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midtown_resident

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Posts posted by midtown_resident

  1. Grrr, and some ally the French turned out to be.  :angry: 

    As to Iraq not attacking the US......... Factions in Iraq supported and still suport Al Qaeda....Al Qaeda attacked the US. While the original purpose to go over there was because of WOMD and the potential of them, the reasons to remain there grew.

    Basically that whole area over there has been a hornets nest for a long time. Al Qaeda just made us take a swat at them. But now that area is buzzing, we have to take care of it...GET ON WITH IT. And yes, they are starting to dominate the WORLD with terror. Its being felt all over now.

    Let's just flatten the mountainous regions of Afganistan and be done with it. We have that power.

    Back to the subject of the Mother:

    It is tragic, I feel for her loss. But what makes her more special than any other parent that has lost a child to war or to 911? Grief is part of life, part of military service. I COMMEND her son for wanting to fight for his country, what a noble American. His mother however, is falling short. If she is being backed by political faction, I hope she is revealed.

    hmmmm...what about saudi arabia then? and how about pakistan? don't they both have factions of al qaida and meet your general criteria? 'let's just flatten the mountainous regions of Afganistan'...you're not serious are you? i find it humorous that such ignorance is so pervasive in the world...and rather sad.

  2. It makes sense to build bars in areas with a high concentration of apartments, since it generally implies a lot of relatively young potential customers.  On the other hand, no "party district" stays fashionable forever, so there's definitely a risk of becoming another Richmond strip or Shepherd Square.  If the neighborhood becomes dominated by bars I don't think you'll see a lot of new owner-occupied construction.  Not many people are going to want to buy into a neighborhood dominated by nightclubs and apartment complexes.

    A lot of the bars/clubs opening in the area are opening in the same general strip - up Smith/Bagby or along Gray. Much of the townhomes around Red Door/Casa Manhattan are certainly in the line of fire from a lot of noise. However, for the most part, there aren't a lot of townhomes near these places. The apartments area also generally a block or two away - with the exception of the Post props where they are directly upstairs.

    West U / Rice is an area dominated by a lot of bars/clubs - however, much of the business base is weighted by restaurants and retail. As midtown diversifies, i'm sure we'll find that restaurants and retail will follow. It's a matter of time and patience.

    Also, midtown will only support a certain number of bars! I'm sure after a while, the market will be saturated and the true survivors will emerge. Give it some time, i'm sure that over the next year or two, the market will start evolving in that direction. My speculation at least.

  3. I never understood you "lunch workout" guys.  Early AM or afternoon is my zone. 

    Reminds me of the Seinfeld when Geroge was hot.

    "I'd be sweatin all day".

    FYI - The Met has an awesome chopped salad.  Yum!

    I've had that salad and it is GOOD! I do like the early AM workouts as well - but two days a week, i tend to move it to lunchtime. But I feel the best when i workout first thing in the morn.

    Convenience is a must for me - as it helps the motivational factor as well! I'm stopping by Larry Fitness today...i'm leaning towards the Met/Center clubs...we'll see!

    I'm withi Travelguy - lunch workouts tend to have more structure for me because of the rigid timeline.

    I am surprised that there are no real values other than the Y downtown...everything else is 'premium' from what i can tell. I'll have to see what LF has to offer today...and will come up with a solution.

    This is for both me and my wife...at the Y we end up dropping $75 monthly after membership fees and locker fees...may have to stick with that. I'll let you know how it turns out!

    Thanks for all the input.

  4. I walk from 1100 Louisana to 2 Houston Center every day.

    Takes me about 12 mintues each way.

    I don't think it's as far as it seems, but may be if you are wearing a suit.

    I suspect that my options are really going to revolve around the Met, Larry Fitness and the Houstonian Lite. The HL gives me the luxury of a quick 1 block walk to the gym, thus making my lunch hour easier to accomdate with less time spent in 'commute'...

    I suppose something's going to have to give! Trying to squeeze as much as I possibly can in a short period of time...sometimes you just can't do it :)

  5. I think its funny that you want to find a gym, but you don't want to have to walk too far.

    I was waiting for someone to drop that comment...unavoidable sarcasm on this board at times. When you are dressed in professional attire in Houston, one would see logic in avoiding long walks, espeically in the summer heat. Further, the idea is to find as much efficiency as possible. Thanks for your observation though :)

  6. What about Larry North in Houston Center?

    I was a member in Dallas, and was very happy with them.

    I did visit - very nice. My objective is to find something on my side of downtown...that doesn't require a long walk - i was hoping that there were more facilities in the neighboring bldgs...i.e. chase tower, bofa, shell, wells fargo etc.

  7. I've been a member at the YMCA and once upon a time at the Met/CenterClub. I'm hunting for a more convenient location to my office...by JP Morgan Chase bldg on Main. Any recommendations?

    I scouted the Houstonian Lite today in the Pennzoil bldg and was quite impressed...but the initiation fee was outrageous...

  8. There seems to be an epedemic of "broad stroke generalisms" in this thread.

    Inner Loop vs. Suburb locations for raising a family are irrelevant if the parents are not interested in participating in their child's upbringing. We live in midtown with a young child who doesn't have the advantage of a street full of friends. However, our child does indeed have a very well structured social environment, as we get together with many of the kids/parents from his school on the weekends at venues like memorial park, hermann park, the zoo, children's museum, hmns and so on. With all of these venues within 10 minutes easy drive, it gives us the opportunity to spend more time with him and his friends.

