VelvetJ

That's funny because I have thought about Houston not allowing signs in Downtown but it allows I-45 North and South to appear the way they do. Now those are major eyesores.

Krystals is a totally different animal than anything in Houston right now. For those that have cash flow issues but want a treat, it's Krystals all the way. Gather the loose change in your car and stop by Krystals. We all know Whataburger is tasty but it is also pricey. Krystals will be a hit I'm sure because of the price, not to mention they don't taste too bad. Plus kids love the size and shape of the burgers. As much as I love Krystals, White Castle is the King of Late night burgers and do indeed taste better than Krystals. But I don't think White Castle will ever venture south. Love live the murder burger/gas burger!!!!

I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. I grew up on those things. Back in the day, they had a CRAZY burger called the Big K. Of course it had a thick patty of beef with the normal lettuce, tomato, Ketchup, mustard, mayo, onions and cheese. But what gave it it's signature was it also had a couple of slices of bacon and a roundly cut slice of ham. OOOOO, talk about unhealthy, but it was so good. Either way, I think those little burgers are going to be a hit here in Houston, especially if they are open late at night. First we get Krispy Kreme, now we finally get Krystals. Now the set is complete.

Well, in the midst of picking his comments apart, I hope the message wasn't lost. Unfortunately, the guy didn't mention Houston's recent rail efforts in his statement, which Houston deserves credit for. But even with that I think he was speaking to a bigger picture. With all of the progress Houston has made recently, there are a ton of red flags waving, that in certain areas the city is going in the wrong direction. With the guy having lived in Katy, I'm sure he was disgusted as I and too few other Houstonians, when it was revealed rail tracks were going to be removed from along the Katy Freeway and the freeway itself was going to be expanded to the degree it is (I'm not against Katy Freeway expanding by the way, and believe it should be, but alternatives were not considered as much as they should have been IMO). I'm sure he was disgusted to learn Dallas has more rail miles at the present than what Houston will have in 25 years. I'm sure in his statement he was speaking to the degree of how much road construction is prioritized in this city, even over people and neighborhoods. From his statement, I got he was speaking to the "blindness" of too many in Houston to the fact that there are just as many disadvantages to allowing the city to be run by developers as there are advantages. Even with the very large amount of freeway and road space in Houston today, he looked at the projected spending ratio for roads and for rail, saw the INCREDIBLE gap and was disgusted. Kirby.....a super road.....disgusting. Gessner....widened....disgusting. Westheimer....a super road.....disgusting. Houston was clearly not the place for that guy, but we have to ask ourselves what was truly behind his statements in the chronicle? Was he "bashing" Houston just to bash it? There are people that trash on Houston just for the sake of doing so (like that chick that wrote that ridiculous piece in the NY Times a couple of months ago about Houston not being "real" because we have air conditioning), but I don't think this guy is a case like that. Before we blow him off and simply say this guy is crazy and full of it, I think maybe we should try to see if possibly he had another motive that was more of a wake up call than really anything else. That wake up call could be to challenge our opinions on roads and our future, or a challenge to change our leadership for our future. Either way, like The Great Hizzy stated, it's all about perception, and I got more positive out of that guy's comments than negative.

I'm sorry, I just can't resist. Bush continues to manipulate the American people IMO, by saying the world is safer without Saddam, the world is safer without Saddam, the world is safer without Saddam. And I say Pleeeeeezzzzze. If I invited you all to my house for dinner and baked you guys a pie with 500 pieces of glass in it, but before I served it to you, I removed one of the pieces of glass to where there is only 499 pieces left, is the pie now safer to eat? Also, mind you, I didn't remove the largest pieces of glass or the pieces that is most obviously a threat to my guests. Well, technically yes, it is indeed safer to eat, but my removing a single piece of glass that doesn't pose the biggest threat to my guests, isn't enough for me to serve the pie while giving my guests an impression that the pie is now safe enough to eat. This is how I see George W and his actions in Iraq, and unfortunately he has convinced a significant amount of Americans that not only is that pie now safe enough to eat but that he should be allowed to bake them another.

Exactly TreaderCRC, I agree completely. Things like that do indeed make a difference in the overall image of a city. That was the point I was trying to make in a previous thread with regard to Virgin Record Stores in downtown, professional sports teams, etc. There are certain stores and amenities that cities of our size are expected to have and when visitors and business people don't find them, it can hurt the cities image to a degree. I'm not saying a Virgin Records will "put Houston on the map", but those types of things can add to a city's image and image can mean a lot. I also have noticed the large amount of high end retail that has entered the Houston market over the past couple of years and hope it continues. I never shop at those places but I love what they do for the city's image considering the "oil soaked country bumkin' cowtown" image Houston seems to continue to have with so many people.

I will say this and I will leave this thread alone. I am a Christian who supports Kerry. I do not agree with Kerry on EVERY issue and I don't have to. I agree with Bush on some issues but still do not believe he is the man to lead our country. Many years ago, my pastor made a great statement. He said, "just because someone appears to have a religious backing or support system does not necessarily mean they have your best interest in mind". So it's possible to be Christian, oppose abortion, but still somehow manage to support the death penalty. It's possible to oppose gay marriage but still place people in jail unfairly and at a disproportionate rate. It's possible to love Jesus and still rape and pillage the earth in the name of profit. It's possible for one to pray everynight but turn a blind eye to the suffering two blocks away from your home. One can go to church every Sunday and still help the rich at the expense of the poor. George W. Bush is a Christian (just like Bill Clinton is), but that does not make him qualified to be lead this country. Also, having good intentions is not well enough for me. One of my favorite sayings in life is, " Good intentions does not equate to being correct". One can have great INTENTIONS and still be wrong. We must not loose sight of that. Again, I agree with Bush on some things but there is a bigger picture. And I will not let his use of the name of Jesus blind me to that bigger picture. Peace and go vote.

Urbanlandscape- Oh that wasn't the first and only thing George W. has flip flopped on......shall I go on? I'm sure a lot of Bush's supporters wish he wouldn't have corrected himself, but you know, I heard a guy say something the other night that I thought was interesting with regard to the President's statements about the war on terror. He said, " George W. Bush, unscripted, is a very dangerous thing and many of his supporters know it." So Urbanlandscape you weren't the only one that "cringed," and apparently someone is on "pins and needles" WHENEVER he speaks.

Well ricco67 that can well depend on exactly who your family is and how much money you have. So, no I don't believe Harvard and Yale as a whole are "handing out grades", but do not believe it is impossible for it to happen and wouldn't be surprised at all if it were ever revealed a few students over the years have gotten "assistance" because of who they were. Besides, wasn't George W. a "C" student anyway?

Actually that's not a bad idea at all. I wonder how effective it would be. I know someone who goes deep sea fishing from time to time and I remember laughing when he said the water in the Gulf is blue. Of course the further one gets away from Galveston the more blue the water gets. It would be nice if we could enjoy some of that "blueness" at the actual beach.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gasp and Swoon!!!!!! This cannot possibly be true. Everything about him proves this is imposssible and a complete lie.

I will not vote for a flip flopper: "We will win the war on terror" "We will not win the war on terror" "We will win the war on terror" So, I guess that means I will be voting for Kerry. Boy, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. But, I guess flip flopping is a hereditary trait......"Read my lips, no new taxes".

Drive via tollway (most of the way).

It's good to be back.