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    Pick Five (Plus)

    Your weekly guide to Houston: Cinco de Mayo goes bingo, Spanish folk dances andDragon Boats roll

    Joel Luks
    May 4, 2011 | 4:55 pm
    • Photo by Eric Mueller
    • "Cinco de Bingo" Cinco de Mayo fiesta is hosted by SCRUBS, the Young Supportersof The Harris County Hospital District Foundation.
    • Buffalo Bayou history tours with Louis Aulbach reveal the rich history ofHouston's waterways. Bayou Bend Main St. 1904
    • Apollo Chamber Players present a fiery concert commingling classical music andfolk tunes of Spanish origin. Ole!
    • Domenico Luciano in Dominic’s "Clair de Lune"
      Photo by Frank Atura
    • At the home of Lemonade Day Founder, Michael and Lisa Holthouse, littleentrepreneurs showed the 14 principles of the lemonade biz. It's not justlemonade. It's strategy. Here, Jalya
      Photo by Brian Nutsch/Lemonade Day Houston
    • A leisurely stroll courtesy of Buffalo Bayou "Foodie Floats," guests enjoyedSpanish wine pairings courtesy of Block 7.
    • The Rothko Chapel is offering a series of free Tai Chi classes suitable for thebeginning and experienced practitioner.

    What a historic last week it's been! We will be talking about where we were when we heard the news, sharing stories with our grandchildren and describing the events having lived through what the future generation will deem as history.

    My own week started with a beautiful and historic boat ride on the Buffalo Bayou, sipping on Spanish vino courtesy of Block 7 while exploring the memoirs of Houston's urban waterways. Buffalo Bayou Partnership's "Foodie Floats" toured the bayou canals while historian Robbie Robinson talked about things past to a lively group, which included John Fanning, in town to play Music Teacher in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos.

    The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art launched its Art Car Parade festivities with a casual get together at Continental Club's patio. My discovery? Black been burgers from Natachees. Where have I been?

    Rienzi's Spring party was a stylish and elegant affair, allowing guests to stroll through the European decorative arts collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston with a glass of bubbly on hand. Carroll and Harris Masterson loved to entertain and this soiree made their legacy proud and this reporter, delighted.

    Lemonade Day brought out more than 50,000 little entrepreneurs out to sell. A reception at the home of Lemonade Day's founder, Michael and Lisa Holthouse, displayed 14 lemonade stands with children explaining the principles of a successful strategy. This is not just about making lemonade out of lemons. It's about thoughtfulness, creativity and a well-thought-out action plan, providing valuable business experience.

    There was also the TUTS gala, Latin Wave fiesta, iFest, a Houston Symphony concert, Houston Grand Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos, Shepherd School of Music's Mahler Symphony No. 3 and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra's clarinetist Maiko Sasaki at Tasting Room at Uptown.

    On tap for this week ...

    Tai Chi at the Rothko Chapel

    Need to recharge and Zen out? Having attended some of Rothko Chapel's noon time meditations as part of the Twelve Moments of Spirituality and Healing series, I can attest that the folks here know how to put you back together physically, mentally and spiritually.

    Wear comfy clothes and head over to the Chapel grounds, where you will practice near Newman's Broken Obelisk. New to Tai Chi? All are welcome. Thursdays in May at 5 p.m.

    Musiqa's Annual Spring Benefit "MusiqaFiesta"

    I love Musiqa because their concerts are engaging and fun, exposing the hardcore side of contemporary art music. Led by Houston's composition rock stars, this Cinco de Mayo bacchanal mingles awesome tunes by Latin American composers and a dash of jazz with tapas and libations courtesy of Molina's Cantina.

    Try your luck at the iPad2 raffle, bid on silent auction items and partake in the live auction. You know you want to. Thursday at 6 p.m.

    "Cinco de Bingo" at Last Concert Café

    If you are searching for a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, morph your planned debauchery into a good cause. The folks at SCRUBS, aka Young Supporters of The Harris County Hospital District Foundation, are making Bingo hip, chic and fab in "Cinco de Bingo." You could win great prizes like more booze, tickets to cool events and lots of cool stuff.

    Stuff yourself with a fajita buffet and wash it down with domestic and Mexican beers and margaritas. Thursday at 7 p.m.

    Buffalo Bayou Partnership Looking Back History Tours with Louis Aulbach

    Did you know that Allen's Landing used to be the Port of Houston? Many history buffs consider its strategic location the catalyst behind the growth of the city.

    Travel back in time with local historian and author Louis Aulbach and explore the curiosities of yesteryear. Why is it called Buffalo Bayou? Who were the Allen Brothers? To answer these questions, meet at Allen's Landing on Saturday at 10 a.m. Update: meeting location has been changed to the Sabine Promenade.

