VelvetJ

There is no evidence to prove otherwise at this point, but quite frankly, to think that Delay and Culberson are complete angels in this is foolish. Unfortunately, because they have the upperhand, Metro has to be careful in countering anything. We are talking about the two biggest anti-rail figures in the region who are NOT "going to bat" for rail in Houston. The article stated Metro was told the application would not pass yet they blatantly submitted a "improper" application? People that are trying to expand rail in Houston? Why would they continue to believe the innovative idea on the application would work if the FTA told them before it wouldn't work? I have a admitted bias against Delay and Culberson, so I honestly suspect anything that comes out of their mouths, particularly with regard to rail, knowing their utter opposition to it. But I truly believe there is another side to this. If all that was keeping Metro from getting this money was a period at the end of a sentence, I don't think either of them would pick up a pen to add it, in order to further stall rail for this city. Keep in mind, rail is something neither of them want for Houston, and I believe this is somehow ALWAYS at play when it comes to their actions with Metro. *note*- Does anyone have any current figures as to how much the Katy Freeway project is over budget at this point?

MidtownCoog, it really sounds like it is time you let that go. What amazes me is how often both Delibero and Brown are still brought up on this board. Those people are gone. It really is time to move on. With all of their critics, at the end of the day they accomplished something no one else has.......they brought rail to Houston. We wouldn't even be posting on this particular thread if it were not for them. KinKaidAlum, I'm with you. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark and it's not their cheese. There are unseen hands in this and history points to two powerful men.

Call me naive but I truly believe David Wollf and most of Metro want to expand rail. GovernorAggie, you make it sound so obvious and simple. Is it your opinion that they just didn't think of these things? I wonder why no one at Metro thought of this? Or did they? What would prevent them from including something like TIRZ districts if it were to be such a factor in the approval process? Are those at Metro that incompetent? Or could there possibly be something else at play here?

MidtownCoog, could you elaborate on this? What could David Wolff do better? What type of views or actions should the leadership of Metro have and do so they wouldn't be classified as 'losers'? What did they do wrong to contribute to this refusal of Federal Funds?

I still smell a rat. Is it typical for the FTA to drag their feet like this? Also, note Tom Delay "stopped" his opposition indeed, but he hasn't helped Metro with the progression like we were led to believe. His version of "helping" is not having any organized opposition, instead of actually going to bat for Houston. This is disappointing but not discouraging.

ASO's new Symphony Center design unveiled The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has revealed the ultra-modern architectural design for its planned new $300 million Atlanta Symphony Center. The project was designed by renowned architect, artist and engineer Santiago Calatrava. The 279,600-square-foot structure will sit on a 3.8 acre site at Peachtree and 14th streets. The Concert Hall will feature 34,000 square feet of performance and public space and 41,000 square feet of backstage support space. The hall will be surrounded by 2,000 vineyard-style seats, including 200 seats for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. It will have an operable ceiling, adjustable in height from 48 feet to 104 feet above the stage to provide variable acoustics. The Studio Hall will have 5,300 square feet of performance and public space, 3,200 square feet of backstage support space and seating for 300. The Rehearsal Hall is slated for 5,000 square feet of performance and public space, 9,000 square feet of backstage space and seating for 300 to 350. Plans also call for an 11,000-square-foot Learning Center and 41,800 square feet of lobby space, which includes including food and beverage service areas, coat check, ticket office and gift shop. "The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has been a truly visionary client," Calatrava said. "From the beginning, it has known what it wants to achieve -- not only an exceptional concert hall, literally formed around the orchestra, but a building in which people can recognize the singularity of their city and state and take pride in them." Calatrava's design enfolds expanses of glass and steel within gently curving shells of gleaming white concrete. Public areas in and around the building, notably a pair of light-filled lobbies, open onto landscaped plazas. The lower plaza provides an entrance for visitors who arrive by car. The upper, which serves as a public gathering place and lookout, connects the building to a ceremonial run of trees via an elevated walkway. Rising from behind the structure and then swooping down, as if reaching toward Peachtree Street, are two "bent leaves" of lattice-like steel. The smaller of these marks a side entrance on a terrace. The larger, which tops the structure at 186 feet, gives dramatic definition to the building's central axis. The movable steel "wings" of a sunscreen will open and close over the soaring, glazed volume of the upper lobby. Midtown Alliance President Susan Mendheim said the new Symphony Center is another major anchor that clearly defines Midtown as a destination center. Mendheim noted that the new hall's distinctive arching "bent leaves" made of steel and the wing-like projections soaring over the main entrance will probably make the hall an important architectural landmark for Atlanta. "The new design may well cause Symphony Hall to become an architectural icon like the Sydney Opera House or Atlanta's own High Museum of Art," Mendheim said. The ASO began its work to create the Atlanta Symphony Center in 1999. In March 2000, the Woodruff Arts Center bought a 6.2-acre plot at the corner of Peachtree and 14th streets. The ASO selected Hines Interests as its partner to create a mixed-use development. An office tower developed by Hines and designed by architect Jon Pickard is currently rising at the Peachtree Street end of the site. The remaining 3.8-acre portion of land was set aside for the Atlanta Symphony Center. As reported Feb. 8, the ASO's campaign to raise money for the project has neared the $100 million mark in gifts and pledges received, thanks in part to the doubling to $35 million, of a pledge from the Blank Foundation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New, dramatic look unveiled for future Atlanta Symphony Center By CATHERINE FOX, PIERRE RUHE Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 02/09/05 It's a monumental white sculpture capped by a soaring arch. It's acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava's dramatic design for the future Atlanta Symphony Center. And it might just become a symbol for a New South city searching for an enduring identity. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which Wednesday night unveils the design for its 3.8-acre site at 14th and Peachtree streets, has a lot riding on Calatrava's plan. The orchestra, which aspires to be world class, has enhanced its status in the last five years

