Keeping An Eye on I-45: Make your comments now!

The I45 Coaltion sent out their recommendations on Wednesday. I'm sorry to just be posting now with the deadline at midnight tonight. Hopefully you can easily cut&paste from their email below and send off comments. It's important enough to take the time. This could have a major impact on our neighborhood. I have added some notes in red at each section so you know a little more about what these options mean. Basically, we are not making a final decision but narrowing the field of options down even further so that some real projections and feasibility work can get done. Let's keep our best options on the table and have a voice with TxDot!

The deadline approaches - Please send your comments to TxDOT by midnight tomorrow, Nov. 9th - better yet .. do it now!

Dear Neighbors -

In about 24 hours – midnight Friday, November 9th – your opportunity to give TxDOT your opinion of what to do on I-45 ends!  Please make your comments before then … better yet – do it NOW! 

TxDOT WILL be doing something on I-45 and it is in your best interest to let them know what you like or don’t like … or TxDOT will do what TxDOT likes!

TxDOT will determine what the 3 best alternatives are for each segment from your comments.  (We have also updated an additional alternative on Segment 1)  Then at the next public meeting (probably in 6 to 9 months), we will select the 1 best alternative in each segment…. So this is the time to be sure to get your opinion heard – we will have dramatically less choice next time!

You can go to this link for complete maps of each segment and summary of alternatives at  http://www.ih45northandmore.com/scoping_documents2.aspx. The I-45 Coalition opposes the expansion in general but we have selected alternatives that are preferred for the least impact to our neighborhoods and businesses.

To leave your comments, please go to TxDOT’s site:

                                                   http://www.ih45northandmore.com/email.aspx

Feel free to “cut & paste’ from the following comments if you agree – if you don’t agree, please make you own comments – but it is vital you let TxDOT know what you want!

Suggested comments:

I think that spending over $2 BILLION of taxpayer’s money (in 2004 dollars) to get an improvement of only 3 MPH in general traffic lanes is a HUGE waste of money. In addition, TxDOT is using traffic data that is over 12 years old (from 2000) that probably does not reflect the current traffic situation we are facing today. I am against spending ANY money until TxDOT updates their traffic studies and determines cost-effective solutions to today’s congestion. However, if TxDOT proceeds, the following alternatives are the best that have been proposed to minimize additional right-of-way (ROW) and protect neighborhoods and businesses.

Segment 1: I-45 from Beltway to Loop 610

I AM IN FAVOR of Alternatives 3 & 3c; 7 & 8.  With Alternatives 7 & 8, TxDOT must provide noise abatement on all elevated structures to reduce increased noise levels.

I AM OPPOSED to Alternatives 4, 5 & 6 because they require an additional 150’ of ROW which would destroy or devastate existing businesses and/or homes.   

UPDATE – Alternative 7 requires 30’ of additional ROW and Alternative 8 requires 25’ of new ROW on each side of I-45. Several property owners on the East Side of I-45 have stated their strong preference for Alternative 4 which requires 150’ of ROW from the West side. They have pointed out that there is a large amount of vacant property on the West side and much of that property floods.  They are firmly in support of Alt 3 & 3c and Alternative 4 but do not support Alternative 7 or Alternative 8.

[Heights Life's notes: 3 & 3c will make that stretch of 45 outside of the loop look much like the Katy Freeway, with one additional lane on the Hardy toll road. Options 7 & 8  have elevated managed lanes. Managed lanes are HOV/Toll lanes, again like the Katy Freeway. My notes from the meeting indicate I was strongly in favor of the elevated lanes, but I certainly understand the needs of business owners in that stretch. My concern would be the merging of their 12 lanes in to our narrower stretch inside the loop would cause a bottle neck to the point that it changes our plans for the Heights area which include no additional Right Of Way (RoW)]

Segment 2: I-45 from Loop 610 to I-10

I AM IN FAVOR of Alternatives 15, 14 & 10.

