Our Top 10 Stories, too

It's a New Year at CultureMap with new features

Exxon's rumored moving plans has been the most popular story on CultureMap.
The election of Annise Parker drew lots of attention.
Our hipster holiday gift guide was a hit with CM readers.
You like to make plans for New Year's Eve. Our "Procrastinator's Guide" was thesecond most read story since we debuted on Nov. 3
Toni Blay/Flickr
The "Survivor" everyone likes to hate -- and read about

When we debuted CultureMap nearly two months ago, we unveiled a Web site that we believe is unlike any other in Houston. But we weren't exactly sure what your response would be. Thankfully, it's been more enthusiastic and supportive than I ever imagined. To steal Sally Field's Oscar-accepting line, "You like us, you really like us."

Our mission is to provide intelligent and useful coverage of the Houston-area in a sophisticated and fun way. Our most popular stories have been a mix of news and features on a wide range of subjects. Annise Parker's election, a controversial letter at the Kinkaid School, and Exxon's rumored moving plans all drew heavy traffic, along with hipster holiday gifts, off-the-wall Christmas movies and suggestions for New Year's Eve celebrations. We plan to continue to mix serious ideas with service pieces. We define "Culture" as just about anything Houstonians are talking about, so our range of stories will be broad.

Since the Nov. 2 launch, we've added several new features to the site. A comments section is now at the end of every posting and we welcome the dialogue. Your responses have been well-thought-out and (mostly) civil. We believe CultureMap is a place for lively discussion, so we welcome your comments, even if you don't agree with us. We promise to investigate errors that have been called to our attention and correct them if we're wrong. We also vow to be better about responding to comments and if things sometimes fall through the cracks, we apologize. Your trust is important to us.

We also recently unveiled a free iPhone app, so you can receive everything on the CultureMap Web site on your iPhone. Now you can always carry a little Culture in your pocket.

We're really excited about a new feature called "What's Near Here" that appears on all event listings and city guide pages. For instance, when you call up the event listing for the Houston Symphony performance of "Rhapsody in Blue" on Jan. 15, the page will also show a list of restaurants, bars, shop and hotel choices a few blocks away, so you can make plans for a full evening of activities. Try it out.

A lot of other new features will be rolled out in the coming months, so keep checking in with us. And have a great New Year!

Top 10 CultureMap stories

1. Will Exxon Snub Houston Again?

2. Procrastinator's Guide to New Year's Eve

3. Russell Hantz Isn't the Ultimate Survivor

4 The Hipster Gifter : Gifts for the Indie Scenester

5. Annise Parker is Houston's Next Mayor

6. Top 10 Christmas Movies That Aren't It's A Wonderful Life

7. Culture War at Kinkaid?

8. Do Susan Boyle a Favor: Don't Buy Her Album

9. Launch Party Rockets CultureMap Into the Media Stratosphere

10. Shelby Hodge: Big Oil Mixes with Big Money

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This Week's Hot Headlines

Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

Photo by Becca Wright

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.