COMMENT OF THE DAY: DOES ‘EAST RIVER’ ERASE BAYOU HISTORY, OR DRAW IN NEW STUDENTS? 
“‘East River’ . . . that does sound like a lame sort of urban infant suckling at Mama NYC’s teat. But really, a 2-word name with each word having a strong, apropos and simple meaning is positive. It is the east part of Houston, and it is a river (called a bayou). But not just [any] bayou — the womb of the city. In the 1840s-60s, the west of the Allen’s Landing section was nothing but a well-wooded open sewer and hideout/hangout for the various characters and scoundrels of Vinegar Hill. [But] east of Downtown it was a river, with masted ships and energetic influx. We should be familiar with every bend of it, but [the bayou’s history is] mostly unknown. ‘East River’ can serve as an introductory directional appetizer for those unknowers who are already here, and those yet to appear.” [Dana-X, commenting on Comment of the Day: The Ongoing Rewrite of Houston’s East Side Story] Illustration: Lulu
Sign up for the Newsletter
It’s just a damn name! Typical mindless Houston mentality to b and moan about particular names of projects or districts (EaDo) instead of focusing on what truly matters like the scope or quality of a development itself!!! Uh, hello “River Oaks” is calling, it’s next to the same damn bayou, where’s the naming police’s “outrage” here??? Regardless if it sounds NYC or not, “East River” is still very much a generic, run of the mill name, so I don’t get this “thou must use unique names for every project here” crap. If only the typical Houstonian had the same passion for demanding quality architecture, design and development that gets built in this city!
Well apparently this whole “why are we naming things like New York” kerfuffle has been going on since at least 2009….