Houston

Stories about Houston

Found in Translation

Activist Glenda Joe on the immigrant experience in Houston.

On Hillcroft

My Montrose

Forty years (and more) of the exuberant, eclectic neighborhood where I was born, grew as a writer, and found inspiration for the early pages of this magazine.

This Is Texas

Why the capital should rightfully be Houston, not Austin.

The Walking Deadline

For decades, the state’s big urban newspapers helped bind together the inhabitants of our major cities. Now those papers are threatened by a rapidly evolving (some might say collapsing) business model. Is there hope for daily journalism in Texas?

Horsemen, Goodbye

Thoughts on the gradual march of civility and urban sprawl across the lost frontier.

Where to Eat Now

And the year's best new restaurants are . . .

The 2013 Bum Steer Awards

Now with special advice from the Texanist!

You Can’t Stop Renu Khator

The only female university chancellor in Texas (and president of the University of Houston) on her quest for Tier One status.

Pearl-Snap Shirts

For when you need a beautiful shirt that can be removed quickly.

The Artist's Transformation

How Trenton Doyle Hancock is reinventing his work.

Hotel Zaza, Houston

The Texanist

Offering Fine Advice Since 2007

Celebrating Denton Cooley and Old Houston

How the 50th anniversary party for the Texas Heart Institute was really a glimpse into the Houston that once was.

F for Fantasy

Down with hypothetical football! Three cheers for the real thing!

Toast of the Town

The best way to visit Houston is one neighborhood at a time. Let’s start with Montrose.

Portrait of the Artist as a Postman

The only American ever to design scarves for the exclusive French fashion house Hermès is Kermit Oliver, a 69-year-old postal worker from Waco who lives in a strange and beautiful world all his own.

Andrew Porter’s Novel Has a Houston Problem

The San Antonio writer's novel, In Between Days, doesn't get its Houston setting quite right.

Six Houston Chefs Share Their Favorite Chinatown Haunts

Houston's Chinatown can be an overwhelming part of town, with each strip-mall restaurant blending into the next, so six local chefs shed light on which places rise above the rest.

And Away They Go

Sending a Texan off into the world—and hoping he’ll return.

Quaid in Full

After years of bad choices and bad luck, Dennis Quaid—older, wiser, and emotionally raw—proves his mettle in a new movie and his first TV series.

Cell! Cell! Cell!

As cancer hospitals in Dallas try to compete with Houston’s M.D. Anderson, the medical technology arms race is heating up. Is that good news for patients?

King Creole

At Underbelly, Chris Shepherd declares Houston the South's top gun. Watch out, Big Easy.

New + Noteworthy

The Hay Merchant and Doss Country Store.

Roost

Houston

How Billy Gibbons Got His Groove Back

After two decades of sluggish albums, ZZ Top has returned to raunchy, bluesy form. And the little ol' band from Texas owes it all to a hip-hop anthem from the streets of Houston.

The Negotiation

Every year, hundreds of Texas high schoolers are aggressively recruited by the nation’s top college football programs. It’s a dream come true, but some kids must go through the bewildering process alone. And according to the rules of the NCAA, there aren’t many places they can turn to for help.

Home Is Where the Cart Is

In this exclusive excerpt from his forthcoming cookbook, Hugo Ortega shares the secrets of the humble dishes of his homeland.

Grandfather Child

A new album by Grandfather Child.

Being a YouTube Comedian

Kevin Wu on being a YouTube comedian.

Believe

A new album by the Cookers.

Goodman Gone Bad

Flamboyant Houston millionaire John Goodman’s trial for vehicular manslaughter was a circus. Somewhere in the middle of it, the guy I used to know was thinking . . . what exactly?

Texas Gets Prehistoric With Two New Fossil Halls

After years of exporting prized dinosaur fossils to some of the world’s best museums, the state will be getting two huge exhibit halls, in Dallas and Houston.

James Turrell’s Skyspace, Houston

Uchi

New + Noteworthy

Elizabeth Street Cafe and Underbelly.

Nootropics

A new album by Lower Dens.

Buyer Beware

Dear Jim Crane, new owner of the Houston Astros: Please don’t screw things up as badly as the last guy did.

Truth or Consequences

In 2004 Dan Rather tarnished his career forever with a much-criticized report on George W. Bush’s National Guard service. Eight years later, the story behind the story can finally be told: what CBS’s top-ranking newsman did, what the president of the United States didn’t do, and how some feuding Texas pols got the whole ball rolling.

Notable Openings and Closings

What you need to know about dining in Texas this week.

9 Texas Bands That Could Make an Impact at SXSW

Though South by Southwest is bringing big names like Bruce Springsteen and Jay-Z this year, here are picks from showcasing Texans, from the obvious to the relatively obscure.

Notable Openings and Closings

What you need to know about dining in Texas this week.

Get Cooking

Recipes from the ten top restaurants in Texas.

Notable Openings and Closings

What you need to know about dining in Texas this week.

Notable Openings and Closings

What you need to know about dining in Texas this week.

Texas Food Lovers

Twenty chefs and restaurants make the James Beard semifinals.

Triniti

Houston

The Gay Case

How two Texans took a gay rights case to the Supreme Court.

Black Radio

A new album by Robert Glasper.

The Tree of Strife

For a quarter of a century, the Art Guys, Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing, have been Houston’s master provocateurs, stirring up discussion with their wacky, thoughtful, and tenaciously marketed “social sculptures.” But have they finally gone too far?

Where to Eat Now 2012

White tablecloths. Street food. Small portions. Lots and lots of innards. The only thing the ten best new Texas restaurants have in common is a willingness to prove that there is no such thing as a “Texas restaurant.” But when the escargots with fennel purée are this good, who cares?

Notable Openings and Closings

What you need to know about dining in Texas this week.

Notable Openings and Closings

What you need to know about dining in Texas this week.

A Cook’s Tour

A slide show of scenes from the ten restaurants you should be eating at right now.

A Q&A With Patricia Sharpe

The senior editor on beer gardens, communal dining, and escargots.

Don’t Mess With River Oaks

Houston has always prided itself as a city that barrels forward into the future, and operates without memory, regret or nostalgia. But when developers began messing with the historic River Oaks Shopping Center, Houstonians raised their hackles.

New + Noteworthy

Costa Pacifica and El Gran Malo.

Sex, Lies, and Hit Men!

Yvonne Stern knows that her husband, the wealthy Houston attorney Jeffrey Stern, had a steamy affair with a woman named Michelle Gaiser. And she knows full well that two years ago Gaiser hired a series of men to kill her. But she refuses to believe that Jeffrey was in on the plan.

A Q&A With Skip Hollandsworth

The executive editor on Jeffrey and Yvonne Stern and their murder-for-hire story, hit men, and the standard male midlife crisis.

Six Must-See Museums and Collections

Six members from Women for the Arts share which museums, collections, and venues travelers should not miss.

New + Noteworthy

The Bird & the Bear and Bistro 31.

Need Some Gift Ideas?

We got you covered. Representatives from three independent record stores in Texas recommend recent releases from local artists to give as gifts to music fans.

The Sex Files

Images and newspaper clippings from a case involving a series of brutal assaults on prostitutes in Acres Homes, a decaying Houston neighborhood. No one knew just how difficult the case would be to solve.

Enron Ever After

Ten years ago this month, the company that once dominated Houston collapsed in a cloud of debt. But its ghost still haunts the city—and America.

Houston Might Be Heaven: Rockin’ R&B in Texas, 1947–1951

Magda Sayeg’s Bedside Table

The yarn bomber shows us some of her personal possessions.

