Houston is SEXIER than you think

[photoLith]

^^^
For the record, Discovery Tower as of yesterday is now called Hess Tower since Hess Co. will be the sole leaser of the building.

Thanks for the info. I think Dallas as I remember it has a tunnel system like Houston also. I am sure a few others have it too.

[Urbannizer]

Awesome!

I made one of your photos my new background.

[Dan Denson]

I see all sort of city comparisons in the thread. I thought we weren't supposed to do that, based on a moderator's post in this thread.

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by edluva

sorry for not being very tactful - that's one of my biggest flaws. LA is suburban, but it's not a big suburb. there's a bit of a difference. LA is a huge mess, but within the car-dependent LA is a dense, *vibrant* urbanism whose definition doesn't rely on a grouping of steel skyscrapers. Meaning you can remove our CBD and it will be every bit as chaotic and full of pedestrian activity as before because urbanism stretches far beyond our CBD. My point was that if Houston's CBD were removed, what would you guys have to fall back on in perpetuating that "urban Houston" myth? 99 percent of your belief is centered on the subconscious impact of having a big skyline, even if for brief moments, your discussion diverges to montrose or other parts of town which offer fleeting moments of pedestrianism at best.

I think Edluva's reason for existence is to jump at opportunities to cut down Houston.

[Dan Denson]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

I hate the heat too, and if they were available to me, I may use the tunnels as well on the hottest of days. But really, it's not like Houston is the only city in the world that suffers from extreme weather. In my opinion, that tunnel system seriously hurts downtown Houston in that it takes away a significant portion of street traffic, which lowers the demand for pretty much everything on the street, which lowers the amount of goods and services that are offered there.

I agree with your comment.

Regarding temperatures, it 's funny how people forget that the temperatures in that area are not hot from mid October through April, just like anywhere in the South. I wonder if people still use the tunnels a lot when the high for the day is 55 F. Seems like that would bring people out unless it's raining.

[Metro Matt]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

In my opinion, that tunnel system seriously hurts downtown Houston in that it takes away a significant portion of street traffic, which lowers the demand for pretty much everything on the street, which lowers the amount of goods and services that are offered there.

The downtown tunnel system is pretty quirky & cool actually. You can get your hair cut, shoes shined, & Subway sandwich all without ever having to leave the A/C. Think of it as an underground mall or labyrinth with carpeted floors linking most of downtowns tallest skyscrapers to each other while you're walking right underneath them.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by Dan Denson

I agree with your comment.

Regarding temperatures, it 's funny how people forget that the temperatures in that area are not hot from mid October through April, just like anywhere in the South. I wonder if people still use the tunnels a lot when the high for the day is 55 F. Seems like that would bring people out unless it's raining.

Nope, the same amount of people use the tunnels in the winter as they do during the summer. Its almost as if downtown doesnt have a day crowd since they are all concealed underground. The only people on the surface are the occasional tourists, hobos, and bus commuters.

[edluva]

Originally Posted by Dan Denson

I think Edluva's reason for existence is to jump at opportunities to cut down Houston.

not really. it's to cut down delusional ideas about any city. even my own. none of what i say is patently false.

[LSyd]

great photos. best houston thread ever. it's early, but maybe one of the best threads of 2009.

houston really isn't that bad. there's a lot of nice quirk. i think it' be a good biking city (except for thunderstorms and extreme summers.)

oklahoma city also has a tunnel system, but i think it's closed? or partially closed?

-

[SLO]

Originally Posted by LSyd

great photos. best houston thread ever. it's early, but maybe one of the best threads of 2009.

houston really isn't that bad. there's a lot of nice quirk. i think it' be a good biking city (except for thunderstorms and extreme summers.)

oklahoma city also has a tunnel system, but i think it's closed? or partially closed?

-

Its a nice thread and all, but may wanna tap the brakes on that^^

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by Metro Matt

The downtown tunnel system is pretty quirky & cool actually. You can get your hair cut, shoes shined, & Subway sandwich all without ever having to leave the A/C. Think of it as an underground mall or labyrinth with carpeted floors linking most of downtowns tallest skyscrapers to each other while you're walking right underneath them.

Yeah, I know what it is. I have to disagree with you though about the quirkiness factor though. I mean, like you said, it is basically just like a mall...a very plain and boring mall that adds nothing to the surrounding area.

