H-Town Man Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Oh, you know what I just thought of? In the next decade, we're supposed to be getting a new central library. Why not have it next to this, maybe on the side opposite the Hilton? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 the entire park should have a misting system with nozzles built into any and every lamp post, fence post, or architectural feature. HELLO august! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ V Lawrence Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Why don't they build a smaller version of Herman Park? A large outdoor theatre, state-of-the-art playgrounds, and a central fountain in the middle. Also have the park well lit and encourage the city to hang out and lounge there at night, and boost security to ensure that crime there stays minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 a constant on foot (or bicycle) police presence would be nice. ditto dj v lawrence's last post. guests at the hilton americas and people visiting the grb should be drawn to and feel safe in this space, even after 10PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 So if that's the route we are headed, how about adding a restaurant? Something like at Rockefeller Center or the setup under Saatchi Gallery.They should connect the land from Toyo to MMP. Do we really need those cross streets that dead end under 59?Then we would have room for a giant bier garden to hang out in before the games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt16 Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Something like Tavern on the Green? It might work there. It could also work well with jogging trails and maybe paths for horse carriage rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeightsGuy Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 JT, the park is 12 acres, not 1200. I don't think a jogging trail is going to do much good.OK, I may have been a little harsh yesterday, but I still feel too much money is going to be pumped into this little patch that could be better served elswhere. It's not like we have a bottomless pot of gold to spend on parks in HTown. Half our parks are neglected, and park funding seems to get smaller every budget. I do remember times I spent there, I remember a Bob Marley fest or two, and some other events. I think to make this park shine, "less-is-more" should be the operating word. Lots of green space, less concrete, not too much shrubery, a gazebo, some park benches, with a few tables. basically, we need to hire MidtownCoog for the design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 ^^^I second that!!P.S. This is my 700th post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Oh, you know what I just thought of? In the next decade, we're supposed to be getting a new central library. Why not have it next to this, maybe on the side opposite the Hilton?<{POST_SNAPBACK}>I've thought about that but I'm not sure how preservationists would react if we move the new library away from the old building (not the "newer" one but the historical one).Nevertheless, I like the idea. The convention center, the park, the Juice Box, Toyota Center... all in one relatively compact area. A couple of museums wouldn't hurt either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 JT, the park is 12 acres, not 1200. I don't think a jogging trail is going to do much good.OK, I may have been a little harsh yesterday, but I still feel too much money is going to be pumped into this little patch that could be better served elswhere. It's not like we have a bottomless pot of gold to spend on parks in HTown. Half our parks are neglected, and park funding seems to get smaller every budget. I do remember times I spent there, I remember a Bob Marley fest or two, and some other events. I think to make this park shine, "less-is-more" should be the operating word. Lots of green space, less concrete, not too much shrubery, a gazebo, some park benches, with a few tables. basically, we need to hire MidtownCoog for the design.They won't spend a fortune like it's Millenium Park, but it's good to see people taking the time to get input to make the park something special. For once in Houston I'd like to see something other than a second-rate design. We should set our expectations for public design higher, not lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 So here's what we do!Start with green space. Start simple. You can always add on, but the green space will be the foundation that you can build upon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 midtown coog's suggestion for initial greenspace would be cost conscious and smart. phase one: establish a lawn and perimeter elements (preserving existing vegetation and elements). see how people use it, what paths (if any) do they take, etc? do events come up in which organizations or festivals desire to use the space?phase two: use information from usage patterns to build a better park/public space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjb434 Posted May 18, 2005 Share Posted May 18, 2005 That phasing concept mentioned above would be the most cost effective way of producing a park the meets the needs of the users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MontroseNeighborhoodCafe Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 A stare-down from a fat rat Ron Guidry wants the park cleared of rats and the homeless. They Walk Among Us A closer look at a spiffy downtown park reveals it's crawling with rats By Todd Spivak Published: Thursday, August 4, 2005 Guidry has a grab bag of horror stories regarding the park. He tells one particularly bizarre tale that involves a penis, a groundskeeper and a shovel. It's midday a couple of weeks ago, the story goes. Guidry steps outside his building for a break. He watches as a groundskeeper pushes a lawn mower past a homeless man who's asleep on a bench. Apparently angered by the intrusion, the homeless man "all of a sudden pulls out his penis and chases the groundskeeper over the hill." The groundskeeper's supervisor fast approaches holding a shovel over his head and cussing out the homeless man, who yells right back. "Here it is," Guidry says, "three in the afternoon, and this guy is standing in the middle of the park, for like two minutes, shouting and holding out his penis and shaking it." Read More... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 A stare-down from a fat rat Ron Guidry wants the park cleared of rats and the homeless. They Walk Among Us A closer look at a spiffy downtown park reveals it's crawling with rats By Todd Spivak Published: Thursday, August 4, 2005 Guidry has a grab bag of horror stories regarding the park. He tells one particularly bizarre tale that involves a penis, a groundskeeper and a shovel. It's midday a couple of weeks ago, the story goes. Guidry steps outside his building for a break. He watches as a groundskeeper pushes a lawn mower past a homeless man who's asleep on a bench. Apparently angered by the intrusion, the homeless man "all of a sudden pulls out his penis and chases the groundskeeper over the hill." The groundskeeper's supervisor fast approaches holding a shovel over his head and cussing out the homeless man, who yells right back. "Here it is," Guidry says, "three in the afternoon, and this guy is standing in the middle of the park, for like two minutes, shouting and holding out his penis and shaking it." Read More... