To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of Avalon Diner's demise have been greatly exaggerated. It's sadly true that the Avalon Drug Store in River Oaks, a bastion of old-fashioned service and nostalgia, is closing. The store, which has been owned and operated by pharmacist Bill Morris for almost four decades, will be shutting its doors this week after rising insurance and property costs forced him to reexamine keeping the pharmacy open. At 67 years old,......

Good morning, Houston. There's nothing quite like a building implosion to lift our spirits at the beginning of the week — if, of course, it's a building we won't miss. That happened to be the case with the Crowne Plaza hotel in the Medical Center, which was reduced to rubble Sunday; click the link for video from KHOU. (Be prepared to wait — there's a lot of buildup to the big moment in Channel......

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor dirtyfeet. Have you seen this home? What can you tell us about it? It's located on Revere near Kipling in the Upper Kirby District in the small neighborhood that borders Kirby, Westheimer and W. Alabama. Leave us a comment if you can provide some info. If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining over 415 of Houston's best......

OK, so we know it isn't really a residence — at least not right now — we couldn't resist highlighting this incredible contemporary structure on Gallery Row. The building was designed by Albert Marichal Studio of New York and now houses mix. No, we're not sure what's going to happen to the store, but the property is being marketed as a residence, a private office building or (we assume) retail space. We're going to......

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor MasTaPiannis. It's an eerily edited photo of a scene that is very familiar around town, cranes. There are cranes all over the place. We see them in the Upper Kirby District, Downtown, The Medical Center and a couple of other places we can't recall. Crane rental and construction are booming here in Houston. If you have a passion for Houston and......

The big stories Thursday: two inner-Loop fires, one of which cut electricity to thousands of people and another that potentially endangered workers in a high-rise under construction. Fortunately, no one was injured in either fire, though they both caused headaches for people trying to get around the city. The first fire broke out at an electrical substation off the Southwest Freeway just before 1 p.m. yesterday, knocking out electricity to about 17,000 customers in the......

If you've ever wondered what you could do to really make a lasting impression on Houston, have we got a deal for you: For $1,500, your name could be inscribed on the sidewalk alongside the soon-to-be-spiffy Kirby Drive. The sale of the 18-by-18-inch pavers will help fund the Kirby Coalition and Upper Kirby District's upgrade project for the street, which is being (or is planned to be, anyway) carried out at the same time as......

The Get Off Your Lazy Butt List Hey there, Houston, look outside. No, you haven't died and are now seeing heaven — it's our fair city with sunny skies, low humidity and a cool breeze. In light of that, don't do anything inside that you don't have to. As soon as you leave your office/jail, head outdoors and stay there. Houstonist would like to offer our suggestions for your afternoon activities. Because we are......

Good morning, Houston. Are you running around on your wife/husband/significant other? Better look out: Valentine's Day is prime time for catching cheaters. The reason? If you have two or three (or six or seven) boy/girlfriends, you're likely going to need to see all of 'em on the 14th — so be careful. Or, y'know, just stick with the monogamy thing. >> The doctor is ... in?: Eric Scheffey, one of the most-sued doctors in......

Sprawled and traffic-clogged Houston isn't traditionally known as a bicycle-friendly city. BikeHouston is trying to change that, promoting bicycling as an alternate method of transportation, educating both bicyclists and motorists about bicycle safety, and lobbying the city to build more bicycle lanes and Metro to attach bicycle racks to the front of buses. BikeHouston’s annual meeting is tonight. There will be food, along with a talk by the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Pedestrian-Bicycle Coordinator, Dan Raine.......

If you've driven by the former AstroWorld site lately and wondered what was going on with that big, bare patch of ground, here's the answer:Planning is under way to turn it into a massive, high-density transit-oriented development. Conroe-based Angel/McIver Interests, which bought the land for $77 million last year, has asked for the creation of a municipal management district for the site, which would help fund infrastructure improvements including roads, parking facilities, drainage and landscaping.......

The shot from flickr user and houstonist photo contributor groovehouse. This excellent view of downtown at night is from 230 West Alabama. It's a nice, bright shot that captures the transition zones, or palimpsests that are formed around the city, from the urban core through the mid-rise buildings along midtown and then south and west towards Upper Kirby and West U. If you would like to join Houston's best photographers in the houstonist photo......