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Aspen: X Games 2012 … it’s all about the music

Lyssa — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:31:29 +0000

Last year I was super psyched to go to X Games and really surprised no one would go with me!

… then I went.

… and now, I will probably not ever go again either. (I also happen to be in Park City this weekend, yay!)

It’s awesome, yes, that X Games are in Aspen. But it’s really crowded, the views are not awesome, and the lines for the buses are beyond ridiculous.

However, the music in town for X Games is also ridiculous. Ridiculous. So we have to appreciate that!

Saturday the always-free Hi-Fi Concert Series at the base of Aspen mountain features AWOLNATION, at 5:30p. Although I enjoyed Big Boi last year, AWOLNATION is definitely a hot-hot act right now and sure to please the X Games crowd.

Belly Up has some stellar acts, a few of which are already sold old (Deadmau5 sold out in a flash and caused a lot of drama to boot):

Plus Sunday night TheGoodLife! & Louie Vito present Raekwon & Ghostface Killah with very special guests DJ Spider & 12th Planet.

Heading to the actual X Games? Map below:

Buttermilk Mountain Winter X Games Aspen 2012 spectator map. Click here to download the large version of this map.

EatAspen has a list of all the X Games deals in town here.

Feel Good Friday 011312

Lyssa — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:57:32 +0000

Feel Good Friday is a roundup of the things that made me feel good or that I’m grateful for all week. Join me in the first ever “Bad Luck” Friday the 13th Feel Good Friday and leave your Feel Goods in the comments!

Snow! Snow! Snow! We finally got some snow!
First Cloud 9 on Aspen Highlands experience—hello spiced wine at 11,700 feet.
New black jeans, the same jeans but a size smaller than my fave pair of blue jeans, thanks for the steal RueLaLa!
This puppy … I LOVE her and she LOVES snow.
All my fave NFL teams (Texans, Broncos, Saints) won their playoff games, including the first Texans playoff game and victory ever!!
Purple. Table. DIY to come.
Soupskol tonight … all the free soup samples you can imagine in downtown Aspen.

See last week’s Feel Goods here.

Aspen: Winternational Red Bulletin Dine Around Weekend

Lyssa — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:34:52 +0000

And just like that, off-season is more or less over in Aspen. Sure, the next few weeks will be slow-ish, but this weekend is JAM-PACKED with events like any other summer or winter weekend, thanks to the 2011 Nature Valley Aspen Winternational Audi FIS Alpine World Cup.

Basically, the fastest women in the world (downhill ski racers) are racing Saturday & Sunday November 26-27 down Ruthie’s, with spectators and a village at the base of Aspen Mountain at Lift 1A. There’s a big screen TV for action you can’t see, and prime viewing of the finish line from the grandstands. It’s an awesome experience, even if you just stop by for one racer, you need to go.

Saturday, make sure you plan to attend the launch of the Red Bulletin, where Lindsey Vonn will be signing autographs and beer flows like … well, you know, it’s an open bar.

RSVP to Helen.Roche@theskyhotel.com

Then take your autographed self over to the Gondola plaza for the first Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert Series of the season featuring Cowboy Mouth.

All that spectating and partying will likely leave you hungry, so be sure to snag an incredible deal through The Bud Light Dine Around Aspen now through next Thursday, December 1st, from 6-9pm every night. Top restaurants offer special Winternational prix fixe menus that are even better than their off-season deals. Can’t-miss: Matsu’s bento for $30.

Dine Around Aspen Deals:

Ajax Tavern / Distinct American Bistro / $28
BB’s Kitchen / American Classic Fare / $30
Elevation / Modern American Cuisine / $28
Jimmy’s / American Restaurant & Bar / Dining Room: $28 / Bar: $12
L’Hostaria / Italian Cuisine / $30
Matsuhisa / Gourmet Japanese Seafood & Sushi / $30 Lounge Only
The Red Onion / American Southwest / $25
Syzygy / New American Cuisine / $30
Ute City / American Classics with European Flavor / $30
Zocalito / Latin Cuisine / $26

[UPDATED] Austin: Fight Other Kinds of Cancers

Lyssa — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:59:33 +0000

[UPDATE] Local McDonald’s owner/operators raised over $10,000 to support the Komen Austin Affiliate and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) of Central Texas. A check was presented by McDonald’s Owner/Operator Allen Benton to LLS Board President Gary Thompson and Komen Austin Executive Director Christy Casey-Moore each with a check for $5,250.

