tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73864215070360010232024-03-13T09:33:33.603-06:00TexquiemStrange, funky, cool, unusual and glorious Houston.Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-68266825361189277222014-04-10T00:41:00.004-06:002014-04-28T22:09:42.028-06:00Obamanable Traffic!<img src="http://images.politico.com/global/2012/08/120807_obama_texas_flag_ap_605.jpg" /><br />
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Howdy, Mr. President, and thank you for the abominable traffic jams today. Or shall we say "Obamanable traffic." They have all the streets closed around a hotel downtown. But I'm guessing you aren't really there. Maybe that's where the press corp is staying, but not POTUS and FLOTUS. When I have important visitors come to town, I'm sending them to the Hotel Zaza, Hotel Icon, or The Lancaster. Not the Holiday Inn, even if it's the Crowne Plaza.<br />
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I'm guessing you aren't there mainly because the traffic was at a standstill throughout Montrose early evening. We sat bumper to bumper on Richmond, West Alabama and Westheimer after work. Houston must be paying overtime to half the police department today. Is this part of your jobs recovery plan? 'Cause I don't think the traffic congestion helped your Climate Action plan on this sunny and mild ozone alert day. We couldn't inch forward half a block without seeing at least one police car. Actually, po po have been buzzing all over Southampton the last two days, Erik Estrada-like, and they were obviously not there to stop <a href="http://stopashbyhighrise.org/" target="_blank">Ashby Highrise</a>. Here's a <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/politics&id=9498201" target="_blank">little video</a> of your evening, with mention of our traffic. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erik Estrada</td></tr>
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<img alt="Houston Police Department reveals the new image for future HPD patrol vehicles outside Houston Police Department Headquarters in Downtown on Monday, July 2, 2012, in Houston. HPD tested vehicles for the new patrol cars, along with the new black and white color scheme and logo design. Photo: Mayra Beltran, Houston Chronicle / © 2012 Houston Chronicle" src="http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/14/00/32/3147403/3/622x350.jpg" height="213" width="320" /><br />
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The news says you're in town to raise money for the Democrats. Wasn't that thoughtful of the Mostyns to have a little soiree for you? <a href="http://mostynlaw.com/bio/steve.asp" target="_blank">Steve Mostyn</a> is the youngest president ever of the Texas Trial Lawyers' Association. He also made Texas Monthly's<a href="http://www.texastribune.org/2011/01/18/texas-monthlys-25-most-powerful-texans/" target="_blank"> top 25 most powerful Texans</a> a few years back--as "Democratic megadonor." They're calling him Hurricane Mostyn and his (and his wife's) Category 5 wallet is apparently bearing down on Austin during state legislative sessions. Amber Mostyn is "<a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113760/meet-amber-mostyn-wendy-daviss-most-powerful-political-patron" target="_blank">the Wealthy Woman Behind Wendy Davis</a>"--you know Wendy, right? Our Texas-big-haired-blonde-pink-shoes-filibustering-pro-choice-and-now-running-for-governor Wendy Davis? And who needs George Soros when you've got Amber Mostyn?<br />
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I wish I'd bought a ticket to <i>their</i> parent social at the kids' school auction! Oh, wait, the Mostyns seem to have foregone the public school route. Hmm . . . that's too bad. We've got a cool school. Mr. President, I guess you can tax those 1%-ers, whether Democrat or Republican, but forget about making them send their kiddos to public school.<br />
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Your other Democratic meal ticket tonight was <a href="http://www.williamskherkher.com/attorneys/john-eddie-williams/" target="_blank">John Eddie Williams</a>, also a plaintiff's personal injury lawyer. He and wife Sheridan had a little swank-an-dia at their River Oaks abode for you, Nancy Pelosi, our Mayor, and Sheila Jackson Lee (I guess <a href="http://twitchy.com/2014/01/29/occupy-sotu-laura-ingraham-monica-crowley-notice-something-hilarious-about-sheila-jackson-lee/" target="_blank">stepping in front of you</a> at every single <a href="http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2013/02/sheila-jackson-lee-queen-of-the-aisle-hogs-at-sotu/#9913101=0" target="_blank">State of the Union</a> Speech paid off). The NY Times is reporting an intimate dinner for 70 in the $17 million, 26,000-square foot home ("resembles a resort hotel, complete with five fireplaces, a swimming pool and an elevator"). Ticket price? $64,000 a couple. <br />
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How nice that John Eddie is really helping the candidates, huh? (Unlike Dallas's primo trial lawyer, <a href="http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2010/01/fred-baron-john-edwards-and-th.html/" target="_blank">Fred Baron</a>, who spent his last days gallivanting about to hide Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' pregnant, freaky mistress, Rielle Hunter.) John Eddie and Steve Mostyn are super, super busy--they're working with these conservative-sounding political action committees to funnel money Democrats' way. I mean, screw the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers" target="_blank">Koch Brothers</a> and their "Americans for Prosperity!" John Eddie and Mostyn have got "<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2014/02/25/supreme-court-candidates-clash-over-contributors/" target="_blank">Texans for Family Values</a>." Does Texas for Family Values give money to Wendy Davis?<br />
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<img alt="Sheridan and John Eddie Williams at the annual Bayou Bend Garden Party Sunday April 7, 2013.(Dave Rossman photo)" src="http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/26/47/11/5927531/5/784x2048.jpg" height="200" width="132" /> <img alt="16 Sheridan Williams - Catherine Regehr at the Opera Ball April 2014" src="http://media.culturemap.com/crop/56/50/800x600/16-Sheridan-Williams---Catherine-Regehr-at-the-Opera-Ball-April-2014_090501.jpg" height="200" width="150" /> <img alt="Lady Sheridan, owned by John Eddie Williams" src="http://www.superyachtfan.com/954x452xLady,P20Sheridan,,,P20owned,P20by,P20John,P20Eddie,P20Williams.JPG.pagespeed.ic.YzgoImSIR4.jpg" height="151" width="320" /><br />
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Seems like we're more likely to see Sheridan Williams in the society pages than political circles. Why, I saw her (and John Eddie) just this past weekend at the Opera Ball. She's a CultureMap favorite. Doesn't she look a lot like Wendy Davis in these pictures? Careful! Don't want to start a conspiracy theory amongst the Taliban-faction of the Tea Party. Let's instead focus on the yacht that John Eddie bought and named the Lady Sheridan. They renewed their wedding vows on it just last June while <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/society/06-07-13-a-dream-day-houston-power-couple-renews-their-vows-on-a-mega-yacht-along-the-french-riviera/" target="_blank">cruising the French Riviera</a>.<br />
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"That's living high on the hog," as my yellow-dog-Democrat grandma used to say. Or, given our current economy and the country's state of play, perhaps we'll just leave it with "Well, that's just an Obama-nation."<br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-4085334826482609662014-02-01T14:30:00.000-06:002019-06-13T13:51:53.446-06:00Ash Rowell--Time Is. . .<em>Time is too slow for those who wait,</em><br />
<em>Too swift for those who fear,</em><br />
<em>Too long for those who grieve,</em><br />
<em>Too short for those who rejoice,</em><br />
<em>But for those who love, time is</em><br />
<em>Eternity.</em><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">-Henry Van Dyke</span><br />
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It's been a year. Throughout it all, I still expect to see him, you know? I'd like to summon a little eloquence, but the words I want to say are ones that can't be shared. Not really.<br />
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Some days I consider the murderer. For him, does time run swift? He knows--deep in his heart-- what lies ahead of him for stealing Ash's life.<br />
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More often, my thoughts are with those who loved Ash most, for whom this has surely been an eternity.<br />
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But mostly, I grieve Ash. Many feel this way. A year later, there's still a fairly steady stream of those who come here to Texquiem, for Ash. His wide net of friends still check in, from Houston and far beyond. <br />
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Thinking today of our friend Ash? See here, for his memorial, with thanks to Neartown Church for continuing to share it: <a href="http://vimeo.com/59666723" target="_blank">http://vimeo.com/59666723</a> . <br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-7192393860516463202013-10-14T05:30:00.000-06:002013-10-16T07:47:11.122-06:00Columbuz on BanksWhy, no offishur, I haven't been drinking at Ernie's. That wuz some other tall, bronze Italian. He went thatta way!<br />
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This Christopher Columbus was sculpted by Joe Incrapera in 1992, commemorating the 500th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World. You remember the childhood saying, right: in fourteen-hundred-ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue? The statue graces Bell Park, in Montrose--right across the street from the bar Ernie's on Banks.<br />
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Fairly unassuming, right? Wrong!<br />
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Forget the bums parked on nearby benches or the eclectic overflow of Ernie's patrons*, poor Chris got no respect from the beginning. In 1991, the Italian Cultural Center of Houston and Federation of Italian-American Organizations commission the six-footer. But in one of those moments where political-correctness goes awry, the city's Municipal Arts Commission rejected the gift! At the time, the 500th Anniversary was controversial. Pundits wanted to debate, not celebrate. In the international arena of 1992, they were bandying around words like "brutal conquest" and "American genocide" when describing discovery of the Americas. There were demonstrations in various capitals and at the United Nations. Amidst annual parades, statue unveilings, and some celebrations (such as Columbus kicking off of Galveston's Mardi Gras that year), other statues were being defaced around the world. When the Houston Chronicle got whiff of Houston's story and reported it, the panel that rejected the statue suddenly punted the issue to City Council. (In fairness, the Commission said its decision was based on other concerns.) Obviously, the City Council finally approved, and Chris made his way to Bell Park in time for his unveiling on October 11, 1992. <br />
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Feeling unloved, Chris? Don't worry, baby, I'll be your Nina almost any day.<br />
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The artist, you ask? Joe Incrapera is a native Houstonian, but studied art technique in Barcelona for four years, drawing in Florence for one, and sandstone sculpting in India for one. His works have been exhibited and <a href="http://www.thornwoodgallery.com/common/biopopup.php?galleryId=1CD7-FEAH-6E59&artistId=2953" target="_blank">publicized</a> in various locales. <br />
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*Yes, I know that Ernie's is Grand Prize Bar. I like it. I like the food truck outside it, too.<br />
<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com04800 Montrose Blvd, Bell Park, Houston, TX 77006, USA29.7301278 -95.391081529.7284043 -95.393549 29.731851300000002 -95.388614tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-79211570374689365872013-09-14T17:16:00.001-06:002013-09-14T17:17:00.361-06:00Hurricane Ike<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Five years ago. Ike came ashore after midnight. </div>
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We were weary and had fallen asleep, though not for long. Wind so fierce, it howled and blew water through our closed doors and windows. Dark, punctuated by green as transformers popped. The trees gyrated in every direction, and many of them along the block uprooted.</div>
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After, the neighborhood turned into a block party, of sorts, as everyone fired up the barbecues and emptied their rapidly warming freezers. </div>
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How long were you without electricity? Those first few cooler days after Ike were livable. When the heat returned, finding places with electricity and cool air became a bit of a game. At the week's mark, though, it was no longer an adventure. At two weeks, it was just damn miserable.</div>
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Brennan's had burned. The Flagship, where I drank Shirley Temples over the water as a child, was laid bare and sagging. There were yachts and big vessels sitting on I-45 South. My friends closer to the water could look at empty spaces where neighbors' homes had once been standing.</div>
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<img height="212" src="http://appraisalforensicsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Hurricane-Ike-Houston-TX-3.jpg" width="320" /> <img alt="after-effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas" height="200" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01131/global-graphics-20_1131391a.jpg" width="191" /> <img height="126" src="http://appraisalforensicsinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Hurricane-Ike-Houston-TX-4.jpg" width="200" /> <img alt="| ♕ | The Flagship Hotel, Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Ike
artsandletters posted | photo by Terry Shuck:
The owners plan to demolish the hotel and replace it with an amusement park.
