Eliza Weeks - 4/4 - The Austinot

Can’t Decide What to Eat? There’s an App for That!

November 10, 2015 by Eliza Weeks Leave a Comment

The Tasty app allows you to pick the food category that fits your mood (Credit: Tasty)

It’s safe to say I’m a foodie. When I’m not trying a new restaurant, I’m drooling over online menus of restaurants I wish I could go to. We can’t have too much of a good thing, but at the rate new restaurants are opening in Austin, it’s challenging for this humble foodie to keep up!

Thankfully, an inspiring group of young engineers has created an app called Tasty. It puts my foodie problems to rest and has the potential to change the way we all experience dining in Austin.

New Way of Understanding Taste

As coworkers and housemates, Mokshika Sharma, Federico Galarraga and Dimitar Dimitrov spend a great deal of time together. They have two things in common: passion for food and interest in technology.

“We are all from cultures immersed in food,” notes Sharma. “I’m Indian, Fede is Spanish and Dimitar is Bulgarian.” Their culinary [Read more…]

7 Peaceful Escapes Within Austin City Limits

October 23, 2015 by Eliza Weeks Leave a Comment

Escape within Austin City Limits to Mayfield Park (Credit: Kelli McDonald)

I love that our city makes filling time on the weekends effortless, but sometimes we all need to hit the pause button. An escape from the hustle and bustle is a must if we want to keep up with all Austin has to offer.

But since leaving the city on I-35 can take a whole day, we need to look for ways to change our perspective within Austin city limits. Fortunately, escape is closer than you might think. [Read more…]

What’s Up With the ‘Live a Great Story’ Messages Around Austin?

October 8, 2015 by Eliza Weeks 3 Comments

A reminder at HOPE Outdoor Gallery (Credit: Adrienne Albregts)

Ask Live a Great Story founder Zach Horvath if he collects anything, and his answer is short and sweet: experiences. “Whether it’s traveling, meeting people or taking a back road in a home town, the more experiences I collect, the better and more well rounded I can make myself.” The mantra-creator speaks in that relaxed, but eager tone many native Austinites seem to have.

If experiences could be collected in a jar, Horvath would need a mason the size of Kilimanjaro. Though they aren’t all his own, he’s learned that almost any experience can be shared through story. If you live in Austin, you’ve probably seen the phrase “Live a Great Story” printed in black, bold font, plastered in the city’s many nooks and crannies. You can trace that mark back to Horvath. [Read more…]

Find Your Fermentation Fix With Kombucha in Austin

September 25, 2015 by Eliza Weeks Leave a Comment

From a keg you can put in in a growler–who needs beer? (Credit: HeyJess.com)

Kombuch-huh?: interjection – a sense of bewilderment when first learning about the fermented beverage called kombucha.

You’ve most likely stumbled across aisles of brightly labeled bottles and non-alcoholic taps during a recent visit to the grocery store. And not just in the crunchy-granola-ish of health food stores, either. Kombucha is at your local grocer and even on the menu of your favorite restaurant. It’s everywhere. But have you tried it yet? [Read more…]

Casa Marianella, Haven Across the Street and Around the World

August 27, 2015 by Eliza Weeks Leave a Comment

When residents come to Casa Marianella, they are no longer home-less

If you’re not a native Austinite, can you remember when you first moved to the city known for keeping it weird? During your initial explorations, were you perturbed by everyone’s obsession with bats, desperate for a breakfast that didn’t come wrapped in a tortilla, or so overcome by heat and humidity that all you wanted to do was throw yourself into one of our many bodies of water?

Obviously this unique city endeared itself to you. You are reading this, after all. But think about those first few weeks or maybe even months of learning to embrace the weirdness and navigate I-35. Now imagine doing this in a language that is not your first, in a place where you don’t know anyone, and after a journey not just across the country in a loaded U-Haul, but across the world with perhaps only a few prized possessions in hand. [Read more…]

4 Familiar and Not So Familiar Juice Bars in Austin

August 7, 2015 by Eliza Weeks Leave a Comment

Join me on my sip-able adventure through Austin

Let’s be honest, we Austinites enjoy our libations. We like our local craft beers, our flavored and six time distilled vodkas and, of course, a Mexican martini or two. That being said, we’re also a city of health conscious folk who like to fit a day’s worth of fruits and veggies into a plastic cup. Be it a smoothie or fresh pressed juice, Austin has no short supply of these nutrient powerhouses!

I’m an adamant green smoothie maker, but sometimes my blender tires, my produce supply plummets and my pantry does nothing to excite me. That’s when I hit the streets.

So sit back as I take you through a city of juice giants on my sip-able scavenger hunt. [Read more…]