Guest danax Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Living on the East End, where it's mostly residential, I end up going over to the West End a lot where, although I'm a minimal consumer, I spend most of my non-housing income. The West End is Houston's overall supreme retail center. It takes me very little time, except if the 59 is backed up, which it has been lately due to the construction. I've got alternate routes of course, which give the added pleasure of urban exploration, a favorite pastime.I was on my favorite alternate this morning and I realized, that in a short 20 minutes, I had experienced a sampling of most of the flavors that this diverse and widespread city has to offer. I felt like I was in Baskins Robbins.My route is Lockwood, Elgin, Westheimer. All one roadway, three different names.I start out heading over to Lockwood. I'm in Eastwood first, Houston's oldest planned community. Old homes and trees populated by professionals enjoying the historic home lifestyle. Then, it's south through a quick edgeland combo of Hispanic and light industrial. The townhouses of the Warehouse District are unseen but marching eastwards as I take a quick glance to my right at Leeland. Then, it's a short hop through what was once the edge of a part of Third Ward that got amputed by the 45 fwy. construction years ago. The remainder is really off of Scott St. to the west. No longer attached to the mother neighborhood, it's in the process of dying and, with all hope of survival now gone, appears to be in a state of consent, meekly surrendering to the terminal fury of the spreading townhouses.Crossing under the 45, the street sign now reads Elgin, and the U of H campus fills my glass. An impressive university that is experiencing it's own rapid growth, I imagine the MetroRail that will soon be gliding by. Crossing Scott, the eclectic campus abruptly ends and the streetscape looks like the Old South, circa 1950. This is Third Ward. Old black men sitting in torn, vinyl covered kitchen chairs under trees in empty lots, laundrymats with old awnings, boarded up shacks, bungalows converted into Baptist churches, billboards urging sexual abstinence, old buildings pleading for a quick, wrecking ball death. All this in a short 5 minutes and then, the tall, mangled old trees suddenly thin and, in a flash, the massive skyline explodes to my right, and for a second I'm blown away.The massive urban river of the 59/288 is quickly upon me and I float across this great divide, oblivious to the teeming schools of four-wheeled fish beneath my bow. Midtown welcomes me. The contrast is a bit startling. Fresh faced and modern, colorful and courteous, every other block has something new and promising, which in turn creates more advanced visions of what this prime area will be like in the future. The feeling is that I'm driving through Houston's womb, and the fetus looks healthy and beautiful.Crossing Main, making sure I'm not MetroRail wreck number whatever, the streetscape starts to funkify a bit as Elgin becomes Westheimer. Montrose looks like a favorite worn and torn tie-dyed t-shirt. As the cafes, gay clubs and oddball shops give way to an enticing, traffic-slowing display of sidewalk antiques, the street seems to open up a bit and before long I'm in Upper Kirby. Or is it Lower River Oaks? Either way, things look very orderly and sophisticated without much pretense or hautiness.A couple of blocks to my left and I'm at my first stop, Whole Foods. A short 20 minutes passed but somehow today my mind and eyes were wide open. If I had continued west on Westheimer, we all know where I would've ended up. Uptown, Westchase... Anyone else want to finish the trip?Anyway, if I ever have to play tour guide and my guest has only 3 or 4 hours, I think this one piece of pavement would be my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 Beautiful story! This sounds like it should be a blog entry! Plus..it embodies the feeling.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted May 21, 2005 Share Posted May 21, 2005 yes, indeed, that was enjoyable. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 If I had continued west on Westheimer, we all know where I would've ended up. Uptown, Westchase... Anyone else want to finish the trip?Anyway, if I ever have to play tour guide and my guest has only 3 or 4 hours, I think this one piece of pavement would be my choice.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I used to live off of Westheimer near Voss...driving back and forth on that stretch of Westheimer, I started to realize that you could live your entire life without ever leaving that road, and never lack for anything. If you include Elgin and Lockwood, then you've truly got it all...the industry/Port of Houston, education (Austin HS, Lamar HS, University of Houston), retail (in all shapes and sizes, from the yerberias of the East End to the luxury of the Galleria), restaurants (from taquerias to 3rd Ward soul food to just about anything else you could want...unfortunately you'd miss the Hillcroft Indian/Middle Eastern strip and the New Chinatown out Bellaire Blvd), the nightlife of the Montrose, every economic level is represented from the poorest Houstonians to the richest, the urban to the suburban and beyond.What an amazing strip of road...about 25 miles of everything under the sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 I'm always on those roads and I've never really thought about it like that, mainly because I've been more focused on how some areas along the roads are transforming (like along Elgin).Good thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 I'm always on those roads and I've never really thought about it like that, mainly because I've been more focused on how some areas along the roads are transforming (like along Elgin).Good thread.