• Home
  • popular
  • EVENTS
  • submit-new-event
  • CHARITY GUIDE
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • TRENDING NEWS
  • News
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Home + Design
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Innovation
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • subscribe
  • about
  • series
  • Embracing Your Inner Cowboy
  • Green Living
  • Summer Fun
  • Real Estate Confidential
  • RX In the City
  • State of the Arts
  • Fall For Fashion
  • Cai's Odyssey
  • Comforts of Home
  • Good Eats
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2010
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2
  • Good Eats 2
  • HMNS Pirates
  • The Future of Houston
  • We Heart Hou 2
  • Music Inspires
  • True Grit
  • Hoops City
  • Green Living 2011
  • Cruizin for a Cure
  • Summer Fun 2011
  • Just Beat It
  • Real Estate 2011
  • Shelby on the Seine
  • Rx in the City 2011
  • Entrepreneur Video Series
  • Going Wild Zoo
  • State of the Arts 2011
  • Fall for Fashion 2011
  • Elaine Turner 2011
  • Comforts of Home 2011
  • King Tut
  • Chevy Girls
  • Good Eats 2011
  • Ready to Jingle
  • Houston at 175
  • The Love Month
  • Clifford on The Catwalk Htx
  • Let's Go Rodeo 2012
  • King's Harbor
  • FotoFest 2012
  • City Centre
  • Hidden Houston
  • Green Living 2012
  • Summer Fun 2012
  • Bookmark
  • 1987: The year that changed Houston
  • Best of Everything 2012
  • Real Estate 2012
  • Rx in the City 2012
  • Lost Pines Road Trip Houston
  • London Dreams
  • State of the Arts 2012
  • HTX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • HTX Good Eats 2012
  • HTX Contemporary Arts 2012
  • HCC 2012
  • Dine to Donate
  • Tasting Room
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2012
  • Charming Charlie
  • Asia Society
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2012
  • HTX Mistletoe on the go
  • HTX Sun and Ski
  • HTX Cars in Lifestyle
  • HTX New Beginnings
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013
  • Zadok Sparkle into Spring
  • HTX Let's Go Rodeo 2013
  • HCC Passion for Fashion
  • BCAF 2013
  • HTX Best of 2013
  • HTX City Centre 2013
  • HTX Real Estate 2013
  • HTX France 2013
  • Driving in Style
  • HTX Island Time
  • HTX Super Season 2013
  • HTX Music Scene 2013
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2013 2
  • HTX Baker Institute
  • HTX Comforts of Home 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Houston
  • Staying Ahead of the Game
  • Wrangler Houston
  • First-time Homebuyers Guide Houston 2021
  • Visit Frisco Houston
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Greystar Novel River Oaks
  • Thirdhome Go Houston
  • Dogfish Head Houston
  • LovBe Houston
  • Claire St Amant podcast Houston
  • The Listing Firm Houston
  • South Padre Houston
  • NextGen Real Estate Houston
  • Pioneer Houston
  • Collaborative for Children
  • Decorum
  • Bold Rock Cider
  • Nasher Houston
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • CityNorth
  • Urban Office
  • Villa Cotton
  • Luck Springs Houston
  • EightyTwo
  • Rectanglo.com
  • Silver Eagle Karbach
  • Mirador Group
  • Nirmanz
  • Bandera Houston
  • Milan Laser
  • Lafayette Travel
  • Highland Park Village Houston
  • Proximo Spirits
  • Douglas Elliman Harris Benson
  • Original ChopShop
  • Bordeaux Houston
  • Strike Marketing
  • Rice Village Gift Guide 2021
  • Downtown District
  • Broadstone Memorial Park
  • Gift Guide
  • Music Lane
  • Blue Circle Foods
  • Houston Tastemaker Awards 2022
  • True Rest
  • Lone Star Sports
  • Silver Eagle Hard Soda
  • Modelo recipes
  • Modelo Fighting Spirit
  • Athletic Brewing
  • Rodeo Houston
  • Silver Eagle Bud Light Next
  • Waco CVB
  • EnerGenie
  • HLSR Wine Committee
  • All Hands
  • El Paso
  • Avenida Houston
  • Visit Lubbock Houston
  • JW Marriott San Antonio
  • Silver Eagle Tupps
  • Space Center Houston
  • Central Market Houston
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Travel Texas Houston
  • Alliantgroup
  • Golf Live
  • DC Partners
  • Under the Influencer
  • Blossom Hotel
  • San Marcos Houston
  • Photo Essay: Holiday Gift Guide 2009
  • We Heart Hou
  • Walker House
  • HTX Good Eats 2013
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2013
  • HTX Culture Motive
  • HTX Auto Awards
  • HTX Ski Magic
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2014
  • HTX Texas Traveler
  • HTX Cifford on the Catwalk 2014
  • HTX United Way 2014
  • HTX Up to Speed
  • HTX Rodeo 2014
  • HTX City Centre 2014
  • HTX Dos Equis
  • HTX Tastemakers 2014
  • HTX Reliant
  • HTX Houston Symphony
  • HTX Trailblazers
  • HTX_RealEstateConfidential_2014
  • HTX_IW_Marks_FashionSeries
  • HTX_Green_Street
  • Dating 101
  • HTX_Clifford_on_the_Catwalk_2014
  • FIVE CultureMap 5th Birthday Bash
  • HTX Clifford on the Catwalk 2014 TEST
  • HTX Texans
  • Bergner and Johnson
  • HTX Good Eats 2014
  • United Way 2014-15_Single Promoted Articles
  • Holiday Pop Up Shop Houston
  • Where to Eat Houston
  • Copious Row Single Promoted Articles
  • HTX Ready to Jingle 2014
  • htx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Zadok Swiss Watches
  • HTX Wonderful Weddings 2015
  • HTX Charity Challenge 2015
  • United Way Helpline Promoted Article
  • Boulevard Realty
  • Fusion Academy Promoted Article
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Fall 2015
  • United Way Book Power Promoted Article
  • Jameson HTX
  • Primavera 2015
  • Promenade Place
  • Hotel Galvez
  • Tremont House
  • HTX Tastemakers 2015
  • HTX Digital Graffiti/Alys Beach
  • MD Anderson Breast Cancer Promoted Article
  • HTX RealEstateConfidential 2015
  • HTX Vargos on the Lake
  • Omni Hotel HTX
  • Undies for Everyone
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Houston
  • 2015 Houston Stylemaker
  • HTX Renewable You
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • Urban Flats Builder
  • HTX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Kyrie Massage
  • Red Bull Flying Bach
  • Hotze Health and Wellness
  • ReadFest 2015
  • Alzheimer's Promoted Article
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Professional Skin Treatments by NuMe Express

