Good morning, Houston. As we were sitting around Monday morning contemplating using a witch's extremity to keep warm, we started to wonder exactly how cold it's gotten in the city before — and, thanks to the Internet, we know! According to the National Weather Service, the record low temperature for Houston was 5 degrees Fahrenheit, which we hit on Jan. 23, 1940. Maybe more interesting, though, is the Houston snowfall record: Turns out we......

You might have noticed a couple of changes to Houstonist — and we're here to explain what they mean. Tags Instead of being classified by categories, all our posts are now tagged with content-specific keywords. Not only will they help you find broad subjects (like sports or music), but also specific kinds of posts (like posts about the Museum District, babies, City Hall and, oddly enough, snow). Soon, all our categories will be converted to......

Reader Emily B. snapped this picture of a very soapy Mecom Fountain on her way to work this morning — kinda Christmasy, don't you think? (Sorry, but we're Houstonians, which means we have some bizarre, deep-seated belief that soap bubbles really do look like snow. Don't correct us.) Thanks, Emily! And to our other 10 readers: If you see anything around town you think we should know about, drop us a picture. In the......

Goodbye hump day, hello rain. Did anyone else have a sucky Wednesday? And to top it off, the current monsoon over our office is making us have flashbacks of the beginning of the summer. What happened to our 108 degrees and sunny?! We are on a mission to make the most of this wet and soggy day, so we are heading to the Museum of Fine Arts tonight as they present Artful Thursdays. Because......

We scream, you scream. We all scream for…frozen rice pudding on a stick. Doesn’t sound all that appetizing? Head over to La Paletera and give it a go. But be warned, you might find yourself coming home with a few more paletas (fruit bars) than you had planned. La Paletera is summer in a store. In addition to paletas, they also serve fruit cups (sprinkled with their signature lime/chili seasoning), snow cones, ice cream, smoothies,......

After you get your groove on at the MFA's Mixed Media Series tonight, head over to The Proletariat for some late night worship with Houston's own ice sculptor extraordinaire and general wild man, The Reverend Butter. The Reverend will be doing what he does best, performing one of a kind, live ice sculpting shows. There will also be giveaways and music by DJ Trainwreck. The Reverend reminds everyone coming out to the show not......

This video is very fitting considering the past month(s) of rain we have been enduring*. It is also fitting because Travis is in town tonight playing at the Verizon Wireless Theater with John Paul White. Why Does It Always Rain on Me? is off of Travis’ second album, The Man Who (produced by Nigel Godrich), and led to the Band’s surge in popularity in the late 90’s and paved the way for other British......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

Scotland's Ireland's Snow Patrol really made it big last year in America with their smash "Chasing Cars." However, our favorite song of theirs hails from their 2003 major label debut album Final Straw, "Chocolate." (That album also spunned their first minor hit "Run.) We've always liked the songs simple lyrics, great melody, and meaning (a song about new beginnings, as far as we knew). But after recently discovering the video, new light has been......

Artist Boat, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is dedication to promoting awareness and conservation of coastal margins and marine environment through arts and sciences, is hosting a boat adventure this Saturday on West Bay in Galveston from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.. This is a kayaking/canoeing adventure, during which you get to create a water color picture to keep! Paddling and safety instructions are included, for those who have not kayaked, or just need a......

Good morning, Houston. If the thought of teeing off atop a downtown skyscraper gets you going, here's some excellent news: For the next week, you'll have the chance! It's part of The Glenlivet City Links, a 9-hole golf course and clubhouse that's touring seven U.S. cities. In Houston, the City Links — which includes a free course, a virtual driving range and a lounge — is set up on the 50th floor of Three......

Is there a greater partnership in Houston than Theatre Under the Stars and the Hobby Center? The Hobby Center is the ideal venue in every way, and TUTS, since its founding in 1968, has produced more than 275 spectacular musicals -- with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers being no exception. An outrageously talented cast, genius choreography, beautiful scenery, and delightful music come together to make this show one not to be missed. Seven Brides......

We'd like to start this week's run-down by wishing a very happy birthday to parent blog Gothamist, which turned four on Friday. If it wasn't for them, the rest of us wouldn't be here. They celebrated their birthday by nabbing an interview with Entourage star Adrian Grenier, who misses NYC public transportation when he's working in LA. They also reported on NYU students protesting a band whose name is also known as a slur,......

Selling memorabilia related to people in the news, especially if they've done something completely off the wall, has always been a way for some people to cash in on news — but these days, thanks to eBay, it's almost become part of the American way. Take, for example, Joachim Horvitz, a Jersey City, N.J., man whose autographed picture of lovelorn astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak is fetching more than $1,800 on eBay with four days left......

As the world holds its breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning. Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called "punk rock" for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area. Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry's plans......

Texas is thawing, the Northeast is freezing, and a sort of natural order seems almost restored to the Ist-A-Verse. Almost. Londonist HQ—that is to say, the city of London—was battered by heavy winds, making it a bad time to be a twelve-meter (nearly forty-foot) tall snowman. Still, not everyone decided to keep warmly covered. Meanwhile, back indoors, the Big Brother racism is now causing all kinds of headaches for international diplomats, and Londonist got into......

