POST: Mixed-Use Development At 401 Franklin St.

[IntheKnowHouston]

21 minutes ago, editor said:

Calling them "vending machines" is using a broad definition of vending machine.  They're more like the old gumball machines you used to see in the front of supermarkets.  Those old enough to remember those also remember when they eventually started spitting out little toys in plastic bubbles instead of gumballs.  This is exactly what a gashapon machine is.  

Gashapon are not unique to Akihabara.  They are very common all over Japan, and are positioned just like the way old gumball machines used to be — near the entrances or stores and by actual vending machines.

"So much nitpicking about nothing." 🙄

[mattyt36]

2 hours ago, editor said:

If you're going to make statements of fact like that, it would be helpful if you linked to a campaign finance report showing how much the Pappas family donated.  Otherwise, it's just rumor-mongering.

It's no secret--simply Google "Pappas Family Whitmire" and this is the first return.  Much easier than accusing someone else of "rumor-mongering."

Whitmire, Pappas oppose Turner's plan to amend $1B airport contract (houstonchronicle.com)

Below heading in big, black, bold letters "The decadeslong relationship between Whitmire and Pappas"

 A recent Chronicle story highlighted a number of past instances when Whitmire has blurred the line between his public and private roles, taking consulting, lobbying and legal jobs that raised some ethical questions. Among his former clients was Four Families of Houston, which included the Pappas family of restaurateurs.

[Amlaham]

So we should expect something like this, which is going to be exciting for kids and collectors! 

[gene]

I recently had a friend come stay who has been living abroad and was so excited to see these things at Post haha...i had no idea what they were but apparently they were a big deal (to some anyway.. ;) )

 

 

[EastwoodEnvoy]

5 hours ago, Amlaham said:

So we should expect something like this, which is going to be exciting for kids and collectors! 

Yeah, they've been up at Post for two weeks or so. I know this because I got ripped off for a dollar by the machine that turns your dollars into tokens to operate the machines 😒 The toys are much more expensive than I expected. I think some were as high as $6 for a single "turn". Sending thoughts and prayers to all the parents out there who will lose a small fortune as your child begs for tokens to try to get the toy they want.

[editor]

On 1/18/2024 at 8:38 AM, mattyt36 said:

It's no secret--simply Google "Pappas Family Whitmire" and this is the first return.  Much easier than accusing someone else of "rumor-mongering."

Awesome.  Since it's so easy, you won't have any trouble including sources when you make similar statements.

23 hours ago, gene said:

I recently had a friend come stay who has been living abroad and was so excited to see these things at Post haha...i had no idea what they were but apparently they were a big deal (to some anyway.. ;) )

 

 

My wife spent an hour in the rain plugging 100¥ coins into those machines.  Thrill of the hunt, I expect.

[BeerNut]

4 hours ago, editor said:

My wife spent an hour in the rain plugging 100¥ coins into those machines.  Thrill of the hunt, I expect.

My favorite are the capsule machines that have toys/pins that are specific tourist areas.  It's like the penny machines that used to be at tourist sites in the US.

[j.33]

On 10/16/2023 at 12:23 PM, hindesky said:

Eater posted that Golfstrommen "will serve its final meal on February 4. A press release says the concept will be reworked and expanded, then reopened at a date to be announced."

Source: Seven Houston Restaurant Closings to Know Right Now, 2024 - Eater Houston

[j_cuevas713]

Every time I go to POST they have a decent crowd eating there. Good news! 

[txtiger]

Looks like a rooftop pool is on its way to POST - 

Post HTX :: Plans :: Higbie Ventures (higbieplans.com)

[gene]

16 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Every time I go to POST they have a decent crowd eating there. Good news! 

You should go saturday (if the rain isnt too bad 😥☔ ) as it is coffee and cars 9am to 11am and the market from 11am to 7pm!  I go often and yes it always is buzzing...they just need to keep adding more to fill the building up with more shops or things to do (which will come in time i know). 

(and now they have a micro Retail Village that just opened up with a handful of vendors and growing! 

https://www.posthtx.com/shopx#shop-directory )

 

Edited January 30 by gene

[BEES?!]

56 minutes ago, txtiger said:

Looks like a rooftop pool is on its way to POST - 

Post HTX :: Plans :: Higbie Ventures (higbieplans.com)

Well, that's interesting. Whereabouts on the roof will this be? I wonder if it has any connection to the potential hotel?

[talltexan83]

I know this has been brought up before, but would it be that difficult to move the Amtrak station into the Post complex?  It's only a few hundred meters away.  With the potential hotel proposed, they could go for something similar to what Denver has accomplished with their downtown train station.  