    Adventures in H-Town

    Love and Groceries: Committing to a supermarket is a newcomer's No. 1 dilemma

    Cathy Parsons
    May 15, 2011 | 6:30 pm
    • Truly, ANY grocery store in Texas beats the pants out of the offerings inNashville due to the fact that WINE is available! And on Sundays, too!
    • I love Whole Foods as it was the closest store to my Nashville home and just thesmell when I walk in would always put me in a good mood.
      Photo by Chris Conyers
    • My jewelry designer friend, Margaret Ellis, swears by Rosetta Stone to learnSpanish.

     Editor's Note: Cathy Parsons recently moved from Music City (Nashville) to the Bayou City (Houston). In a periodic column, she will write about her new life here.

    During a conversation with CultureMap president Nicholas Phillips recently, the subject of the need to learn Spanish came up. I have heard others mention this quite a bit since I moved to Houston several months ago. Lots of people express the desire to learn it, but there seems to be a lack of consensus for the best, i.e. quickest, cheapest, and most painless way possible to become fluent.

    My jewelry designer friend, Margaret Ellis, swears by Rosetta Stone. And seriously, who hasn’t heard that option plugged? But the sticker shock has always held me back. And my lazy streak makes me wonder if I would commit to the program all the way.

    One of my new friends moved to Houston from Mexico City a few years ago, and I would love to communicate with her better. Let’s just say her English is light years better than my Spanish (guess who took French in high school?…), but so far, learning a new language is all just a part of my Master Plan I came up with when I moved to Houston.

    Once I started thinking about my lack of progress with the Spanish situation, I remembered the "To-do" list when I arrived. In no particular order, it looked something like this…

       
    1. Learn my way around Houston sans GPS ASAP (doing pretty well on this one)
    2.  
    3. Enjoy the fabulous restaurants (more than I could have imagined)
    4.  
    5. Work out to get in the best shape possible and take yoga seriously (not hardly due to item # 2 in large part)
    6.  
    7. Start an eBay clothing business (hahaha!!)
    8.  
    9. Thoroughly enjoy the amazing galleries, museums, and parks (check!)
    10.  
    11. Find a fabulous and creative- new and exciting career (on my way…)
    12.  
    13. Completely open up to all new people and experiences (absolutely the best!)
    14.  
    15. Learn Spanish (zero progress)

    And this is only a partial list… but you get the idea. Since I am a listmaniac, I also love that when I write this column about being new to the city, I usually receive a flurry of emails from people sharing their experiences as well as offering me their favorite restaurants, shops, etc. (This has been a fabulous help and I thank you all!)

    As I contemplated some of my other newcomer experiences, I recalled one of the first necessary decisions that I encountered committing to a grocery store. Bear with me on this. Anyone new to a city understands the need to lock down certain choices…. New place to live and worship, new bank, new doctors, new schools if you have kids, new stores, salons, and restaurants - truly a long, long list.

    Of all things, the grocery store selection has been an unexpected source of amusement for my boyfriend, RT, and me. He is firmly committed to Randall’s, and while it is perfectly fine, I was not so quick to jump on that bandwagon.

