Hi!
I was just reading an article about the TEXAS. Seems they want to put her where a Hoity Toity restaurant is and she’ll spoil the view. Why don’t they put her back where she was? She’s been there sp long everyone knew where it was. Gee,z why do folks have to make stuff so difficult?
Its a pissing contest between one local restaurant (Katies) and one of the largest hospitality companies in the South (Landry’s). The CEO of Landry’s is sponsoring part of the restoration and wants to put the ship at Pier 21 in downtown Galveston where IT WILL GET BETTER VISITOR TRAFFIC!!! Pier 21 is also adjacent to the cruise ship docks and the 1.3M passengers that sail from the port of Galveston annually. When I toured the Texas in drydock last year the docent told how almost weekly of attempted visits by cruise ship passengers who saw her across the harbor, grabbed a cab, and tried to get a tour (Sundays only - its a working shipyard, reservations, pay in advance).
One of the mandates given to the Battleship Texas Foundation was to move it to a place with better visitor numbers. The old San Jacinto battlefield location didn’t attract sufficient numbers, and alternate sites in Beaumont or Bay City also would fail to meet the visit number goal. Beaumont couldn’t keep a destroyer which was built next-door in Orange - it has since moved to Jacksonville, FL. Heck, I recommended that the Trinity River be dredged all the way to Dallas and put her there![:P]
There was a CHANGE DOT ORG petition which the last time I looked only had about 2000 signatures which is about four percent of the 53K permanent residents of Galveston. Its a pissing contest that the Houston newspaper is pumpimg.
I wonder if even Galveston can support the numbers. I would make Landry’s put up part of the cash for 50 years if their so dead set on a location. Otherwise, they may go out of business next year and then what? Personally, I recommend YOUR idea!
Gary
Landry’s is Landry’s Steakhouse, Saltgrass Steakhouse, Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump’s Seafood, DelFrisco’s Steakhouse, Morton’s Steakhouse, Joe’s Crab Shack, Yak & Yeti Orlando, T-Rex, Golden Nugget Resorts & Casinos, Harbor House, Hilton Galveston, San Luis Resort Galveston, Kemah Boardwalk Resort, Huntting Inn Hampton, a couple of high-end hotels in Houston to name but a few of the entities under the Landrys umbrella.
I think CEO Tillman Fertitta can cover the cost. Oh, I also think he is also a partner in the Houston Astros MLB or Texans NFL teams
Hi!
I have seen photos of the area in question. Personally, I would rather look at a piece of the Nation’s history, than cruise ships and oil platforms. Just sayin ya know. The Texas is one of the reasons you can sit there and see her!