Good news, Houston! Not only have we finally Jenny Craig'd our way out of the "Fattest City in America" title, we are also steadily becoming less sweaty. That's right: Houston has managed to stay relatively dry in the latest rankings of the Sweatiest Cities in America, a yearly list complied by Old Spice and their parent company, Proctor and Gamble. For 2008, Houston came in at ninth-sweatiest out of 100 other contenders across the nation.......

>> 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?......

Good morning, Houston. There's a new weapon in the battle to make Houston the most beautiful city in America: Beginning next week, commercial property owners will have to hide their Dumpsters behind a building, wall, fence, berm or shrub. Officials said they hope the rule — which City Council approved six months ago — will help increase property values and make properties safer (and, of course, prettier). Anyone who violates the ordinance can be......

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: We are confused about the Sona play date, so let's try again shall we? The weather is awesome, as if you haven't noticed, so tonight you and your main squeeze should grab a blanket and hit the outdoors to watch the free screening......

Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. Why do some people talk on the phone when they're walking/jogging at Memorial Park? Can they not go 30 minutes without their cell phone? The jogging trail seems like the one place you should be able to go without hearing cell phones and people's annoying chatter. What can I do to solve this annoyance? -- Eric W., Houston There are a few options......

Good morning, Houston. Imagine that you're driving along one day when a traffic light falls from an overhead line and crashes through your car's windshield. You'd think the city would be responsible for the accident, right? Wrong! Just ask Lei Zheng, who was on a shopping trip with his wife and son last year when a traffic light fell on his Volkswagen. Zheng and his family weren't seriously hurt, but they did ask the......

Good morning, Houston. At Houstonist world headquarters, our e-mail boxes are graced almost daily with offers from people who want to move millions of dollars to U.S. bank accounts and allow us to take a huge share of the money just for helping — eh, all in a day. But there's a new e-mail in the same vein floating around now: It comes from someone claiming to be Michelle Kristine Kraiser, the "the Confidential......

We witnessed a few firsts this week in Missed Connections. First, there was actually an MC at Bally's that doesn't involve two dudes and a steam room. Second, a self-flogging Rice jogger (or yogger) has asked voyeurs to flog themselves. And some lady got upset because a fellow commuter may not have wanted to "shoplift the pootie." Is it just me? - 100 I know we write in a hurry. I know typos are......

Bayou City Arts Festival: Call for Entries The Bayou City Art Festival Downtown (not to be confused with the Sping Festival in Memorial Park) has announced the call for entries for its third annual “Art on Water” floating art competition on the City Hall Reflection Pool at Hermann Square. This year’s theme is “Water in Motion.” "We’re asking local artists to express movement through artwork either stationary or through kinetic nature of sculpture or installation,”......

Alright folks...get your funmeter ready. You told, we compiled. Here y'are- Houstonist Top 10ist Outdoor Experiences: 1. An evening concert at Miller Outdoor Theater (and) Hermann Park and the reflecting pool 2. Drinking Lonestar at the West Alabama Ice House 3. Biking on the Memorial Park trails 4. Lounging in Menil Park 5. Open stadium games at Minute Maid Park 6. Rice University running track 7. The backyard at Hans' Bierhouse 8. The patio at......

Last year we talked about the shocking news that some folks go to Memorial Park for, uh, recreation of a different kind. No, really! And it's come up in the news a couple of times since then, but now we have a new twist: A city contract worker has been arrested for allegedly masturbating while driving around the park — while wearing his uniform. Smart. Andrew Jaime, 19, was nabbed after a female jogger reported......

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor slipshod snapshots. It's an action shot taken in Memorial Park. We dig the motion. Thanks for sharing this photo with us. If you have photos you'd like to share, join our Flickr Photo Group and send us a few, who knows, you could be the next Photo of the Day. We love new submissions. If you have a passion for Houston......

But good fences make good neighbors, right? That's what the city thinks, apparently. The city's parks department is considering building a 2000-foot sound-barrier wall along I-10 between Washington and 610 to keep the noise out of Memorial Park. The wall would be 16-feet high and cost somewhere in the $480,000 area. Officials say it would greatly reduce traffic noise from I-10 around the park's small, asphalt track and tennis center. The wall, which would be......

So, we assume you know what today is. And as you run around gathering your 1040s and Schedule Cs, remember that you have until midnight tonight to actually drop your taxes in the mail. The Chronicle reports that mail in boxes at Houston-area post offices will be collected before midnight, and a few stations will be staffed late: Air Mail Center, 19175 Lee Road (until midnight) Albert Thomas Station, 14910 El Camino Real (until 7......

Something we missed over the weekend in the story of the city vs. The Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation: On Sunday, the Chronicle published a letter from former City Attorney John Wildenthal about agreements the city had made with social service agencies like The Center. You may remember that the Chron talked with Wildenthal, who served as city attorney from 1964 to 1966 under Mayor Louie Welch, about the situation last week, and......