I AM OPPOSED to Alternatives 3, 11 & 12

Heights Life notes: THIS IS THE SECTION THAT MOST PERTAINS TO THE HEIGHTS! As of this point, TxDot has promised no additional RoW between Cavalcade and I10. There will have to be major changes at the 610/45 exchange and we are looking at the possibility of a major spaghetti monster like the one at I10 and 610. 

Option 10 is to add managed lanes (all increased traffic flow for this segment is managed lanes) where the frontage road hangs out, cantilevered  over the highwayover the freeway. It gives us 4 managed lanes, plus 8 general purpose lanes. This is similar to how I75 in Dallas is built and it's actually quite an attractive stretch of road. Option 3 is similar but has reversable lanes, which might be why it's being rejcted. 


Options 11 and 12 are being rejected because they are elevated lanes that would be above grade and would add a considerable amount of noise and air pollution to the area.

Options 15 & 14 are TUNNELS, PEOPLE! This concept is very exciting and I wish you could have all taken part in the discussion about how it would work. The tunnels will most likely significantly reduce noise pollution, could even reduce air pollution because the air coming out of the tunnels is filtered, and would be for only thru-traffic, i.e. people who want to get from 610 to south of I10 without exiting the Heights or NNS, seriously reducing local traffic. I know tunnels are a strange concept to Houstonians but the same kind of tunnel is currently being built along the seawall in Seattle, so the elevation isn't a problem. When someone else brought up flooding issues, a commenter responded to not forget that Kuala Lampur has a huge tunnel system and they have not just the occasional hurricane, but an entire monsoon season! These tunnels look incredible and would have a wonderful impact on the neighborhood regarding highway traffic.

Segment 3: I-45 thru Downtown / Pierce Elevated / 59

I AM IN FAVOR of Alternative 4 (but TxDOT needs to add exit to I-45), Alt. 5 (TxDOT must move away from the Historic Neighborhoods &Alt. 6 (TxDOT needs to add exit to 59).

I AM OPPOSED to Alternatives 3, 7 & 10.

[Heights Life Notes: Options 4,5, and 6 are all different tunnel configurations. 7 is also a tunnel but with a split that would be a lot more work and a lot more money.

Options 3 and 10 are not even real options. 3 is converting I10, I 45, and I 59 in to some weird one way loop around downtown. Even the TxDot guys were basically like "Eh. Probably won't work." Option 10 is widening I 45 but really, how would they even do that? There is development on both sides that would cost the city A LOT of money to take to from landowners.

Because of the slim alternative options for downtown, it almost appears a tunnel is inevitable. Because of this, it makes even more sense to have the tunnels as a pass through for the Heights area section!

I can try to answer any questions you might have but, again, comments need to be at TxDot by midnight tonight. Please, send your letter!]

That’s all you need to say – please send your comments to http://ih45northandmore.com/email.aspx before the deadline of midnight Friday, November 9th.

Thank you for staying involved! This is a critical time for this project!

Jim Weston

I-45 Coalition

Heights Happenings: November 7- November 14, 2012

Thursday, November 8, 5pm - 7:30pm: Hello Lucky invites you to join them for "Falling For You"

• Join Teresa and her friends in that little, green shop to toast and celebrate the new work by Marisa Avelar, Serena Hightower and Jason Villegas!
• Work on view while it lasts
• For more info click here for the Facebook event
• Also add Saturday, November 10, noon to 4pm to your calendar for Craftacular just out in front of Hello-Lucky

