Museum Tower Blog

Finger Apartments May Replace Fiesta

2012-02-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

Neartown-area residents are still waiting to hear more details about the apartment complex development expected to replace the Fiesta Mart in their community.

Residents learned about a month ago that The Finger Companies, known for developing such luxury apartments as The Museum Tower, One Park Place by Discovery Green and Jackson Hill near Memorial Park, plans to buy the four-acre Fiesta property at 3803 Dunlavy.

Marvy Finger, firm president, has announced plans to construct a high-end apartment complex there. The project will comprise as many as 390 multifamily units with a Mediterranean-style design.

The Fiesta store has been operating on the Dunlavy site since 1994. Originally, the property was home to a Weingarten store.

It's ironic that the new H-E-B grocery store across the street at 1701 W. Alabama replaced the 1940s-era Wilshire Village apartment complex last fall, Neartown Association president David Robinson said.

Read Complete Article...

Museum Tower Developer Buys Fiesta--Will Turn into Apartments

2012-01-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

The Houston Chronicle reports...

Real estate developer Marvy Finger, who was rumored to be buying the Fiesta shopping center in Montrose for a new apartment complex, said he will close on the property next month.

The timing for the new development is still being determined, but Finger has plans to build 390 multifamily units in as many as 8 stories at the site. The nearly 4-acre property is located at the southeast corner of Dunlavy and West Alabama, across from a new H-E-B.

The complex, Finger said, will have a Mediterranean design. Wallace Garcia Wilson is designing it.
“We’re going to try to create something really beautiful,” he said.

Time to Remember the Staff

2011-12-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

With the Winter Solstice/Christmas/Hanukkah/New years arriving and the season for giving upon us, it is time to remember the staff and all they do for us. By staff, I don't just mean the concierge and valets, but also the building staff who keep things clean and maintained. They work hard all year to make our lives easier and it is at this time of year (at least) that we remember and thank them for their service.

The Smell of Varnish in the Morning

2011-10-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Sunday) while relaxing in my apartment I was suddenly engulfed in varnish fumes. The whole inside of my apartment smelled. After some quick conversation with the refinishers down the hall and building management the problem was fixed. But it got me thinking. Why did this have to happen at all.

First the refinishers were working over the weekend because this was more convenient for them--not for the residents. And it appears they may have been doing it without management's knowledge. But they did get in the building without anyone stopping them.

The next problem was that, again to make thing better for them, they opened the patio door in the unit where they were working. Given the high winds we had yesterday, this just pushed all the fumes into the hallway and into my unit. And that points to yet another problem. You see we have these big gaps under our doors that are supposedly there to keep odors in, but as with most things in the building they didn't work as designed.

The gaps under the doors were some architects idea of a way to keep cooking odors in the apartments and not in the hallway. The problem is, for this to work the AC pressure in the hall needs to be high enough to force air into the units under the door. Well it may be strong enough IF no one opens a patio door anywhere in the building. You see since the elevators connect all the floors, it only takes one person to open their patio door to thwart the architect's grand plans. In fact it may not even take that. All it may take is someone getting on the elevator from a parking floor to connect the resident floors to the outside.That means that we have the door gaps for no benefits to us. Though they do make it much easier to get smells into the apartment.

Lastly, I know that there are paints that don't smell, surely there is floor varnish that doesn't smell. But oh wait, it probably costs more so that would preclude us using it in the building. And if they are going to continue to use the smelly stuff, surely by now they would have developed a way to vent the apartment they are working on without pumping the fumes into the hallway. But that kind of thinking would show some consideration for the residents by the refinishers and I am sure they were the low bidders on the work so have no money left for ventilation equipment or consideration.

Update: Dustin and Water

2011-08-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Dustin's Been Transferred
While you probably haven't noticed, our Assistant Manager, Dustin has left. The reason you haven't noticed is that it happened suddenly with no warning--no announcement and little ability to say goodbye. Dustin was the first assistant manager in my seven years in the building who could do more than unlock the front door and turn on the lights. In fact he was a true assistant who could fill in for Glenda when she was away. This was not the case in the past. Past assistants were assistants in name only. One quickly learned to wait until the manager returned if you wanted substantive help or a good answer to your question. He will be missed and what has also been missed was an opportunity for us all to say goodbye. But then again it would have cost money to put on a little event in the party room

Electricity and Water out Again
Last weekend a transformer down the street succumbed to the heat and with its demise went our electricity AND water. Once again nothing has been done to put the water pumps on the standby generator so that in addition to elevators, we have the ability to flush. Fortunately it happened during the day and lasted only a few hours. But what happens next time? What if it is out for longer than a few hours? When a hurricane is coming we have the chance to prepare and stockpile water or get out of town. When transformers or the like fail suddenly, we are stuck with no water pressure for even basic functions. But then again a solution would cost money. And though the building is nearly full and likely raking in record revenue, the owners won't find the money to keep the water on.

Pool in Sad Shape
The pool is in sad shape. While reportedly safe, it looks very ill. Not only was the surface of the pool mottled in color, but the water had an almost iridescent green hue to it the other day when I visited. The hard core swimmers are reportedly still using it, while we wait on cooler weather for repairs. Yes, there are plans for repairs. The money was found somewhere. Maybe it was those prospective tenants who on their tour saw the pool and decided to keep looking for an apartment. If only prospective tenants knew that every time the electricity goes out (which is almost monthly) so does the water, maybe that would get fixed too.

Marv Finger in the News

2011-04-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

The former owners of Otto’s Barbeque in Houston have filed a lawsuit against their Houston real estate agent alleging he didn’t inform them about all offers on the restaurant and property when it was for sale in 2007.

Marcus and June Sofka filed the lawsuit against David Cook, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield, alleging that Cook did not tell them about Ponderosa Land Development’s offer, but kept pushing his friend Marvy Finger as a buyer of the prime property on Memorial Drive.

Read complete article >>

Dogs in the Elevator

2011-04-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Even after management has gone out of their way to schedule the Dog Elevator so that it is available for dog owners early in the day and late, dog owners consistently are using the people elevators for their dogs. How is this possible? What could be motivating these people?

This is a real puzzle. Each of these people seem to be normally law abiding people in other aspects of their lives, but when it comes to their precious little dogs, they feel free to flaunt the rules they agreed to and ignore the considerations of the other residents.

I have been in the building for a number of years and the last two management administrations have battled this phenomenon. The latest elevator scheduling approach has created hardships for people trying to move items into and out of the building. Thus residents were inconvenienced in an effort to remove one of the objections of the dog people about the dog elevator not being available when their precious needs to pee. But even that has not stemmed the tide of morning and evening scofflaws.

My only conclusion is that the dog people have literally become Dog-people and identify with their pets more than they do with the rest of humanity. Could it be possible that their dogs are more like people to them than the real people they share the building with. Then of course their precious would be more deserving of the people elevator than are the actual people who reside in the building. This would mean that management's assumption that they are dealing with rational people is flawed and in fact they are dealing with confused people and an entirely new approach is necessary.

No Electricity AND NO WATER -- Again

2011-03-11T10:51:00.000-08:00

Once again the electricity has gone out. This time it was a squirrel in the transformer.And with the electricity went the water. No shower. No flushing.

