Yeah, like Max said, Fatty is not close to right. Sharpstown started going downhill in the mid-late 80's and got really bad in the early-mid 90's and has sucked ever since (although the "Chinatown II" development actually saved the area from being far worse). Before that it was fine. In the early 80's the mall was still a big deal. People compared it to the one in Fast Times - not the fanciest or anything, but the place where all different types wanted to hang out. In the 60's and 70's people drove from all over Texas to visit Sharpstown and its mall. I set the DVR for tonight. Should be interesting. Does anyone remember the Texas Monthly article about Sharpstown written in the early 90's? I have tried to find it again but can't remember the details. Same concept - a "hat the hell happened" premise.
Bingo. You cannot have middle class neighborhoods interspersed with low-income housing. We've seen this play out over & over in Houston, right now in a few spots on the Westside.
There used to be a Schwarma place in the Sharpstown mall that my grandfather really liked, does anybody remember the name of this place?
Alief. The baller neighborhoods near West Houston Medical Center crack me up. If you have money, WTF would you live in Alief? A gate isn't going to stop the ghetto around you from creeping in.
I used to hangout at Sharpstown Mall in the 80's when I was a teen. Man it was cool. The arcade was kickin and Chick-Fil-A and Roman Delight were awesome. As well as checking out the coolest Commodore 64 games at Babbages. I used to hangout at some petstore also. A friend of mine actually stole a parrot once...it was insane. Those were the days. Now I wouldn't go there if my life depended on it. It's a total S*ithole. That whole neighboorhood sucks. I live in Sugar Land now and work in the Galleria area... everyday I drive over Hillcroft, Fondren and Bellaire and thank g-d I don't live in that area anymore. I find it funny how they have those DWI signs on 59 showing the few miles along 59 where they have has so many DWI deaths. The span is right across Sharptown and all those disgusting Latino Clubs. What a craphole. Southwest Houston is also crap by Fondren and West Belfort. I grew in Fondren Southwest...now it's the ghetto!!!!
Sharpstown Mall is basically in business now because of all those 'urban' clothing stores that keep popping up every time I go there to just 'hang out'. I mean seriously, who still wears FUBU? Regardless, I still like to go there once in a while to hone my kickboxing skills. It's very easy to get into a fight there, just stare someone down and it's on!
Just an interesting aside about the Sharpstown area -- Strake Jesuit used to own an enormous amount of land around where it's currently located (Bellaire + Gessner). The school owned all the land where the Fiesta is now, the area where the apartments behind it are, and where St. Agnes is located. The school was originally just "Jesuit". The priests got involved in some bad investments, and were forced to sell most of the land. The widow of George Strake bailed the school out with a (I think, $1 million) donation. And so the school became "Strake Jesuit".
Very weak segment. They talked to a current and former resident who each said low income apartment crime and ethnic diversity ruined Sharpstown. Ethnic diversity? I think they were talking about no one speaks english but how does that ruin a neighborhood? Anyways whatever happened you can put roses on crap, it's still crap. Roll up your windows. Lock your doors. Look straight ahead. Better yet don't drive in Sharpstown.
Of course! Everyone knows that ethnic diversity ruins neighborhoods. I mean just look at Sugar Land! More often than not, poor neighborhoods = higher crime rates...
I live in that area now Various Apt Complexes have issues but once you get into the neighborhoods it is pretty decent Rocket River Ethnic diversity = crime [from another poster not yours] . . that is in ter est ing
I grew up in the same neighborhood. Parents moved out in the late 90's. I will add that Greenspoint was the oil capital of the world during the oil boom in the 80's with many of the large companies having offices in the area. The area still has a strong oil presence with Exxon, Anadarko (formerly Kerr McGee) Nabors, and ABS still having offices in the area. Greenspoint mall still houses the best pizza place in Houston with having the original Brothers Pizza in food court for the last 20+ years, even though the mall itself is quite the dump now.
All hail Apollos green and gold, We’ll stand and fight for you. We raise our banner proud and bold, Our allegiance ever true. And through the years your spirit lives. Fond memories we will hold. Our loyalty we pledge to thee – Oh, Sharpstown green and gold. Oh, Sharpstown green and gold!
Yes. It was beyond superficial and pointless. It was almost as if Fatty wrote and produced that segment. Next up is "Greenspoint: It has Always Sucked!"
I remember Greenspoint prior to the decline too (actually you could say "prior to the decline" for almost every 80's htown mall, including my old standby, Northwest Mall) Anyway something I dug up:
