Houston has the most recognized skyline, survey says (West, Lincoln Park: rental, construction)

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Well, that and the stuff in Block Thirty Seven.

Still, there's plenty you can get to without being out at street level if you don't want to be, between B37, Macy's, Thompson Center, Millennium Station and some other spots.

The real difference here comes down to the transit bringing people from all over the city and the suburbs via Metra who did not drive there, as well as throngs of tourists who are there to see the stuff above ground and don't care about the Krispy Kreme in Block Thirty Seven any more than they would about anything beneath downtown Houston.

I never even knew about the Chicago Pedway system till over a year ago. It wasn't advertised and tourist never were told about it. I never new of the parts there in the 80s I lived there either. But I never worked downtown.

They do offer tours now. But seems it not familiar or have a map. Best not o alone.

https://freetoursbyfoot.com/chicago-...o-pedway-tour/

From link:
- Construction of this labyrinth began in 1951 to simply connect the Red and Blue line subway/’L’ train stops.
- Now it connects over 50 buildings, 40 blocks, and 5 miles of pathways. Still 10,000 people a day use it.

Video gives you a portion. Thompson Center thru City Hall, County buildings, CTA Blue Line entrance, Loop Block 37 Mall and thru Macy's


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSf_wNRcMY8

My point was it isn't a shopping area though it connects to Block 37 mall and thru Macy's lower level. But to underground Millennium/Grant Park parking garages and into Lakeview East lower levels of parking and buildings too and the L and metro stations. It saves going aboveground in worst parts of winters especially. But not a shopping experience .... but some along it.

But I don't think its very heavily used outside of winters? Some regular workers may. Tourist no. But then I don't think its billed to tourist either in Houston.

I think Houston's is far more used regularly by workers that essily connect from its huge parking garages. Chicago of course has some connected too. Especially if garages are underground.

Another point was hottest long summer in Houston has it offering banking to a haircut and food courts etc. That is not really how Chicago's is. Its to get you from point A to B. Some artwork etc. Houston's offers much more added reasons to get business done after work before going home. Never hitting the surface till out on the road and Air on.

Tourism in downtown Chicago has skyrocketed definitely. Summers by far most. City built attractions with huge tourist success stories. But Christmas Season especially. Brings them in. Business travelers play tourist too and seek out best restaurants and rooftop bars stores etc. ABOVE GROUND. Some roof-top bars are partially indoors for year-round views too.

Chicago's Core outward. Has become a Class-Act. Clean ..... but not sterile and attractions aplenty walkable too. Tourist like to walk to things. But zoo know buses, L to Uber too is at their disposal to use.

On Skylines? Sunbelt cities crave and strive for recognition and compete for it. But multiple CBD's. Hurt having in one Top Tier Core as some have more shopping and malls then downtown Houston. It has the theaters though and stadium. Increasing high-rise-living will help more too.

I think Toronto's Tunnel network is most elaborate and full of affections and more. But Chicago's basically is only the Loop. It doesn't go much north of the Chicago Rover o this half of downtown.

[kemahkami]

Originally Posted by elnina

How Houston has the most recognized skyline if "41% of Americans mistook the Dallas skyline for Houston"?

This statement makes no sense...

Originally Posted by JJG

. . . is this just like the "poll" that ranked the Dallas skyline "The Best in the World"?

Because it seems like the same thing and just as ridiculous.

I mean, I like Houston and the entire collection of skylines, but MOST RECOGNIZABLE? Really?

Originally Posted by malcorub16

Although it is massive, sorry, most Americans don't know the Houston skyline.
St Louis' skyline is not impressive in the slightest, but the arch makes it very recognizable.

It's just a click-bait way of saying that a larger percentage of those polled happened to identify Houston's skyline correctly than those of other cities.

Now as far as how recognizable the skyline may actually be in the real world, the bulk of that is tied to the popularity of the city, rather than any intrinsic architectural quality.

[nana053]

Originally Posted by DavePa

I never even knew about the Chicago Pedway system till over a year ago. It wasn't advertised and tourist never were told about it. I never new of the parts there in the 80s I lived there either. But I never worked downtown.

They do offer tours now. But seems it not familiar or have a map. Best not o alone.

https://freetoursbyfoot.com/chicago-...o-pedway-tour/

Of they have a map. You can download it here: https://www.chicagodetours.com/chicago-pedway-map/ There is a pdf map.

Chicago's pedway is very useful in the cold winters.

I lived in Evanston for over 30 years and knew about it back then.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by shanv3

IMO After NYC, Houston is 2nd Best in terms of downtown skyline. And also you get a beautiful view from I10/Washington street Target parking lot). That picture in the link looks awful.

IMHO Chicago, Seattle, Honolulu, Miami, San Diego, and LA have a better skyline.

[kemahkami]

Originally Posted by elnina

IMHO Chicago, Seattle, Honolulu, Miami, San Diego, and LA have a better skyline.

Chicago, I agree with. With Miami, there's sort of an under-performance with respect to its vibe and location. The rest, not really.

