Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

I know this is really short notice, but Aziz and I are going to get together for lunch tomorrow at the Chipotle’s on Dryden and Fannin (conveniently located at a light rail stop) in celebration of my impending fatherhood. Houston-area … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Jimmy Kimmel has made his choice, and he’ll be broadcasting from the ‘burbs. A Missouri City family has been chosen to house television talk show host Jimmy Kimmel when he comes to Houston for a live broadcast Friday night. Johnnie … Continue reading → Continue reading →

From the Left Hand Does Not Know What The Right Hand Is Doing Dept.: When the Downtown Entertainment District Alliance invited Jeff Towns and other art car owners to park their art on wheels on Main Street Friday, no one … Continue reading → Continue reading →

A little good news for the weekend. The timid German shepherd with warm brown eyes and a floppy ear was a familiar sight to commuters at the Metro Park & Ride on Interstate 10 and Texas 6. People worried about … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s the best Houston news you’ll read today: Houston’s wacky Art Car Parade moved into the fast lane Thursday when Everyones Internet, a Houston-based Internet service provider, agreed to sign on as the May event’s lead sponsor, a parade official … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If the weather around Super Bowl weekend is anything like it is now – mostly sunny, blue skies, in the low 60s – we won’t need any fancy schmancy PR campaign to make the frozen-tundra-area newsies like us. Hell, we … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If we can just make it through the friendliness blitz over the next two weeks without grinding our teeth into dust, we’ll be OK. Drag a comb through your hair, shake out the rugs and, for goodness’ sake, tell the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We were fixing to have ourselves a little mold dustup at Minute Maid Park yesterday. A day away from Thursday’s deadline to restore the $250 million ballpark’s roof to its original white color, and 2 1/2 weeks away from the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Hey, Houston! Jimmy Kimmel wants to stay at your house during Super Bowl weekend. Kimmel needs accommodations in the Houston area — preferably with a view of Reliant Stadium — while here to host a Super Bowl-themed show Jan. 30. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This article from the Sunday Chron is about the new international terminal at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport. (I refuse to call it Bush Intercontinental for the same reason that I refuse to call the Astrodome the “Reliant Astrodome”.) I don’t actually … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Thank you, Detroit! After three years at the top of Men’s Fitness list of “fattest cities” in America, Clutch City dropped from first to second in the 2004 list. Detroit, with its colder climate and jump in television viewing, moved … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Normally, I wouldn’t take too much notice of a movie theater that’s about to be closed and torn down, even one that’s profitable and getting shafted by its landlord. In this case, however, I must give a salute to the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I must not be as jaded as I thought I was, because I really can’t believe I just read this headline in today’s Chron: Amid backdrop of war, Houston reborn in 2003. With the chutzpah of a city that put … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’m sorry I missed this. They drove through Houston’s barrios Christmas morning in low-riders that jerked up from the pavement, blaring horns as loud as those on a train and wearing wildly-colored zoot suits that screamed for attention. Children ran. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I believe it’s been well known for a long time now that a sizeable percentage of shoppers at Houston’s high end mall the Galleria are from Mexico, but I’m still a bit surprised to see it expressed in such stark … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As expected, the Houston International Festival is moving out of downtown. The 32-year-old Houston International Festival is moving, not quite to the ‘burbs, but to a tract of manicured grass and two parking lots on 27 acres at Reliant Park. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In the first paragraph of this article on a rift between the City of Houston and the president of the foundation that runs the popular International Festival, reporter Rachel Graves uses the following framing device: At the heart of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You thought you had a bad day at the office last week? Not compared to this guy you didn’t. An African cobra capable of projecting its venom 10 feet sank its fangs into the finger of a 26-year-old local pet … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just one news item for today: The winner of the what-to-do-with-the-Astrodome sweepstakes is an outfit that wants to turn it into a space museum. The empty confines of the Reliant Astrodome could someday offer a glimpse at the vastness of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Richard Connelly gives us an amusing look at the “worst flock-ups of 2003”, though given his gleeful trashing of Tom DeLay and John Culberson, it’s admittedly more amusing if you’re not a Republican. Just one minor point here, Rich: DeLay … Continue reading → Continue reading →

…it can take an hour and a half for what should be at most a 30-minute commute home. sigh. All things considered, though, I’ve got nothing to complain about. I just hope the predictions of more heavy rain tomorrow are … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I completely agree with Larry: if the Art Car Parade withers and dies due to lack of sponsorship money, it will be a cultural disaster in Houston. We’re talking about one of the few genuine grassroots institutions that originated here … Continue reading → Continue reading →

El Gato has a long and detailed post about Comptroller Strayhorn’s recent announcement that the state of Texas will kick back $8.7 million to the city of Houston, the Super Bowl Host Committee, and Harris County to help defray expenses … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Chron columnist Rick Casey follows up on the story of the disappearing yard signs in Timbergrove (see here for Part One). If you can get past his cutesy tone, he actually did some good reporting, as he discovered what happened … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s another example of how private entities can restrict your freedom more effectively than the big, evil guvmint can in some situations. A homeowner named Claire Gonzales in Timbergrove Manor (a neighborhood not far from my own – it’s where … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Those crazy kids Yuri Malenchenko and Yekaterina Dmitriyeva, who got married while he was aboard the International Space Station (see here, here, and here for the details) are finally together after a near-perfect touchdown in Kazakhstan, meaning they can finally … Continue reading → Continue reading →

An interesting article from Sunday about the battles, philosophical and otherwise, between residents in Midtown, which is just south of downtown Houston, and developers. Midtown is one of the few places now where you can see real mixed-use development. With … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Life sure is tough at the University of Houston these days. In the abstract, Kathy Anzivino believes there must be some pinnacle of amenities that universities simply cannot surpass, some outer limit so far beyond the hot tubs, waterfalls and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Super Bowl Fever means different things to different people, especially people who hope to earn a few grand by renting out their houses during Super Bowl Week. With the $6,900 a day she hopes to get renting out her southwest … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This great op-ed piece in today’s Chron makes a good economic argument for rail, and also puts its finger on something that I’d peripherally thought about but hadn’t quite formed into a real idea yet. Let’s start with his case … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It seems we’ve got our own little battle brewing over religious displays in public places. Citing concern over what she perceives as growing religious fundamentalism, a Houston woman filed suit Monday in federal court against Harris County, demanding it remove … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Day Two of my class is ongoing, and as you can see I do have some access to a computer. It’s pretty limited, though. Just wanted to highlight this article about the really high rental car taxes and fees in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Houstonian Ekaterina Dmitriev had her space wedding yesterday, tying the knot with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko via proxy. There had been a few bumps in the road, with the Russians balking at first, but in the end it was all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The debate over what to do with the Astrodome continues, as county officials seek input from developers who might have an interest in the land. There are a few, um, requirements, though. The Sports and Convention Corp. issued a request … Continue reading → Continue reading →