bachanon

Any oenophiles out there? What Houston area establishment has the best wine list?

the photographer of the photos i linked to my previous responses wants an $80 fee for the high-res photos. i told him that 77,000 readers would be disappointed. here is his link in case you're interested. http://photohome.com/ k

let's count up the existing, desirable amenities of montrose blvd that would benefit a walkable district: restaurants (of all kinds), clubs, retail, museums, galleries, grocery, salons, universities, residential, bars, coffee shops, churches, bed and breakfasts and much more. it's a no brainer. the only thing missing is a cohesive district to highlight these amenities, maybe all the newbies buying townhomes in the area will get out of their cars and begin to enjoy the diversity and colorful nuances of montrose. it's shouldn't be a surprise that there is increased interest in residential mid/hi rises, office buildings and restaurants along montrose blvd. if only i had purchased that 80K bungalow off of hawthorne in '97.

i like. what would you think of a different view of downtown? too bad there isn't a closer picture of this view without the freeways. this would be my favorite.

IMO, it would be a good time to create a montrose blvd improvement district (if it isn't already) between westheimer or even allen parkway and binz/bissonnet. widen the sidewalks remove any above ground electrical/phone lines, install lighting, unique bus stops, landscaping public art, etc. this area has so many wonderful amenities that encourage pedestrian activity. it could and should become IMHO a more significant/beautiful/walkable blvd.

let me state, for the record, that i realize that there are several assumptions made on several of the "issues" in this video. the maker of this documentary is attempting to paint a picture with half truths and assumptions; however, there are a few things that bother me. for instance, the fact that certain stocks were traded at a level 500% higher than normal activity days before 9/11; the claim that certain suicide hijackers are actually still alive; the claim that there were no body or plane parts found at the pentagon, these kind of issues i'd like to know more about. i do not fall for sensationalist dogma, in fact it usually annoys me. if my buddy had not bribed me with heineken, i would not have watched this video to begin with. now that i have, i would like to know more. your opinions are appreciated.

if the link does not work, do a search on google for "loose change". i want to know everyone's opinion on this documentary.....regardless of your political affiliation.

I'm increasingly concerned about the significance of 9/11. I'd like to have your opinions on the following link. I consider myself a conservative and find many things in this video that arouse my concern. link

i like underground parking. it seems to me that it will benefit all surrounding developments, like the GRB as well as new development. also, it will be nice for festivals.

it might also be a good idea to check out gertner's skybar and see if there is any gossip up there. a big selling point of that place is the view. it would REALLY suck for them to lose the space unless something better is coming up.

yur funny.

to add to this, we have had several positive experiences with memorial hermann's location here in the woodlands. quality above quantity is the norm. we are so fortunate to have these facilities here, rather than to have to go to the medical center. positive experiences include the emergency room for heart issues and the sleep clinic. when my mom went in because she was having heart attack symptoms (turned out to be stress) a person in the ER asked her what made her feel calm and she said nature, the forest..........when she awoke in the intensive care unit the (exchangeable) lit panel above her head was as if she were laying down in the forest. she immediately remembered the conversation she had in the emergency room. groovy!

come on people. name calling is unnecessary. just stick out your tongue and move on.

i still can't stand it. although i'd love a houston based show to go national, it's just bad. it's almost unbearable to watch.

i hate to make the comparison, but here goes. i remember at disneyworld florida, some years ago, that this same age group had places that they flocked to in the evenings and on weekends. many of these kids had season passes, lived nearby or had parents and relatives who worked in the park. there were always large groups of kids hanging out. kids hang out. i'll say it again, i think that the concentration of kids at market street would have eventually spread out with the opening of the park and other coming developments without the strong arm tactics of market street. although i started the thread and have been annoyed by the kiddies, i don't think that all the kids should be pushed out in one fell swoop. btw, preliminary construction of waterway square is underway. it's location is across the street from tinseltown, connects by waterway to the the town green park and the mall. expect the kids to make waterway square a big deal when completed (at least for awhile). market street's mr. dull states: "My policy will be enforced as needed as we observe the behavior.". i truly hope they tread softly on enforcement of this policy. there should be more going on (disruptive behavior, complaints, etc.) when asked to leave other than being 16 years old.

lake/flato

the median is preserved greenspace. i doubt they would ever approve a trolley down the middle of woodlands parkway. however, i could see a line on one side of the parkway or the other. but again, the potential ridership (i believe) would not be sufficient to justify a trolley system connecting the villages with town center.