Saturday, November 10, 6 pm: Parents’ Night Out at Heights Preschool

• Heights Preschool PNO is open to children ages 12 months (walkers) to 9 years old. They are open on designated Saturdays from 6pm-10pm for parents’ night out. Staff will allow parents and children in the main door at 5:55pm. 
• Children will participate in outdoor activities (if appropriate), an art or craft activity as well as free play. Dinner is served at 6:30pm. This weekend kid will be treated to hot dogs from Happy Fatz on White Oak. 
• Children will be able to change into pajamas or stay in their play clothes after dinner. Everyone will then enjoy story time.  
• At bedtime, a movie will be shown (G rated) and children will be tucked in to sleep on cots or sleeping bags.
• Parents may enroll their children by completing the enrollment application (one form per child) and attaching their shot record. 
• Reservations are made on a first come first served basis. Late reservations will be accepted subject to availability. Reservations must be made by phone or via email. Payment is due at the time the reservation is made. Dinner reservations must be made no later than Friday at noon. 
• Please refer to their website for enrollment form and other information: http://heightspreschool.com

Monday, November 12th, 7 pm: Onion Creek and Cafe and Heights Cigar Lounge beer and cigar pairing event

• Onion Creek will be hosting this beer and cigar pairing.
• For $18.00 attendees will get one (1) cigar and two (2) beers.  There are two different pairings to choose. If your adventuresome you can buy both pairings for $36.00.
• The first pairing to choose from will offer either an Alec Bradley Connecticut cigar, a Buffalo Bayou 1836 (which has been aged on cedar), St. Arnolds Endeavour
• The second pairing to choose from will offer an Alec Bradley Tempus Maduro cigar, a Schmaltz Jewbilation 16th Aniversary, a Lindemans Framboise
• Phil Kanaby, sales rep with Alec Bradley, and Heights Cigar Lounge will be onsite from 7pm- 9pm.
• Monday nights are also Onion Creek Steak Night. There will be a tent setup where you can order a 15oz Ribeye with a loaded baked potato for $15.00.

PLAN AHEAD:

Saturday, November 17, 2 pm- 7 pm: “Party for Pooches” Barrio Dogs benefit at Jubilee

• Click here for the fun pdf for the event
• Barrio Dogs is a grassroots, non-profit organization with an emphasis on education and raising awareness on proper animal care in the low income communities. 

Saturdays & Sundays, December 1-16, 2pm: SANTA'S MAGIC TIMEPIECE at UpStage Theater

• “Christmas is around the corner and there's a problem; there are too many good children this year for Santa to visit them all in one night! Can Tink the Elf find a way to save the day despite the mischievous shenanigans of fellow elves Holly and Jolly? Can workshop head Miss Berry and her assistant Figgy keep up with the demand? And will Santa's granddaughter Joy find true love at the North Pole?”
• Find out when UpStage presents this delightful family holiday musical. It’s an UpStage classic that is fun for all ages. 
• Bring the video cameras; the kiddos get to sing carols from the stage.  
• Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased by clicking here. 
• You can also make reservations by calling 713-838-7191.
• 1703 Heights Boulevard

IN OTHER NEWS:

Revival Market turkeys for Thanksgiving

• Revival is now taking online Thanksgiving turkey reservations!
• Good Shepherd Poultry in Tampa, Kansas will be providing the shop with beautiful pasture-raised, heirloom breed turkeys. No antibiotics, no hormones. The birds will be available on a first come, first served basis.
• There are two options: turkeys larger than 15 lbs and smaller than 15 lbs. Online orders will be processed in the order they are received. After placing the order online, Revival staff will call to confirm the order and collect payment info. All orders will be for in-store pick up in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Sorry, No deliveries or shipments. The birds will be $6.95/lb.
• They will also be offering a variety of Thanksgiving Dinner sides from the 18th through the 21st. Check the website for a list.

Doing It For Ourselves--- and our Library!

I'm a child of the 80's. I can't help it if I draw inspiration from that decade, even if it's just for post titles. Plus who doesn't love an Annie Lenox/Aretha Franklin duet? .... but that's not what this is about.

So... some of you may remember a little contest put on by Lego a few months ago called Read.Build.Play. Our own Heights library branch was in 2nd place behind a little town in North Carolina called Mt Airy. The neighborhood rallied and tried to get us past Mt Airy to bring the $5k prize to the Heights. Local Chron.com writer Martin Hajovsky put out a plea for more votes in his Home In The Heights column. The column included some (I thought obvious) tongue-in-cheek comments about the little town that inspired Mayberry. Not everyone thought it was amusing, leading a reporter in Mt Airy to take a cheap shot at our community, Martin, and our library, all well claiming "I’m not going to sit here and slam the competition."  