While the building can't do anything about squirrels, it could do something about the standby generator and the water pumps. Without a water storage tank on the roof to maintain pressure we are dependent on the pumps. Unfortunately the building decided no not spend money to spare us from shower less days. No, as usual, they took the low cost option and didn't connect the water pumps to the standby generator.

How many times do we have to lose electricity before the building becomes unlivable in.

No Electricity -- No Water

2011-02-25T06:28:00.000-08:00

Once again we have been reminded that when we lose power we lose water. This happens because we have no water tank on the roof to maintain pressure and our water pumps are not tied into the standby generator. It seems clear that someone decided to save a few bucks and buy a smaller standby generator, regardless of the effect on the resident experience. After all, I am sure they reasoned, once we have signed the lease we aren't going to move out because we have to do without water for a few hours.

But just imagine if we, like our neighbors across the street, were without power for two weeks --well we couldn't live here. While we might make it through without air conditioning, there is no way we could last a couple of weeks without water. That means that we really need to plan to evacuate when the next hurricane is headed this way. While the building has held up well during Rita and Ike without losing power, we are betting on our continued good fortune if we stay here when the next one comes.

But before that happens, it looks like we have to deal with increased electrical instability in our area and the resulting lack of water. When a hurricane is coming we can prepare by storing water in bathtubs, but when we lose electricity without warning, the tub is empty and we have no reserve. While we have no control over when we are going to lose power, doing without water could have been prevented.

Will Finger be a Winner?

2011-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

Now what a question. In the HBJ this morning Jennifer Dawson reports that the Houston Apartment Association is preparing to initiate awards for the best apartment complexes in Houston and she asks in her headline if Camden or Finger will be a winner.

I wounder if the HAA is planning on talking to tenants?

Read the article here >>

Recycling has arrived

2010-10-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

We finally have recycling. Management announced earlier this week that a recycling bin has been placed in the trash room for recycling plastic, aluminum, paper, cardboard and metal. This is a giant leap forward. And from the looks of the bin after only 3 days, one bin may not be enough, as it is already overflowing (see pic).

The good news is that we don't have to sort the stuff as that is evidently done by Waste Management at their facility. One, this makes it much easier for us, and two, it makes it much more likely that residents in the Museum Tower will participate.

The only problem is that eventually I can see the possibility of us recycling the majority of our waste and having to carry it down rather than using the trash chute. It seems that just the reverse should happen -- and that would add to the incentive to participate.

Regardless of how things develop, this is great progress and the building should be commended for making it happen.

Halted High-Rise Threatens Future Houston Projects, Developer Claims

2010-09-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Buckhead Investment Partners Inc. is suing the city of Houston for more than $40 million in damages or the right to develop this 23-story, mixed-use project at 1717 Bissonnet as originally proposed.

A proposed multi-use development thwarted by the city of Houston sets a dangerous precedent that casts uncertainty on virtually every infill project in the Energy City, the property owner contends.

Buckhead Investment Partners Inc. is suing the city of Houston, which has no zoning law, in federal district court to contest what company principals describe as the arbitrary application of a driveway ordinance to halt plans for 1717 Bissonnet. First filed in July 2007, the proposal triggered heated opposition from two adjoining neighborhoods that sought to prevent its construction.

Read entire article at National Real Estate Investor

Elevators: Why Are They So Difficult.

2010-08-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how your neighbors seem to become unconscious as they approach the elevator and exhibit all sorts of strange behavior? I know we ride the elevators by ourselves a lot so behaving oddly around the elevator isn't a problem. But when we are around others you would think we would wake up and pay attention to what we are doing. But no, elevators seem to have this mind clouding ability no matter whether people are around or not.

My favorite unconscious behavior is the folks who get on the elevator and stand right up against the one set of buttons so when you get on you have to delicately slip your hand between the person's belly and the buttons and try to find your button and push it. If you say "excuse me" to suggest they might move back and give you a little room, they give you that glassy eyed look that suggest they are visiting another dimension at the moment and didn't quite understand what you just said.

My second favorite elevator stunt is performed by the folks who try to get on the elevator before letting you off. When the elevator comes to the first floor, anyone on the elevator when the doors open is almost certainly getting off. So to barrel on without letting them get off first just seems crazy. And folks do it over and over again. Are they so anxious to get upstairs? Or is their mid clouded and confused?

My next favorite group are the residents with kids or dogs who don't have them on a leash. They expect us all to love their little precious ones as much as they do. It is especially fun when the two legged darlings begin to punch as many buttons as they can reach. They are just sooooo cute. And of course we have a few dog owners who don't think the freight elevator was meant for them at all. Perhaps if we renamed the freight elevator the Dog Elevator they would get the message that they don't have a special dispensation from using it for their precious barker.

In any event we must be vigilant around elevators and stay awake because nearly everyone else isn't.

Renting a High Rise Isn't Chesp -- But Then Neither Is Owning

2010-07-26T14:38:00.000-07:00

Nancy Sarnoff in a recent Houston Chronicle article provided some examples of maintenance costs at local high-rises. She quotes some numbers from Martha Turner Properties that peg maintenance fees on a 1500 sq. ft. apartment at $1,000 or more--and that doesn't necessarily include maintenance. When you add that monthly expense to the mortgage payment, owning a high-rise seems a lot more expensive that renting.

Granted you will have much nicer kitchen cabinets and its unlikely you'll have an ugly signs in the front yard or a tacky banner on the roof. But I guess that's the trade off we have to make.

Read her article here >>

HEB tells Park Group to Put Up or Shut Up.

2010-07-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

H-E-B is moving ahead with plans to build a new store at Dunlavy and Alabama. To placate the "Montrose Land Defense Coalition" H-E-B has offered to put the store on stilts with parking underneath. This would save a couple of acres for a park. The rub is this construction approach will cost a couple of million more and H-E-B would like the community to demonstrate how much it wants the park by contributing to the venture.

The MDC didn't seem to be interested in this land while the old ratty apartment complex was there, in fact they didn't even exist until the land was cleared. But of course they didn't have the money to buy the land. They waited until H-E-B purchased it and then began howling that it should be turned into a park. Well let's see what they can do. H-E-B has put the park destiny in their hands--lets see how much money they can raise.

Read the Mike Morris' Houston Chronicle article here

Cappuccino is Back

2010-07-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Cappuccino is back after a several days absence. Who would have ever thought that The Museum Tower residents enjoyed cappuccino so much.

HINT: Bring your cup so you can make two cups at a time.

Hard Soled Shoes Drive Neighbor Crazy

2010-07-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

A resident was recently admitted to a local psychiatric hospital as the result of sever stress due to his upstairs neighbor and their hard soled shoes. It seem that the Museum Tower resident -- let's call him George -- had his sleep repeatedly disturbed by the upstairs neighbor walking on her hard wood floors with hard soled shoes while he was trying to sleep. The upstairs resident -- let's call her Helen -- didn't realize that the sound from her footsteps was carrying through the ceiling and being amplified by the concrete until it sounded to George like someone was tapping on the head of a drum while he was inside of it.

