The radio story included a “response” by Weingarten Realty Investors Marketing Director Amy Jones:

“As a responsible public company with roots in, and a commitment to, Houston, we will continue to manage this asset with great care, taking into account its history and its future. We do not have a comment on market rumors, and we have no additional information or comments to provide at this time.”

Though, my trusty babelfish interprets this statement as:

“Yeah, we need some time to spin this. In the meantime, how about ‘since we’re based in Houston, we could only have the best of intentions for our fellow residents?’ Oh, and by the way, piss off.”

Yeah, my babelfish is pretty cynical isn’t she? Though, if there’s anything good coming out of this so far, it’s the immediate response by so many Houstonians.

This morning’s KUHF story (including an audio link)
From this morning’s Chronicle.com
Petition managed by Houstonist.com
Another petition managed by Historic Houston

[photo courtesy of kuhf.org]

An article in Saturday’s Chronicle reported that two buildings of the River Oaks Shopping center could be torn down to be replaced by (yet another) high rise condo and multistory Barnes & Noble. Although Weingarten Realty, the company that manages the shopping center, refused to comment, the demolition plans were confirmed by tenants of the River Oaks Shopping Center.

Which buildings are on the bulldoze list?

1. The River Oaks Shopping Center building at the northeast corner of Shepherd and West Gray, where Three Brothers Bakery is. This will be the location of the multi-story Barnes & Noble.

2. The Landmark River Oaks Theater, Houston’s oldest functioning movie theater (opened in 1939), and one of the few places to watch foreign & indepdendent films in the city. A place near and dear to my heart.

There’s also some concern that Barnes & Noble will close the Bookstop in the West Alabama Shopping Center. According to the Chronicle, “In 1989, Bookstop won national attention for its creative preservation of the Alabama movie theater, built in 1939. Nine years later, Barnes & Noble bought the Bookstop chain.”

Our friends at Houstonist have started a petition – http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/riveroaks/. Sign if you want to preserve these historical Houston landmarks!!!!

Onion Creek is located on White Oak Bayou, about two blocks west of Studewood. Parking was a little tight, but I managed to squeeze into the last parking space in the back. Inside the cafe are a few tables, couches and full bar. My favorite part, though, was the huge outdoor patio that wrapped around half the cafe. There was a pretty healthy-sized crowd outside, but the tables were spaced well enough so that it didn’t feel cramped. And a lush wall of plants/greenery bordering the patio makes you forget that the cafe sits right on a relatively busy street. There was also a flat screen TV playing the Astros game. I didn’t order any food, but Luke had good things to say about their sandwiches. I did get a granita (thanks to Katie), which was delicious.

I really liked Onion Creek’s mellow vibe and equally mellow crowd. I’ll definitely go back for after-work unwinding with friends. Actually, the Heights is the one area of town that I’m pretty unfamiliar with and hope to spend more time exploring.

We’re looking for energetic, enthusiastic and motivated paddlers to participate in the exciting sport of Dragon Boating!

Come to our
Kick-Off Practice & BBQ Party on
Saturday, June 24th
8:30am – 1:00pm
Tony Marron Park (808 North York)

Participate in a fun practice session, enjoy delicious BBQ with fellow paddlers, and learn how you can join our winning tradition! We’ll discuss our practice schedules, membership levels, fees & benefits, and other plans for this outstanding Dragonboat team.

$5 for BBQ and practice session (wear athletic attire)
$3 for BBQ only

Register online for this event!

]]> http://houston.metblogs.com/2006/06/22/paddlers-ready/feed/ 2 http://houston.metblogs.com/2006/06/14/where-am-i-6/ http://houston.metblogs.com/2006/06/14/where-am-i-6/#comments Wed, 14 Jun 2006 20:57:42 +0000 hou_jen http://houston.metblogs.com/2006/06/14/where-am-i-6/

Located in Houston’s first Latino neighborhood and next to one of the largest Latino cultural centers in the United States.

Answer will be posted Friday afternoon. :)

The event was filled with food, beer, bands (including a string quartet), a floating cinema courtesy of the Aurora Picture Show, boats & kayaks buzzing along the Bayou, a video of Monarch butterflies projected against the Sabine Bridge, and the length of the newly developed Promenade awash in cobalt blue lights. Families were strolling the promenade, kids were tumbling down hills and small groups of friends and couples were laying out on blankets. It was a beautiful summer evening and a wonderful way to experience one of Houston’s recent developments.

Spanning 23 acres, the $15 million Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade features trails, beautiful landscaping, a pedestrian bridge, public art and a high-tech lighting system. According to a Chronicle article about the Promenade features, “the lighting system features glowing orbs that will be white when the moon is full and, moving east to west, progressively change to blue as the moon goes through its phases. The lights will be all blue when the new moon appears, and the pattern will reverse itself for the remainder of the lunar cycle.”

If you weren’t able to make it to the Blue Bayou event this weekend and haven’t yet seen the new Promenade, you’re in for a treat. It’s beautiful, clean and also great new route for runners and bicyclists. For more information on the Promenade and other upcoming developments along Buffalo Bayou, check out the Buffalo Bayou Partnership website.