The Mt Airy News's piece was frustrating to many of us because we knew that the Heights branch is one of many libraries in the Houston system and that, with each community trying to support their own, we couldn't count on our whole metro area to vote for the Heights. We were not going to have the population of 2million backing us as Mt Airy suggested. (NOTE: I did have many wonderful friends who live outside the Heights and helped by casting votes on a daily basis. Thanks to all of them). Still, we are a community of over 45,000 neighbors, so we thought we stood a chance.

Mt Airy's gorgeous new library, designed by the Mazria  architecture firm. 

Photo: www.mazria.com

The Heights voted. We were in first place. Then it was neck and neck. Then, Mt Airy started passing us at an incredible rate. At first some people thought news coverage had garnered them support from outside their community, but this pattern of 5-10 votes every time folks refreshed their screen continued for days. Heights folks got frustrated as their votes were outpaced sometimes 10 to 1 by Mt Airy. In the end, Mt Airy won with over 100k votes to the Heights' roughly 47,000.

But this is the Heights. Residents here don't give up on their community. Local parent and supporter of the library, Stephanie Riceman, quickly started to navigate the bureaucracy of the HPL system. She started at the Heights branch, working with Ms Sara, the children's librarian, and Pat Jones, the head librarian. At the same time Carrie Noxon, another local mom, was in touch with Maya Houston, the Executive Director of the Houston Library Foundation. Through separate channels, the two women were able to get a special donation account set up for the Heights library branch. 

The Heights Library

Photo: www.houstonpubliclibrary.com

To date, a few local families have been able to contribute a total of $750 to the Heights branch, which will be used primarily for the children's area to purchase books, toys or whatever else Ms Sara needs. She is known by many community members to be highly resourceful so good things are expected to happen with whatever is contributed. Still, $750 is a far cry from $5000 that we could have gotten from Lego.

Please consider making a donation to the Heights library today. This opportunity to give directly to our own branch hasn't always existed but is the result of many hours and many emails on the part of community members and library personnel. Every dollar counts and, while the library has been incredibly grateful for the money received so far, we all know we can do better! Even if every member of this community only donated $1, we could pass the Lego prize seven times over. Wouldn't that be amazing to see?

To make a donation, PRINT THIS DONATION FORM and mail it with a check to:

Houston Public Library Foundation

500 McKinney

Houston, Texas 77002

Make your checks out to: Houston Public Library Foundation

Specify: This donation is intended for the Heights Neighborhood Library - Juvenile Services

NOTE: You can donate to the HPL system on line but that donation will NOT be earmarked for the Heights branch.

The Houston Public Library Foundation has cleared the way to donate online on their page, and still channel your donation, if specified, to the Heights Neighborhood Library.

1. Start here and choose your amount:
https://co.clickandpledge.com/advanced/default.aspx?wid=48644

2. On the Make Your Payment page, in the "Other" field, enter "Heights - Kids Group".

Or make a check out to: Houston Public Library Foundation
Specify: This donation is intended for the Heights Neighborhood Library - Juvenile Services. 
Mail: 
Houston Public Library Foundation
500 McKinney
Houston, TX 77002

This is such an amazing opportunity! Please do what you can to support our beautiful library and all that is does for the children in our neighborhood!

Happy Halloween

If you're taking kids Trick or Treating tonight, here are some great safety tips from the Children's Museum of Houston

HALLOWEEN TRICK-O-TREAT SAFETY TIPS:

• Never trick-o-treat alone. Go with at least two friends. Young children should go with an adult. 
• Wear something that will reflect light. Carry a flashlight or glow stick so that cars can see you at all times.
• Plan your route in advance, and make sure your family knows it.
• Visit only houses where the lights are on or have Halloween decorations.
• Accept treats only at the door; NEVER go inside a stranger’s house.
• Be very cautious of strangers and pets you do not know.
• Always have your parents check your candy before you eat it.
  