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Every oak on Broadway along Galveston died from the salt, along with 40,000 other mature trees on the Island. But better trees than people. . . like the 8000 who died in the Great Storm of 1900 Hurricane.</div>
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<img alt="The Gresham house, center, now known as the Bishop's Palace, sits relatively unscathed behind a wall of debris following the hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas, Sept. 8, 1900. More than 6,000 people were killed and 10,000 left homeless as entire neighborhoods were swept clean. Heavily damaged Sacred Heart Catholic Church is at right. (AP Photo/Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word)" src="http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/01/36/16/385933/3/628x471.jpg" /></div>
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Hurricane Ike was just shy of a Category 3, compared to the Category 4 of the Great Storm. And we knew it was coming. Still, I'm glad we sat tight. Compared to the evacuation for Hurricane Rita? Hell, no, never again. (Well maybe if it was projected to hit land at Cat 4. I'm no "red line" kinda girl.) </div>
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Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-34412154595068008532013-05-26T13:02:00.000-06:002013-05-27T11:29:20.207-06:00Good bye to The Garden GateThe Garden Gate has been a profuse labor of love for twenty-odd years in Rice Village. <br />
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In earlier days, Texquiem noticed it while on Morningside pub crawls to Gingerman's and Little Woodrow's. It is lush and tranquil and quirky. You could spend hours strolling its grounds, taking in fountains, statuary, goldfish, and greenery.</div>
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I took these pictures with this cheap little flip-wannabe-Vivitar. Never posted them because I thought, "Oh, I'll go back and take better ones, with my iphone or a real camera." </div>
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But time runs short. The upscaling of Rice Village is unrelenting. And so The Garden Gate falls.</div>
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As reported in the Houston Chronicle, <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/gray/article/Rice-Village-garden-shop-is-closing-its-gate-for-4526025.php" target="_blank">here</a>, and in Swamplot, <a href="http://swamplot.com/hanover-reaping-more-rice-village-property-garden-gate-shutting/2013-01-11/" target="_blank">here</a>, The Garden Gate's property has been sold. The little gem has opened (and closed) for the last time. True to reports, the place is looking oddly lonely and sadly scavenged. In its place to come, a 12-story, 200 unit apartment building. Given this particular developer's precedent, lot-line-to-lot-line cement is forthcoming. I expect greenery only in architectural drawings and token pots flanking the entrance door. </div>
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Goodbye, The Garden Gate, and thank you for so many years of inspiration.</div>
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Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-60441382005805874862013-05-20T08:39:00.000-06:002013-05-20T14:25:31.837-06:00The WSJ's Weekend Interview: Annise Parker & the Modern American BoomtownHowdy, y'all! I'm guessing if you're fixin' to head to Houston, you're practicing your new-Texas accent. Here's a Texquiem hint: drop the "howdy" but keep the "y'all." And the drawl itself? There's one secret to <a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2009/09/searching_the_inaudible_is_the.php" target="_blank">Houston-speak</a>: there's just not much drawl to it at all. Of course, feel free to put your Texas on for emphasis, for politics, and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/us/for-rodeo-houstons-texans-dress-the-part.html?_r=1" target="_blank">for the Rodeo</a>. <br />
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Is that disappointing? Are you thinking, "Why the hell isn't there a Texas-sized accent in the state's largest city?" Well, folks, we're a melting pot (and have been for more than a few years). As our mayor, Annise Parker, sees it, "A good soup where all the ingredients come together." By the numbers, we're the nation's most racially and ethnically diverse city. Yes, that's right--more diverse than New York City. More than Chicago, Philly, or LA.<br />
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<img src="http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/11/67/05/2584920/0/622x350.jpg" /><br />
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Mayor Parker describes us as <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100631099" target="_blank">Southern hospitality, Western tolerance, and international flair, all in one package</a>. CNBC concludes we've got a<a href="http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?play=1&video=3000160180" target="_blank"> lot to offer</a>, notwithstanding the bolo tie its reporter first planned to wear. Texquiem will forgive the come-lately amazement at our diversity. *Sigh.* <br />
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More to the point, and speaking of the mayor, Herroner and Houston were featured in the venerable Wall Street Journal this week-- <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323744604578472873183655916.html?mod=trending_now_4" target="_blank">Annise Parker: The Modern American Boomtown</a>. The WSJ dines at Underbelly with the Mayor and points out that Houston has the nation's fastest pace of job growth, fastest-growing metropolitan economy, and highest per-capita income of any city in the country. The article seems surprised that Texas elected a Democrat and a lesbian. It can't get over the Mayor's sexual preference when--yawn--it's just no big deal here. Heck, I bet the Mayor mentioned <a href="http://texquiem.blogspot.com/2012/11/binder-full-of-women.html" target="_blank">Underbelly's history as Chances</a> just in passing, and off to the races went the WSJ. More interesting than the story are the comments to it, by folks using their own names (except I'm a little suspicious of that William Rice guy). My favorite comment to the article? "My God. Did someone make a mistake and run an article that was supposed to run in the New York Times instead?" <br />
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My second favorite is an exchange, started by a comment from one David Pelino:<br />
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"The fact that Houston is showing signs of developments that have long since taken hold in these other metropolitan areas is good news; the fact that it is considered newsworthy only speaks to the general backwardness of the place."</blockquote>
Pelino* may have moved from "corrupt mind"-ed to small-minded, but this rejoinder had me laugh aloud:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">Mr. Pelino, you are absolutely correct. If it is all the same to you, we will just wallow in our "backwardness" and do our very best to muddle along without the assistance of people from New York, LA, Washington, etc. Ignore the article. We are an unsophisticated backwater. (Did I mention the alligators?) Neither you nor anybody you know should even consider moving here given the rampant backwardness that abounds here in the Bayou City. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px;">You really should check out Dallas though. I think you'll like it there.</span></blockquote>
You gotta love that, a dig at the snooty and at Dallas, all in one. Yee-haw!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Reddit-style pursual of Pelinos in the USA leads to quick suspicion that the commenter in question is actually a doctor of psychiatry in New York City, with a past life as a guitarist in a hair band whose debut album was "Corrupt Mind." Nope, I'm not making this stuff up. </span>Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-52988584962451708262013-05-05T23:51:00.002-06:002013-05-06T18:44:10.830-06:00National Rifle Association sets its sights on Houston-- the 142nd Annual ConventionFollowing five months' political slog over <a href="http://www.pbs.org/programs/after-newtown-guns-america/" target="_blank">post-Newtown gun control</a>, the NRA's national convention landed here, in Houston.<br />
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Granted, the convention was planned even before<a href="http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2012/12/us/sandy-hook-victims/index.html" target="_blank"> twenty little children lost their lives</a> in a mass shooting. It was planned before the <a href="http://www.newser.com/article/da5jj93o2/in-first-showdown-senate-lets-debate-begin-on-post-newtown-gun-control-bill-hurdles-ahead.html" target="_blank">ensuing surge for new legislation</a> and before <a href="http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/23/17865390-gun-control-supporters-ponder-path-forward-after-senate-defeat?lite" target="_blank">NRA-discipline led to defeat</a>. With the timing of it all, and the frothing lately in national news, clearly the <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/03/nra-gears-up-for-big-weekend/" target="_blank">main stream media</a> was wishing hard for confrontation at this weekend's event. <br />
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Despite the run up, a Texquiem purview shows precious little dissent on site or in surrounds. Still, the main stream media is pushing a cra-cra-crazy view of the politicians who're in town. Here's Sarah Palin, with her face specially screwed into muy loca mode: <a href="http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/03/18041201-republican-politicians-pay-tribute-to-nra-clout-at-annual-meeting?lite">http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/03/18041201-republican-politicians-pay-tribute-to-nra-clout-at-annual-meeting?lite</a>. <br />
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Here's Texas freshman senator, Ted Cruz: <img src="http://www.befirstinmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/NRA-Cruz_jpg_800x1000_q100-505x355.jpg" height="140" width="200" /> <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/05/nra-gun-expo/2136065/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/05/nra-gun-expo/2136065/</a>. The media is still looking for a way to paint him crazy. For now, they usually settle on some shade of Tea Party or political novice.<br />
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Texas Governor<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/rick-perry-channels-action-hero-nra-video-article-1.1334422" target="_blank"> Rick Perry,</a> aka Governor Good Hair, was there, yee-haw. Here's<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/03/rick-santorum-nra_n_3211076.html?utm_hp_ref=politics" target="_blank"> Rick Santorum</a> (who still can't overcome his <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/08/rick-santorum-google-problem-dan-savage" target="_blank">Google problem</a>). But, see, he must be nuts, he's showing his teeth. Here's<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2013/05/05/2136911/" target="_blank"> Glenn Beck</a>, whom media says has gone insane (as opposed to Adam Lanza, who was clearly out of his mind, but different, in a special blame-his-mother kind of way).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUr4ScFLkk8c-_Jqvo8GN3QrUIjs_G3TwkLz5kag6_Lj3ATxArYcZxbw_8dfU0j3vYo9cRW5xIdyOwv8coTBfNurnNVCZ0714idZ-ct2hQnxjCD0u01opLz9c4i6IM6SMGcuC9D2-OIQ/s1600/NRA+news+cam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUr4ScFLkk8c-_Jqvo8GN3QrUIjs_G3TwkLz5kag6_Lj3ATxArYcZxbw_8dfU0j3vYo9cRW5xIdyOwv8coTBfNurnNVCZ0714idZ-ct2hQnxjCD0u01opLz9c4i6IM6SMGcuC9D2-OIQ/s1600/NRA+news+cam.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Given the hoopla, I expected a greater rabble-rousing presence all around. The traffic to the convention center was bad, but nowhere near NBA-All-Star proportion. The <a href="http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/tomball/news/kardashians-cause-fandemonium-at-willowbrook-mall/article_b6ab8de6-b503-11e2-b18a-0019bb2963f4.html" target="_blank">Kardashian girls</a> were in town at the same time, but I think they got a rowdier crowd for their cult of personality. Where are the flocks of politicos, either pro-2nd Amendment or ban-the-guns? Not on any soap box on the corner of Hyde Park, to be sure. Instead, the TV camera cast a solo shadow in the park across the street:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUr4ScFLkk8c-_Jqvo8GN3QrUIjs_G3TwkLz5kag6_Lj3ATxArYcZxbw_8dfU0j3vYo9cRW5xIdyOwv8coTBfNurnNVCZ0714idZ-ct2hQnxjCD0u01opLz9c4i6IM6SMGcuC9D2-OIQ/s1600/NRA+news+cam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Well, hell, that's just wrong. Where <i>are</i> the protestors? This lonely soul is so tired, she is sitting down:</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrUr4ScFLkk8c-_Jqvo8GN3QrUIjs_G3TwkLz5kag6_Lj3ATxArYcZxbw_8dfU0j3vYo9cRW5xIdyOwv8coTBfNurnNVCZ0714idZ-ct2hQnxjCD0u01opLz9c4i6IM6SMGcuC9D2-OIQ/s1600/NRA+news+cam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaLh0Qbi1PmIBwsq_UkgRXZi_rWm5HINw2SBkVH2VXUCzsLQ8BSaWvj4K7mN7p9iP2E31jNhheWpL5Wn7PgMLbrGusMjK94xVD8nomUuFbjx5xzIuT6lA3C57PoZeYMhvTvboFmGXjs8/s1600/NRA+Protester+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaLh0Qbi1PmIBwsq_UkgRXZi_rWm5HINw2SBkVH2VXUCzsLQ8BSaWvj4K7mN7p9iP2E31jNhheWpL5Wn7PgMLbrGusMjK94xVD8nomUuFbjx5xzIuT6lA3C57PoZeYMhvTvboFmGXjs8/s1600/NRA+Protester+3.JPG" height="480" width="640" /> </a></div>
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This <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/04/nra-meeting-houston-protests/2135595/" target="_blank">girl made the national news</a>, but was quiet and collected (and on her ownsome, but for the seated lady nearby) when Texquiem saw her. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKs0cp5VAPzvYw34-22GNzt7o_OC1Nesnw7-7O0RVfy_7hWglynBZEJfkT_Nl7WrQFMI_uj_vhCO3GIAfftwQomz3LXdQI9EY5efjnQ6wQa9LYNItf5BVl89LISFWh0uey4NnhxfxX2QA/s1600/NRA+Protester+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKs0cp5VAPzvYw34-22GNzt7o_OC1Nesnw7-7O0RVfy_7hWglynBZEJfkT_Nl7WrQFMI_uj_vhCO3GIAfftwQomz3LXdQI9EY5efjnQ6wQa9LYNItf5BVl89LISFWh0uey4NnhxfxX2QA/s1600/NRA+Protester+4.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Guess the "hundreds" reportedly protesting with her were filled with the spirit of conviction only before lunch time on Saturday. Because they'd all disappeared by the time I visited.</div>
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Disappeared, that is, except for these guys--the only ones with enough chutzpah to disagree just 15 feet from the entrance door. Can you figure out their disagreement? I can't--just saw "LaRouche" and basically got bored--how damn relevant is the man who's been dissenting since before I was born? </div>
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Fact is, all the conventioneers were calm and (for God's sake) queuing when Texquiem saw them. The rest of the 60,000 attendees were inside, browsing<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/05/nra-gun-expo/2136065/" target="_blank"> nine acres</a> of pistol-packin'-bras and target practice zombies. (Really, there were zombies. It's not just because I like the word). In the end, Texquiem was just vaguely amused that, in the literal sense, either side of the gun debate could have told their opponents to "go fly a kite" and meant it. </div>
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As Linda Ellerbee said, "And so it goes."</div>
Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-85418520340597164782013-04-27T18:15:00.001-06:002013-05-03T09:16:01.478-06:00Galleria: Hands Off My Arches (and my park), TIRZ!Texquiem has previously highlighted Uptown Houston's Post Oak Boulevard, <a href="http://texquiem.blogspot.com/2012/12/merry-christmas-houston.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Six pairs of massive stainless steel arches, circular silver street signs hovering over the major intersections, and purtier landscaping along public medians than you see anywhere else in the city.<br />
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<img alt="signage wayfinding public art program" src="http://www.commartsdesign.com/images_port/2012%20Update/uptownhouston2.jpg" /><br />
<img alt="texas signage placemaking" src="http://www.commartsdesign.com/images_port/2012%20Update/uptownhouston4.jpg" /><br />
<img alt="Uptown-Houston-walkway" height="305" src="http://blog.mirage.lincolnapts.com/files/2012/01/Uptown-Houston-walkway1.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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They bedazzled Post Oak circa 1995--and even though it's stainless, it cost as much as your grandma's sterling. The link to the Chronicle's story about the huge cost is now dead, so you'll have to take my word that it cost an arm and a leg. <br />
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The Uptown Management District wants to slice up these esplanades to install two dedicated bus lanes (with a sliver left for landscaping). That's right--dedicated bus lanes. Plus widen Post Oak Boulevard. They'd rather have rail, but that's a no-go for now. So instead, they'll settle for buses where they hoped light rail would run. It's a vision you, see. A vision of 1,000s of office zombies and Galleria dwellers suddenly descending highrise elevators and hopping on public transport to zip down Post Oak. Or as the Management District describes it, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Helvetica, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px;">As importantly, travel within Uptown itself, whether by car, foot or by transit, must be convenient, safe and enjoyable."</span> The cost? $177,500,000 for the "transit project." Another $114,000,000 for a "mobility project." And $113,000,000 more for "other." Over $400 million dollars for bus lanes, in the hope to supplant king car in the Galleria area.<br />
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That seems to be a pretty big folly. Have they been downtown in the last decade? Office workers descend to the tunnels, not the streets, not the rail, and particularly not during summer. Downtown streets have two dedicated bus and car pool lanes, in addition to the rail. Hasn't stopped the traffic jams. But it allows a lot of mostly-empty Metro buses to hog the roads for big chunks of the day. Have they seen the dead irises and brownery down the skinny little medians on Main? Do they really think they can get an oak tree to grow that tall in the little strip left in this picture?<br />
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<img src="http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/20/77/60/4455469/9/premium_article_headline.jpg" /><br />
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Fact is, you can already ride a Metro bus up and down Post Oak. That's why they have those fancy, custom bus shelters (below). You don't need $400 million and a dedicated lane, or a widened street, to take the bus. Dear Inner Loopers, when is the last time you contemplated taking a bus to the Galleria? Yup, that's what I thought. <a href="http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/McIngvale-Uptown-proposal-won-t-get-transit-4432356.php" target="_blank">Mattress Mac</a> is against it and points out that Uptown Management District once provided a free bus service up and down Post Oak--but had to cancel it due to too few riders. Being Texas-born, I'm real familiar with the adage "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."<br />
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<img height="133" src="http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/lasn/2011/04/img/20941/20941-6.jpg" width="200" /> <img alt="IMG_0176" height="133" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6191/6209694956_972e3cf2b1_o.jpg" width="200" /> <img alt="IMG_0171" height="133" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6209179997_6b9c9fe539_o.jpg" width="200" /><br />
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But wait, they say. We need the dedicated, local buses to ferry workers to park-and-rides we'll build!! Great, Texquiem is all for park-and-rides. But you still don't need two dedicated lanes down Post Oak for it. And, if you're heart-set on those dedicated bus lanes, go pick on McCue or Sage Roads, close by and parallel to Post Oak. Make those your thoroughfares to your future park-and-rides.<br />
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In the end, let's just be honest, huh? This dedicated-bus-lane-thing is just a way to get a foot in the door for light rail. Texquiem likes the <em>idea</em> of rail, but the reality of rail in Houston? Not so great, so far. I've ridden the light rail more than a few times. Except at Rodeo time, I've never been on it when the majority of passengers haven't been fare jumpers and/or homeless. Did you ever see the blog <a href="http://todayonthelightrail.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Today on the Light Rail</a>? Hilarious but true!<br />
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While we're being honest, let's be honest about the costs, too. It takes a <strong>ginormous</strong> amount of money to build just a few miles of light rail. It's also a real buzz kill for businesses along the route. Downtown was a nascent hotspot when the first stretch of light rail started. Construction killed that off PDQ. It also killed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_of_Houston" target="_blank">Texaco Grand Prix</a>--which was the coolest damn thing to hit downtown ever. Metro started construction on the second stretch of light rail a few years back, closing the bridge on N. Main by UH Downtown in 2011. Impractical navigation through there since. As Casa Grande's owner pointed out, <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Bridge-work-hinders-business-rebound-along-North-4184703.php" target="_blank">it's real hard to get to his restaurant now</a>. His business is down 40% and the construction continues way beyond its deadlines. Seriously, any project costing $756 million should come in pronto and on budget. <br />
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Really, it seems like the Post Oak bus plan is a done deal, period. They've <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/falkenberg/article/Is-Memorial-Park-deal-best-for-Houston-4464807.php" target="_blank">packaged it up somehow with Memorial Park</a>. In addition to that $400 million in tax dollars Uptown TIRZ wants for dedicated bus lanes, they promise to dedicate $100 mm over 20 years to re-forest and remodel Memorial Park. The <a href="http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/Default.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1" target="_blank">Memorial Park Conservancy</a> likes the deal. For sure, the park was laid bare by the drought. Who <i>doesn't</i> want to see it in better shape? It's twice the size of New York's Central Park and looks like overplucked eyebrows right now. Still, I don't fully understand the Uptown TIRZ deal. The Chronicle has put the main stories, as well as Mattress Mac's counter-opinion, behind a pay wall. The City's announcement makes the Uptown "rapid transit plan" sound warm and fuzzy. You can read it here: <a href="http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/press/20130411.html" target="_blank">annexing greenspace</a>. Feels like they're putting lipstick on a pig. With the park as the lipstick.<br />
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As much as Texquiem likes Uptown Houston's landscaping, I'm just a tad uneasy about putting Memorial Park in its hands for the next 20 years. Apparently, Uptown Houston's half-a-billion-dollar baby includes integration of and access from the Galleria area to the Park. Remember a few years ago when developers tried to loop in Spotts Park with fencing that matched their own? You can see it on Google Streetview, right by Waugh near Buffalo Bayou. They wanted to make the park acreage look like part and parcel of their own property. Didn't the City have to tell them to back off? I understand that the Mayor has said absolutely <u>no</u> commercialization of Memorial Park. Let's be sure to get that in writing. Or better yet, carved in stone. After all, the Mayor is term limited and we don't know who comes next. Who's left in the City's Parks Department to curb excesses on the largest city park?<br />
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Unease aside, the bottom line for Texquiem is the bottom line. Half a billion is an outlandish amount of money. What's $500+ million <em>really</em> going to accomplish, other than a construction nightmare, death blows to businesses currently along Post Oak, and loss of green medians on the hope that if they build it, riders will come. <br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-323926946613908482013-04-11T08:02:00.001-06:002013-04-11T08:02:24.835-06:00Foodie-O-Recognition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Downtown Houston Skyline Night.JPG" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Downtown_Houston_Skyline_Night.JPG/800px-Downtown_Houston_Skyline_Night.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Bobby L. Warren, shared via Wikipedia Commons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Aaaahh, Houston, the nation is impressed that you can rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time. Did you know you've been called "one of the country's most exciting places to eat?" That may be a surprise to those cruising along the free-for-alls out to the 'burbs, passing ubiquitous fast food chains, Landry's permutations, and Pappas-what-was-that's on the feeder roads. Not that there's anything wrong with Tilman Fertitta's endeavors ('cause, really, who doesn't *get* the white tigers?) or the Pappas family ventures. <br />
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But it's the lovefest for Underbelly and Oxheart that has lured a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/10/dining/reviews/making-houston-a-dining-destination.html?pagewanted=all" target="_blank">New York Times food critic</a> outside his home territory to here, where he has found "an instinct for the delicious that is rare in any city." <br />
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Before you get all soft and fuzzy about the freakin' New York Times, don't forget that <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/2012/09/oxheart-hot-ten" target="_blank">Bon Appetit</a> has already heralded Houston as the state's best and most diverse food city. That sounds about what you'd hope from the country's <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/houston-most-diverse_n_1321089.html" target="_blank">most diverse</a> city, right? Anyway, Bon Appetit names Oxheart in the Hot 10 of America's New Restaurants for 2012. <br />
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Oxheart (along with newer Pass and Provisions) cracked into <a href="http://www.opinionatedaboutdining.com/2013/top_100_us_list.html" target="_blank">Opinionated About Dining</a>'s "coveted list" of Top 100 American restaurants. This foodie-fight blogger is "<a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/food/03-27-13-two-houston-restaurants-crack-the-nations-most-fickle-food-critics-top-100-list/" target="_blank">America's most fickle food critic</a>",<i> i.e</i>. Steve Plotnicki, a co-founder of Profile Records (signed Run DMC in the day) and rich guy who eats out too much. <br />
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Of course, Houston's made a great appearance in nominations for the Oscars of Food,<a href="http://www.jamesbeard.org/sites/default/files/static/additional/2013-jbf-nominees.pdf" target="_blank"> the James Beard Foundation</a> awards. <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/food/03-18-13-twice-as-nice-two-high-profile-houston-chefs-named-james-beard-award-finalists/" target="_blank">Two of five finalists</a> for 2013's Best Chef Southwest hail from Houston: Chris Shepherd of Underbelly and Hugo Ortega of Hugo's. Local food critic Alison Cooke is a finalist for distinguished restaurant review (not hard to guess that her reviews of Oxheart and Underbelly are underscored). Oxheart and its owner/chef, Justin Yu,were semi-finalists for Best New Restaurant and Rising Star Chef. Anvil Bar & Refuge was semi-finalist for Outstanding Bar Program. And the James Beard Foundation nods to Goode Company--semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur.<br />
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Frankly, I think all these folks need to high five Bryan Caswell of Reef, Little Bigs, El Real, recently-closed Stella Sola plus Next-Iron-Chef fame. When he started making the national scene a few years ago, I think folks were scratching their heads in puzzlement about Houston being on anyone's culinary radar. I remember watching the Las Vegas episode of Next Iron Chef and thinking, "Yes, yes, barbecue crabs!" Plus, every contestant on Food Network <i>after</i> Caswell seemed to assemble a pain perdu after his charming little doughnut concoction.<br />
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Back handed compliments aside,* Houston lastly gets touted this week by <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/David%20Landsel/10-terribly-overrated-destinations_b_3030348.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=3490628,b=facebook" target="_blank">travel writer David Landsel</a> as an impressively creative and fun town, with plenty of good food, good music, good drink, and "best of all--fun-loving locals who are generally anything but uptight." Hell, yeah, baybay. So pat yourself on the head, Houston. And after supper from our starry dining scene, rub your tummy, too.<br />
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<img alt="Pat Your Head and Rub Your Tummy" src="http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/6/6c/Pat-Your-Head-and-Rub-Your-Tummy-Intro.jpg/300px-Pat-Your-Head-and-Rub-Your-Tummy-Intro.jpg" height="425" width="640" /><br />
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*Guey, he called Houston so ugly that sometimes you may be tempted to put a bag over our head. I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that (and remind you to stay inside the Loop or just nap on the way to the airport, k?).Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-65269708560447259882013-03-22T21:38:00.001-06:002013-05-08T19:50:36.340-06:00Ash Bash: March 25-30Tough day today, thinking about Ash most of it. Thinking about how much I wish we could have saved his life. How much I wish we could better ease the grief of his bereaved wife and children. Then I see this plan, and it touches me. Texas Children's saves lives. It reaches out to scared families and offers hope. And that's sure what I needed today, a little hope. So, in all that was hard today, I am also thankful. Thankful for Texas Children's. Thankful for Ash's love of his children, and of my children, and for one child in particular, whom Texas Children's saved.<br />