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It is the same way around the family law building. HUGE rats are there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokieone Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 I read the same article, thought it was kind of disgusting to hear how the city of Houston had let the park rundown in such a short time. Its not really a good sign if they plan to use the same type management whenever they get moving with the new downtown park. I have to say, I actually like how the Houston Press is always not afraid to put articles like this out there. Not sure if always helps, but does "put the word out on the street" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 One cannot tell for sure which section of the park he's really talking about, which makes me smell some dishonesty on the writer's part. He does say that the westernmost block is not owned by the city and is clearly the worst-maintained. But then he never says which parts he does his "investigative" work in. Does he ever actually set foot in the portions that are owned by the city? He never tells us. From the totality of the article it really sounds like he's talking almost completely about the portion not owned by the city. It would have been helpful had he been more clear about this, but the Press prefers all negative, all screaming headlines, all the time. No nuance allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 So the new nickname for "bums" is "rats"?I'll have to remember that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonsemipro Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 No, it's rats and homeless downtown. And you see why I don't attempt to go downtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokieone Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 No, it's rats and homeless downtown. And you see why I don't attempt to go downtown.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Yeah because every other major city has managed to completely eliminate the homeless and rats. Manhattan is spotless, and people in DC give new condos to people so there is no homeless. In Philly, its almost clinical its so clean there. No rats at all.I think the point of the article is to point at that there are places where efforts could be improved. Find me a downtown with no homeless and I'm pretty sure you are using the word downtown loosely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 who's afraid of a few rodents and street residents? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoog Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 You should see the huge rats on the bayou at Sesqucentenial Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasboy Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 who's afraid of a few rodents and street residents? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rodents are my worse fear. You all are scaring the ____ out of me, when I come back to Houston and make it back downtown. Usually rats are the only animals that are hard to find when people are around, which is a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Yeah because every other major city has managed to completely eliminate the homeless and rats. Manhattan is spotless, and people in DC give new condos to people so there is no homeless. In Philly, its almost clinical its so clean there. No rats at all. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This is so untrue, it is laughable. It is impossible to get rid of all the rats, especially in 200 and 300 year old cities. And the homeless are in every large city, though some of them provide more assistance to them than Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Here's a nice little story about rat-free New York...1998 estimate was 28 MILLION rats.http://www.lrb.co.uk/v27/n06/wils07_.htmlHere's a blurb about the city of Philly's attempts to control rats with poison, killing every animal in the park. "By any standard, the rat population has spiralled out of control."http://www.philly1.com/index050504.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Yeah because every other major city has managed to completely eliminate the homeless and rats. Manhattan is spotless, and people in DC give new condos to people so there is no homeless. In Philly, its almost clinical its so clean there. No rats at all.I think the point of the article is to point at that there are places where efforts could be improved. Find me a downtown with no homeless and I'm pretty sure you are using the word downtown loosely.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Don't forget San Fransisco. You could eat off the sidewalks in San Fransisco. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Hizzy! Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Yes, if you consider human waste a delicacy. All jokes aside, I've never seen a rat downtown, and for the reason that TB pointed out. Rats tend to stay out of sight when there is a lot of people around, and of course that's when I'm mostly around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 A nice story about rat free San Francisco...only about 800,000.http://sfindependent.com/article/index.cfm/i/080604n_rats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokieone Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Red Scare, you realize we are all being sarcastic about no other major city having homeless or rats right? I was merely responding to semipro saying the homeless and rats were the main reason he doesn't go downtown. If that were the case, it would pretty much mean avoiding most major cities in the US.The point is that its unreasonable to ever expect a major downtown area to be spotless. Just look at the New York subways. I remember reading a book about fun different things to do in new york. It said one of the thing was to go all the way to the back of the trains and watch the tracks as the rats scurried after the trains went by. That wasn't my idea of fun, but you get the point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted August 5, 2005 Share Posted August 5, 2005 Red Scare, you realize we are all being sarcastic about no other major city having homeless or rats right? I was merely responding to semipro saying the homeless and rats were the main reason he doesn't go downtown. If that were the case, it would pretty much mean avoiding most major cities in the US.The point is that its unreasonable to ever expect a major downtown area to be spotless. Just look at the New York subways. I remember reading a book about fun different things to do in new york. It said one of the thing was to go all the way to the back of the trains and watch the tracks as the rats scurried after the trains went by. That wasn't my idea of fun, but you get the point... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hokieone, upon rereading your post, it looks to be clearly sarcastic. I completely missed that one. Sorry 'bout that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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