VelvetJ

My very best friend of the past 15 years is a blonde haired green eyed white woman, and in that time I can count on one hand how many stares we've received. Despite a very negative situation we experienced while sitting on a bench in Rice Village about 5 years ago, Houston overall I would say is pretty tolerant.

How about a giant astonaut on 45 south near the Nasa Road 1 exit in one of those empty fields. I would have liked that more thant the Beatles.

I love this, if no other reason than it appears so different than what Houston has seen lately. I hope it turns out similar to what is shown here.

Love the design of this building if it's the actual design. I'm so glad it's not a 35 story simple rectangle. Could quality designs be making a comeback to Houston? I'm also thrilled it has a crown. I've wanted to see a spire or a crown somewhere on the west side for some time now.

Not against the idea but I am not thrilled with the concept, simply because it is the exact same concept of the hotel in Dallas. The only difference is Dallas' Hotel was built from scratch. We always say Houston should be Houston, well this is a case where I couldn't stress that more. I say re-theme it so it will be different from the one in Dallas. MY own personal idea for the Dome was to turn it into a indoor ski resort so we could push the idea of snow skiing in Houston and being on the warm beaches of Galveston within the same hour. But it was shot down on this site and I don't think it ever even crossed any developers mind in Houston. Oh well, Dallas has actually beat us to it anyway so I suppose we can go snow skiing up there .

Very very exciting I tell ya.

If I may add my little two cents, TheNiche I still think you have missed his point. Every person on this site knows Houstons history in terms of why we look the way we do and why many cities of the northeast look the way they do. I think what you and many other Houstonians must realize is no one is trying to turn Houston into a place like Boston. But there should at least be "Boston" type options in the city. If a Houstonian want to walk out of their door and be in walking distance of 30 restaurants, bars, stores, etc., within blocks, they should be able to if they so choose. That type of choice is EXTREMELY limited in this large city (The Post Midtown Development). That is one of the biggest things Houston has to tackle, the lack of choices it offers in everything from transportation to housing to entertainment. I think Houston has to open it's mind and ears and HEAR what people are saying. There are so many great things in this city but it lacks in so many ways and when the areas where it lacks is mentioned, the messenger is attacked ( When the Essence Fest attendees complained about the city's mobility issues, people started to attack the attendees, though what they were saying was clearly the truth). Or when something is suggested to add to the city's character, many Houstonians seem to TRY to find every reason in the world why we shouldn't do it, including the every popular "Houston should just focus on being itself". For years one of the most popular things I would hear why Houston shouldn't have any type of rail system, besides cost, was Houston is not the northeast and it should not try to be the northeast, completely blocking out the benefits of rail. Like it was stated earlier Houston could use a jolt in culture to change the stronghold mentalities that I think keep us behind. Again, I will break out with my slogan. "Great Cities Have Everything". At the core of that statement is OPTIONS. Houston should not be content with being just a business town. Houston should not be content mostly offering suburban styled living. Houston should not be content with being the largest city in Texas, yet being the least tourist friendly. Houston should not be content with having almost NO pedestrian areas or places to "people watch" all in the name of "Houston should just be itself". Don't forget, we became content with being JUST a oil town and got burned. We became content with not investing in rail like most other cities of the world, and it has come back to haunt us more than once. Houston can learn and grow. We just have to learn to be proactive instead of reactive, add a little pep in our step, and try to understand WHY it is important for a city our size to offer options.

I've always had mixed feelings about many investigative reports because I know the only true motivation is ratings and this one is a prime example of it. The motivation stinks to high heaven. It looks like Jordy is taking some time to get some things together. Redscare, wish him luck.

I can't tell you guys how refreshing this thread is. I have been slightly put off my some of the things a number of forumers on this site have been spewing lately (to no surprise none of them posted on this thread) and it's good to be reminded there are indeed posters after my own heart here. Anyway just as a reminder, those of us who are Reliant customers can actually make contributions to their assistance program when we pay our own bills. $1, $2, $10, or $20 from enough people can actually help many of the elderly. And Houston1stWordOnTheMoon, please give your grandparents a big ol' hug and kiss from a guy on the internet.