• Take a cell phone with you, if possible.

If you're not Trick or Treating yourself or with kids, remember:

• There will be a lot of kids in the neighborhood. Please drive slowly and carefully!
• Lights on means you're handing out candy. 
• Lights off means you're not.
• If you are handing out candy, please secure your pets. Even if your pet is kid friendly, not all kids can/want to be around animals. Also, costumes and noise can scare a normally friendly pet.

This is a great night and a lot of fun in The Heights! Kids come from all over to Trick or Treat here because it's a safe, family friendly neighborhood. Let's put our best foot forward!

The Very "Eh" Outing to Studemont Kroger

I am often talking people away from the ledge when it comes to expectations regarding a new restaurant. I have to explain that a patron must significantly lower their standards in at least the first month. It's a general rule of the service industry. For some reason, no matter how much you train and prep, things will be rocky. You can hire a great staff and have a clear vision, but it still takes time to get it all running in a way that will satisfy the expectations of even the average customer, never mind the picky one. Having been part of a restaurant opening staff, I know the challenges first hand. I was an excellent waitress with lots of experience. I studied my menu and my wine list. I had great people skills. Until opening night... You would have thought I just learned to walk, had a 5 word vocabulary and had never eaten in a restaurant, never mind worked in them for a decade!

Things are not going to go perfectly. This is the very reason reastaurants have soft openings and it is also why I will always always defend the staff until they reach "should have known better" territory. 

I haven't found that this rule applies to many other industries. There is just something about restaurants and what we expect from them. However, after a trip to the new Studewood Kroger, I was left wondering if an establishment like a supermarket deserves the same courtesy? 

Certainly the staff at a store opening is new, although some of the better employees from other locations are often pulled to help get through the opening rush. I wouldn't expect many mistakes in terms of general operations, though, as Kroger has over 2400 stores, including 200 in Texas, according to their Kroger 2011 Fact Book. I would imagine they have it down by now. 

I would be wrong. Here is a little look at what I found inside the new store.

Let's be nice and start with the plusses.

1. It's new. That means everything is clean and sparky and in working order. Who doesn't like that?

2. Many of the aisles are nice and wide. Notice I didn't say "all." I am not going to judge that the aisles are different sizes. Maybe everyone isn't as in to symetry as I am? Still, the wide aisles in frozen food were nice and comfortable even as several shoppers stopped their carts and opened the freezer doors. Why canned veggies don't get as much of a berth, I don't know.

Some aisles are wide enough for 4 carts to fit down comfortably, while others force 2 people to have to jockey to pass.

3. They have price scanners. While I don't use these often, I do see them used and think they are a nice       convenience factor for people.

4. They have lots of little signs that really break down the aisles to even smaller categories. For example, in frozen foods they have frozen meals broken down by type, so there is even a sign for "lite meals" rather than just regular frozen dinners. For a 1st time shopper, these little designations did help.

But this is where the positives stop and the topic of organization gets me to the cons. 

1. This store is not well organized. While I realize it was my first time in, it should not have taken me 15 minutes to find Pace Picante Sauce, aka salsa. I looked at the large, marquee style aisle signs and saw "Salsa and dips." Great. However, that aisle was all full of chips. It did have "salsa and dips" but only the Tostitos brand that goes with the chips. I walked the whole aisle to be sure I wasn't missing something, and finally stopped to ask a woman stocking shelves if she knew where I could find salsa. She said there was some on that aisle but I said I was looking for Pace or other brands of [real] salsa. She suggested I check in "condiments." This made sense because that is where salsa is at the 11th St store. I walked up and down the condiment asile. I looked very carefully at all the shelves. I asked a fellow shopper just to make sure I wasn't missing something that was right in front of me. We saw barbecue sauces and salad dressings and hot sauce and ketchup and marinades. No salsa.

