dbigtex56

Can we say 'pedestrian friendly'? I really don't get the Galleria. There's the Galleria itself, and the surrounding development around Post Oak - but do people circulate around the area? No. They drive to a destination, then leave. It's horrible. Am I the only one who notices that crossing Westheimer or Post Oak on foot ranks as an Extreme Sport? Does anyone shop outside the Galleria itself without first getting in their cars and finding other parking spaces a few hundred yards away? To cross a street on foot...well! How bizarre. Get in your car, and hope there's another parking space there, a block away. Unless you're awfully brave....and I don't see very many brave people. No. Bad as automotive traffic is already, I do hope it becomes worse. Maybe then people will insist on dedicated pedestrian crosswalks. People already walk quite a distance to their cars, and spend time finding parking spaces - couldn't the same time and effort be put to better use by making the whole area more pedestrian friendly? Wouldn't everyone benefit?

Some of you may have missed this article from the September, 1920 issue of The Garden Magazine regarding a man who made a profitable sideline of growing parsley in his backyard. I thought the following commentary was interesting: What could fertile America become if many more men took their pleasure in a similar side-line! Literally tens - yes, hundreds - of thousands of back-yards and side-yards might produce food and flowers, to pleasure and to profit, and there would be a substantial slice cut off the "high cost of living!" Other ideals than those of the silk-shirt, jazz-dance, road-hog class would become popular. We're fortunate that in Houston we have resources available for those interested in putting land to more productive use than parking lots or lawns. Urban Harvest homepage

Phi-lis-tine n. A smug, ignorant, especially middle-class person who is held to be indifferent or antagonistic to artistic and cultural values.

With a name like that, it seems like they should be closed. "Forbidden Gardens - No Trespassing!"

And that's exactly what happened.

I'm willing to put forth the effort to become a legally ordained minister. Anything for a good cause. But how does one become accredited as a church? Is a note from God required? or just the IRS?

If someone was to open a daycare center or church across the street prior to the development of this property, would that prevent a liquor licence from being issued?

Or maybe a sci-fi/horror series, where teenagers set up housekeeping in a creepy unoccupied Montrose-area high-rise condo building. They become infected with a mutant toxic mold which transforms them into...glamorous transsexuals! They wreak havoc on the surrounding community, threatening traditional marriage and property values. It would play forever.

I make this assumption because the article is entitled "Crimes after Katrina may have been overblown". In other words, why would they even mention stiffs they happened to have laying around which dated from before the storm? Why drag in irrelevant corpses? You're correct, of course, in that I'm making an assumption based on facts not in evidence. As I pointed out in my previous post, this article is badly written. Perhaps that's why I find it unconvincing. Sure, we should view with skepticism the media reports issued during the immediate aftermath of Katrina. My point is, we should also remain skeptical about those who attempt to dismiss these reports wholesale. The vague, ambiguous, poorly referenced articles you cited are no more credible than that which was reported several weeks ago. What I'm saying is that New Orleans has nothing to gain by confirming that murders took place. Crime statistics are not like weather reports - inconvenient data can be ignored. Downplaying the violence which took place during the aftermath of Katrina will help to reestablish New Orleans as a 'fun' city in people's minds. Confirming it would be counterproductive - especially if there's no chance of prosecution.

Desperate Grandmas

From the MSNBC article: Four homicide victims identified New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan said officials at the morgue in St. Gabriel have identified four apparent homicide victims from the city. All were shot and all were adults. Is it just me, or is this sloppily written? What's meant by 'identified four apparent homicide victims'? So the rest of them weren't murdered? Or that, of the murdered ones, we know the identity of four of them, and we're not sure who the other ones are? Or that there were at least four who were murdered, and we're not sure if there's more or not? But at least they make the point that, for sure, four were murdered. Four is more than none. And we'll assume that these aren't old, stale pre-Katrina corpses. Going back to the Chroniclearticle, notice that these claims of no murders are all based on police reports. As a defense attorney, do you believe that if the police say something that it must be true? I have no doubt that some of the claims that people made during the aftermath of Katrina were unsubstantiated, perhaps even untrue. But I also believe that officials who want to see New Orleans rebuilt are also capable of trying to re-establish a positive image by discrediting everything that was reported during the aftermath - whether it was true or not.

