Texas Medical Center Restaurant And Bar Market

[PJB]

"My understanding is that there are meters that can be installed directly on the pipes to track water usage, complete with RFID signals so that meter reading is easy and unintrusive."

Thanks, I've seen one monitoring system for the sprinkler system but hadn't heard they might be able to do this; will definitely check into it.

[innerlooper]

Not my neighborhood but I know folks there. Residential getting in the way of TMC Beast.

http://www.slideshare.net/house567/wyndale...closure-1357631

[TheNiche]

I take no pity on this beautiful neighborhood. A suburban standard of living cannot be maintained when you are completely enveloped by a burgeoning high-density employment and activity center with such a grand future. If you don't like it, sell and move.

My good faith recommendation to the homeowners along Wyndale is to organize and engage in collective bargaining for the value of the land with the understanding that your homes will be razed, Wyndale will be widened, and your lots will be converted to park space.

If not, then just know that you aren't the only homeowners that have to put up with 1,200 vehicles per day. It's not a big deal. There are expensive homes all over this city that front major thoroughfares and put up with many times worse traffic. The homeowners here aren't exempt from any aspect of Houston's prosperity.

[MaggieMay]

I take no pity on this beautiful neighborhood. A suburban standard of living cannot be maintained when you are completely enveloped by a burgeoning high-density employment and activity center with such a grand future. If you don't like it, sell and move.

My good faith recommendation to the homeowners along Wyndale is to organize and engage in collective bargaining for the value of the land with the understanding that your homes will be razed, Wyndale will be widened, and your lots will be converted to park space.

If not, then just know that you aren't the only homeowners that have to put up with 1,200 vehicles per day. It's not a big deal. There are expensive homes all over this city that front major thoroughfares and put up with many times worse traffic. The homeowners here aren't exempt from any aspect of Houston's prosperity.

The nice folks who created that presentation want TMC traffic to stay inside the TMC. But the neighborhood was built between the main TMC & the VA hospital. So it was always really within the "greater TMC." Which will continue to grow.

Your suggestion sounds like a good way to keep some of the residential area intact. And the homeowners who sell should certainly be well compensated.

[sevfiv]

In the past it wasn't such an issue, but yeah, there's no going back now. Back in the day, though, it was a beautiful little neighborhood.

[Jax]

Until yesterday, I used to get 2-3 bars, EDGE and REALLY slow data rates (like 0.5 to 1 kb per second) on AT&T with my iPhone 3GS in Texas Children's Hospital and that was near the windows. If I went away from windows I would drop down to zero bars and no service very fast. As of yesterday, I now get 5 bars, 3G and 250 kb/second AND my phone works in all parts of the hospital, even away from windows!!!

AT&T must have made some major changes. Just wanted to let all of you iPhone users out there know that you can finally use your iPhone in the med center without dropping calls and having impossibly slow data.

I wonder where the new tower is...

[hoef]

Until yesterday, I used to get 2-3 bars, EDGE and REALLY slow data rates (like 0.5 to 1 kb per second) on AT&T with my iPhone 3GS in Texas Children's Hospital and that was near the windows. If I went away from windows I would drop down to zero bars and no service very fast. As of yesterday, I now get 5 bars, 3G and 250 kb/second AND my phone works in all parts of the hospital, even away from windows!!!

AT&T must have made some major changes. Just wanted to let all of you iPhone users out there know that you can finally use your iPhone in the med center without dropping calls and having impossibly slow data.

I wonder where the new tower is...

Nice. I live next to the medical center and my AT&T reception still sucks..... Maybe it is the radiant barrier in my home .. ugh

[plumber2]

The only problem is that AT&T's contractor put their ugly antenna up on Fannin St. right in front of Texas Children's were the new Maternity Center bridge will be built. The antenna will soon be coming down. So get ready for lousy service again.

