by Sr. Editor on June 1, 2011
Photo Credit: (iStockPhoto/jhorrocks)
It happens every year around this time – your mind starts wandering out of the office into daydreams of vacations, working outdoors and splashing around in your neighborhood pool.
If being stuck indoors has you down, keep reading to channel your inner middle-of-winter work ethic and climb out of the summer office doldrums.
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Plan a vacation. Don’t feel guilty about longing for warm weather and long vacations – after 12-plus years of looking forward to summer breaks during school, our biological clocks are still set to elementary-school time. Book a trip to someplace exotic, or just plan to stay home and read a book. Now just try to keep it from taking over your thoughts until your vacation arrives.
Enjoy local finds. Feel better about where you are when you find neighborhood restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques, either in the neighborhood near your home or the one where you work. When you appreciate where you are, you won’t long (as much) to be somewhere you’re not.
Work out your frustrations. Get your body bathing suit-ready and release some happy endorphins at the same time when you join a gym and work out during your lunch hour. If you exercise mid-day, you can come back to work refreshed and have more time and energy to enjoy your time at home.
Run a fun errand. Treat yourself to a latte or cupcake, or just walk around Target in the home décor or electronics section. Take a quick break to mentally recharge yourself.
Soak up some sunshine. If you have a laptop, the weather is nice and the boss doesn’t mind, work outside to earn money while you enjoy the warm weather. If the weather isn’t so nice, set up shop near a window, or work a few hours per week in an empty conference room that has floor-to-ceiling windows. Or, you could eat your lunch outdoors, and if you live near work, go home for lunch and sit on the patio for a few minutes.
Put some fun in your office. Beat the office hum-drums by organizing a weekly potluck breakfast or cookie swap or just bringing in the occasional dessert.
Take a social media break. Social media pages like Facebook and Twitter are fun for reconnecting with long-lost friends and classmates, but they’re also addictive, time-wasters – and incredibly edited. Don’t let someone’s allegedly perfectly written or pictured life give you regrets about your own.
by Sr. Editor on May 3, 2010
Photo Credit: (iStockPhoto/dwphotos)
Even music venues in Austin are weird… in a good way.
Austin is known both for its live music and its unique culture, and the latter is expressed in the city marketing slogan “Keep Austin Weird.” Here, “weird” wasn’t used just to mean “bizarre;” it is to reflect the city’s need to promote artistic expression.
Go to any bar in Texas on a Saturday night, and you’ll find modern country music, references to cowboy culture and domestic beers. But if you really want to have a good time and make a few memories in the meantime, visit one of the seven music venues below for all of the awesome weirdness that Austin has to offer.
Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon
Music: Country
What: With nightly live music, Ginny’s is an Austin favorite dive bar and music venue. Honky-tonk bands play all during the week, and on Sunday, Chicken S**t Bingo, or betting on where the chickens in the yard relieve themselves, is a fun pastime for the locals and visitors alike.
Where: 5434 Burnet Rd., Austin, TX 78756
The Mohawk
Music: Indie rock, local artists in various genres
What: The Mohawk features both an intimate indoor stage and a public outdoor stage. Advertised as the place for stout drinks, live music and original events, The Mohawk was crafted by people who love the city, the sound and the land equally.
Where: 917 Red River St., Austin, TX 78799
Broken Spoke
Music: Country
What: If you’re looking for a Texas Saturday night of years ago, Broken Spoke is the place to find it. Line dancing, two-stepping, long-necked beers and honky-tonk music abound in this dive bar and music venue.
Where: 3201 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, TX 78704
Sam’s Town Point
Music: Blues
What: This dive bar is often smoky and serves beer in a koozie, but there’s an undeniable charm to its comfortable atmosphere that South Austin patrons adore. Plus, the beer is cheap, the (fried) food is good and the owners live in on the grounds of the bar – one in a trailer next door and one in an apartment attached to the bar. Music lovers will appreciate the open mic night on Tuesday and blues jam on Wednesdays.