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<img height="640" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/544416_525646824140410_1812088770_n.jpg" width="494" /><br />
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"Houston's beer community has responded to the death of Duff Beer Distributing founder Ashley 'Ash' Rowell with a series of events that will take place next week to raise money for Texas Children's Hospital, which was one of Rowell's favorite causes. Highlights include a five-course beer dinner at Hay Merchant on March 26 and a wrap up party at Cottonwood on March 30. [EaterWire/Facebook]." <a href="http://houston.eater.com/archives/2013/03/20ash-bash.php">http://houston.eater.com/archives/2013/03/20ash-bash.php</a>. <br />
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"We talk a lot about the beer community. But here is an example of a beer community in action: Six local bars are teaming up next week to honor the late Ash Rowell, former owner of Duff Beer Distribution and a widely known and liked supported of craft beer and brewers, with a six-day celebration of his life doubling as a fundraiser for Texas Children's Hospital." Ronnie Crocker at <a href="http://blog.chron.com/beertx/2013/03/ash-bash-to-raise-charity-cash-honor-a-friend-of-craft-beer/">http://blog.chron.com/beertx/2013/03/ash-bash-to-raise-charity-cash-honor-a-friend-of-craft-beer/</a>.<br />
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Texquiem loves the Jenga at Liberty Station. I've lost a few games (and paid a few rounds), but I'll be back. Flying Saucer? As much as I love Houston, I also get giddy about Fort Worth. . . which means I also TGFTBB. That is, thank god for the Bass Brothers, and Molly Ivins' columns for the Star Telegram, and the Flying Saucer Beer Emporium, too. It was a damn good day when the Saucer expanded to Houston. <br />
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Cheers, guys. Thanks for giving your heart and soul to Ash, to this town, and to your industry, which Ash loved so much.<br />
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*UPDATE:<br />
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*Were you there at Liberty Station? There was a great crew there, including the good folks from Duff. Did you also have a fantastic night at Hay Merchant, in honor of Ash? Good food, good friends, good times. Up for tonight is The Flying Saucer--$1 to Texas Children's for every Duff beer sold. Helloooo Racer Five and Bombshell Blonde! See you there.<br />
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*Check this out--the craft beer gurus have partnered with Favorite Brands Distributing for Ash Bash. Favorite Brands will match dollar-for-dollar up to $5000 in proceeds raised during Ash Bash. That's generous and cool. Read more at <a href="http://www.kprcradio.com/pages/The950BeerPage.html?article=11105000">http://www.kprcradio.com/pages/The950BeerPage.html?article=11105000</a>.Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-73214697938779522732013-02-16T21:56:00.000-06:002013-08-18T10:56:35.604-06:00All Starred Out at the GalleriaWhoa!<br />
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Did you hear? The Galleria is full. Full as in "can't fit one more person" full. Full as in closed until tomorrow full. In fact, it hit capacity at 8:15 tonight and no one else can come in. Come back tomorrow!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzrUDcD2cbgQr5Di83KRoReUbn7UF7shfOzvKwdpRd8s624pNQl2OKLccCLzoBdx3kNExebbXc0W9qgEx5kirxO3Pt66WqXQc9RLxlZeKyblVhkD_yjTLFgJx_gwPYcTvnoAKOIrShPA/s1600/KobeBryantGalleria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzrUDcD2cbgQr5Di83KRoReUbn7UF7shfOzvKwdpRd8s624pNQl2OKLccCLzoBdx3kNExebbXc0W9qgEx5kirxO3Pt66WqXQc9RLxlZeKyblVhkD_yjTLFgJx_gwPYcTvnoAKOIrShPA/s400/KobeBryantGalleria.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kobe Bryant al la Galleria</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So many people descended upon the Galleria for NBA All Star sightings, product sales, Jordan XX8 shoes, and the Jordan lounge. . . they closed down the Galleria.<br />
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Seriously, traffic around the Galleria slowed to 14 mph at about 1 pm and hit a glacial 6 mph tonight. In fact, the police shut off the exits on Loop 610, all along the Galleria, this evening. All you locals thought you'd be cute and take the backroads? Nope. You soon found they were full and slooooow, too.<br />
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"That's messed up," says finicky girl child, "someone might actually want to buy something in there."<br />
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Reminds me of evacuating for Hurricane Rita. Except with Gucci and Air Jordans, this time.<br />
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<img alt="Photo: Photos are POURING in of the Houston Galleria shutting doors due to large crowds, but what does it look like OUTSIDE? 'SHARE' with any family or friends who might be in the area and send in YOUR photos:
Email: desk@kprc.com
Tweet: @KPRCLocal2
Read: http://bit.ly/WPjbfz" height="640" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/285753_590440614319329_1350081489_n.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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Did you get surprised by the All Star traffic?<br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-90805091863038157542013-02-14T15:42:00.001-06:002013-02-27T07:32:13.692-06:00Houston Spots near the NBA All Star Game<br />
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In town for the NBA All Star Game and want to wander?</div>
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No worries, Houston has tons to do near the Toyota Center, but not all will show up on your Google Maps!</div>
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Here's a quick and dirty list to meet your needs:<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><u>Alcohol for your room/suite</u>? </span><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: lime;">Spec's</span></strong> <strong>at 2410 Smith St Houston, TX 77006. </strong>Don't pay fourteen times the actual cost by ordering a bottle from room service. Not when you have an adult Disney just a stone's throw away in Midtown. Spec's is the state's largest liquor store at 80,000 feet, with everything alcohol under the sun. Plus, it's got a deli, cheese, and delicacies section to swoon for. Where else can you B-ball highrollers pick up a 1938 bottle of Macallen (at a mere $12,400 before the cash discount) and Buluga caviar all at the same time? Feeling a little more thrifty? They've got a Texas-size array of all the regular beer and wine, too. Give the Bombshell Blonde a try--it's a local craft beer. Ambling through Spec's is worth it. With all the taste tests, sights, and sounds, it's a favorite of locals and visitors alike.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><u>Need a steak</u>?</span><br />
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<strong><span style="background-color: #e06666;">Vic & Anthony's</span>, 1510 Texas Ave., near Minute Maid Field.</strong> Vic & Anthony's is golden, elegant, and intimate, even with a group at your table. It's won Best Atmosphere in the Houston Press in past years. The steaks are juicy and perfect. Dress? Houston is pretty casual, but no shorts (or caps or tank tops) here. They wouldn't let <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/09-19-11-paula-deen-and-hubby-turned-away-from-steakhouse/" target="_blank">Paula Deen and her hubby </a>eat here in shorts a while back, even though the spot is on the Food Network star's list of culinary hotspots. Owner Tilmann Fertitta now has a Vic & Anthony's in Vegas and Atlantic City , too, but this is the first. Don't mind a 20 minute drive for another choice? <strong><span style="background-color: #e06666;">Pappas Brothers Steakhouse</span></strong>, 5839 Westheimer, west of the Galleria, is fabulous in a traditional steakhouse way and, more importantly, it's not a national chain. <br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><u>Dinner with downtown atmosphere</u>?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"><br /></span><img src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRMuTXeCDG4jQwHEZqLJ3Qqr1TbeelUMSuq6QMWiOydFfRI477M" /><br />
<strong><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">The Grove</span>, 1611 Lamar</strong>, sits on Discovery Green Park in downtown. Beautiful, modern, with a locavore menu.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">17 Restaurant</span>, in the Alden Hotel, at 1117 Prairie. Retro glamour and style here, good for your $$$$.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Cheaper eats?</span><br />
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Try <b style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">Phoenicia Specialty Foods</b>, 1001 Austin (near Discovery Green Park). Rustic pizzas, fresh baked pita bread, schawarma, a huge deli case, and a bakery counter to die for. Add its MKT Bar, with beer, wine, coffee, light bites, and often live music--it's a great place to duck into.<br />
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Our Vietnamese section of Midtown also has inexpensive options. I really like <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">Cali Sandwich</span> at 3030 Travis. The re-built <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">Mai's</span> at 3403 Milam is a city-wide go-to for spring rolls.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Mexican?</span> <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"> Irma's Downtown, </span>22 N. Chenevert. There are no menus, so don't freak out. Outside of downtown, head to <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">El Real</span> on Westheimer near Montrose. Or <span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">El Tiempo</span> at 3130 Richmond or 5602 Washington.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Cool bars and clubs downtown?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Reserve 101</span>, at 1201 Caroline, is close to the Toyota Center. It's a whiskey bar that gets good reviews.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Venue Houston</span>, 723 Main at Rusk. Dance, dance, dance <a href="http://www.venuehouston.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. No hats. No sneakers. No t-shirts. The basketball wives were featured last night. They've got an All Star weekend planned ahead--Big Sean, Dwight Howard, DJ Kid Capri.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">Rich's,</span> 2401 San Jacinto (in Midtown, not downtown). Big dance club near the rail line (McGowen stop). $$$ to get in. Rich's facebook page promoted a Friday party with Alicia Keyes and Swiss Beatz and a Saturday party with Jay Z. Swiss Beatz says 'taint true . . . <a href="http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2013/02/alicia-keys-swizz-beatz-no-shows-at-richs/" target="_blank">false promo</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #e06666;">House of Blues</span>, 1204 Caroline, at Houston Pavilions. Lots of star-hosted stuff through the All Star weekend.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Scott Gertner's Skybar</span>, 1201 Fannin, at Houston Pavilions. John Legend, Terrence Howard, Je'Caryous Johnson. $$$.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black;">Other Star-Hosted Parties?</span><br />
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See <a href="http://www.29-95.com/music/story/list-stars-serve-hosts-during-party-weekend" target="_blank">here</a> for a list. They are in, near, and away from dowtown, but you're going to pay bucks to get in. Many are ticketed, so not just your fabulous self and good looks can get you past the door. <br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">All Star-type Clothes?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><strong><span style="background-color: #e69138;">The Tipping Point</span></strong></span><span style="background-color: #d0e0e3; color: black;">, 1212 Main at Polk. Not a mere sneaker boutique, this store reflects the fast-moving fashion, philosophies, art, and culture of hip hop and music.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">That's it downtown?</span><br />
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No, there's more to eat , drink, and buy in clusters around downtown. See this <a href="http://downtownhouston.org/guide/" target="_blank">Downtown Houston Guide</a>. Basically, Toyota Center is located in the "Convention District." In the nearby "Shopping District" is one cluster of restaurants, shopping, and bars--in Houston Pavilions and anchored by the House of Blues. Bayou Place is second cluster over in the Theater District. On Main Street (near Preston rail stop) and around Market Square (both in the "Historic District") are some of Houston's longest-established bars and haunts--like Dean's Credit Clothing (Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame loved it here), Flying Saucer, Market Square Bar & Grill, Warren's, La Carafe, Flying Saucer.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">What's in Midtown?</span> Much more. On the train line, you can reach <a href="http://www.juliasbistro.com/" target="_blank">Julia's Bistro</a>, <a href="http://tacosagogo.com/" target="_blank">Tacos A Go-Go</a>, the <a href="http://www.continentalclub.com/Houston.html" target="_blank">Continental Club</a>, and<a href="http://www.tafia.com/0_POPE_FS.html" target="_blank"> t'afia</a>. Our nationally recognized <a href="http://thebreakfastklub.com/" target="_blank">the breakfast club</a> is located nearby (get there early, the line goes out the door). So is my favorite <a href="http://www.reefhouston.com/" target="_blank">Reef</a>, a Gulf Coast seafood kitchen by local celeb chef Bryan Caswell. <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/8/6751/Houston/Midtown-restaurants" target="_blank">Midtown</a> has a whole list of places to see and be seen, try the link.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;"><u>Sleek and chic lounges</u> (and less bucks to go)?</span><br />
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A duo in the Museum District is always packed--parking is hard to come by, so circle patiently or get dropped off. <strong><span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;">Faces Ultra Lounge</span>, 5104 Almeda at Southmore</strong>, features hip hop, rhythm, and blues--no cover during All Star week. Chic, sexy (yes, it is, I've been there), and "packed with women" (says a recent review). Its laid-back neighbor across the street, with sleek bar, generous patio, and old-school music, is <strong><span style="background-color: #6fa8dc;">Bar 5015</span> at 5015 Almeda</strong>. Down the street is <span style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><strong>Cafe 4212 at 4212 Almeda</strong></span>, filled with 40 & 50-somethings who are still as chic and sleek but not as cra-cra. Cafe 4212 was started by a Katrina transplant who missed the feel of live music clubs in New Orleans. I'm not sure he still owns or manages it, but it's got a beautiful back patio--cover charge varies by the band. Come to this part of town for dinner first at <strong><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3; color: black;">Lucille's</span>, 5512 LaBranch</strong>. It bills itself as a <a href="http://www.lucilleshouston.com/" target="_blank">culinary art history lesson of southern cooking</a>, and it delivers the goods. The Chronicle's critic gave it good marks just this week. Or try<span style="background-color: #8e7cc3;"> <a href="http://www.reggaehutcafe.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">The Reggae Hut</span></a></span> at 4814 Almeda. A long time anchor on Almeda, the breakfast klub's owners bought it and tweaked it not long ago.<br />
