You like live music, right? You're into fitness, too? Are you willing to walk or run 10 miles? Well…read morethen you should sign up for the annual Austin 10/20 race to enjoy a beautiful spring morning race with about 3000 fellow music lovers that ends up in a concert at Domain's Central Park (near Burnet and Kramer, on the east side of the Domain). Your family & friends can come, too, so it's like a free concert for them. Here's what I loved about this event at the end of March 2015: + Starts and ends at the Domain, very nice for us Northsiders. No hauling myself to downtown Austin at the crack of dawn, and it's pretty easy for my special friend to drop me off pretty close to the starting chute without being mired in traffic. Exiting was a breeze, too. + Plentiful port-o-lets with TP and hand sanitizer around the start/finish festival and along the route. I never waited in a line and they were pretty clean (even after the race). + Mostly flat course through the Domain, Mopac service road, Burnet, and IBM campus, providing a few spectacular bluebonnet patch sightings. I now know exactly where I can access some great bluebonnets for family photo ops before they fade for the season. + 19 bands playing along the course and 1 headliner show for about an hour at the end of the race. Honestly, the bands along the course didn't make much of an impact for me, as I only was able to hear about 30 seconds of their performances as I ran by, but it still made for a fun atmosphere. The finish line festival, on the other hand, provided an incredible opportunity to get up close & personal to the rockin', high energy headliner duo, Black Pistol Fire. By the time they came on stage at 10:40a or so, 80% of the 3000+ runners and their cheering sections had already cleared out, leaving plenty of comfortable space at front & center on the grassy lawn viewing area. Frontman/guitarist Kevin McKeown came down from the stage & thrashed right in the appreciative crowd. It was awesome! + Registration comes with 1 post-race beer ticket and additionals were only $4. This is way better than other music show beer prices around this town. Thanks to TABC, we could not partake until after 10am, but the line to redeem those "free" beer tickets moved quickly once the beer stand opened. + Five featured charitable organizations with running teams. The 2015 featured charities were Without Regrets Foundation (assisting children with parental deaths); Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Team Red, White & Blue (supporting wounded veterans); Alzheimer's Association; Team to End AIDS; and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If you ran for these teams and meet their minimum fundraising goal, you received race support (like team gear, food, bevs, massages, and additional swag). + Cool pre-race expo for packet pickup at the HPBC Quarries Recreation Center. It wasn't as massive as the ones for the Austin Marathon or 3M or Cap10K, but there were plenty of vendor discounts & freebies available, as well as promotions for other upcoming races. Negative stars to the never-ending wind gusts in my face throughout the 2015 race, as well as the 2 giant blisters on my big toes I took home as a souvenir. 2015 Race Results: http://mychiptime.com/searchevent.php?id=8587 2015 Race Photos: https://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/regist.py?event=Sports/CPUK/2015/Austin%201020

Whether you're a runner or not 10 miles sounds like a tough strut but it's really not that bad!…read moreThey have bands pretty much around every corner and beer at the finish line. The weather is always great here in Austin around April and 10 miles in the morning is a great way to start the day! If you haven't run anything and are curious what long distances feel like this is a great starter race, the energy of the crowd, runners and bands really help to get you through all 10 miles.

Any theater that produces Tennessee Williams is a goldmine to me. Oh how Mr T speaks to me and my…read moresouthern draw of sad romanticism. 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' lured me into just the two hours of steamy intensity I needed to really get my summer started right. I saw June 3rd performance and was wondering who could pull off Elizabeth Taylor's red lipped tip toes and oh boy did that gal cast as Mae do it. So impressive were all the other endearing actors playing Big Mama, Brick and Big Daddy. Brick and Big Daddy's talks were so believable I thought I was in their pickles of reality myself. Brick pulls off a big drunk like no other. My mouth was watering for the brown juice myself and I don't even really drink much. My many respects to Aaron Black, Zac Crofford, Anne Hulsman and Cassadie Petersen that bombshell minx herself. I just don't see how y'all remember all those lines and deliver them in such a natural real amusing splendor.

Wow. I found more joy out of writing this review than eating their tacos…read more Took near 20 minutes for two tacos. Pastor was very bland and they tried to make up for it with the huge chunks of pineapple, nope. Green salsa was very bland and not spicy at all, nope. Forgot my red salsa that I asked for with my other taco, nope . They gave me the wrong tortillas, AND the TORTILLA FELL apart, wow. Music was so loud it was ridiculous, dude it's 230 in the afternoon wait till the sun goes down to bump it up. Don't go here they suck ass! Austin is full of food trucks, don't waste your time and money on this one.

If you feel SoCo has already out-trended itself, then walk westward to "SoFi". SoFi is home to a…read morenumber of popular restaurants like Polvo's and Jovita's, as well as a community of independent shops and artists who reside on a compound called "El Corazon". Yes, indeed, there are artists who do live there - it's a genuine creative commune, and there's always something going on - live music, art festivals, etc. What I like about El Corazon is that it's a bit rough around the edges - it has not yet become trendified as much of South Congress already has. El Corazon is home to two of my favorite shops: End of an Ear (record shop) and Vanilla Girl (kick ass mosaics).

I was a festival photographer the past weekend at Euphoria. It's a really nice location right at…read morethe river. Not too big but big enough. But seriously who would look up a festival review on Yelp.