George had been living happily in the Museum Tower for many years until Helen moved in above him. And unfortunately for George, Helen arose earlier than George and proceeded to walk around in her apartment getting ready for her day while George was trying to sleep. At first George was just annoyed by being awakened earlier than he planned, but as each day went by and the tap tap tap on the ceiling repeated itself, George's stress mounted. At first he just cursed to himself, but his irritation grew until he just snapped. One morning last month he charges upstairs still dressed in his pajamas and knocked gently on Helen's door so as not to alarm her. When she opened the door to see what was the matter her seized her by the throat and took one of her hard soled shoes and beat the living bejesus out of her with it. He then dropped Helen and her shoe and went downstairs and back to sleep.

Needless to say the authorities arrived shortly after Helen was able to report the incident and carted George off to the loony bin. Let's hope he was able to get a good night's sleep there. Helen, a little too late, has stopped wearing hard sole shoes and now tiptoes around on her hard wood floors.

Hurricane Season is Here

2010-06-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

While Hurricane Season is officially here, things have been very quiet in the tropics. This is not unusual as late August and September seem to be big hurricane months for us in Houston. The two storms I have weathered in the Museum Tower hit on Sept 13 (Ike) and Sept 22 (Rita). Katrina hit south Louisiana on August 29 and looked for a while like it was headed here. We have to go all the way back to 1983 for the previous hit to Houston when Alicia came ashore on August 18.

Regardless of when they hit there are a few things to remember about weathering them in the Museum Tower.

The first is that the windows are single pane. The City of Houston now requires high-rises to have double pane windows. However this building was permitted and under construction before that new provision went into effect. The result is we are more vulnerable to wind damage. That said, the building has weathered both recent storms without a single lost window. In the past management has said that the windows are rated for 90 mph winds, but I am not sure what that means. While the surface winds of the two recent storms were reported to be below 70 mph, the upper floors likely saw much higher wind speeds. Nor do we know what happens when wind blown objects impact the windows. None-the-less the smart thing to do is get your self and your valuables away from the windows during a storm.
Second, if we lose power it pays to be prepared. We do have a standby diesel generator in the building. It is usually tested on Tuesday morning and depending on the wind direction you may have noticed the exhaust in the parking garage. It powers the elevators and safety lights in the hallways and will keep running as long as it has and can get fuel. Fortunately during both of the last two storms we have only been without power for a few hours. During Ike the folks in the single family residents on the other side of Montrose were without power for two weeks. I am sure they hated looking at our lit up building during those days of no air conditioning.
When we lose power we also lose water pressure. In my opinion this is a huge design flaw in the building. I am sure it saved money and allowed for a smaller standby generator. Regardless, without power we have no water. This for me will determine whether or not to consider staying in the building if we lose power for an extended period. Living without air conditioning is tough, but living without flushable toilets is brutal. So the first thing to do when a hurricane nears is to fill your bathtubs as you may need it. Remember to test your tubs before hand to make sure they will hold water without leaking. During Rita several of us found out that our little-used tubs had leaks and didn't hold the water we thought they would.
If you decide to stay in the building during a storm remember to stock up on the usually recommended hurricane food and supplies. In both of the past two storms it has taken several days for local groceries and restaurants to open as most were without power. While we were lucky in the Museum Tower and were ready to get on with our lives, the folks around us had to deal with almost two weeks without power. Also note that building staff will stay on duty during the storm to look after the building. They are real heroes and have demonstrated in both storms that they are not just here when things go well but can be depended on even in the midst of a hurricane. While they are here to help, don't expect them to have supplies that you didn't buy before the storm.

All in all the building has proven to be a good place to weather the last two storms. While watching the wind and rain pound against the windows was unsettling, the building held together quite well and proved to be one of the best places in Houston to be living both during and after the storm.

A great weather site to monitor during the season is the Weather Underground Tropics site.
It will not only give you the past track of a storm, but will show you several projected tracks so you can determine what storms might head our way.

If you have an iPhone there is a great app for tracking storms -- iHurricane.

Another Power Failure -- No Water & Hot Air

2010-06-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

We lost power briefly (I think) while I was away over the weekend. The way I know was from a hot air conditioner and brown water. When we lose power in the building of course we lose power to the AC units. However when power is restored, the units don't always reset and begin cooling again. Sometimes the fan just runs and runs pumping hot air through the apartment.

Also when we lose power we lose water pressure. I opened a water faucet shortly after returning home and not only got a blast of air but a stream of very dirty water. The same recurred as I opened and flushed all of the faucets in the apartment. This is one of the most frustrating things about this building. The water pumps are not connected to the stand by generator, so while the elevator works when we lose power we have no water pressure. When a hurricane is coming you can prepare by filling your tub with spare water, but when we lose power unexpectedly, we are SOL. It might be wise to store a couple of gallons of flushing water under the sink for emergencies.

More about preparing for hurricanes and the Museum Tower in a future post.

Another hurricane could 'devastate' Houston - Rice study

2010-05-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Houston Business Journal reports...

A university think tank has released a study warning that even a moderate hurricane could severely damage the Texas Gulf Coast.

Rice University-based Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, or SSPEED, unveiled the report this week at the 2010 Coastal Resilience Symposium at Rice.
“There are warning signs across the board,” said SSPEED Director Phil Bedient, Rice’s Herman Brown Professor of Engineering and a co-author of the new report. “Ike was a Category 2 hurricane, and it caused $30 billion in damage. Had that same storm struck 30 miles farther south, it could easily have caused $100 billion in damage. Had it struck that location as a Category 4 storm, like Carla, the results would have been catastrophic.”

Read the complete article >

Click here to visit the Rice site and download the report >

Cappuccino Is Back

2010-05-26T06:02:00.001-07:00

The coffee machine has been fixed. It again makes cappuccino a cafe lattes!

THE GOOD NEWS: We have a coffee machine. THE BAD NEWS: Its already broken.

2010-05-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Yes we have a coffee machine. it is located on the 6th floor in the kitchen next to the party room. It has been there for about a month now and seems to be very popular with the residents. Unfortunately there are a number of residents who don't know about it. While that's not a good thing, it might be a blessing in disguise. You see, the residents who do know about it have used it so much that they have broken it. They haven't broken it completely however, just the part that makes cappuccino.

This new machine is a real wonder; it makes not only coffee but also espresso and cappuccino and cafe latte. To do this it has an internal mike dispenser that uses powered milk and hot water to make a frothy steamed-milk substitute that is really quite tasty. So tasty in fact that it has become a favorite of the residents (who know about it.) This love has resulted in more use than the new machine may have been designed to handle as the milk making part is broken and a replacement part is reportedly "on order." In the mean time it still makes very good coffee. If you want something else, you will have to provide your own milk.

Houston mayor unveils $4.1 billion budget

2010-05-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

The Mayor has proposed a new budget. Read all about the details in this Houston Chronicle Article

Not Quite Whole Foods

2010-05-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

As you probable know the developer and operator of our lovely building has developed a competing property downtown called One Park Place. Early in the promotion of OPP it was rumored that Whole Foods was going to place a small grocery store in the building.

Well it won't quite be Whole Foods. Instead, it was announced today that Phoenicia Specialty Foods will occupy the space instead. If you haven't heard of Phoenicia, don't feel bad as they have only one store and it is way out Westheimer. It is a nice store with hard to find ethnic foods from around the world. While it is no Whole Foods, I expect that they will stock the OPP store with the kinds of things the residents will buy and will therefore be a lot less ethnic than their current store. Regardless of the pedigree, the OPP residents wil have A grocery store in their building.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a small grocery store in our building?