“If the Serial Killer Gets Us, He Gets Us”

Police had all but given up looking into a pair of assaults against two prostitutes in the Houston neighborhood of Acres Homes. But when a third turned up dead, investigator Darcus Shorten embarked on a search that revealed a brutal reality.

Rocky Ascent

Dusty Hill's older brother, Rocky Hill, has been called the "best guitarist you've never heard of," but the recent release of Texas Guitar Legend aims to change that.

Cowboys 52, Texans 10

After ten seasons as a major NFL franchise, the Houston Texans are picking up some fans, but the blood of Texas still pumps Cowboy blue.

A Q&A With Skip Hollandsworth

The executive editor on writing about prostitutes, working with detectives, and recreating scenes.

Bed, Breakfast, and Beyond

From tranquil lodging in the middle of bustling Houston to candle-lit breakfasts near the beach, these five B&Bs are guaranteed to please.

Felix 55

Houston

Putting the Band Back Together

Thunder Soul, a documentary about the Kashmere High School Stage Band's return to the stage after 35 years, makes a powerful argument for the necessity of arts education. 

Winning Halftime

When the Rice MOB marches, stodginess scatters.

City Girl

A Q&A With Mimi Swartz

The executive editor on the controversial superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the politics involved in public education, and how parents need to be more vocal and vigilant.

A Q&A With Jordan Breal

The associate editor on covering the arts scene in Texas.

The Art Lover’s Companion

More than sixty art insiders gave us their list of favorite works of art to see in Texas. So grab your notepad, sketchbook, or iPad and take the ultimate tour of must-see art in Texas.

Texas Treasures

My journey in early Texas art began while I was a student at Southern Methodist University, where I studied Frank Reaugh pastels and met Jerry Bywaters. After 24 years at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, curating exhibitions and traveling the state, I’ve come up with a list of greatest hits.

Rock the Vote

Who is the best female country artist from Texas?

Super Collider

Terry Grier is the hard-charging, reform-minded, optimistic superintendent of the largest school district in the state. He’s also the most divisive, embattled, and despised man in Houston. Did it have to be this way?

Straight From the Art

From the Menil in Houston to the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas museums are home to some of the greatest paintings and sculptures in the world. But what are the best within our borders? Come along on a guided tour of the ten works of art you must see before you die.

Drama King

Less than two years after moving into the Wyly Theatre, the Dallas Theater Center has become the state’s drama darling. Is it the final curtain on the Alley Theatre’s time at the top?

The Drop Everything List

The Go-Gos, LBJ's Birthday, Houston Theater District Open House, and the Hot Sauce Festival. . .

Perry's Response

On August 7, 2011, Governor Rick Perry sponsored “The Response,” a prayer rally held in Houston’s Reliant Stadium. Photographs by Paul Stekler.

New + Noteworthy

Restaurant Gwendolyn and Sapori Ristorante Italiano.

Nerd Rising

Jim Parsons, the unlikely savior of the TV sitcom.

Being a Homesick Texan

Lisa Fain on arguing with people about why Texas chili is superior to all others, serving chicken-fried steak to some New York friends, and starting to think that maybe her blog was more than a hobby. 

A Little Bit Country

Robert Ellis's new album, Photographs, is influenced by both his folk and country roots.

Houston Has Pride

The largest gay pride parade in Texas celebrates its 33rd year.

Boy’s Life—Bill White

Before he was fighting for the governorship of the second-largest state in the country, Bill White was just a kid from Texas.

Designated Rivalry

Should the Astros join the Rangers in the American League West?

New + Noteworthy

Up and McCullough Avenue Grill.

Brasserie 19

Houston

Singular Lady

Can Beyoncé reinvent her music videos in the Age of Gaga?

Photographs

A new album by Robert Ellis.

Brad Davis’s Locker

The Houston Dynamo player gives us a glimpse of his life off the field.

New + Noteworthy

Contigo and Alto Pizzeria.

An American Trilogy

A new box set from Mickey Newbury.

Pint of Blood

A new album by Jolie Holland.

Brazos Bend

A Beautiful Mind

David Eagleman talks about his dual life as an assistant professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine and a fiction writer. His latest book, Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, comes out at the end of the month. Camera by Brian Birzer

Outdoor Adventures

A slide show of images of our ten favorite parks, from Garner State Park to Ray Roberts Lake.

New + Noteworthy

Pondicheri and Malai Thai-Vietnamese Kitchen.

Mind Games

Baylor College of Medicine neuroscientist David Eagleman is out to change the way we think about guilt and innocence (and time and novels and, well, neuroscientists). Can he pull it off?

Into the Wild

Out of more than half a million acres of state parks and natural areas, we’ve chosen the ten best trips—where to camp, what to do, and what to look for when you head to the nearest town—from a lazy Frio River getaway to a bird-filled expedition to the coast. Better clear your summer.

Latest News on the Corll Investigation

Researchers have discovered a mistaken identity and another possible victim.

The Houston Mass Murders: What Really Happened

A Q&A with Skip Hollandsworth, author of “The Lost Boys.”

New + Noteworthy

Francesca's at Sunset, San Antonio, and Saldivia South American Grill, Houston.

Oil Night Long

Amid all the drink tickets, bikini-clad hostesses, and outrageous displays of wealth at the world’s largest expo for independent oilmen, I was determined to get some answers about the future of the business.

A Lost Boys Slide Show

In December 1970 two teenage boys disappeared from the Heights neighborhood in Houston. Then another and another and another. A slide show of images from the state's most horrific mass murder.

A Closer Look at One of Dean Corll’s Victims

Dorothy Hilligiest's son David disappeared one day in 1971. She spent her days and nights searching for him, following leads, and eagerly awaiting his return. And then she found out about Dean Corll, one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history.

Cheese Enchiladas

Offering fine advice since 2007

Nicknames, parental discretion, summer camp, and the best way to talk about breast enlargement.

The Last Blast

Few things are as majestic as the launch of the space shuttle. But after nearly thirty years, NASA is sending up its final orbiters. Here's the view from up close.

The Lost Boys

It was the most shocking crime of its day, 27 boys from the same part of town kidnapped, tortured, and killed by an affable neighbor named Dean Corll. Forty years later, it remains one of the least understood—or talked about—chapters in Houston's history.

Attending a Square Dance

How to square dance.

Selling High-end Women’s Fashion

Mickey Rosmarin on selling high-end women's fashion.

Ava Kitchen and Whiskey Bar

Houston

51–75

From Donald Chambers founding the Bandidos in Houston to Gordon Granger reading General Orders No. 3 in Galveston

51–75

From Donald Chambers founding the Bandidos in Houston to Gordon Granger reading General Orders No. 3 in Galveston

New and Noteworthy

Tango & Malbec and Seasons 52.

Schoolhouse Rocked

How an angry parent’s e-mail turned an elite Houston private school into a political battleground.

Mission Control, Houston

From April 11 to 17, 1970, the nation watched as a team in a console-filled room in Building 30N brought the crew of Apollo 13 safely back to Earth. Dr. Charles Berry, who was part of the mission control team, tells us about that time.

Courtroom Drama

Read a Q&A with Mimi Swartz.

Where to Eat Now 2011

Jalapeño sausage–stuffed quail, lemon-pepper-marinated fried chicken: The trend for most of the best new restaurants last year was comfort food with pizzazz. But then along came Uchiko to wow us with its mouthwatering take on Japanese fusion. Who says you can’t buck a trend?

Law and Disorder

During his lifetime, he captivated Houston with his courtroom brilliance, outsized ambition, and high-dollar lifestyle. But in the year since John O’Quinn’s tragic death, a bitter estate battle has revealed who he really was.

Tea for Texas

It has more supporters here than anywhere else. It fueled the Republican landslide. It has its own caucus. But what is the tea party? And how will it use its power?

