Guac's Up

Avocado Bowl, with help from Arian Foster, trumps the competition at Super Bowl celebration

When we got an invitation to the Avocado Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday at The Dunlavy, it trumped all other possibilities. We love guacamole, so with the president's threats to slap a 20 percent import tax on Mexican goods, we figured out it may be one of the last times to pig out on the world's most perfect snack for next to nothing.

There were plenty of avocado-related delicacies at the party, sponsored by the state of Michoacán, Mexico, which leads the world in avocado production. We had our choice of five different types of guacamole, including one with bits of pomegranate, another with pieces of jalapeno, and yet another called "Holy Moley Guacamole." But it's hard to beat the unadorned classic version.

The waitstaff also passed around such appetizers as deep fried avocado wedges (really tasty) and tuna tartar with a dollop of guacamole (a little less satisfying), along with glasses of champagne topped off with a sorbet made of avocado.

A spokesperson said the idea for the party came about because Super Bowl Sunday is the day where the most avocados are bought and consumed in the United States, so all politics aside, it was so good opportunity to celebrate the love.

The Dunlavy was jammed with a millennial crowd who viewed the dull-turned-exciting matchup between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons, on a screen the size of a movie theater. They also played virtual reality interactive games, threw footballs at a virtual target, and met special guest, former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster, who sampled a hearty helping of guac.

But just about the biggest cheers came in the first quarter during a Super Bowl ad for avocados featuring comedian Jon Lovitz practicing psychedelic mind control over a hapless nutritional secret society. The Washington Post named it one of the five best Super Bowl commercials and it's gotten more than 3 million views on YouTube.

We're green with envy.

Arian Foster played a virtual reality game at the Avocado Bowl.

Arian Foster play virtual reality game at Avocado Bowl

Courtesy photo

Arian Foster played a virtual reality game at the Avocado Bowl.

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hail hail

Self-driving Waymo robotaxis hit the streets in Houston

Waymo/ Facebook

Waymo is now offering driverless rides to Houstonians.

Waymo will begin dispatching its robotaxis in Houston and four more cities in Texas and Florida, expanding the territory covered by its fleet of self-driving cars to 10 major U.S. metropolitan markets.

The move into Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Orlando, Florida, announced Tuesday, February 24, widens Waymo's early lead in autonomous driving while rival services from Tesla and the Amazon-owned Zoox are still testing their vehicles in only a few U.S. cities.

In contrast, Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly trips in the six metropolitan areas where they have been transporting passengers: Phoenix, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Austin.

Waymo's cars soft launched service in San Antonio in November 2025, initially only offering the rides to employees. The company first began testing Alamo City’s roads the previous May as part of a multi-city “road trip” meant to map out roadways and help alleviate local concern over safety and other issues.

Waymo operates its ride-hailing service through its own app in all the U.S. cities except Atlanta and Austin, where its robotaxis can only be summoned through Uber's ride-hailing service.

The expansion into four more markets marks a significant step toward Waymo's goal to surpass 1 million weekly paid trips by the end of 2026. Without identifying where its robotaxis will be available next, Waymo is targeting a list of eight other cities that include Las Vegas, Washington, Detroit, and Boston while signaling its first overseas availability is likely to be London.

To help pay for more robotaxis, Waymo recently raised $16 billion as part of the financial infusion that puts the value of the company at $126 billion. The valuation fueled speculation that Waymo may eventually be spun off from its corporate parent Alphabet, where it began as a secret project within Google in 2009.

Although Waymo is opening up in four more cities, its robotaxis initially will only be made available to a limited number of people with its ride-hailing app in San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Orlando before the service will be available to all corners in those markets.

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This article contains additional reporting from CultureMap San Antonio editor Brandon Watson.

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