IronTiger

Trains still go by plenty in College Station (up from the bad old days of 2009, but not quite to the level of old), but I'm not sure if they continue to Houston down 6/290 or switch off near Navasota and head east. Despite that, I still have yet to see an active train for what used to be a very active line. Newspaper articles, HCAD, and Google Earth all line up with 1988 being the opening. It certainly probably appears older because it's so run down. Also just for reference, here's the KotV, though I assure you that the sun is hitting it making it much brighter than it actually is. Yes, it's not exactly the same, but the whole brick, triangular features, green awnings...it's pretty clear that they came from the same pedigree. I'm kinda surprised no one mentioned #3. I've been through some long lights, and on highway interchanges, but that one takes the cake. As for #5 and #6, there's a combo Burger King/Shell near Northwest Mall. I ate half of my Whopper in the parking lot of NW Mall while looking at the old Burger King's sign, while a good portion of the fries were consumed on the highway.

Opened as in new store that wasn't replacing anything. The store at 9660 Westheimer looks like it was a former Handy Andy that they expanded later, and that was rebuilt several years after 2005. But I think the Midtown location was the last brand-new Randalls ever built. New stores in the 'burbs seem dubious. Barker-Cypress and 290 opened in 2001, and the ones in the Woodlands have been there since the early 1990s. I think that's a partial reason why their market share dropped, because their stores have been disappearing faster than they've opened, and the reason why a pullout was rumored was because Safeway seemed to be in trouble, dumping their entire doomed Chicago division (Dominick's). Now that the merger is going through and Randalls will be maintained as a Houston division (at least for now, I could imagine that the divisions themselves will start consolidating), it's not quite as hopeless as it appeared to be. Restoring consumer confidence, remerchandising, and rebuilding the base should happen first. [There's still a lot to be worked out at Albertsons, including trying to work out a consistent store brand, since they outsourced a lot of their distribution. I have a feeling that Safeway's store brands may be the winner ultimately] I hope that since it appears that the new Albertsons/Safeway is trying to go for everyday low prices rather than the quasi-upscale approach that the old Albertsons and Safeway took to an extent, maybe Randalls could even go into poorer areas where even the great H-E-B phones it in on. (The remerchandising of the Gulfgate store in particular).

Was the Midtown Randalls the last Randalls opened? I don't think Safeway opened anymore after the first round of 2005 closings. Note: the Midtown Randalls opened in 2002.

The BNSF route seems like it wouldn't be the best choice to take: doesn't that go through lots of residential neighborhoods, and isn't at least part of the route a quiet zone?

The sidewalk problem was partially addressed in the "who will fix Montrose sidewalks" issue. If the city put in sidewalks, they'd do lots of damage to trees due to the way that roots get disturbed. But again, if it's walking that's the issue and you're not physically disabled somehow, couldn't you walk on the grass? Generally, you could tell where a sidewalk should be but isn't--there's patches of bare dirt there, so if there's none of that, no one walks much in your neighborhood, or if they do, the traffic is low and slow enough for you to generally walk on the street. That's just my impression, I could be wrong.

Clarification for some of the numbers: 1. The problem exists in the outskirts, not so much the inner city. Higher speed limits for one. If you notice, the bullet points are in chronological order. 2. I've traditionally taken the "passenger" role, but when driving on 290, I had to pay attention for narrow lanes, cars getting on and off, etc. Because I've been on 290 many times, I could pick up enough of the surroundings to know where I was, but not enough to get a good look at things I would've liked to look at. 5. Oh...that makes sense. 7. Surprisingly, 610 wasn't congested coming back Sunday. 290 on the other hand... 8. It was a normal merging lane, but I wouldn't be nearly as confident if it was heavy traffic moving fast. 10. If I had my laptop, my weekend could've been less boring in parts, but I still had my iPhone, so it wasn't all that bad. 11. From here to 21 I wasn't actually driving. #11 particularly references #16. Still, it was maybe at least $10 for the round trip. 12. Not my iPhone. 13. Just for reference, this is what the Bryan AppleTree looked like. After it changed hands and name, I worked here for a while, so I became very familiar with the layout. Unfortunately, the Kroger doesn't have that same layout. It's worth noting that while this was built new circa 1988, the Villages store was expanded in 1990. Inside the Villages store it just looks like another Kroger, I'm not sure if there was a unique décor package from the time it stopped being AppleTree to today. [if there was, I'd love to hear about it] 18. Yes, and that's (one reason) why I don't drink at bars. We were at Joystix for the video games, not so much the drinks, but my hosts had just moved and thus didn't have the materials for making mixed drinks that they had before they moved. 20. The Fiesta opened in 1988, but a glitzy sign like that would probably only be found at a movie theater, even in the 1980s. This is where I appreciate NOT driving. 24. It was in Cypress on my way out. I know that much. Shortly after, traffic started to lighten up, though. 25. Most everything at Buc-ee's is kinda overpriced, but that club sandwich, considering how tasty it is, is on par with most other restaurants. By the way, I misnumbered, there's 24 things up there, not 25. The missing number, to fit between 4 & 5, is this: "I'm so sad that I drove the entire length of 290 and then Hempstead Road without seeing a single train. All I saw was some car switching. I remember in 2008, trains would come by almost every other hour. Since the recession, I don't remember seeing ANY trains on that stretch of track on any given trip to Houston."

