Results tagged “maps”

An interesting little blog called Strange Maps recently published a map of the best beer states in America, and Texas found itself in the happy position of Number 6.

Did you know that we have public transportation in Houston? No, really! It's true! Aside from the fancy-schmancy light rail (remember to mark your calendars for Houstonist's annual Light Rail Pub Crawl on March 6th!), METRO buses run throughout the city and are an increasingly attractive way to get around for those on a budget. One of the greatest drawbacks to using METRO, however, has always been the confusing route system and METRO's equally confusing "Trip Planner" on their mostly useless website. But now the gods at Google have made even METRO easy to use (is there anything they can't make shinier and better?). All you have to do is go to Google Transit and enter your starting point and destination. Voila! You'll see your entire route mapped out for you -- even how far you have to walk, which stop to go to and how long the bus ride will take. Now all that's standing between you and a bus trip is a Q Card. Unfortunately, the folks at Google haven't tackled that one yet. [via Swamplot]

Don't know the difference between Woodland Heights and Sunset Heights? The Third Ward and the Second Ward? Hilshire Village and Hunters Creek Village? Or, like Houstonist, are you just a cartography geek at heart? Then check out this incredibly informative map of Houston neighborhoods and landmarks from Wikimapia. Wikimapia is a tool that meshes Wiki-style editing and information with Google Maps. Wikimapia even allows the embedding of YouTube videos and other links into the maps, further broadening the applications of mapping as a way to spatially display and review data. Now if only someone would make a map of the point at which Bingle turns into Voss, Voss turns into Hillcroft, San Felipe turns into Memorial, Memorial turns into Briar Forest, Montrose turns into Studemont, Studemont turns into Studewood… [via HAIF]

Yesterday was the second of the Super Tuesdays for this Presidential Election year and included primary elections in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. Houstonist could careless about who wins. We're just excited to see the record turnout at the polls. We all win when that happens. Congratulations, Houston, and all you Texans that don't live in our kickass town.

741 Rocky River is just down the street from the Ralph Anderson, Jr. house at 695 Rocky River that was torn down in early October, and 1314 South, while situated between works by Staub, Briscoe, and Watkin, couldn't escape the will of its new owner Jim Crane (yep, that Jim Crane). Oddly enough, Mr. Crane was involved in the renovation of the 1904 Commercial National Bank building that won a Good Brick Award in 2002 from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance.

We're always looking for more ways to learn about our great city, so why not start at home? Not only is it interesting to know about the plat upon which you live, but it can also help to paint part of the picture of Houston's interesting, albeit short history, and there are quite a few on and offline resources to help with research. An easy way to start is to find the specific name of...

It's party time! Folks in Tanglewood had a picnic-style party to celebrate the demolition of 5506 Russett St. (5537 got it too), where the owners are going to build a new home. It was an eerie farewell complete with champagne, snacks, and the oohs and aahs of the little kiddos when the bulldozer smashed into the roof of the 5,500 square foot teardown. Is anyone really trying to sell this house? The person who...

Houstonist got worn out on early morning White Russians and late night Bloody Marys during the Thanksgiving break. Thus, we were looking for something light and zesty when a fellow sauce fiend suggest we opt for a Slutty Shirley. The Slutty Shirley is a twist on the traditional children's cocktail, the Shirley Temple. You may remember Shirley Temple as a tap dancing little girl from black-and-white movies. The little lady inspired a fizzy red...

So if you've been following our easy, no-fuss no-muss primer on learning about art and local artists, etc. now is your chance to show off your new knowledge! This weekend brings us Spacetaker's 2007 Holiday Sale, featuring all kinds of work from local artists. They'll have everything from jewelry to paintings to sculpture for purchase AND 75% of the proceeds benefit the artist while 25% goes to Spacetaker, which helps nurture the Houston arts community!...