Last month, I visited some friends in Oakland, CA. Driving back to the airport, I spotted an In & Out Burger off the highway. For years, I’ve heard people (mostly Left Coasters) raving about In & Out Burgers with the same conviction and regional pride that East Coast/Midwesterners rave about White Castle and many of us in the South/Southwest rave about Whataburger. So, as I pulled into the In & Out drive-thru, I decided to conduct a one-woman Battle of the Burgers.


Now, before I begin, I should say that I’m really not much of a burger eater. I average only 1-2 burgers a year in sit-down restaurants and even less in fast food joints. It had been more than 3 years since I’d eaten a fast food burger (White Castle). I’m also not a big fan of mayo or pickles, and I scrape off 90% of the ketchup & mustard. So, keep in mind that these elements are omitted from the burger-judging process.

Findings:

In & Out Burgers: The In & Out menu was pretty simple (though there is, apparently, a “secret menu“). I ordered a cheesburger (hold the mayo/pickles/onions, easy on the ketchup/mustard) with fries and a lemonade. The meat patty, while greasy, was far less oily than a McDonald’s hamburger. The bun, tomato and lettuce were surprisingly fresh for a drive-thru burger.

White Castle: The last (and only) time I’d had a White Castle Burger was while I was living in Brooklyn. The menu has more items than In & Out, but it’s still pretty simple compared to the gluttony at McDonalds. One of the unique things about White Castle Burgers is their size – compared to a typical burger, they’re tiny (59 grams). If you’re really hungry, you can purchase a box of THIRTY burgers . I tried three “slyders” – hamburger, cheeseburger and chicken sandwich during my visit. The burgers were small and very, very greasy. Even the buns tasted like they had been dipped in oil. I could manage only one bite of the chicken sandwich, it was so salty.

Whataburger: Started in Corpus Christi in 1950, Whataburger is the Southern/Southwest regional contender spanning Florida to New Mexico. Compared to In & Out and White Castle, Whataburger’s menu has many more items. I ordered a Whataburger with cheese (hold the mayo/pickles/onions, easy on the ketchup/mustard), fries and a Sprite. Like In & Out, the components of Whataburger’s burger were fresh – the bun was soft, the tomato was fresh and the lettuce wasn’t wilted or brown. In fact, the two burgers tasted almost identical.

And the Battle of the Burgers Winner is…..
Whataburger! Followed closely by In & Out. White Castle burgers are basically 59 disgusting grams of salt and grease. Both Whataburger and In & Out were pretty fresh for fast-food burgers and virtually identical in quality….but in the end, the winning elements were the Texas flavor (jalapenos) and the nostalgia factor (those signature orange/white pointed roofs).

(Answer posted on Wednesday, May 24.)

May is Bike to Work Month and this week is Bike to Work Week and Friday is Bike to Work Day. Local biking clubs are hosting various bike-y events, and the City’s doing some stuff too.

When I first saw the Chron.com article about Bike to Work Day, I contemplated taking my trusty Novara hybrid to work. Sure, it would be fun and a good workout – but do I really want to brave these Houston streets? It’s just 8 miles from my house to the office, but I doubt the roads between the Med Center to the Galleria are cycle friendly. Even if I took side streets, I’d still be scared about getting hit. Houston just doesn’t seem very bicycle-friendly to me – we’re such a car centered city.

There are, actually, lots of bike lanes around town – 300 miles of bikeway to be exact. They’re painted in white with a bike symbol or the words “BIKE LANE” in big letters. But, I’ll admit I don’t always notice or pay attention to them. For example, there’s a bike lane here in the Med Center that cuts diagnoally across Cambridge Street just before it reaches Old Spanish Trail. It’s positioned awkwardly, but still, I forget it’s there. I know I’m not the only one.

I’m all for increasing bike awareness and supporting more fitness-related events in Houston. But biking to work seems to be unrealistic for most Houstonians…even for those who live and work inside the loop. I know there must be Houstonians that bike to work every day, so maybe I’m wrong?

On a somewhat related note, Mapquest names Houston as the hardest city to navigate.

Also, the Houston/Galvestion National Weather Service Office is hosting a 2006 Hurricane Workshop titled Katrina and Rita: Lessons Learned for the Next Time.

This workshop will consist of a main session with several keynote speakers along with numerous breakout sessions that will cover the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Other hurricane related topics will also be covered. A vendor area will also be available for companies involved in hurricane preparedness and hurricane protection.

Stacy Stewart, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, will be the workshop’s featured speaker. Mr. Stewart will talk about the active 2005 season and discuss some of the meteorological reasons that the United States had so many landfalling tropical storms and hurricanes. Mr. Stewart will also offer some projections on the 2006 Hurricane Season and what we can expect for the Atlantic Basin.

For more information, view their full schedule of 2006 Houston/Galveston Hurricane Preparedness Meetings.