Some culdesac streets have sidewalks that connect streets that cars can't. Do those count?

Still, I can't imagine that'd be permanent.

Remember that thread I made a while back about advice for driving to Houston? Well, I did, and here's what I've observed from my little "vacation". This is mostly meant as a "humor and incidence" type thing, and it's just for fun. (Don't take it too seriously) 1. Those overpasses in the rural areas get kinda high off the ground before they have guardrails. Hate to drop off that one at 75, that's for sure. 2. When you drive on the freeways, you can't see a thing! Well, you can see things, but man I wish I had a better look. 3. I'm pretty sure that the light at Jones and the southbound frontage road of 290 was the longest single-cycle light I've ever had to sit through that wasn't malfunctioning. 4. Note to self: when driving on surface roads, the inner lane ISN'T the fast lane when people virtually stop to make a left turn. 5. Supposedly the Burger King (now the Pizza Inn) sign was made to be seen from Northwest Freeway. I don't think I ever would've seen it, even before they started to rebuild that interchange. 6. Holy cow! Burger King really DOES have a guide on trying to upsell customers. And they left it out in plain view, too. 7. It's barely lunch time, and 610 Loop West has already ground to a halt! 8. Here's how to defang merging--have the highway traffic move at 35 MPH. That's just an observation, not a suggestion. 9. Those painted-on guides to what highway you'll be turning onto really help. 10. I should've brought my laptop. 11. The toll road is really expensive even with a tag. 12. iPhones really do overheat and stop working (temporarily). 13. The "Kroger of the Villages" only bears a passing interior resemblance to the former AppleTree in Bryan, unfortunately. 14. Back when the H Mart was a Randalls, it must have been a nice store. It's certainly large enough. 15. H Mart is pretty expensive, but the squid was cheap, and cooks rather well. And it's a cool store otherwise. 16. I think I drive better, and can navigate better, than my cousin-in-law. And I don't even live there. 17. So that's what the Auchan looked like. 18. Mixed drinks are expensive at bars. 19. The classic Star Wars arcade game by Atari is actually pretty cool. 20. Downtown looks fantastic at night. I don't think I've ever observed that. Additionally, the Midtown Fiesta looks cool too. From what I've heard though, best to observe that one at a distance. 21. They built that former Holiday/Days Inn way too close to the freeway. Like, I could toss a piece of trash out the window and it will probably land on one of those balconies. No wonder it declined over the years. 24. Yeah, I know people work and commute on Sunday, but the traffic was still brutal. 24. I don't care if I'm over the speed limit by over 15 MPH--I'm not taking risks with that U-Haul trailer they're pulling along at 70 MPH. 25. I love the Buc-ee's club sandwich.

Wait, I thought the 290 ramp only went to Interstate 10 so that you wouldn't need to change over 3-4 lanes in heavy traffic in a short time. Since when does 290 go to the Galleria area?

I hope to be one of those people.

Since City Centre actually isn't an island, I guess you're right. But my other points still matter.

I feel like where I live is walkable--it's just two blocks away from a shopping center (office supplies, books, and a Best Buy) as well as being within grasp of fast food (tacos, fried chicken) and even has a park. I think that true "walkability", that is, having absolutely everything up to including a supermarket, dry cleaning, etc. remains a pipe dream, not unless you live behind a giant strip mall or something. Things That Matter (answers to all should be YES): - Are the sidewalks in good working order, and far enough away from the street? I don't like it when there's a curb and only a narrow sidewalk before it runs up against a wall or fence or something. - Is there interesting stuff nearby beyond your home within a few blocks? If you're nestled deep within suburbia or in an artificial island (think CityCentre), it doesn't count. - Can you access stores and restaurants that you'll actually use? - Are there modern crosswalks, and not just "Push for Signal Change" buttons? - Is it safe to walk around and not be at risk for criminals/wild dogs? - For the pedestrian overpasses that do exist, are they more than the type that only have chainlink fence and a concrete barrier over a busy roadway? Things That Don't Matter to Me and Really Shouldn't, But Are Still Thought to be Included: - I don't care if there's parking or other setbacks between a business and the sidewalk. - Public transit isn't a necessity. - Density doesn't matter. - Neither are bike lanes. In fact, if the sidewalks aren't narrow 3' affairs, I dare you say you need bike lanes at all unless you really are up to the challenge. - Not everything has to be within distance. It's not fair to expect a large modern supermarket within a mile unless you live in a dense, highly developed area. - Speed limits on nearby roads if the whole "sidewalks and setbacks" thing is followed. - Railroads, provided that there's an adequate sidewalk crossing, it's well marked, or there's an underpass/overpass. - Elevated roadways above.

