KatieDidIt

Ohhh, all this talk about this area makes me soooo homesick!!!!

has anyone tried jasper's yet? i haven't heard any reports good or bad yet.

I heard a good review from a friend. But its crazy, mad impossible to get in now. They tried to go back a second time, but the resturant was closing service at 8pm because they were running out of food. The Woodlands needs a ton more quality resturants, because the few they have can't take the demand.

The TXDOT website still shows that the 1488 widening will be let (tentatively) in June, 2006. Wonder if that will be moved up? The 1488 Project Number is 0523-10-015. You can search for it on the TXDOT website.

Well they already need to widen the intersection of 1488 and 2978, like RIGHT now. Its getting really hairy there. ALso, I certainly hope they widen 2978 near the Parkway. That Walmart is going to cause major traffic jams if it stays the way it is.

play nice.

BTW, i never loitered. yes, it was the eighties and i did have duran, duran hair, a closet full of matinique, willie wear, generra, and occasionally eye liner when going to clubs or concerts, but i never loitered. until i was 16 or so, bedtime was nine o'clock around our house. any and all activities were supervised by adults until i went to college.

Bach you and I seem to come from the same planet, and I'm a Gen Xer.

Regaurding the other, personal opinions are fine, personal attacks are not.

I'm with Red Scare on this one., and I'm sick and tired of these self-righteous people like Katie did it. Get a grip.

I love The Woodlands for noe, my kids are 8,5,3. Once my eldest reaches 15 or 16, we'll move back to a city.

You have no clue who I am or where I come from, so stuff it. Personal attacks are not cool.

When did walking around looking like a busted can of biscuits come into fashion anyway

Ah. That made me laugh.

If you transplanted one of those gals back in time to an 1980's High School............oh that would be funny.

Well, there is a younger end to Market Street with Johnny Rockets and Extreme Pizza and that Ice Cream Place. How about putting a large gaming Arcade in that area. They can hang out there, flip-flopping along with their tight tees and guts hanging over their far too low, glittery hip huggers.

There is a REAL lack of parenting skills these days. I honestly don't think these parents care where their 15 year olds are at night. The language that comes out of these kids, and I mean the younger ones too, is amazing. I have noticed a lot of disrespect and shear brattiness that I have never witnessed before.And why do the parents let these girls dress so horribly up here? WOW.I know kids that have FAR wealthier parents than this crew, and they don't act this way. Maybe its boredom or its like a suburban thing. Or brain damage derived from training to be a Pro-Cheerleader since they were 6.

My husband and I tell each other, when we see this stuff, that we really have our work is cut out for us.

According to the Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce in their last newsletter last month the new Target will be at the corner of FM 2978 and FM 1488. Reportedly, Target, HEB, and Circuit City among others will occupy approx. 80 acres on that corner. It would be the property directly accross from Kroger on FM 1488.

Thanks!! And that's a HUGE relief. I wish Walmart had chosen that area too.

Lamar? Dangerous?

I wouldn't say so, at least not relative to suburban schools.

Sorry, but my sister went there (and graduated with the IB Diploma) and she never felt unsafe there. She attended IB classes at Lamar and got into a good university.

I don't see how Lamar is any more dangerous than a comparable large suburban high school.

Maybe you are confusing Lamar with Lee High School (6529 Beverly Hill Lane

Houston, TX 77057-6499), which has a worse reputation than Lamar.

Grady only has 600 kids, so I don't see how they can't get controlled.

I am glad you sister had a good experience. But the school just wasn't for us.

true true, and it depends on the kid (and their parents) and the teachers. i went to Bellaire, and there were just as many crackheads as straight a students...and you'll find that anywhere

We were at Briargrove Elem, which was an excellent school. But they are going to knock it down and put the kids temporarily at a new school behind the Galleria. The school had no security budget, which concerned us for the move. Also, with active boys, PE every 7 school days was hard on them. Art and Music were also on that 7 school day rotation. There were 25 kids to a class, no assistants and the teachers were waaaaay too over worked and serious. The "extras" were not available in the school, but the three R's were solid. The major problem was that Jr. High was Grady Middle School. That place is horrible. High School was either Lamar ( yes LAMAR is very dangerous) or a long commute to Westside. Until two years ago, we were zoned for Lee. Now that probably was one of the most gang congested school in Houston.

