time to brag

Houston scores 'stunner' spot in Time Magazine's Best Places in the World list

Musaafer, the cutting-edge, palatial Indian restaurant, gets a nod in the article.

Photo by Raydon Creative

Houstonians once again can enjoy some serious bragging rights. The Bayou City has been named to Time Magazine’s prestigious list of World’s Greatest Places 2021.

With respectful regrets to Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth, H-Town is the only Texas city to appear in the listing.

For a little perspective, other world-class cities mentioned on the enviable report include Athens; Beijing, Cannes, France; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Arouca, Portugal; and Marrakech, Morocco.

U.S. cities in the report include understandable destinations such as New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Denver — as well as some surprises such as Indianapolis; Memphis, Tennessee; and Orlando, Florida.

Heralding Houston as a “Lone Star stunner,” (aw shucks), the Time piece notes that our fair city has welcomed around 100,000 new residents in 2019 and has “emerged as one of the most diverse cities in the American South.”

Not surprisingly, dining is a focus in the Houston article, with nods to Musaafer, as well as Late August, the “highly anticipated restaurant led by Top Chef finalist Dawn Burrell, will soon open in the city’s new innovation district.”

And why not? As CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler noted, the palatial, over-the-top Musaafer (its interior alone warrants a visit) boasts the charismatic chef Mayank Istwal and his creations — all inspired by his travels across India’s 29 states to collect recipes and ideas.

“It is an honor to have achieved this milestone on the heels of our first anniversary following what at times felt like an insurmountable year,” Musaafer's owners, Shammi and Mithu Malik, tell CultureMap. “We are proud to call Houston home and are pleased that Musaafer contributes to the city's ever-evolving, diverse culinary landscape. It is our mission to celebrate our culture with our new community, and this recognition on a global scale serves as a testament to the years of hard work and dedication by our executive chef Mayank Istwal and his team.”

Meanwhile, as noted in an exclusive interview with the overachiever Burrell, a a former Olympic track athlete who reached the finals of Top Chef, Late August is yet another example of the cutting-edge dining found here. Her eatery will introduce “a new style, which is Afro-Asian cuisine,” she told Sandler. “A lot of cultures like Guyana, they have all those flavor profiles because of migration.”

Other notables in the Time piece include the buzzy POST Houston, the downtown concert venue, food and market hall, and work space, which will open in a former post office this fall. As CultureMap noted when the project was initially announced, POST will feature one of the world’s largest rooftop gardens.

The downtown hot spot just announced 11 exciting new food hall tenants, representing fresh global and local offerings and approaches.

Houston’s beloved Project Row Houses, our community-based arts organization that restored row houses to provide art studios and exhibition spaces for local artists and affordable housing for young mothers, also gets some love.

Founded by the dynamic local artist Rick Lowe, Project Row Houses recently celebrated a major cash infusion thanks to a generous grant from Houston Endowment and the Ford Foundation.

bests city-news-roundup lists reports

Astrodome's new vision

New proposal to save the Astrodome calls for shops, restaurants, and more

Rendering courtesy of Gensler

A new plan for renovating the Astrodome has emerged.

The Houston Astrodome is both the city’s crown jewel and a rotting albatross depending on which direction you view it from. To address the ongoing problem of what to do with the facility, the Astrodome Conservancy has unveiled Vision: Astrodome, the latest bold plan to repurpose the dome by turning it into a small city-within-a-city with four inner buildings and walkable green spaces.

“Our 8th Wonder of the World is as Houston as it gets,” says Abbie J. Kamin, Houston City Councilmember from District C. “This historic protected landmark, filled with generations of memories and a legacy of iconic sports and music, is woven deeply into our hearts and our heritage. I am grateful that the Astrodome Conservancy has found a path forward to not only save the Dome but provide an economic asset Houstonians can enjoy year-round.”

Here's the vision. There will be a central event space on the dome floor. Four building will surround it, offering restaurants, retail shopping, and offices. The plan should result in 450,000 square feet of revenue generating space, all within the confines of the dome itself.

In addition, a connecting boulevard will move visitors throughout the area. This plan is based on New York City’s Highline, a raised walkway built on an old viaduct that opened in 2009 and has become a template for repurposed city architecture across the nation. Not only will the dome boulevard connect the various structures inside the dome, but also lead to the other buildings in NRG Park.

Built in 1965, the Astrodome is one of the most iconic sports stadiums still standing in the world. It was the first domed stadium, ushering in a new era of air-conditioned sports entertainment that earned it the nickname 8^th Wonder of the World. Muhammad Ali fought in the dome, it hosted Wrestlemania, the famous “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match took place there, and it was of course the longtime home of the Houston Oilers, Houston Astros, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

When it closed in 2008 (and failed to meet fire code the next year), no one quite knew what to do with it. Ken Hoffman, writing in 2019, called it “puny and old, an embarrassing, dingy public eyesore” next to the shiny new NRG Stadium. In 2013, the city held a referendum on spending $217 million to renovate the dome, which failed and seemed to doom the dome to the wrecking ball.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett started a campaign to save the dome, leading to a long and protracted discussion on what was best for the city. On the one hand, the Astrodome is a fully paid-for asset of Harris County and an iconic landmark to boot. On the other hand, no one could agree on what to do or how to pay for it. The dome waited.

In 2016, the Astrodome Conservancy was formed as a private nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the dome. To date, they have raised $3 million toward the project, which is still a drop in the bucket when it comes to remodeling the space. Two years later, Harris County Commissioners court approved $105 million to raise the floor and turn the dome back into an event space. Progress was again halted under Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who questioned whether renovating the dome was a wise use of the county’s money. The county currently spends $150,000 to $400,000 to maintain the empty dome.

So, what will Vision: Astrodome cost and where will the conservancy get it? The answer to the first question is currently: don’t know. The answer to the second question is: don’t know, but . . .

Vision Astrodome is meant to be a “conversation starter” between the major stakeholders in NRG Park according to official press documents. That likely means the conservancy is hoping to leverage economic interest and city pride to raise the money from the Houston Texans and the rodeo. Both have a contract with the county that gives them priority at NRG Park until 2032 and are unlikely to approve anything that threatens the parking situation in the complex.

The rest will likely come from Harris County itself, paid for through taxes and hotel fees. Houston refused to foot the bill in 2013, but nostalgia may have turned the hearts of the populace since then, especially if Houston can get a first-class facility out of the deal. Until then, the dome sits as it has for 15 years, watching the city pass it by.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler

A new plan for renovating the Astrodome has emerged.