Discovery Green Park At 1500 McKinney St.

[lockmat]

Looks like they are getting slightly, but not too much behind schedule. They updated the schedule.

Wow. December 14th is right around the corner. Cool

[HtownWxBoy]

Looks like they are getting slightly, but not too much behind schedule. They updated the schedule.

That's pretty close to the schedule they were originally going with... close enough at least.

[PuroAztlan]

I think midtowncoog is right. This park is looking way too crammed with stuff in too tiny of an area.

There's not really enough green space imo, but who knows. Maybe when its finished the bums will tinkle all over the place and nourish it into thriving, lush jungle.

[houstonmacbro]

I thought it was a cool idea, but in reality, it is too cramped a space for such grand park ideas.

[bkjones98]

I posted this question in the "Downtown" thread, but does anyone know if there will be a Recreation Department where one can rent equipment like baseball gloves, Frisbees, Bocce balls, etc.?

[Houston19514]

I posted this question in the "Downtown" thread, but does anyone know if there will be a Recreation Department where one can rent equipment like baseball gloves, Frisbees, Bocce balls, etc.?

Yes, there will be

[ricco67]

The garage component should be interesting. As I drove by earlier yesterday, they had yet to remove the median (trees, shrubs, curbs) that will allow access to/from the garage on the northern bound lanes of Ave. De Americas (god I hate that name). They did look like they were just about to start on that work though.

[2112]

The basketball park (Root Brown?) across from Toyo is a shining example of how to keep the bums at bay: Security & Water Sprinklers

Bums don't need luxury encampments. There are a gazillion other spots in town they can make camp.

If I were a bum I'd live under 59/Settegast along the Bayou. Them some nice digs.

[Jax]

The website still says the "Grove" restaurant is opening tomorrow. Does anybody know if that is really going to happen?

Edited December 13, 2007 by Jax

[ricco67]

Well, it was being used yesterday or the day before and have had the "hiring" sign out for several weeks. I can't see why not.

They're going to get a ton of business from the Hilton.

now that I think about it, I wonder how busy the Bar and restaurant in there is.

[houstonmacbro]

This was in the HoustonPress.com:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2007/...and_jane_th.php

[HtownWxBoy]

This was in the HoustonPress.com:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2007/...and_jane_th.php

Wow awsome! I can't wait to go there and see what it's like... I think I'll wait for the entire park to be done, though.

[Montrose1100]

Think of it like a big, outdoor YMCA.

[HtownWxBoy]

I drove by yesterday and The Cove restaurant looks really nice... looking foward to going there once the park is finished.

[HtownWxBoy]

http://www.click2houston.com/news/14892993/detail.html

Just a short article about the park... I like that is says the lake will be converted into an ice skating rink in the winter!

[tomv]

Wonder how you convert a lake into an ice rink? Surely you don't freeze all that water. Guess they lay some kind of surface onto the water. Does it float? Probably not. Just curious.

[houstonmacbro]

Can they really keep that much water frozen in +76 degree winter weather we're having here?

[HtownWxBoy]

Can they really keep that much water frozen in +76 degree winter weather we're having here?

I don't know how they do it, but I heard on the radio the other day that there is an outdoor frozen rink up in the Woodlands and my boyfriend said he heard there was one in Galveston... so I guess it can be done. I guess we will see.

[houstonmacbro]

I don't know how they do it, but I heard on the radio the other day that there is an outdoor frozen rink up in the Woodlands and my boyfriend said he heard there was one in Galveston... so I guess it can be done. I guess we will see.

Yeah, when I lived in DC there was a rink on the mall (7th Street) that was often frozen in the winter, even though the temperatures were nowhere near freezing. But it was a very shallow body of water. This (Discovery Green Lake) sounds a bit deeper.

[HtownWxBoy]

Yeah, when I lived in DC there was a rink on the mall (7th Street) that was often frozen in the winter, even though the temperatures were nowhere near freezing. But it was a very shallow body of water. This (Discovery Green Lake) sounds a bit deeper.

Maybe they are only turning a small, more shallow part of the lake into a rink in the winter.

[ProHouston]

I don't know how they do it, but I heard on the radio the other day that there is an outdoor frozen rink up in the Woodlands and my boyfriend said he heard there was one in Galveston... so I guess it can be done. I guess we will see.

They do this in many places. In fact, there was an ice skating rink in front of the downtown Foley's for several years in a row in the late 90's/early 2000's. I've even seen a rink on the beach in San Diego.

[HtownWxBoy]

They do this in many places. In fact, there was an ice skating rink in front of the downtown Foley's for several years in a row in the late 90's/early 2000's. I've even seen a rink on the beach in San Diego.

Awsome... then IT CAN BE DONE! That would be neat to be able to go ice skating outdoors Downtown at the park.

[jayshoota]

That would be sweet. I don't even ice skate but I sure as heck would go check it out.

[lockmat]

[UrbaNerd]

Some pics I took yesterday, when testing out my new cam.

[HtownWxBoy]

Some pics I took yesterday, when testing out my new cam.

Great pics... I also got a new cam (for xmas)... will be testing it out once I get back to Htown!

[tomv]

I drove by there last week and was surprised at how much work is left to be done. It still doesn't look like a park yet.

There was a sign up at the Grove. It read something like "THE GROVE. RESTAURANT. BAR. VIEW" A little too cute, I thought.

But I hope it's a big success.

[KimberlySayWhat]

Didn't there used to be a seasonal ice skating rink set up in the parking lot of Memorial City Mall before they built the indoor one?

[barracuda]

From Wikipedia:

"In any climate, an arena ice surface can be installed in a properly built space. This consists of a bed of sand, or occasionally a slab of concrete, through (or on top of) which pipes run. The pipes carry a chilled fluid (usually either a salt brine or water with antifreeze) which can lower the temperature of the slab so that water placed atop it will freeze. Such rinks were developed in the late nineteenth century, the first being the Glaciarium in London."

Full article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_rink

[RedScare]

From Wikipedia:

"In any climate, an arena ice surface can be installed in a properly built space. This consists of a bed of sand, or occasionally a slab of concrete, through (or on top of) which pipes run. The pipes carry a chilled fluid (usually either a salt brine or water with antifreeze) which can lower the temperature of the slab so that water placed atop it will freeze. Such rinks were developed in the late nineteenth century, the first being the Glaciarium in London."

Full article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_rink

If one considers that the Galleria and Toyota Center ice rinks exist in an environment of approximately 72 degrees, an outdoor rink in the winter time generally would be no warmer.