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Yoga outside in Aspen in absolutely amazing, and even better when taught by King Yoga! Free yoga in Paepke Park 9-11am. Join Aaron and Evan from King Yoga with live music by Cameron Williams! Sponsored by the Shakti Foundation, the Aspen Yoga Society and supported by Seane Corn’s Off the Mat Into the World foundation.
November 17, 2010
[UPDATED] Aspen: Aspen Mountain Opens Saturday
BREAKING UPDATE: I’ve heard from a reliable source that the mountain is NOT opening this weekend.
Thanks to some serious dumps of snow the past couple of days, “rumor” has it Aspen Mountain is opening Saturday!! Skiing four days earlier than we thought! SkiCo hasn’t officially announced it, but everyone knows it’s true!!
Of course, the hardcore have already been doing it … Chris Davenport was floating through powder on Back of Belle yesterday, while my lovely Vermonster was skinning up the mountain with five of his closest friends. The skiiers are nuts out here!!
October 28, 2010
Austin: ZombieBall at Seaholm for HALLOWEEN!
ZombieBall. Is what you should do for Halloween. It’s pretty cheap for a spooky night at Seaholm Power Plant!
Musical lineup includes: Roky Erikson, The White Ghost Shivers, PONG, Killa Dilla, DJ Manny and Rion King.
At midnight don’t miss The Waltz of the Forbidden Flesh; a Haunte’d Couture fashion show and mini opera that has a community of artists led by Cameron Jordan Artistry, and The Dirty Rotten Cabaret, featuring performers from The Blue Man Group and Cirque Du Soleil.
Doors from 8pm to 2am. Advance tickets $20, $30 at the door and $75 for VIP.
Do it! I’ll be there, being Santana, the Cheerio from Glee. Except sluttier because my flyaway cheerleading skirt is made for someone in high school, which I am not.
September 24, 2010
Austin: TGITailgating
Tailgating in the Texas heat is serious business
Thank goodness for tailgating! You wouldn’t really know it’s fall in Austin without hordes of burnt-orange-clad revelers crowding the streets of campus. Three of my top picks (two are recurring, one is this weekend only):
La Condesa’s awesome tailgate
17th & Congress from 12 pm – 6 pm for all home games
FREE Grilled Mexican Street Corn and FREE Lone Star beer. Put it on your list, and make sure you stop by.
Blackout Breakfast Club at J. Black’s (plus bus!)
J. Black’s at 710-B W. 6th Street / Doors Open at 10am all home games + Texas-OU
Why blackout? The bar blacks out the windows facing West 6th–to better see the TV, duh! Bloody marys, buckets of beer, and more are included on the game day menu, along with food like Kobe Beef Nachos, Pulled Pork Frito Pie, brunch-y faves like Breakfast Pizza, Shrimp and Grits, and the Open Face Egg Sandwich.
Maybe the best part? Complimentary shuttle bus that drives right into the heart of the tailgating area. The J. BLACK’S shuttle is outfitted with a symbolic black longhorn on the hood, a plush interior, a rocking sound system and music to keep the party going, all courtesy of Blackhorn Buses. “Park and Ride” never felt so great on a Saturday morning!
We aren’t hurting for tailgate options in Austin.
AYC & YMBL Tailgate 2010 (this weekend only)
Saturday, September 25th @ 11:30am / SW Corner of 17th & Congress Ave.- Look for the big white school bus!
Flat screen to watch football, music, tons of bbq and plenty of drinks. Tix $15 — buy online ahead of time, cash only at the door.
Tailgate sponsors: Brown Distributing, Dripping Springs Vodka, Graham’s Texas Tea, Paula’s Texas Orange, Republic Tequila, and Treaty Oak Rum.