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Otherwise, a lot of the locals are club and barhopping on Washington Avenue, away from downtown.<br />
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<span style="background-color: yellow;">Anything else?</span><br />
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It's oyster season in the Gulf of Mexico and the <a href="http://www.houstonpress.com/bestof/2008/award/best-oysters-926070/" target="_blank">best in Houston</a> can be found at <span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Danton's</span>, 4611 Montrose (about 10 minutes' drive from downtown).<br />
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Y'all want to eat at <em>Uchi's</em> or <em>Underbelly</em>'s? Yeah, you and 1000 other people. If you can't get in--here are some alternatives:<br />
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<li>In place of Underbelly, try <strong><span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Feast </span></strong>at 219 Westheimer Road (close to downtown).</li>
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<li>In place of Uchi, try the sushi at <strong><span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Osaka</span></strong>, 515 Westheimer (near downtown) or <strong><span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Nippon</span></strong>, 4464 Montrose (humble decor, good sushi) or <strong><span style="background-color: #ea9999;">Kata Robata</span></strong> at 3600 Kirby (Upper Kirby area). </li>
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-21678328976331368912013-02-11T06:00:00.000-06:002013-02-13T11:20:03.556-06:00Texas Monthly's My MontroseAll you gritty-in-your-souls Inner Loopers (and a good number of you Outer Loopers, too), don't you have a Montrose story to tell? You know you do.<br />
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Need a little inspiration? Why don't you first take a look at <a href="http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/my-montrose" target="_blank"><i>My Montrose</i></a> in this month's issue of Texas Monthly. It brings back all sorts of Texquiem moments for me. A trip down Montrose Lane, as it were. Kind of like <a href="http://www.city-data.com/forum/houston/242028-i-remember-montrose-westheimer-1970s.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And here:<br />
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Not long after pint-sized Texquiem moved to Houston, I overheard my mother conversing in hushed tones about a friend who lived in <span style="font-size: x-small;">(cue the drop in volume, <i>ssshhhh</i>)</span> <i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Montrose</span>.</i> Mom's hushed voice signaled an illicit topic I wasn't supposed to hear, but I was already accomplished in pretending to hear nothing while actually hanging on every word. As far as I could gather, Mom's prim friend was living on the wild side with a lyin', cheatin', drinkin' sonuvagun . . . dentist (?)! Now, every Texas-born girl knows that the cheatin' part should get you a good ass-kicking. And a good many Texas-born girls are real sure the drinkin' will get you sent straight to the devil. But seemed to me that my mom was most shocked about the <i>Montrose</i> part. Even then, my ears perked up. Oh? Really?<br />
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And thus began My Own Montrose story, and it has threaded like a ribbon throughout my life, here and there, ever since. <br />
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As a teenager, the freedom of a driver's license meant we could sometimes haunt the Westheimer curve. We and 200 other pimply-faced teens would cruise bumper-to-bumper up and down, up and down, from Shepherd down past Montrose. We'd stare at each other. We'd gawk at the punks and the new wavers, glimpse the goods at Leather Forever, count the tattoo parlors, and spot the occasional Ru-Paul-lookalike headed to the transvestite club where the Royal Oak Bar now sits. Montrose was mohawks and day-glo hair and used clothing shops (like Wear It Again Sam) and antiques and art and runaways and freaks and addicts and Numbers. And, of course, the largest gay population in America outside of San Francisco at the time (or so I've been told, I can't find confirmation of it now). <br />
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Just a little later, I was finally old enough to DMAO (that's <i>dance</i>MAO) in Numbers. I never was cool enough to be there, but had a heckuva time trying. I was also never committed enough to get inked, and piercings in strange places didn't appeal ( I'd wuss'd out and let my pierced ears grow over once), but I'd flit in and out of the tat parlors for the fun. Only places in Montrose that really made me blush in those years? The head shops--not for the pipes, but more for the "novelty" toys. Silly how that stuff embarrassed the living daylights out of me. On the other hand, I ventured into a few of the gay bars. By that period, most citified people could not care less if their friends were gay or lesbian or straight. Sadly, some rednecks still cared although none of their damn bidness. While parking the car near J.R.'s during a bachelorette party (that's an episode worthy of Will & Grace in and of itself), I had one such lout hurl a beer bottle toward me and shout a slur about gay men. I was fixin to get all indignant on behalf of the target I thought to be behind me, and it took an extra second to realize he was yelling at <u>me</u>! I wasn't sure whether to be amused that I'd been mistaken for a man, gay or not. But I was really, really steamed about the hurled bottle.<br />
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Speaking of bachelorettes, Montrose was the scene of my husband's wedding proposal to me. We topped off our engagement later that evening by wandering down to the Gay Pride Parade and catching the goodies thrown from the paraders. We lived for a while near the brick street by Wilson Elementary where <a href="http://www.livablehouston.com/good/articles/anderson.html" target="_blank">three gay men, a lesbian, and a terrier</a> started the Houston Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus. We watched as the townhomes invaded more and more and more. Thieves stole our bikes twice and dug up our plants from the front yard once. I bought furniture at Reeves Antiques and BJ's Oldies. Evan Thayer snapped our portraits. We ate at just about every cafe and restaurant around, from Barnaby's to Baba Yega's, La Mora to La Mexicana, Ming's to MoMong, NikoNiko's to Nippon, Brasil to Bibas.<br />
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Now? Reeves is mostly Cool Stuff. Anvil replaced and bettered the Daiquiri Factory. MoMong outlasted Oscar's Creamery, but is losing parking to El Real (omg its beans are good). I'm just about over my pout about the <a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2008/03/felix_closes_after_60_years_in.php" target="_blank">old Felix</a> and ready to try Uchi. Chances is now Underbelly--and they're doing something to Mary's, Naturally as we speak. If Leather Forever's your thing, it's still in business, though I hear Bayou Bear is hot in leather now. There's something for everyone in Houston's Montrose, still the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=BCoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57&lpg=PA57&dq=prufrock%27s+Westheimer+houston&source=bl&ots=Hz9MBAn-rd&sig=tzhT-edamsl-fLEzZNuzoJZQIzQ&hl=en&ei=e4ZpS4fCGc23lAeyy4WOCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=prufrock's%20Westheimer%20houston&f=false" target="_blank">strangest neighborhood east of the Pecos</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:FelixMexicanRestaurantHoustonTX.JPG" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/FelixMexicanRestaurantHoustonTX.JPG/800px-FelixMexicanRestaurantHoustonTX.JPG" height="150" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Felix, courtesy Wikimedia Commons</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://elrealtexmex.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/296-photo-by-Laurie-Smith-Version-21.jpg" height="133" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Real saved chairs from Felix! That makes me Feliz.</td></tr>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55szwWLW32XpDUV8o2Q4s-jkHGmRLqka1cudf6sxt1bJyF-RjyJ0h2ggEHRuma8Y8yZDkvSzSNUhlEkYfpARpo3kHD7WfX_gIGSfVzYN3CFsXvzuTkTEvoaDqzuvekOh8zREtpFgW4scl/s200/uchi-houston-entry.JPG" height="200" width="150" /><br />
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This past week at Ash Rowell's memorial, I heard one of the craft beer gurus joke about the beer-guys-versus-parent-crowd aesthetic that was there. So funny, hon, and so true! Just in looking, it was like ZZ Top versus Martha Stewart. But only on the outside. Cause we're still gritty on the inside, at least enough to count! I think that's why all the Cub Scouts' crowd love the "bootlegger, lawyer, and a preacher" joke so much. We're just not your usual pack. Instead, we're "typically untypical upper middle-class parents of the lower Montrose, urbane and liberally inclined"--Texas Monthly wrote that blurb in 1973, by the way. <br />
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Maybe I'm not at <a href="http://www.29-95.com/bars-clubs/lolas" target="_blank">Lola's</a> anymore. With kids, we're more likely to be visiting Half Price Books, or the Greek Festival, or NikoNiko's, or Texas Art Supply. Still, My Own Montrose story meant I couldn't pack it up for the 'burbs, just because we'd had the finicky children. Not when everything I loved most about Houston was sitting inside Loop 610. So we stayed. Living here means my finicky children think it's normal to play chess outside the Black Lab. And to drink hot chocolate at Agora. One finicky child even sold brownies to the mayor at the school's election-day bake sale, without any clue of how evolutionary that was in the Mayor's or her own Montrose Stories.<br />
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Montrose is still the place for "River Oaks bridge clubs, Cuban exiles, Greeks, junkies, runaways, drug store cowboys, and God knows who else." That's My Own Montrose. What's yours?Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0Westheimer Road & Montrose Boulevard, Houston, TX 77006, USA29.7446529 -95.391324400000034.2226183999999982 -136.69991840000003 55.266687399999995 -54.082730400000031tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-2153349172486208622013-02-04T11:23:00.002-06:002019-06-13T13:46:44.532-06:00Ash Rowell - the hardest hue to holdNature's first green is gold,<br />
Her hardest hue to hold.<br />
Her early leaf's a flower;<br />
But only so an hour.<br />
Then leaf subsides to leaf,<br />
So Eden sank to grief,<br />
So dawn goes down to day.<br />
Nothing gold can stay.<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">--Robert Frost</span><br />
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Whether you've lived in Houston for a week, a year, or longer, you know Ash Rowell. The name doesn't sound familiar? How about Flying Saucer, Hay Merchant, Rudyard's, Gingerman's, Petrol Station, Stag's Head, Liberty Station, Anvil, O'Bannon's, Glass Wall? Or Spec's or HEB? All these bars and stores and more have Ash Rowell in common. Still not sure he's familiar? How about Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde, or Bear Republic's Racer 5, or Houston's own Leprechaun Cider? Brew Dog, Wasatch Beers, Clown Shoes, NoLabel, Cedar Creek Brewery, Silly, Indian Wells? If you've ever tasted one of these beers or ciders, then raise your glass to Ash Rowell. He was instrumental in bringing craft brews to Houston through his distributing company. He worked long and hard, and I saw him more than one time with loaded dolly and truck, at various of Texquiem's favorite nooks and crannies. He built his company through a lot of sweat, enthusiasm, appreciation of craft brew, and, even more, an outsized heart. Seems like Ash never met a man he didn't like. And seems like we liked Ash right back. Ash Rowell is one of those few you meet who is truly *golden.*<br />
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The mainstream news and other blogs have picked up the terrible news already. On Friday, Ash was killed at his own front door. Shot, not randomly. Seems likely the killer knew him, which makes it all the more incomprehensible. I can't bear to re-post it all. . . here is the <a href="http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/1-fatally-shot-in-Montrose-area-home-4244850.php" target="_blank">Chronicle</a>, here is the local television <a href="http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=8977844" target="_blank">news</a>, <a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/02/craft_beer_community_reacts_to.php" target="_blank">here </a>is reaction from some of the craft brew community.<br />
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Ash is--was--a spectacularly good-hearted man. A friend, a true friend, to many. The contribution he made as a businessman has far-reaching roots, yes. But his legacy in our craft brew community is surpassed by Ash the father, husband and son. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmEPK7zaFfBFdI5NpMAzrpZipH5pV-Sm0vLtPuGLRGQvqEtkFQoB8vFaoarZM8y9l-OOejNfaKVBlAgjPe1QF5Ug2aZYz10Dub4vrXRmEeYHIo_1h87WTQuh6kLpq8QhI_mvLLlN_1LY/s1600/Rowells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmEPK7zaFfBFdI5NpMAzrpZipH5pV-Sm0vLtPuGLRGQvqEtkFQoB8vFaoarZM8y9l-OOejNfaKVBlAgjPe1QF5Ug2aZYz10Dub4vrXRmEeYHIo_1h87WTQuh6kLpq8QhI_mvLLlN_1LY/s1600/Rowells.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It is clear that Ash's ebullient character came from close to home. Many won't be surprised to know that he was a fine cook, an inclination and ability from his family. I've heard that his mom once hosted a cooking show. With the Rowells a few more at the table has never been a problem. Surely Ash got his loyalty and dedication from his father, a distinguished man. All of this made Ash one of the finest husbands, sons and fathers ever. With easy-going grace, he has been raising three sweetheart children. He has been active in so many communities: church, Little League (Ash coached and sponsored the team), Boy Scouts, the elementary where Ash volunteered, a parent-led cooperative pre-school, a tight-knit neighborhood. Where so many parents are heads-down over an i-phone, semi-oblivious to their kids, Ash was heads-up and hands-on. All our communities will work hard to make sure that these three children remember all that was golden about their father. Our communities are here to catch the whole family from falling. <br />
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I'm sure so many are remembering their last time with Ash. It feels like I saw him just a few days ago. He was chasing around his itty-bitty toddler, who was oh-so-independent until anyone but daddy tried to hug on her. In typical Ash fashion, his thoughts and good wishes were with me and my family. He hugged me, and laughed, and told me that I was awesome. No, Ash, <em>you</em> are awesome. <br />
