>> Wintry mix blasts Panhandle, North Texas with sleet, snow: They came from the north and helped freeze your tootsies. Yep, those darn north winds are to blame for the uber chill around town today writes Meteorologist Tim Heller on the Houston Weather Blog. The same system that blanketed North Texas with nine inches of snow and caused Dallas-Ft. Worth airport to cancel 200 flights will share its chill with Houston. "This type of......

Two years ago marked the debut of Baltimore's dreamy pop duo Beach House with their self-titled release. It was good stuff. We find ourselves in March of 2008 (already?) and Beach House has served up another album for our reviewing pleasure. Devotion, released last week, features some of the same that Beach House's self-titled album had: the flawless and foolproof voice of Victoria Legrand, the melodies on strings and keys played by Alex Scally and......

We’ve got a busy week on the concert front. Our favorite duo from New York arrives at The Meridian tomorrow night. They Might Be Giants have been making quirky alt/pop songs for grown-ups over 20 years now, and a few albums for the kids that us grown-ups enjoy, too. Wilco’s Friday night show at Verizon Wireless Theater is sold out, but if you’re willing to pay a little, you can still get your hands......

Yesterday was the second of the Super Tuesdays for this Presidential Election year and included primary elections in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. Houstonist could careless about who wins. We're just excited to see the record turnout at the polls. We all win when that happens. Congratulations, Houston, and all you Texans that don't live in our kickass town. According to Wikipedia - stop laughing - Super Tuesday...refers to the Tuesday in February......

If you missed out on the Beer Can Opener last Friday (because you were embroiled in the LRPC - any other excuse will not be accepted, unless accompanied by a note from your Dr.), you have a second chance to attend a special event. Join Mayor Bill White as he honors and officially opens the Beer Can House to the public, along with the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. This Thursday, March 6th at......

Devoted Shelterporn readers will remember that one of our pipe dreams is to live on North or South boulevards. The beautiful old homes on those streets have a special place in our heart, but we also drool over some of the more modern construction — this 1998 South Boulevard house included. The house, designed by Jay Baker, isn't totally traditional or modern; whatever it is, though, we like it. Downstairs, the living areas are......

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is hosting The Beer Can Opener this Friday from 7 p.m. until Midnight! Officially, the Beer Can House opens to the general public on March 1st, however, you can participate in the special preview party, which will be resplendent with zydeco & honky tonk music, barbecue and beer! Shuttling you to and fro are, ART CARS, of course (and, how cool, we might add) - the "to" part......

Yeah, yeah, we know — Shelterporn has slacked off, and in recent weeks you've had to look for your own dream real estate listings. We're awfully sorry to have put such a burden on you and are making a Chinese New Year's resolution to be more regular. We'll do better at keeping up with Shelterporn, too. All of which brings us to the home we couldn't ignore: the Frame house, located off Memorial and......

>> There are some big changes coming to Memorial Park: Houston's most popular park with a running trail and a burger joint is slated to get more improved features to help you sweat to the oldies. According to ABC13, Mayor Bill White's improvement plan will include a bridge across Memorial Parkway for cyclists and pedestrians, extended running trails, an improved tennis facility and a new shower facility for you dirty folks. Sounds pricey, huh?......

The Chron picked this up a few days ago, but we feel it's worth a second mention. The Rice Design Alliance in conjunction with the Houston Chapter of the AIA announced two Houston architects, Murphy Mears Architects, (Kirby Mears, Walter Murphy, Kyle Humphries, Jamie Miller, and Gina Lyons) and Stephanie Eugster as finalists in the recent 99K House Competition. The finalists were selected out of 182 entrants proposing a sustainable, affordable house that addresses......

::Miwa Yanagi Panel Discussion: A Conversation about Feminine Beauty:: Well, our eyes popped out of our skulls when we saw this, not just for the topic and the photography, but also because sharp-as-a-tack Peggy Orenstein is coming to town to be a part of this panel at the MFAH. She and several Houston experts will discuss Miwa Yanagi's photography and the themes it encapsulates: gender, identity, body image, age, feminism, and beauty, and how......

Houstonist has a special place in our hearts for The Last Concert Cafe on Nance - it was the fabled "knock or you won't get in" mystery Mexican Restaurant of our mispent youth. The location of many nights of live music, cold beer and hot food. Now, we're asking Houston to help the fine folks there raise money in loving memory of their granddaughter Aubrie Kristine Acosta who succumbed to SIDS on January 12th at......

Tonight, Houston will host the U.S. debut of the first Western-style interpretation of the classic Chinese opera, Farewell My Concubine. With performances only today and tomorrow at the Wortham, this is a rare opportunity. The original Chinese opera will be performed by a Chinese cast and sung in Mandarin. Chinese opera has come to the United States so very infrequently that if you have any interest in Chinese music, art, opera or culture, you should......

The Cohen House in Meyerland has drawn national attention once again - it was featured in the National Trust's Preservation Online in early December and now has been picked up by Architectural Record. It was also the subject of Lisa Gray's mid-November column in the Houston Chronicle, and our own building watch and obituary. The article sums up the history of the house and its ownership - how Bob Cohen built his dream home, moved......

Houstonist has an active and amazing Flickr photo group. We receive many, many photos of Houston and the surrounding areas every day and unless you are an active visitor to our photo pool many of these photos go unnoticed. So in a weekly effort to bring you more amazing photos from Houstonist readers and photographers, we are going to feature a block of photos submitted to our Flickr photo group. The images will be dug......