[jomaled]

Sorry, I must have been the culprit to start this whole Houston "bashing", calling is "soulless". I really apologize, as the webmaster said, no comparing and bashing cities. I'd like to make a comment, though, about Canadian cities, especially the large ones like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary.... I've been to all, and come away totally impressed, not only with the cutting edge architecture, big and small, but how vibrant the urban core is! There are real neighborhoods interspersed within these high rises, people bustling about downtown at all hours of day, living their lives in the shadows of these skyscrapers. Yes, there are sprawling suburbs too, but not at the expense of the city center. Within 1,2,3 miles of downtown, there are densely packed and lively 'hoods, Chinatown, Greektown, enclaves of Indians, Polish, Germans, Vietnamese, what have you. VEry diverse, very lively, clean, safe. What did Canada do that didn't take root here in most of our cities?

[LSyd]

Originally Posted by SLO

Its a nice thread and all, but may wanna tap the brakes on that^^

i'll tap your brakes.

these photos are more interesting than 98% of what we (i) have seen on these forums lately. and not just lately...the past 4 months or so. "oh look, bland shots of buildings from popular cities 1 and 2. 10,000 replies from forumers in the areas. rinse, lather, repeat."

-

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by LSyd

great photos. best houston thread ever. it's early, but maybe one of the best threads of 2009.

houston really isn't that bad. there's a lot of nice quirk. i think it' be a good biking city (except for thunderstorms and extreme summers.)

oklahoma city also has a tunnel system, but i think it's closed? or partially closed?

-

Thanks so much for the compliments. As for biking, I road bike a lot downtown but it seems that each time I do I get a flat tire or two. It gets quite expensive after a while so I just stopped biking downtown. I dont see how the bike messengers downtown manage to not get flats. I bike in the middle of the roads on the middle of lanes as to avoid the trash that gets on the outer parts of the road but no matter what, Id get a flat. Oh well.

If you like my photography be sure to be on the lookout for a Eureka Springs, AR thread here soon. I put a lot of effort into the next set of photos. I think everyone will like them and I want to show off one of Americas most beautiful towns.

[SLO]

Originally Posted by LSyd

i'll tap your brakes.

these photos are more interesting than 98% of what we (i) have seen on these forums lately. and not just lately...the past 4 months or so. "oh look, bland shots of buildings from popular cities 1 and 2. 10,000 replies from forumers in the areas. rinse, lather, repeat."

-

Im just sayin', theres alot of time left in '09....

[photoLith]

^
So, what was the best photo thread of 2009? Was there ever a vote. If this isnt already being done, we should, at the end of each year vote on what the best photo thread was. I remember this one pretty good. http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=142962 by The Dear Leader in 2009.

[diskojoe]

i like your angles in this thread. i like when you can get distortion to work for you.

[mrnyc]

great work here. i never realized so much of olde houston was washed away in floods, being texas i never thought about something like that happening, but knowing makes me feel much, much more forgiving.

as with all of texas, i love the older tall stock, but honestly the modern office buildings of houston are just schlock. not really houstons fault, unfortunately that was often symptomatic of the times they were built in. i applaud how the city is certainly trying to make amends for itself via starting up rail transit, the park as you mentioned, airport growth, etc., but houston deserves better lookin modern towers. hell, texas deserves better than that tallest and i am sure the state will get it someday soon. will it be in houston or its yuppie neighbor city to the northwest? we shall see.

[urbanactivist]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

great work here. i never realized so much of olde houston was washed away in floods, being texas i never thought about something like that happening, but knowing makes me feel much, much more forgiving.

as with all of texas, i love the older tall stock, but honestly the modern office buildings of houston are just schlock. not really houstons fault, unfortunately that was often symptomatic of the times they were built in. i applaud how the city is certainly trying to make amends for itself via starting up rail transit, the park as you mentioned, airport growth, etc., but houston deserves better lookin modern towers. hell, texas deserves better than that tallest and i am sure the state will get it someday soon. will it be in houston or its yuppie neighbor city to the northwest? we shall see.

Well, Main Place isn't pictured here (it was still in the early phases of construction) but it's one of the best projects of the decade IMO in Texas, maybe even the whole US. Discovery Green has been a smashing success, and we just opened a new "smaller" version called Market Square park. None of this makes up for the ridiculousness that we have in this Metro, but it's so nice to see downtown becoming a viable living space again.

I just hope that eventually people let the Houston of the past STAY in the past, so that they can see and celebrates the strides that the city is making, just as we should do for all of our major cities.

[photoLith]

^
How is market Square Park doing? Do a lot of people use it, its kinda out of the way from the rest of downtown though.