Being Texan
February 15, 2024
Scenes From a Decades-Long Identity Crisis
More than six decades ago, an unseen figure perched in a Corpus Christi tree posed a question that still has no answer.
Corpus Christi
Latest
1-50 of 103 Articles
BBQ
January 19, 2024
You’ll Find This Stellar Brisket Kolache in an Office Building Basement
The oddly located treat comes from Ricci Neer, a Corpus Christi restaurateur who opened her food court spot, Taste at 555, in 2022.
Books
December 6, 2023
Texas Is Bursting With Independent Books
Our state’s legacy of great writing has a publishing tradition to match. Here are a handful of the dozens of outfits producing great books in Texas.
Critters
November 20, 2023
Texas Birders Are Cuckoo for the Cattle Tyrant, Never Before Seen in North America
Folks are flocking to Corpus Christi to see the little yellow flier, which may have blown 2,600 miles off-course in a storm.
Meanwhile, in Texas
November 10, 2023
Meanwhile, in Texas: Maybe This Alligator Just Wanted Some Girl Scout Cookies?
Plus, a cocktail that carnivores can get behind and a pig you’ll get way behind, if you know what’s good for you.
Style & Design
June 8, 2023
This Popular Corpus Christi Gift Shop Is a Celebration of Latino Culture
Sew Bonita owner Elena Flores curates her store with makers from across Texas and beyond.
Critters
March 2, 2023
Texas’s Biggest Coastal Wildlife Rescue Center Is Now Open in Corpus Christi
Visitors can watch injured sea turtles and dolphins recover at the state-of-the-art facility.
Best Thing in Texas
January 3, 2023
The Butter King of Corpus Christi Deserves a Raise
He serves popcorn with panache.
Recipes
December 5, 2022
Calabaza con Pollo Nachos
This recipe is definitely not ballpark fare—these nachos are wholesome, filling, and warming with chicken, a squash gravy, and roasted squash seeds.
Sports
July 15, 2022
The State’s Winningest HS Football Coach Might Forget All His Victories
Dementia forced Phil Danaher off the sidelines. Now the legendary coach at Corpus Christi’s Calallen High School faces life after football.
News & Politics
April 22, 2022
Texas Beaches May Be Filthier Than We Realize
A&M researchers say more-robust testing is needed to understand just how much human feces ends up in Gulf waters.
Best Thing in Texas
April 12, 2022
Meet Taco Dad, the Viral Visionary Behind the “Travel Taco”
Corpus Christi's Roberto Ruiz elaborates on his Twitter-beloved plan for a half-crimped, half-open taco that won't deposit guisada all over your lap.
Music
April 4, 2022
A New Selena Album Will Mark Her 24th Posthumous Release. Whom Are These Albums For?
In an upcoming record, the singer’s voice will be digitally aged. The Quintanilla family continues to misunderstand why Selena’s fans adored her.
News & Politics
March 24, 2022
Corpus Christi’s Crappy Sewage System Begins Its Cleanup
For years, raw sewage has overwhelmed the city’s aging wastewater infrastructure. It’s spending $725 million to try to stop that.
Sports
January 22, 2022
Director Eva Longoria Bastón Opens Sundance With ‘La Guerra Civil’
For the Corpus Christi native, the story of the 1996 championship bout between Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez was also her story.
Meanwhile, in Texas
October 20, 2021
Bask in the Glory of This 78-Foot, 300-Pound Texas Homecoming Mum
It can be lifted only with a construction crane.
Travel & Outdoors
September 13, 2021
A Guide to Texas’s Best Botanical Gardens
Desert cacti, tropical orchids, towering live oaks—these tranquil spots teem with ever-changing flora. It’s time to plan a trip.
Books
August 9, 2021
Reading Selena’s Father’s Memoir Is an Exercise in Empathy
Though uneven and at times lacking in self-awareness, Abraham Quintanilla’s book sheds light on the extreme approach he took to protect his daughter’s legacy.
State of Mind
June 30, 2021
State of Mind, Episode 3: A Life Surrounded by Vinyl
DJ El Dusty traces the origins of the record collection that gave him his signature sound and is helping to shape the music of his hometown of Corpus Christi.
Libations
May 17, 2021
Three Breweries That Take Their Barbecue Seriously
Craft smoked meats and craft beers come together beautifully at these San Antonio, Garland, and Corpus Christi joints.
Sports
April 6, 2021
Texas’s Best (and Weirdest) Minor League Baseball Team Names, Ranked
We salute the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, and their compatriots.
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena a los 50: celebrando la vida, el arte y la influencia de una leyenda tejana
Con su cumpleaños acercándose, los escritores que hemos reunido para celebrarla son parte de una generación de latinos que creció después de su época de oro.
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena at 50: Celebrating the Life, Art, and Influence of a Tejano Legend
As her fiftieth birthday approaches, the writers we’ve gathered to celebrate her are part of a generation of Latinos who came of age after her heyday.
Music
March 19, 2021
Por décadas, latinas jóvenes como yo hemos visto a Selena como un ícono. Tal vez es hora de que la quitemos del pedestal.
Si vamos a honrar a la verdadera Selena, necesitamos imaginar lo que pudo haber hecho si hubiera tenido una vida completa.