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This past weekend has been a heavy one for all of us who know and love the Rowells. We told my finicky children, but how do you find the right way to explain something so absolutely senseless? We didn't share the details, of course, but they needed to hear it from us first--not the TV or from a random someone. I watched the same shock that I'd felt fly over the face of my little girl. My little boy couldn't absorb it--how can he, when we can't? My little girl cried and cried and lamented loss of "her" Ash. My little boy sucked it all into his chest--which may be worse than if he'd bawled, given his sleepless nights that followed. We feel robbed of Ash. We feel like some our children's innocence has been robbed, too. <br />
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If you are also Ash's friend, or just empathize or share his interests, remembrances in his honor are going to the Neartown Church (<a href="http://www.neartownchurch.org/">www.neartownchurch.org</a>), the Alzheimers Foundation, or the Texas Children's Pediatric Cancer Center. <br />
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Ash Rowell was Will Rogers-esque. He set a big table and friends were always welcome. Days of stress or worry--and there were such days--hardly altered his outward affability. He was an unfailingly dedicated father. He loved his wife. He was a good son. He was golden. To my terrible regret, it is true that nothing gold can stay.Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-49983329043228559032013-01-26T00:36:00.000-06:002014-04-28T22:22:44.990-06:00Sugared up for Fat Tuesday: SucreFat Tuesday will soon be here. Are you a Mardi Gras fan? Texquiem is.<br />
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I think it started when I was a child, and my mother once brought me souvenirs from New Orleans. Never an "all-I-got-was-a-lousy-T-shirt" traveler, Mom instead brought home an<a href="http://www.leomeiersdorff.com/#!art" target="_blank"> iconic jazz poster </a>and a beaded, beribboned mask for Mardi Gras.<br />
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Texquiem is not a fan of the crowds, mind you. I'm more a fan of the legacy. The tradition. I admit, too, it's appealing to shed the staid and reserve of your usual you. One last hurrah before Ash Wednesday, its reverence, its fasting, and the Lenten season to follow. (But no, I'm not flashing you the goods for a strand of cheap beads.)<br />
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For my finicky children, Mardi Gras is all about two things: the cake and the baby.<br />
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King Cake to be precise.<br />
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About six years ago, a Hurricane Katrina transplant started ordering and sharing his King Cake with me. He always ordered one from Manny Randazzo's from New Orleans, shipped fresh to Houston. I've only had the regular, but last year <a href="http://www.nola.com/mardigras/index.ssf/2012/02/manny_randazzo.html" target="_blank">Manny Randazzo's pecan praline</a> was crowned best by New Orleans's newspaper, the Times Picayune. So, the last two years, finicky children and I have been eating Manny Randazzo's.<br />
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This year, Texquiem read and researched and finally decided to try something new. My choice? Sucre, a New Orleans bakery that has been highly praised in the <a href="http://www.nola.com/mardigras/index.ssf/2012/01/search_for_mardi_gras_king_cak.html" target="_blank">Times Picayune</a> and <a href="http://www.thenotsoblog.com/2011/01/top-five-places-buy-king-cake-nola/" target="_blank">elsewhere</a>, like the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030103896.html" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>. Sucre's King Cake is less sweet, with cream cheese filling, and a luster dust that makes it more shimmery than iced. When it arrived this week, finicky children asked to try it right away.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJFxFBlPozQfIqX1MtL0uldJf0-AOVJE9aB8VPKf7Eozv2QFrigxsLMdBECVJm32D5zIT6S-HIrcmyVHoWLOv-H3jjKJRKBMPhNHPHFpmbodJ_ohHXLwZpcKx80R4kXUmNs1xSUhPHWE/s1600/Sucre+King+Cake+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJFxFBlPozQfIqX1MtL0uldJf0-AOVJE9aB8VPKf7Eozv2QFrigxsLMdBECVJm32D5zIT6S-HIrcmyVHoWLOv-H3jjKJRKBMPhNHPHFpmbodJ_ohHXLwZpcKx80R4kXUmNs1xSUhPHWE/s1600/Sucre+King+Cake+2013.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013 Sucre King Cake packaging</td></tr>
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In ordering, I was sidetracked by the macarons.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquq2DuM5XZyWWUbxUkmKXXgmCGEiLjQ-nexJGCEaquPDzhKqi7T6Qinm-kflotVT5QjUf6BxeThChPIPuHI-yZdhfT_GC-GD5sacxpdFN5NlKmUM-47YRfW2XyKewmTVdUNk9gvjJwv0/s1600/Sucremacaroons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquq2DuM5XZyWWUbxUkmKXXgmCGEiLjQ-nexJGCEaquPDzhKqi7T6Qinm-kflotVT5QjUf6BxeThChPIPuHI-yZdhfT_GC-GD5sacxpdFN5NlKmUM-47YRfW2XyKewmTVdUNk9gvjJwv0/s1600/Sucremacaroons.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Strawberry, almond, bananas foster, pistachio, chocolate, hazelnut, pecan, and salted caramel.<br />
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I did say that finicky children like Mardi Gras because of the cake <i>and</i> the <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">baby</span>? Yes, most King Cakes come with a plastic baby Jesus to tuck hidden into a piece. Used to, they baked them in the cake. And they weren't always plastic. The way I learned it, the person <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/dining/king-cakes-abound-in-new-orleans.html?ref=dining&_r=0" target="_blank">whose slice has the baby</a> must throw next year's Mardi Gras party. Finicky girl child has won it two years running, but she hasn't lived up to the party part yet. I think I'll blackmail a tea party out of her with the macarons as leverage. Still, finicky male child is determined to win the baby this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_u17j6fNjUkYnngg4Ob9V_XagtaISa9opU2ZtJbd-hpgfbHcJpWBLK__zB0C3abdyyLnBIOaLGAA9PBCo3N3Xm-UeiDPl22TAUK6aFR0IToCYAShUCRey4txJbYb9lN0b3st1qbtmwo/s1600/Sucre+baby+Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_u17j6fNjUkYnngg4Ob9V_XagtaISa9opU2ZtJbd-hpgfbHcJpWBLK__zB0C3abdyyLnBIOaLGAA9PBCo3N3Xm-UeiDPl22TAUK6aFR0IToCYAShUCRey4txJbYb9lN0b3st1qbtmwo/s1600/Sucre+baby+Jesus.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm sure there are all sorts of wrong in having a green, plastic baby Jesus with a glob of icing on his foot and a Chuckie-type smile on his face. I think I'll wrest this one from whichever child wins him and add him to my nativity scene for next year, just for the shock value.<br />
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I'm also on the hunt for a good King Cake in Houston. I keep circling the Acadian Bros bakery on West Alabama but can't hit it in open hours. I refuse to buy one from HEB or Kroger. That feels like a greater sacrilege than the Green Baby Jesus. Forgive me, Lord, that's sure a sin.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*<a href="http://www.facebook.com/shopsucre" target="_blank">Sucre</a> says it shipped a King's Cake to all 50 U.S. states. Not bad for a bakery that's been doing this only since 2009.</span><br />
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<img src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/p206x206/537948_10151431405727533_810284496_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhovLVzxdWcOApJz9ONiA1mVqfX71AKTSjrEXnIoUKOeq9eNrU8FvJ3hKOmCBAY3AsLCvB4P0FOWS9wTOprOt5yTDsM1xMwmvGz3lKJXcFmX84lj3XDc9Vi8NlTV06_Ibii-tUlQnzzFs/s1600/sucre+baked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhovLVzxdWcOApJz9ONiA1mVqfX71AKTSjrEXnIoUKOeq9eNrU8FvJ3hKOmCBAY3AsLCvB4P0FOWS9wTOprOt5yTDsM1xMwmvGz3lKJXcFmX84lj3XDc9Vi8NlTV06_Ibii-tUlQnzzFs/s1600/sucre+baked.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJxTrsVYDe4AVImO_M6QaEhYZEU7CtkwvJ21CtU34PTBq8hGdcuM_q5XGhH3N-t36eMXYJKRDpLwnZ2gGp8e7CrgtliUlbmLo2UpWaJpTnyhz50SQ6RkiM4FBAXZTTSolQlGElv1CIyg/s1600/sucre+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJxTrsVYDe4AVImO_M6QaEhYZEU7CtkwvJ21CtU34PTBq8hGdcuM_q5XGhH3N-t36eMXYJKRDpLwnZ2gGp8e7CrgtliUlbmLo2UpWaJpTnyhz50SQ6RkiM4FBAXZTTSolQlGElv1CIyg/s1600/sucre+done.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6f9xjVxINR0wBwqhQetTyPqZCCnO5dGFGdZ6655Q9F-U4srNIEILn4_svwinkpSawID8KYql9t2XHC5VBiDb60z3Sp-Boozf2Sk7nN2X_GnXlZdTYVW7tQJpOWGPkmPV8pwqEAU-7Z7A/s1600/Sucre+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6f9xjVxINR0wBwqhQetTyPqZCCnO5dGFGdZ6655Q9F-U4srNIEILn4_svwinkpSawID8KYql9t2XHC5VBiDb60z3Sp-Boozf2Sk7nN2X_GnXlZdTYVW7tQJpOWGPkmPV8pwqEAU-7Z7A/s1600/Sucre+2.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72WtHFrP68xpr46ohyHlIJ-PgtrHBTs3fOjIGGlIxplBroDzfrSs2bB_6kCo4pfc2BLjX0m-aN1X5XRDhmj2Q9MbUa3WRl9gfpp_yQpcHCeQ2QNS-Bdn8Vbyvz7BZZZsYOaHypdXzHes/s1600/Sucre+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72WtHFrP68xpr46ohyHlIJ-PgtrHBTs3fOjIGGlIxplBroDzfrSs2bB_6kCo4pfc2BLjX0m-aN1X5XRDhmj2Q9MbUa3WRl9gfpp_yQpcHCeQ2QNS-Bdn8Vbyvz7BZZZsYOaHypdXzHes/s1600/Sucre+3.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a><br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-7623365900292874892013-01-20T11:33:00.003-06:002013-05-27T11:40:57.641-06:00Space City: NASA Johnson Style<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">NASA Johnson Style.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Sar5WT76kE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">NASA, <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">not</span></i> cancelled. Gone viral. Gangnam-style.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.99147605895996px; text-align: right;"><strike>4,269,411</strike> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 23.99147605895996px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strike>4,278,668</strike> <strike>4,405,050</strike> 4,973, 712 </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 23.99147605895996px; text-align: right;">views.</span><br />
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Well, a few more, actually. Because I keep watching it over and over.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stellar job!</span><br />
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Each year, NASA <a href="http://pathways.jsc.nasa.gov/index.html" target="_blank">Pathways</a> interns create an outreach video to commemorate their NASA experience. This year, they took it past the stratosphere, huh? <br />
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"Psy" is played by Eric Sim, a North Carolina State grad and now a propulsion systems engineer on the Morpheus project. Astronaut <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_Caldwell_Dyson" target="_blank">Tracy Caldwell Dyson</a>, who had missions on the Space Shuttle Endeavor and the International Space Station appears. Astronaut <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_Anderson" target="_blank">Clayton Anderson</a> has the best dance-off ever. His NASA work included a stint on the International Space Station. Telling Psy to take a hike is astronaut <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Massimino" target="_blank">Michael Massimino</a> (Space Shuttles Columbia and Atlantis). Appearing in other astronaut cameos are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Coats" target="_blank">Mike Coats</a> (former director, three flights on Space Shuttle Discovery) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Ochoa" target="_blank">Ellen Ochoa</a> (current director, four flights on Discovery and Atlantis). Other participants included Brian Schwing (Ohio State), Ronak Dave (Purdue), Gary Jordan (Penn State), and <a href="http://daytonabeach.erau.edu/news/adam-naids-fcpa-award.html" target="_blank">Adam Naids</a> (graduate of Embry-Riddle, now full time at NASA as a hardware development engineer). The finale includes 50+ other scientists, engineers, and JSC "extras." Keep calm and NASA on, indeed.<br />
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Four mil hits later. . . is anyone in Washington watching? If so . . . take note, Beltway types, of attention on a grand scale. Our part of the International Space Station is managed here. Johnson Space Center is here. Mission Control is here. As in "<i><b>Houston</b></i>, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed." Our museum at NASA houses a live craft from every major American manned spaceflight program. (OK, so maybe future programs may share a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/us/the-private-space-industry-eyes-texas-land.html?_r=0" target="_blank">private angle</a>. . . and Jeff Bezos's<a href="http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/22/14623551-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-spaceship-company-aces-pad-escape-test?lite" target="_blank"> Blue Origin</a> is in BFE Texas, but hey, it's still in Texas and he went to elementary school here in Houston anyway).<br />
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Now give us back our shuttle, dammit.<br />
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One of the few times Texquiem has gone truly <b style="background-color: orange;">apoplectic</b>? See<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57445701-71/why-houston-should-fight-new-york-over-wooden-space-shuttle/" target="_blank"> here</a>. I can't gather even a veneer of "let's civilly discuss it." Fact: no one is visiting NYC to see the shuttle. It's, like, number seventy-two hundred on the tourists' list of things to do there. They aren't able to do <a href="http://www.space.com/19004-space-shuttle-enterprise-repairs-museum-reopen.html" target="_blank">right by it</a>, either, it <a href="http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060412a.html" target="_blank">seems</a>, so just go ahead and send it home. As in Johnson Space Center, Houston. Come home to mama, baby. We love you here. NASA Johnson Style.<br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-14917766397295269042013-01-15T09:50:00.003-06:002013-01-18T15:10:03.652-06:00Seventh Place to Go in 2013Where's the seventh place to go in 2013? No, the answer is not Hell, but if you come in August you may think it is.<br />
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<b>Houston</b> is number seven on the New York Times's <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/01/10/travel/2013-places-to-go.html" target="_blank">The 46 Places to Go in 2013</a></em>. "What's big in Texas?" asks the Times. Why, culture and food, of course. <br />
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The article gives a shout-out to the Museum District, including the Houston Museum of African American Culture, the Asia Society Texas Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science's new 30,000-square-foot paleontology wing, and the Rothko Chapel (although the Rothko Chapel is <em>technically</em> in Montrose). On the dining scene, the NYT slathers over Oxheart, Underbelly, and Uchi--all making foodies' best new restaurants lists.<br />
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I always try not to run off the road when cruising past the Asia House. I'm so busy gawking at it and processing it all. Ooooo, look the mist is on! Or, hey, check out that imperial lion they have lighted on the wall. Hmmm, good--they have TreeGators on all those little trees. Does Yoshio Taniguchi know we can see that standard-issue office furniture through the front windows? How can I crash that cool party in that ginormous tent?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asia Society, 1370 Southmore</td></tr>