I think we will just tough it out through Jr. High, at that point we may be able to afford a home in the Memorial High neighborhood. The kids are very talented athletes, so private school really isn't an option when you are headed for 5A ball.

NO Pin, I haven't been over there. If I'm gonna drive more than 2 miles to shop, its gonna be to the Galleria.

Woodlands goes online with Houston Chronicle's help

Wow! Thanks for that. Now we will actually know whats going on up here versus getting glossed over reports from the Association. They never update their "watch" area.

dearest haif foodies,

i'm thinking of spending a weekend revisiting old haunts this weekend or next at restaurants i love and miss. is there anything i should try that's not on my list (that is to follow)?

my friends and i have a couple places we cannot stand to be away from:

backstreet cafe

van loc

mia bella

mark's

americas

la strada (ok, if the sundays are still as rowdy as they used to be, otherwise, i'm over it. haven't been there for awhile)

cafe japon

zimm's

mo mong

the teahouse on shepherd at randall's

with that said..........is there anywhere that we might try for a birthday dinner? we have two birthdays in october and usually spend a day or afternoon restaurant/bar/lounge hopping. the weather can be great and we like to schedule a couple of designated drivers and bounce around the inner loop area.

your suggestions are welcome.

Cafe Annie. I have never been disappointed by the food or service.

last summer i attended a wedding. the groom, a former vineyard owner, chose a shiraz with a label called "wishing tree" dated 2002. i've been unable to find this wine anywhere. anyone familiar with this?

Bach, I just looked at SPECS online and they have a Western Australian Shiraz called Wishing Tree. I bet that's it.

i had the same reservations about that quote; however, the new target demographic for wine sellers is the 25-35 yo crowd.

oakie flavor with a hint of blackberry? do tell. what label have you been drinking katiedidit?

Well, I was kinda using that as an example. But the most recent wine I have had that fits that description was a Messina Hof Pinot Noir Reserve. A nice Texas wine on a cool night.

At least we hope that's what he meant. How would like to go to a wine bar and ask about a wine, only to get the shoulder shrug?

Or ask for a wine that has a nice oakie flavor with maybe a bit of blackberry in it....and get a blank stare. I may know what I want, but not what label carries it.

Cru, A Wine Bar opens in The Woodlands. HEB, The Woodlands Market carries more labels than your average grocer. Young executive crowd in The Woodlands being targeted with wine offerings.

link to full story

I hope to try it out one night. But this quote is a little disconcerting...

"We want to get out of that old, snobby atmosphere," Fulmer said. "We don't hire anybody who knows a lot about wine who would be judging (customers)."

I always like a very knowledgable sommelier in a wine bar.

i heard that there was one in the works for 1488. i would hope that they would not build a super target right across from the super wal-mart in your neck of the woods.

with the target at pinecroft center, across from the mall, i do not think they would build one on 1488 near 242 unless they close the one at pinecroft. if 1488 is THE road that one will be built, i would think it would be nearer to the 2978 intersection.

BTW katiedidit, i tried mi luna last weekend at indian springs. i'll give it 2.5 forks out of 5. an average dining experience for a saturday afternoon. one waiter knew how to make a good mojito, the bartender couldn't get it right. the food was hit and miss. i might enjoy it more with out a toddler and a fifteen year old. it seems the tapas experience is for more for drinking and nibbling rather than a meal. the arriving saturday night crowd let me know that the time to come was later in the evening.

yeah Bach, its more a bar. The food isn't great, but neither was the food in their Village location. I think Jack's, back in the early 90's, had the best Tapas.

I did see the owner of Nit Noi, opening in Sterling Ridge. He still owns all three of his locations, so their is hope for this one to be a winner!

I would still love to see another Palazzos or high end pizza, italian bistro open in the area. NO more Chilis, Applebees and fast food chains please!

yes, this area will be more expensive than most...there are a few listings at about $20 per square foot...

If you can afford "GAP" size rental fees, I say go for it.

i wondered if the texas summer heat would affect the attractiveness of these developments to consumers. when the woodlands announced that it would be adding an open air lifestyle center to the woodlands mall, and the market street plans came online, i had some doubts. apparently, it has made no difference. i was truly surprised how people lingered in these public spaces regardless of the heat and humidity. i read recently that stores in market street and the lifestyle addition to the mall are in the top percentile of their respective chains.