Music
March 19, 2021
For Decades, Countless Young Latinas Like Me Have Regarded Selena as an Icon. Maybe It’s Time We Took Her off the Pedestal.
If we’re going to honor the real Selena—and find a way to carry her with us—we need to imagine what she might have done if she had lived a full life.
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena Embraced Her Heritage and Championed Its Evolution in Style
Her ensembles, influenced by pop stars such as Janet Jackson, highlighted the sartorial choices of Texas’s Mexican American working-class communities.
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena en los números
¿Cuánto amamos a la Reina de la Música Tejana? Contemos las formas.
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena by the Numbers
How do we love the Queen of Tejano? Let us count the ways.
Music
March 19, 2021
Los tejanos queer vemos versiones de nuestras historias reflejadas en la historia de Selena
En los años desde su muerte, se ha convertido en un ícono gay, en especial en Texas.
Music
March 19, 2021
In Selena, Queer Tejanos See Themselves as Brilliantly Transfigured and Free to Love Grandly
In the years since her death, the Queen of Tejano has become a gay icon, especially in Texas.
BBQ
March 18, 2021
Mitch Davis, Beloved Waco Pitmaster and Preacher, Has Died at 64
His family plans to keep his barbecue joint-slash-convenience store open. Plus, restaurant owners reflect on a year of pandemic barbecue.
Music
March 14, 2021
Why Selena Is Still the Queen of Tejano (and Punk Rock!)
Four Latina musicians chat about code-switching, role models, Freddy Fender, and the importance of growling.
Texas History
March 9, 2021
How Polly Abarca Fought to Bring Birth Control to South Texas
The nurse and activist helped secure the country’s first federal family-planning grant, which became a national model.
TM BBQ Club
February 23, 2021
Burning Questions with Butter’s BBQ
If the key to making great barbecue is loving great barbecue, then Andrew Soto is more than qualified for the job.
The Texanist
December 18, 2020
The Texanist: How Can Whataburger Say That It’s Still “Family Owned and Operated”?
An Austin man is skeptical that a company held by a Chicago investment firm can claim that distinction.
Arts & Entertainment
December 2, 2020
The Sugar Plum Fairy Is on Zoom: Texas Ballet Companies Take ‘The Nutcracker’ Virtual
The Christmas classic is the ballet world’s biggest annual event (and a major moneymaker), so dancers and administrators have gotten creative.
Film & TV
October 30, 2020
Thomas Haden Church Will Star as the Texanist
Plus, how ‘Dallas’ brought down the Soviet Union, Netflix’s ‘Selena’ gets a real trailer, and Luke Wilson plays a fire-belching robot duck.
Tacos
October 8, 2020
Taco News Roundup: Pumpkin Spice Margaritas May Be the Scariest Thing This Halloween
Taco Cabana has gone too far.
Hunting & Fishing
April 15, 2020
The Great Texas Fishing Safari
Texas offers some of the most-diverse fishing in the country—from stalking monster sharks on Padre Island to fly-fishing from a kayak on the remote Pecos River. And for three months, I got to try it all.
Tacos
April 9, 2020
Taco News Roundup: The Tortilla Keeps on Truckin’
Updates on taqueria and Tex-Mex meal kits, mail orders, donations, and more.
Arts & Entertainment
March 25, 2020
Remembering Terrence McNally, a Theater Heavyweight in Texas and Beyond
The visionary playwright, who grew up in South Texas, passed away this week from coronavirus-related complications.
BBQ
January 23, 2020
BBQ News Roundup: Vegan Barbecue in Houston, 2020 Predictions, and Buck’s Closes in Galveston
Plus, a barbecue event at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.
Meanwhile, in Texas
July 24, 2019
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Bexar County Inmate Flooded His Cell During an Escape Attempt
Plus, a larcenous middle school band director, and a CBD-packing grandma.
The Texanist
April 1, 2019
The Texanist: Are There Any Decent Dance Halls Left?
A Corpus Christi man pines for the days of two-stepping on those long wooden planks.
Bum Steers
January 3, 2019
2019 Bum Steer Awards: Blake Farenthold, Who Refused to Suffer Consequences for His Actions
The former congressman’s troublesome professional ethics, alleged caddish behavior, and questionable taste in adult-size onesie pajamas made him our first runner-up.
Music
December 10, 2018
Corpus Christi’s Chicas Rock Might Bring Us the Next Selena
Cecy Treviño started her girls' music school to provide a safe space for self-expression. But the bands are getting booked all over town.
Travel & Outdoors
July 30, 2018
Where to Experience the New Corpus Christi
Visit this coastal city, and you’ll find a transformation led by locals who are revitalizing old buildings with cool, modern concepts.
The National Podcast of Texas
June 1, 2018
El Dusty Is Reimagining Cumbia and Helping Reinvent Corpus Christi
On our latest podcast, Andy Langer talks to El Dusty, the mayor of Cumbia City. Plus, a “meat up” with our barbecue editor, Daniel Vaughn.
Music
October 13, 2017
Corpus Christi is Helping Reinvent Cumbia
DJ El Dusty, the unofficial mayor of the Corpus Christi music scene, is ushering in a modernized version of cumbia.
Business
August 23, 2017
The Port of Corpus Christi’s Boom
The shale boom and the end of a decades-old export ban have put the Port of Corpus Christi on the global map. Finally.