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The Houston Museum of African American Culture is also pretty new in the Museum District --here's a little blurb from the Chronicle about its genesis: <a href="http://www.chron.com/life/article/A-museum-forges-ahead-ideas-ablaze-3430595.php#photo-2731107" target="_blank"><em>A Museum Forges Ahead, Ideas Ablaze</em></a>. It formally opened at this modern building (was it once one of those prosthetic manufacturers that dotted the Binz--like the eyeball one?) on February 25, 2012. So it's coming up on its first birthday there, free to the public. You know that February is Black History Month in America . . . seems a Texquiem field trip is in order to celebrate and mark the occasion.<br />
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The Houston Museum of Natural Science boasts that it is among the country's top-10 most-visited museums. With the June 2012 opening of its new paleontology hall, there's a lot more to love:<br />
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My finicky children both still have "Night at the Museum"-type fantasies about the museum. As for me, I'm especially fond of the butterfly garden, right outside the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Most certainly NOT on my happy list? The hissing roaches. I'd rather face a saber-tooth tiger. <br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-60793273373882439722013-01-07T00:00:00.000-06:002013-01-07T00:50:25.681-06:00The Bayou City Tops America's Coolest Places to LiveBanner year, fellow Houstonians. And that includes the 50,000 of you who joined us in 2012. Not only did Forbes give Houston kudos for being the little-economic-engine-that-could, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2012/06/27/houstons-business-climate-heats-up/" target="_blank">see here</a>, and for being a great place for female business founders, we also topped its list of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/morganbrennan/2012/07/26/houston-tops-our-list-of-americas-coolest-cities-to-live/" target="_blank">Coolest American Cities</a>. Wow, Texas in general did well on this list, with five spots in the top 20. <br />
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To reach this zenith, we scored well in all categories: entertainment options, recreational options (including green space), restaurants and bars per capita (emphasizing local eateries), diversity, median age, employment rate, cost of living, and net migration.<br />
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It took all of a nano-second for the doubters and haters to chime in. "<i>Yeah. that's right. Houston is number one. Surprise is always refreshing. . . . Jobs are definitely cool. But Houston, Washington, and Los Angeles? Something in [Forbes's] rubric must be missing.</i>" (Rachel James at <a href="http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/cities/houston-is-americas-coolest-city/4378" target="_blank">smartplanet</a>) "<i>Houston is not cool.</i>" (Will Doig at Salon). "<i>Houston is America's coolest city, according to a bunch of nerds</i>." (some dude in <a href="http://brokelyn.com/houston-is-americas-coolest-city-to-live-in-according-to-a-bunch-of-nerds/" target="_blank">Brooklyn</a>). No surprise with Dallas's take: "<i>Forbes rates Dallas fourth coolest city; loses all credibility by putting Houston first. . . . They apparently didn't see our even more scientific assessment ranked Houston asshole of the universe.</i>" (<a href="http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/07/forbes_ranks_dallas_fourth_coo.php" target="_blank">Dallas Observer blogger</a> who probably really lives in Grand Prairie). <a href="http://www.fwweekly.com/2012/08/10/houston-fattest-coolest-city-nation/" target="_blank">Fort Worth</a> just called us fat.<br />
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Over at the Austin Statesman's <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/austin/entries/2012/07/27/say_what_houston_not_austin_is.html/" target="_blank">blog</a>, they got a <u>little</u> huffy: "<i>Say what? Houston, not Austin, is America's coolest city. . . . Houston, widely considered--right or wrong--to be a sprawling, paved-over wasteland, ended up with a 94.</i>" (That's our score for recreational amenities, compared to Austin's 48.) Now, I love Austin--everyone in Texas does--but it was hard hit by the drought this last year. Lake Travis has been more like Pond Travis. Plus, there are too many people in Austin now, and it's killing the cool, keep-Austin-weird vibe. My jog around Town Lake this summer was like running with a stampede up the Goodnight-Loving--so many people, the dirt was stomped into hardpack. They've got traffic lights and school zones all the way out to Bee Caves, and all the way up to Pflugerville, and almost all the way down to Fredericksburg. They shouldn't snicker about Houston's asphalt, not when their sprawl is passing us by, and they already don't have the water to support it (not even in a good year).<br />
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Now, I realize this Cool List came out mid-year. It's old news. But Texquiem didn't exist then, and I'm still clinging to 2012. Plus, all the news outlets topple into the new year with a retrospective or "best of" the old. This list churned through the news cycle this past week, so I'm adding it here, too.Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-57929317693664857042013-01-02T13:22:00.002-06:002013-01-03T01:04:01.972-06:00On Ice for New Year'sThe Galleria was open on New Year's Day. I (guiltily) admit to being there. I don't even have the excuse of returning ill-fitting Christmas presents. Simply, I was in town and the lure of 60%-off sales was too great.<br />
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Maybe the Galleria is always open on New Year's. I mean, if it's not open, where do all of the visiting tourists spend their time and money? Usually, though, I am out-of-town at New Year's (preferably somewhere snowy), generally where the locals cuss under their breath about all those damn Texans in town. So, I'm not griping about the out-of-town shoppers. Merely observing that I had to wait to snap this quick shot of the Galleria's Christmas tree on the ice rink, then try to explain to those waiting that I intended to take a picture without them or anyone else in it. Plus, I wasn't nearly as dressed up as they were, so maybe they thought I was just a peasant, or something.</div>
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The Galleria Ice Rink has always fascinated me. As a child, newly moved to Houston, I thought the rink and Marvin Zindler were surely among the Eight Wonders of the World. Having moved here from po-dunk, I had big eyes trying to take in the three-story gallery and an <i>ice rink </i>beneath. Ice, when it's hotter than Hades outside? And a three-story mall? In my then-limited experience, we'd had to drive over an hour to reach the nearest mall of any size--itself one-story except for the few anchor stores topping out at two.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Galleria, rink-level (I didn't take this picture).</td></tr>
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The Galleria opened in 1970 and was supposedly modeled after the <b style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II</b> in Milan: </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II</td></tr>
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The latter was built in the 1880s, so maybe with another 60 years, we'll look stately, too. I'd just like to point out the Prada store in the picture of Milan's Galleria. Houston's Galleria has the only Prada store in Texas. So take that, Dallas.<br />
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The Galleria's ice rink is 80 feet by 180 feet (or 24 x 55 meters if you're thinking in Italian). It was the first ice rink in a shopping mall (which means Memorial City Mall's is a wannabe). The Christmas tree is 55 feet tall, festooned with 450,000 lights and 5000 ornaments. They formally light it at an Ice Spectacular in early November. This impresses me if for no reason other than they wait until after Halloween to do it. This year's was the 24th Ice Spectacular, and reality-TV contestant (The Voice) and local girl RaeLynn <a href="http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/river_oaks/living/galleria-holiday-event-lights-up-with-raelynn/article_93023b88-2921-11e2-acd5-0019bb2963f4.html" target="_blank">headlined the event</a>. <br />
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I don't know how long they leave the tree up. I vote for leaving it through January 6. Why? It's the culmination of the Twelfth Day of Christmas, you know. Also called Twelfth Night. Aka Epiphany. Aka Three Kings Day. Aka <a href="http://www.mexonline.com/history-lostresreyes.htm" target="_blank">Dia de los Reyes</a>.* And if there's an important gift-giving day for an important part of the Galleria's visiting clientele, let's provide. (Hint, hint, I'm okay with shoes from Prada, no need to fill them for me).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">small and blurry</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*If you can't be bothered with the hyperlink, Dia de los Reyes celebrates the arrival in Bethlehem of the three magi, bearing gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the newborn Christ. Bonus points if you knew the three kings were named <b><span style="color: #336600;">Melchior, Gaspar,and Balthazar. </span></b>Three Kings Day is a major gift-giving day in some Latin American countries, and in Mexico, children leave out their shoes to be filled by the three kings.</span> </div>
Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com05085 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056, USA29.7405522 -95.46295129999998628.8588687 -96.753844799999982 30.6222357 -94.17205779999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-67838033857435108262012-12-25T23:47:00.003-06:002013-04-27T16:49:43.172-06:00Merry Christmas, Houston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Six pairs of massive arches, mirror finish. Each set 700 feet apart, like a promenade down Post Oak. In 1995, this became more than just the Galleria--as if that wasn't enough. It became <a href="http://www.buffpolishgrind.com/pdf/stainless.pdf" target="_blank">"Uptown Houston."</a> New, matching street lights and traffic signals. Giant, circular "gateway rings" hovering at the bigger intersections, suspended 55 feet in the air. </div>
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Modern. Brash. And adorned for Christmas. Stainless steel, frankincense and myrrh.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down Post Oak, with Neiman Marcus and Transco in the background.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Merry Christmas, Houston.</span></div>
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Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-12820908742498704042012-12-23T22:47:00.001-06:002012-12-24T07:54:57.951-06:00River Oaks Christmas Lights: There Goes the NeighborhoodNeighborhoods with Christmas decorations have long attracted traffic jams, whether suburb, small town, or big city. As a child, we'd jump in the car with my grandmother and drive all around town to look at the Christmas lights. We'd even cruise the country roads, just to see who decked the halls. Some neighborhoods revel in Christmas decor--with themes and all. When I was off at university, my parents' neighborhood passed out a giant wooden sign for each home owner to decorate as a Christmas card. And no, my mom wouldn't let my dad spray paint "Bah humbug" across it, graffitti-style (though the snarky amongst us begged her please). Heck, I seem to recall the Chronicle publishing articles suggesting good light-viewing neighborhoods. <a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/12/the_five_best_houston_neighbor.php" target="_blank">(And here's this year's Houston Press Top Five.)</a> I'm just not surprised to see the stream of SUVs and cars, bumper-to-bumper, ooo-ing and aahhh-ing over the Christmas lights in River Oaks. I do love the lights, especially those wrapped roots-to-tips up impossibly tall and gnarled oaks. Here's my favorite:<br />
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Yes, I know it's not an artful picture, but I felt successful just snapping one, not-very-blurry picture that excludes on-coming traffic. But still. You have to draw the line somewhere. Families on bikes. Tour buses. Horse-drawn carriages. I think I'm okay with those . . . creative, gets cars off the road. But where I draw the line?</div>
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People off the road--and by that I really mean off the road and off the sidewalk, too. Pedestrians walking on lawns, up to porches, next to trees. Folks, it's just Christmas lights. It's not a personal invitation to traipse across the flowerbeds. Sheesh, when did people get so Jersey Shore here in Houston? Where did your mama raise you, a barn? I saw tour buses parked on the Boulevard, with people trekking mid-lawn for pictures.</div>
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Looks like this house just decided "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." They have a River Oaks Santa, elves, and even portrait lighting for the passer-by's. And don't forget the traffic cones and those three traffic cops. The neighbors must be thinking "there goes the neighborhood." Ssssppptt, neighbors, I think my mom still has that old yard board if you're ready to spray paint Bah Humbug. Let me know.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKctJ4fIFVBqQI0hj1bH1Z9HcRPhJ2raXlb5TEhzdpv3aMiBK_eca7UsUNeZ5irkmosaf61cqsQz8gTM-RoyVTQMEdD_AgFF8Ej07moeNhpQWpvuFzrJZLng6QO8Yi-f5Wnh7f6EAQMHg/s1600/River+Oaks+Christmas+lights+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKctJ4fIFVBqQI0hj1bH1Z9HcRPhJ2raXlb5TEhzdpv3aMiBK_eca7UsUNeZ5irkmosaf61cqsQz8gTM-RoyVTQMEdD_AgFF8Ej07moeNhpQWpvuFzrJZLng6QO8Yi-f5Wnh7f6EAQMHg/s1600/River+Oaks+Christmas+lights+006.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILpsp7VmYNLUZTMJR_V6W8tLKFIAUGq7FG799CpycsCcJkLkA_lZIx1xnmSnRdd2Snp5O64B4KmXxf9vn1V2CMDTLMZoDB7PcOGh44bgxr5qAqERmP60PhQLFlcExJexJuIFeliZbbnE/s1600/River+Oaks+Christmas+lights+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILpsp7VmYNLUZTMJR_V6W8tLKFIAUGq7FG799CpycsCcJkLkA_lZIx1xnmSnRdd2Snp5O64B4KmXxf9vn1V2CMDTLMZoDB7PcOGh44bgxr5qAqERmP60PhQLFlcExJexJuIFeliZbbnE/s1600/River+Oaks+Christmas+lights+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com01600 River Oaks Boulevard, Houston, TX 77019, USA29.755707 -95.4282880000000094.2336725000000008 -136.736882 55.277741500000005 -54.11969400000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-62098439096968787362012-12-13T18:00:00.000-06:002013-01-16T22:50:42.207-06:00I feel a train a coming, it's coming round the bend.Tucked away in a quiet pocket, this Mission/Prairie-style, 129-bed hospital was built in 1910 for the employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Texas and Louisiana. Its name, shockingly, was the Southern Pacific Hospital. The 23,000 employees in these two states got managed care, didn't they? A stipend for the Southern Pacific Hospitals was deducted from their paychecks. So long as you didn't have a contagious or venereal disease and were in good standing at work, you could come for <a href="http://mcgovern.library.tmc.edu/data/www/html/texascoll/hospital/SA/SA038051.pdf" target="_blank">care</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHEmqLDxtKLMcWqL_t5dzkM9ZlVxS_8mCtJFAJzOx4KUBNdkn141IEcGTGioLPeH0FgKsUQG13OIDuXWnaz1bOzefog1bA3JNGOvjnzZUt5VyCgQKPOTmh_gODrKLgSyw0KPa7g6_kPU/s1600/SouthernPacificHospital+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHEmqLDxtKLMcWqL_t5dzkM9ZlVxS_8mCtJFAJzOx4KUBNdkn141IEcGTGioLPeH0FgKsUQG13OIDuXWnaz1bOzefog1bA3JNGOvjnzZUt5VyCgQKPOTmh_gODrKLgSyw0KPa7g6_kPU/s640/SouthernPacificHospital+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In truth, the railroad was a dangerous a place to work in those days. From 1890 to 1917 alone, some two million workers were injured on the tracks, and 72,000 workers were killed. Another 158,000 were killed in incidents in the "roundhouses" and repair shops. You can read more <a href="http://colfa.utsa.edu/users/jreynolds/Tucker/THE%20EVENT.