YMCA

Countdown to the 2007 Houston Press Best of Houston® Issue

Music at the Y, Minus the Village People

Bummer: Downtown YMCA to Be Demolished

No Excuses Now -- The Downtown Y Is Working Again

Houston Boldly Moves Forward with (Porn) Free WiFi

'Round the Kitchen Table

Press Picks

Digitalia: Microsoft Songsmith Corrects Artists' Glaring Oversights

Billy Idol, "White Wedding"... sort ofMicrosoft Songsmith, a music-making computer program, has already racked up plenty of Internet accolades based on its eerily terrible commercial, wherein normal, everyday people dealing with normal, everyday problems - such as being tasked to write an ad campa ... More >>

Press Picks

Billy Idol, "White Wedding"... sort ofMicrosoft Songsmith, a music-making computer program, has already racked up plenty of Internet accolades based on its eerily terrible commercial, wherein normal, everyday people dealing with normal, everyday problems - such as being tasked to write an ad campa ... More >>

West U Doesn't Want Its Rec Center To Attract Outsiders, Maybe

West University is building a new recreation center on Bellaire Boulevard. And according to this West U Examiner article, the crappy economy sure is working out for those can't-catch-a-break West U residents, bringing in plenty of low construction bids. Turns out, though, that the new rec center won ... More >>

Press Picks

West University is building a new recreation center on Bellaire Boulevard. And according to this West U Examiner article, the crappy economy sure is working out for those can't-catch-a-break West U residents, bringing in plenty of low construction bids. Turns out, though, that the new rec center won ... More >>

Press Picks

West University is building a new recreation center on Bellaire Boulevard. And according to this West U Examiner article, the crappy economy sure is working out for those can't-catch-a-break West U residents, bringing in plenty of low construction bids. Turns out, though, that the new rec center won ... More >>

New Year's Eve Picks

West University is building a new recreation center on Bellaire Boulevard. And according to this West U Examiner article, the crappy economy sure is working out for those can't-catch-a-break West U residents, bringing in plenty of low construction bids. Turns out, though, that the new rec center won ... More >>

Out on the Town

Kids gather comfortablyfor a special prom

Best A Cappella Group

The Lager Rhythms

2007 Jingle Bell Run & Walk

The YMCA turns downtown into a North Pole race course

Judging Books and Their Covers

Appearances aside, is the Houston Public Library doing the right thing for all?

Par for the Course

Forget the money crunch, let's play golf

Fit or Fat, Houston?

Forget the money crunch, let's play golf

Pigskin Science

Get the goods on the gridiron at "Football, the Exhibit"

Have a Bowl

Big-time college pigskin comes to Reliant Stadium

Shoving It

The Houston Area Rugby Club tackles New Orleans

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

The Houston Area Rugby Club tackles New Orleans

Power Plays

Behind the scenes, HISD trustee Shadwick and influential good ol' boys work to do good. And they probably have -- though maybe not for everyone.

Protective Wrapping

Programs surround a kid and his family with services, hoping for success

Amateur Sports Groups Are Watching The Flu Hype Warily

High schools in Texas aren't the only places where competitions are being canceled or delayed because of swine-flu fears. (Although the UIL has reversed itself a bit; regional track meets are back on.)All basketball games and practices in the South Texas AAU, which includes the Houston area, are off ... More >>

Houston Rugby Takes A Giant Step Forward

By the time Brad Allen finished his first-half scoring run, the Houston Athletic Rugby Club had the game in the bag. Now they're headed to the first Sweet 16 playoff berth in club history.   "It's a really big deal," says club president Will Wornardt, who searched records dating to the inceptio ... More >>

Building The New YMCA From Above

Photos by Daniel MarshallThe old Downtown YMCA does have its architectural charms, but this is Houston, and we tear such things down and put up gleaming new glass towers.That's what's happening at the corner of Milam & Pease (across the street from the Houston Press, as it happens). Construction ... More >>

The New Y -- You've Seen It From Above, Now See It From Inside

Yesterday we showed you what the new YMCA looks like from above as it's being built. The good people at Swamplot, the real-estate blog of Houston, have got their hands on what the place will look inside.Here's a couple; for the rest head to Swamplot. The entrance area: Slightly different from the d ... More >>

Heroic Iraqi Refugee On His Deathbed As Family Struggles to Obtain Temporary Visas to Be At His Side

Photo courtesy of Dario Lipovac​Houston's Iraqi refugee community is saying a painful goodbye to one of its most valued members. Now Marwan Hamza's friends are scrambling to help his family do the same. Hamza, 22, is on his deathbed at Memorial Herman hospital after crashing his car earlie ... More >>

The Burmese Come to Houston

Get in, get out. Refugees have a shrinking window of support until it's time to fend for themselves.

