the new Lois

Celebrity Makeover: Corpse Flower Edition

Zac Slayton wheels Lois into her new home.
Photo by Steven Thomson
Hotriculturist Soni Holladay digs up Lois' tuber
Photo by Steven Thomson
Lois' tuber unmasked
Photo by Steven Thomson
Tuber Talk!
Photo by Steven Thomson
Lois, before being covered in more dirt.
Photo by Steven Thomson

Just when you thought the drama had died down, corpse flower Lois stole the spotlight once again this morning at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Located on the top floor of the museum's parking garage is Lois' penthouse — er, greenhouse — where her tuber has continued to reabsorb material from her epic bloom as she's gone dormant. Now, the bloom has completely separated from her tuber (the bulb part of the plant), with the dead petals hanging as a corpse inside the greenhouse.

When horticulturalist Soni Holladay unearthed the tuber, it was placed on a scale, weighing in at 23 pounds. Indeed, Lois looked more svelte than ever this morning, having lost seven pounds since her last check-in. Once the numbers were tabulated, Lois was placed in a sleek black pot to continue its new tubular life cycle.

Celebrity horticulturalist Zac Stayton emceed today's event, which drew a sizable crowd of Lois fans as well as the expected slew of paparazzi. During her staycation at the greenhouse, Lois will remain in dormancy, enduring a cleanse that prohibits both water and food. The abstinence will keep the tuber healthy and increases the likelihood of Lois blooming again.

"It will be three to five months before a new leaf will appear," Stayton said, "and three to five years until a blossom reappears."

However, fans shouldn't hold their breath to hold their nostrils: "With Lois, everything is '-ish,'" explained Stayton, as the plant's taciturn timing is hard to pin down.

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Fun times in the city

Houston lets loose as one of America's 10 most fun cities in 2024

RodeoHouston.com

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Houston is showing off its fun-loving side in WalletHub's new ranking of the top 10 most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked H-Town No. 9 this year, in a 10-place hike from its 2023 ranking of No. 19.

WalletHub's experts compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics to determine the level of "fun" for each city. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Houston performed the best in the overall nightlife and parties category (No. 15). The city earned special recognition for having the No. 1 most dance clubs per capita in a three-way tie with Las Vegas (No. 1 overall) and San Francisco (No. 7 overall).

In the category for entertainment and recreation, Houston ranked No. 23 with the fifth highest number of park playgrounds per capita. Consider The Commons at Hermann Park, which has one of the best free playgrounds in the city. NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans, is also one of the most affordable tailgating destinations in America.

Houston performed the worst in the overall cost category, but it technically only ranked No. 25 out of all 182 cities, which demonstrates just how affordable Houston is in comparison to the rest of the country.

Potential Newstonians should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) was the only other Texas city to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list, moving up one spot from its rank as No. 7 in 2023. Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are San Antonio (No. 25), Dallas (No. 31), El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

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