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but the author (a professor of history at UTSA) compares the 2.23 million deaths of railroad workers in this short period to the total deaths suffered by the United States in its wars from the Revolutionary to Persian Gulf, 2.42 million. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLB2tItqHDaCTQN1P7cm9CEJqV2EYdGIL3_9CAN_rW_dg_yVkDq9LYKC__FPD5Mcurz-po9B6TzYoxPcrXQ-lI-j9JhWlGFP6aIwfd09TiEIZbT1dGT33xLZyOe0snEFQlXv987-YMFA/s1600/Thomas+Street+Health+Center.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLB2tItqHDaCTQN1P7cm9CEJqV2EYdGIL3_9CAN_rW_dg_yVkDq9LYKC__FPD5Mcurz-po9B6TzYoxPcrXQ-lI-j9JhWlGFP6aIwfd09TiEIZbT1dGT33xLZyOe0snEFQlXv987-YMFA/s400/Thomas+Street+Health+Center.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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He describes one incident in San Antonio in particular, in 1911, when a boiler on a steam engine failed, spewing the massive locomotive's engine--all of it--in chunks and splinters explosively through the sky. Body parts and metal crashed through roofs of nearby homes and rail shops, killing and maiming the unsuspecting by-standers. Metal rained from the sky blocks away. The shock reverberated like an earthquake felt even miles away. And the gruesome task of recovering bits of bodies and searching for the wounded began.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbqpHR92Sd1623yLz3NgInlZ7EAHeJLbcPijRXTUm96Vdubsz_a5ORbyMsEOupUm0kdQZvqRXU0p80P2RJLMSR1KdJ2QrYR6J9w5iJFnMdA7QQAQapjB1gY7YRVDuGP7HUyVyJp6EZSg/s1600/Southern+Pacific+Hospital.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYbqpHR92Sd1623yLz3NgInlZ7EAHeJLbcPijRXTUm96Vdubsz_a5ORbyMsEOupUm0kdQZvqRXU0p80P2RJLMSR1KdJ2QrYR6J9w5iJFnMdA7QQAQapjB1gY7YRVDuGP7HUyVyJp6EZSg/s400/Southern+Pacific+Hospital.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
At least some of the severely injured workers--described as "scabs" recently brought in to replace striking San Antonio-area workers--were sent here, to Houston, for treatment at the Southern Pacific Hospital.<br />
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<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Q1gEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=southern+pacific+hospital+houston&source=bl&ots=IR0NL5Vixf&sig=sqvRPWPSKkqovEo2b71h8zAxPWI&hl=en&ei=YJowTcbgO8GB8gaU3-HPCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFQQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=southern%20pacific%20hospital%20houston&f=false" target="_blank">"Where Seventeen Railroads Met the Sea,"</a> Houston was the largest railroad center in the southern United States. Southern Pacific was the second transcontinental railway in the US, as of 1881 with its Sunset Route, but its oldest line started right here in Houston in 1851: the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway.<br />
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Southern Pacific built not just this hospital but, in 1911, also a ten-story, <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/wm/details.aspx?f=1&guid=56c0a2b8-5412-490a-9af1-c1d6faee2d42&tp=3" target="_blank">Art Deco</a> downtown office building now used as the Bayou Lofts. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-PpC_XB9FmW2cJQhfAPxaQK7-YhZzAx95jBjISa-oxM-_0k3ZPQxOi6iJP0I21roK3yPGnESoiyiHU24Rk93Q67-y8sFwZ1b2t7fodk8H_3_Yib176ua751_Yrk9acIWyPCfMP4vWF0/s1600/SouthernPacificHosplate1940s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-PpC_XB9FmW2cJQhfAPxaQK7-YhZzAx95jBjISa-oxM-_0k3ZPQxOi6iJP0I21roK3yPGnESoiyiHU24Rk93Q67-y8sFwZ1b2t7fodk8H_3_Yib176ua751_Yrk9acIWyPCfMP4vWF0/s640/SouthernPacificHosplate1940s.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In 1913, Houston was a spectacular confluence of industry near the Gulf of Mexico. We were bustling and energetic. The Houston Ship Channel was being deepened to 27 feet to accommodate the largest ocean-going ships, and its deepening was targeted for the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. Wharves, with free use promised, were expanding. Oil (no surprise, huh?), lumber, sugar, timber, rice, fruit, and (above all) cotton from Texas and Oklahoma were ready for export. With 33 "tall buildings" of six stories and higher, we even had "skyscrapers" from ten to eighteen stories high--including the aforementioned regional office of the Southern Pacific. Our burgeoning population topped 125,000. Fed by newcomers, just like today, Houston has long been a city that takes all in stride.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OOmb-MGg1ZKG61xaJciG5s78llQAyNXZS9cEolKhKjlMHxsRjorGo7X7qJIjp6hTJbjGTjO5hNkyHqo7ucmixWOR_x79DcYVrKlk6JEffRU9U_j3zenW7n3Uvn1gNbo8OlfShj5MYZk/s1600/Cotton+bales+at+Houstons+rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OOmb-MGg1ZKG61xaJciG5s78llQAyNXZS9cEolKhKjlMHxsRjorGo7X7qJIjp6hTJbjGTjO5hNkyHqo7ucmixWOR_x79DcYVrKlk6JEffRU9U_j3zenW7n3Uvn1gNbo8OlfShj5MYZk/s640/Cotton+bales+at+Houstons+rail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Early 1900s' cotton bales at Houston's Grand Central Station. Near the present Amtrack station.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Alas, <a href="http://www.gcfrd.org/docs/Freight%20Rail%20in%20the%20Houston%20Region%20Study.pdf" target="_blank">1917 was the peak year for rail trackage</a> in the United States. In December of that year, the federal government took temporary control of railways in preparation for World War I. The tracks were used heavily in the war effort, but weren't maintained well by the government. The Great Depression followed, cutting rail revenue in half. Although rail use returned through World War II, the golden era of trains had passed. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the interstate highway system, commercial aviation, pipelines, and commercial bus service took its toll. In 1984, Southern Pacific merged into the Santa Fe, but was re-sold a few years later when the federal government did not approve the merger. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqB7QVnYxEdc9Ei1VDKPqGw9O-g-weukMyrEEoasQdz0ylsP8RiKBicSLqbcQTO93vfrr7ieoSmTPqK-IRx0snrjpCj0W5kHHXRlX_MQHRKbqf1fMn0EPse8dy51LrUv5pv42t203QBqw/s1600/Sunset+Hospital+Postcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqB7QVnYxEdc9Ei1VDKPqGw9O-g-weukMyrEEoasQdz0ylsP8RiKBicSLqbcQTO93vfrr7ieoSmTPqK-IRx0snrjpCj0W5kHHXRlX_MQHRKbqf1fMn0EPse8dy51LrUv5pv42t203QBqw/s320/Sunset+Hospital+Postcard.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">In 1988, the hospital property was sold to the University of Texas. It was used shortly f</span><span style="text-align: start;">or MD Anderson patients recovering from cancer. In 1989 it became the Houston Hospital District's free-standing </span><a href="http://www.bcm.edu/solutions/v4i3/thomasstreet.html" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">Thomas Street Clinic</a><span style="text-align: start;"> for HIV/AIDS. Finally, it's said to be </span><a href="http://www.ghostheadfinder.com/THOMAS_STREET_MEDICAL_CENTER.html" style="text-align: start;" target="_blank">haunted</a><span style="text-align: start;">. Go take a look!</span></div>
Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com02015 Thomas Ave, Houston, TX 77009, USA29.77654 -95.36595829.774817000000002 -95.3684255 29.778263 -95.363490500000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-54079100872249226402012-12-07T00:09:00.000-06:002012-12-17T13:03:00.464-06:00I'll Save You, Donne Di Domani!My dear, dear Donne Di Domani sauce. . . I <b><i>know</i></b> and I'm ever <i>so</i> humbly sorry. But it's all okay now. You're safe.<br />
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I thought you were protected. After all, had I not crowed here, on the pages of Texqueim, of my triumph in finally meeting you, in person? Of my plans to savor you with only the S-worthy? I swear, I proclaimed my love of you near and far, even calling long distance to my mother, herself a veteran of so many years of the Nutcracker Market with nary a single sighting of you.<br />
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Perhaps I misjudged her. I mean, really, she did give birth to me. Surely she should have felt the same sense of victory in her blood as runs through mine in the fact that I have you. Should she not feel pride that I wasn't forced to run from the door of Reliant Arena, in a herd of women headed your way? That I didn't have to jostle or elbow or even squeeze through to attain you? No, Dear Donne, I maintained decorum. . . a sense of dignity befitting your esteemed ways. I thought she'd be happy for me.<br />
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Perhaps she was secretly jealous. Or perhaps the move so far away has sucked the Houstonian from her soul. Or perhaps she's just a polished up farm girl who's faked a semblance of sophistication for years (hmmm, she DID veer off to those bling-covered faux-western shirts at the Nutcracker Market a few too many times the last time we were there together. . .). I confess, though, she did gaze upon you in my pantry while visiting at Thanksgiving. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDeoEtSdL6TLnjJ26bmHY6XOfpBR3ygnU_vZV6W5rOY_QW9IUgBGCYpPFGB_5zTSrvjHwRdlEHCor4ih-nNsLvfdwuM7gW57Lk6PF0e_F62TMiT_wCgW06fOZz2Yq1oTx1As3vU5KFUw/s1600/Donne+Di+Domani+pantry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDeoEtSdL6TLnjJ26bmHY6XOfpBR3ygnU_vZV6W5rOY_QW9IUgBGCYpPFGB_5zTSrvjHwRdlEHCor4ih-nNsLvfdwuM7gW57Lk6PF0e_F62TMiT_wCgW06fOZz2Yq1oTx1As3vU5KFUw/s400/Donne+Di+Domani+pantry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And she did plan to open you and feed you to my ever-so-finicky offspring. *SHIVER* Thank the merciful father that I both heard and answered my cell phone when she called. And thank whatever sliver of humanity she had left in her hard heart that made her call. I could hear the weight of disapproval in her voice as she asked if I was saving you. And the heavy sigh when I said yes and stood my ground for you, Dear Donne. <br />
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But you were saved. Saved from puddling on my ungrateful offspring's Buitoni tortellini. Saved from overcooked Italian sausage folded into your savory depths. Saved. Saved by your pedestrian cousin:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNCyi89NynmE-d1AAb4lMCig9xpwUWLF04D55yiyah17G82NUUDFaFhOQnzpXG-fj_XioobxjiLUYGNQlx3Bdr56VR5sAiVZRq_yQhnEmf4FfdK1QrmQzbANkN4urkyaxHWtTptTtduk/s1600/Ragu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNCyi89NynmE-d1AAb4lMCig9xpwUWLF04D55yiyah17G82NUUDFaFhOQnzpXG-fj_XioobxjiLUYGNQlx3Bdr56VR5sAiVZRq_yQhnEmf4FfdK1QrmQzbANkN4urkyaxHWtTptTtduk/s400/Ragu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some call him Ragu. But he sacrificed himself for you.Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-49729808883705818702012-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:002013-01-27T12:34:32.451-06:00For Sale: Houses, First Ward<br />
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Bike trail to the Heights, seen twice--once with a camera. September 3, 2012.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14px;">One reads:</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For Sale: houses<br />like halved pears stripped skinless</em><br />
<em style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">golden in heavy syrup,<br />on a small plot -- memorial lawn<br />where scattered stones, where<br />Joseph's bones buried in weeds<br />and sunflowers -- sparking wires<br />twist toward heaven<br />from abandoned soil</em></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The other:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>For Sale:<br />Steps to no porch,<br />door to no room</i></span></span></div>
<i>The First Ward</i><br />
<i>this sunken ground, this muddy yard</i><br />
<i>between bayous, this basin</i><br />
<i>beneath Houston's heights,</i><br />
<i>collecting bones since the Civil War</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Dead soldiers, dead dogs -- skeleton strays --<br />guard these vacant lots, these unmarked<br />graves waiting to be built over.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Vacancies</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, Mission Year Arts Project, installed summer 2011</span></em></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvb5m3Vo68yY3PqP7-FSB5Z45A44tlORYxJ-GzqxqluQVuyjiMHFIAfk0R-CFNkYzVB8po-pfQ_N9z5fZFoZ411t0tC9CNB8OZgRpZX2fO6zwRvrGRISMGycIKHUN5ZoWyaNg6-aQHIU/s1600/Vacancies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvb5m3Vo68yY3PqP7-FSB5Z45A44tlORYxJ-GzqxqluQVuyjiMHFIAfk0R-CFNkYzVB8po-pfQ_N9z5fZFoZ411t0tC9CNB8OZgRpZX2fO6zwRvrGRISMGycIKHUN5ZoWyaNg6-aQHIU/s400/Vacancies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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</span>Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com01918 Hickory St, Houston, TX 77007, USA29.7750001 -95.371071329.7732681 -95.373538799999992 29.7767321 -95.3686038tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7386421507036001023.post-81553862061935485672012-11-28T18:00:00.000-06:002012-11-28T18:00:00.251-06:00Blessed be those who recycle.Old Sixth Ward wanderings, March 2012.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETh4o02AD6NrDLOWaD85ZkSh_rYDtmN8iKwR9OkPGvfHtN0sCwqGBmvOfnho6Bb_7vEommpqW7RfTzw3jdoSgrfiiPR0KqnODlNhgIgYyb0kps6HLYMawcRl5pKpvjXEyZLupnU21ryE/s1600/MECA+1900+Kane+Old+Sixth+Ward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETh4o02AD6NrDLOWaD85ZkSh_rYDtmN8iKwR9OkPGvfHtN0sCwqGBmvOfnho6Bb_7vEommpqW7RfTzw3jdoSgrfiiPR0KqnODlNhgIgYyb0kps6HLYMawcRl5pKpvjXEyZLupnU21ryE/s640/MECA+1900+Kane+Old+Sixth+Ward.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://meca-houston.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=12" target="_blank">MECA</a>, 1900 Kane, in the old Dow School, Sixth Ward. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'book antiqua', palatino; text-align: justify;">Built in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the school is currently undergoing restoration through MECA’s Dow School Rehabilitation Project; Phase I exterior restoration was completed in 2010.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaClKCr7op1uIoV2_a2L0UleukvjYvolCaVtX1K7KLJHjAZ6MB1u00EyUfoCMyGqagJxNzn6dzNx4ouIzVGziDmIiyXd1941Kf9eL-w51d1pEtH5xEge57AhKcRiJu3FwebPZrtmnPs8/s1600/MECA+the+Virgen+if+the+Cans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaClKCr7op1uIoV2_a2L0UleukvjYvolCaVtX1K7KLJHjAZ6MB1u00EyUfoCMyGqagJxNzn6dzNx4ouIzVGziDmIiyXd1941Kf9eL-w51d1pEtH5xEge57AhKcRiJu3FwebPZrtmnPs8/s640/MECA+the+Virgen+if+the+Cans.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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La Virgen de las Cans.<br />
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<br />Texquiemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02338900773787282184noreply@blogger.com01900 Kane St, Houston, TX 77007, USA29.7662321 -95.377160329.7645091 -95.3796278 29.7679551 -95.3746928