BayAreaIndian

I have worked at this location, on and off for the past 3 years.

Starting at Bellair Boulevard and ending at Westheimmer Avenue, Hillcroft Avenue runs through mostly scruffy neighborhoods, that are also rough around the edges. Petty crime is high. Retail outlets also service mostly lower and middle stratas of the community.

The avenue is mostly notable for the "little India", situated just past Highway 59 coming from Bellair Boulevard. This roughly 1 square mile area is home to a host of retail outlets selling a variety of Indian products. Indian grocery stores here stock a larger variety of products, as compared to Indian grocery stores elsewhere in Houston. Consequently many Indians drive down to Hillcroft Avenue for speciality items.

There are also over 10 Indian eateries and at least 1 Indian pub in this stretch of Hillcroft. Food quality vairies from good to average and even downright bad. Hygiene standards at most of these outlets tend to be fairly lax.

Retail outlets selling clothes and accessories tend to price their offering fairly low and one can find a good bargain. Quality tends to be indifferent and one has to shop around to find a good buy.

This stretch of Hillcroft Avenue is a particularly good spot to shop for airline tickets with a large number of travel agents competing for your business.

It is also a good spot to shop for gold jewellery, once again with a large number of jewellery shops competing for business.

Past the Sam Houston Tollway, Hillcroft Avenue hosts a couple of good carpet outlets, for shoppers looking for Persian style floor covering.

I wouldn't recommend this street for families with kids. But it isn't a bad place to shop.

Starting at I 45 and running due east towards Middlebrook street, Clear Lake City Boulevard is the northernmost of the four east-west avenues in the Clear Lake City-Webster-Seabrook areas. The other three (northernmost first) are El Dorado Boulevard, Bay Area Boulevard and Nasa Road 1.

Clear Lake City Boulevard runs through mostly upscale neighborhoods in Webster and Clear Lake City. The stretch between I 45 and Highway 3 is home to a church, a CVS pharmacy and a gas station on the right of the 6 lane street and woodlands to the left. Cross Highway 3 and enter Clear Lake City. The first mile or so is a retail destination with a couple of really good eateries. Just off the Boulevard, on Crescent Landing Drive are a couple of churches and a school. Across the Boulevard from Crescent Landing Drive is the beautiful Sylvan Rodriguez Park.

A smallinsh strip mall on the intersection of Space Center Boulevard and Clear Lake City Boulevard hosts a large Randalls outlet and a rather good team at a TGF hairdressers' outlet. Cross Space Center Boulevard and on your right is the Bay Oaks Community, spread around the beautiful Bay Oaks Country Club and Golf Course. This is one of the loveliest events venues in Houston, besides of course being a beautifully laid out golf course. Passing by this stretch, Clear Lake City Boulevard is at its loveliest. The road dividers are landscaped with a host of annuals and perennials grouped around clutches of lacy pink Crepe Myrtles.

Nearing the intersection with El Dorado Boulevards, that has curved north to end at this point, the Clear Lake City Boulevard narrows to a two lane, two way street. The trees seems to draw nearer to the edge of the street and the homes on both sides of the last stretch of the street nestle in a beautiful wooded setting.

Clear Lake City Boulevard is an excellent setting for families and young couples. Not too far from the retail and dinning outlets on Bay Area Boulevard, and yet set in a tranquil almost jewel-like setting.

I have lived on this street for 8 years, from 1994 to 2002. Like Nasa Road 1 and Bay Area Boulevard, this street too takes off from I 45, meandering through Clear Lake City's many neighborhoods, before terminating at Clear Lake City Boulevard.

It is mainly a residential neighbourhood, with only a copule of fastfood outlets and a pub in the stretch between I 45 and Highway 3. In the stretch between Highway 3 and the street's end at Clear Lake Citu Boulevard, there are a couple of small strip malls that meet the needs of families shopping for daily groceries etc.

The street is exceptionally green, with large shady trees forming a canopy overhead. There are a number of good schools, including montessori, elementary, middle and high either on or just off the street. The street also hosts a number of churches, including the beautiful St. Bernadette Catholic Church, the Clear Lake Baptist Church, Clear Lake Presbyterian Church and the St. Clare of Assissi Catholic Church.