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor Randy. This is a detail shot of Houston's own Beer Can House. It even has an entry in the RoadsideAmerica.com website. The house was originally owned by John Milkovisch, a retired railroad worker. He adorned his property with beer cans, pull tabs and various other items to create this amazing folk art living space. When John and his wife, Mary, both......

High humidity is right around the corner. One can either complain about it or embrace it. We choose the latter, particularly since the air gets so thick you can actually hug it. However instead of looking like fools stumbling around Memorial Park grabbing at the air, we embrace the humidity by pretending we're some place tropical and hosting a tropical party. Good theme parties have signature drinks. We wanted something tasty and simple that was......

[Weekend Festival Edition] Well, folks, spring is here, and with it comes a slew of outdoor festivals. And just in time for this great weather we've been having. Better bask in it, before sweltering Houston heat regins for the next 6 months. Don't say we didn't warn ya! Bayou City Arts Festival Dates | March 23 through Sunday, March 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Location | Memorial Park Tickes | Admission is $10......

Today’s Photo of the Day is actually a threesome. These photos (from left to right) come from users and Houstonist photo contributors Bilbao58, riceowlguy and cybertoad who were all inspired by various trees around Houston. Houstonist hopes to inspire you to get out and enjoy our wonderful Spring weather and beautiful trees. If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining over 200 of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo......

The Bayou City Art Festival is happening this weekend (Friday-Sunday) at Memorial Park, and Houstonist has two free tickets to give away. The Bayou City Art Festival has been held by the Art Colony Association since 1996, but traces of it date back to 1971. It is consistently one of the top-rated festivals in the country and it was rated one of AmericanStyle Magazine's top 5 fairs and festivals in 2005. The festival is held......

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor Cybastean and contains this description: A quiet walk through the Houston Arboretum. And that's pretty much what you get when you traverse this 155 acre non-profit urban nature sanctuary with over 5 miles of trails. There's also a meadow, a pond and forested areas for you to explore, as well as a nature center with exhibits, volunteers and stuff for the......

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

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is just days away, but the trail riders are pulling into town tomorrow. The HLSR Trail Ride began in 1952 as a publicity stunt with four cowboys. HLSR 2007 features 13 groups consisting of thousands of riders with some traveling hundreds of miles in the saddle. Those of you who like the cowboy way (no, not the crappy movie) should be able to catch an eyeful of traditional......

Well, it looks like we still have a few months before we get to hear why spending millions of dollars in public funds on personal expenses was OK: The trial of ex-Texas Southern University President Priscilla Slade, who seems like she'll prove herself the queen of justifying outrageous actions, has been set for Aug. 10. Slade, remember, got in trouble back in February after she blabbed to one of the school's regents that she spent......

It’s the inevitable curse of the holidays. You will gain weight. You will more than likely eat your weight in turkey and yams, and it will land squarely on your thighs (or hips, or stomach). If you’re like us, you’ll just look at your mom’s apple pie and your pants will get tight. If you want to make it out of the Thanksgiving holiday not looking like a Butterball, you should check out fitsugar.com. It’s......

Yeah, yeah, we know it's not Saturday, but this is worth a special Shelterporn mention: This weekend, you can indulge your list for architect-designed homes (admit it, you have one) at the AIA Houston's 2006 Home Tour. The tour will include 10 architect-designed houses, including a recent Texas Society of Architects award-winning design: 505 West Alabama, a four-unit townhome project by Collaborative Designworks 4029 Chatham, a contemporary home on a Highland Village-area lot by Val......

When we surf Craigslist for Houston's Missed Connections, we are always amazed by the number of posts that respond to previous posts. For example, this week there is a long thread that we haven't read but we suspect has something to do with missing one's under things. Rarely, the follow up comments are more interesting than the original post itself, so this week, we let the responders do the work for us. Memorial Park......

After about five years of work, the $344 million reconstruction of the West Loop is finally finished — and though it's quite a bit better than it used to be, it's still a freeway. That means traffic still backs up, there's still noise, hundreds of cars still spew pollution and nearby neighborhoods still have a dozen lanes of concrete at their back doors. Hey, that's not good, right? Well, maybe not, some people say. The......

So a couple of weeks ago, when we heard that ex-TSU President Priscilla Slade's Memorial Park-area manse had been sold, there was one thought foremost in our mind: "God, we hope someone famous bought it." And we're not disappointed: The new owner of 203 Terrace Drive is none other than Mario Williams, the Texans' controversial No. 1 draft pick. Williams bought the 6,000-square-foot house for $1.5 million, short of Slade's asking price of $1.8 million.......

Had you been hanging around ex-TSU President Priscilla Slade's ex-house yesterday, you would have had the chance to see just what a $9,000 couch and a $17,000 bed look like: Moving crews began removing Slade's infamous furniture from the house, clearing out for new owners who are expected to move in today. We reported last month that Slade had put her Memorial Park-area home up for sale, and it apparently has sold, though it hasn't......