Or how about a much smaller version of a entertainment center like Dave and Busters with a couple of pool tables, some video games, a snack area, etc. A Dave and Busters or a Jillians in a downtown? I suppose turning it into a movie house with 2 or 3 screens that only show old or classic movies is out, due to the close proximity of the Angelica. To be quite honest, I have no idea how large the place is in terms of open space, or if it even has a second floor. Either way, I hope the space is used wisely.

I heard the mosque was considering moving because parking was a issue. I'm not sure, but not meaning to offend anyone, I have always thought that was a terrible location for a mosque, and if it's true it is moving to another location, I'm pleased. This may sound a little corny but I think a mixed use restaurant in the lines of something by Monica Pope would be nice there. When I say mixed use, I mean during the weekdays it is a restaurant and on Friday and Saturday nights, it is converted to a nice club. The restaurant could close on Fridays and Saturdays at 10pm and open as a club from 11-2. The bar would already be there and they could just remove the dinner tables and place a couple of cool pieces of furniture in the corners and people could dance in the middle. The hour it is closed could be used to transform the place. If any of you guys remember, there was a restaurant in the Montrose on California street called Sanoma. It was a restaurant until Midnight, where it became a gay dance club. The first time I went there, my friend didn't tell me, and we are sitting at the table finishing our drinks when the waiters all came out and began removing the tables. They said we could stay until we were done, and before you knew it, the sounds of Madonna filled the room and Drag queens were coming up the stairs. Just an idea.

There is no need to respond. All I had to do was search for it before I asked those questions above. I've answered all of my questions. Thanks anyway.

Anyone have any renderings or have a general idea of what it will look like in terms of a highrise, midrise, or garden style? Great Hizzy, you said it was interesting. What makes this one interesting?

Just so you know, people are reading these articles you are posting, so continue.

GAG! I just threw up a little in my mouth. I will post mine later. By the way, jmancuso your screensaver is beautiful.

There's no need for constraint Houston Retail, I love your morsels. Although some of the information you give is limited, it keeps our hope alive that Downtown is actually moving in the right direction for the future. I vote for you to continue with your blind items.

Suzerain, I could kiss you. Everything you have stated is right on. I have been saying for quite a while now that Houston should really focus more on tourism in the future and increasing it's "cool factor". I am NOT saying tourism should become our backbone like San Antonio or New Orleans, but it should be a important factor in a city our size. Tourism does have a place in "World Class" cities, as Houstonians like to think we are. Let's be honest, when you think about World class cities, are they places that many people choose to go for vacation? Yes, they are. Is Houston a place that people travel from around the country or the world for vacation, no it's not. And let's ask ourselves a couple of questons: Why don't people as a whole, travel from around the country to Houston for vacation? Why do cities that aren't necessarily tourist cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Austin, and Denver get more tourists than Houston? If most people could choose to live in any city in the country, how many outside of Houston would choose Houston? Seriously. With regard to the CBD, this really isn't about who has the liveliest CBD at night. Dead CBD's in Los Angles, Austin, Dallas, and Atlanta doesn't appear to be stopping tourists from visiting those cities. Apparantly there is something else going on in those places outside of their CBD's that attract people. And someone from Phoenix complimenting Houston really doesn't phase me. A San Franciscan, or a Chicagoan, or a New Yorker visiting Houston and being impressed, is something I would pay more attention to. A attitude of, "It doesn't matter that people don't want to visit our city" is something I do not have and wish fewer people in Houston had. Our focus should broaden a little more, because just like tourism has hurt places that are soley reliant on it in the past, IMO business being a city's only focus can hurt it just as much (I think we saw a little of that when the Olympic Committee got a good look). OP, I don't know if I agree that Houston is slow so much as it seems to always be a step behind. It seems when our counterparts take two steps, we take one. Despite what some may say, one of the things that comes with being a city our size is indeed competition with other places. Houston is not Tyler Texas and we shouldn't act like we are. The innovative, cutting edge, progressive spirit that built this place seems to be lost. We're coming up with these great ideas years after other cities have done them, and seem to be content with it. I love Houston and know what it has to offer, but we could be so much better. The progress we are making is encouraging, but I'm not sure if our city as a whole truly understand the importance of it and why it should continue. Our days as a one trick business pony has got to be eased if we are to be the best we can be.

