Christina Uticone: After living in Alaska for three years my husband and I moved to Houston with our dog Sandy and our golf clubs. I am a writer and social media consultant. I practice yoga and kindness with various degrees of success. Among my favorite activites are camping, hiking, XC skiing, cooking, and wine tasting. Follow me on Twitter at @snowcones
A Weekend in Texas Hill Country: Wine Tasting and Topaz Hunting
Attention avid road trippers! Next time you need to get out of the city, consider the tiny town of Mason, TX, located in Texas Hill Country. Five hours from Houston, the scenic drive is punctuated by an occasional winery and makes the perfect weekend road trip. My husband and I recently traveled to “the Gem of Hill Country” for a weekend of rest, relaxation and of course, rocks. Hill Country is geologically significant, being home to a granite formation called the Llano Uplift, a huge...
February 25th, 2011 | Houston | Read More
Houston International Festival 2011
The Silk Road trade route.
The popular Houston International Festival is back for 2011 and as always the entertainment lineup is spectacular. The theme of this year’s iFest is “The Silk Road: Journey Across Asia”. iFest is a festival that celebrates diversity, fosters learning about different cultures and creating global citizens through education. The festival is a 510(c3) nonprofit; funds not used to cover the cost of the festival itself are used to fund arts and education for...
February 17th, 2011 | Houston | Read More
Houston: Openings, Closings and Reopenings
I’ve been writing about Houston for iStopOver magazine for about a year now, and since that time I’ve eaten many delicious meals, drunk many tasty cocktails and visited some of the best spots this city has to offer. Like any large city there have been changes, with old venues closing and new ones opening in their place. I wanted to take a quick moment to update you on some changes I’ve become aware of since covering some of these hot (and ultimately not-so-hot) spots.
Angelika Film...
February 16th, 2011 | Houston | Read More
Texas Yoga Conference: February 25-27
Will you be in Houston the weekend of February 25-27? Are you a yogi looking to connect with others who love the challenge and stimulation of yoga practice? Or are you new to yoga and looking for extra guidance and instruction? No matter what your skill level or your reasons for seeking out a yoga practice, the Texas Yoga Conference is coming to Houston and it is the perfect opportunity to explore this ancient mind-body practice and to learn more about the Texas yoga community. The Texas Yoga conference...
February 1st, 2011 | Houston | Read More
Montmartre, Paris: A History of the Arts
My trip to Paris was enriched by my visit to the slightly-off-the-beaten path neighborhood called Montmartre, once the home of – and the daily inspiration for – artists such as Salvadore Dali, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Maurice Utrillo, Henri de Toulouse-Latrec and Claude Monet. To view the works of these artists at the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay (and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam before we reached Paris) one day, and...
January 31st, 2011 | Paris | Read More
Sightseeing in Paris: Sacre Coeur
Paris can be seen from many angles. Get a street-level view by visiting cafés to sip espresso and people watch. Go underground to see the winding tunnels of the Catacombs where millions of Parisians are interred. Get a bird’s eye view of the city from high atop the Eiffel Tower. My favorite view of Paris is that from butte Montmartre at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, or Sacré Coeur (map).
Montmartre is as charming and old-world as the rest of the city, but quieter and less crowded than...
January 28th, 2011 | Paris | Read More
Valentine’s Day in Houston
Valentine’s Day is upon us and it’s time to start planning! Here is a quick run down of some of my Houston favorites: restaurants, bars, parks, activities and more. Mix and match to help you plan your ideal Valentine’s Day date.
Outdoors
Playful Afternoon at Hermann Park: Go to the zoo, ride the paddle boats, take a turn around the park on the miniature train! If the weather is really nice, play 18 holes at the Hermann Park Municipal Golf Course. Hermann Park is located at 6201...
January 24th, 2011 | Houston | Read More
CuraYoga Houston Wants Us to Live. Breathe. Do Yoga.
CuraYoga is fast becoming one of my favorite yoga studios in Houston. Three locations means that no matter where I am in the city I can drop everything and get to a class (and sometimes I need to drop everything and do some yoga). My current obsession is a Tuesday night Yin Yang yoga class offered at their River Oaks location. This form of “slow yoga” has practitioners holding poses for 3-5 minutes, and the instructor usually throws in a short “yang” flow sequence in the middle,...
January 21st, 2011 | Houston | Read More
On the Horizon: The Hay Merchant Craft Beer Bar
Houstonians who are already in love with the Prohibition-era cocktails served up at Anvil Bar & Refuge are in for a treat. The brains behind Anvil – Kevin Floyd and Bobby Heugel, the bar’s co-owners – have announced their latest venture, set to launch in late fall 2011. The new craft beer bar “will be to craft beer what Anvil is to cocktails.” According to the press release sent out today, The Hay Merchant will be offering an extensive international craft beer selection...
January 20th, 2011 | Houston | Read More
Shopping Paris: 31 rue Cambon and Beyond
For years I had a secret department store ritual: I would stop at a Chanel counter, spray myself with the iconic No. 5 fragrance, and then walk around for hours trying to decide if I could pull it off. I never bought a bottle — how does one wear the most recognizable fragrance in the world? — but I knew when I arrived in Paris for the first time that it was now or never … and I chose now!