Offering fine advice since 2007

Oyster aphrodisiacs, hat manners, drill team attire, and why a man needs a weekender.

Tea Time

Read a Q&A with Nate Blakeslee.

Bun B

On his new album, Trill O.G.; his late partner, Pimp C; and more.

New and Noteworthy

Flora & Muse and Zimm’s Little Deck.

Let’s Have Mex-Tex

Where’s the best place to get a perfect plate of enchiladas? A chile relleno to die for? A salsa you’ll never forget? Come along on our tour of the fifty greatest Mexican restaurants in Texas, from Hugo’s, in Houston, to Tacos Santa Cecilia, in El Paso. This is not your father’s Tex-Mex.

Latin Bites Café

Houston

It’s Here. It’s Queer.

Jim Carrey’s brilliant gay movie finally comes out.

Paint-By-Numbers Art

Trey Speegle on paint-by-numbers art.

Anthony Graves Press Conference

October 28, 2010, in Houston at the law offices of Katherine Scardino, Graves's defense attorney.

New and Noteworthy

Phil’s Texas Barbecue, Houston and Dive Coastal Cuisine, Dallas.

Meet the Parent

In the year since my mother died, I’ve learned a lot of things—like how to spend time with my dad.

Deep-Frying a Turkey

How to deep-fry a turkey.

A Q&A With Mimi Swartz

After her mother’s death, Mimi Swartz found herself getting to know her father all over again.

The Manual 2.0

Watch the experts teach Andrea Valdez how to deep-fry a turkey.

Spills and Bills

The BP oil spill hit the small world of Houston’s oil and gas business hard. So now that the well is plugged, who’s up and who’s down?

The Super

After a year on the job, the superintendent of the largest school district in Texas is loathed and loved in equal measure. Does that mean he’s doing his job?

Get on Board

Michael Hall talks about researching acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), walking the halls of Texas Children’s Hospital, and interviewing the parents of a remarkable skater kid who died.

About a Boy

The short life and tragic death of Johnny Romano, the youngest professional skateboarder ever.

Earl Mitchell’s Refrigerator

The Houston Texans defensive tackle shows us what he eats.

Covering High Society

Shelby Hodge on covering high society.

Purple Haze

The hip-hop inspired “purple drank” may have claimed its latest victim—former A&M defensive tackle Johnny Jolly of the Green Bay Packers—who faces prison time for possession of at least 200 grams of codeine, a key ingredient.

Houston is Chow Town

Cop Drama

How cuts to the budget of our mental health care system have created a nightmare for police officers in Houston—and everywhere else.

Head of The Class

The question isn’t how the followers of an obscure Turkish imam came to operate the largest charter school system in Texas. It’s whether the incredible success they’ve had can help our ailing public schools.

Lesson Learned

William Martin talks about how charter schools could fundamentally change the Texas education system.

One for the Road

Jordan Breal talks about searching for vacation spots, driving across Texas, and eating bone marrow.

Reversal of Misfortune

New trials for two of the Mineola Swinger's Club defendants.

The Outsider

In the post-Washington game, former attorney general Alberto Gonzales has fared worse than any other member of the Bush administration. Why?

Sea Student

Bryan Caswell, the chef-owner of Reef, in Houston, has your backyard summer picnic all figured out.

Wild at Heart

My mother trained me to be a naturalist in our suburban backyard, one bird call at a time.

Paul Wall

Ten

Justin Cronin

Grilling With Chef Bryan Caswell

Redfish on the Half-Shell

Where They're From

A memorable hour-long radio special based on the June issue of TEXAS MONTHLY, a co-production with KUT 90.5 FM.

Short Cuts: Episode V

Catching up on the governor’s race—taxes, coyotes, NASCAR, and pool houses—in under three minutes.

Goodnight Moon

Forty years ago, the attention to space exploration was constant. And the faces of the exploration gave rise to a group of larger than life individuals—the astronauts.

Brittney Griner

Houston

Boy’s Life

They may disagree on just about everything, but Rick Perry and Bill White have one thing in common: a Texas childhood.

Trinity River

Wide and slow, the river is lined with familiar bottomland hardwood trees like sycamore, cherrybark oak, and the pretty but invasive chinaberry.

Buffalo Bayou

Pass through the thick piney woods of Memorial Park, and you'll find yourself worlds away from the nearby crowded freeways and malls of Houston.

Weird Science

As the peculiar case of a Fort Bend sheriff’s deputy and his bloodhounds makes clear, the techniques of crime-scene investigation are not as infallible as the TV shows would have us believe. How a misplaced faith in some forensic experts is putting innocent people behind bars.

Go With the Flow

Throw a canoe on the roof or a tube in the trunk and head for the Llano, the Brazos, the Pecos, the Trinity, the Guadalupe, or any of the other rivers on this list of the twenty best trips to take on Texas waterways this summer.

Enroncore!

The debut of Enron, the play, on Broadway might be the perfect time to settle a question that’s been bothering Houston: Does Jeff Skilling need a new trial?

What ever happened to Robert Sakowitz

Desperately seeking Sakowitz.

I’m With the Band

Texas Monthly talks to four up-and-coming Texas bands looking to break out at SXSW.

Heir Jordan

Among all athletes with endorsements, Michael Jordan is still king. But Sheryl Swoopes of the Houston Comets is scoring in her own way—and she's having a ball.

Blood and Money

On the strength of a simple if indelicate question—“Who’s the Father?”—Houston’s Caroline Caskey has made a big splash in biotech.

The Lost Girls

Every year thousands of women are smuggled into the United States and forced to work as prostitutes. Many of them end up in Houston, in massage parlors and spas. Most of them will have a hard time ever getting out.

Life Cycle

Horton Foote’s bountiful last act.

Texas Sound Bites

Twelve garage rock songs you must hear before you die.

Out and About

Annise Parker, the newly elected mayor of Houston, is ready to discuss any of the challenges facing her city. That will happen as soon as everyone else is ready to stop talking about her sexuality.

The Bucket List

Driving the River Road, in far West Texas; having a drink at the Mansion on Turtle Creek, in Dallas; fishing for bass in Caddo Lake; eating a chicken-fried steak in Strawn; searching for a lightning whelk along the coast; and 58 other things that all Texans must do before they die.

Good Eats

A slide show of images featuring our state’s top ten restaurants, from Il Sogno, in San Antonio, to RDG + Bar Annie, in Houston, to Samar by Stephan Pyles, in Dallas.

The Rice Stuff

Why the proposed merger between Baylor College of Medicine and my alma mater could turn out to be a bad prescription.

193

That’s the number of times Harris County housewife Susan Wright stabbed her husband in a brutal 2003 murder that riveted the nation and landed her in prison for 25 years. But should the butcher of the burbs be freed?

Where to Eat Now 2010

You had to be brave to open a restaurant last year. Or you had to be a genius. Or, like Robert Del Grande, whose revamped Houston eatery tops our list of the ten best gastronomical debuts of 2009, you had to be both.

Home Front Lines

For too many veterans, the emotional scars of war go untreated. An innovative group of Harris County politicians, judges, attorneys, and health care workers—most of whom are veterans themselves—is aiming to fix that.

The Case for Keenum

The University of Houston quarterback leads the nation in passing attempts, completions, and yardage, and he’s tied for the NCAA lead with 38 touchdown passes. But does he have what it takes to win the Heisman?

What She Wore

On the day my mother died, I found myself in the place that, more than any other, had defined our relationship: her closet.

People We’ll Miss—2009

A fond look back at 22 Texans who died in 2009, from Farrah Fawcett and Walter Cronkite to Brandon Lara and Joe Bowman.