Happy Martin Luther King Day, Houston. Whether you decide to attend one of the dueling parades or just stay in, we're sure you're keeping an eye on the weather — which seems to be this morning's big story. Hello, winter! >> Enter winter: We started to wonder last night if the cold weather would ever get here — but in case you haven't noticed, it did. It's rainy and around 40 degrees downtown now,......

On Sundays, Houstonist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in Houston. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author. Dilettante has not received any letters this month, so she will just assume you, dear reader, are busy with your resolutions or perhaps are out buying a parka to prepare for the snow storm that’s heading to Houston. Bundle up. Grab the nearest person, dog or plant and make yourself a hot toddy. Oh,......

Remember Friday, when we had mild temperatures and not a cloud in the sky? Well, there's more where that came from this week, followed by what could be some crappy, rainy, warmish weather toward the weekend. We had forgotten just how schizophrenic January in Houston can be. Today and Tuesday Expect more of that beautiful, mild weather to kick off the week: a high of 61 today, a high of 63 on Tuesday and......

Happy Holidays! Chances are, you're reading this the day after Christmas, back at your day job after all-too-short a holiday, and the last thing you want from us is stuff about the holidays. But that's just too bad. Because, see, here in the Ist-A-Verse, we do things ahead of time. It might be December 26 for you, but that's what you get for not checking your Favorite Local Blog on Christmas Eve. Austinist is......

Houstonist contributor Monica suggested this video, which we didn't even know existed. Made in the middle of their short career, Wham! decided to go for scenery on "Last Christmas" that we haven't seen since two Christmas Eve's ago -- snow. The video just taked you to the ski lodge where George Michael and his (ahem) girlfriend go to meet their friends. All throughout the video, George is obsessing over his lost love, who now......

Christmas is coming and petty yard theft is on the rise. Houstonist didn't think yard ornamentation had much street value - but apparently, it does. First, someone made off with the baby Jesus in Santa Fe, and now, in Friendswood, a thief made off with a snowman, reindeer and a 10-foot tall snow globe. Apparently, when one swipes a large decoration, it's best not to have your no-seatbelt-wearing passenger riding around with an inflatable snowman......

On Sundays, Houstonist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in Houston. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author. Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. Dear Dilettante - A “new” Beatles album, the soundtrack for the latest freak show Cirque du Soleil has created for the discriminating palates of people visiting Las Vegas, was released a couple of weeks ago. This Friday is the 26th anniversary of......

If you like cold weather, today's your day: Sure, it's 72 degrees out now, but just wait. The temperature will start falling in about an hour; by 10 a.m. it should be in the 50s, by noon it should be in the mid 40s and when you go to bed, the temperature will have dropped well into the 30s. It's the beginning of a few days of genuinely cool weather courtesy of an arctic front......

We now know that a little bit of Iowa is less than an hour away from Houston. Dewberry Farms, located in Brookshire, is trying to bring the farm experience to kids of all ages, offering up a pumpkin patch, farm animals, hayrides, pig races, gemstone mining, and – our favorite – a corn maze. Every summer, decides on a design and plants its corn accordingly. This year, they are celebrating the now-former Astro Jeff Bagwell’s......

God, we're so sick of Snakes on a Plane that we want to kill anyone and everyone that makes a "something on a something" joke. But then we realized that there was no way we could ever win this fight, and, hell, if you can't beat them, we might as well join them. And with that, you have the theme of this week's Gothamist network post. Austinist makes it easy for us, with Candidate......

Why, you're asking, would the sophisticated crowd over at Houstonist waste money on a half-baked teen comedy? Funny you should ask. Houstonist, you see, dated John Tucker. So did our best friend. So, looking for a flashback to high school (and the teen comedies of the late 90s), we took a deep breath, put on our big sunglasses so nobody would recognize us, and mubled "oneforjohntucker" at the ticket counter. Safely ensconsed in our seat,......

OK, you caught us: Houstonist has a secret wish to fufill all your entertainment needs. In that vein, we're instituting a movie calander! You can just call us "entertainment guru". Here's what's opening on your local silver screen this weekend.... Miami Vice, starring Colin Farrell and Oscar winner Jaime Foxx (Ray), headlines this week's openings, directed by Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral), who was the guiding light behind the 80s TV series. Mann is known for......

Ken Lay's will was filed yesterday, and it says his wife, Linda, gets everything. Though the document, which was signed Aug. 8, 2003, doesn't give any specifics about assets, it is clear on whose they now are — which should make probating the will simple if no one contests it. "Assuming the will is properly drafted, there's no need for witnesses to even prove it up," [Joellen Snow, a Houston estate attorney with Snow &......

As the curtain falls tonight on the 2006 Essence Music Festival, marking the end of the event's first year away from New Orleans, organizers expect other cities to start trying to make sure it never goes back. The three-day festival is a potential windfall for convention and tourism bureaus: It draws thousands of visitors and their wallets, and it could help position a city as a minority tourist destination. At least that's what Houston hopes.......