Forget breast cancer awareness, what about brain cancer? Or Leukemia & Lymphoma? OK, don’t forget breast cancer awareness, but consider these other cancer-awareness and fund-raising initiatives happening around Austin this month.

MickeyD’s

Now, I’m not a proponent of McDonald’s. Perhaps you can have their coffee. Maybe a salad. Nothing else, really, would I eat there. BUT I don’t discriminate for other people, so if you enjoy a Big Mac, you might as well go on Friday and donate money to a good cause. Local owner/operators will host “Dine-In and Drive-Thru” fundraiser initiative to raise money for Austin Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central Texas.

For the third consecutive year, McDonald’s Central Texas will donate ten percent of all sales on Friday, October 14 between 11a and 2p at 68—that’s SIXTY EIGHT—area McDonald’s to the local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) of Central Texas.

“The McDonald’s family is privileged to support the Komen Austin Affiliate and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central Texas,” said Dan Kinney, McDonald’s Owner/Operator and president of the Central Texas McDonald’s Owner /Operator Advertising Co-op. “It’s through community efforts such as this that we’re able to do our part and help make a difference in the lives of children and adults battling cancer. One of our fellow McDonald’s owners is a breast cancer survivor so this is an especially important cause for us.”

Hawktober with Floyd’s 99

Floyd’s 99 rock n’ roll barbershops will be giving mohawks away for free every Monday during the month of October to anyone willing to sport a mohawk to help raise awareness of brain cancer. Hey, even I’ve had a Mohawk before (Lots of Elmer’s glue, and later, lots of shampoo)!

Matt Cotcher, a local brain cancer survivor, enlisted Floyd’s 99 to help organize the event. While this is the first Hawktober ever, similar events are being simultaneously organized in other cities as well. “The movement is quickly gaining traction,” says Cotcher, a former Austin sports announcer who had surgery to remove a racquetball-sized tumor wrapped around his brain stem. “By the end of the month there will be guys from New York to San Diego that will ‘rock a hawk’ in our first year.”

The American Brain Tumor Association estimates that more than 60,000 primary brain tumors will be diagnosed in 2011. Men, Movember is coming up, might as well start with Hawktober!

Austin: Target Downtown Cook-Off

Lyssa — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:47:27 +0000

Target, which btw donated $60,000 to Texas Wildfire Relief, is hosting a cook-off and grocery giveaway downtown. In celebration of the fresh food additions to Target stores in the Austin area, celebrity food critic Gail Simmons (judge and critic on Top Chef, host on Top Chef Desserts, and Food & Wine special projects manager) will host a cooking competition between local acclaimed chefs Shawn Cirkiel (parkside and the backspace) and Paul Petersen (Vivo Lake Creek). Target will also offer giveaways and sampling throughout the day while supplies last.

Friday Oct 14 / Congress Avenue and Fourth Street / 8:30a–5p / Cook-off 12:30–1:30p / Parking lot opposite Frost Bank Tower

… sometimes I miss working downtown. Perfect lunch break!

Austin: Painting the Four Seasons Pink

Lyssa — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:28:40 +0000

The ever-conscious Four Seasons of Austin is offering a number of ways to pamper yourself AND give to breast cancer research for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A month-long lineup of events and new product offerings benefit the Seton Shivers Cancer Center at Brackenridge—their goal is to raise $10,000 in 2011 (they raised $8,500 last year). Check out the goodies:

Yoga

Yoga on the Lawn (October 15): Strike a pose in one of Austin’s most scenic spots during Yoga on the Lawn, an hour-long session led by registered yoga instructor Angela Knight with acoustic music by Murphy’s In Laws. A $10 minimum donation to Seton is requested; all participants who donate more than $20 will receive a pool day pass valid weekdays through October 31, 2011!

Bar

Pink Ribbon Martini, $14: Made with Savvy vodka, Paula’s Texas Lemon, fresh POM and lemon juice with a pink sugar rim, this cocktail for a cure tastes great and does good with 50% donated to Seton.

Eat

Bake Sale and Raffle (October 21): sweetest fundraising event of all, the Bake Sale & Raffle offers more than 100 varieties of handmade cookies, cakes, and other treats ($1-$15), along with a raffle ($5) featuring gift certificates and items from the Hotel and Austin businesses. As with last year’s event raised more than $4,000, all proceeds benefit Seton.