Those words spoke volumes. Even after the years I have been alive, it still unsettles me from time to time to see just how differently we view the world. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that everybody doesn't believe that red means stop and green means go.

^ Wow.

Hey, I know a couple of people have said they have seen a rendering or model of the finished West Loop; does anyone know if any landscaping is included, such as shrubs or trees of some sort?

By the way, I goofed. The new name is not Montrose Cafe, it is the Montrose Diner. Personally, I think it's going to be more in the lines of the House of Pies on Kirby, than anything upscale.

LOL!!!!!! I wonder if Six Flags has ever wondered WHY AstroWorld doesn't get the numbers of visitors many of it's other parks get?

I can't remember the last time I was on a cruise and saw gay couples holding hands or giving each other kisses on the deck of the pool. I wonder if heterosexual couples hold hands and kiss on public cruise ships? Gee, I wonder what would happen if 20 gay couples did that on Carnival Cruise Lines in front of the children like heterosexual couples do? My question is why would gays even contemplate "seperating" themselves with such an airline when they can clearly live their lives openly like the rest of the population? Why would this concept even come to someone's mind? I mean, I'm sure every man on this board has rubbed another man down with sun tan lotion on a public cruise ship without so much as a glance from anyone else. By the way, I think this thing was a joke as well. Fabulair.......come on.

Yaga, it wasn't that simple. Metro had to compromise or there would have been NO rail for the future. Unfortunately when dealing with those as powerful as Delay in particular, sometimes it calls for "getting in bed with them". Despite what some may say, Delay and Culberson have the upper hand and Metro has to play by their rules. But even with this, Houston and Metro still got screwed to a degree because although they both vowed not to interfere if the voters approved expanding rail, they meant JUST that. Many of us were left with the impression that if the voters approved it, Delay would then help Houston get federal funds. Well, it recently came to light that what he REALLY meant was Houston would have to get federal funding on it's own and his way of helping that process is by not blocking Houston's efforts. Many of us thought he meant he would help "go to bat" for us but that wasn't true. You know, not lying DIRECTLY to us but not telling us the whole truth. I'm bitter can't you tell.

According to the site, the average ceilings will be 9 feet 8 inches, so I'm thinking these buildings will definitely hit the 500 ft mark when everything is considered.

I was just in the Montrose and it looks as if the recently closed Cabo location there next to HollyWood Video is about to open again with a new identity. The Big Neon lights on the building displayed "The Montrose Cafe" and there were people on the inside working with chairs up on the tables. I am so excited that this place is opening again because it is such a great location. It always hurt over the years to pass there and see that location not being utilized. I hereby curse the curse that is said to have such a strong hold on that location......CLAP, SNAP, SNAP, SNAP!!!!!! Curse begone. On a different note, does anyone know what is happening on the northeast corner of Westheimer and Montrose across from Taco Cabana? I believe it's right there next to Prive'. There appear to be shelves in there. Does anyone have any info?

Passed there today and there is a big metal sign up with the letters GLO carved into it. It looks pretty nice. From the looks of it, it's not looking like a Karoke bar but that's just my opinion. I tell you guys what would be cool. There are these new places popping up in other cities (I know I'm comparing cities again ) that are like Karoke bars but instead of singing along to your favorite song, there is a bar sized movie screen up on stage and people get up there and act out their favorite movie scenes along with the movie. From Rocky, A Street Car Named Desire, and Grease, to Star Wars, Purple Rain, Urban Cowboy, and your favorite Betty Davis flick. People get up there and basically make fools of themselves. But it's fun. I may be out of the loop and late, but I haven't heard of any of those bars in Houston yet. It would be cool if this new "Glo" place turned out to be one of those, but somehow I doubt it.