Olivia Flores Alvarez
Houston Press
Texas, United States
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Past articles by Olivia:
A Survival Guide for Holiday Shopping in the Heights
Remember that "Buy Local" bumper sticker you have on your car? That idea extends to more than just fresh vegetables and craft beer. It also means buying gifts and wares from local artisans, local designers and tiny, independent shops. And shopping for the holidays is the perfect time to buy... → Read More
Where to Take Out-of-Town Visitors During the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend
Expecting out-of-town guests for the Thanksgiving holiday? Eating turkey and watching football will take up only so much time. After that, there's that awkward sitting around, staring at each other phase. Avoid those l-o-n-g moments of silent boredom with a little planning. We've got some suggestions for family-friendly activities that... → Read More
The AIA Home Tour Opens the Doors to Some of Houston's Most Well-designed Homes
See that black wood on the top half of the JT ARC STUDIO: Winslow House | Perched (seen above)? That's not paint; the wood was charred as a means of preservation. The people behind the AIA Home Tour hope you'll notice things like that when you visit the homes. “I... → Read More
Murder Map Houston: The Locations of Infamous Local Murders
Houston makes national news all the time. Sometimes it's our sports teams, sometimes it's the happenings over at NASA, a breakthrough at the Medical Center or our atrocious weather that's in the headlines. And sometimes it's Houston murders. Here are four Houston murders that made news and, in three cases,... → Read More
Sculpture Month Houston Joins the City's Art Festival Line-up
It’s been 16 years since Houston last celebrated sculpture on a city-wide scale with Sculpture 2000. Volker Eisele, director at Rudolph Blume Fine Art / ArtScan Gallery, and Tommy Gregory, artist and curator at the Houston Airport System, thought it was time to do it again and began Sculpture Month... → Read More
Make Time to Visit Tomball
Tomball has lots in common with the Heights area; the Houston skyline looms to the south, there's a palpable appreciation of history and a friendly neighborhood feel to the place. There are a few differences. Things are a little more spread out in Tomball than they are in the Heights... → Read More
Houston Ballet Delivers a Satisfying Madame Butterfly
We review the Houston Ballet's production of Madame Butterfly and the premiere of Son of Chamber Symphony, both works with choreography by Stanton Welch. → Read More
The Best Tourist Attractions in Houston (The 2016 Edition)
We'll start our list of best tourist attractions in Houston with the newest sight we think worth seeing, the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. (By the way, we kept this list restricted to attractions within the city limits, so sorry Galveston, sorry Hindu temple in Stafford.) Part of the expansive and... → Read More
Houston's Walter Suhr and Mango Punch! celebrate 25 years in the music business.
Walter Suhr and Mango Punch! mark a quarter of a century in the music business with a showcase concert. “Basically, it’s 25 years of Mango Punch! in two hours,” Suhr laughs. The winner of multiple Houston Press Music Awards, Suhr is keeping specifics about the set list under wraps. “There... → Read More
A Guide to Galveston for the Budget-minded
Just an hour away from Houston and with mild winter weather, Galveston Island is a favorite year-round destination. (It won Best Weekend Getaway in our Best of Houston Awards in 2014.) The island is low-key, for the most part, and extremely affordable. Here are some of the best bargains we've... → Read More
The 5 Houston Museum Exhibits You Must See Before Labor Day, 2016
The new arts season is quickly on its way but before the summer exhibits close there are several “must-see” shows. The exhibits focus on contemporary art (true, the Houston Museum of Natural Science's "Virgen de Guadalupe: Empress of the Americas" covers the religious icon over the last several hundred years,... → Read More
Repticon Houston features a different kind of cute and cuddly.
The cold blooded animals seen at Repticon Houston aren't usually described as cute and cuddly, but Bonnie Miller, the show's promotions team manager, assures us that they are. Well, at least some of them are. “A bearded dragon or chameleon is happy to ride around on your shoulder,” Miller tells us... → Read More
Obsidian Theater Tackles Difficult Issues in Euripides' Trojan Women
Actor Qamara Black (seen above, left) had an unexpected moment during a recent photo shoot for Obsidian Theater’s production of Trojan Women. Black plays Hecuba, the former queen of Troy. About to be taken into slavery by the conquering Greeks, Hecuba is placed in chains. “We were just taking pictures... → Read More
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: The Jew Who Loved Christmas and More
Toxic radiation inspired Suchu Dance’s Jennifer Wood to choreograph begin wide, an evening-length work of postmodern dance that’s athletic, fluid, detailed and our choice for Friday. “Radioluminescence — I liked the language around it, and it gave me an idea. And the idea of something glowing in the dark was... → Read More
The Hot Sardines Add a 21st Century Spin to Early Jazz Music in Houston Concert
Expect a varied set list at the Hot Sardines' Holiday Stomp show, singer/founder Miz Elizabeth tells us. “It's a departure from what we do usually, in terms of the holiday theme but its still fused to our obsession with popular music from the first half of the last century. "We... → Read More
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Dickens on the Strand, the Sneaker Summit and More
New York-based actress/playwright Ginna Hoben wanted to see a holiday show besides The Santaland Diaries every Christmas. She looked around and didn’t see anything, so she wrote The Twelve Dates of Christmas. It’s a one-woman show coming to Bayou City Theatrics for its Houston premiere and our suggestion for a... → Read More
Celebrate the Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe with dancing, music and food
Our Lady of Guadalupe is getting lots of attention in Houston this year. Along with the throngs of faithful who observe her feast day and construct devotional alters to her, two museum exhibits are set to further explore her story and look at the changing way believers have celebrated her... → Read More
The 5 Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Romeo & Juliet, Slade Ham and More
Start your weekend on a romantic note with Romeo & Juliet at the Houston Symphony on Friday. A rising young conductor Perry So makes his debut with the Houston Symphony as guest conductor for an internationally themed event that begins with the Chinese folk melodies of Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival... → Read More
Houston's Best Holiday Lights Displays Are Lit Up for the Season
Before we get to the best light displays in Houston this season, we want to give you a couple of tips to make your visit hassle-free. One, figure out where you're going to park before you get there. Even with ample parking lots and closed streets, parking in Houston takes... → Read More
"Contingent Beauty" Features Key Works by Major Latin American Artists
Marì Carmen Ramirez, curator of “Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America,” says that one work in the show neatly sums up the spirit of the exhibit, Miguel Ángel Rojas's Broadway (seen above). The piece is an installation of coco leaves spread across a white wall. “That to me is... → Read More