Spring 2021: The Best Places to Live

Made to Order: An H-Town Guide to Your Dream Custom Home. Plus our ultimate guide to backyard smoking, golf across Texas, dealing with Covid-19 shame, and more. Cover photo credit: @maxb.photo

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Brave New World

Houston's Music Community Reflects on the Pandemic

Bayou City musicians weathered Covid-19 any way they could.

05/11/2021 By Chris Gray

Shadow Boxing

How MFAH Film Became an At-Home Affair

Film curator Marian Luntz figures out how to work with an unseen audience.

05/10/2021 By Chris Vognar

Glowing Review

Have You Been Inside the Kinder Yet?

The many dreamy design details of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, the MFAH’s game-changing new space

04/08/2021 By Dianna Wray

Grrrrrl Power

Go Watch This Houston Teacher's Book-Turned-Movie on Netflix

We chatted with Jennifer Mathieu about her young-adult novel’s roots and what it’s like seeing Amy Poehler translate it to the screen.

03/08/2021 By Rebekah Kibodeaux

Eat & Drink

Get fresh

These 3 Cocktails Will Put Some Spring in Your Step

The light, refreshing drink recipes are so much more than a simple vodka soda.

04/20/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

low and slow

The Ultimate Backyard Guide to Smoking and Grilling

Smoking is a ritual in Texas. Here's how to become a pro.

04/16/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

LOW AND SLOW

A Quick Guide to Temperatures While Smoking Meats

A cheat sheet on how hot your brisket, chicken, veggies and more should be.

04/15/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

low and slow

Which Smoker Should You Buy for Your Backyard?

Three local experts give us the lowdown on the industry's best smokers.

04/14/2021 By Timothy Malcolm Illustrations by Christopher Vela

low and slow

A Beginner's Timeline to Smoking Brisket

A general guide for smoking a brisket in your backyard

04/13/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

covid sucks

Houston Bar and Restaurant Professionals Reflect on the Pandemic

An oral history of what Covid-19 has done to the Houston hospitality industry.

03/17/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

CHOWTIME

Missing Rodeo Food? Welcome to Our Rodeo Test Kitchen

Hot cheeto kolaches and queso-glazed, pho-brined turkey legs.

03/16/2021 By Timothy Malcolm

Home & Real Estate

home sweet home

How Covid-19 Actually Boosted Houston Real Estate Last Year

The growth in Houston’s market isn’t going to be extinguished any time soon.

03/26/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas

home sweet home

The Build Up: Our 2021 Real Estate Guide

Everything you need to know to build your Houston dream home, from the hottest trends to up and coming neighborhoods to the lowdown on space city’s 2021 real estate market

03/26/2021 By Houstonia Staff

home sweet home

5 Home-Design Trends That Developed During the Pandemic

Styles come and go—think Italianate exteriors and (dare we say?) sliding farmhouse doors—and the pandemic has only helped expedite that process. Here are five trends that home builders are seeing in the market.

03/25/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas

home sweet home

9 Houston Home Builders You Should Know

Local custom builders and renovators to help you perfect—or create—the home you’ve been dreaming about.

03/24/2021 By Catherine Wendlandt, Laura Furr Mericas, Denise Cathey, and Timothy Malcolm

home sweet home

So You Want to Build a House in Houston?

Here's what you need to know.

03/23/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas

home sweet home

A By-the-Numbers Look at Houston Real Estate

A primer on home prices, growth rate, square footage, and more per Bayou City neighborhood.

03/22/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas

home sweet home

A Map of 2020 Median Home Prices in Houston

A look at the Houston-area and Harris County neighborhoods that are hot—and those that are not—according to home value fluctuations over the past year.

03/22/2021 By Laura Furr Mericas Illustrations by Monica Fuentes Carroll

News & City Life

Pets Guide

My Pet Project

Our guide to everything you need to know about owning an animal in Houston.

05/21/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp, Laura Furr Mericas, Kaitlyn Miller, and Dianna Wray

All of the cuddles

How Our Pets Saved Us during the Pandemic

The Houstonia staff reflects on how our furry (and feathered) friends helped us through working from home.

05/20/2021 By Houstonia Staff

Your work collie-eagues

Work-From-Home Tips for When Your Doggos Are Just Too Distracting

For some, WFH is here to stay, so we talked to an expert dog trainer about what to do when your pup has the Zoom zoomies.

05/18/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp

Is my pet okay!?

Q&A: How to Prepare Your Pet When You Head Back to Work

We talked to local pet behaviorist Dr. Lore Haug about what to do.

05/17/2021 By Kaitlyn Miller

pooch perfect

18 Houston Pet Services and Activities That Are Squad Goals

Pet shops, parks, hotels, groomers, and other hot spots that are simply the best for treating your pet—and yourself—right.

05/14/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp, Laura Furr Mericas, and Kaitlyn Miller

Give a Dog a Bone

9 Animal Shelters and Charities You Can Support in Houston

Help out dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, mini pigs, and more.

05/13/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp

The Guilty Party

The Secret Symptom of Covid-19

What happens when your shame is just as bad as the coronavirus?

04/14/2021 By Catherine Wendlandt

it's the ship

The Beauty in our Backyard: The Houston Ship Channel in Photos

The people from around the globe who pass through the Port of Houston, keeping it the beating heart of commerce and trade.

04/12/2021 By John Dunaway Photography by John Dunaway

Sunnyside Up

What's Going on with the Sunnyside Solar Farm?

A closed city dump on the edge of one of Houston’s oldest historically Black southside neighborhoods is set to become the nation’s biggest urban solar farm—and we have questions.

04/06/2021 By Gwendolyn Knapp