They would make a memorable conversation pit if they're functional. Maybe more so if they're not.

I noticed that Highland Village was putting up their big red bows on top of buildings today. The effect is both traditional and chic, cheerful and appropriate to the buildings. Tasteful and original! One of my favorites.

um...what?! Various news agencies reported on murders inside the SuperDome, complete with photographs of the deceased (and references to others too grisly to be shown on TV.) There were also eyewitness accounts of gunfire being exchanged in the streets. Are we to believe that none of those bullets found their mark? Sorry, I cannot believe that assertion. Perhaps you meant to say that no one had been charged with murder? That's quite a different matter.

Yes, one of them. It was formerly known as Richard's Antiques. The other building on this block (west side of Main St. between Holman and Berry) is the Spanish style former restaurant. If someone could post a picture of that building, it would be appreciated.

Thanks for the correction. Personally, I think he had better taste in automobiles than architecture...

Looks like there's activity at this site. The windows have been removed from the restaurant and antique dealer's shop, and graffiti and signage removed. Either this is some very creative vandalism...or is something cookin'?

The polls have closed, the votes have been tallied, the dead horse has been kicked... Thread closed.

At least we know what a parking garage by Frank Lloyd Wright would look like:

Depends...do they close their curtains?

Gee whiz, indeed! Our divorce rate is even higher than that of evil, evil New York? So imagine how bad it must be in some truly Godless state like Massachusetts. Surprise! The only state that recognizes same-sex marriage has the nation's lowest divorce rate. Per Divorce Magazine here's the rankings (listed from lowest to highest rates): 1 Massachusetts 2 Connecticut 3 New Jersey 4 Rhode Island 5 New York 6 Pennsylvania 7 Wisconsin 8 North Dakota 9 Maryland 10 Minnesota 11 Lousiana 12 Illinois 13 District of Columbia 14 Iowa 15 Nebraska 16 Vermont 17 Michigan 18 South Dakota 19 South Carolina 20 Hawaii 21 California 22 Maine 23 New Hampshire 24 Ohio 25 Virginia 26 Kansas 27 Utah 28 Delaware 29 Montana 30 Missouri 31 West Virginia 32 North Carolina 33 Colorado 34 Georgia 35 Oregon 36 Texas 37 Alaska 38 Washington 39 Mississippi 40 Kentucky 41 Arizona 42 Florida 43 New Mexico 44 Idaho 45 Alabama 46 Indiana 47 Wyoming 48 Tennessee 49 Oklahoma 50 Arkansas 51 Nevada Gee...seems like all those liberal enemies of traditional values have the lowest divorce rates. PS: Warren Chisum is, officially, a half-witted hick.

I always wonder how these 'strict constructionists' interpret the 2nd Amendment: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Wouldn't the several branches of the military be considered "A well regulated militia"? So how come we have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy? The Second Amendment states that it's the right of the people to bear arms. It doesn't specify race, gender, age or sexual orientation. If someone (gay or straight) wishes to serve in the military, the Second Amendment gives him or her that right. Can't wait to hear Scalia defend this argument...

Check this out - The car to the left is a Chrysler Airflow...and I believe the other two are Duesenbergs! How cool is that? Silver Dollar Jim West's house

Too bad Dan doesn't know how to tell a joke, because what he's saying is pretty funny.

There's a lot of 'luxury townhomes' being built in and around my neighborhood. It will be interesting to see how these McMansions weather the market. When you're childless and in your 30s, it's OK that the living room is on the first floor, the kitchen on the second, the bedrooms on the third, and the hotub on the roof. But imagine trying to keep up with a few rugrats in such a setting. And as our population ages, suddenly the idea of negotiating a spiral staircase with a walker seems less appealling. Twenty-five years from now, who's going to want a dated design poorly executed with inferior materials?