August 30, 2010
Aspen: Fine Line Bar & Grill
Fine Line Bar & Grill is a new bar, restaurant, grill, hangout in El Jebel/Basalt that’s reasonably-priced, has GREAT happy hour food and drink specials from 3-6pm daily ($2 Bud & Bud Light Drafts , $3 New Belgium Drafts, $10 Bucket Of 6 Coronitas, $5 Tuaca & Soco Lime Shots), plus special deals for each day and even serving up karaoke Tuesday nights!
Totally Tuesdays: Half Price On All Appetizers
Wine Wednesdays: Buy One Glass Of House Wine Get One Free / Free Chips & Salsa
Tequila Thursdays: Gingeritas & Margaritas $5 / All Nacho Plates Half Price
Fired Up Fridays: Free Chips And Salsa / Tuaca & Soco Lime Shots $3
Smokin’ Saturdays: Rib Platter $10 / Fat Tire Drafts $3
Sunday Bloody Sundays: Absolut Peppar Bloody Marys $5
This is the Gingerita: A Simple Margarita With A Twist. Equal Parts Fresh Lime Juice, Grand Marnier, & Ginger-Infused Corzo Tequila. At $8, a good price for a great, creative margarita. The drink menu is top-notch–all of the drinks are creative and delish!
The food is mostly outstanding. The salad was not good–but the menu calls their salad menu “Rabbit Food,” so maybe I should have known they aren’t really salad fans. Get into the heavier dishes and you’re golden. The Lobster Ravioli was as good as you’d find anywhere, and reasonably-priced at $15.95. Menu reads: Ravioli Stuffed With Fresh Maine Lobster And Served With Vodka Marinara Sauce And A Side Of Garlic Bread.
The best thing Fine Line serves is probably its pizza. This stuff was GOOOOOOD. Menu says: Veggie Garbage Pizza: Spinach, Black Olives, Red And Yellow Onions, Artichoke Hearts, Mushrooms, Fresh And Sun Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic, And Feta Cheese. $14.95/$18.95 (this is the $14.95 size and was HUGE)
Overall, all four of the people in my party loved the For Locals By Locals experience of Fine Line Bar & Grill. I only wish such a reasonably-priced, laid-back place was in Aspen! Also check out their 50″ flat screens for football this season!
Also, in more it’s-a-small-world-after-all news, the owner’s fiancee works with the Vermonster, and the owner went to school with the Vermonster in Vermont, where the Vermonster was the MAILMAN for the owner’s dorm. Awesome.
August 6, 2010
Salutation Nation
Everyone knows lulu is de rigeur for CrossFitters. But the company actually started for yogis, so it’s MORE apropos that they host Salutation Nation, this Saturday from 9-10am. Like the Nike Human Race with less competing and matching tees, thousands of people across North America will take their asana practice outside for a complimentary class to move, breathe, and connect with other like-minded people in their communities.
They say: Salutation Nation is not a revolution. We are not out to change the world in one hour. If one person laughs; if two people meet for the first time; if a group of friends starts a Saturday morning bonding on their mats before breakfast, Salutation Nation will be a success. Whether you have a daily practice or have never practiced at all, everybody and every body can do yoga! What better way to celebrate this fact than to take your asana outside on August 7th and do some yoga with a few thousand people across the continent?
Want to get your downdog on? Check out the Salutation Nation Facebook event page. For a list of all locations doing Salutation Nation, click here.
Austin’s Salutation Nation will be at 9am at Festival Beach. Christina Sell will be leading an all-levels flow class. Don’t forget BYOM (Bring Your Own Mat) and lululemon will bring the food and prizes!
No word on any Salutations in Colorado. Maybe they do enough yoga already?
June 25, 2010
Austin: Weird Beer Weekend
Saturday you can start the day out with the first annual Great Austin Beer Fest (4-8pm), then head to the 5K Keep Austin Weird Run at 7pm, or just to the party afterward.