    I like to check out all the options and then find the perfect choice that exactly fits my needs. (Just like when I engage in my favorite hobby - shoe shopping.) As someone who loves to cook and entertain, I am still auditioning for “my” grocery store.

    So far, in addition to Randall’s, I have considered H-E-B, and Kroger Signature. But the one I was most excited to explore for a totally different experience was Fiesta. I had envisioned a grocery shopping experience with, well, I guess more color, more pizazz, if you will, with very enthusiastic patrons and employees, tons of Mexican products and exotic specialties.

    I went today and felt it was just more or less like the others, with the exception of their jewelry counter and expanded local products. Perfectly fine, what with its organic selection, fresh meats, nice bakery, and all, but kinda mainstream. No biggie though…

    Truly, ANY grocery store in Texas beats the pants out of the offerings in Nashville due to the fact that wine is available! And on Sundays, too!

    Back in Nashville, you really had to get your Sunday plans locked down early if you planned on any kind of entertaining that might include a splash of crisp pinot grigio or a lovely cab. Wine is only sold in liquor stores (illegal to be open on Sundays), which is pretty silly in my opinion. Attemps continue to be made to change that, but it may never happen.

    The grocery option that got shot down as “our” store was the Whole Foods Market on Kirby. Since we are looking at real estate in that area, I was all set to lock down my old favorite as the “one.” An ill-timed trip there on a Saturday with RT sort of put that option to rest, at least for my goal to bring him on board.

    Having to cruise around like it was two days before Christmas at The Galleria to get a parking spot didn’t exactly endear him to this experience. But once we made it into the store, (and in full disclosure, this was on a Saturday), the large amount of tastings underway and the enormous number of people maneuvering carts throughout the somewhat narrow aisles, put RT in the “I do not like this” mode.

    I love Whole Foods as it was the closest store to my Nashville home and just the smell when I walk in would always put me in a good mood. Not only do they have one of my very favorite cheese (Robusto Gouda), but Evan Healy skin care products, and too many other wonderful products for me to list. Is it possible to have his and hers grocery stores? I am not sure, but I will keep this in mind.

    I think next time, RT and I will hit it up on a shall we say – Monday or Tuesday night? So many stores…so little time to try them all.

    Now, back to that list...

    unspecified
    news/city-life
    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
    Get Houston intel delivered daily.

    Flood Response

    $30M+ Hill Country flood relief fund announces first phase of aid awards

    Brianna Caleri
    Jul 11, 2025 | 2:30 pm
    Death Toll Rises After Flash Floods In Texas Hill Country
    Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images
    The Central Texas community has come together in huge numbers to grieve and offer support.

    When the floods in Central Texas started over July 4 weekend, it didn't take long for the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country to put an important call out for aid. In fact, it created the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund on the first Friday of the tragedy, which quickly became the default recipient of donations from locals and businesses. On July 11, the foundation made its first major announcement regarding how funds will be distributed.

    During a press conference, the foundation announced it has received more than $30 million so far. Top donors included H-E-B, which contributed $2 million in addition to sending its disaster relief convoy, and James Avery Artisan Jewelry, which is based in Kerrville and donated about $500,000.

    “The heartbreak we’ve experienced as a community is profound, but so is the response,” said Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country CEO Austin Dickson. “In a matter of days, thousands of donors from across Texas and beyond have stepped up to say: we are with you. This is a moment of collective grief, but also of extraordinary love.”

    The foundation is dividing its response into five phases, which include an initial phase of financial assistance and an end phase of longterm recovery, with more detailed logistics in between. The first phase starts with $5 million in emergency grants to nonprofits. Those nonprofits will then further distribute funds as they see fit. Priorities are divided into four categories of $1.25 million each: support of individuals and families, local businesses, first responders, and crisis response.

    There are 22 allocations on the full list, with some entities receiving grants in multiple categories. The full list includes the Salvation Army Kerrville Kroc Center, Mercy Chefs, World Central Kitchen, five volunteer fire departments, LiftFund, the Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce, Schreiner University, Kerrville Pets Alive!, Freeman Fritts (Vet Clinic and Shelter), Arcadia Live Theater, Ingram ISD, five churches, and Christian outreach organization Light on the Hill.

    The fund is still open to donations, and the foundation plans to form a Community Advisory Committee that would seek the advice of local nonprofit leaders, residents, and other "stakeholders" regarding long-term recovery and equity.

    “We know this is just the beginning,” Dickson said. “We’re grateful to say we’ve raised over $30 million in just one week — but the needs are tremendous, and continued support will be critical in the months ahead. Recovery will take months, if not years, but we are committed to walking every step of this journey with the communities we serve. We will listen, we will learn, and we will continue to act with compassion, urgency and accountability.”

    charitydisaster relieffirst respondersflood reliefgrantshill countryhill country floodskerr countynatural disasternonprofitsjuly 4 floods
    news/city-life
    Loading...