The Great White Hope

During his three terms in office, Houston’s Bill White has been one of the most popular big-city mayors in America. Now he’s just the latest in a long line of Texas Democrats trying to win a statewide election. What makes Mayor Bill think he can break a fifteen-year losing streak?

The Time of His Life

The original dirty dancer, Patrick Swayze, died Monday at the age of 57.

Tina Knowles’s Handbag

The Judgment of Sharon Keller

Her decision to close the door on a death row inmate’s final plea has earned the state’s top criminal judge lasting infamy and a misconduct investigation that goes to trial this month. But was she wrong?

The 50 Greatest Hamburgers In Texas

On our first-ever quest for the state’s best burgers, we covered more than 12,000 miles, ate at more than 250 restaurants, and gained, collectively, more than 40 pounds. Our dauntless determination (and fearless fat intake) was rewarded with a list of 50 transcendent burgers—and you’ll never guess which one ended up on top. Check out our Best Burger section.

Being a Multimedia Journalist

The CNN contributor and syndicated columnist talks about the future of media.

Cool Cocktails

A few of the state’s best mixologists share their secrets to making delicious drinks.

Walking on the Moon

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history as the first humans to set foot on the surface of the moon. Forty years later, the researchers, astronauts, engineers, scientists, and NASA officials who made the voyage possible remember the day the Eagle landed.

That’s the Spirit

Not that you’re looking for an excuse, but these five original cocktails concocted by Texas bartenders using local liquors are a thoroughly acceptable reason to pour yourself a drink. Or three.

Becca Cason Thrash’s Desk

Becca Cason Thrash’s desk.

All in the Family

A new film presents a never-before-seen look at Dominique de Menil in her curatorial element.

Angelbert Metoyer’s_Desk

Styles and Styles of Texas

The thirty Texans with the most iconic, unforgettable, eye-popping looks, from Davy Crockett to Beyoncé.

Golden Oldies

Afghan artifacts in Houston; Texas Biennial.

Saturday Night

From a honky-tonk in Odessa to a Catholic church in Houston, there’s one night of the week when you’re guaranteed to find Texans at their snappiest.

Dancing Queen

The Houston Ballet; a Marcia Gygli King retrospective; Philip Glass.

The Show Goes On

The Texas Ballet Theater; Olafur Eliasson; Art Guys in Abilene.

Suggested Reading

Texas Book Festival; Latin Grammy Awards; San Antonio Opera.

Tamales

How to throw a tamalada.

Return of the King

Tut’s treasures; aural art; the poetry of Laurie Anderson.

Heart’s Home

LBJ at 100, Beachcomber’s Museum, The Black List Project.

Honorable Mentions

Girl, Interrupted

Houston’s most famous teenage killer is trying to reclaim her life and move on.

A Dark Visionary

5/16 Throckmorton’s Rocky Mountain oyster fest 5/24 Samuel Colt exhibit Thru 6/22 John Alexander retrospective

Urbane Cowboy

Julian Schnabel’s metrosexual Texanness.

New and Noteworthy

Bistro Don Camillo, Houston and August E’s, Fredericksburg

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Child’s Play

Summer vacation is right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean you should panic. We’ve rounded up 68 of our favorite things to do with your toddlers, teens, and every kid in between. Dance the hokey pokey. Rope a horse. Eat way too many hot dogs. Zip down a waterslide. And yes, feed the animals.

Calling a Baseball Game

Milo Hamilton on calling a baseball game.

Soma

Houston

Let There Be Light

J. M. W. Turner in Dallas; Discovery Green in Houston; Fiesta in S.A.

New and Noteworthy

Café Pita, Houston and Rise no1, Dallas

Truth and Consequences

Roger Clemens may be worthy of the Congressional testimony Hall of Shame, but should we really be so freaked out about his supposed steroid use?

The Palace of Illusions

Rating the Major Dailies

Choosing the best features of Texas newspapers is a thankless job, hard on the spirit, and difficult for all the wrong reasons.

Interview with Terry Moore

Long Time Coming

The Long Center performs; FotoFest flashes; Diboll gets husk-y.

Where To Eat Now 2008

Yes, the setting is ritzy and the food remarkable. But what really makes the state’s best new restaurant sizzle is something less tangible: the (Dean) Fearing factor.

The Grove

Houston

Chuck It

How soon before the Harris County DA makes his exit? Not soon enough.

Echo

Third Grade Social Studies

They may only be kids in third grade, but you’re looking at the future of Texas.

Toilet Tales

In summer months, Houstonians are drinking ice cold . . . toilet water. Courtesy of Dallas.

Cat Osterman

24, pitcher/coach, Houston/Chicago

Nan Hall Linke

Nan Hall Linke, astrologer.

New Chinatown, Houston

Our state’s Asian population is the second-fastest growing in the country. This is ground zero.

Au Petit Paris

Houston

Keep Art Here

Katrina Moorhead; Teatro Dallas; Design Life Now.

The Skinny On Obesity

What Comptroller Susan Combs is doing to make sure that everything is not always bigger in Texas.

The Class of 2017

The future according to third-graders.

Charles Kuffner

42, blogger, Houston

The Gospel According to Matthew

Why does a rich Houston investment banker spend his days traveling the globe, preaching to the uninformed and indifferent that the world’s supply of crude oil is in steep decline and the end of life as we know it is very, very near? Maybe because it is.

Daniel N. DiNardo

58, cardinal, Houston

Chamillionaire

28, rapper, Houston

Lakewood Church, Servicio en Español

Houston | December 9, 2007

Tomorrow Never Dies

The perils of prediction.

International Quilting Convention

A look inside the world of quilting at the International Quilting Festival—the largest convention in Houston.

New and Noteworthy

Rebecca’s Table, Fredericksburg and So Vino Wine Bar & Bistro, Houston

The Fabric of Our Lives

I know her as my mother, whose womb I emerged from more than fifty years ago. They—the million or so quilting fanatics, mostly women, who spend hours a day with needle, thread, fabric, and sewing machine—know her as a celebrity. She can’t believe it either.

Contributors

C. F. Payne, Cecilia Ballí, and Gregory Curtis

So You Want to Be Chairman of Exxon?

How the world’s largest corporation decides who will make it too the top—and who won’t.

Barry Walker

The curator of The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston discusses the museum’s recent acquisitions, from Jasper Johns to Philip Guston.

The Architects

Welcome to Houston, the cutting edge of architecture. The local boys are turning a gentlemen’s profession into a business, the stylish out-of-towners are creating a new aesthetic, and neither group is filled with admiration for the other.

An Interview With Dirk Van Tuerenhout

The Houston Museum of Natural Science curator of anthropology talks about this month’s new exhibit, Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia.

Lucy’s Legacy

Houston

Don’t Call Him Junior

George W. Bush wants to be governor of Texas. He says he’s not following in his father’s footsteps, but his name, his career, and his ideas about politics seem an awful lot like Dad’s.

East Meets West

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston curator of contemporary art talks about this month’s new exhibit, Red Hot: Asian Art From the Chaney Family Collection.

The Fund’s Over

Budget cuts are coming. Are teaching hositals DOA? Plus: Are white Democrats MIA?

Fighting Back

Inspired by th O.J.Simpson case, Texas has taken the lead in fighting domestic violence.

What Does “Jolt” Mean?

Why are so many students in Texas unable to read? The answer is obvious: because the school system has failed them.

We Are the World

An ambitious new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston suggests Texas is becoming less like itself and more like everyplace else.

Smelling Like a Rose

Critics complain about Houston’s rising debt, but Mayor Bob Lanier’s reputation is blooming, which is why he’ll win a third term this month.

