11 Comment

• luciaphile October 16, 2014 at 9:12 am

  I clicked on the Hermann Park link with some excitement, and applaud the citizens who have brought Houston a new garden, but it must be said: it’s pretty sad when even garden planners and landscape architects can’t summon the wit to design around an “ancient oak.”
• slugline October 16, 2014 at 9:36 am

  Re: Ascension on the Bayou — I think the part about the pedestrian/bike path under the Beltway is already done. It’s actually nice but I didn’t think it linked to anything of significance . . . until now, I suppose. I have no idea if it’s feasible, but continuing the bayou to connect Terry Hershey and Memorial Parks could be quite the recreational amenity..
• Gisgo October 16, 2014 at 11:14 am

  I applaud the effort to reduce restaurant noise at the Menil; there’s no word on whether the measures taken so far are actually working, but there’s bound to be some improvement. I have almost given up dining out, since at my advanced age, I am no longer able to distinguish table conversation from the intense noise around me, and after shouting at my companions for two hours, my throat hurts. While some restaurants may take noise-reducing measures, most will not: noise is a sign of lively, ‘happening’ place. A particularly sinister development is the open kitchen concept, so that in addition to screaming patrons and loud music the clanging of cookware and the shouting of sou-chefs are added.
• Sgt. Stedenko October 16, 2014 at 12:05 pm

  Grand Prairie? WHOA WHOA Let’s leave Dallas out of this blog, shall we?
• TheNiche October 16, 2014 at 1:22 pm

  The last line from the Chronicle article on oil prices succinctly states: “The rip-roaring first phase of the shale drilling revolution has likely ended.”

  There’s not really any reason to expect good news in terms of global energy demand growth (at least in the short term) and its pretty clear that it is in Saudi Arabia’s strategic long-term interests to prevent the demand destruction for conventional oil that goes hand-in-hand with high oil prices.
• Shannon October 16, 2014 at 2:55 pm

  @slugline (WTF)—yeah, the Memorial Villages would quash that plan so fast it would make you slime yourself.
• commonsense October 16, 2014 at 3:21 pm

  A trail along the bayou between Terry Hershey and Memorial could never happen for political reasons but also for pure economic reasons. Most of that property is the back yards of some of the most valuable homes in the city, it would take Billions under eminent domain to take even slivers of them.
  ===
  Also (found out the hard way) since the bayou has been naturally shifting over the decades, some of the lots extend well into the bayou which allows the owners to build some pretty cool things that normal public would never see. I’ve seen multi-tier terraces, bulkheads, private bridges, and even cliffside bunkers.
• toasty October 16, 2014 at 3:45 pm

  @shannon, and the 20% drop in price for oil may actually help to turn around the economies of the world, which would in turn increase demand and bring prices back up with it. this is a good thing for Houston.
• John C. October 16, 2014 at 4:52 pm

  All I know is that I saw the pic of the Someburger and instantly thought it was being torn down. Dammit, Swamplot, don’t do that to me!
• saffron October 16, 2014 at 4:54 pm

  A bike trail between the Beltway and Memorial park is not going to happen for reasons already mentioned. But there already is a trail there — the bayou itself. As a navigable waterway, public use (canoes, kayaks, rafts, etc) is permitted:
  http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/coastal/buffalo_bayou/index.phtml

  There are even outfitters that will drop off canoes and then drive you back to your car once you get to around TInsley park, I think. Talk about a recreational opportunity! Folks that have ran the whole bayou report that it is sometimes hard to navigate due to fallen trees and other obstacles, however.

  Maybe some enterprising person could come up with some rentable boats that are powered by the chains of attached bikes, and hire some people to keep the water unobstructed. Then you’d have a bike trail from 6 or farther west to downtown.
• cb October 16, 2014 at 5:42 pm

  please….. heights yuppy hipsters please leave leave someburger alone…….