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Boarding the Cider Flyer with Austin Wine & Cider
I pulled into the Cedar Park train depot on a clear Saturday evening. Ticket in hand and stomach growling, I made my way towards the home of the Austin Steam Train. My journey on the Santa Fe Steam Engine would mark the maiden voyage of the Cider Flyer, a gastronomical collaboration between Austin Wine & Cider and the Austin Steam Train Association. [Read more…]
Credit: RConinePhoto
For some people, the Austin nightlife scene is excuse enough to make a trip to our city. One street alone–6th Street–boasts three distinct personalities! But when the sun sets, there is much more to do than hit the bars. While we may not be the city that never sleeps, there sure is a lot worth staying up for. In fact, certain local activities are even better when the moon and stars are lighting the way!
Explore with the moon as your guide and see how magical the non-traditional Austin nightlife scene can be. [Read more…]
Avery Harris and the SAvery Grilled Cheese team serve up awareness and heart (Credit: Avery Harris)
We all have our list of guilty pleasures–the things we love though we know they’re not the best choice. As a trashy TV addict and baker, my personal list is at least a mile long. Thankfully, Avery Harris of Austin’s SAvery Grilled Cheese food truck has found a way to take the guilt out of one America’s favorite comfort foods, one cheesy bite at a time. [Read more…]
Irene’s is from the restaurant group that brought us Easy Tiger and 24 Diner (Credit: Courtney Pierce/EATX)
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but the bar scene in Austin tells a different story. This summer, we’ve welcomed three new cocktail bars to our city. If something seems familiar about these newbies, it’s because this isn’t their owners’ first rodeo here in the ATX. From the people who brought us favorites like Easy Tiger, 24 Diner and drink.well., these siblings are on the fast track to success.
Interestingly, each of these spaces calls upon the past for inspiration. In a city that has experienced growing pains in search of the new and noteworthy, these bars offer a fresh look back. [Read more…]
G3 members award their generous grant to Posada Esperanza (Credit: G3)
When I was in elementary school, I set up plenty lemonade and cupcake stands in my neighborhood. Ever the frugal child, I would stow away my hard earned–or squeezed–pennies until I had enough to buy the next Harry Potter book or Barbie that I wanted.
Many of us have these childhood memories in common, but Austin’s Girls Giving Grants program is turning that image up a notch. Leave it to Austin to encourage kids to not only be entrepreneurial, but philanthropic, as well.
Recently I found myself wrapped up in one of those fleeting moments of self-empowerment, tickled by a craving for adventure. Interested in re-entering the dating pool, but also daunted by how exhausting the process can be, I decided the only way to start dating was to cannon ball in. So I created a challenge for myself: I would go on 25 dates during my 25th year.
This was invigorating, but when you tell yourself you’re going to go on a date, you have to have some destinations in your arsenal. The problem is that I’m a chronic searcher. I don’t have one favorite place to eat, drink or be merry in Austin.
Add a date to the mix and the decision becomes more complicated. Friends can be forgiving of the loud crowd or a dinner that was too experimental, but dates are often people you don’t know well. With these concerns in mind, I decided the best thing would be to compile a list of fail safe date destinations in Austin. Because when sexual tension and awkward expectations are in the air, you want everything else to be simple.
[Read more…]
Credit: Mighty Swell Cocktail Company
When it’s sweltering summer in Austin, sometimes all you want is a sweet and refreshing drink. Unfortunately, most cocktails aren’t portable. And when they are, they come in a weird frozen pouch or mixed with some amalgamation of cheap beer and malt liquor.
A team representing a wealth of business and beverage experience has come together to form the Mighty Swell Cocktail Company whose mission is to “rescue people from the average and the artificial.” [Read more…]
Community First! Village in Austin (Credit: Mobile Loaves & Fishes)
What if the answer to homelessness is not as simple as creating more housing? This was a question Community First! Village founder Alan Graham struggled with when first working with Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an Austin nonprofit organization. It was relatively easy to “lift up” an individual off the streets and put a roof over their head. But giving them the support needed to combat a fall back into homelessness was another story.
According to Graham, the primary cause of chronic homelessness is the total loss of family and support. After concluding that offering a roof over someone’s head is not enough, the team at Mobile Loaves & Fishes decided to take matters into their own hands and create a community where the homeless and housed population of Austin could come together to eradicate homelessness and the stereotypes that precede it. From this unified effort, Community First! Village was born. [Read more…]
Imagine spending a weekend in Texas Hill Country, surrounded by other adults who just want to be kids for 72 hours. The sun is shining, and the only decision you have to make is whether to pass the time kayaking, banana boating or crafting till your fingers are covered in glitter. And everywhere you look, there are cocktails and craft beer.
What is this place? Where did all this alcohol come from? And when was the last time you went this long without checking your cell phone?
It’s not a dream. It’s Camp Our Way–a summer camp created for adults who want to escape the real world for a weekend. The experience is all-inclusive and takes place in Austin’s backyard. [Read more…]
Every day while I sit in my car pushing through Austin’s traffic like a salmon in spring, I stare out my window and watch helmeted figures whiz by on their bicycles.
From my steel confinement, I initially experience vicarious anxiety: Yikes! To bike past these crazy drivers, you’d have to be pretty brave.
Next comes awe: Ugh, trekking up those hills in this humidity would be a pain.
And finally as these bicyclists ride off into the distance and I’m left in the same gridlocked position I was in five minutes ago, I feel sheer jealousy. I want nothing more than to abandon my car, feel the wind in my hair and actually reach my final destination. [Read more…]