[hindesky]

Architect - https://www.jtarcstudio.com

[bookey23]

That's awesome. Was up on the roof a few weeks ago and was thinking about how much unused space they have up there. I'll probably never go myself, but that'll definitely be a good attraction, considering the pool will likely have a fantastic downtown view

Edited January 30 by bookey23

[mattyt36]

59 minutes ago, talltexan83 said:

I know this has been brought up before, but would it be that difficult to move the Amtrak station into the Post complex?  It's only a few hundred meters away.  With the potential hotel proposed, they could go for something similar to what Denver has accomplished with their downtown train station.  

There are only 3 trains per week each way IIRC (maybe 4), whereas Denver has the airport rail, light rail, and a transit center, not to mention the Denver station is arguably more centrally located.  So even if they moved it, I don't really see it accomplishing anything close along the lines of Denver.  Kind of putting the cart way before the horse, no?

[talltexan83]

1 hour ago, mattyt36 said:

There are only 3 trains per week each way IIRC (maybe 4), whereas Denver has the airport rail, light rail, and a transit center, not to mention the Denver station is arguably more centrally located.  So even if they moved it, I don't really see it accomplishing anything close along the lines of Denver.  Kind of putting the cart way before the horse, no?

I didn't realize there were that few trains each week.  Yeah....not quite the foot traffic I was envisioning 

[LosFeliz]

Not sure of the current schedule but I've taken the Amtrak to Tucson twice but it's been awhile. The train used to roll through town at well after midnight for westbound departures. 

[Brooklyn173]

It's mostly one train a day, for six days a week (Three eastbound and three westbound. I think Thursday is the empty day). Eastbound leaves around noon, and westbound leaves around 7 PM. Amtrak gives exact times but that is more aspirational than real.

But I am a planner and I tend to think 20+ years down the (rail) road. I wouldn't want to get hung up on the limited present circumstances (highways are built not for current traffic but mostly for expected growth). Somewhere in HAIF, there is a long discussion about the operational movements and the difficulties involved with passenger train vs. freight, so any improvement is mostly imaginary at this time. But still...

Anyway, a cheaper and more expedient compromise is to connect the current platform to POST Houston right now. The eastern edge of the platform is just across a small parking lot. Maybe 50 meters at most. I'm not sure what is at the POST Houston point there, but it would be nicer (for the passengers) if the ticket office was moved inside POST Houston and a connection over the delivery entrance road was constructed. It also would make the station a little more visible and less forgotten than its current grandpa-in-the-attic configuration. However, it adds a longer walk (with luggage) down the platform to an open train door.

[editor]

On 1/30/2024 at 10:32 AM, talltexan83 said:

I know this has been brought up before, but would it be that difficult to move the Amtrak station into the Post complex?  It's only a few hundred meters away.  With the potential hotel proposed, they could go for something similar to what Denver has accomplished with their downtown train station.  

Saint Louis did something similar about 30 years ago.  

The old Union Station is a Conrad Hilton today, and the old train sheds were converted into an aquarium, restaurants, Landry's, ferris wheel, event space, etc… 

I went there for a convention, and it was pretty convenient.  Except that the Amtrak actually dropped you off two blocks away, and then you had to walk over.  I was told that the Amtrak trains used to back into the hotel and entertainment complex to let people off, but they don't anymore.  That was back in the 90's, so I'm not sure what the situation is today.

When I lived in Chicago, it made for a great day trip.   Take Amtrak down to Saint Louis, then hop on that city's light rail out to the big park where the museums are, rent a bike and ride around and visit the museums and have lunch, then back on the light rail, then Amtrak, and home.  

[Houston19514]

47 minutes ago, editor said:

Saint Louis did something similar about 30 years ago.  

The old Union Station is a Conrad Hilton today, and the old train sheds were converted into an aquarium, restaurants, Landry's, ferris wheel, event space, etc… 

I went there for a convention, and it was pretty convenient.  Except that the Amtrak actually dropped you off two blocks away, and then you had to walk over.  I was told that the Amtrak trains used to back into the hotel and entertainment complex to let people off, but they don't anymore.  That was back in the 90's, so I'm not sure what the situation is today.

When I lived in Chicago, it made for a great day trip.   Take Amtrak down to Saint Louis, then hop on that city's light rail out to the big park where the museums are, rent a bike and ride around and visit the museums and have lunch, then back on the light rail, then Amtrak, and home.  

St Louis's Union Station has been through a couple of iterations of rebirth.  Glad it is up and running.  FWIW the hotel is not a Conrad, and never has been. When Union Station was first refurbished and reopened as a retail/entertainment complex, I believe it was an Omni Hotel.  Later it became a Hyatt Regency, then a Marriott, and then Doubletree. It is now a Curio Collection hotel (by Hilton).