Great Austin Beer Fest
… sounds awesome! Local faves (512), Independence, Shiner, St. Arnold, plus some nationwide microbrews (VT’s Magic Hat, Portland’s Deschutes, both breweries I’ve been to and beers I enjoy), full brewery list available here. Tix for the thang are almost sold out, cost $40, and according to the facebook page comments include samples of as many of the 41 breweries as you want … erm … Great Austin Beer Festival
Keep Austin Weird Fest
Always an Austin special time. The Fest starts at 2pm and goes on through the race time (7pm) with headliners Bright Light Social Hour playing at 8:30pm. Costumes are the big deal during this day/race, the latter which includes such unorthodox water stops as ones with Amy’s Ice Cream. There’s tons of food and a big party before AND after the race too.
Other music includes White Ghost Shivers (6:30pm), Bruce James Soultet (5pm), and Dustin Welch (3:30pm).
Beer and running all in one Saturday? Always a win.
May 14, 2010
Austin: Taste North Austin at the Domain
Taste North Austin is an all-day family event Saturday from 11am to 5pm in the original Domain. The Domain will also host a post-party from 5-7pm in the new-ish Domain II with desserts, drinks, and music by T Bird and the Breaks.
To sample bites from all the restaurants, you buy a $20 tasting wristband and get 10 tastes. Participating restaurants:
- The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf – Marie Callender’s
- County Line – The Melting Pot
- Crú – A Wine Bar – Newks Express Café
- Daily Grill – NoRTH
- Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar – Panera Bread
- Kona Grill – The Steeping Room
- Lick it, Bite it or Both
- Mangia Pizza
You can also sample AND watch cooking demonstrations from these restaurants:
- California Pizza Kitchen – Sushi Zushi
- Cookwell and Company – Urban: An American Grill
- Jasper’s Gourmet Backyard Cuisine – Viva Chocolato
- Maggiano’s Litte Italy
Kids can decorate their own chef hat, make a sand art bracelet, craft a beaded key chain, and get their face painted!
In case you live under a rock, The Domain is located at 11410 Century Oaks Terrace, it includes a 57-acre first phase with an upscale Main Street center anchored by Macy’s and Neiman Marcus, nine upscale restaurants, 75,000 square feet of Class A office space, 390 high-end apartments and a Westin Hotel. Phase 2 of The Domain opened this year with 136,000 square feet of small retailers and restaurants. www.TheDomainInAustin.com.
April 23, 2010
Saturday Adventures
Things to do this Saturday:
7p: ENDLESS BEAUTY LAUNCH PARTY
DUH.
But during the day, try your hand at one of these adventures:
Noon-4p: A Scavenger Hunt Like No Other! at Highland Lanes
The Citywide Scavenger Hunt is a hunt unlike any other! Included in the contest are mini-games that award their own prizes as well as points toward the overall score. Celeb judges will score some of the hunts and award prizes, such as Best Wine Label (judged by Vintner Cellars), Best Fastball (judged by the Round Rock Express), and best Elf Story (judged by Laundry Elf).
The item list will be handed out at 1p and judging is at 4p … Register here.
3p: Free Crawfish at Lavaca Street Bar
January 28, 2010
Rock ‘n’ Swap
When I was in middle school, I organized a clothing swap for three friends and myself. Unfortunately, I was a rad 5’9″ in 8th grade, and the rest of the girls, well, weren’t. So they might have scored some sweet new threads for free, but I don’t remember any great takeaways.
However, this has not diminished my love for the IDEA of a clothing swap–you bring stuff you were going to get rid of anyway and trade it for NEW stuff. In my adult life, I participated in a swap at the CrossFit gym and walked away with a few steals–including a Marc Jacobs wristlet!
Point being, in the entire city of Austin, there must be other hip 5’9″ chicks:
Plus you score free drinks, cupcakes, and all the dancing you can handle.
I really think this is one of the coolest events Austin has ever seen, and I can’t wait to see how it goes down (what if I get in a fight with someone over another Marc Jacobs wristlet?!) It’s gonna be absolutely amazing, so come swap it up!
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