Bar Hopper

Tainted Mexican pols sign up a Corpus Christi lawyer.

Royalty Pain

Texas Twenty: Linda Aguilar-Bryan and Joseph Bryan

A couple of fene-iuses.

Texas Twenty: Ekhard Pfeiffer

The Compaq kid.

Texas Twenty: Carol Porter

A hunger for feeding children.

Texas Twenty: Chelsi Smith

Universally appealing.

Texas Twenty: Gwen and Willie Richardson

Race matters.

Ripe Apple

Twenty years after he began critiquing modern society, Houston writer Max Apple is enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Post Script

The only surprise about the closing of Houston’s oldest papers was that it took so long.

Pine and Agony

Biting the Bullet

If you plan to pack heat, you’ll have to go to school first. Here’s what you’re in for.

Are Texans Crazy

Roe v. World

Twenty-five years after Norma McCorvey joined the flight to legalize abortion, the battle is still raging—and so is she.

The King of Bankruptcy

In 1983 Houston natural gas mogeul Jack Stanley was more than $1 billion in debt. By 1994, he was $2 billion to the good. What factors contributed to the turn-around? A recent trial gave some clues.

Shooting the Moon

How glad-handing Hollywood and hidebound NASA joined forces to make Apollo 13, one of this summer’s hottest movies.

Fear and Loathing

Houston’s gonzo TV reporter Wayne Dolcefino is the best show in town.

Entrance of the Zapatista Army into San Cristobal, 1994

Drug War!

How a small Houston biotech company and a giant California-based rival are battling over who developed what may be a revolutionary cure for asthma and allergies.

Let There Be Lightnin’

Twenty-five years after his death, Sam Hopkins is still one of the most influential bluesmen in history—that much we know. But we don’t know nearly enough about who he was.

Negative Energy

Meet Houston’s David Hill, a GOP bad boy with strong views on the 1996 presidential race.

Great Mexpectations

How will the Mexxico bailout affect Texxas? Experts say it’s just what we needed.

Roky Road

After years in his own strange world, sixties music icon Roky Erickson has emerged to cut a striking new record.

Tuna Salad Days

After fourtten years, 2,5000 performances, and innumerable one-liners, the theatrical careers of Joe Sears and Jaston Williams are going swimmingly.

Come Dancing

Fron Henry’s Hideout to the Farmer’s Daughter, Texas still has the best country dance halls. A boot-scootin’ roundup.

Heroes and Villains

Two new books on the Texas Revolution take a fresh look at both romantic and cynical interpretations.

When Bush Comes to Shove

Straight Arrow

The new Ways and Means chairman, Bill Archer, takes aim at the federal budget.

Lust in Space

The lovesick antics of diapered astronaut Lisa Nowak are some combination of funny and sad but seemingly not revealing of anything larger, until you realize that her tragic, tabloidy breakdown says everything you need to know about NASA’s many troubles.

The Songs Remain the Same

And for these 8 one-hit wonders, including Balde Silva, of Toby Beau, that’s a good thing: Thanks to wildly successful singles they released many years ago, what might have otherwise been forgettable careers are anything but.

It’s showtime!

The livestock show.

North Toward Dome

The best way to visit the Capitol, the state’s grandest public building, is to take the 45-minute guided tour. But there is much more to see if you know what to look for, and I’m going to tell you precisely that.

Where to Eat Now 2007

Well, first and foremost, Dallas, since four of the year’s ten best new restaurants—including the top three—are there. But if you’re hip and hungry in Houston, Austin, or San Antonio, my list won’t disappoint.

The Kitchen Table

Man of the People

Executive editor Mimi Swartz talks about Dan Patrick, Houston’s celebrity-talk-show-host-turned-politician.

Passing Grades

Grading the quarterbacks.

Ball Boy

A few swings at Andy Roddick.

Par Excellence

The best golf holes in Texas, according to the legends of the game.

Here Comes Trouble

Dan Patrick is causing nervous breakdowns of various size and duration—and he’s not even in the Texas Senate yet.

The 2007 Bum Steer Awards

It was a year of aggrieved actors, banned boobs, Cuban commodes, DeLay denial, errant Elmo, frisky floaters, grouchy governors, hung hoopsters, immigration insensitivity, job-seeking judges, klobbered Karl, Longhorn lushes, miffed musicians, nude no-no’s, ousted Osteens, peeved passers, quarreling queens, riled Rangers, subpar sheriffs, tiny “terrorists,” unseemly URLs, vice presidential violence, wiseacre W., x-asperated x-wives, youthful yakkers, and zoo zeal.

The Mighty Metroplex

Just a few years after nearly being written off the map, the region has become a roaring engine of growth and social transformation.

Face Value

A brush with greatness.

If They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways

Around the State

You Can Go Home Again

Come home, Dixie Chicks.

The Art Of Shopping

Mouth Kim France likes Old Navy—but not leggings.

Thank God It’s Friday

And Saturday. And Sunday. The arrival of fall means weekends spent watching football, up close and on-screen, and yet another opportunity to love the greatest game on earth for all the usual reasons. Forty-nine of them, in fact.

Liftoff!

In this exclusive excerpt from Stephen Harrigan’s new novel, Challenger Park, a female astronaut confronts mommy-track issues on the way to outer space.

Dan Rather

Power Surge

State Fare

Will you enjoy the smoke-roasted shrimp at Houston’s Moose Cafe? You can plank on it.

Public Service • Bill Hobby

Governed by generosity.

Art • Peter Marzio

On the money.

Science • Richard E. Smalley

Good chemistry.

Publishing • Christy Haubegger

Pitching to a rich niche.

Store Wars!

Two luxury retailers: Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. One desirable market: Houston. The fight for the hearts and credit cards of couture clotheshorses like Lynn Wyatt and Carolyn Farb officially begins next month, but already the fur is flying.

J. C. Herz

Westheimer, Ho!

Accessories for sexual adventurers, columns for your Craftsman bungalow, tasteful tables made from old manhole covers: You can find it all on this reborn Houston strip.

Stick a Rourke in It—It’s Done.

Puzzling

A cryptic puzzle you’ll utter no cross words about.

The Comandante

What does McAllen’s Guillermo González Calderoni know about Mexican political corruption—and when will he start talking?

CD and Book Reviews

My Front Nine

I grew up playing alongside some of the best Texas golfers of my generation. Then I started to lose my grip.

Shock Therapy

By employing stereotypes like Sambo and Aunt Jemima, Austin painter Michael Ray Charles hopes to master the art of racial healing.

The Curse of Romeo and Juliet

The patriarchs of Texas’ leading Gypsy clans have been embroiled in a furious feud for more than two decades. And now that their children are in love, it’s only getting worse.

Jack Valenti

Mutual Admiration

Investors are bullish about Houston’s AIM Management Company, whose mutual funds have been on target for two decades.

The First Protester

How a man named Eldrewey Stearns began the fight for civil rights in Houston.

Power Outage

Artbeat

Charting the state’s museum-building boom.

Mission Accomplished

Big Fish

Galveston native Tilman Fertitta made his share of enemies when he was building his seafood empire in the eighties. These days, though, he’s winning over his hometown, and he’s doing it by taking on the island’s most influential family.

Jaci Velasquez

On With the Shows

Now that both its building and its mission have been renovated, Houston’s Contemporary Arts Museum is ready to win back the public and reestablish its eminence.

Let Them Read Shrake

Mexican Revolution

New restaurants in Dallas and Houston are serving up authentic interior-style Mexican dishes that turn the tables on Tex-Mex.

Green Eggs and Kao

I thought I’d teach my young son’s Laotian friend about all the essentials of American culture, including Dr. Seuss. I just never imagined how much he’d teach me.