Wine Tasting in the Lobby

2010-04-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

The Museum Tower is hosting a Wine Tasting for all the residents in the building Lobby on Tuesday May 4 at 7:00.

Hot Water Heaters -- Future Budgeting?

2010-04-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Last week we had our apartments inspected for "Future Budgeting." In the 5 plus years I have been here this is a first. It seems that our hot water heaters are misbehaving and are in need of inspection to determine the amount of maintenance needed and therefore the amount the building should budget for maintenance.

The problem stems from the cost cutting measures taken when the building was built. We all know about the flooring full of holes and the bargain cabinets we can see. Well, evidently some not so visible lower cost items were purchased and installed in the building. Over the holidays last year a leak developed in the utility closet while a resident was away and the drain in the closet was overwhelmed and a number of apartments got a little damp. So it seems the maintenance staff is trying to replace the "cheap" stuff on the hot water tanks before we have a repeat.

The maintenance staff do a great job keeping the building looking and running great. But how long will it be before the "bargain" items installed during construction become to expensive to maintain.

By the Way: The air filters I purchased after my coils were cleaned are working great. Not only is there less dust in my apartment but I am breathing better and my chronic sinus problems have cleared up.

The Smoke and Perfume are Gone

2010-04-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: The smoke and perfume spilling into the hallway are gone. The source moved out this weekend. Sometime things do work out the way they are supposed to.

CATS at Miller Outdoor this Weekend

2010-04-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

April 15 - 17, 8:00 pm The 2nd longest running show in Broadway history, CATS, beloved by young and old alike will be performed at the Miller Outdoor Theater this weekend.The performance will featuring an all-youth cast of talented performers, ages 8 to 19.

It is only a 10 minute walk from here, so grab your folding lawn chair or a blanket and give it a try.

To keep track of future Miller events follow this link.

Ashby High Rise Developers Re-File Their Suit Against Houston

2010-04-13T14:52:00.001-07:00

The Ashby High Rise boys aren't going away. Read the following article reported by the Houston Chronicle.

Why Can't You Do Anything You Want in Your Own Home?

2010-04-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of things that seem sacred in this country and a man's-home-is-his-castle is one of them. However, things change a bit when a bunch of our "castles" are stacked together as they are here at the Museum Tower. As I have said before, things work best here when we each show each other just a bit of consideration. Things break down when we park our cars over the line, leave our trash on the floor of the trash room or ALLOW OUR CIGARETTE SMOKE TO POLLUTE THE HALLWAY.

After all you would expect that if a person wants to smoke in their apartment, they should be able to do that. Unfortunately if you smoke in your Museum Tower apartment and open your patio door, there is a good chance the smoke is going to end up in the hallway and offend your neighbors. If in an attempt to cover up your misdeeds you burn a foul smelling candle all you do is make matters worse. As fewer and fewer people smoke our neighbors are confronted by cigarette smoking less and less and as a result they become more sensitive to it. So we then have a greater responsibility to be mindful of our neighbors and keep our cigarette smoke away from them. AND when the weather has been as nice as it has lately there is NO EXCUSE for not smoking out on your patio. In addition, to keep smoking after your fellow residents have complained to the building management and you have been requested to stop both the smoking and the nasty candle burning you continue, you must really be a jerk and care absolutely nothing about the folks you live with.

New additions

2010-03-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

You may not have noticed, but not only do we have a full time coffee machine on the 6th floor but also the bulletin board is back on the first floor where the sometimes-available coffee used to be.

Well this is double good news. Not only do we not have to ask permission to drink coffee, but we can now post items of interest on the bulletin board.

Unfortunately the location for the new coffee dispenser is the 6th floor kitchen which is inaccessible whenever someone reserves the party room. As most people reserve the room for many hours more than they need it to allow for set up and take down, it will mean there will be long stretches of time when coffee won't be available. Don't get me wrong, this is a lot better than having to go in the office (when it was open) to ask permission to receive a very valuable coffee packet.

Let us hope that those who were responsible for disappearing more coffee packets than the building could afford will not be interested in walking off with coffee beans. The new machine houses the beans for regular and decaf in separate bins. The machine is secured with locks to thwart the serious coffee addicts who ravaged the previous machine.

Our Crazy Neighbors Are At It Again

2010-03-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

It wasn't enough that the wackos in South Hampton trashed their yards for the past three years with yellow placards, now we have another group threatening to do the same. Nancy Sarnoff reports in the Chron that a group of Montrose residents are protesting the possible building of an HEB across from Fiesta on Dunlavy. Apparently the complainers want a park there since the ratty old apartment complex has been cleared. While that would be nice, its not like we're short of parks with Hermann being so close. What we are short of are decent grocery stores. The Kroger down Montrose is so bad I feel like I need shots before I go in there. And the Fiesta isn't much better. If either place would significantly remodel and clean itself up, then maybe the protesters would have a point. But the only thing that will make them remodel is a little competition. Then maybe we would have three nice grocery stores. In the mean time we may have to endure more placards in front of our neighbor's homes. I can see the slogan now, "Stop H.E. Butt from Butting into Montrose--Leave That to Us."

New Restaurant, Clean Air and Recycling

2010-02-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

New Restaurant
I tried a new restaurant that is just down the street called Canopy. You can check out the review at the Urban Spoon. It was nice and much better appointed than most of our neighborhood restaurants. The prices are good and the service was excellent. However, it is one of those places that I am just not drawn to. We have some many choices for eating out that when the time comes, Canopy ends up way down the list. Try it out and let me know what you think.
Clean Air
When we had the last deep freeze (I can't believe there has been more than one this year) my heater (rather, heat pump) went out and, of course, the building guys were right on it. But this time it wasn't a quick fix and they spent some time sorting it out. In the process we discovered that the heat exchanger coils were covered in dust. This is a result of the not-so-great filters we get from the building. I had in the past looked for alternative filters, but my heat pump uses an odd size and I could never remember what is was when I was in the hardware store. This time I decided to look online. Well I found them, in of all places, Amazon. Not only that, since I have their Prime shipping service, I got them in two days delivered to the door. Here is the link to the site. To accommodate my odd size, I had to buy two half the size and tape them together. but they work great and my breathing is a lot better.
Recycling
I have often wondered why we don't recycle in the building. Oh, I know it is hard to do it in out apartments with so little appropriate storage space. But just think about all the newspapers hauled into the building every day that end up in the trash. And on top of that, all the plastic water bottles and aluminum cans. If we all compared notes and tallied it up, I am sure we would be shocked. I have decided to start my own little effort with plastic, but wouldn't it be great if there was some place down by the loading dock where we could take recyclables rather than having to haul them to the recycling center.

No Live Trees, Please.

2009-12-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

I know it is tempting at this time of the year to succomb to the pull of tradition and purchase a live christmas tree and bring it into the building. A live tree is extremely dangerous. Why would you take dry wood saturated with turpentine, bring it into your home and then wrap it in hot electrical lights and place it next your most prized possessions. If you have any doubts about the dnger, watch this video.

Not only are you exposing your family to danger, but also your fellow residents. While we have sprinkler systems to protect us, they are unproven. And no one wants to experience a fire drill in the middle of the holiday season and the possibility of extensive smoke damage throughout the building.