i hate to have missed this. do tell!

you're joking about pasadena, right? it's a cesspool of crime and drug dealers. the best thing anyone could do is to move their family from pasadena. kids who leave the pasadena school system are practically SOL if they move to a different school district. add la porte, deer park, channelview and baytown to that mix. high crime, high juvenile deliquency, schools that are the suck, pollution, stinky horrible water, bad roads and more. i know this because i have family there, we used to live there and i've spent the better part of the last 4 years trying to rescue people from there. pasadena is THE SUCK!

a unitarian universalist church is a great place for people who eschew denominationalism. it's a great place to search for "universalist" truths....truths that are evident or similar in many religions. the most important thing is to GO. see what you find out. don't let your spirit starve. also, fellowship of the woodlands (albeit far from town) utilizes music, performance art, drama and object lessons in the main service. the pastor often quotes philosophers and other religions. it's refreshing. i have friends who attend unity church and love it. i've heard that other unitarian churches have a different "crowd". you might have to attend more than one to find the church that suits you.

huh? this would involve traffic redirection, there are natural gas lines everywhere, a new bridge across the lake and much, much more restructuring and planning would be required. it would not be easy or quick.

segway is trying to make a mark here in the woods. they have a thing at market street now where you can rent a segway and tour around market street or town center. you can probably buy one too. i think they are trying to capitalize on our already wide walk/bike/jogging trails, but the woodlands is not budging on it's "no motorized" vehicles on the pathways rule (yet). i'm not sure if the battery power of a segway has enough life to motor someone between villages, in addition, the speed and maneuverability of the segway might be a danger to your average walk/jogger. i too have wondered if a trolley would work between villages and connecting with town center. if they intend to connect the villages to town center with mass transit they should do it now; however, i don't think the villages are dense enough to support such a system. maybe a trolley/bus route from village retail center to town center daily would work?

i beg to differ red. lakewood is what some call a "seeker" church. if you attend classes other than the main televised sermon or pep talk, you will find a more defined christian philosophy. the idea behind churches such as lakewood is to draw people in (yes, proselytize) through encouragement rather than "sin" conciousness. in other words, give people the opportunity to follow God's laws because they want to, rather than guilt or fear. scripture admonishes to "seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you". these are "willful acts". it never says to brow beat people or guilt them into servitude. i believe that churches such as lakewood simply say "here is a way of thinking, check it out, see what you think". if you like it, dig deeper, if you don't, well maybe next time. it's gentle, it's christlike (IMHO). it's definitely not faux. perhaps red has an insider idea on what is real?

i'm a long time fan and resident of the woodlands. in recent months, i've become a big fan of sugarland. contrary to something someone earlier said, the woodlands has "many" choices in the 150K range. however, the majority of homes in the woodlands proper and not on the periphery in the 150K range will be a twenty minute drive from the main interstate or 30 year old homes or new and older townhomes. there are woodlands "area" neighborhoods in your range without the woodlands' amenities (and without the woodlands association fees BTW). if you are a real estate speculator or a handyman, there are many homes near the new town center and woodlands' waterway in the 150K range that are going up in value quarterly (according to realtors i've spoken to). that being said, i'm not sure that sugarland or kingwood offers the "culture" of the woodlands. the woodlands has multiple layers of community organizations, assocations, clubs, educational and religious affiliations. the backbone of these community groups is from an organization called "interfaith". we have prestigious private schools and quality public schools (not as good as Klein ISD, i might add). there is a growing artist and performing arts community here in the woods. we have the cynthia woods mitchell pavilion, the summer home of the houston symphony. concerts we enjoy here include nine inch nails, depeche mode, dave matthews band, 50 cent, earth wind and fire, the cure, the buzz fest, and many, many more. we are currently looking at the demand for a performing arts center for broadway, off broadway plays or local productions. the woodlands has a long term financial commitment to the arts and public works of art. if you have more questions about the woodlands feel free to IM me. with that being said, i think that kingwood, the woodlands or sugarland or cypress will be an improvement in environment and cost from that of LA. we look forward to having you. but PLEASE!, please don't tell anyone else. it's our little secret. if the west coast discovers us we're doomed............doomed i tell you!

there are so many different sects of christianity, it would be hard to direct you to a specific church. i would suggest going to a church like lakewood or 2nd baptist, they have enormous congregations with diverse subgroups, constant activities and indoctrination is (IMHO) voluntary. in other words, you don't have to dig any deeper than you are comfortable with. good luck.