A Star Is Reborn

A year after Kris Kristofferson’s standout role in Lone Star, Hollywood is still marveling over his comeback. He is too. by Gary Cartwright

The Last Ride of the Polo Shirt Bandit

William Guess seemed to be an ordinary man: He had a wife and three children and owned his own business. So why did he become the most prolific bank robber in Texas history?

Linda Ellerbee

The Man In the White Hat

To hear John Poindexter tell it, he’s one of the good guys—a faithful steward of his West Texas land and therefore a worthy bidder for 46,000 acres of Big Bend Ranch State Park. But sometimes having your heart in the right place simply isn’t enough.

Mixed Review

Houston has every reason to be proud of the Alley Theatre: After fifty years in the business, it has national clout and a Tony award. Still, not everyone is pleased with its direction.

Ink Big

Fratricidal Black Politics

State Fare

Don’t steer clear of the chocolate mousse iceberg from Dacapo’s on the Parkway in Houston.

Mac Attack

Computer users at NASA don’t get Mac—they get even.

Guarded

Private prisons lock out the press.

Tex Rated

summary: What’s the best hotel in Texas? (Hint: It’s not the Mansion on Turtle Creek).

CD and Book Reviews

The Elite Meat to Eat

Chicken? For the birds. Fish? In the tank. From Buffalo Gap to Galveston, the faddish food these days is steak. Here are ten prime places to enjoy it.

The Ice Bats Cometh

Even when they’re not winning games, minor league hockey teams like Austin’s are winning fans by the thousands. Who’d have thought skaters would score in Texas?

By the Numbers

An annual survey of Houstonians gives all of us reasons for concern—and for hope.

Saintly Bernard

Spring’s Crystal Bernard is already a top dog in the sitcom world. Will her new country CD separate her from the pack?

State Fare

Salmonchanted evening, you’ll get hooked by a delectable fish dish at Fort Worth’s Bistro Louise.

Smokin’!

Sowing the seeds of the hemp craze.

CD and Book Reviews

Cancer Patience

To perfect a promising new gene therapy, doctors at Houston’s M. D. Anderson need time. Unfortunately, that’s one thing people with malignant brain tumors don’t have.

Whose Art Is It, Anyway?

Most everyone agrees that Dominique de Menil did the right thing when she paid for two stolen Cypriot frescoes and had them painstakingly restored. But her decision to build a chapel to house them in Houston has proved controversial.

Trinh Pham

Ball Player

CD and Book Reviews

Bread Winners

Upper-crust bakers in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin are turning out heavenly handmade loaves that make store-bought seem stale by comparison.

Hanging in Hemphill

A few days in the tiny East Texas hamlet my mom now calls home proved the old maxim: Entertainment value is inversely proportional to population size.

The Poop on Drypers

In less than a decade, the upstart Houston diapermaker has come a long way, baby. But taking on the big boys has hardly been child’s play.

The Art World

The Rites of Swing

It doesn’t matter that his most famous pupil was shark- bitten at the Masters. Butch Harmon is still Texas’ hottest golf pro since Harvey Penick.

In the Red

Texas artists versus Texas galleries.

Trash Talk

Why the citizens of Alvin are down in the dumps over garbage.

Lost in Space

Ten years after the Challenger disaster, there are still dark clouds on the horizon for NASA’s space shuttle program.

Merchant of Death

By pooh-poohing sentimentality and focusing on profits, Houston funeral home mogul Robert Waltrip is making a killing.

Team Player

Houston’s new team player.

CD and Book Reviews

The Great Texas Prison Mess

Something stinks in the Department of Criminal Justice, and it’s a lot more than VitaPro. A special report on the worst state scandal in decades.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll

When the double life of pioneering record producer Huey Meaux was exposed, it was time to face the music: How well did I really know the legend I once called my friend?

Mitch Pileggi

Right On

Primary color: Dole on a roll, a report card for the Religious Right, and other fallout from Election Day.

State Fare

Tired of plain old greens and lifeless veggies? Houston’s La Mora has a salad you just can’t beet.

Fed Up

We take aim at five Texas militias.

After Thoughts

The big-screen bungling of Rosellen Brown’s Before and After.

War, Inc.

Brown and Root goes to Bosnia for the Pentagon—and cleans up.

CD and Book Reviews

Wild About Harry

Buckle Up

The rodeo belt buckle is prized by cowboys and collectors alike. By the look of these handcrafted samples, it’s easy to see why.

The High Times of Gerry Goldstein

Texas’ top drug lawyer helps dope dealers and cocaine kingpins beat their raps—and he’s proud of it.

Not a Pretty Picture

Dallas and Houston have done it; Beaumont and Corpus Christi have too. So why hasn’t Austin built a respectable art museum? It comes down to three things: money, management, and mission.

A Good Bet

There are no showgirls or musical revues, but the four casinos in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana, do a nice job approximating the Vegas experience. Deal yourself in.

How to Ride a Wave

The Sting

Operation Lightning Strike, the FBI’s bizarre NASA probe, accomplished many things—all of them negative. Plus, the bureau strikes (out) again in Houston.

Stephen Stills

State Fare

Stop and Smell the Rosemary by Junior League of Houston.

Dig This

An archeological dig in Matagorda Bay unearths a bureaucratic feud.

In God We Bust

Since the late eighties, dozens of big churches in Texas have put rapid growth ahead of financial health. Austin’s Great Hills Baptist is only the latest to pay the price.

Religion • Kirbyjon Caldwell

Practicing what he preaches.

Film • Al Reinert and William Broyles, Jr.

Scripting success.

Education • Charles Miller

Head of the class.

National Politics • Tom DeLay

Cracking the whip.

Cyberspace • Mike Godwin

Freedom fighter.

California Scheming

State Fare

The luxurious French toast at Benjy’s in Houston makes every day a challah day.

The New Fat Cats

Meet the newest Texas fat cats - the well-heeled contributors financing political campaigns in and out of our state.

Stella Houston

The University of Houston thinks Frank Stella is frankly stellar.

Our Best Schools

A report card on more than three thousand public elementary schools from Abernathy to Zavalla. Does yours make the grade? Plus: How Richardson’s Brentfield, Beaumont’s Pietzsch, and Mission’s Carl C. Waitz got to the head of the class.

President and Accounted For

CD and Book Reviews

Anatomy of a Drug Cartel

The cocaine goes north. The money goes south. And Mexican kingpins like Juan García Abrego laugh all the way to the bank—a Texas bank, that is.

The 1998 Bum Steer Awards

A year of altered antlers, bawdy broadcasters, comedian corrections, dining detectives, emancipated emus, fossilized felines, gullible Gore, hemline harassment, insatiable igniters, jazzed-up jewelry, Kay’s kennelwear, lottery loonies, metric madness, numerous nudes, 007 oenophiles, poultry protesters, questionable quizzes, revengeful revenuers, Spam slingers, tie tirades, unallowed uniforms, variant videotapers, warning! water, x-humed x-mascots, yanked Yvonne, and zodiac zombies.

Mean Joe Greene

Ku Klux Klowns

There was something comical about the plot by four Klan members to blow up a chemical plant in Wise County— and that was before their own Imperial Grand Wizard turned them into the feds.

Primary Color

Handicapping the Republican primary: Will far-right might carry the day?

The Return of the Native

With a major retrospective of his work at three Houston museums, Robert Rauschenberg is once again the talk of Texas. What’s he been up to? A portrait of the artist as an old man.

Ramblin’ Roses

Texans are rediscovering antique roses, the hardy, neglected beauties that decorate old graveyards and abandoned houses across the state. Whether you buy them from a nursery or rustle cuttings from the wild, here�s the dirt on how to grow your own.