Where: 2115 Allred Dr., Austin, TX 78748
The Parish
Music: All genres
What: An intimate indoor live music venue, The Parish holds 450 people and has hosted music legends Pete Townshend and Perry Farrell, as well as independent artists Grizzly Bear and Yeasayer. Plus, patrons adore the sound system and stage visibility at The Parish.
Where: 214 E. 6th St., Austin, TX 78701
The Mean Eyed Cat
Music: All genres
What: Step foot inside the Mean Eyed Cat, and you’ll instantly discover the owners paid tribute through their venue to both Johnny Cash and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” an odd combination that seems to work here. So grab a cold one and cozy up to the indoor stage or outdoor patio for live honky-tonk, bluegrass or rock music.
Where: 1621 West 5th St., Austin, TX 78703
The Scoot
Music: All genres
What: This beer joint has been open in some form since 1871, providing beer and music to East Austin residents for years. The music varies from old school punk bands on the outdoor stage to disc jockey battles inside, but a good time is practically unavoidable.
Where: 1308 E. 4th St., Austin, TX 78702
by Sr. Editor on April 26, 2010
Photo Credit: (iStockPhoto/phdpsx)
Whether you prefer biking, swimming, jogging, hiking, walking or playing sports in varying activity levels, Austin has the facilities to encourage you to go outside and play.
While it’s mostly known for having the most number of music venues per capita in the country, Austin is also a green city – and a green space enthusiast’s dream. The city is home to 250 parks, preserves and greenbelts. Youth summer programs, hiking and biking trails, tennis courts and golf courses are all available to residents and many are maintained by the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Check out the following for the best the city has to offer the Austin outdoor enthusiast.
Town Lake Metropolitan Park contains 10.1 miles of hiking and biking trails, 17 ball fields for baseball, soccer and rugby, volleyball courts, tennis courts and Barton Creek Pool, a 1,000-foot natural spring-fed pool. Catch a show along Auditorium Shores, or meet a friend at Fiesta Gardens or Festival Beach. If you need a break from work or school, relax at UMLAUF Sculpture Gardens, the Botanical Gardens, Austin Area Garden Center and the Zilker Hillside Theater.
If you prefer water sports, check out the Austin area lakes. Comprised of Lake Buchanan, Ink Lake, Lake LBJ, Marble Falls Lake, Lake Travis, Lake Austin and Town Lake, these seven lakes provide excellent bass fishing, boating, golf, water sports and camping opportunities. Lake Austin and Lake Travis offer restaurants and music on the water; Ink Lakes State Park has multiple hiking trails; and the Town Lake Bike Trail is an adventure suitable for the whole family.
For more hiking, the Trail of Trees in Austin offers a fun way of getting exercise while learning about Texas history at the same time, in the form of a variety of native and exotic trees adapted to Texas. Stacy Park Trail of Trees lists 30 species of trees, Zilker Park Trail of Trees offers 28 species of trees and Catherine Lamkin Arboretum Trail of Trees has 35 species of trees.
Just 30 miles west of Austin on FM 3238 is the 232-acre Hamilton Preserve, which includes Hamilton Pool, a spectacular swimming hole that’s a great place to picnic, hike and swim. The sparkling, clear pool and grotto were formed when the dome of an underground river collapsed due to massive erosion. A 45-foot waterfall splashes into the swimming hole surrounded by layers of rock, creating a truly breathtaking oasis in the middle of Texas.
The Austin area is also home to a number of state parks and natural areas. The 3,503-acre Bastrop State Park offers an 8.5-mile hiking trail in the Lost Pines region and is a great place for hiking, backpacking, camping and swimming. Buescher State Park is similar to Bastrop State Park but is generally less crowded. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is located between Fredericksburg and Llano and has the second-largest granite dome in the country, plus excellent hiking, rock climbing and backpacking facilities. Guadalupe River State Park is a 1,938-acre park with picnic facilities, campsites, a playground, a day-use group facility, swimming areas and more.
For those who want to try something new, consider playing at one of Austin’s five disc golf courses. A relatively inexpensive activity, disc golf is a game in which players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target, and each player tries to end with the fewest number of throws of the disc. Most courses are free, and there are dozens of additional courses available outside the Austin area.