Washington Avenue runs approximately three miles, a relatively small stretch of road in comparison to the hulking concrete freeways and endless ribbons of asphalt that flow through Houston. But those three miles, stretching parallel along I-10 and dead-ending into downtown, are potent ones. Washington Avenue is a microcosm of Houston's history and future, succinctly merging the two in ways that no other area of town does as successfully. But at its current rate of......

Tucked away in a little corner of Memorial Heights, a man and his son are keeping the tradition of neighborhood businesses alive. Raymond's Barber Shop hearkens back to days when men went to the barber, women went to the hairdresser and life moved a bit slower. Nappy-headed kids like myself know how hard it is to find someone who knows what they are doing with the clippers. Fortunately, Mr. Raymond and his son, Carl, can......

Westheimer Road is a long, thriving, paved snake of potholed infrastructure. It guides you into town from the Grand Parkway through Beltway 8 and Loop 610 until it brings you all the way into a cozy, little enclave of town we lovingly refer to as The Montrose. Not really the heart of Houston, because that would probably be the Medical Center, but more like the liver or one of the kidneys of Houston as......

Last week, Urbanist showed you all the hidden jems that lie in the Lower Montrose area. One of those, the Jung Center, tonight presents innovative multimedia artist Cameron Sands and dancer Paola Georgudis on an exploration of the the spiritual possibility in every corner of our city. Is there truly creative potential in every space? What about the concrete area around a trash dumpster in an alleyway – or a place you pass by every......

While running along Montrose Ave this morning, discovering the sidewalks (and subsequent ankle-twisting cracks) of a neighborhood we have often admired, but of recent become a resident, we got an upclose look at many of the establishment we have visited many a time, yet on foot were allowed to explore a bit more. In the effort of being visionaries, we've decided to name this strip of road SoMo (or South Montrose, for you slow pokes.)......

This week, we told you all about the upcoming opening of the much talked about Hotel ZaZa in the Museum District. Seems like the new hotel is on everyone's radar. Including New York Magazine. This week, the popular entertainment and culture magazine's website (www.nymag.com) featured Houston as their Weekend Escape Destination, describing a stay at the "highly theatrical" Hotel ZaZa as a way to earn some street cred in the Bayou City. The article......

Dear Al Gore & all those people who keep telling us that driving cars causes global warming, An inconvenient truth of a misplaced vehicle led to Houstonist riding the bus to work yesterday instead of driving. Turns out that things were a bit more convenient that our assumptions about the use of mass transit in car-centric Houston. So, we thought we'd share a bit of our experience with you in hopes that other non-mass......

Finally, cooler, drier weather! Luckily, there are several areas of town that we can enjoy some good drinks and food — all in walking distance. One is near the intersection of Studewood and White Oak in the Heights. Heights Sports & Social Lounge Just east of Studewood on the north side of White Oak Street, this bar has quietly catered to sports and cigar enthusiasts for years. With its humidor and array of TV’s, we......