Is the above statement accurate? Dallas got it's new baseball Stadium in the 90's and it's Basketball Arena a few years ago and from what I've heard it's new Cowboys Stadium is going to be incredible. Atlanta got it's baseball, basketball and football arenas in the 90's, so even in that area I wouldn't say Houston got a jumpstart. We are really behind those cities in that area but our facilities may seem more modern because we were the last to do them.

My word. I called my sister to this website so she could read some of the trash sprayed with perfume people have been spewing. She is young and inexperienced but I wanted her to witness some of the sad mindsets of this very multicultural city we live in. Just as there will always be people that visit Houston and have complaints, apparently there will always be those that have what I call "ethnic issues". TAK- That was a great post.

GovernorAggie, whether something was started by locals or whether the choice was made by a national magazine is not the point. Because the location was intially chosen by a magazine does not change the fact that the overwhelming majority of Essence Fest attendees are "regulars" and expect certain things from the event. People plan their family reunions for Essence Fest. People go on their honeymoons for Essence Fest. Hundreds of couples who met at the Festival and got engaged resulting in marriage reunite at the Essence Fest. Girlfriends and Frat Brothers make their annual pilgrimages to the Essence Fest. So again, just because a national magazine chose New Orleans as it's location 12 years ago, has nothing to do with what the Essence Fest IS and what it has become and what it means to thousands of people and general expectations of the event. Keep in mind what the major complaint about Houston was. Like Redscare stated, it is nothing Houston has not heard before. Attendees are used to being able to walk from the venue, to the hotels, to the clubs, to the restaurants, to the stores, and to the bars. That alone was one of the major factors in New Orleans being chosen in the first place, imo. I'm just surprised that many posters at this site seemed to be caught off guard that visitors to the city would complain about something Houston often get complaints about. Most Downtowns of the world are busy and lively. That is not the case for Houston. Most cities of the world have extensive rail systems, many of which are connected to airports. That is not the case in Houston. Most cities of the world are more densely built and are more pedestrian friendly than Houston. Plain and simple Houston is not like most large cities of the world and some of the basic things that most people expect, Houston lacks, so by nature there will be complaints from visitors.

That's cool. Not very many people can say that. I missed the launch unfortunately, so I will have to catch it on the news I suppose.

I will post here what I posted on another thread but with a few major changes. Boy i tell ya, some of these posts have been interesting to say the very least. For a minute, I thought it was 1956. First of all, I did not attend the Essence Fest so I have no sort of authority to comment of how the event overall turned out. These are just my opinions and outside observations. I am really surprised to see that some posters here seem to be shocked to hear the attendees compare the Essence Fest of the past 12 years in New Orleans to the single year it is held in Houston. I think most expected there to be some differences obviously, but keep in mind, Bourbon Street and being able to walk from venue, to restuarant, to store, to bar, to hotel, was a MAJOR thing to not be able to do this time around. And to no surprise, that was the major complaint among attendees. Paying $60 one way from the airport to your hotel is something Essence fest attendees are not used to. Essence fest is a party. It always has been. Houston is not a party city, therfor partying is not it's speciality. When you host a tremendous party in a party city, then move that tremendous party to what some would describe as a large conservative town, there are going to be complaints. The trouble is the average person outside of Houston or Texas doesn't know what Houston is or the idea they have is wrong. They think its a dusty small Texas town, or they expect more than it actually is, which I think is the case here. Houston being Houston no lessens the fact that attendees to the Essence fest are used to partying past 2 am and be able to walk places. One more thing. Open your minds and think about something. Imagine if, God forbid, something happened to Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome area and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo had to move to Texas Stadium in Irving. For whatever reason, Six Flags would be used instead of having a carnival, the exibitions and auctions were held in venues 30 miles apart, and the concerts had to be grouped in quarters and held in 4 different facilities scattered all over the DFW area. The chances of all of this actually happening aside, do you think Houstonians that traveled to Dallas for the Rodeo would have any complaints about anything? Be honest. Lastly, am I correct in my interpretation of many of the posts here that the economic gains for Houston from the Essence Fest is not worth having it back due to certain tourist not being happy because it is more difficult to get around, or due to something 1 or 2 of the many many speakers had to say? Are you kidding me? From what I understand, Atlanta, Chicago, and Philly have all expressed an interest in the Festival if it cannot return to New Orleans next year. I personally hope we can get it again and do a better job than even this year, if no other reason than the economic impact on the city. But in the end, the Essence Fest BELONGS in New Orleans and should be there. Citykid09, I'm with you. Houston or Texas should start it's own festival. The black communities of Texas should start a festival and rotate it each year from city to city. It could be called the BEX Fest (Black Texas Fest). I'm sure some would say such a thing would be racist as some say the Essence Fest is racist because it caters to Black Americans (ignorance never gets any less annoying). But I personally think it would be a great idea that should be explored. Citykid, I also think this is yet another example of Houston not having adequate rail coming back to haunt us. This was just the Essence Fest, can you imagine what attendees of the Olympics would have to say? (On a totally seperate unrelated note, I think Houston bidding for the Olympics right now is a waste of time due to our blindness to the world's hostile perceptions of George W. Bush and his association with TEXAS. On top of that, the city's lacking of rail as a whole, and it being underserved in the area of entertainment will hurt. Instead of getting defensive about it, we should really put some stock into how we are viewed from the outside and add some aggression to changing the things we need to change).