If you were at Carson Creek Ranch last weekend and spotted a little rainbow unicorn eating pizza,…read moredancing from stage to stage, climbing and swinging in trees, or cozying up in a hammock...well, then you might've seen yours truly. Heh. As far as Texas fests go, Euphoria is right up there with Something Wicked as being the very best of the best. The main festival grounds were spacious yet intimate with three stages that only took about five minutes to hop to and from. For lights, lasers, and music that made your senses go 'oohh, aahhh,' the Unearth Tent would've been your go-to. Euphoria's main stage hosted big names like Pretty Lights where there was open air with plenty of space to move around, dance, and play with light up balloons, beach balls, and whatever other toys were floating around. For more chill vibes, the breathtaking Dragonfly Amphitheater which sat on the bank of the Colorado River pulled in your tree hugging, hammock life hippies. Outside of stages, there were tons of local vendors, yoga and personal well being workshops, food trucks (Chi'lantro and Home Slice included), and art displays galore. The cherry on top of it all was when the main festival music ended and the campgrounds came alive with two after hours stages that went till the wee early morning hours. Thanks for the amazing memories and can't wait till next year, Euphoria Tribe! Next stop: Spring Awakening in Chicago...lesss goooo!!!!

If you are a Texan or live in Austin, TX it is a high probability that you have heard of the Texas…read moreBook Festival. The 2025 Texas Book Festival celebrated its 30th anniversary with over 300 authors, panelists, and a huge crowd of book enthusiasts, both young and seasoned readers. Unfortunately, there were some challenges presented as result of last-minute flight cancellations. Texas Book Festival is one of the nation's premier literary events. It is super special because it is free to attend. Also, if you park in the Austin Visitor's Garage, parking is free as well. The book festival is being held November 8-9, 2025, in downtown Austin, near the Capitol of Texas. With its white signature tents sprinkled along Congress Avenue, the festival had 40K+ attendees. H-E-B grocery store is the 2025 lead sponsor of the book festival. The Texas Book Festival always has a number of sought after celebrities. This year the festival features celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey and Chelsea Handler. You might ask what sparks my interest in the Texas Book Festival. I have been avid reader since I was in elementary school. Also, from kindergarten to 5th grade, I was the spelling bee champion, so I have a love for words. I am currently in two book clubs. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to give back. This is my third year of volunteering at the Texas Book Festival for children's authors. It brings me so much joy. It is nothing like seeing the excitement in the faces of the Girl Scouts, who attended our session. These young people ask such great questions as well. I had the best time today! The 2025 Texas Book Festival is a great forum to connect authors with the readers who read their books and gain insights into the books they have read.

I attended several events at the Texas Book Festival this year in and around the Austin, Tx area…read moreincluding *Texas Book Festival and BookPeople Present: Matthew McConaughey. This event was held at First Baptist Church. There was a long line outside the venue but were allowed to enter the church around 4:30 pm and were then given a signed copy of his new book Poems and Prayers. The book had a sticker that was placed inside and not the actual book. Then we got to watch Matthew read some of his poems along with Lyle Lovett playing guitar for background music. They also engaged in conversation back and forth and Lyle played a few of his songs. At the end of the event they had a Q&A session with the audience. *Texas Book Festival and BookPeople Present: Ibram X. Kendi at the State Theater when he promoted his new book about Malcom X and did a Q&A session afterwards. Always love the fact that this festival attracts some great authors who promote good literature and a selection of events to engage with in and around the Austin area. Some were free and some have a cost.

Hi Austin! Come…read morecheck out Professional World Team Tennis. Where else can you see some of the best pros of a sport play in a mixed gender format. Men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. Great sports fun that's appropriate for the family. The matches are typically played in the evening from about 7-10pm at Gregory Gym during the month of July. Currently the Austin Aces are in first place for the West so they've got a great shot at making the Finals and winning it all. The kids get into the match and tennis with an autograph session for kids 16 and under.

Fantastic place to catch rock concerts or old classic films. But be aware of their insane security…read moreto get in and very high drink and snack prices. You won't successfully sneak anything in, so I always grab happy hour nearby if i must have a drink for a show. Also a great place to catch film premieres during SXSW.

We came here to see Justin Willman, a magic comedy guy whose special we saw streaming Jan…read more The place was late to fill up and never quite fully filled which was weird as when we got tickets it was already close to filling up. He does a family friendly show so there were a lot of people there with kids, Full families, moms, dads, grandparents. We were one of the few without kids. The staff was very friendly at the entrance, the bar, and when seating. The place is pretty big and has upstairs and downstairs seating as well as a bar on several levels. Two points that did bring the visit a little down. The seating, you are packed in like sardines. No room to stretch even a little, you bump against the stranger next to you or them into you. It is almost worse then an airplane. Two no handrails on several stairs which are also uneven. I have some ongoing spine and foot pain and it caused me issues but I saw several other people struggling and one almost falling themselves. Had it been just me or maybe one other person that would be bad enough but as several people struggled that is a huge safety issue and should be fixed. The ushers helped when they could but sometimes they were helping others and didn't see it happen. Still it was a fun time, if a bit cramped. The staff is great and I love the history but that also means it is very outdated and not very comfy to sit for an hour or more, especially with no intermission.

Four stars to the vendors, two to the City! We bought our $15 tickets and checked the festival's…read morewebsite for the schedule. Seeing that it ran til nine, we headed out like eager wine-swillin' beavers and arrived at 4:30. Good thing we have nothing against day drinking. As it turned out, the wine tasting shut down way before schedule, which pretty much shut down the whole festival. The story we got from one of the vendors was this: Vendors paid for the booth, but the City bought all the wine- then mandated that the free flowin booze cease and desist at 6:30. I don't know if the vendors ran dry, but the crowds sure dried up fast after that. In addition, the crafts were for the most part mediocre, and food options were pretty limited. We did pick up a good bottle of wine, and it was fun to get to know some of the local wineries. If you go, just plan on being early!