A chain with 200+ stores in Texas should know this is probably not what people are searching for when they want "salsa."

Searching the "condiments" aisle won't yield anything spicy for your tortilla chips, either.

I finally found the salsa, after asking another employee who also didn't know where it was, in the "Latin American" foods aisle. Really? This makes sense at Kroger Corporate? This section had a small sub-section sign reading "salsa & dips" but wasn't under the marquee of "salsa & dips" like the Tostitos brand.

No, this isn't the end of the world. This is just one thing I was looking for, but I could bet that there have been other people looking for things other than salsa that had this same experience. It's grocery shopping. It shouldn't be hard but this was brutally annoying.

Salsa: now found with Latin American, Asian and Kosher foods.

2. The way things are shelved doesn't seem to make any sense. The cooler along the wall in the adult beverage section mysteriously morphs in to kefir and then in to the organic milk and cheese. But not the organic yogurt. You have to turn the corner for that.

All the non-orange juice "Simply" products- lemonade, limeade, pink something- are together. These are wedged between the other real orange juices on the left and and the Sunny Delight and mixed stuff on the right. "Huh?" I say to myself. "Would they really not carry the Simply Orange?" They do, but it's not with the orange juices and the other "Simply" products. It's all the way to the left, after a wall in the cooler. Again, not life shattering or even really news worthy outside of the fact that I am writing about what a disorganized mess this supermarket seemed to be, but it's counter-intuitive and makes a mundane task more frustrating than it should be.

There it is. All the way to left. Not between the orange juice and the other "Simply X" products.

3. But here is the real issue: quality. This is the 2nd biggest complaint I hear about the Kroger on 11th after the rotten customer service. There are always issues with the food. I should have known when I hit the produce department that I wasn't going to be happy with this store. I wanted a bag of butter lettuce. That's all. 

Every single bag I picked up looked like this: Brown. It was gross. And it wasn't just the butter lettuce. Check out 2 different romaines below. Not much else you can say about that.

Generally, it was just a big disappointment. This store seemed to be lacking the variety of the 11th St store in some sections like canned veggies. It wasn't very busy and the employees didn't seem very enthusiastic. There were no samples. The one sample station (for some yogurt drink) had no product and no one manning it.

I worked as a cashier at a Stop & Shop when I was in college and I was well trained on how to pack groceries. Because this has made me particular about how they are packed, I try to put some effort in to make it easy. When I started unloading to check out, I put my reusable bags and an insulate cooler bag on the belt first. I put everything on the belt in an order that should make it be easy to pack (Meat together, fruit together, frozen together, boxes/dry goods together). As I was unloading my cart on to the belt, the bagger put all my frozen stuff in a regular (reusable) bag and then held up my insulated bag and asked "What do you want me to put in here?" Despite putting everything frozen or cold on the belt together, I ended up with one stray frozen item thawing between a box of cereal and Goldfish crackers. The head of organic red leaf lettuce that I paid too much for, because the bagged butter lettuce was so bad, was found squished under a bag of Gala apples. Just like 11th Street, the cashier and the bagger gossiped with each other while I stood there. The cashier told me I saved $7 and some change and then wadded my receipt up and handed it to me. The End.

Eh.

If you had a better or similar experience, let me know.

Heights Happenings: October 27- October 31, 2012

Sorry I missed last week. I had a sick kiddo at home and we spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch and reading books. It was so nice to slow down, but I wish I didn't have to have a sick baby on my hands to make it happen.


