What's New in Houston

11-09-2007

HOUSTON (November 2007) - The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau is the ultimate source for the latest Houston information. 

Starwood Plans aloft Hotel for Houston
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has given the green light for an "aloft" hotel in the Galleria area. The $40 million hotel is being developed just west of the Galleria mall, where Westheimer meets West Alabama.  More...

30 More Miles of Light Rail Planned for Houston
The Metropolitan Transit Authority board voted Thursday to use light rail on all five of its next rapid transit lines. The board also approved a route on Richmond and Wheeler for the University line, which will provide a 10-mile east-west complement to the existing 7.5-mile Main Street line.  More...

Houston Pavilions Adds Dueling Piano Bar to Tenant Lineup
Pete's Dueling Piano Bar is planning to open its first Bayou City location at the Houston Pavilions in the fall of 2008. The 7,000-square-foot location will open in conjunction with the grand opening of the $170 million mixed-use development in downtown Houston.  More...

New Wooden Roller Coaster for Kemah Boardwalk
The Boardwalk Bullet, the only roller coaster on Texas' Gulf Coast, made its dramatic debut Aug. 31, 2007.  Located just feet from Galveston Bay, the Boardwalk Bullet offers a rousing ride with a breathtaking bay view.  Boasting an audacious forty-two crossovers, the ride begins with a 92-foot drop, tackling winding twists and turns, reaching speeds over 50 mph.  Additionally, the coaster sports enough room to sustain twenty-four passengers in six cars of two rows each, totaling a capacity of 800 people per hour.  More...

Arts of Korea Gallery, First for the Southwest, Opens Dec. 8, 2007 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
As a first step toward an expanded representation of Asian art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, a new gallery dedicated to the art of Korea opens to the public on December 8, 2007.  Prominently located on the first floor of the museum's Caroline Wiess Law Building, it will be the only museum gallery in the Southwest devoted to Korean art, and will combine contemporary Korean art with traditional artworks.  More...

Holocaust Museum Houston Acquires Rare Artifact
Holocaust Museum Houston will mark the attendance of its one millionth visitor this month with the installation of a rare Holocaust-era artifact that will be used to tell the heroic story of a three-week period in 1943 when Christians in Denmark risked their own lives to save more than 7,200 Jews from almost certain execution at the hands of Nazi Germany.  More...

La Vista Introduces Wine Room for Private Dining
La Vista introduces a new addition to the their Fountain View location. The wine room, coined "The Cool People Room" by owner Greg Gordon, is the perfect addition to this come-as-you-are eatery. More...

La Strada Introduces Midnight Brunch
La Strada, a popular Montrose Sunday brunch destination, has introduced Mezza Notte, midnight brunch on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The menu will consist of La Strada brunch favorites, as well as pasta dishes, salads, steaks and more.  Live acoustic bands will perform until 3 a.m.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Offers Free Admission First Sunday of Every Month
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, with the support of Target, is enhancing its Family Day program beginning this fall by offering more activities, more time to participate, and free museum admission for everyone every first Sunday of the month.  More...

Rare Red Bird of Paradise Hatched at Houston Zoo
A rare red bird of paradise is being raised by its mother at the Houston Zoo.  The chick hatched in the Zoo's off exhibit breeding area following an incubation period of 17 days.  The chick fledged 17 days after hatching.   The breeding is the first at the Zoo since 1978.   Only three other zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) have red bird of paradise.  More...

Dessert Gallery Launches Nationwide Delivery
Houstonians, as well as dessert lovers across the country, can eat their cake and send one too, thanks to a new consumer website recently launched by Dessert Gallery Bakery & Café. The website, part of the company's new initiative to reach a national audience, will allow the bakery to deliver their best-selling Diner Cake, Pecan Pie and much more, overnight and nationwide, putting Dessert Gallery on the national map as a manufacturer and distributor of desserts. More...

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to Expand 12-Story Alkek Hospital
On Aug. 23, The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved expansion plans for The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center to add nine floors atop its 12-story Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital. With the construction of the eight new inpatient floors, M. D. Anderson will add space to accommodate more than 300 additional inpatient and Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) patient beds, pharmacy facilities and nursing pods.  In addition, a mechanical floor will be built and renovations will be made to the top floor of the present hospital and areas in another adjacent building. The expansion is expected to cost about $293 million with $224 million coming from revenue bonds and the remaining $69 million from local hospital revenues. More...

Zoës Kitchen Opens in Houston
Zoës Kitchen, the fast casual restaurant concept offering fresh, made-from-scratch menu items inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, opened its first Houston area location.   The restaurant is located at 3701 S. Shepherd Dr. between Highway 59 and Richmond in the Upper Kirby District.  Zoës Kitchen specializes in quick-serve, homemade casual fare prepared with all-fresh ingredients. Signature dishes include "world famous" homemade chicken salad sandwiches, grilled chicken roll-ups with feta cheese and caramelized onions, spicy pimento cheese and the grilled chicken plate with Greek salad and rice pilaf.  More...

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