    Parenting, whether inside the loop or outside, is a full-time career - and those who think that simple location alone is a determining factor are lost. We have many friends who are happy in sugar land or pearland raising their families. We're doing the same in midtown. Likewise, we have friends raising their families in rural Arkansas and Oklahoma doing JUST fine...just like our friends who live in Brooklyn and Upper East Side Manhattan.

    We chose to live and raise our kid where we are, simply because it's close to amenities where we'd like to spend our weekends and downtime. We enjoy goiing to Hermann, even in the sweltering heat!

    Perhaps we'll learn otherwise over time...but isn't that what it's all about?

  9. Recently we heard about a couple purchasing a condo near Lake Conroe at the 30k price point. In disbelief that such properties might be available, i researched on HAR...to find virtually nothing in that range. My thought was perhaps these condos don't get listed with real estate agents because of the price point...i.e. maybe there are alternative advertising sources that are cheaper routes to selling?

    any thoughts on this?

  10. They additionally want the same amenities they had when they lived outside the Loop or Beltway or wherever else they are coming from. That has led to drive thru CVS pharmacies and strip centers literally in the shadows of downtown. It's led to gated suburban style garden apartments in midtown.

    KA...i don't think it's the suburban mentality of the residents that's led to the advent off the poorly designed CVS or strip centers....or even the apartments. I think that's more a result of a lack of zoning - the builders put together whatever makes sense. Judging by the tone of all of my neighbors, the CVS is an eyesore. Likewise, we all appreciate and enjoy the true urban development that's taken place by the Post. I don't think any of us have an inkling of desire for the ridiculously poor development that's taken place with some of these strip centers and such.

  11. Having grown up in East Houston I've always been accustomed to saying that the best Mexican restaurants are on the East side, primarily since the population is more Hispanic that side of the city.  Problem is I don't really know if the ones I frequent are the best.      Anyone have any nominations?  One interesting restaurant, whose name I can't recall at the moment, is a Mexican seafood restauraunt that's run by Chinese!  It's menu is an experiment in what some, I guess,  nowdays call fusion.  Instead of Spanish rice, you can have your meal with fried rice.  Anyway, you wouldn't think that Chinese could run a sucessful Mexican seafood restaurant in a Hispanic neighborhood but they do.  I love eating at this restaurant just because it's atmosphere is an atypical blend of two ethnicities.

    There is a place off of airline just west of i-45 called tampico seafood that serves some excellent mexican seafood with fried rice. The tamarind margaritas are great as well.

    http://houston.citysearch.com/profile/9848...a_mexicana.html

  12. in all fairness - i don't think it's all "white people" that are taking on the urban frontier as you put it. the homeless issue is one that is cause for deeper exploration rather than applying simplistic assumptions about them and how to help their plight.

    I'm all for addressing the problem from a root level. However, it's unfair to blame people who invest their life fortunes in homes and lives - they have every right to demand that their neighborhood be rid of homeless bums. I think it's unfair to paint residents of midtown as selfish, when in truth, they are simply trying to make their living environment BETTER.

    I respect the initiatives you take to ensure that they are treated well and with respe ct. I don't have any intention of treating these people poorly. I do understand that they too are human and deserve the same empathy that's reserved for any other human.

    But there are some undeniable facts about their lives - and these problems are ones that mere residents cannot address - the government must step to the plate to come up with solutions. Meanwhile, I will continue to tell the homeless bum who pees on my drive to "get the #%^ off of my property" and i will continue to call the police where needed.

    There are two sides to every coin...and painting everyone with the same brush is unfair.

    First, we ran the homeless out of downtown, because some white people thought it would be a nice place to watch a baseball game.

    Then, we ran them out of midtown, because white people from the suburbs wanted to be 'urban pioneers', but the homeless made it a bit too urban for their suburban tastes.

    Now, you want to take away their freeway overpass?!

    For those of you that don't spend much time thinking about this issue, let me explain:

    The Star of Hope Mission used to have a men's shelter on the east side of downtown.  No one bothered them there since no one went over there.  Then, we decided to build a baseball stadium right on top of their shelter.  They had to go.  The non-profit's building was purchased and they rebuilt on Ruiz, next to the US 59 overpass.  They also built a women's and family shelter on Dowling, a couple of blocks away.  Now, these shelters, being run by a Christian group, have a few rules, if you want a bed.  Some of the biggies are no drinking, drugging and fighting.  If they smell alcohol, you don't get a bed.  These are not harsh or unreasonable rules, but they are the rules.

    Now, some of these homeless sorts, like many of us with homes, try to get through their miserable lives by having a drink or 2.  Now, they don't get a bed, but they WILL get ameal in the morning, maybe their only one all day.  Plus, the shelter has security, so if you sleep near the shelter, you will be reasonably safe, a really big deal for these guys.  Since most humans, like most dogs, don't like to sleep in the rain, they bunk under the overpass.

    These guys don't ask for much.  On my way to the office, at most, they ask for a quarter.  When I had my restaurant, they occasionally asked for a water or a coke.  They offered to clean up around my restaurant and to watch the place at night, if I would let them use the spigot in the back to clean up, so as not to offend the white people by being unkempt.  I told them that was fine as long as they didn't leave it running.  They never used a drop more than they needed.

    I hope I have not ruined anyone's day by making these people sound a little human.  And I hope you will forgive the homeless for sleeping under your 59 overpass.  They meant no harm.  They just figured you already took their 45 overpass, and you had all the overpasses you need.  I'll explain it to them the next time I see them.  They are a very understanding lot....they have no choice.

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