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Monday: Hit the Houston Boat show tonight at Reliant Center (8400 Kirby Dr.) to find the yacht of your dreams - or perhaps to find the man/woman of your dreams that can actually afford such nautical pleasures (did that sound dirty?). With tickets under......

Houstonist has an active and amazing Flickr photo group. We receive many, many photos of Houston and the surrounding areas every day and unless you are an active visitor to our photo pool many of these photos go unnoticed. So in a weekly effort to bring you more amazing photos from Houstonist readers and photographers, we are going to feature a block of photos submitted to our Flickr photo group. The images will be dug......

The first week of the new year is a light one for concerts. Still, there are some gems on the calendar, especially if you like local or country music. Tonight, check out the southern-rock flavored Houston band The Mighty Orq at Kelvin Arms. Tomorrow night, a trio of local rock/pop bands (including Ragged Hearts) play at Rudyard's. Mr. Bojangles pays a visit to the Grand Opera House in Galveston on Saturday. Did we miss......

Staying in for New Year’s Eve? Log on to the internets at 11pm to watch Radiohead perform their new album, In Rainbows, on Current TV. The webcast will air three more times on Tuesday for those of you who spend the night out on the town. Monday ABC, 9pm: Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2008 CBS, 10:35pm: The Late Show with David Letterman, Alanis Morissette NBC, 11:35pm: New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly......

Save the bricks! While we have seen a lot of wasteful demolition over the past two weeks, we're happy to report that more and more parts of houses are being salvaged (and hopefully reused/recycled) - this week 5550 Candlewood in Briargrove (picture), 741 Rocky River in Tanglewood (picture), and 1314 South Blvd. in historic Broadacres (pictured) were stripped down and paletted up. 741 Rocky River is just down the street from the Ralph Anderson, Jr.......

Here are a few books Houstonist thinks your friends and family won't use for doorstops (that's the fruitcake, right?). Everyone likes a good read, or at least a smart-looking book to sit on the nightstand. Give these a try. And shop at your local independent bookstore -- they can give you even more recommendations, and probably a good cup of coffee as well. Fun, mostly fiction books for people who are... Houstonians and/or architecture......

Candlelight Open House at Bayou Bend Dec 7, 2007 5:00 PM at the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens This fall, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, has been hosting Candlelight Open House nights at their Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens on Friday nights. This Friday night is your last chance to go to the open house and tour the property in all of its holiday season glory. The central figure in Yuletide´s Holiday Heroines is......

The incredibly talented and modest Mlee Marie Suprean has to be one of the hardest working musicians in Houston. Juggling five musical projects (including the fantastic Hearts of Animals) at the same time can’t be easy for anybody, but even while recovering from a nasty cough, Suprean still made time to talk to the Houstonist about what’s on both her mind and plate. Mlee is an interesting name. Where did that come from? My......

December always brings some good mini-festivals, and this week is a good example. It starts tonight with the KILT 10-Man Jam, featuring many popular country radio stars. Tomorrow night, the husband/wife team of Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis come into town for their annual Christmas show. Saturday, Chron.com showcases some of the best local talent in their concert at Warehouse Live. Finally, KRBE's annual Jingle Jam brings pop radio's favorite to the Toyota Center......

Houston rapper Pimp C was found dead this morning in his hotel room on LA's Sunset Strip. Pimp C had performed with Too Short on Saturday evening at the House of Blues. Pitchfork reports "L.A. firefighters responded to a 911 call at the Sunset Strip's Mondrian Hotel, where they found the rapper dead in his bed. No information on cause of death has been given at this time." Pimp C, born Chad Butler, was one......

Radio rock fans have a decision to make tonight: see the currently hot band Avenged Sevenfold at Warehouse Live or catch the now-grown-up Silverchair at The Meridian. Speaking of the 90's, old school rapper Tone Loc will stop off at Fitzgerald's Thursday night. Local eclectic classical trio Two Star Symphony plays a special show Saturday night on the St. Thomas campus. Another local favorite, The Mathletes, open a show at Rudyard's Saturday night. The......

This Old House by eschipul ________________________________________________________________ If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining over 450 of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. If Houstonist uses your photo for Photo Of The Day, submit it here.......

Meyerland's Carousel House came crashing down today - the property's new owner Marvin Granit decided to hurry up and get it over with, just a day before Thanksgiving. The house has been an interesting architectural fixture in Houston since it was built by Robert Cohen in 1964, and has had a resurgence of attention since the previous owner John O'Quinn put it on the market. We featured the endangered home in late August, the Chronicle's......

Let's talk Quakers (aka: The Religious Society of Friends). First images that may come to mind: oatmeal boxes with that friendly looking guy in a suit, horse and buggies, interesting hats that tie at the chin... But it turns out that WE are seriously out-of-date. Today, the Live Oaks Meeting House (1318 West 26th St.) hosts a variety of events for an even larger variety of people. They rock out everything from breakdance competitions to......

Houstonist is no slouch in the kitchen. That having been said, when we accidentally set fire to a whole pumpkin during a Thanksgiving dessert test run gone wrong this week, Houstonist learned a valuable lesson: If you can't make it, fake it. Luckily, there are a few Houston institutions that have you covered in case your kitchen ambitions require more than your skill set can provide. Ruggles Cafe Bakery offers a wide selection of......