Lowbrow Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I am curious as too some of your backgrounds. Why does this board interest you? What are your main interests that run parallel to the discussions of this board?My own story:I have a background in Construction and Architectural Drafting from my youth. I went to school for earth sciences and got a few degrees from different schools and call myself a petrophysicist. Architecture is now a hobby of mine. Being a scientist I am all about Function and spend alot of my time trying to catch up on the Form side of things (photography, travel, reading sites like this). I also enjoy the topics of self-reliant, earth-friendly, sustainable living and how that is impacted by design, urban cephalization, transport, and alternative energies.ps. I found this site when I was researching that Frank Lloyd Wright home here in Houston and came across a post of ssullivan's talking about just that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.S.O.N. Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 Other than the fact that I'm a fan of architecture, I'm a college student that got home sick and found a website that discusses my hometown. I feel kind of closer to home when I'm on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmancuso Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 i have had an interest in skyscrapers & architecture since i was a kid but have an education in something completely different; a BS in english and an MS in futures studies. i'm also into photography and used to play sax in a jazz band a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midtown_resident Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 My interest is in Houston - anything that makes it a more popular and prosperous city garners my interest. This forum has proven to be a great vehicle for information, speculation and the like. I also like beer and cigars This has been a place where I have been able to learn a ton about my neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 My personal interest is on different levels. As a youth, I have always been infatuated with Houston (I grew up here) and the infrastructure that it needs to support such a population. On another level, I like to see how the heartbeat of the city keeps adjusting to the seasons and personalities as they moved in from the north. Also, I like keeping up on what's going on around town, as a PA (and now Taxi driver until business picks up) I always have a need to have information on what's going around town to tell clients/visitors for suggestions on what to do and where to go. Ricco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 Like some others here, I've been fascinated by architecture since I was a kid. My favorite toy was a "K'nex" kits where you build your own miniature skyscrapers. Unfortunately, I have no formal training in it (degrees in business). And of course I share the Houston infatuation even though I wasn't born here, especially about the way the city has changed so much. Mancuso, what is involved in futures studies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted December 18, 2004 Share Posted December 18, 2004 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I've always had an interest in several of the areas this forum covers, including architecture, transportation systems, and aviation. I grew up in a very small town and moved to the big city five years ago, but Houston's always been like a second home for me because my mother is from here and I spent a lot of time in Houston in my youth. I have a BA in psychology, with further graduate study in business. I've worked in retail management, website and database design and management, financial planning, and benefits consulting. I've traveled to just about every major city in the US and I would definitely rank Houston in my top five favorites. My interest has always been in the ongoing improvement of the city's infrastructure and the continuing improvement of the quality of life in the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 What other 4 made the top 5 list & why?GlenProbably they would be, in no particular order, New York, Chicago, Boston, and a toss up between San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland. Okay I know that's more than five but when I wrote that earlier I didn't stop and count. I've always felt very comfortable in Boston for some reason; I guess the environment there just fits me. It's funny because every trip I've made to Boston as an adult a tourist has thought I was a local and stopped to ask me for directions and usually I've been able to tell them where to go. I love the history of Boston and the city and surrounding area too. Chicago because I love the architecture and atmosphere downtown. New York, because, well, it's New York. The other three -- I love the scenery and liberal attitudes of all three of those cities (actually you could argue that point on every city in the list but Houston), and the close proximity of Portland and Seattle to the mountains is a definite plus for me. And San Francisco is just so unique in so many ways that I always find new things to love about it every time I'm there. Like Boston, it's a city I'm familiar enough with now that I could easily blend in and tour the city without a map and not get lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 Probably they would be, in no particular order, New York, Chicago, Boston, and a toss up between San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland. Okay I know that's more than five but when I wrote that earlier I didn't stop and count. I've always felt very comfortable in Boston for some reason; I guess the environment there just fits me. It's funny because every trip I've made to Boston as an adult a tourist has thought I was a local and stopped to ask me for directions and usually I've been able to tell them where to go. I love the history of Boston and the city and surrounding area too. Chicago because I love the architecture and atmosphere downtown. New York, because, well, it's New York. The other three -- I love the scenery and liberal attitudes of all three of those cities (actually you could argue that point on every city in the list but Houston), and the close proximity of Portland and Seattle to the mountains is a definite plus for me. And San Francisco is just so unique in so many ways that I always find new things to love about it every time I'm there. Like Boston, it's a city I'm familiar enough with now that I could easily blend in and tour the city without a map and not get lost.