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Best Public Tennis Courts

Memorial Park

Not all tennis stars are raised on pristine country club courts under the watchful eye of a sweater-wearing coach named Rex. Some make it through the local communist athletic program. Venus and Serena Williams had neither luxury. Instead, they sweated it out on the public courts of Compton, in California, with a lot of talent and a father's dream. And you might very well find a tennis phenom on one of the 18 courts at Memorial Park. What rising star wouldn't want to hone his or her game on these smoothly surfaced, well-lit courts? True, using the courts will cost some cash and, since they're often booked, setting up a match will require some planning. But it's the only place in town where you can set up lessons, get your racquet strung and grab a smoothie after your match for such a small fee.

Best Public Tennis Courts

Memorial Park

Not all tennis stars are raised on pristine country club courts under the watchful eye of a sweater-wearing coach named Rex. Some make it through the local communist athletic program. Venus and Serena Williams had neither luxury. Instead, they sweated it out on the public courts of Compton, in California, with a lot of talent and a father's dream. And you might very well find a tennis phenom on one of the 18 courts at Memorial Park. What rising star wouldn't want to hone his or her game on these smoothly surfaced, well-lit courts? True, using the courts will cost some cash and, since they're often booked, setting up a match will require some planning. But it's the only place in town where you can set up lessons, get your racquet strung and grab a smoothie after your match for such a small fee.

Best Mall-Walking

Katy Mills

When Katy Mills opened in 1999, it sent a press kit out that had all sorts of useless trivia about the gargantuan size of the place, such as "Telephone wire: 2,600,000 feet, enough to go around Loop 610 13 times" and "The amount of dirt used to build the berm could fill 413,000 sandboxes." Only one fact is relevant to mall-walkers, though: The distance of the outer path in the mall, which comes full circle, is about one mile. Though Katy Mills doesn't open for shopping until 10 a.m. (and not until 11 a.m. on Sundays), it opens its doors to mall-walkers at 8 a.m. Once finished trotting through the brightly colored, Disneyfied mall, walkers can get their walking record filled out with how much they walked and how long it took at the information booth between Entrances Four and Five. In the past the mall has offered incentives, such as prizes like gift certificates and even Reebok shoes once they reach certain goals. Not bad, plus they don't have to deal with the Texas sun or heat strokes with all that air-conditioning (4,500 tons of air-conditioning units, enough to cool 1,324 homes).

Best Mall-Walking

Katy Mills

When Katy Mills opened in 1999, it sent a press kit out that had all sorts of useless trivia about the gargantuan size of the place, such as "Telephone wire: 2,600,000 feet, enough to go around Loop 610 13 times" and "The amount of dirt used to build the berm could fill 413,000 sandboxes." Only one fact is relevant to mall-walkers, though: The distance of the outer path in the mall, which comes full circle, is about one mile. Though Katy Mills doesn't open for shopping until 10 a.m. (and not until 11 a.m. on Sundays), it opens its doors to mall-walkers at 8 a.m. Once finished trotting through the brightly colored, Disneyfied mall, walkers can get their walking record filled out with how much they walked and how long it took at the information booth between Entrances Four and Five. In the past the mall has offered incentives, such as prizes like gift certificates and even Reebok shoes once they reach certain goals. Not bad, plus they don't have to deal with the Texas sun or heat strokes with all that air-conditioning (4,500 tons of air-conditioning units, enough to cool 1,324 homes).

Best Go-carts

Speedy's Go Cart

Don't you just hate it when a go-cart track is so crammed into the available space that the course is little but a series of traffic-jam-inducing hairpin curves? Don't you hate it when at least one car conks out every time, putting up the yellow caution flag for everyone else? Don't you really hate it when the car that conks out every time is yours? Then you should head out Hempstead Highway to the northwest part of town to Speedy's Go Carts, where you won't have to put up with those hassles. Our preteen go-cart expert rhapsodizes about the long straightaway, the broad curves and the well-maintained cars. The staff is friendly, the place is clean as far as go-cart places go, and the arcade is not one of those overwhelming Dave & Buster's-type multimedia extravaganzas. There aren't a lot of frills at Speedy's, but who goes to a go-cart track for frills?

Best Go-carts

Speedy's Go Cart

Don't you just hate it when a go-cart track is so crammed into the available space that the course is little but a series of traffic-jam-inducing hairpin curves? Don't you hate it when at least one car conks out every time, putting up the yellow caution flag for everyone else? Don't you really hate it when the car that conks out every time is yours? Then you should head out Hempstead Highway to the northwest part of town to Speedy's Go Carts, where you won't have to put up with those hassles. Our preteen go-cart expert rhapsodizes about the long straightaway, the broad curves and the well-maintained cars. The staff is friendly, the place is clean as far as go-cart places go, and the arcade is not one of those overwhelming Dave & Buster's-type multimedia extravaganzas. There aren't a lot of frills at Speedy's, but who goes to a go-cart track for frills?

Best Place to Inline Skate

Southampton

Asphalt. Beautiful asphalt. This area is jam-packed with it. You can roll from Rice University up to the Southwest Freeway and from Kirby Drive east to Mandell with nary a glimpse of concrete, gravel or potholes. We suggest you start somewhere on North or South Boulevard, where the rich folk live (how come they always get the good asphalt?). Take in the amazing century-old live oaks and multimillion-dollar homes. And when you've had all the high livin' you can handle, skate down to the Rice Village, where you can regain those lost calories with a cold pint at The Ginger Man or the Village Icehouse. Blading and beer: a classic combination.

Best Place to Inline Skate

Southampton

Asphalt. Beautiful asphalt. This area is jam-packed with it. You can roll from Rice University up to the Southwest Freeway and from Kirby Drive east to Mandell with nary a glimpse of concrete, gravel or potholes. We suggest you start somewhere on North or South Boulevard, where the rich folk live (how come they always get the good asphalt?). Take in the amazing century-old live oaks and multimillion-dollar homes. And when you've had all the high livin' you can handle, skate down to the Rice Village, where you can regain those lost calories with a cold pint at The Ginger Man or the Village Icehouse. Blading and beer: a classic combination.

Best Place to Drink Bloody Marys

Palace Lanes Bowling Alley

Forget brunch. We submit that the best time for a Bloody Mary is when you're bowling. Bowling can make you thirsty (it's a sport, you know), and Bloody Marys are light and refreshing. But they're also strong enough to help you take yourself a little less seriously in rented shoes. And at Palace Lanes, the Bloodys are quite good. Yes, they're made from a mix (it is a bowling alley), but it's a good mix -- nicely spiced and not too tomatoey. The Palace Lanes bartender is generous with the vodka, and the drink is served from the bar's take-out window in a plastic cup with a wedge of lime. Order one. Your beer-bowling friends will be jealous.

Best Place to Drink Bloody Marys

Palace Lanes Bowling Alley

Forget brunch. We submit that the best time for a Bloody Mary is when you're bowling. Bowling can make you thirsty (it's a sport, you know), and Bloody Marys are light and refreshing. But they're also strong enough to help you take yourself a little less seriously in rented shoes. And at Palace Lanes, the Bloodys are quite good. Yes, they're made from a mix (it is a bowling alley), but it's a good mix -- nicely spiced and not too tomatoey. The Palace Lanes bartender is generous with the vodka, and the drink is served from the bar's take-out window in a plastic cup with a wedge of lime. Order one. Your beer-bowling friends will be jealous.

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