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>It's always in a state of transformation and in a few years the northern end of Lockwood will be very different. Then we can start just north of the Buffalo Bayou near Clinton & Lockwood where there will be Turkey Bend Ecology Park # 1 and Green Fingers wetlands, then across the bayou to the Botanic Gardens and Turkey Bend Ecology Park #2, then down to Harrisburg where the MetroRail is supposed to run and where Wulfe & Co. are sitting on the old Stevenson & Stevenson plant which they plan on turning into a "lifestyle center", once a major grocer finally steps up and wants to anchor it. As for the far west end, it's been so long since I've been out there. The last time I was at the West Oaks Mall it was mostly open fields around there. Another interesting thing is that, I believe, the end of Westheimer is somewhat near to the relative beginning of Buffalo Bayou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 I think it ends in Cinco Ranch. Or when it alligns with Alief-Clodine. I'm not sure which is the real Westheimer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 My girlfriend went to a shower last night, and I told her how to get there: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I think Westheimer actually keeps going, waaay past Cinco Ranch, nearly to FUlrshear, or whatever that place is called. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Another interesting thing is that, I believe, the end of Westheimer is somewhat near to the relative beginning of Buffalo Bayou.Westheimer Rd is also known as FM 1093, a TxDOT maintained road. I don't know where "Westheimer Rd" itself ends, but FM 1093 does indeed run out through Fulshear and Simonton, then across the Brazos River and through Wallis. That's as far as I've taken it, but the map shows it continues west all the way to Eagle Lake. It's a pretty drive out there...and full of weekend bikers.I know "Westheimer Rd" runs at least to Barker Reservoir, which is sort of, but not exactly, the headwaters of Buffalo Bayou. The gates on Barker Reservoir control the flow of Buffalo Bayou, and I'm sure a lot of people think it starts there. The headwaters of Buffalo Bayou are actually somewhere northwest of Katy in Waller County. Of course, it's about the size of a roadside ditch up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbigtex56 Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Enjoyed your post, danax.Did you know that Westheimer and Elgin originally didn't connect? According to a 1913 Map of Houston, the stretch between Waugh (then called Euclid) and Baldwin was called Hathaway Ave. This map also suggests the reason that Westheimer curves at Crocker St (by Katz's Deli) is that there used to be a railroad track which cut through at that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestGrayGuy Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 dbigtex:I noticed that too on that map. Cool stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westguy Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 It also used to turn to Andrau Airpark into Alief. Now that section is called Old Westheimer and it runs past Royal Oaks into the Westpark Tollway. I think that road is about to be renamed West Houston Medical Center Blvd, judging by the name of the new medical building that is going up there. I'm not sure when they changed the allignment. Was it in the 70's when they started building Westchase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Enjoyed your post, danax.Did you know that Westheimer and Elgin originally didn't connect? According to a 1913 Map of Houston, the stretch between Waugh (then called Euclid) and Baldwin was called Hathaway Ave. This map also suggests the reason that Westheimer curves at Crocker St (by Katz's Deli) is that there used to be a railroad track which cut through at that point.Also, Montrose dead-ended at Hathaway (now Westheimer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest danax Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Enjoyed your post, danax.Did you know that Westheimer and Elgin originally didn't connect? According to a 1913 Map of Houston, the stretch between Waugh (then called Euclid) and Baldwin was called Hathaway Ave. This map also suggests the reason that Westheimer curves at Crocker St (by Katz's Deli) is that there used to be a railroad track which cut through at that point.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I can't seem to get the map to download fully.It gets down to the southern portion then goes blank and says "done". I've tried several ways but will keep trying. I could look at old maps for hours. I did notice that Lawndale used to be called Cut Off Road, and Canal was German St. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Westheimer Rd is also known as FM 1093, a TxDOT maintained road. I don't know where "Westheimer Rd" itself ends, but FM 1093 does indeed run out through Fulshear and Simonton, then across the Brazos River and through Wallis. That's as far as I've taken it, but the map shows it continues west all the way to Eagle Lake. It's a pretty drive out there...and full of weekend bikers.I know "Westheimer Rd" runs at least to Barker Reservoir, which is sort of, but not exactly, the headwaters of Buffalo Bayou. The gates on Barker Reservoir control the flow of Buffalo Bayou, and I'm sure a lot of people think it starts there. The headwaters of Buffalo Bayou are actually somewhere northwest of Katy in Waller County. Of course, it's about the size of a roadside ditch up there.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>If I'm correct I believe "Westheimer" ends at HWY 6 and becomes 1093 from there out to the Fulshear area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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