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>You've stolen the words from my mouth. Chicago I know the least though and would love to see more. Boston and San Francisco have both been home to me and I just love them to death. New York for being the home of my family and everything else you would normally attribute to it. Seattle and Portland for the same reasons noted by ssullivan. Matter of fact I have a current agenda to live in Portland if Houston falls through for me. Other mostly smaller cities that I truely enjoy: Wilmington NC, Baltimore MD, Charleston SC, and Savannah GA.On the flip side. I despise Los Angeles. I was raised there and I just cant stand it. I'm also no fan of Las Vegas or Miami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw2ntyse7en Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 The ephemoral construction methods drive me mad. Seeing a hotel built from chickenwire and blow-foam puts my teeth on edge. Miami is better off than Las Vegas but not by much. I've only been there the once and perhaps I am overly critical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 i've been interested in architecture since i was a kid. i started drawing house plans on graph paper when i was about ten. i've spent summers when i was young building and destroying lego buildings. over the years, subscriptions to texas architecture, architectural record, architecture and books on design, urban planning, etc. have created a passion for many of the things we discuss here. i love houston. i was born in houston, lived in "stink"adena for the first six years of my life and was raised in conroe. despite living in conroe, my parents saw to it that we saw things like liberace and annie at the music hall, the nutcracker at the wortham, circuses and ice capades at the sam houston coliseum, shopping at the galleria, drives through river oaks and dinner at places like vargo's and san francisco steak house. i owe much to my parents commitment to broaden our minds. my love for houston that began with my parents was only exceeded after i bought my first car and could DRIVE to houston whenever i wanted! (pineda and debmartin cringe)i have never been addicted to a web forum before. i SO appreciate HAIF. the houston-centric information and friendly banter is something i've desired for some time and guess i didn't realize how much i wanted until i found HAIF.i've worked as a private contractor in the manufacturing end of the oil industry in logistics, as a buyer and an office manager. our clients include baker hughes, halliburton, wyman gordon, daniel industries, etc. my "passion" for the built environment and my career have yet to meet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debmartin Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 "my love for houston that began with my parents was only exceeded after i bought my first car and could DRIVE to houston whenever i wanted! (pineda and debmartin cringe" (quote, bachanon)dear bach, fyi i started driving my moms car when i was fourteen, in the late 70's. got a legal license myself at 16 and ventured out first to conroe, galveston and then all over texas. i especially loved driving to austin and san antonio, and confess to have very little affection for dallas driving except for friends in plano. one of my favorite drives was out to lake houston with a bunch of my stoner friends from aldine high school on saturday nights, although i wouldn't recommend it to my kids now as local law enforcement seems to have tossed out their general tolerance for pranks and larks. in 1999 i quit driving, determined to embrace public transportation in order to do my part. fortunately my profession has no schedule whatsoever and here in beautiful uptown houston the bus routes are overall acceptable. i am impressed by the transit centers, where i can get downtown in 17 minutes - being a native houstonian i also confess to being impressed with the metrorail and utilize it several times a week to the medical center. i'm currently ticked off that the trolleys downtown now cost 50 cents, mainly because i seem to have a difficult time remembering change. my older son now drives and thinks i'm crazy, but i can always get him to drive me anywere if the bus is not a good option. i also pay for cabs often, especially to the grocery store or anywhere i go dressed up when i prefer not to chance a drunk falling into my lap. i find it still more ecomonical than paying for gas, parking, car repairs etc. i am not and have never been against anyone owning or driving a car, i'm just still enough of a dreamer to hope one day a few more might be off the roads. i've traveled to countries where i have been amazed at how many people work their day around subways, trains, buses and other shared ride arrangements but i understand why it would never work here in texas. i have family up there in the woodlands, and think it would be nice to travel there freely. also between houston and other small "towns" like sugerland or galveston but i guess that's the idea, keeping the attractions accessible mainly to the smaller populations they are created for and tourist types who drive in. i also think easier access to travel between the 'burbs and houston would benefit those coming into houston to enjoy the sights and sounds. i'm thinking of anyone with transportation issues, teens too young to drive but old enough to travel for the day, and older folks like my aunt who lives outside of houston in a posh assisted living center. she has only a limited access to houston by shuttle and cannot travel spontaneously. i enjoyed your post, thanks for thinking of me, being quoted made me feel important.debmartinps. props to your parents for doing their part to impress you with houston. my parents also had a habit of dragging us all over town to see the famous spots, homes and local folklore. they met at a carhop place called the buccaneer, which was long ago replaced by the building at 2016 main. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 i always enjoy your posts, debmartin! someday, i'll get that "urban village" thread going. i have yet to form a solid and concise thesis discussing how houston's lack of zoning but a strong embrace of (well thought out, user friendly) mass transit could form a new kind of city and ultimately a new kind of region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Remodeling and cabinetmaking. I am also a Houston native erected in 1948. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 My personal interest came in 1999 when I moved to Houston. At that time, there was only the Glass Steel and Stone web site. But I found there was so much history and interesting architecture in Houston that I felt it needed its own web site. That's why I started this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 My personal interest came in 1999 when I moved to Houston. At that time, there was only the Glass Steel and Stone web site. But I found there was so much history and interesting architecture in Houston that I felt it needed its own web site. That's why I started this place. you rock! thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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