Houstonist has plans to provide you, constant reader, with our annual list of gift suggestions. However, if you are interested in getting a jump on shopping and are not one of those year 'round shoppers who locates the perfect gift in the clearance section, or at a craft show - we got the goods for you. Tonight from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. (and in conjunction with Bellaire's "Holiday in the Park"), you can...

Finding new homes for old homes While these were listed as demolitions, it may only be partial - both 2506 Morse in Montrose (picture) and 347 W 27th in the Heights had steel beams outside waiting to lift and carry them away. While house moving isn't unheard of in Houston, we are (pleasantly) surprised, and also curious about where these smaller homes will end up since we all know the current trend is "build big"...

Deconstruction... ...of the environmental kind - not the more erudite nature of Derrida or even deconstructivism (a la Gehry) - is taking place this week in Briargrove and Rustling Pines. 6219 Del Monte (picture) and 306 Wilchester (picture) will soon be upgraded to two stories, stucco, and granite counter tops, but pieces of the old houses seem to have been taken off for recycling. While we're not thrilled about perfectly fine houses being tossed out,...

Houstonist was feeling saucy this afternoon so we ordered a round of the Mint Juleps. We were quite pissed off and surprised when the server presented us with a round of Gin Juleps instead. "WTF? WE ORDERED KENTUCKY DERBY SPECIALS!" Did the CAPS get to your feel our rage? NO? ARE YOU SURE? We protested. We threatened to send the drinks back. We tried the drinks. We loved 'em. Gin Julep+ 1 1/4 oz....

Worried that you'll show up to the company holiday party in the same boring black dress as the boring payroll chick who sits next to you? Don't fret. Old is new again at Cheeky Vintage. Show up with a one of a kind. Tonight from 6-9pm, join the (relatively) new vintage clothing boutique, located on Richmond near Greenbriar, as they highlight some of their most recent finds for you to show off for your holiday...

You may have heard the various stories about the possibility of a fatality connected to Sunday's implosion of the Crowne Plaza hotel in the Medical Center. So far, the Chronicle reports that someone may have sneaked into the hotel before the demolition, KHOU reports that Medical Center workers say they saw someone enter the building just before demolition and possibly closed a door (on the video), KTRK has a blurry close-up of the aforementioned door,...

A rumble in the medical center If you live in the Southgate area, you were either violently awoken by the sound of exploding dynamite around 7:10 this morning, or you were standing on Travis St. witnessing the destruction of the Crowne Plaza Hotel by Cherry Demoliton (just like its near neighbor in June 2006). The building was recently appraised at a high value and was only about 34 years old, which is one of the...

Kipling St. cleaned up a bit by Peter Brown Kipling Street, just behind the Alabama Theater/Shopping Center, will be a little more flat this week. 2136 and 2140 Kipling (pictures) are set to be demolished, and the current owner of the two properties - built in 1925 and 1938 - is listed as at-large man #1, Peter Brown. While there are no apparent plans for the land, we assume that they will not be the...

Last week the AIA hosted their annual home tour, and tomorrow the Downtown Houston Alliance is giving folks a chance to see residences in some of Houston's most historic and moneyed buildings. The Live Downtown Home Tour is from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, November 3rd. Stops on the tour include Commerce Towers, The Beaconsfield (not the Savoy across the street!), the Four Seasons, Hogg Palace (no, not this place), and several other loft properties....

That old green-tiled building in the Village We witnessed the operose demolition of the office building sitting in the way of Randall Davis' new Californian baby Sonoma this week. The green tile (possibly chosen by Lars Bang and Lucian Hood) was flying with a handful of onlookers - don't worry, though - Davis' stylish Mediterraneuscan masterpiece will break ground after the rest of the area is demolished and the street is closed. Speaking of oper...as...

Local tech news in a compact, digital format. Keyboard Reviews Dwight Silverman over at The Chronicle has reviewed a couple of keyboards. One from Microsoft and another from Logitech. Check out his article for the lowdown on this new hardware. Raawwr! Leopard Unleashed The latest OS from Mac, Leopard 10.5 is on the loose. JKOnTheRun, Dwight Silverman and Dr. Mac have all recently run articles on this revolutionary new operating system from Apple. Metro...