Taxi Driver

I was my own boss, set my own hours, and came and went as I pleased. I was a Houston cabbie, and though it was hack work—literally—it paid the bills.

City Limits

Sour Grupos

Jazzed

Can yet another independent label survive in today’s rough- and-tumble music business? The young founders of Dallas’ Leaning House Records sure hope so.

We Are the World

Want to see Kuwait, Iowa, and Washington, D.C.? Go to El Paso, Austin, and Houston.

Diana Fox and Josh Zuniga

Jaclyn Smith

Getting Out

Now playing: Houston’s Fifth Ward.

Oh, Brother

A River Oaks bookie is tried for murder.

Bass, Master

James Lee Burke

Plane Spoken

The man who runs Continental Airlines is a rough-and-tumble Navy ex who talks more like a maintenance man than a corporate chief-but Gordon Bethune knows what he’s doing, and he gets results.

Brave and Selfless

Crime in Mexico hits home.

State Fare

These crispy salmon and spinach spring rolls have Saks appeal.

Destiny’s Child

A Letter to the Mayor

Day of the Ed

The Coach’s Son

For years Houston native Chuck Knoblauch took his cues from his high school baseball coach, who also happened to be his father. Then Alzheimer’s disease changed their relationship forever.

Money in the Making

Houston’s new movers and shakers don’t hang with the Wyatts or Sakowitzes. They’re Eightball, Scarface, Lil’ Keke, and the other power players of the city’s rap music scene.

Ballpark Figures

THEATER • Robert Wilson

An impressive impresario.

LAW • Karla Faye Tucker

A matter of life and death.

HEALTH • Jack Roth

The doctor is in.

POLITICS • Paul Begala

The great defender.

WHISTLE-BLOWER • Jennifer Long

Auditing the IRS.

DANCE • Carlos Acosta

Feet accompli.

Scorched Earth

This summer’s hot topic? Weather.

Skin Care

A Houston company’s breakthrough burn treatment.

Very Special Ed

Thirty years ago I was a barrio kid with little hope for a college degree. Then the alternative school Chinquapin turned my life around.

Pay Check

Michael Dell earned nearly $34 million in 1997. Was he worth it? Find out in our roundup of the most overpaid and underpaid CEOs in Texas.

Can John Glenn Do It Again?

As the 77-year-old prepares for yet another liftoff, fans and foes alike are praising his missionÑand questioning NASA’s.

Moore of the Same

Old Texas, New Texas, boom, bust: Whatever the times, Houston strip-mall king Jerry J. Moore makes a living–and lives it up.

Richard Linklater

The prison affected me personally. I grew up parking cars at the prison rodeo. I had a stepfather who was a prison guard.

Start Here

The childhood homes of nine famous Texans.

We’re an American Band

How did Houston supergroup La Mafia get to be the biggest tejano act in the world? By leaving Texas.

Alley Catty

Hannah Storm

Love and Marriage

How Frank Sinatra, Jr., became a Texan-in-law.

Moses Malone, Jr., and George Gervin, Jr.

Love Stories

Dome Away From Home

Inside the Eighth Wonder of the World—the largest shelter ever organized by the American Red Cross—faith, hope, and charity helped the survivors of Hurricane Katrina begin the process of rebuilding their lives.

Sleepy Teepees

The last surviving Teepee Motel in Texas.

Mercy!

The latest star pupil of the so-called Houston school.

Familia Feud

In Laredo, a conservative revolution is upending the city’s old patronage politics.

CD and Book Reviews

Still ZZ After All These Years

So what if they’re not cranking out hits and selling out concerts the way they used to? After nearly three decades, no one makes better blues rock than ZZ Top.

Pace on Earth

If you’ve seen a Kiss concert, a truck and tractor pull, or Miss Saigon recently, you can thank Houston’s Pace Entertainment for the privilege—and for the price you paid.

The Rap on Jazz

Is there a place in the genre for hip-hop influences? Houston pianist Jason Moran thinks so.

Up in Smoke

Has Dan Morales gone up in smoke? by Skip Hollandsworth.

Jandek and Me

Why is he a cult hero to deejays and record collectors— and why is he such a recluse? I wanted to know, so I tried to find him. And I did, in an upscale Houston neighborhood. And we drank beer.

aaaaaaiiiiieeeee!

From Poltergeist to the Steel Eel, Texas has five of the nation’s best new roller coasters. And they’re all a scream.

Evil

How serial killer Rafael Resendez-Ramirez struck fear in the hearts of the men and women of Weimar, a tiny Texas town that will never be the same.

John Patrick White

Shelley Duvall

What part did Shelley Duvall beat out Gilda Radner for?

Blues Brothers

Long John Hunter and his guitar-slinging friends sharpened their axes in and around Port Arthur, so their recent return was truly a homecoming.

The Plainsman

No one captures the majesty and mystique of wide-open spaces like photographer Peter Brown.

Star Jones

McMemories from Star Jones.

Back to the Future

Forget the critically panned Instinct, which was “suggested by” his novel Ishmael. Houston’s Daniel Quinn wants you to know what he really thinks about the modern world.

Garden Variety

From antique benches to cast-iron planters, a selective guide to the yard art of your dreams.

Younger. Wilder?

Those rumors you’ve heard about him are true. Sort of.

Get Out the Vo

The demographics of one legislative district in Houston have changed so dramatically that they allowed a novice Democrat to unseat an eleven-term Republican powerhouse. But the real story is what could happen elsewhere in the not-so-distant future.

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

In the state with the nation’s most celebrated concealed carry law, is it any wonder that the annual convention of pistol packers, peddlers, and promoters was number one with a bullet?

Steady Shawn

Current Affair

Why electricity is a supercharged political issue. Plus: Who cares about the Democrats running for U.S. Senate?

Slime Time!

An Addison snail breeder gets fresh with the world.

Race Value

Rating our primary concerns.

Book ’Em!

Texas writers go Hollywood.

The Jones Gang

You know the real reason Texas Stadium has no roof? So Jerry Jones can get his head inside. (Or, how the Cowboys owner’s ego makes it hard to root for America’s Team.)

Where the Wild Things Are

One of the country’s top photographers traveled around his home state to capture these stunning portraits of exotic animals on display.

Major Barbara

Barbara Jordan saw herself not as a black politician but as a politician who happened to be black—and that was one of the things that made her great.

Bookends

The conventional wisdom is that the independents are good and the national chains are evil—but don’t judge a bookstore by its cover.

The Mod Squad

Long mocked for making unrecognizable pieces of junk, Texas Modernists strike back in a superb exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Texas Food Conquers the World!

How to cook up a culinary craze: Mix talented chefs, native ingredients, classical techniques, and good publicity. Name result “Southwestern.” Let spread across globe.

Trailing the Field

Texas was supposed to be horse racing’s salvation, a Thoroughbred–loving state with money to burn. So why can’t the sport get out of the gate?

Star Gazing

Snow business comes to Houston.

Cutthroat Island

Once upon a time, Galveston was an isolated island with few big-city problems. Recent flaps over civic corruption, press bias, and race suggest those days are over.

Hot Box

The best books and CDs from Texas.

Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson

Shots in the Dark

Two grim incidents involving guns, three dead teenagers: Reflections on self-defense.

Water Grab

Why farmers and big-city folk are at war over water. Plus: Jane Nelson for comptroller?

Not Playing Around

Paving the way for girls in cyberspace.

Spoils Sports

Oilers owner Bud Adams is hightailing it to Nashville; Drayton McLane may move the Astros too—or sell. In Houston and across the country, rooting for the home team is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

The Public Hell of Bob Carreiro

A daughter’s gruesome murder became a grieving father’s dark crusade to find her killer and thrust him into an ever-widening spotlight as an advocate for victims of violent crime.