So, on the space where a shopping center was taken out for the freeway (had 24 Hour Fitness and a restaurant or two from what I could gather), they're building this thing? Wonder what's going in at the place where a church was.

I like that idea.

Say, you didn't work at the College Avenue Albertsons did you?

I would venture to say a small Safeway.

I tried looking for mention of the apartments in a few of the Riverside Terrace threads without any avail. I found mention of some RT homes being chopped up into apartments and some homes north of the bayou torn down for low income apartments, but none of those. The apartments themselves didn't replace anything. As an aside, there were also apartments across from the Nabisco plant on what is now part of GSC that didn't last too long either (gone by the late 1970s).

Google Earth, not Historic Aerials, was the first place I looked. I still use HA occasionally just because there's some stuff that's not on GE, but overall, with its better interface and less watermarks, I prefer GE overall. I looked at Boone Loop, and I don't even see the parallel road. I might venture a guess that it's not that "rural", just on the edge of town. A truly "rural" area wouldn't have all that clustered together unless it was an established community of some sort, and that would be easier to find.

See, that's the thing--even in pedestrian districts, like a downtown of a smaller town, isn't considered to be truly "walkable", which makes me think it's just a mostly meaningless buzzword.

I don't want to start a shouting match, but I feel like "walkable neighborhood" is less an actual definition than largely a buzzword thrown about by New Urbanist types and marketers. For example, a quiet sprawling neighborhood with cul-de-sacs could arguably be considered "walkable": sidewalks, relatively low traffic, and the like. Even if sidewalks aren't quite as plentiful, the traffic would be low enough that it's easy to walk on. Yet, that isn't what "walkable neighborhood" is interpreted to be. If it's not only reliant on sidewalks but also shops and services, then that would also rule out even places like the Washington DC plan which has rows of townhomes everywhere but because of obsolete zoning, shops and services are farther away than you'd think. Or is it more reliant on density than anything else? If someone can explain, or try to explain, without bashing neighborhoods/cities, that'd be great.

So, browsing around Google Earth the other day (I think I was trying to locate the location of the "mystery photo" to no avail) I found another mystery I wanted to ask. It's these apartments, near MacGregor and 288. I want to say that they were projects of some sort, though they had an awfully short life--by 1978 the ones that weren't demolished for 288 (the 1950s aerial has modern-day roads overlayed on it to help you figure out where this is) were being torn down (you can see the partial demolition on Google Earth), and by the 1980s, they were completely gone. The large footprint and the short life suggests they were projects of some sort, but it still intrigued me nonetheless--can someone help me out?

They still haven't opened?! Wasn't this supposed to open, like, two years ago? In that time, local mediocre eatery Sully's lived and died, sat vacant, and was extensively renovated inside and out to be Torchy's Tacos, another Austin institution, which opened at least three other eateries in that time. What's the hold up?

Eh. I wouldn't be so sure. Now, I haven't been around for the whole time of, say, Hempstead Highway's existence (Katy Freeway was already a divided highway by this time, and the road is clearly two way traffic) but the road hasn't really widened that much since the pre-freeway days (except for the area that was replaced by the freeway, but that's a different thing). Hempstead Road as it stands today has a ROW where you could, in theory, squeeze in another road between Hempstead Road and the railroad. According to Google Earth, Hempstead Road has a ROW of about 45' (that's pretty rough calculations, don't quote me on that), and between the road and the railroad bed, about another 55'. So that's a full road length running beside it to get to the railroad, and you could easily see twice the distance, so at the very least, you should've seen the railroad bed in that shot. Problem is, Hempstead Road ALWAYS had the same distance of the road and the railroad--in the olden days, that was a shoulder mostly used for local business access. Even checking Google Earth back to '44, you could see Hempstead Road's width in relation to the railroad. Didn't change. 90A has about 50' between the curb of its four-laned westbound section to the railroad bed. But if you look and compare images on Google Earth, prior to being rebuilt circa 2007, US-90A is actually FARTHER AWAY from the tracks overall than before. By taking advantage of the wide median and ROW to the south of the road, they were able to completely remove one lane entirely (a shoulder) that was closest to the railroad. With this, and the "south side driveway" mentioned, that eliminates railroads, which would put Hempstead Road out of the running as a candidate. That said, I don't think Westheimer is the one either. While the top road is obviously a smaller street, the main road is clearly a highway or a major road of some sort. Back in those days, you didn't have roads with that width unless they were highways or city roads. Based on the general rural feel, I think it is a highway (FMs just didn't have that width and pavement like highways/city roads did). Now that we've also kept in mind that the road didn't abruptly end at Mary's, what were the addresses actually listed?

Pray tell, what is a "GENUINE" tourist attraction that other cities have and Houston doesn't? A theme park? What Citykid needs is a day trip to Houston in parts of town where he's never been before. What Slick needs is to study what actually attracts tourism. There are whole college majors about this, and I suggest that even hanging out in a university library might start to give you a better idea about it.