Welcome to August!

How’s your summer going so far? With World Cup behind us, the city seems to have returned to the Houston pace, and heat, we’re all familiar with.

They say Houston has no natural beauty and I mostly agree, but when was the last time you cruised down the bayou? (I know, I know. Stay with me.) I recently took the “Buffalo Bayou Cruise: Bats” tour to watch the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony’s emergence at around sunset. The 90-minute journey starts on Allen’s Landing and cruises comfortably down the water towards Waugh Bridge which houses over 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats. The vessel, aptly named Bayou Breeze, is a small, but mighty pontoon boat. We wound through the pillars of the freeways, the lush greenery of the bayou, and waved enthusiastically to passerby’s taking their evening walks along the park’s sidewalks, who also without any hesitancy waved back at us. Breezy, indeed.

Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Bayou Tour showcased unique angles of the city that can only be experienced on the bayou during dusk, trailing into the night. Houston may not have many desirable views, but we do have our own “jungle cruise,” minus the corny jokes. The horizon of overgrown trees and lit up bridges against our downtown skyline create a charming moment of urban and natural beauty. In general maybe it does get prettier than that, but I’ll take any beauty I can get.

— Kathrina Maribao

What’s your favorite view in Houston? Hit reply.

LATELY IN HOUSTON

Ice coooold. Turns out ice is Texas's most underrated billion-dollar hero: cheap, invisible, and quietly holding together everything from beer coolers to hurricane relief to hospital labs. Houston's ice king is Paul Carpenter of Ice Express, who's supplied the Livestock Show and Rodeo for 40+ years and keeps Houston’s medical center stocked with 2,000 pounds daily for the hospitals. Texas Monthly

$22 pizza worth the elbow fight to get in? Alison Cook fell hard for the Black Gold pizza at Angie’s: Comté, black garlic, porcini on a leopard-spotted wood-fired crust. Opened just last week, the new Heights spot from Angelo Emiliani is already packed by 4:50pm. Alison Cook’s Htown

ART CRITICS RISE! Black Embodiments Studio and Scalawag Magazine are offering a 2026-27 Art Criticism Apprenticeship, embedding a writer to cover Houston's art scene! Runs October–April, one published piece per month at $500 each, plus a $10,000 honorarium. Applications due August 28, 2026. Black Embodiments Studio

In her retirement era. 87-year-old Suzann Richardson worked her last Astros game Wednesday, ending 31 years as usher after applying on a whim outside the Astrodome in 1995. Houston Chronicle

This week’s drinks are on us! That means 3 readers will receive a $10 gift card to Slowpokes on Richmond Ave. All you have to do is open this edition. (If you’re reading this you just did. Nice!)

Winners will be randomly selected and emailed tomorrow morning.

Want to collab on a future issue and treat readers to coffee on you? Hit reply.

WEEKEND EVENTS

All weekend:

• Mean Girls The Musical at Queensbury Theatre

• Houston Horror Film Fest

• Houston Shakespeare Festival continues

• Back to School Bash at Teeny Tattoo Studio

• A Nice Indian Boy at Asia Society Texas

• Haii Keii After Dark 

• Clutch City Craft Final Weekend at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Thursday, 8/6

5:30pm-8pm, Culture | Boot Scoot + Boogie and Custom Grillz Pop-up in Clutch City Craft at HCCC. “Brush off your best boots for one last spin through the exhibition’s galleries as you do-si-do to live instruction and music! Artist Alamgir “Alam” Lalani of Grillz By Prince, who is joining the event with a special Custom Grillz Pop-Up.”

Friday, 8/7

2pm-4pm, Workshop | Back-to-school Free Collage Workshops at Sabine Street Studios. RSVP.

6pm-9pm, Workshop | Craft Night at Contemporary Handweavers of Houston. “One of our members will be teaching us how to weave with paper. Feel free to bring your own craft project to work on too! 🧶✂️🎨⁠”

8pm-Late, Nightlife | Recession Pop! Night at Barbarella.

Saturday, 8/8

9am-12pm, Art | Sketch Meet with Urban Sketchers Houston at The Coffee House.

10am-6pm, Market | Gem Mint Cardshow at POST.

12pm-5pm, Art | Sawyer Yards’ Second Saturday.

1pm-4pm, Dining | Summer Raclette Party at Montrose Cheese & Wine (last one). RSVP.

2pm, Market | The Last Summer Market at Ronin Harrisburg.

3pm-4:30pm, Community | Behind the Brews: Saint Arnold Brewery History & Experience with Houston Public Library. Free but RSVP.

4pm-6pm, Live Music | Live Jazz featuring Moth at Tadaima.

6pm-9pm, Art | Night at the MFAH: Book It! “This premium night, the Museum’s stunning Hirsch Library is open late for you to explore its literary and archival treasures.” $40 per person, free for MFAH members.

Sunday, 8/9

1pm-4pm, Art | Anime Art Club at Axelrad.

1:30pm-5:30pm, Art | Erasure & College Poetry Workshop at Inprint Houston.

4pm-8pm, Games | Faye Wong + Majhong Sing and Play at Echoes. Beginners welcome!

6pm-8:30pm, Live Music | Sunday Acoustic Sessions at Kirkwood. “Settle in with handcrafted cocktails, elevated American cuisine, and the warm, inviting atmosphere of our modern clubhouse while talented local musicians provide the perfect soundtrack to your Sunday evening.”

ICYMI

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