[houstonmacbro]

I mostly slum in the 'burbs and we have pretty good reception all over the FM 1960 area. I do have lousy service when I visit mom (south of the medical center by about 3 miles). I will ask my sister if she has noticed any improvement.

[editor]

Did anyone else see that study that came out last month about AT&T reliability and speed being off the charts? I guess a couple of years of people complaining was enough to get it to upgrade its network substantially. I was surprised to see it besting Verizon in most markets. There was one place where AT&T reliability was around 95%, while Verizon was in the 60's.

Unfortunately, I don't think Houston was part of that study.

I'm surprised T-Mobile doesn't get better reviews in Houston. In most markets where T-Mobile ate an incumbent carrier (Primeco/Aerial in Houston, Voicestream in Minneapolis, etc...) the service is considered superior.

[AtticaFlinch]

Did anyone else see that study that came out last month about AT&T reliability and speed being off the charts? I guess a couple of years of people complaining was enough to get it to upgrade its network substantially.

I think the upgrades were a condition of landing the iPhone contract. Apple made them improve, not the consumers (at least directly).

[houstonmacbro]

Did anyone else see that study that came out last month about AT&T reliability and speed being off the charts? I guess a couple of years of people complaining was enough to get it to upgrade its network substantially. I was surprised to see it besting Verizon in most markets. There was one place where AT&T reliability was around 95%, while Verizon was in the 60's.

Unfortunately, I don't think Houston was part of that study.

I'm surprised T-Mobile doesn't get better reviews in Houston. In most markets where T-Mobile ate an incumbent carrier (Primeco/Aerial in Houston, Voicestream in Minneapolis, etc...) the service is considered superior.

I have relatives on T-Mobile and they wouldn't dare switch. They get pretty good reception and much lower rates than me on AT&T.

[barracuda]

Did anyone else see that study that came out last month about AT&T reliability and speed being off the charts? I guess a couple of years of people complaining was enough to get it to upgrade its network substantially. I was surprised to see it besting Verizon in most markets. There was one place where AT&T reliability was around 95%, while Verizon was in the 60's.

Unfortunately, I don't think Houston was part of that study.

I'm surprised T-Mobile doesn't get better reviews in Houston. In most markets where T-Mobile ate an incumbent carrier (Primeco/Aerial in Houston, Voicestream in Minneapolis, etc...) the service is considered superior.

I haven't seen that study, but in my experience, AT&T service is lousy in Houston and just about anywhere else in Texas. I've never had so many dropped calls or bad connections where I can't hear half of what the other person is saying. When my iPhone rings at home, I have to run outside before I answer to reduce the likelihood of those issues. I'm actually in the process of a 30-day trial of Verizon, and must say that I'm having far fewer issues (just one or two calls where the quality suffered for just a second or two). Looks like I'll be porting my number soon...

[editor]

I think the upgrades were a condition of landing the iPhone contract. Apple made them improve, not the consumers (at least directly).

The iPhone appeared on AT&T's network long before AT&T's latest upgrade. It was consumer complaints, bad publicity, and the FCC that pushed AT&T into its upgrade.

The big reason AT&T got the iPhone instead of Verizon was because it uses a global standard, so Apple only had to make one version of the phone to cover every market. These days, Verizon has a few phones with a Frankenstein GSM chip in them, but that still leaves the Verizon phone unusable in Japan, Korea, and many other parts of Asia, while the iPhone continues to work perfectly in those countries (I speak from first-hand use).

Now that it has more experience in the mobile sector, Apple was ready to make a Verizon-version of the iPad but Verizon refused to be reasonable on data rates. With the AT&T version of the iPad you get 250 megs of data for $14.99/month, or unlimited data for $29.99/month and no contract. Verizon wouldn't do an unlimited plan, and wanted to charge $40/month (likely on contract) for the 250 megs. I don't blame Apple for laughing and walking away. Verizon's shot itself in the foot twice on this.