Pancake Supper for Seton (October 26), $15: experience the nostalgia of breakfast for dinner at TRIO’s 3rd annual Pancake Supper. Choose from four delicious pancake options, each served with a choice of side; a limited á la carte dinner menu will also be available. 50% of total proceeds benefit Seton.

Spa

Pink Grapefruit Massage, $145-$160: Uplifting and stimulating, The Spa’s Pink Grapefruit Massage incorporates pink grapefruit essential oils into either a Deep Tissue or Swedish massage, with 10% of proceeds going to Seton.

Austin: Yoga Festival!

Lyssa — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:44:09 +0000

September may have been National Yoga Month, but October hosts the first annual Austin Yoga Festival October 8^th & 9^th at Fiesta Gardens. The Festival will be a celebration of all styles of yoga, bringing together Austin’s finest yoga studios, teachers, ayurvedic practitioners, and holistic wellness providers.

Over 30 of Austin’s finest yoga instructors will be leading classes on the festival’s four stages, bringing together the widest range of yoga Austin has ever seen – from kids classes to kundalini, from beginner to ashtanga vinyasa – which is so unbelievably awesome. I’ve been doing a few workshops, and there are some styles or teachers that work for some people (like AT for me) and others for others. The opportunity to try a bunch out … so cool!

The complete schedule of classes & instructors is here: austinyogafestival.com/schedule/

Tickets: $25/day pass, $40/two day pass (other deals for friends, kids, and so on are listed): austinyogafestival.com/tickets/

A percentage of all ticket sales from the Festival will go towards supporting several local organizations: Austin Food Bank, Community Yoga, Amala Foundation & Yoga Care Foundation.

Om on!!

Austin: TiVO on the Town

Lyssa — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:46:29 +0000

I miss my TiVo. We got DVR because it worked out to be cheaper, but I miss the beep beep beep and the thumbs up on new shows and being able to order movies through amazon to my TV and everything else awesome about TiVo. If you love TiVo as much as me, you should look for “the TiVo Guy” around town, as he’s commencing “TiVo on the Town,” touring around Austin handing out hundreds of prizes like Netflix and Pandora gift cards, and even a TiVo.

The TiVo Guy’s September 29 schedule:

10:30a: Roaming campus at UT Austin

12:30p: Warehouse District: corner of 4th Street and Lavaca Street

2p: 6th Street: outside Driskill Hotel

5:30p: South Congress: outside near Uncommon Objects

One lucky winner at each spot will win an HD TiVo!! All your TV dreams could come true … you could watch Gossip Girl and Hawaii Five-O and New Girl and Ringer and Hart of Dixie and Charlie’s Angels and Pan Am and Glee and … oh. Maybe that’s just me?

Austin: “Face the Day” Tour for a Free Mo’

Lyssa — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:16:17 +0000

It’s not quite Movember yet, but according to recent statistics, many men are embracing the mo’ and other facial hair throughout the year. A full 62 percent of guys sport facial hair sometime in a year. Lucky for guys, Wahl, the industry leader in barber tools, will dispatch its giant barbershop and team of experts to the Old Pecan Street Festival September 24-25 as part of a nationwide ”Face the Day” tour to help guys put their best face forward.

Wahl will set up a 30-foot mobile barbershop to give guys FREE facial hair grooming and tips. Guys can also enter a national search for the best facial hair in the country. Plus, looking good supports a good cause: for every trim, Wahl will donate $1 to Movember, a non-profit organization that provides funding for Live Strong, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Movember Foundation.

Get a free man mo’ on the streets of Austin this weekend.

National Yoga Month

Lyssa — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:03:45 +0000

Did you know September is National Yoga Month?

Did you know you can get a full week, seven days, of free yoga at tons of studios across the country thanks to National Yoga Month?

It’s no secret that I’ve been practicing A LOT of yoga recently. I did a seven-day boot camp in Aspen that was transformative. No, I didn’t come to any life-changing realizations. No, I didn’t make any decisions. Trust me, I had plenty of realizations and decisions needing to be had, I WANTED them. But yoga, you learn through doing it, is just about doing it. Just about being. The other stuff comes with being. Being present. And it definitely does not come instantly.

Why then was my yoga week transformative? Because it made me realize how important yoga is to my health and well-being. I have previously publicly declared that I’m not yogi. But I AM. I am a yogi.

There are 10 days left to take advantage; yoga month culminates September 30th with The Time for Yoga, a global community practice.

Use the studio finder here to immediately get your yoga on. For free.