Sunday, October 28, 5 pm: Fried chicken madness at Revival Market

• The neighborhood’s favorite butchery will have tons of seating and the ability to crank out a lot of dinners in a short amount of time. 
• Jim Beam is also providing some bourbon for delicious complimentary cocktails. 
• No tickets needed. This chicken is first come, first served till they run out. 
• $24.95 per plate. 
• Cocktail on the house, BYOB welcome.
  Dinner Menu
• ~ Fried Chicken
  ~ Collard Greens
  ~ Jalapeño Corn Bread
  ~ Apple Cobbler with Ice Cream

Saturday, October 27, 6 pm: Heights Progressive Dinner

Monday, October 29, 3:30 pm- 4:30 pm: Arts on Wheels for toddlers at Proctor Park 

• Arts on Wheels focuses on art projects that promote a toddler's (ages 18 months- 3+) physical and mental development as they explore the world of art.
• This will be a 5 week course starting this Monday from 3:30-4:30 in the facilities building at Proctor Park
• 803 West Temple Street
• To sign up for class (or learn more about the program) please contact Arts on Wheels founder Jamie Holcomb at: artsonwheels.jh@gmail.com
• You can also visit her Facebook page 

Wednesday, October 31: Halloween

• Don't forget that Wednesday is Halloween. Keep your porch light on if you're going to hand out candy. Shut it off and keep the house dark if you're not. 
• Drive carefully. Kids will be everywhere!

PLAN AHEAD

Saturday, November 3, 10am -4pm: St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Autumn Bazaar 

• The Bazaar will feature more than 50 area artisans, crafters, and specialty vendors. 
• Admission to this day of fabulous shopping, food and fun is free.
• This event is a great place to start your holiday shopping. Items available for purchase will include home décor, jewelry, gourmet foods, purses, handmade quilts, art and photography, toys, pottery, candles, yard art, baby items, home baked goodies, and much, much more!
• Rain or shine. 
• For more information, visit www.saintandrewsepiscopal.org
• 1819 Heights Boulevard

IN OTHER NEWS

The other news is all about shopping. Must be getting close to the holidays!

Holiday Shopping Card starts today! 

• It is on sale right now at Buchanan's, and can be used for a 10-day period beginning Oct. 25, ending Nov. 4. THe card gets you 20% off purchases at selected retailers throughout Houston.  Sales of the card benefit the American Cancer Society.  Visit Buchanan’s Bungalow for more information. 
• Other Heights businesses include Chippendale’s Antiques, CODA, Eclectic Home, Langford Market, OoLaLa, Wind Water Gallery and more

Red Rocket of Houston Speed Shop is open on 19th St

• This new shop carries retro and vintage clothing for men and women who probably also love their cars, rods, trucks and bobbers!  
• Everything from t-shirts to jeans and Dickies and more for guys. For ladies, they have baby t's, blouses, skirts, bags and much more.  
• They are also one of the very few retailers who carry Woverine shoes.  
• 244 W 19th

Sale at Urban Western!

If Rockabilly isn’t your thing, maybe you swing more country. Urban Western Houston carries country style faves like Miss Me, 7 Diamonds, Corral, Roar and more.  

Be sure to stop in and check out the clearance bargains with items 40-60% OFF original price through 10/31/2012.

550-A Heights Blvd.

OUTSIDE THE HEIGHTS

Thursday, October 25, 5:30 pm: Evening with Hermann Park Architect Peter Bohlin

• In celebration of Hermann Park's Centennial in 2014, the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) and the Hermann Park Conservancy have worked together to enhance the park, with more projects to come. The Houston Garden Center is set to be transformed into the Centennial Gardens, a lushly planted landscape destined to become a favorite spot for Houstonians.
• Award-winning architect Peter Bohlin has been selected to design the entry pavilion for the Centennial Gardens. The Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Hermann Park Conservancy will co-sponsor a lecture and discussion with Mr. Bohlin, where he will talk about his design philosophy and the plans for Hermann Park. The discussion will be moderated by Sarah M. Whiting, Dean of the Rice School of Architecture.
• Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 1001 Bissonnet Street
• 5:30 p.m. Reception in the lobby of the Caroline Wiess Law Building
• 6:30 p.m. Lecture and Discussion in the Brown Auditorium Theater   
• Free printed tickets are required and are available at www.mfah.org ("View Full Calendar") or by calling 713.639.7771