The management has distributed a note requiring that all trees be treated with fire retardant. Go a step further and buy an artificial tree.

Houston Not So Good For Walking--Duh!

2009-11-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

The following article, will appear in the Houston Business Journal this week (click to see). It describes how Houston ranks 8th on the list of the worst cities for walking in the US. For those of us who have tried to cross Montrose in the evening, crosswalk or no, this is no revelation. Autos in this city have little or no respect for pedestrians.

The Museum Tower has created its own blog

2009-10-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Museum tower has created its own blog. I wonder what ever gave them that idea. The address for the new blog is http://www.themuseumtower.myaptportal.com/ . (You would think they could have found a shorter web address). They have subscribed to a service provided by Community Sherpa which is owned by the parent company of Apartment Finder. I suspect they have rolled this out for all the Finger "apartment" complexes. On the Community Sherpa website there is a list of maybe 50 blogs they have created in this area. I don't know about you, but I really like it when they treat us like just another apartment complex. (Like when they place crappy signs out front)

All in all the blog is not bad. It is built on the Wordpress platform so it has all the bells and whistles available to it. We'll have to see how they plan to use it. The initial information placed on the site didn't get off to a good start however. The restaurants previewed are in the Galleria Area. Maybe they will get around to posting something about our area soon.

Is the Ashby High Rise really so bad?

2009-10-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

This headline appeared in this morning's Chronicle

Poll: Voters want tough land-use law -- Ashby high-rise controversy cited for apparent turnaround in public opinion

It seems that many Hostonians are ready for land use restrictions. Why now?

When you drive (or walk) around Southampton the yellow anti Ashby High Rise signs are still out. There is even a gated community on Bissonnett with a huge banner tied to their gate proclaming that the high rise is a "Tower of Traffic." Those of us who live in The Museum Tower, know that is just a ruse. If the Museum Tower doesn't cause traffic congestion, the Ashby High Rise won't either. No, the real issue seems more likely to be that they don't want our type in their neighborhood. Us high rise types are some how undersirable. Are we more black, or more gay or poorer than they are? It must be something like that, but I'll be darned, if I can figure out what it is.

Like the Ashby, when The Museum Tower was built an old apartment complex was scraped to make way for it. As best as I can determine, everyone thought that was a good idea at the time. Removing the current apartment complex on the corner of Ashby and Bissonnett and replacing it with a high rise, will almost certainly bring more afflent residents to the neighborhood. You would think that the "Southampton" folks would like that. Hmmm. This is a real mystery.

UPDATE: I just got a call from Peter Brown's campaign saying that he is definitely against the Ashby High Rise. How stupid was that, to call a high rise resident and announce he was against a new high rise.

Further UPDATE: Nancy Sarnoff -- Oct 20, 2009

Summer Party and Sign

2009-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Several things have happened since my last report that deserve mentioning.

End of Summer Party
The building put on an end-of-summer party last week that turned out to be very enjoyable. However the building seems to be scrimping on the food. If my memory serves me right, the food variety and quality was much better several years ago than it has been lately. I also need to check my calendar, but it seems we are have fewer of these parties than we used to. These parties are a great way for residents to meet each other. With the turnover we have in the building it is a real challenge to know our neighbors and quarterly parties are a great way for us all to feel a little more connected and less anonymous.

New Sign
I don't know if my "Ugly Sign" post made any difference but the sign out front has been completely rebuilt and a cover put over the back so you can't see it is a cheap wooden sign. Unfortunately the very ugly "Penthouse available" banner survived the tear down and has been tackily tacked to the top of the new sign. As I mentioned in my previous post, I can't see how this sign does any good. It trashes the front of our building and cheapens the look. As a marketing guy, I see it as an Anti-Marketing sign.

If We Will Just Be A Little Considerate...

2009-09-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

The manager at The Museum Tower sent out a note this morning. That is unusual in itself as most notes are delivered in the afternoon after the offices closes. So this one must be important. It reviewed a few rules and reminded us that we are a group of folks trying to live together in some sort of harmony. This letter, or one very much like it, goes out at least once a year. While there are some of us who live in the building for long periods of time, many are only here for a short time. I don’t know if it’s because, they know they won’t be her long or they are just aren’t used to living this closely with others, but they seem to forget that just a little consideration of your fellow residents will go a long way. It is this forgetfulness that prompts the management letter.

You see, basic things like dogs, trash, slamming doors and how you park don’t matter when you living in a single residence home. But when you are living with 13 other families on each floor they begin to matter. Take the dog issue. No other pets are a problem because they stay in the unit and do their business there, but dogs have to be walked. While not much of a problem lately, we have had residents in the past who thought they were special and didn’t have to take their little precious on that nasty old freight elevator. They felt that no matter what the rest of the residents thought, they were going to walk out the front door not the back. This is the height of ego and a complete absence of consideration.

Then there is the trash. The sign in the trash room has very clear instructions on how to deal with boxes, but we have had residents who insisted on depositing their trash on the trash room floor rather than down the chute. We even had someone spill grease down inside the chute. It took on quite a lovely aroma as it matured. The building had to do a major cleaning to get the air quality on the south end of the floor back to normal. All could be avoided with just a little consideration.

The Manager didn’t mention it but we once had a resident who decided to move out at 4:00 am. Somehow she got access to the freight elevator and had movers in the halls talking and moving things while residents we still sleeping. The Concierge didn’t know how to handle it and management wasn’t here, so nothing got done. The resident essentially told us that complained to buzz off. After all she was moving out and didn’t much care about us.

We don’t have to go out of our way for our neighbors; all we have to do is show just a little bit of consideration and remember that other people live her too. We should also remember that the staff is not here to clean up after us. They are wonderful and happy to help, but we shouldn’t impose.

Here are my ten suggestions for making this a great place for us all to live in:

Put your trash in a plastic bag, secure and put it down the chute.
Take any big boxes or trash down to the dumpsters. If you ask the staff with help for this, tip them
Don’t leave trash by the elevators in the parking garage.
Park your car in the space provided to you and leave space for the car next to you to open their door
Do not use a guest parking space unless you are a guest
Take your dog outside on the freight/dog elevator
Close your door quietly, especially early in the morning
Don’t throw anything off the balcony, that you wouldn’t want thrown onto yours
Turn on your vent fan when you cook smelly things
Don't drag furniture accross the floor. Put pads on any furniture that you routinely move, like dining chairs.

The Museum Tower is a wonderful place to live, if we are all just a little considerate of each other it can be even better.

Hurricane Season Quiet, but...

2009-08-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

While hurricane season has been very light so far the three simultaneous storms of last week made me think about what is was like to ride out Rita and Ike in The Museum Tower. During Rita we tried to leave town but were caught up in the mass exodus and turned around and came back. In Ike we didn’t even try to leave.

It turns out that The Museum Tower is a safe place to ride out a hurricane as long as you stay away from the windows. The building is very stout and actually fared very well during both storms. While we didn’t lose any windows during either storm we were still concerned and stayed the night in an interior bedroom. I could never get a good answer on how strong the windows are supposed to be. The most definitive answer was that they are rated for 90 mph winds. In both storms the ground winds probably never exceeded 75 mph but who knows what the wind speeds were at higher floors. And I have no idea what that rating means when the windows encounter flying debris. I am not sure anyone knows and if they do they aren’t saying. In newer high-rises the city requires that double pane windows be installed. If we had them not only would our electricity bills be a lot lower, but we would be safer in a storm.