[Nick_G]

I have been through the area a few times and have to say Fanin is a handsome street and the area actually has a nice city atmosphere especially during working hours. What I can not figure out is where everyone eats. I hoping someone can fill me in.

Looking for places that are near one of the train stops, have a full menu, and are open late enough (and on the weekends) to get a bite after going out in midtown or to a game at Reliant.

[wernicke]

Methodist cafeteria has good food. Everything closes late evenings though so I think you're looking in the wrong spot for after hours.

[Houston19514]

Treviso has a full menu. Open until 10 pm.

http://www.trevisiorestaurant.com/map.html

http://www.texasmedicalcenter.org/root/en/Visiting/Dining/Dining.htm

[Nick_G]

Methodist cafeteria has good food. Everything closes late evenings though so I think you're looking in the wrong spot for after hours.

I got that feeling but it's hard to believe, so many people work there and there are so many medical students in the area.

[Nick_G]

Treviso has a full menu. Open until 10 pm.

http://www.trevisior...nt.com/map.html

http://www.texasmedi...ning/Dining.htm

Thank you for the links, much appreciated. 10 is a little early for eating after going out, but definitely doable for coming back from Reliant. i will check it out.

[kylejack]

The Med Center has largely abominable food. I've searched and searched for a place to eat lunch, but it's just a disastrous lineup.

[Jax]

I work in the med center and I eat at "Go Fish" on the corner of Main and Dryden a lot of days for lunch (decent Bahn Mi and Vietnamese food and mediocre sushi). It's not the best but its okay. There's also a mediocre barbecue place around the corner from there, a mediocre sushi place, a Chipotle, and a Subway. In my opinion the Methodist cafeteria is nothing special, although one day I ate gator there which was kind of cool.

[kylejack]

Oh no, the barbecue place is terrible.

Go Fish is alright. The Chinese place is alright. The Methodist cafeteria probably has the best selection of any of the cafeterias, even if nothing stands out as awesome. Waterfall Cafe is a food court with various places, but nothing too special. TCH has a Chick-Fil-A.

Eating in the Med Center is so depressing that I usually just grab a sandwich from our cafeteria.

Edited February 1, 2012 by kylejack

[Simbha]

Folks, it's basically a huge hospital. What do you expect other than hospital food?

[Nick_G]

Folks, it's basically a huge hospital. What do you expect other than hospital food?

I'm interested because I have unlimited access to one of the garages right on Fannin very close to a train stop and I was thinking it would be a great location to find a restaurant and sober up before getting in the car to complete the trip.

I had hope because of these statistics

"The Texas Medical Center receives 160,000 daily visitors and over six million annual patient visits, including over 18,000 international patients. In 2010, the center employed over 93,500 people, including 20,000 physicians, scientists, researchers and other advanced degree professionals in the life sciences."

So I figured I'd ask.

[mkultra25]

Mickey D's on the first floor of St. Luke's. Never figured that one out unless they're trying to create more business for the Texas Heart Institute.

[kylejack]

Mickey D's on the first floor of St. Luke's. Never figured that one out unless they're trying to create more business for the Texas Heart Institute.

That's actually in Texas Children's. The buildings are connected.

[woolie]

Nothing really good. The banh mi at Go Fish is OK but doesn't compare to Les Givrals or others. I had it for lunch today, in fact. Miller's Cafe has pretty good burgers. Trevisio.

Beyond that it's chains and cafeterias:

Au Bon Pain

Chipotle

Murphy's Deli

[gazhomme]

Take the train and ride over to Bodegas taco joint. Their nachos have to be responsible for more Lipitor prescriptions than any other eatery in the area.

[Houston19514]

Phill's

[house567]

UPDATE 8-12-2015

Traffic Engineers, Inc. has been contracted by the city of Houston to assist with conducting studies for the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP).  The process had been started with Devonshire Place and a public meeting was held on 9/26/2013. Due to construction on Cambridge, the process was stalled.  Now that the majority of the construction has been complete, we are ready to start the process again.