IronTiger

Yes, and that's why they disappeared. Well, sometime in the 1980s, Orange Julius stores closed en masse, possibly because of DQ's reign. The thousands of stores vanished, and it wasn't until the late 1990s that they were "reintroduced" under the DQ/Orange Julius banner. By then, very few served hot dogs but no one served french fries. Here's a late specimen that was around in 2007... http://www.labelscar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/crossroads-mall-okc-27.jpg /still waiting for one in either Galleria or Post Oak Mall

I probably would....but now I'll never know!

- The retaining walls are a good five feet or so, and feature images of cowboys. - A few more pillars are being filled...one is wrapped up, indicating curing concrete. A mold for the "cross-section" that connects the pillars together is also on the scene. - The metal-and-wood "guard rails" are finally gone.

The damage has been done...but now I can claim that I was the lowest-ranking HAIFer ever, at a grand total of -204... ...and I wasn't even a troll!

It's always floating around near the top of the Way Off Topic thread.

Of course...that's one of the reasons I joined HAIF!

I wonder what the upstairs looks like now. It was likely the most damaged during Ike.

Although he made some controversial, and some downright bad choices, Ted Kennedy wasn't a bad person. That said, he wasn't nearly the hero the media makes him out to be.

As most of you know, nearly all of the HAIFers live in Houston or a nearby suburb. I am not one of those people. I live in College Station, which, while "close enough" to Houston, is not really a suburb at all, despite the fact that many people from CS commute to Houston on a daily basis. I live in College Station because I go to school there (even though, technically, I am a legal adult). But I also visit Houston, too, for purposes of sightseeing, family, and other reasons. To say Houston is "pretty cool" is a bit of an understatement (well, not literally, everyone knows Houston is not very thermally cool at all, especially in the summertime). You, on the other hand, live in Houston. It's a highly functioning and diverse city, and I've even heard of some HAIFers not even leaving the inner loop. They have everyone they can need...their home, work, and the shops (Wal-Mart, HEB, Randalls, Target, etc.) and services (banks, clinics, nightclubs, etc.) to function. But there's also the "pull" factor. Why do you live in Houston? Well, there's your job, obviously, but think of it this way: would you like it if say, you got reassigned to L.A., Chicago, Dallas, or New York? Still a big city, with everything you need, with your job intact, but would it be the same? Probably not. The question here is "Why do you live in Houston?" Please discuss.

One of the things that popped into my mind was one of The Galleria's many restaurants and eateries. The Daily Grill is probably too dark, La Madeliene is too chain-y, and a close seat to the concourse allows many opprotunities for people-watching. The only problem is The Galleria is technically not in the inner loop, but not that much.

Don't bet on it. Arcologies were conceived of over 50 years ago by an architect with ambitious dreams. It's 2009, why don't WE have arcologies? We don't even robots that can take out the trash!

Good observation on the "taste of plastic", Red. Makes me wander if those Evian water drinkers think the plastic taste means its "good" water. The worse bottled water I've ever had was "Patriot's Choice".

Well, I'd been riding in a car both times ('03 and '09). Even if I had been driving, I would have noticed the strange railroad crossing signs above.

-There's a sign on the corner of Holleman and Harvey Mitchell advertising office space. Unfortunately, it looks like the extension of Holleman they show will curve around and become Jones-Butler. I wish it would connect to Quail Run instead or something. -Some more concrete walls are up on the west side -Part of the frontage road has been blacktopped.

This article here claims L.A. has the best-tasting water in the nation. I find it hard to believe.

I remember when we cleared out our hot water heater, there were huge brown crystals that emptied out of the bottom. That's what was in the water! Gross!

1. Too big. 2. This website.

Turns out it was just one moderator. Things are clearing up now. ------- How many Wal-Marts are in Houston? Does anyone know?

One of my cousins (the one I quoted in "After Dark" is his sister) claims Waco water is OK, and claims the reason I have a bad memory of Waco water is because of my grandfather's old house and its alleged lead pipes. It might've made the water worse, but not by much.

Recently I was looking at the local H-E-B's water selection. The source for "Drinking Water" was purified Houston water and San Antonio water was "Purified Water". The taste of water varies. I used to not notice College Station water, but after a vacation of drinking superior water, College Station tasted gross. It was like someone added a teaspoon of water. Sugar Land water (I think it's different from Houston water) does not taste good either. Houston water tastes OK, I guess, but the worst two waters below C.S. include Waco water (which tastes plain bad) and east of Huntsville (very sulfurous). What do you think about Texas' various water?

Recently one of my cousins (who lives in the Rice area, not the one who had the METRORail discussion with me) posted this on her Facebook. Just kind of a public service announcement.

Gee, I kind of like it how it looks now. And once they rebuild Military Walk as pedestrian only, why don't they convert the old sidewalks into grass?

I remember discussing this topic on the railroad that paralleled US-59. From the photos it looks they were hardly used at all. Back in the 1930s, TAMU (in College Station) had a campus spur but it was gone by the early 1940s. No trace of it remains at all. I guess it was the same for Rice, right?

I don't know about Houston, but the local H-E-B has installed something that will make the wheels lock when taken out of bounds. And speaking of abandoned shopping carts....

I heard there's still the fake building facades and the walkway to nowhere, just as it had been in March 2008.