We were very fortunate in both storms to be without electricity for only a short period. While the building may be safe in a storm, it is not much fun without power. Not only do we lose the obvious light and AC, but we lose water as well. If you are going to say in the building, be sure and have your bathtubs full for flushing water. We have a stand by generator that automatically kicks in to run the elevators and emergency lights. Unfortunately the generator runs on diesel and is dependent on refueling trucks for extended outages. If it runs our of fuel we have to walk the stairs. Fortunately we seem to be on the same power grid as the medical center so our power comes back faster than it might otherwise. During Ike our neighbors across the street were without power for two weeks while we were only down for a few hours.

Let’s hope things stay quiet for the rest of the hurricane season. No matter how stout the building, I would just as soon not have to experience another hurricane here.

Bar-B-Que on the Patio

2009-08-03T08:27:00.000-07:00

We can add a new amenity to list of benefits of living in the Museum Tower. We have new barbeque pits installed on the Pool Patio. Word is that they have been there over a week, but I just noticed them. We are evidently awaiting some additional controls before they are activated and the building publishes a notice to all residents with instruction on their use.

UPDATE: Controls received and installed. Pits operational.

Auto Repair Right Accross The Street

2009-07-20T08:21:00.001-07:00

Houstonians have twice voted down efforts to impose zoning. Despite how you feel about that, one of the benefits of no-zoning is that we have Montrose Tire Auto Shop just across the street from us. And it is not just any auto shop, but a great auto shop.

Finding someone who is honest and trust worthy to work on your car is a real challenge. In fact once you have found someone you can trust to tell you the truth and only fix what needs to be fixed most of us would drive across town to give them our business. It would almost be too much to ask for to have them be just across the street.

I lived in the building for over a year before I ventured across Montrose to give them a try. I had a bad tire, and figured that no matter had bad they were, they couldn't screw up a tire repair too much. After that went well, I later had them change my oil and do a state inspection. Since that initial visit, they have done my brakes, new tires, transmission work, AC work and even body work for me. Not only have they done good work at a fair price, but they also did it with a great attitude. I have even dropped my car off when I am heading out of town and they have repaired it and brought it back to the building for the valets to park while I was away.

Having Montrose Tire across the street is another one of those unadvertised benefits of living in the Museum Tower. If you haven't tried them, drop by and ask for Lee. He will take great care of you.

We have a new Banner

2009-07-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know how long it has been there, but I noticed it yesterday. We have a new banner on the top of the building so all the prospective residents driving along the Southwest Freeway can see it. The sign announces that the building is leasing and that penthouses are available. It seems the building is trying to market its way out of a structural problem and doesn't mind trashing the building in the process.

Apparently the building has several penthouses on their hands and when penthouses are available their empty square footage means that the building vacancy percentage is higher. I suspect that some management bonuses tied to vacancy rate. In any event the management company seems very concerned about those empty penthouses.

First they made the ugly sign out front (see previous post) even uglier with the plastic "penthouse available" banner tacked across the front and now they have placed a banner across the top of the building. Apparently the management company thinks that whatever marketing approach works for $500 a month apartment complex will work here just as well.

The real solution to the problem is to fix the structural defects in the penthouses. I know of at least four residents who would seriously consider a penthouse if the master bedrooms were fixed. The loft bedrooms are open so that there is no privacy whenever you have guests staying over. Why build a penthouse with multiple bedrooms and leave the master bedroom open to the rest of the apartment? If the building would redesign the space and close these bedrooms so that there is some privacy, they could easily rent them to people already living in the building and wouldn't need to clutter the building with signs that cheapen the look and, interestingly enough, the product they are trying to sell.

Neighborhood Taco Shop

2009-06-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

One of the pleasures of living in the Museum Tower is our ability to walk so many wonderful places. Right out our front door is North and South Boulevards, two of the most scenic streets in all of Houston. Then there are the wonderful walks around Rice University and Hermann Park just a few minutes away. In addition to the scenery, another pleasure is the ability to walk to a number of nice restaurants.

Most of you are, I am sure, familiar with the restaurants along Montrose Blvd. One you may not know about is a recently opened Taco Shop located on Caroline between Binz and Ewing. It is on the way from here to Hermann Park. It is nothing fancy, but a delightful place to stop either before or after a walk around Hermann Park. They have a huge veranda for sitting outside. It is located on the east side of the building so it is shaded in the afternoon and pleasant in the evenings.

Follow this link to a more in depth article on the restaurant.

Pay Your Rent Online -- If You dare

2009-05-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

I just received a notice under my door offering me the opportunity to pay my rent online. The Museum Tower obviously sees this as a benefit to someone or they woudn't promote it. I am a little puzzled though as to why they would offer this particular option. Anyone who can afford the rent in TMT likely has a checking account that already has online banking. Or if they are web savvy enough to want online rent payment, they would be savvy enough to have a checking account that offers online banking. Plus TMT charges a $1.00 for the "convenience." If you have online banking why would you use this service and pay an extra dollar. Further you have to set up a new account with log in etc. What a pain.

No, this seems to be in answer to the residents who want to pay with a credit card and get points for their rent. The trouble is that while TMT is offering credit card payment, they want us to pay the freight. Not only would we have to pay $30 for the "convenience" but there is a max of $4000 on the charge. That means that over half the people living in The Museum Tower would have to pay $60 to pay their rent payment with their credit card. Heck of a deal they are offering us.

Nowhere in the little brochure is any comment about your payment being guaranteed to be received on time. Whenever you use an automatic system, you are dependent on the mail or the processor to get the payment to The Museum Tower on time. If not you are responsible for the hundreds of dollars in late fees. That is why I write a check and hand it personally to one of the management staff. I do not leave it with the Concierge as they are not employees of the building.

If the building wants us to make electronic payment easily they need to do the following:

Absorb all the fees.
Guarantee if we use their system we will not be charged late fees if the system fails
Allow for all of the rent to be paid in one tranaction.
Include water charges in the rent so we pay the same payment each month
Stop using a third party and take the payments themselves

Then maybe they would be offering us a service we would use.

New Security Monitor

2009-05-12T06:55:00.001-07:00

Management has responded and made a significant security adjustment. Now don't get excited, it may not seem like that big deal to everyone. Yesterday I noticed that the concierge's security camera monitor had been moved to the main desk where he or she can easily monitor the cameras while sitting or standing at their desk. Previously the camera monitor was setting on the table in the alcove behind the concierge. This meant that to do his job AND watch the monitor, the concierge had to continuously be looking around behind him. Imagine driving without rear view mirrors. To drive properly you would constantly be turning around in your seat or, more likely, not looking behind you at all. With the monitor where it was, I suspect that the latter was happening when it came to monitoring the security cameras. Now those days are over. The monitor is on the desk right in front of the concierge. He can easily monitor it, especially in the evenings.

Parking Space Available

2009-05-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

One of the residents I met at the Party last week mentioned that he had a parking space that he wished to sublet. If you would like an additional space, beginning in August, contact Glenda in the management office and she will connect you with the "seller."