Attention Lance Lovers! Texas' most famous cancer survivor will be visiting Houston tomorrow to lobby in support of Proposition 15. You can click here to read it in its entirety, but it's not any kind of Engrish that we recognize. The short story is that Prop 15, if passed, would result in a constitutional ammendment allowing for obligation bonds to raise money and establishing the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Lance explained...

Houstonist noticed about a month ago that something was missing near the corner of Bissonnet and Mt. Vernon streets, just west of Montrose Blvd. The house didn't seem to fit in, but it sure caught our eye - unfortunately it was recently demolished by the current owners. The house was located at 1 Waverly Court and was designed by Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects and built in 1999 to replace a beaten-up 1950s contemporary home by...

Halloween is right around the corner, and Houstonist is researching costume ideas for our annual post. That's when we ran across this photo and were inspired to order up a Scary Dirty Girl Scout at the pub. Dirty Girl Scout+ 1 oz Creme de Menthe + 1 oz Vodka + 1 oz Kahlua + 1 oz Bailey's irish cream Pour everything into a tumbler filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail...

Let us eat cake, well, cupcakes - lots of them, at Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe. Yep, head on over to any Dessert Gallery location, either at 3200 Kirby Drive, 1616 Post Oak Drive or, at the newest location 2260 Lone Star Drive at Sugar Land Town Square (read: fake downtown). A donation of ten percent of the purchase price of every pink ribbon cupcake sold will go to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Specifically, to...

695 Rocky River - Tanglewood This week, the almost 5,000 square foot mid-century Tanglewood home designed by Ralph A. Anderson, Jr. (of Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson architects) met its demise - one in a series of many large (and large-lotted) unique mid-century homes in this close-in treed area to be replaced by even larger Mediterr-uscan-Spani-French style homes. According to the Houston Architectural Guide,The full impact of the Eisenhower era is visible here [in Tanglewood],...

Houstonist is always trying to up our level of sophistication. Thus, last week we were watching the Fine Living Channel's Great Cocktails series to get some ideas for sophisticated sipping material. The Corpse Reviver was one drink featured on the episode we caught. Per the show, the drink was named due to its ability to invigorate even the most hungover imbiber. Huh. Sounds like something you and we could use. Hit Spec's on your way...

So, did you miss the opening of 600 sq mi: Photos from Houston a couple of weekends ago? Needless to say, you missed a heck of a party — if you don't believe us, you can check out some of the photos from the event here. At any rate, we have some good news: You can come check out the photo show and meet some of the incredible artists whose work is included during the...

The sixth anniversary of 9/11 made this an emotional week for Gothamist, DCist, Phillyist and the rest of America, too. Houstonist reflected on Tuesday as well. But, our preferred method of remembering the departed is to raise a glass and say a few words in their honor. A Manhattan is the perfect cocktail for this occasion. Manhattan+ 2 oz. Rye + 1/2 oz. vermouth + Dash Angostura bitters + Cherry + Orange peel Pour...

Most people we know either love okra or hate it. As okra season is in full effect, we thought a little ode to the okra will convince the haters to give it a second chance. The okra, a relative to the hibiscus and cotton plant, is a little tubular vegetable with fuzzy, tender casing and round, edible white seeds. Okra also has a sticky core that causes the up-turned noses and looks of disgust among...

After an extraordinarily embarrassing event wherein Houstonist unwittingly drove the wrong way down a portion of South Braeswood Boulevard, we decided to thoroughly investigate the nature, goals, and idiosyncrasies of the Braeswood Boulevards. Our results have been quite astonishing and maddening, as these braided hydra-like streets weave, change course, change names, and sometimes suddenly disappear for a portion of their overall path as though it were not no thang at all. Our ultimate aim...