The author, post-Chanel fragrance shopping in Paris.
Shopping at Chanel is a magical experience:...
January 18th, 2011 | Paris | Read More
A Great Impression: Impressionist Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
If there is one talent I wish I possessed, it’s painting. When I walk around an art gallery or museum, no matter how much I enjoy the pieces, I always leave just a little bit sad. Sad because no matter how much I try all of my paintings look like someone covered in paint stumbled into a canvas! That doesn’t stop me from seeking out beautiful art, of course, and the French Impressionists are among my favorites. On a 2009 trip to the Art Institute of Chicago I saw a collection of van Gogh’s...
January 14th, 2011 | Houston | Read More
Visit the Catacombs of Paris
Known officially as the l’Ossuaire Municipal, the Catacombs of Paris are a favorite attraction among visitors to France’s capital city. While many of Paris’s most popular attractions boast spectacular views of the city – think Sacre Coeur or the Eiffel Tower – these undergound burial sites are a dark counterpoint to the romance and glamor that are usually associated with the City of Lights.
A visit to the Catacombs will give you a new perspective on Paris and a look...
January 13th, 2011 | Paris | Read More
A Visitor’s Guide to The Louvre
The I.M. Pei Pyramid makes a striking juxtaposition against the historic Louvre.
The Musée du Louvre is the most famous museum in the world. Not only does it provide a home for over 35,000 priceless works of art by masters like da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Delacroix to name a few (and I do mean a few), the building itself is a work of art, steeped in French history from Medieval times to the present.
When planning our trip to Paris I consulted many friends who had visited before...
January 6th, 2011 | Paris | Read More
Money Saving Deals in Houston
I am a bargain hunter from way back. I can’t help it – I just know a good deal when I see one. The only thing better than running across a good deal is having good deals delivered right to your door…or in my case, my Facebook and Twitter feeds. If you aren’t taking advantage of online group coupon deals you are missing out on all kinds of great savings on everything from food to fitness classes. How do they work? Group coupons are “deal-of-the-day” coupons that...
January 4th, 2011 | budget travel, Houston | Read More
Paris Cafes at Your Leisure: 7 Tips for Travelers
Walking the streets of Paris for the first time, my husband and I felt like we were on the set of an impossibly romantic film: the December skies were overcast and dramatic, wrought-iron balconies lined the windows of hotels and apartments, and the sound of spoken French was all around us. Strolling through the streets, it was hard not to reflect on the buildings that surrounded us – buildings that were witness to historic moments from the French Revolution and World War II: the Louvre, the...
December 30th, 2010 | Paris | Read More
Hot Yoga at YogaOne Houston
No matter where I go I usually have a yoga mat with me; even when I travel I try to make sure one of my carry-on items is my yoga mat. I have been practicing regularly since 2007 and whether I am at home in Houston or on the road, I am always on the lookout for a good yoga studio. One of my favorite studios here in Houston is YogaOne where I have discovered – and fallen in love with – hot yoga. In fact I have been so inspired by my hot yoga practice that I have started a new blog called...
December 27th, 2010 | Houston | Read More
Ringing in the New Year in Houston
Last year I spent New Year’s Eve with my husband in a hotel room somewhere in Virginia; we ate take-out Outback Steakhouse and drank Champagne out of paper cups. I am determined to spend New Year’s Eve 2011 at a fabulous party in a fabulous outfit with a fabulous cocktail in hand! Luckily for me I live in Houston, where there is always a party going on. Here are a few of the most promising parties on my short list.
Glowrama New Year’s Eve at Discovery Green/George R. Brown Convention...
December 21st, 2010 | Houston | Read More
Skiing and Snowboarding in Stowe, Vermont
Oh, Stowe! I can’t forget about Stowe! Perhaps if you read my last ski and snowboard piece about Burlington you thought that I had forgotten to include wonderful, nearby Stowe. Of course I didn’t forget; it’s just that Stowe is such a ski and snowboard institution in its own right that it really needs its own, separate piece to do it justice. You see when it comes to skiing and snowboarding – when it comes to being outdoors in Vermont in the winter – Stowe is nothing...
December 6th, 2010 | Ski & Snowboard | Read More
Classic Cocktails in Style: Anvil Bar & Refuge
Campari, left, is the base for the Negroni cocktail, right.
True story: when we first arrived in Houston my husband Josh and I were driving up Westheimer Road one afternoon and we passed a place called “Anvil Bar & Refuge“. I pointed to the building and said, “Do you see that, honey? That is an awesome bar.” Josh asked, “How did you know? Did you read about it online or something?” and I said, “Nope. But just look at it – can’t you just tell?”
Eventually...
December 4th, 2010 | Houston | Read More
Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens
The Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens is a holiday tradition in Southeast Texas. Perfect for a family outing or a romantic date night, this annual event is the Gulf Coast’s largest holiday lighting event; over one million lights displayed in a stretch measuring longer than one mile. There are “sound enhanced” animated light displays and live entertainment is provided every night. An outdoor ice skating rink, pictures with Santa, holiday-themed films at 3D and 4D theaters, and...
December 2nd, 2010 | Houston | Read More
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