    Apollo Chamber Players "Gypsies and Toreadors: Folk Dances from Spain" Concert at the Shepherd School of Music

    This string quartet is one of Houston's best kept secrets redefining what it means to be a bad ass in the genre of art music. Specializing in the convergence of folk and classical music traditions, Apollo writes its own arrangements exploiting its fiery, passionate and virtuosic abilities that emerge out of having mastery over the instruments.

    This concert is all about Spain. The quartet will debut a brand spanking new arrangement of Malagueña. Wicked. Saturday at 8 p.m.

    My colleagues picks:

    Editor at large and society scribe Shelby Hodge's pick: Latin Women's Initiative Annual Spring Luncheon

    Shelby says: "There is only one place to be for lunch this Friday — I will be there at the Latin Women's Initiative annual spring luncheon at the InterContinental Houston. It is the liveliest, most fun luncheon each year. Fab fashions in a runway presentation from Jl + Bertholdo, a Latin-inspired marketplace and loads of interesting women." Friday at 10:30 a.m.

    Social media editor and sassy adventure racer Fayza Elmostehi's pick: Houston Dragon Boat Festival

    Fayza says: "If you think paddling is perfect, you won't want to miss the brilliance of the Houston Dragon Boat Festival. You know those traditional Asian long boats, powered by synchronized human arms?

    Those are the ones that'll take over the Buffalo Bayou this weekend, decorated with colorful and expressive regalia. You won't be sorry if you head down to the bayou's banks for a truly interesting cultural experience." Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

    Assistant editor and arts savant Steven Thomson's pick: The Future is Now: A SKYDIVE Fundraiser

    Steven says: "This art collective's fundraiser brings together vanguard performances by artists curated by Nancy Douthey, along with the backing of Houston art world heavyweights like Ian Glennie, Fredericka Hunter, Gemma DeSantos and Judy Nyquist.

    Robots will serve drinks and bites amid 20 performances, all while Metropolis screens on Skydive's exterior. Preview the auction (and start bidding) at theSkydive.org. Dress as your favorite future self." Saturday at 6 p.m.

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    in this economy?

    This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Houston in 2026

    Amber Heckler
    Mar 26, 2026 | 2:30 pm
    money, salary, income to live comfortably, SmartAsset
    Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
    Single Houstonians need to make a little more than $82,000 to live comfortably in the city, the report found.

    A 2026 report analyzing how much it costs to live "in sustainable comfort" in the biggest U.S. cities has found Houston residents have the 11th lowest salary requirement to live a comfortable life in 2026.

    SmartAsset's annual report found single adult residents in Houston need to make $89,981 a year to qualify as "financially stable." Compared to last year, single Houstonians needed to make $83 more to live comfortably in the city.

    Families with two working parents and two children need to make a household income of $204,672 to have a financially stable life in Houston, the report found. That's almost $2,000 less than what families needed to make last year.

    To determine the rankings, SmartAsset's analysts examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities and used the latest cost of living data – such as the costs for housing, food, transportation, and income taxes where applicable – from the MIT Living Wage Calculator for childless individuals and for two working adults with two children.

    For the purpose of the study, the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy was used to determine "comfortable lifestyle" costs for both individuals and families: 50 percent of income to cover needs and living expenses, 30 percent for "wants," and 20 percent for savings or paying down debt.

    Here's breakdown of a Houston resident's comfortable lifestyle based on SmartAsset's findings:

    • $44,991 dedicated to needs and living expenses
    • $26,994 dedicated to wants
    • $17,996 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

    This is SmartAsset's interpretation of a comfortable lifestyle for families of four:

    • $102,336 dedicated to needs and living expenses
    • $61,402 dedicated to wants
    • $40,934 dedicated to savings or debt repayment
    SmartAsset said single individuals and families should compare the fluctuating local cost of living and their long-term goals to fully "understand the context" of their respective household incomes. But it's worth pointing out that a financially stable life in Houston isn't quite attainable for many residents: The city had a median household income of $64,361 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

    Comfortable salaries in other Texas cities
    Elsewhere in Texas, the report found that families in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs Frisco and McKinney "are closest to a comfortable salary."

    "In Frisco, [Texas], the median household earns $145,444 – substantially higher than the national median of $83,730," the report's author wrote. "This figure also accounts for 63.1 percent of the $230,464 income a family of four in Frisco needs to live comfortably. In McKinney, TX, the $124,177 median household income accounts for 53.9 percent of the $230,464 needed."
    Both cities also tied with Plano for the 29th highest salary needed nationally to live comfortably in 2026. Single adults living in these cities need to make $109,242 a year to live a financially stable life this year.

    On the opposite end, San Antonio has the lowest salaries needed to live comfortably in the U.S. Single adults only need to make $83,242 a year, and $192,608 for families of four.

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