Well, I personally love this way to shop. Park, walk straight to the store you want, shop and leave. I loved Town and Country Village, HIghland Village and the little shopping area at Voss and San Felipe. Parking right in front of a Gap Kids has it perks.

the maps i've seen of that area (terramont, i think) includes more strip centers and restaurant pads.

Bach, have you seen anything about including another "big box?" ie. Super Target.

I was kinda surprised they already didn't have resturants right on the water. That's part of the point of having the waterway right? A San Antonio-ish dining experience.

I sure hope the WOC attempts to make the back side of the Woodlands as nice as what they are doing up front. There is plenty of unused land on 2978 that they have their signs on. We have been asking what they are going to do with it and they aren't telling.

Katie, I know firsthand your fears of Stratford and they are justified. My brother had a MAJOR problem with drugs while he was at Stratford, and was finally shipped off to the Marine Military Academy by my father (where he straightened up beautifully, btw LOL). There are great kids there, no doubt but that school definitely has its share of issues (I guess all of them do). I'd love to be able to afford a private school for Phoebe. I liked what I read recently about the John Cooper School in the Woodlands and was one of the reasons we were kinda looking there.

I grew up in Kingwood so I have to admit that I miss the quiet life. I've been over here in the Galleria/Memorial area for the past 15 years and I'm ready to get back to trees and a bit of solitude. Of course I say that now...who knows!?

Yes, John Cooper is very good. It was founded by the x-principal of Kinkaid. Of course we are paying a private school tuition in property and and association fees alone, so it makes no sense for us to go there. It would be cheaper to go back to town and try to shoot for one of those coveted opening in Kinkaid.

Well, Stratford is in Spring Branch ISD, so that could be the first part of a possible solution. What "social problems" are kids reporting from there? Also, what programs are you worried would not be at a school like Stratford that they're currently involved in now?

Gangs and problems among other female students in the bathrooms. Don't want to get into it.

Yes Spring Branch ISD is wonderful. One of the other reason we moved to The Woodlands is because we couldn't afford a new home in the Memorial area. I think Gaywood is up to 1.3 million now. My husband gained some health problems in our 1960's town ranch., We had to totally gut and remodel. Anything in the Stratford area we would have to do the same too. And once you have gone through all that, its hard to think about doing it again.

We would both love to see SBISD open Westchester as a real high school again. Apparently all the Stratford kids LOVED it during the remodel of their school because it actually had windows!

Heaven forbid you subject your children to the hell known as public school. Even worse, that you would consider a slum like Stratford!

Jeebus, my kids have ALWAYS been in public school. But HISD was not only broke, and a poor education with no PE or extras, but unsafe in our area after elementary school. My husband went to Westchester way back when and loved it. I just have heard of various social problems from kids of our friends that go to Stratford.

Katie, is there anything that you like about the Woodlands? I'm not sure if there's a post I've read from you yet that isn't talking about putting a for sale sign in your yard for one reason or another. I hope I don't offend, I am truly just curious because if it so awful, I don't really want to move there. On the other hand, I don't know a part of Houston that isn't being mowed down in the name of Big Box. I guess moving anywhere in this city is a risk for overgrowth at best.

Parrot, sadly other than the kids liking their school better here, the answer is no. We had big hopes that this area was the answer for our schooling issues, and that we could enjoy it as well. We couldn't afford the 1 million dollar plus homes in Eastern Memorial Villages, so the second choice was here. Also, the top non-secular school is almost beyond impossible to get into at this point. If we didn't have kids we would have gladly stayed in our Tanglewood ranch house that we bought in 1992.

Its just hard situation. And I really don't mean to be so down on it all the time, but I am highly confused about the situation we landed in after all the promises this area gives you when you move in. We should have rented first. I have never lived in an area that I have never liked. I have also NEVER lived somewhere were I had to work so hard to attempt to make a community live up to its promises.

My husband has a long commute (Kirkwood and I-10) and is frustrated by the all the "big boxes" popping up after our investment. We may just have to go for a little lesser education and move to the Wilchester area. I really like it over there, but I am a little wary of Stratford High.

As to The Woodlands; No I wouldn't recommend it unless you really enjoy the very quite life, a non-responsive associaiton in an area were no one seems to be or wants to be in charge, and find Bunco to be the ultimate in adult entertainment.