Brittany Highland - The Austinot

Support Bastrop State Park Tomorrow After Last Year’s Devastating Fire

August 31, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

Volunteer Firefighters fighting 2011 fires in Texas

Volunteer firefighters gathered from across the country to fight the Bastrop fires of 2011

Click Play on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Podcast!

Back in April, we reported that Bastrop State Park had reopened most of its acreage after the devastating fire of September 2011.

Because the fire destroyed over 96% of the park, the road to recovery has been long. But no one has given up on Bastrop State Park. There’s an exciting event tomorrow to celebrate the recovery. Park visitors will be able to learn all about what it has taken to protect the park, and why it’s worth saving! [Read more…]

Harvesting the Best Veggie Burger in Austin: Billy’s on Burnet

August 29, 2012 by Brittany Highland 13 Comments

Billy’s on Burnet is tucked away off the corner of North Loop and Burnet in Lo-Burn IBIZ District

This guest blog post is by Kat Mandelstein.

This post is part of a series on The Austinot. It’s a companion series to the Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin by Austinot owner, Eric Highland…who is not a vegetarian or vegan. If you’re a true carnivore, be sure to check out Eric’s series.

If you’ve been looking for the best veggie burger in Austin, that’s where I come in. All my review titles start with “Harvesting the Best Veggie Burger in Austin.”

In this series, I’m not only judging the veggie burger itself, but the whole restaurant experience. With that in mind, know that these are my personal opinions. Feel free to agree or disagree with them. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations. [Read more…]

Driving Intensity Meets Melodic Vocals in Austin’s O Conqueror

August 28, 2012 by Brittany Highland 2 Comments

I always worry about going to see a band for the first time. After taking the time to get all dolled up, make my way downtown and find parking, what if the show lacks energy and the music just isn’t my style?

For the hardcore local band fanatics, disappointment comes with the territory. They’ll discover some good shows; they’ll find some bad ones. It all balances out in the end. [Read more…]

48 Hour Film Project – Austin Shouts Action Today [Austinot Podcast, Ep.22]

August 24, 2012 by Brittany Highland 6 Comments

Click on the Play button on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Podcast!

Anyone who’s brave/crazy enough to attempt to produce a film in two days has my respect.

Starting tonight at 7 PM, 600 Austin filmmakers will scramble to do just that. They have their cast and crew organized, they’ve scouted their locations and they have their film equipment. All that’s left is for them to receive the mystery information they need to prove that they’re legit: a prop, a line of dialogue and a character. These three elements must be worked into their 48 hour film, if they want their film to qualify. [Read more…]

I Withstood 220 Degrees Below Zero at CryoStudio of Austin

August 22, 2012 by Brittany Highland 4 Comments

Cryotherapy chamber

I’ve never met anyone who thought they had a perfect body. Many of us have aches and pains, and some of us carry pain every day. Others of us see aesthetic imperfections in ourselves that are a daily annoyance, or even embarrassment.

To escape our pain and/or embarrassment, we as humans go to great lengths. We have surgeries. We take medications.

Many of the solutions we look to are invasive, and they come with risks and significant side effects. And sometimes, after all our efforts, the solutions we invest in don’t even work.

Enter cryotherapy.

According to Wikipedia, “Cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy.”

“Low temperatures” is no understatement. I’m talking 220-degrees-below-zero kind of cold. [Read more…]

Heights, Depths & the Rugged In Between at Reveille Peak Ranch

August 21, 2012 by Brittany Highland 2 Comments

Bluebonnets in bloom

If you owned 1,300 acres of pristine Texas Hill Country, what would you do with it?

For Vol Montgomery, the answer doesn’t have to do with profit or development, but with preservation and passion. The owner of Reveille Peak Ranch is actively creating a unique community for his friends and family, and those who share his interests.

On most days, Reveille Peak Ranch is a specially-designed haven for a small subset of outdoor sports enthusiasts: mountain bikers, trail runners and scuba divers. But it also functions as happy host to nature studies, school and youth camp outs, community BBQ’s and one-of-a-kind weddings. [Read more…]

This Weekend’s Austin Craft Riot on Austinot Podcast, Ep. 21

August 17, 2012 by Brittany Highland 6 Comments

Click the Play button to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Podcast.

If you’re like me, you love homemade arts and crafts that are unlike anything you’ve ever seen.

Maybe you love the prospect of gifting a loved one with a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry. Maybe the home decor item that made you feel love at first sight is the perfect expression of who you are and what makes your home feel like home. [Read more…]

Ex-Microsofties Reinvent Work at Nerd Tribe HQ in Austin

August 13, 2012 by Brittany Highland Leave a Comment

Cedric Dahl and Ben Hoffman, founders of the Nerd Tribe

Allowing society to function may not be worth the feeling you have, of being trapped in a monotonous job with little creative freedom and much frustration.

If this is you, maybe you’ve thought about what your “dream job” would be. Maybe it’s at a Fortune 500 company that provides you phenomenal benefits and covetous looks from friends.

The grass is always greener on the other side. [Read more…]

Top 4 Cool Treats in Austin: Ice Cream, Gelato, Sno Cones, Oh My!

August 3, 2012 by Brittany Highland 2 Comments

Amy's Ice Cream on South Congress in Austin

Amy’s Ice Cream in SoCo

Click the Play button on the podcast player above to listen to this week’s episode of the Austinot Podcast!

Today’s temperature is projected to reach 101 degrees. When we get there, it’ll make today our 14th day of triple-digit temperatures this year.

So where would we be without Austin’s cool treats? Probably running around like melting zombies. [Read more…]

McKinney Falls State Park: The Other Austin Swimming Hole

July 27, 2012 by Brittany Highland 3 Comments

Credit: Jim Nix, Nomadic PursuitsWe’ve been on a state park kick lately. And for good reason. Texas state parks are beautiful and no two are alike. They also provide something Austinites crave in the middle of summer: water.

This past week, we finally made our first trip out to McKinney Falls State Park. I don’t know why it took us so long to go, considering that it was all of 25 minutes from where we live in North-Central Austin. Also, it’s free for children ages 12 and under, and only $6 for adults. [Read more…]

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