Party -- Thursday Evening

2009-04-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to attend the party in the Lobby Thursday evening from 6 to 8. I will be there to "cover" the event for the Blog. If you have been reading the Blog but haven't commented yet, be sure and let me know what you think.

Water Bill Blues

2009-04-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

I got my water bill today. It was for $24.51. Now this is both expensive and very cheap. If I lived in a house nearby my monthly water bill would be around $8. But I am not just paying for water that I use in the usual sense. You see we have a very different air conditioning system in the Museum Tower. We have what is called a heat pump and it uses water as a "sink." If you look in your utility closet where your AC and hot water tank reside you will see two large pipes which carry water to and from you AC unit. The same unit both heats and cools our apartments. It does this by exchanging heat between our apartments and the water sink. Without getting into any more of the technicalities, it uses up a lot of water. That is why we have such high water bills and why the building has decided to charge us directly for it.

We also have high water bills because we pay (on a pro rata basis) for all the water used to air condition and heat the common areas in the building. So when it is extra cold in the lobby or hallway, you are paying for it. The management office uses a third party billing group to send us bills usually about a month late. While I don't know for sure, my guess is the cost of the third party billing is included in the water bill -- once again pumping up the price we pay for water.

But then I said it was also cheap. So cheap in fact that it is hardly worth the effort it takes to pay it each month. I use online bill pay to make it easier and have tried paying it quarterly but still it is an effort that far out weighs the amount to be paid. It is an amount so trivial that you would think the building would roll it into the rent. After all, they more often than not are giving away a month's free rent to get you to move in or renew, which is many times the annual water allocation for any apartment.

If noting else, why can't we at least get quarterly bills? I have made this request and been told the third party billers can't do it. In addition they can't seem to email a bill either, which means we are also paying for the postage.

Rockin' Pool?

2009-04-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

I saw an ad recently for the new Legacy at Memorial high rise going up next to the Bayou Bend high rise on Memorial Drive. The ad, as these ads do, presented a list of amenities. One they mentioned was a "Rockin' Pool." Now I am not sure what that means, but my best guess is that it is something younger folks would be interested in. For me, my pool tastes are what you would call the exact opposite of Rockin'. I want a nice quiet pool experience. The sound of the fountain sprays splashing into the pool is about all I can stand. The last thing I want is some Rockin' going on. I love the fact that our pool is in the shade in the afternoon and doesn't have a barbecue pit for meat burners to gather around.

So if they aren't targeting me at the Legacy, who are they targeting as prospective residents? Another amenity might give a clue. They are offering a "Private Tanning Center." Now anyone over 21 knows, or should know by now, that tanning can be deadly. The only people who think it is neat are those without a fully developed prefrontal cortex, i.e. the young. If you dig a little deeper and visit their rather thin website (http://www.legacyatmemorial.com/) you will see that their units are on the small size. Another clue they are targeting younger folks without furniture who don't plan to stay at home much. If you are a little older, have furniture and enjoy staying at home you need more space.

The bottom line is that this new high rise isn't going to compete with the Mueseum Tower as far as I am concerned. And so far I haven't found many that do.

7 Riverway Has Starbucks Coffee

2009-04-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Speaking of 7 Riverway... Last night in the mailbox was a postcard from 7 Riverway advertising their amenities. And guess what is listed --"Wi-Fi Internet and executive lounge offering Starbucks coffee." Well, obviously the Museum Tower is at a competitive disadvantage until we get Starbucks coffee. (And maybe a machine that we don't have to ration coffee for)

As a marketing guy, I am always intrigued buy how people in this business think our choice is all about amenities. I have worked with apartment developer folks before and I think it is part of the DNA. It is probably true if you have several apartment complexes near by that renters will be greatly influenced by the list of amenities. In my case I am more concerned about location and the mix of residents. The amenities, after a few basics like an exercise room, are secondary.

PS: The flyer offered 2 months free rent on a 12 month lease.

Coffee in the Lobby?

2009-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know whether I stared it or not, but a year or so ago I visited the then new Seven Riverway High Rise to compare it with the Museum Tower. They had several amenities that I mentioned to management would be nice for us to have. One was a flat screen computer monitor in the conference room. The other was an elaborate coffee machine in the lobby. I am not sure if that started things rolling or if the coffee conversation started independently.

Regardless, soon after our table and chairs were removed from the room by the elevators on the first floor and construction began on some oddly placed shelves. The much need shredder showed up about this time and some new trash cans for discarded mail. It soon became clear that one of the shelves was for a coffee machine. And sure enough not long after a coffee machine showed up. Now it wasn't the fancy one like they had at Seven Riverway, no it was a much cheaper version. (If you have paid attention to the way decisions are made about our building from signs out front, to washing machines, to cabinets, to floors with knotholes, you will not be surprised that the cheaper option was selected.)

Here is the funny thing. The expensive machine at Seven Riverway was self contained with the coffee housed within the machine and ground and dispensed as needed. The cheaper model chosen for us required packets of coffee be available outside the machine. Therein lies the rub. Some mysterious person or persons began hauling off more than their share of coffee packets and costs when up. Now that is something we can't have, so now the coffee is rationed. The residents and our guests now have to go to the office (when it is open) and request coffee packets for the machine. I expect most people who welcomed the machine have responded like me and have decided it isn't worth the bother.

Sometimes you wonder if we wouldn't have been better off with the table and chairs we started with. And I promise to be much more careful about "suggestions" in the future.

Why Do We Have An Ugly Sign?

2009-04-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

There are two mysteries surrounding the sign in front of our building. First, why is it even there at all and second,why is it so ugly.

The building obviously has a right to advertise and promote vacancies in the building, but who do they think they are marketing to with this sign? I would bet that if they reviewed their numbers, hardly any residents come to the building because they drove by and saw a sign. Most likely they came through brokers or referrals. I would further bet that the vast majority of drive-bys who come in to check out the building couldn't make the rent. In other words the sign wastes a lot of staff time giving tours to prospects who won't rent.

But what if I am wrong and a sign really does work; does it have to be so ugly? In my mind, this sign does the exact opposite of what it intends. It says anything but "Luxury" with its cheap plywood construction and its tacky penthouse banner tacked across the front. It is embarrassing to the residents and the management and cheapens the resident experience. If the building really needs a sign, why can't we have one that is of real brick and is tastefully designed?

PS: Flowers don't make a cheap ugly sign say "Luxury."

A Quiet Place

2009-03-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

Whenever friends find out I live in a high rise, they are almost invariably curious about how it could work with that many people living so close together. For most, their only experience with anything similar is dorm living in college. At the Museum Tower it is anything but dorm living. First of all we have an older crowd of residents. Many of the newer high rises in Houston are targeting younger folks with smaller apartments and lots of common areas where you can meet other residents. At the Museum Tower we have many large units and older residents who enjoy staying in those larger units and not mingling much with the other residents. The only place you see other residents is in the exercise room.

While we do have resident parties on a roughly quarterly basis, it seems that only about a third of the residents participate. In addition, it seems that there are a number of folks who have other residents else where in the US and only live here part of the time. All of this make for a quiet place where residents don't interact much and respect each other's privacy.

