Monthly Archives: November 2011

November 25, 2011

Shop Small This Saturday & Support Local Businesses

With 2.4 million fans on facebook and a reported 62 million consumers saying they plan to “shop small” this weekend, Small Business Saturday has turned into something of a phenomenon. According to AmEx, the driving force behind the nationwide event, “The Second Annual Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year. On November 26, we’re asking millions of people to “Shop Small” at their favorite local stores and help fuel the economy. When we all shop small, it will be huge.”  To find a complete listing of small local businesses, visit the Small Business Saturday Facebook page and type in your ZIP code. Many small local businesses will be offering special deals and promotions for shoppers who participate. Happy holiday shopping!

Leave a Comment

Filed under Annual Events, Events, Family Fun, Weekend Activity Ideas

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

November 24, 2011

Celebrate “Hanksgiving” This Friday Night with Master Pancake Theater


When most of us think of Tom Hanks, we think of respectable, critically acclaimed film fare like The Green Mile, Forrest Gump and Band of Brothers. Lest we forget, though, that the man had some humble beginnings with admittedly cheesy crowd favorites like Big, Splash, Turner & Hooch and Sleepless in Seattle. Local theater gods Master Pancake take to their home stage at the Alamo Ritz this Friday night to send up one of Hollywood’s favorite living legends in a Thanksgiving weekend spectacular they’ve aptly named “Hanskgiving,” mixing live action comedy with some of Hanks’ best and worst works projected onto the drafthouse’s screen. Book your ticket early online and get to the theater an hour in advance; Master Pancake’s Thursday night show has already sold out, and Friday’s seats are filling up fast since the annual holiday weekend show has become something of a grand local tradition. Showtimes are this Friday at 7 pm and 10 pm.

$13.50 per ticket; buy in advance online to ensure seating
Alamo Ritz Theater
320 East 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701

Leave a Comment

Filed under Annual Events, Events, Weekend Activity Ideas

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

November 18, 2011

A Cool Spot for Hot Tea: The Steeping Room

The Steeping Room

Now that it’s finally starting to feel like fall… well, most of the time, at least… a spot of hot tea is most definitely in order, and The Steeping Room has just the thing.  The revered tea house is one of the few local proprietorships found in The Domain, sharing its sidewalk with corporate giants like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., Coach and Ralph Lauren in the heart of Austin’s high-end shopping community.  Its list of teas is practically endless, delineated rather simply into black, green, white, oolong and pu-erh sublists, with a few iced tea “mocktails” on the menu to cool things down on those occasional 80-degree November days. The Steeping Room offers a delectable cafe menu of salads, sandwiches and a variety of vegan and gluten-free options, too; the “BAT” (bacon, arugula and tomato) sandwich in particular is a masterpiece on a plate.  Also: the little tea house that could gets bonus points for boldly standing right next door to a Starbucks in a standoff that’s lasted for years; with multiple Austin Chronicle “Best Of Austin” awards under its belt and a bustling stream of customers, it shows no signs of backing down anytime soon. Stop in this weekend for a relaxing treat and see what the buzz is about.

11410 Century Oaks Terrace, in The Domain
Monday – Thursday 8 am – 9 pm
Saturday – Sunday 8 am – 10 pm

Leave a Comment

Filed under Coffee, Cool Spots, Eatery

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

November 15, 2011

No Time to Cook? Greenling Delivers Fresh, Local, Organic Food & Fast Recipes Right to Your Door

image by whole foods, a greenling partner

For those who want to cook at home but don’t have the time for endless grocery-shopping and recipe-hunting, there’s an innovative locally-owned company that wants to help you eat healthy, home-cooked meals without stretching your schedule… or your waistline… or even the environment.  Greenling was founded by a UT chemical engineering graduate and serial entrepreneur who saw the need for sustainable grocery delivery in and around Austin that firmly supported local growers.  So, Greenling offers a wide range of fresh food delivery options, ranging from the “local box” starter kit filled to the brim with fresh, organic, local fruits and vegetables, to an entire host of planned and portioned meal ingredients delivered to your door along with 30-minutes-or-less recipes to help you through the week. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available. More information can be found at Greenling’s personality-packed website, where you can even meet the delivery drivers like “Lieutenant Dan,” “Big Boy” and “Shorty,” not to mention Benny, the Chief Marketing Officer who personally makes deliveries around town in his Prius with a five-foot banana on top.  First-time customers receive 20 percent off when ordering online.

Enter your home or office ZIP code on the Greenling website to see if it delivers to your area.

1 Comment

Filed under Eatery, Family Fun

Tagged as , , , ,

November 10, 2011

Nerd Alert! Comic Con Comes to the Austin Convention Center This Weekend

image from culture map austin

Dweebs, nerds, and connoisseurs of all things sci-fi and/or comic-related: REJOICE! The much-buzzed-about Comic Con, widely recognized as the premier annual event for hardcore pop culture fanatics, takes Austin by storm this weekend as superheroes, toy creators, intergalactic heroes and villains alike storm the Austin Convention Center for three days of unbridled geekery. Meet everyone from Kevin Sorbo (of Hercules fame) and Hayden Panettiere (the cheerleader from Heroes) to the actors who play Spike and Drusilla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even Peter Mayhew, the man underneath the Chewbacca costume. If that’s not enough, the event features a reunion of the five actors who played the golden ticket-winning children in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and rumor has it one of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers will also be in attendance.  Three-day passes run $45 online ($55 at the door) and one-day passes run $25 ($35 at the door).  Go get your geek on.

Friday through Sunday, November 11-13 at the Austin Convention Center, 500 Cesar Chavez.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Annual Events, Events, Family Fun, Weekend Activity Ideas

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,