[TacoDog]

The train station being at POST would make it one of the best Amtrak stations in the country for food. If they could trade the parking lot near the platform with the current Amtrak parking area, I think something could work.

There's even a pedestrian walkway underneath the highway connecting the two areas.

[tangledwoods]

not to be that guy but I am pretty certain that the train riding demographic doesn't have much overlap with the demographic that Post wants in their building.....

[mattyt36]

55 minutes ago, tangledwoods said:

not to be that guy but I am pretty certain that the train riding demographic doesn't have much overlap with the demographic that Post wants in their building.....

I can see it now.

Food & Wine Magazine:

Best Amtrak Stations in the Country for Food

POST Houston

Forget Washington, DC Union Station!  If you're one of those many gourmands frequently traveling the bustling 5-hour trip* from Houston to San Antonio, you can experience a gourmet food court at POST HTX, where you can get a burger for $25 before you hear the call for "All Aboard!"

* - Editor's note: Often 8 hours.  Operates 3 days per week.

[j.33]

1 hour ago, tangledwoods said:

not to be that guy but I am pretty certain that the train riding demographic doesn't have much overlap with the demographic that Post wants in their building.....

private rooms in the sleeper coaches are over $1,000. Long distance Amtrak is not cheap. 

[TacoDog]

2 hours ago, tangledwoods said:

not to be that guy but I am pretty certain that the train riding demographic doesn't have much overlap with the demographic that Post wants in their building.....

Houstonians?

[Brooklyn173]

https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/who-rides-u.s.-passenger-trains-these-days.htm

"People who choose the train for long-distance travel are a varied bunch. Jeffrey Orenstein, a travel journalist and retired political science professor, takes the train about three times a year. He finds the ridership to be "an interesting cross-section of life in the regions involved," he writes ..."

And I don't think that anyone at any time has made the argument that an entrance to the Amtrak station through POST was an economic boost (for either party). Only an improvement on the aesthetic environment in total for the entire city.

[mattyt36]

FWIW, Amtrak ridership statistics available here: Amtrak Ridership | Bureau of Transportation Statistics (dot.gov).  It's a nice little utility where you can click on the city and see the boardings and alightings, so two way traffic--airport traffic is traditionally presented one way.

Houston at 15,833 for federal fiscal year 2022, or 43 daily average, or 21.5 each way daily average.  However, since trains operate only 3 days per week, that'd be right at 100 per day or 50 each way.  More than what I would've guessed quite honestly.  Pre-pandemic they were above 20K annually.

San Antonio almost three times as much at 45,819, but it has train service to Dallas as well--I think daily.

Austin 26,665.

Fort Worth 93,181 (it has train service to Oklahoma--I think daily)

Dallas 40,197

 

[editor]

15 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Pre-pandemic they were above 20K annually.

I wonder what it was before Katrina cut off service past New Orleans.  Unfortunately, the Amtrak web site doesn't go back that far.

Speaking with people anecdotally, there was pretty enthusiastic ridership east from Houston to Jacksonville → Miami/Orlando/Tampa, and Jacksonville → Charlotte.

From what I read in newspapers, there's a smattering of politicians along the Gulf Coast who aren't happy the tracks haven't been rebuilt.  And just yesterday, the Birmingham paper ran an article about the Surface Transportation Board getting titchy with Amtrak for perceived foot-dragging: 

https://www.al.com/news/2024/02/whats-going-on-federal-board-blasts-amtrak-requests-progress-in-gulf-coast-service.html

Quote

U.S. Surface Transportation Board members, during the hearing in Washington, D.C., repeatedly expressed disappointment over the inability to get Amtrak trains operating between Mobile and New Orleans more than 14 months after a confidential agreement was reached in a highly watched case with national implications over the future of passenger rail service.

Apparently there was a goal to connect New Orleans and Mobile by October of this year, but it doesn't sound like anyone believes that's going to happen.

[mattyt36]

8 minutes ago, editor said:

I wonder what it was before Katrina cut off service past New Orleans.  Unfortunately, the Amtrak web site doesn't go back that far.

The website I sent sure does.  The peak was in the 20K range, from 2015-2019.  Stats go back to 2005.

9 minutes ago, editor said:

Speaking with people anecdotally, there was pretty enthusiastic ridership east from Houston to Jacksonville → Miami/Orlando/Tampa, and Jacksonville → Charlotte.

Does this mean you spoke with people who took it who described the ridership as "enthusiastic"?  So your anecdotal sample was comprised of a set of only people who rode the train?  What exactly is meant by "enthusiastic ridership"?  Hobbyists?