I'm finding it increasingly difficult to create a consistent rotation of what was outlined a few weeks ago especially as I have almost no information to go on for the other sites I had planned so that ordered plan is out the window beyond this post. Our first Houston-area entry (following the discontinuation of The Houston Files) covers primarily the Love's Travel Stop at 1703 I-10. Previously, this was covered on Carbon-izer, and while it is still in Harris County, the address numbering of Interstate 10 resets at the San Jacinto River.
The reason why the Love's Travel Stop sign looks a little more generic than their typical signage is because this opened in 1999 as a Pilot Travel Center with McDonald's inside. In 2010, it was sold to Love's following Pilot's purchase of Flying J Travel Plazas (not the company itself—FJ Management continued on).
The Love's features a McDonald's in addition to a store and gas pumps. I got the "$5 Meal Deal" here because the Buc-ee's down the street, through either Beryl-induced supply issues or a horrific management misstep, did not have any sandwiches to order at the kiosk.
I should mention that Thompson Road has three truck stops, one on each corner. The southwest corner has the aforementioned Flying J Travel Center (1876 East Fwy.), which you can see the sign of in the photo above. This was completed in the fall of 2005, this had previously had Conoco gasoline but by 2021 had changed over to be self-branded. It features a Denny's inside, something it has had since its opening. It sits behind "Chrome World & Truck Parts" (1880 East Fwy.).
The southeast corner has TravelCenters of America (6800 Thompson Road). This TA truck stop (built c. 2002) had a "Country Pride" restaurant but it has been non-functional since early 2020 and was replaced with an IHOP around spring 2023 (the IHOP is in fact open 24 hours despite many IHOPs no longer doing so after 2020). The gas brand here is a Shell as of 2023 but that may change (or has already changed) since BP took over the company. (I didn't check.)
The northeast corner (1901 East Fwy.) was originally built in the late 1980s and as of 2013, this was "Baytown Express Travel Center" (with Valero). It lost that name by 2015 and converted to Chevron in 2016 (with a mild renovation to the premises) and has been shut down since at least 2021. It isn't fully abandoned, a mobile building on the premises operates as "Four G's CB Shop".
Shortly after this post went to press, I got a note from Mike of Houston Historic Retail: "The building was originally a Speedway Travel Center when they attempted that in the late '90s. It originally had a combo A&W/Church's as the restaurant. Love's was across Thompson where the closed (most recently) Chevron is. When Speedway bowed out of travel centers, Pilot bought them out, and flipped the location. Also according to some Buc-ee's insiders, kiosks are on the way out. Grab and Go is now the preferred method for most items, and anything left on the kiosk will eventually be migrated there." (Bummer.)
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