The 1996 Bum Steer Awards

A year of Anna’s antics, biker Barbara, capsized chiles, Davidians defined, expensive electricity, futile freebies, Gramm gossip, helpful hurricanes, insect ingestion, jousting jurors, king-size kindergartens, lottery litigation, Microsoft misprints, naughty nonagenarians, ostracized Oilers, punching princes, questionable quenching, romantic rhinos, sanctified shooters, topless trading, unfriendly unionists, vetoed vagrants, weird wine, X-posed X-presidents, yaklike yearnings, and zilched zoos.

Poets and Pedestrians

Two poets, well versed in the ways of Houston, reflect on the city’s effect on lives and letters.

Strangers on a Train

There was something irresistibly romantic about the gutter punk’s description of stowing away in freight cars. No wonder I wanted to try it—even if, at 38, I probably should have thought to myself, “You’re too old for this.”

“We Are Going to Die In Here”

What the seventy-plus illegal immigrants smuggled into Texas in the container of an eighteen-wheeler saw, felt, and, in the luckiest cases, survived.

A Harmonious Homecoming

Jason Moran, Houston native and jazz pianist.

Lucinda Williams

Leon Jaworski

At what age was Leon Jaworski the youngest lawyer in the history of Texas?

Good Book

Houston’s hot preacher writes a (good) book.

Thanks a Million ’98

Make that around $275 million. A roundup of last year’s top Texas philanthropists, from Tex and Buzz to Manny and Heavy Cat.

Has Dominique Moceanu Flipped?

Three years after her Olympic glory, the gymnast is once again in competition—only this time, it’s with her parents.

Debbie Rice

Ebony and Ivy

How an African American from Houston’s Fifth Ward rose to become the president of a mostly white, exceedingly

Return to Splendor

From humble Oak Cliff roots did a hip intellectual giant grow. In this oral history, friends and fans remember the late Grover Lewis, one of the great magazine writers of our day.

Deep Dish

Which Hollywood legend is “the bitch of all time”? Which comedienne’s daughter was a dope addict by age fourteen and came to Houston to get unhooked? Texas’ top gossips tell all.

1999 Bum Steer Awards

A year of asking-for-it Aggies, badass broccoli, contraband coffee, Death Row decor, extrapolating elephants, faux feet, god-awful gimmickry, humongous heavyweights, incomparable ironers, judicial jimjams, kaput kowtowers, lame-brained liberals, moping millionaires, NASA ninnies, off-putting officials, prize-winning pignappers, quasi-comic quipsters, red-handed rapscallions, scarfable sod, theoretical thongs, ungodly ungulates, vomiting vegetation, wild-eyed window-breakers, xenophobic Xanthippes, Yankee yahoos, and zapped zealots.

The Games Game

Houston and Dallas go for the gold.

2005 Bum Steer Awards

State of the Reunion

It was strange enough that I returned to my hated Houston high school after twenty years—but stranger still, I enjoyed it.

Absolutely Farbulous

Carolyn Farb wrote the book on charity fundraising, so when she calls, the stars come out to play, and Houston�s high society has a ball.

Trey McIntyre

Greg Ott, Free

Greg Ott, the philosophy graduate student who was convicted of killing a Texas Ranger in 1978, has finally been released and is getting on with his life.

The Magnificent Seven

Meet a diver, a high-jumper, and five other Texas athletes who hope to put the pedal to the medal at the 2004 Olympics.

Cast Away

For Sharon Bush, membership in the world's most powerful family had its privileges. But as she discovered after her husband of 23 years—the brother of one president and the son of another—ended their marriage via e-mail, it can be revoked without warning.

City Girl

"I moved to Austin in 1974, and it was this kind of magical place. The whole alternative culture controlled the town."

It's a Family Affair

For all her talent and poise, Beyoncé didn't become the biggest star in the world without help. And she got plenty of it from the people who know her best.

The Verdict

Getting Robert Durst acquitted might be too tall an order for most lawyers, but for Dick DeGuerin, it was just another day at the office.

"I Had a Great Future Behind Me"

So says my friend Jost Lunstroth, one of thousands of formerly successful Texans for whom unemployment is more than a statistic.

Where to Eat Now 2004

Now serving: the best new restaurants in Texas, including a glamorous international kitchen in Dallas, a hot sushi spot in Austin, and—the best of them all—a drop-dead room with a globe-trotting menu in Houston.

Heaven & Earth

The break-up of the space shuttle Columbia was a chilling reminder that the astronauts who dare to dream and risk their lives for the benefit of all mankind are, at the end of the day, mere mortals.

Horns Aplenty

Will this be the year that the University of Texas Longhorns—the most talented college football team in the country—win their first national title since 1970? Yes. Hook ’em.

Perilously Plump

Texans love to say that everything’s bigger here, but when it comes to the waistlines in one in four of our largest cities, that’s nothing to brag about.

Mack McCormick Still Has the Blues

His cache of unpublished interviews and unreleased recordings is unrivaled—but both collector and collection are showing signs of age. Who will save the legacy of the man who saved Texas music?

A Good Mango Is Hard to Find

Unless you’re Susana Trilling, who taught me how to prepare traditional Oaxacan dishes at her cooking school in Mexico. This month she’ll teach you too—right here in Texas.

Caught Looking

When I was asked to step down as the manager of the Houston Astros last year, I bade a bittersweet farewell to a team I had loved for more than three decades. Among the many lessons I learned: how to motivate millionaires, how to lose in the playoffs. And I got really, really good at wearing Hawaiian shirts.

Spare The Message

The real Enron scandal.

Grand Old Flags

A groundbreaking exhibit and an accompanying book make this a banner year to stand up and salute the history of Texas' flags.

Swamped!

If you're looking for endless stretches of pristine coastline, more birds than you can count, and the state's largest concentration of alligators, then Port Arthur is your gateway to an unexpected adventure.

Alexis Bledel

Alexis Bledel fits in as one of the girls.

The 2001 Bum Steer Awards

A year of alarming art, befuddled bus drivers, crustacean confiscators, demanding donors, entomological eats, feckless felons, garbled George W., hideous headgear, inspirational ice cream, juiced journalists, KKK kiss-offs, Lubbock lampooners, mucho manure, nada nudity, oafish officials, P.O.'d policemen, quirky queens, raunchy Republicans, shapely sideburns, thanatological toys, used uniforms, vampire vanquishers, witless waiters, x-pert x-terminators, yeoman Yankees, and zany zealots.

Poster Boy

Artist Frank Kozik has been called a "rock-poster genius," creating jarring, macabre images for bands like the Butthole Surfers and Sonic Youth. So why did he leave Austin for San Francisco seven years ago? He had his designs.

State Fare

Pudding a new twist on shrimp at Houston’s Amazón Grill.

Now What?

And the campaign goes on—into the legislative session.

McNair's Dare

Bob McNair goes deep to bring pro football back to Houston.

Can't Buy Me Love

Take one of the nation's wealthiest men, the enigmatic, Egyptian-born Fayez Sarofim. Add his socialite first wife and her brassy successor. Stir in River Oaks mansions and greedy lawyers, boatloads of money and oceans of booze. Mix it all together and what do you get? A hell of a mess that's the talk of Houston.

Seven Women

Should Texas execute a woman? You could debate that question to death.

Unhappy Trails

Although they hate to let anyone get away with murder, Harris County detectives Harry Fikaris and Roger Wedgeworth are finding that cracking unsolved cases is no easy task.

W is for "Whew"!

The former stripper, the tabloid, and George W. Bush.