Dynamo Charities Cup

A little soccer, a little doing good - not a bad afternoon

The New Downtown Y Is Ready!! And So's The M!! The Rest Of The Building, Not So Much

Photo by Richard Connelly​ Groundbreaking was a little over a year ago, but already the new downtown YMCA is ready.Well, the "Y," at any rate, and pretty much most of the "M." Which is all it takes to start a "Young man" chorus of the Village People song.The facility is still scheduled to open som ... More >>

Smallish YMCA Fire Brings Big HFD Response

Photos by Chris VogelA lot of trucks responded for a smallish fire​As more than 30 fire trucks and 100 firefighters clogged up Downtown's Louisiana Street in front of the YMCA building this afternoon in response to a three-alarm fire, residents who had evacuated couldn't help but acknowledge the i ... More >>

The Village People

Photos by Chris VogelA lot of trucks responded for a smallish fire​As more than 30 fire trucks and 100 firefighters clogged up Downtown's Louisiana Street in front of the YMCA building this afternoon in response to a three-alarm fire, residents who had evacuated couldn't help but acknowledge the i ... More >>

Weiner Dog Races: The Brutal, Ugly Truth

Photos by Stephanie MezaFierce competitors​ Sam Houston Race Park hosted the latest edition of its Weiner Dog races, the biggest sporting event outside of the World Cup and Super Bowl combined.It may seem like fund and games, but in reality it makes MMA look like a ladies' tea.

Five Best Places For Furtive Sex At The New Downtown Y

Some things never change​The vintage Downtown YMCA is about to close, a shiny modern facility is set to take its place, and one question demands to be answered: Where are you gonna have your furtive gay sex in this new place?When we asked around seeking what people would/wouldn't miss most about t ... More >>

Unidentified Female, Bayou Body Count No. 243

Another woman found strangled downtown​Less than two weeks after a homeless person was found strangled to death near downtown's Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, another woman has been found dead "from neck trauma" at the old Downtown YMCA.The victim, whose name has not yet been released, was foun ... More >>

Big Fetish Fair Headed To Houston

May I believe in the Texans again, mistress?​Houstonians are deeply into S&M, if you're just judging by the behavoir of the city's sports fans, who eagerly pay to be humiliated, tortured and teased time and time again.So we guess it's only natural that the Fetish Fair Fleamarket, a big Boston- ... More >>

HPD: There Might Be A Serial Killer Downtown. Or Maybe Not.

Raquel Munday: Aggressive towing policy left her helpless​Over the summer and fall, three black women have been found strangled in and around the streets of downtown Houston.While some are starting to speculate that a serial killer is on the loose, at a news conference this week at HPD headquarter ... More >>

Ten Songs We Are Sick Of Hearing At Football Games

Take that Crazy Train right on out of here, Ozzy. Thanks.​That sound you heard Sunday was the collective shattering of the playoff hopes of thousands of Houston Texans fans as the team suffered yet another home loss, this time against the hapless San Diego Chargers, bringing their record to 4- ... More >>

10 Good Differences Between 2000 and 2010

​Note: This was written by Richard Connelly and Craig Hlavaty We take a look in the print edition this week at a decade most of us would just as soon forget, the period from 2000-2010. But we have to admit not everything was bad. Cell phones, for instance, got a hell of a lot better. So loo ... More >>

11 Musical New Year's Resolutions For 2011

​Craig's Hlist stopped making New Year's Eve resolutions the older and more stubborn we got. We normally don't quit or change things forever unless we are forced to do so. ('Sup, ladies?) This makes it hard for us to keep any New Year's Eve resolutions. If anything, it's easier to change organ ... More >>

Summer Jobs: Top Five Ways to Get Employed

Somebody's got to roll the burritos.​It's just about summertime, when the heat descends and the bugs surface, reminding you that you do actually live on a swamp. And if you're a teen, there's another thing a'coming to bite you in the butt -- the summer job search. This season will be no picni ... More >>

Down Goes the Downtown Y!!!

Brittanie SheyGoing down.​Driving past the downtown YMCA last night about 7 p.m., the sun was filtering through what had become an empty, windowless hulk. Today there's even less of it. The trucks have moved in and started the takedown of the building, which looks charming and is quirky enou ... More >>

Closing of Independence Heights Pool Will Leave Some Kids Desperate

Photo by Mandy OaklanderThe Independence Heights pool is closed for business. ​Off of 35th and Main lies the heart of Independence Heights, a historically black neighborhood that's getting screwed by the mayor's proposed budget. If all is passed according to plan, the community center and the ... More >>

Seven Creepy (Or Beautiful) Pictures of the Downtown YMCA's Demolition

Photos by Monica FuentesComing down piece by piece.​Demolition is continuing on the charming old Downtown YMCA building, which is nestled among modern skyscrapers. The insides are being exposed now -- empty rooms, wall signs, even the scoreboard for the basketball court. It can all get prett ... More >>

Westland YMCA on Fondren to Close

Bye-bye Y.​The 31-year-old Westland branch of the YMCA, on Fondren in southwest Houston, is closing at the end of the month. YMCA spokesperson Ann Herlocher tells Hair Balls the organization got an unsolicited offer for the building and land from the Westbury Christian School. "We had to con ... More >>

Six Dancing and Singing Toys for the Holidays with Video

Remember Big Mouth Billy? Yes, you do.​The holiday season has crept upon us once again. There is nothing kids love more than toys that can bust a move. Dancing toys have always made the list of hot commodities during the Christmas season. Even some adults are amused and intrigued by their favo ... More >>