Ashby High Rise

2009-03-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Not too far from the Museum Tower another developer is planning to build a high rise similar in size to the Museum Tower. It will be located on Bissonett at Ashby. Unfortunately the announcement of the plans have gotten the neighbors in the surrounding neighborhood up in arms. The have placed some ugly yellow yard signs all over the neighborhood to protest the building.

The puzzling thing to me is that have labeled it the "Tower of Traffic." This is very curious because of the small amount of traffic we seem to have around our building. I have sat in the Bell Park across the street from our building and watched cars coming and going. It appears to me to be the antithesis of traffic. While it does seem counter intuitive, there is very little traffic in and out of our building. In fact, there seems to be little traffic inside the building. It seems that I ride the elevators by myself over half the time. Our residents just don't move around much.

So what could the anti-high rise folks be upset about? There is already an apartment complex with 70 some apartments that will be replaced by the high rise, so the incremental traffic will really be minor. So it can't really be the traffic.

Given what the projected rents are, they can't be afraid "undesirables" will move in. If you can afford to rent in the Ashby high rise, you could likely afford to buy in the neighborhood. Plus the current residents of the apartment complex will be moving out, so that ought to improve the "desirable" quotient in the area.

What could it be? Are they afraid of the high rise residents looking into their back yard? When I look out my windows on the 13th floor, I can hardly see anything in the yards around me for all the trees.

What could it be that they are afraid of? And believe me they are afraid. It has been over a year since the furor started and signs still remain. Which brings up another point. They couldn't be afraid that the high rise would blight the neighborhood. The yellow signs are a much worse blight on a much larger area than any high rise could ever be.

More On Security

2009-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

The letter, reproduced on the right, was recently sent to all residents in the Tower. I think what Glenda is trying to say is, "We take security seriously and have added a security guard to see if that helps reduce the burglaries." Unfortunately, it appears as if the attorneys at corporate rewrote her letter to cover their assets and in the process made it difficult for her message to get through.

It is just amazing to me that when we live in a building with gated access, video surveillance and 24 hr concierge on duty that security is OUR responsibility. I know the building is trying to avoid liability and having to write a big check if someone gets hurt, but it seems as if they are trying to have it both ways. It seems as if they are selling us security (peace of mind) while telling us in official documentation that we are responsible for our own security.

If I was really responsible for the security of my automobile, then no one would be able to enter the parking garage after 10:00 pm. But I couldn't do that because I would infringe on the rights of the other residents who want to either enter or leave the parking garage after 10. Therefore I don't really have the means to protect my car. Nor does anyone else. Only the building management has the ability to control access to the building. Only the building management has the ability to monitor who enters or leaves the building. Only the building management has the ability to deliver on the implied promise of security that comes with living in a high rise.

The good news is that they have taken action, consistent with their responsibility, and placed a security guard on duty in the evening. But for how long? We shall see.

Security?

2009-03-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

We had another incident in the parking garage the other day. Two guys got into the garage and vandalized several autos. this is the second time this has happened in as many months.

We have a mixed blessing with the way our garage is constructed. Many, if not most, high rises have the parking garage near by as a stand alone building. When you park your car, you have to descend to the first floor and then cross over to the main building and take an elevator to your floor. This means everything and everyone comes through the lobby of the resident building. Our building is constructed on top of the parking garage. The first 5 floors of our building are for parking. This allows us to exit the garage into the same elevators that serve the resident floors. We have the benefit of being able to get to our apartments without having to go through the lobby.

The downside of this is that when someone gets into the parking garage, they are only one step away from entering the resident floors. It is disconcerting enough to know that bad guys may be in the parking garage when you go to and from you car, it is another thing entirely to know they may have access to your building.

One of the primary benefits of living in a high rise is the extra security. Our building goes out of its way to avoid liability by not promising security and continuously reminding us the we are responsible for our own security. They forget that we pay these prices for one primary benefit -- security. Perhaps that is not fair. They know we are buying security, they just don't want to be held accountable for it. they are trying, of course, to have it both ways. They want to sell us what we are looking for, they just don't want to be held liable if something unfortunate happens.

As part of the building system, they have security cameras placed through out the building to monitor who enters the building and parking garage. Unfortunately the monitor for the images is placed out of the direct view of the concierge. As a result, I suspect it is monitored infrequently. Whenever there is a break in, it does provide pictures of the perpetrators, but that is after the fact. Since we have had two break-ins recently, the crooks may know we are vulnerable and have told their buddies.

Since the elevators to the building are directly accessable from the garage, building residents are given electronic keys that allow us to access the elevators. Without these a bad guy can only get to the first floor. Unfortunately many residents give their housekeepers keys to their apartments and electronic keys to the building. They have no way of kowing where these keys end up. The building system monitors the use of the electronic keys in a computer log and management can turn one off if it is reported missing. But what is to stop a relative or friend of a housekeeper from taking their keys and accessing the building after hours when security is minimal.

What is needed, is a more aggressive approach to security, if the building is going to deliver on its "unstated" promise of security. While the building has provided a security guard in the evening, it is uncertain for how long. In the past there were always at least two people on duty in the building at night, the concierge, and one doorman. In a cost cutting move, the doorman was eliminated, so at night there is only the concierge. If he is called away to help a late arriving resident, the front desk is left unmanned. So even if he could see the TV monitors, he wouldn't be at his desk to look at them. Perhaps it is time to restore the second person at nights and ask that he tour the parking garage on a regular basis.

Our Amenities

2009-03-05T08:50:00.000-08:00

We have several wonderful amenities here at the Museum Tower. We have a lovely patio and pool that is fortunately located on the east side of the building where it is shaded in the afternoon. This makes it a cool place to sit in the summer evenings. The patio reveals a secret to comfortable living in Houston in the summer. When you are six stories up there is always a breeze and an absence of mosquitoes.

Another amenity is our conference room. Though not equipped with a phone (perhaps the owner is afraid we will spend to much on long distance calls) is a comfortable place to meet with visitors to the building. It would have worked better had it been on the first floor rather than the 6th, but that is a minor complaint. The conference room is located next to the party room on the 6th floor and is generally available. Unfortunately, some inconsiderent residents book it when they book the party room, just to kept others than their guests away from that area.

Yet Another amenity is the wine room. I am sure it was installed to protect wine against the temperature variations in individual apartments, especially when people travel. It may in fact be run by the stand-by generator that kicks in when we lose power. The two times I have been in there, it is very cool (energy we all pay for), but seems to hardly be used. Most of the bins are empty. I suspect most people keep their wine in their apartments without difficulty.

The stand by generator is great to have as it runs emergency lights and some elevators. However it does not run the water pumps, so there is no water pressure in the building for flushing. With warning, such as for a hurricane, we can fill the tubs with "flush" water, but when the power abruptly goes out we are, pun intended, SOL.

Why do we need this Blog

2009-02-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

The Museum Tower located on Montrose Blvd. in Houston Texas is a wonderful place to live. The building is largely well designed with nice amenities offered at a fair price. The management folks are nice and the staff is very helpful. The building communicates with the residents with letters slipped under our doors. However there is little opportunity for residents to communicate with each other about what is going on in the building. We had a Bulletin Board on the first floor for a while where residents could post information or sell items. Unfortunately management decided to take it down. Hence this blog.

My aim is to provide a forum for residents to discuss issues relevant to the building and anything else they want to share with other residents, such as items for sale, referrals for house keepers, etc.