Boy i tell ya, some of these posts have been interesting to say the very least. First of all, I did not attend the Essence Fest so I have no sort of authority to comment of how the event overall turned out. These are just my opinions and outside observations. I am really surprised to see that some posters here seem to be shocked to hear the attendees compare the Essence Fest of the past 12 years in New Orleans to the single year it is held in Houston. I think most expected there to be some differences obviously, but keep in mind, Bourbon Street and being able to walk from venue, to restuarant, to store, to bar, to hotel, was a MAJOR thing to not be able to do this time around. And to no surprise, that was the major complaint among attendees. Paying $60 one way from the airport to your hotel is something Essence fest attendees are not used to. Essence fest is a party. It always has been. Houston is not a party city, therfor partying is not it's speciality. When you host a tremendous party in a party city, then move that tremendous party to what some would describe as a large conservative town, there are going to be complaints. The trouble is the average person outside of Houston or Texas doesn't know what Houston is or the idea they have is wrong. They think its a dusty small Texas town, or they expect more than it actually is, which I think is the case here. Houston being Houston no lessens the fact that attendees to the Essence fest are used to partying past 2 am and are used to being able to walk places. One more thing. Open your minds and think about something. Imagine if, God forbid, something happened to Reliant Stadium and the Astrodome area and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo had to move to Texas Stadium in Irving. For whatever reason, Six Flags would be used instead of having a carnival, the exibitions and auctions were held in venues 30 miles apart, and the concerts had to be grouped in quarters and held in 4 different facilities scattered all over the DFW area. The chances of all of this actually happening aside, do you think Houstonians that traveled to Dallas for the Rodeo would have any complaints about anything? Be honest. Also, what if Mayor White got wind of the fact that many Dallas officials had started a campaign to try to keep the Live Stock Show and Rodeo there in Dallas? Would he be out of line to remind everyone the HOUSTON Live Stock Show and Rodeo belong in it's rightful home of HOUSTON? And that it being in Dallas is temporary until Reliant Park is available again? Seriously, am I alone here? Lastly, am I correct in my interpretation of some of the posts here that the economic gains for Houston from the Essence Fest is not worth having it back due to certain people not getting the tips they wanted and attendees comparisons to New Orleans........, the Festival's home? Am I off base here? From what I understand, Atlanta, Chicago, and Philly have all expressed an interest in the Festival if it cannot return to New Orleans next year. I personally hope we can get it again and do a better job than even this year, if no other reason than the economic impact on the city. But in the end, the Essence Fest BELONGS in New Orleans and should be there. Houston or Texas should start it's own festival. The black communities of Texas should start a festival and rotate it each year from city to city. It could be called the BEX Fest (Black Texas Fest). I'm sure some would say such a thing would be racist just as some say the Essence Fest is racist because it caters to Black Americans (ignorance never gets any less annoying). But I personally think it would be great idea that should be explored.

Well in all fairness, she is based in North Texas so I would expect a little bias. Before you vote MidtownCoog, please do not minimize the hand she has had in Houston having the little rail we have now. It was shameful that she seemed to support rail for Houston more than the politicians that were actually from the Houston area. I can say she is one of the very very few Republicans I have a little respect for. By the way, I say congrats to Dallas. Their ability to have vision beyond the immediate future has paid off.