Over all a great environment to raise a familly and stay long term.

Nasa Road 1 is really a 8 lane state highway, connecting I-45 with 1-146 to the east. Parts of the road offer amazing views of the Galveston Bay and the Clear Lake park situated alongside the street offers not only a relaxing ambience for the day to day green space seeker, but also the perfect open air theatre for watching the July 4 fireworks.

But first, Nasa Road 1, anchored as it is by the Johnson Space Centre, is a hub for events and meetings. It hosts the Hilton Houston Nasa Clear Lake. Not far west, at the Upper Bay Road, leading off Nasa Road 1, is a community theater and the areas oldest mediterranean restaurant. Driving past the hotel and Clear Lake Park towards I 146 is the Webster-Clear Lake-Seabrook area's only high rise condo complex.

Another beautiful structure on the street is an old dilapidated mansion sitting at the corner of Nasa Road 1 and Space Centre Boulevard intersection. One can only imagine what it must have looked like in its glory days. Neglected as it is, it still manages to look both stunning and majestic. Rumor goes that this structure is to be turned into a facility for senior citizens. I hope that this happens sooner than later and the structure is restored to its former glory.

Further down the street, closer to I 146, are two of my favorit eateries. For romantic evenings out, there is the Villa Capri, an italian eatery with an outdoor space boasting an amazing view of the Bay. The food and wine cellar do not disappoint either. Across the street is Bailey's American Grill. The food is DELICIOUS, specially the Sesame Seared Ahi.

While, I couldn't imagine living in one of the many communities down this road, mostly because of the high volume of traffic, Nasa Road 1 does make for a great drive on a lazy day. Given a choice of eating out, within a 5 mile radius of my home, I would always head for Nasa Road and a choice between the two restaurants mentioned above.

Bay Area Boulevard, takes off east-north-east, from I-45 south of Houston, starting off in a hip, up-scale retail center including the Bay Brook Mall. It meanders through first a host of excellent pubs, restaurants and fast-food outlets. These include, amongst others, BJ's brewery and pub, Carrabas Italian Restaurant, Zios Italian restaurant, the Genghis Grill Mongolian eatery and Baba Mediterrarian Grill. My personal favorite is Zios which serves some great authentic italian food, and specially its outdoor eating terrace shaded by a huge, and I mean huge, tree.

It crosses Highway 3 and heads into a commercial zone flanked on one side by streets choc-a-bloc with company such as US Air, Lockheed Martin, etc. On the other side, more dining, more retail therapy, as well as a conveniently located Park & Ride. All this, even as typical of Houston, the Boulevard can boast of green spaces and beautifully landscaped streetscapes.

The Boulevard also has an entire range of mid to up-scale hotels and motels for the business visitor.

The condominium complexes on both sides of the street are mostly set-back far enough to minimize traffic noise inside each complex.

Passing by the University of Houston Clear Lake campus, set in verdant woodlands, Bay Area Boulevard arrives at the Armand Bayou Nature Centre. A stunning space, where one can routinely see a host of birds and water fowl, as well as deer and sometimes alligators. Come spring, the road dividers and surrounding fields are full of nodding wild flowers, including the Texas Blue Bonnet and the Indian Paint Brush, as well as beauties I still have to identify.

Its a street that grows on you, especially with a general spirit neighbourly camaraderie that makes our complex, Taylor Crest Condominiums particularly noteworthy. During Hurricane Ike, after evacuation had been announced, the few people that stayed behind provided the best possible neighborhood watch. Not a single case of theft or vandalism was reported. In fact, one gentleman hooked his generator to a cooking range he pulled into the parking lot and let returning families cook and heat water, till such a time as electricity was restored. Remember, gas prices were still high at the time - Hats off David ...

The Boulevard also has a number of mid and up-scale hotels and motels for business travellers. Banks on the Boulevard include WaMu, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, Moody National and Gauranty.

The Clear Lake High School, located opposite the University Campus is an award winning institution for the quality of education delivered.