[shimmy42]

i think san francisco has the best skyline

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by DavePa

But I don't think its very heavily used outside of winters? Some regular workers may. Tourist no. But then I don't think its billed to tourist either in Houston.

I think Houston's is far more used regularly by workers that essily connect from its huge parking garages. Chicago of course has some connected too. Especially if garages are underground.

Newer developments like Block Thirty Seven and old like the basement level of Macys (nee Marshall Field) are nominally part of the system. Then there's the Millennium Station and parking garage that's another part of it. It's all connected, just a bit more non-linear shall we say. On a nasty cold day, I ride the Blue Line in and often stop at Washington, walk through Block Thirty Seven and Macy's-Field, go up to street level in there to Wabash and I work right there. I used the Pedway, technically, but what I went through was quite different from what Houston's tunnels are.

It's all "connected" and it does what it's designed to do, it's just not all that well signed and it's a bit less "linear when it opens up into large public commercial spaces and not simply into office buildings with little to see for anyone who doesn't have business there.

Little of the Pedway gets much tourist traffic, much like Houston in general. Even Houston's tunnels aren't really for visitors, but for people who work there. Tourists, in the way they exist in the Michigan Avenue/Mag Mile etc. area with Canons around their necks would be getting hassled and run off by security in the Houston tunnels. It's decidedly not billed or pitched to tourists in Houston.

Even if it was, who would want to hang out underground when there's such a famous skyline to look at above ground? The tourists in Chicago want to look at architecture. Decent chance that's why they came here.

[DavePa]

Originally Posted by jfre81

Newer developments like Block Thirty Seven and old like the basement level of Macys (nee Marshall Field) are nominally part of the system. Then there's the Millennium Station and parking garage that's another part of it. It's all connected, just a bit more non-linear shall we say. On a nasty cold day, I ride the Blue Line in and often stop at Washington, walk through Block Thirty Seven and Macy's-Field, go up to street level in there to Wabash and I work right there. I used the Pedway, technically, but what I went through was quite different from what Houston's tunnels are.

It's all "connected" and it does what it's designed to do, it's just not all that well signed and it's a bit less "linear when it opens up into large public commercial spaces and not simply into office buildings with little to see for anyone who doesn't have business there.

Little of the Pedway gets much tourist traffic, much like Houston in general. Even Houston's tunnels aren't really for visitors, but for people who work there. Tourists, in the way they exist in the Michigan Avenue/Mag Mile etc. area with Canons around their necks would be getting hassled and run off by security in the Houston tunnels. It's decidedly not billed or pitched to tourists in Houston.

Even if it was, who would want to hang out underground when there's such a famous skyline to look at above ground? The tourists in Chicago want to look at architecture. Decent chance that's why they came here.

Exactly, they want the Big city experience and on foot they get every inch of it. . I just noted though I lived in Chicago in my past .... though never worked in downtown Chicago. Yet I never heard of the tunnel Pedway system as it is called, but interesting Chicago as such a tunnel system also. But it isn't the park n enter system as it is in in virtually all garages and even parking lots, as in Houston. Just convenient to some garages. Especially underground like under Millennium/Maggie Daley/Grant Park garages and some in the Lakeshore East development. But I doubt few above-ground garages connect? Unlike in Houston.

[dallasboi]

...Like this post "WHEN YOU SEE IT"......

https://youtu.be/0cHvwHxa4XI

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

What I’m saying is more and more people are walking on the streets oppose to using the tunnel. Sure the people who work downtown are still heavily dependent on it. But there’s more people moving into downtown and more people visiting downtown that simply have no use for the tunnels.

Walking on the streets is more dangerous as the crosswalk signals are not synchronized, and along the major thoroughfare street pairs, prioritized for freeway access traffic.

Most office workers stick to the tunnels as the homeless situation has become a little more appalling recently and it has the shops and services that are easily accessible, along with safety in numbers with pedestrian traffic.

Originally Posted by malcorub16

Although it is massive, sorry, most Americans don't know the Houston skyline.
St Louis' skyline is not impressive in the slightest, but the arch makes it very recognizable.

Houston's skyline is praised for its color, architectural details, and pleasing aesthetic mountain peak shape. The old BoA Center was prized for its gothic triple gables and having to avoid the city's telegraph central exchange. The Wells Fargo Plaza is noted for its $ shape as a nod to its main tenant Allied Bank (now merged into WF).

Having multiple skylines can hurt as well. Houston's Bank of the Southwest Tower was cancelled due to the mid-1980's oil bust. The artist rendition was a spire tower similar to Liberty Place in Philadelphia or Two Prudential in Chicago. The only spire tower in Houston is the Williams Tower in the Galleria--imagine if it was in Downtown instead?

Originally Posted by jfre81

Well, that and the stuff in Block Thirty Seven.

Sad to see that CBS 2 turned its back on the street side studio and decided to look inward. It's funny that Channel 11's Downtown studio just opened back in May and embraces it so much that the weekday noon newscast is done from Downtown and the anchor and weather presenter periodically stand in the open patio during the newscast. They should do the 4/11 (4pm) newscast there also since the sun never sets before 5:30pm in the winter.