in the maze that's 20 minutes from the freeway (especially as you move south along Elkins) is really worth the premium that other people seem to think it is, especially considering what we could get for less money in either Greatwood or Telfair along with a better location as near as I can tell.

Any perspective is appreciated.

Does anyone know if the food court in the tunnel between the McKinney and Milam areas is ever going to be opened or has it just been put off? How long has it been sitting there? Every time I pass by there I think it would be a gold mine with the right stores. If it was me I would put in a Taco Bell, Sonic, and a nice Chinese buffet.

McKinney and Milam intersect, so I am confused just what building you're talking about. Do you mean the area between Bank One and the McKinney Garage? I'm thinking that's what you're talking about... Been awhile since I have been down since I quit working downtown, but essentially between Becks Prime and Chicken Kitchen. Is that the area?

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME NEWS!

First Glenn Beck is back, now Chris Baker. Whoo-hoo!

I missed Chris Baker. He was hilarious and excellent for local stuff.

I would second the recommendation for Balmorhea.

And I am envious of your trip, because I LOVE hiking around up in Guadalupe and McKittrick Canyon.

Have fun.

I just saw this. Unless your dog is really a rabbit or a ground squirrel, you have nothing to worry about and a real bobcat is definitely more scared of people than they should be of it. I love how city folk get all worked up over wildlife. There was a coyote in Memorial Park recently and people acted like it was a hungry grizzly bear stalking the jogging loop.

This is the best quote of the whole article:

I can't remember the name of it but there is a little place on I-45 between Tidwell and Parker and they deliver TODAY!

No. Trump is only 1,362 feet tall. The Sears Tower is 1,450 to the roof and 1,729 to the tip of its west spire.

If you're the sort of person who includes antennae in building heights, the John Hancock Center is also taller than Trump at 1,506 feet.

I think the question is how tall is the crane on top of the building itself?

Will it still be scenic, even though motorists are no longer under an arch of mature oak trees and must view a wide swath of concrete and oncoming traffic?

IMO, no.

We can wait and enjoy the new canopy in 30 years. In the meantime, I'll just sit back and admire the wonderfully efficient traffic flow and thank the city for "reclaiming" park land next to a golf course.

I've driven by a million times lately and am going to try and get Ms Cottonmather0 to go try for breakfast next Saturday. I hope it's good because I would really like to have a funky "real food" breakfast place near the house.

so she can get on camera for the 6pm news

It's funny because it is true.

Might it not be wise to be advertising to the crooks when exactly people aren't going to be home?

The rules of the freeway are very simple. Keep up with the traffic in front of you. If you can't keep up with the traffic in front of you then move to the right. If your already in the right lane and still can't keep up with the traffic in front of you than you should seriously consider just riding the bus.

Quite true, but what about the 10% or so of drivers who absolutely MUST go faster than everyone else around them? How do they fit into the rule of the freeway? Traffic normally moves 70-75 mph on that stretch of freeway outside of rush hour as it is and there is always 1-2 cars a minute that fly by (weaving in and out of all lanes) going 80+ or even 90+. How fast is too fast and when does that become a hazard? I think that's the question being discussed.

The 'HOV lanes' are closed on the weekends because it is not peak driving hours. Once the tolls are in place these lanes will be open 24 hrs a day. Of course the 'HOV lanes' will only be applicable for those 12 hours a day Mon-Fri that are in place now. If I understand correctly (I think I do), even if you have 2+ in your car on a Saturday or 10PM on a Friday, you would be paying a toll for using those lanes.

Oh, I get that completely. Still doesn't make sense why they can't just leave the lanes open right now. It just seems silly and bureaucratic.

I couldn't have been happier when I-10 opened up last October. It's a beautiful thing, and has saved me almost an hour of commuting a day over 290. What I don't like is what I'm seeing on the new HOV section. Now I'm all for patrol and making sure there are no violators, but it seems the enforcement of speed is getting borderline oppressive. In the last three weeks, not a day has gone by where there haven't been a minimum of 4-5 cars stopped in a 5-6 mile stretch. Yesterday was a new low as I watched officers actually walk out into the middle of the HOV lanes and stop traffic to write them tickets. I was in the mainlanes doing about 65 and the people who were stopped weren't doing much more than that. Is there a zero tolerance policy on the HOV for speeding, or are they exploiting a somewhat captive audience to generate revenue to pay for the project? Either way, I'm almost better off driving on the mainlanes as I see very little enforcement done there. Ugh, sorry to rant...just annoys me when I see things like this.

I think I agree with you that the focus should be less on the freeway and more on the surface roads (where I think reckless mindless speeding is much more dangerous), if that's the point you're trying to make - but why is it a problem if you're not speeding? Like most traffic stops, the cops usually find lots of outstanding warrants and other violations as a "bonus", so I don't think speed enforcement is bad in and of itself. And if you're speeding in the HOV you should get a ticket anyway for being so stupid to not realize you're a fish in a barrel.

Now I'll tell you what makes me batty about that HOV lane - why in the world is it "closed" on weekends? What's the point? The cops are already there pulling people over for violating the "closure" anyway, so it's not like they don't have the resources for enforcement, nor do they have dedicate someone to opening and closing the gates like they do on other HOV lanes around town. THAT is where I think the "trap" is on that freeway.

Very nice photos - thanks!

These trees date back to the original park loop road that circled around the golf course and connected up with another park road in front of the present garden center.

So what if the trees stay? There are plenty of foot trails in parks all over town with tree canopies over them. What makes this area unique are the trees over the road.

Thanks, COH.

I always liked this one.

First the fire hydrant, then the pole.

I had heard it before, TJ, but I really don't care either way because it's not really surprising about ANY politician.

Here is the view from the other side of the red letter building - the Target sign is barely visible. There is no way the Lazy Hollow street sign would be visible with any kind of lens and still be in the same visual field as the red letters on the building. My guess is that it was taken with a telephoto lens and then the landmarks were pasted back in to make the picture look somewhat believable. But I'm not an expert on this type of thing at all.

Notice too that there are two different sets of Street View images taken on two very different days. They go back and forth between days as you move down the street.

There is a similar internet forum where a photo of Westheimer is being presented as a negative portrayal of Houston. It is a poster from Dallas who keeps posting it. There are accusations the photo has been altered (with clutter added) because the highrise is too close in the photo, and the intersection doesn't look the same on Google maps street view (location on Westheimer @ Lazy Hollow, approx 8650 Westheimer).

Can some experts weigh in on their opinions?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/7150406-post242.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/general-u-s...-cities-25.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/7141406-post38.html

I wouldn't necessarily say it's photoshopped, but it's definitely distorted, maybe with some sort of telephoto lens effect. Although all of the telephone poles and the ultra large Transco in the back seems to be additions.

Here is the original picture:

Here is the Google view of the "same" location, in between Fondren and Lazy Hollow. Target is definitely behind the building with the red letters, but I think that's all that's real.

It would be nice to find a map or something definitive about that's happening. I can read the words but I can't realize visualize it all that well.

They do have all of the trees fenced off on both sides of the road, so maybe that's a good thing?