Brrr

Laugh at the heat: What record? The best air conditioned escapes in Houstonallow you to chill easy

The heat isn't letting up, but that doesn't mean you cannot stay cool.
Get out of the haze and into one of these hotspots.
It's cooler than cooler in the Julia Ideson Library.
Photo by Joel Draut
Joel Osteen knows how to keep it cool at Lakewood.

Several days have passed since Rick Perry's Response, and we're still suffering from record high temperatures. Why not take a chill pill and step off from the sizzling sidewalk into these caves of coldness?

Because no matter how just our society becomes, not all air conditioning is created equal.

Central Market

Amid the maze of MILFs and organic mission figs you'll find the chilly quarters of the produce section. Central Market management has even posted, "Why is it so cold in here?" signs to validate the low temperatures that keep the kale crisp and customers' Botox bouncy.

Julia Ideson Library

You won't suffer an excess of body heat at the quiet renovated historic library. Brush up on historic maps of the Lone Star State while basking in regulated temperature ecstasy.

Marquis II

This West University Place dive has recently reopened after months of renovation. Gone is the lenient smoking policy, but new visitors will discover a vaguely lavish interior that includes an air conditioning system that's as robust as the Long Island iced teas.

Downtown Tunnels

Artifice is at its peak underneath the city's skyscrapers, where you'll find miles of hyper-climate controlled spending opportunities. We recommend the new How Do You Roll sushi bar, where guests can nosh on some chilled ocean fare.

Majorca

Our visit to this tapas tavern gave us goosebumps, and not just because the patatas bravas was so overwhelming (it wasn't). The A/C here packs a punch, making it the perfect spot for your frigid fiesta.

METRORail

We're not advocating walking for miles in the heat to get to a station, but once you're on board, it's like an Arctic joyride. The raised seats at the front and back of the rail cars get the most intense A/C action.

Lakewood Church

Fire and brimstone be damned. This stadium church knows how to keep a crowd cool, calm and collected.

Edwards Greenway Grand Palace

Just because you're done taking advantage of Joel Osteen's stadium refrigerator doesn't mean you have to drop a bead of sweat. While you're in the Greenway vicinity, drop by for some additional frosty fun at Edwards.

The mercury may be rising on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but with that cherry ICEE in hand, you'll be cool as a cucumber.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”

Brrr

Laugh at the heat: What record? The best air conditioned escapes in Houstonallow you to chill easy

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
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