Face it, we love to read about celebrities. So when CultureMap spots a notable doing regular things in Houston, readers clamour for details. To celebrate CultureMap's fifth birthday, we look back at some of our best celeb spottings:
Lady Gaga
At the height of her popularity, Lady Gaga came to Houston for two concerts in the summer of 2010. But she didn't spend all her time in the Toyota Center, as we discovered.
Lady Gaga dines late at Spanish Flowers and goes unnoticed (published July 26, 2010)
"While Lady Gaga ignited plenty of excitement at Toyota Center on Sunday, she caused barely a ripple at Spanish Flowers after her show when she and her stage crew showed up for margaritas, nachos and platters of Tex-Mex," Shelby Hodge wrote.
Tracking Lady Gaga's Houston adventure: From the St. Regis pool to Dirt Bar (published July 27, 2010)
"The pop sensation stayed at the St. Regis (OK that's not such an eye-opener, there are only so many five-star hotels to go around). But Gaga's Monday afternoon fun in St. Regis' pool certainly was — with photos of it acquired by TMZ," Chris Baldwin wrote.
"Even after Lady Gaga finished her second high-energy, sold-out show at the Toyota Center Monday night, she still wasn't done with Houston. Post concert, Gaga hit Dirt Bar in the Heights, her second trip to the area in as many nights."
Anna Wintour
Vogue editor Anna Wintour regularly spends the Christmas holidays in Houston with her main squeez, Shelby Bryan, and his family. But we didn't expect to see her in the vitamin aisle at Central Market.
Celebrity on Aisle 9: Vogue's Anna Wintour spotted at Central Market — but not in the magazine section (published Dec. 24, 2012)
"In Christmases past, Anna Wintour has been spotted at the Avalon Diner, Tiny Boxwoods and the River Oaks Theatre. But who would have guessed that the icy Vogue magazine editor is a supermarket shopper? Our CultureMap spies snapped this grainy shot of Wintour in a print dress (at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week she often wears such short-sleeved dresses) and gold chain necklace, carrying her trademark Chanel sunglasses, as she perused the vitamin aisle virtually unnoticed," Clifford Pugh wrote.
Beyoncé
Houston's favorite celebrity continually swoops into Houston, often without notice, to see family. But when she was in town two times for concerts, she was a little more high-profile.
Surprise! Beyoncé pops up all over Houston — the Target shopping trip is just the beginning (published July 15, 2013)
"Beyonce is hardly hiding out in her luxury hotel room on her visit home to Houston," Chris Baldwin wrote. "The music superstar is being spotted all over town in advance of Monday night's much-anticipated, sold-out show at Toyota Center. She hit the Galleria-area Target on San Felipe on Sunday, with incredulous fans snapping Twitpics of Beyonce browsing in the hats section as a bodyguard in a polo shirt and jeans looked on. Hey, one can never have too many reasonably-priced accessories.
Even if your net worth is an estimated $350 million."
Beyoncé and Jay Z's H-Town weekend: After-concert antics, art tour and brunch with Blue Ivy (published July 23, 2014)
Surprise! Beyoncé, Solange & Tina Knowles take a tour through The Menil, talk of new album (published July 3, 2012)
Johnny Manziel
Johnny Manziel's surprise Houston visit is full of meaning: Potential No. 1 pick wouldn't miss this night (published Feb. 4, 2014)
"It was a surreal evening with the A&M quarterback and a posse of rangers milling around a high-end women's department store," Shelby Hodge wrote.
Michelle Obama
Surprise! Michelle Obama and a friend enjoy a low-key meal at a trendy Houston restaurant (published April 10, 2014)
"As Triniti chef/owner Ryan Hildebrand understands the process for deciding which restaurant to visit, Obama's team selects six possible candidates, and then the First Lady chooses the one that's most appealing to her. Hildebrand found out she'd selected his restaurant around 5:30 p.m.," Eric Sandler wrote.
Honorable mention:
- Justin Bieber's strip club visit
- Keri Russell's stop at the Children's Museum of Houston
- Sandra Bullock's dinner at Eddie V's
Lady Gaga frolics in the St. Regis Hotel swimming pool.