Thanks for addressing the culture issue. I have often stated Houston seems to have lost it's edge but I suppose what really should be said is Houston has gotten more conservative than even it was 10 years ago and it's quite evident in everything from the lack of innovative ideas to even recent overall building design. The city has progressed but there is a conservative element that seems to have tightened it's grip. I suppose however those of us that understand WHY Houston SHOULD WANT to show the world we are ready to swing, should raise our voices a little more.

Very exciting stuff Dallas!

For those in favor of placing rail on Richmond, please click on the link to support it and do it soon, as opponents are apparently on the move. Support Link

Shutting down is the last thing Magic Mountain will do. From what I understand, the sale is in consideration but there are interested parties if Six Flags decides to sell. Magic Mountain is a fantastic park in terms of thrill rides, which may have been a factor in considering it to sell. Six Flags would like to go more of the family route and that is not what Magic Mountain is. Besides, if Magic Mountain is sold, the amount of money will be tremendous which would make a nice splash in the 2 billion dollar debt Six Flags is in. Six Flags Great Adventure is actually the company's best performing park and Magic Mountain is second. But when all is counted Magic Mountain really turns out to be a average park considering the fact it stays open year-around. Six Flags may be at a point where it realizes the worth of the park by selling it to another company, may far exceed the money it takes to run it ( and that includes the constant high cost investment into that park for various reasons). As far is Houston is concerned most know I am a fan of Theme parks and therefor biased. We all know Houston is a business town but a metro area approaching 5.5 million people need entertaiment options such as theme parks and water parks, whether some believe so or not. Houston is not going to crash and burn if Splashtown closes, but IMO, it will indeed hurt the city. Again, Great cities have everything. The variety of options in every aspect from housing, to transportation, to entertainment, to shopping a city can present to me, makes it great in my opinion. A single fantastic American art museum doesn't make a city's museum scene great to me. A city offering a variety of fantastic museums makes that city's museum scene great.

Please, 9 years without an increase? That shouldn't make much difference to those people. Besides, those making minimum wage don't need a increase at all. All they have to do is simply pull themselves up by their bootstraps. (sarcasm) Yeah this is truly interesting also considering those that are making $5.15 per hour are helping pay for the increases congress has recieved since 97'. And one thing about ol Teddy, he may not have given his raises back but I'm sure if it were up to him the minimum wage would be raised which is more than I can say for many others across the aisle. Another thing, I simply cannot wrap my brain around the idea that there are those that find it necessary to justify themeselves needing pay increases over the past 9 years but can't seem to justify it for so many others. There are so many that call themselves people of God in a particular political party, yet they conveniently seem to never ask themselves WWJD when it is time to vote on issues such as these. Incredible.

I'm not sure how much of a monument to Houston it would be, but for a while now, I've wanted to see one of those giant statues like that of Sam Houston along the freeway in Huntsville, of a astronaut along the Gulf Freeway in one of those open fields near the Nasa Road 1 exits. I'm sure many people would pull over to take pictures with it on their way to Galveston. There could even be a possible shuttle pick up for the short ride over to Johnson Space Center/Space Center Houston. NASA and space is very much a part of us as Houstonians so why not? Plus I'm sure it would become a signature in Houston advertising.

Also, who knows, with the explosion of NetFlix maybe the Tower Theater can return to it's old glory . Maybe that sushi will take off then?

Though I do not agree with everything Tierwestah has stated, I also understand his frustration. It's true that although we have gone over this many many times, I think a better question he could have asked was why has it taken Houston so long to even get the IDEA for these projects? Projects, particularly large ones, take time to plan let alone build. So while these large mixed-use projects in Dallas and Atlanta that are now finished or close to being finished were being conceptualized in 97' and 98' for those cities, what were thinking of at the time for Houston? New baseball and basketball arenas (things those cities had already built or were in the process of building)? More times than I personally like, Houston does indeed seem to do things after many other places have done them and at times it can seem a little embarrasing and create a sense that the city is not progressing. For example, yes there is a Houston "answer" to Dallas' Victory Project, but that "answer" is still on the Drawing board while Victory is almost done. The city of Houston has a lot of great things going on and coming, but because we always seem to be a step behind in certain areas, it can give the impression the city is not progressing at all, which then gives way to threads like this.

Sushi Anyone? Has anyone had an opportunity to try the place?