Brittany Ballard, Author at The Austinot

Le Politique Serves a Taste of France in Downtown Austin

January 23, 2019 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Le Politique is a local brasserie, patisserie, and coffee shop offering French dishes (Credit: Wynn Myers)

France has always been an interest of mine. In high school, I took French instead of Spanish and relished learning about the culture. Most importantly, I loved learning about the food.

Through my Austin food adventures, I’ve found a little piece of France. Le Politique, located in downtown Austin, is a local brasserie that doesn’t disappoint with its selection of classic and delicious French fare.

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8 New Year’s Resolution Suggestions for Austinites

January 9, 2019 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

The author at St. Edward’s Park in Austin

I don’t know about you, but I’ve happily said goodbye to last year. Now that we’re officially in the new year, I need to stick to my resolutions. I’ve come up with some friendly tips for staying healthy, learning a new skill, and getting involved in the Austin community. I think you’ll find many of my suggestions to be manageable, no matter your interests and time constraints.

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Gallop Into History Before Texas With Bullock Museum’s Unveiled Addition

December 27, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

“Becoming Texas: Our Story Begins Here” takes guests from life before European settlers to the forming of Texas as a state (Credit: Chad Wadsworth/courtesy of Bullock Museum)

There’s something both sobering and thrilling about stepping foot into a museum. The realization there are thousands of years of history culminating into the present day gives me goosebumps.

Texas has a rich history and it’s easy to delve in at Bullock Texas State History Museum in central Austin. The museum offers you a full look at the key events in our state’s history. But with the newest exhibition, you can step back to the time before Texas existed. [Read more…]

Austin Fashion Initiative Inspires Collaboration and Growth

December 3, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Austin Fashion Initiative hosts monthly meetups where members can connect (Credit: Austin Fashion Initiative)

One of my favorite things about Austin is the atmosphere of collaboration. There’s a professional organization for practically every industry. So when you need people to network with and learn from, your tribe isn’t far away.

Austin Fashion Initiative is a relatively recent addition to the Austin scene. The organization is bringing members of the fashion community together in order to provide new connections, valuable knowledge, and seeds of inspiration for growth.

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Komé Sushi Kitchen Offers Delicious Home-style Japanese Food

November 20, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Komé Sushi Kitchen is known for a great selection of sushi and delicious Japanese cuisine (Credit: Komé Sushi Kitchen)

From lunch to dinner, you’ll want to try everything on Komé Sushi Kitchen’s menu. Part of a growing restaurant group in Austin, this Austin-based eatery its tin the Daruma Ramen and Sa-Tén Coffee and Eats family.

Learn why this hot spot should be the next to try on your restaurant list!

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Start-Up Kids Club Inspires Young Entrepreneurs in Austin

October 10, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Start-Up Kids Club helps children develop critical thinking skills, confidence, and responsibility
(Credit: Start-Up Kids Club)

Entrepreneurship flows within the veins of our city. And while we typically hear about businesses founded by adult Austinites, that doesn’t mean kids can’t participate in the fun. Start-Up Kids Club is a local nonprofit that provides children with the opportunity to found their own start-up business, while learning critical thinking and other skills that propel them through school and life.

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Roux Saint James Inspires With Intention-based Botanical Compounds

October 3, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Peruse the wall of products and testers to try different scents at Roux Saint James (Credit: Mariah William)

If you battle with sensitive skin, then you understand how hard it can be to find products that don’t cause a reaction. Krista Lacey at Roux Saint James is all too familiar with this challenge. That’s why she created a line of intention-based botanical compounds for her Austin-based perfumery.

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Go Backstage With Austin Symphony Orchestra

September 25, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Austin Symphony Orchestra always delivers high-quality performances, but there is extensive behind-the-scenes preparation for the big day, from determining musical selections each season to rehearsal (Credit: Brittany Ballard)

If you’ve attended an Austin Symphony Orchestra concert, then you’re aware how magical the experience can be. The notes seem to fly through the air to wrap audience members in an embrace and–in my case–gift tears of joy.

But while the general public counts down to the day of the show, there’s much more to the Austin Symphony Orchestra than what you see during a performance. Take a step backstage with me, to learn more about Conductor Peter Bay and the preparation required to deliver a high-quality, moving concert. [Read more…]

Day Trip Guide to Fredericksburg, Texas

September 12, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

There are more than two dozen wineries located in Fredericksburg and the surrounding county
(Credit: Jared Tennant Photography)

With so much to do in Texas Hill Country, it can be a difficult deciding on your next day trip adventure. One place to consider is Fredericksburg, a charming town with a proud German heritage, located less than two hours west of Austin.

No matter what you end up doing there, you’ll fall in love with Fredericksburg! Here are a few of my personal recommendations for your next visit.

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Austin-based CooMo Travel Enables Crowd-sourced Trip Planning

September 11, 2018 by Brittany Ballard Leave a Comment

Easy Vacation Planning With Austin Company CooMo

Founded in Austin, CooMo Travel relieves the stress of vacation planning (Credit: Tyler Moyer)

Everyone has a dream vacation in their mind. Admit it: you know exactly what countries you’d visit, the activities you’d schedule, and how long you’d want to stay.

But moving from dreaming to actually planning a trip can be tricky. There are flights to book, hotels to find, food options to salivate over. It’s stressful!

Well, stress no more. CooMo Travel, founded here in Austin, is an online travel website that incorporates crowd-sourcing to make trip-planning easy.

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