That’s right, pal, it’s Bike Week. Bust out your fixie and grind it up and downtown while you embrace your inner hipster. Wait, are fixed gear bikes over like Whole Foods is corporate?
Here in Austin, bicyclists are getting the royal treatment with freebies galore, and there are tons of events listed at Bike to Work Austin for those with pedals to spin.
This Friday, May 18 is “Ride Your Bike to Work Day,” which means all kinds of free food and drinks being given away! Click here to download a map of all the participating venues. Or, if you’re in a rush, here’s a quick run-down of the sponsors listed on the map.
BIKE SHOPS:
Freewheeling Cycles
Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop
The Peddler Bike Shop
Yellow Bike Project
Jack and Adam’s Bicycles
Tsunami Cycles
AJ’s Cyclery
Bicycle Sport Shop
Clown Dog Bikes
Ozone Bike Department
Bike Texas
Fast Folks Cyclery
FOOD & DRINK:
Thunderbird Coffee/Mi Madre’s
Dolce Vita
Blue Dahlia Bistro
Halcyon
Bouldin Creek Cafe
Wheatsville Co-op
It’s A Grind
Whole Foods
ASSORTED SERVICES:
Luke’s Locker
Recycled Reads
Bird’s Barbershop
City Hall
Austin Police Department
Faith United Methodist Church
Various metro stations
And don’t forget to follow @RideYourBike on Twitter for the latest and greatest tweets and deets.
Personally, I’m looking forward to Austin’s bike share program, which is reportedly making its way up from San Antonio within the next couple of years. If anyone’s got actual dates on this one, I’d love to hear about it. Hit me up in the comments with any news on that front!
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Austin is rocking the taco at its first ever Austin Taco Festival, aka TACORAMA.
The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is kicking off the week-long praise of tacos, Latin music and film with a free event from noon to 3 p.m. featuring plenty of tacos, refreshments, children’s activities, a taco piñata and live music by Southwest Key Ballet Folklorico, Tejano star AJ Castillo and “Cruisin’ Muzic King” Trampia Guzman. Since it’s a free event, the Capital Area Food Bank is encouraging attendees to bring non-perishable food items for donation, in lieu of entry fees.
Dude, I’m going just for the taco piñata. If there’s anything that classes up the joint, it’s beating the crap out of a papier-mâché likeness of your favorite food. Seriously, it gives you, me and the entire Lone Star State a reason to live, right Pedro?
In addition to all this taco-eating madness, don’t forget to check out “¡Ask A Mexican!” author Gustavo Arellano at BookPeople on Wednesday, May 9 from 7 to 8 p.m. He’ll be reading from his latest book, Taco USA, all about the mighty taco and how it conquered America as our nation’s favorite food.
There’s also the the Cine las Americas film screening on May 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. and the Pachanga Music Festival on May 11 and 12. Quite a week!
The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is located at 600 River Street, and BookPeople is located at 603 N. Lamar. For full deets, check out Latinometro.
How’d we miss this? Today is FREE COFFEE DAY and no one told us! Clearly, we’re not getting enough caffeine in our systems. So while you’ve already missed the free 7-11 cuppa joe, you can still snag a freebie from that venerable donut institution, Krispy Kreme, until 10 PM! No purchase necessary, yo. Two locations in Austin at 701 E. Stassney Lane and 12586 Research Boulevard for your dunking pleasure.
In other freebies, enjoy the “Blow-Out Bar” with start-to-finish hair styling at Spruce Aveda Salon from 3 to 6 PM. Add a cut-out of some of the sweet frames from Tortoise & Blonde to your “before” and “after” iPhone shots and you could win a pair of hipster-approved glasses, too!
Once you’re all dolled up, get someplace to go! Tonight is Ladies’ Night at Beauty Bar, with $5 martinis & free manicures starting at 10 PM. “Lonely Man Lonestars” are just $2 for the gents, for equal opportunity drinking.
If cheap drinks aren’t quite enough to whet your whistle, get artsy with Our Eyes Need Art at Spider House for just $5 (or hit the link for a chance to win free tix from Do512). Feast your eyes on artwork from Jade Mandrake, Supreme Pizza Cats, Tara Carr, Zuzu Perkal, Dave Lowell, Niz, Sarah Slam, Eric Timmerman, Lupe Valadez, Tyler Booker, Wake and Jason Ice while watching live graffiti created by Niz, Wake, Jason Ice and Dave Lowell and enjoying the slam poetry stylings of Good Ghost Bill and Zachary Caballero. Rock out with live music by Luis Banuelos, Ejede, DJ Catwalk, Cardinal Cool & the Nuns of Justice and DJ Charlie, or grab some custom t-shirts screen printed by Industry Print Shop.
I’ve got a Kindle (a much-loved birthday present from my husband, who knows how I tear through books), which never ceases to attract attention on the bus—both for its technological wow-factor and for the sheer fact that I’m the weird girl who is reading on the bus. (Seriously, we are a rare breed.) Being a broke-ass frugal type, I tend not to frivolously toss down a ten-spot for digital books, so I regularly troll the free section of Amazon’s Kindle store, in search of titles that are actually worth downloading.
Trust me: I’ve been through quite a few that, despite their totally free price-tag, weren’t even worth my time. (And lord, do I have time for reading, as my average commute takes an hour each way. Thanks, CapMetro!)
In short, I’ve made a list of the top 5 books I’ve managed to acquire for free (or cheap) through Amazon which are actually worth reading. Check it out!
Cybill Disobedience by Cybill Shepherd and Aimee Lee Ball – With a subtitle like “How I survived beauty pageants, Elvis, sex, Bruce Willis, lies, marriage, motherhood, Hollywood, and the irrepressible urge to say what I think,” this book is pretty damn cheeky. Granted, it’s a celebrity memoir, and thus a bit flakily organized, but I give it 3 stars for guts. Ms. Shepherd dishes the dirt on her many and various lovers, the misogynistic boys club of Hollywood, and her quest for equal rights for all. I’d like to see more of this last bit in the future, cus there’s nothing like a loudmouthed blonde crusading for justice. HOT.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson – Yes, this is a Young Adult book, and shut up. It was actually really enjoyable, despite the main character’s persistent need to run away from the action of the book, and it made me long for a crazy artist aunt of my own who might send me on a whirlwind journey across Europe with nothing but a backpack and 13 envelopes directing me to my next destination. 4 stars; read it in an afternoon with a cup of coffee and dream of Paris. (NOTE: I was able to download a free version of this book as part of a promotion by the publisher, but the Kindle version currently available costs $7.99.)
50 Ways to Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom – If you dig the supernatural and you’re been craving a mystery involving witches, vampires and possessed bunny slippers, then here is your next read. I’m only 14% into this book so far, but I’m already recommending it. What can I say? I’m a sucker for puns, and the vamps who inspire ‘em. (NOTE: This one was also free for a limited time, but currently costs $4.61.)
Outcast by Thomas Myer – Full disclosure: Tom is a writer friend of mine, so I am slightly biased. But even so, for $2.99 this little NaNoWriMo exercise-turned-novel is worth the price, and highly enjoyable. I was kind of peeved about his ending, but I still enjoyed the rest of the journey, so I only demoted him one star for this offense. And since his usual writing territory is the vast and largely soporific world of tech guides, I’d call this a welcome departure from the rest of his catalog. (Put that on your next book’s jacket, Tom, I dare you!)
Make the Devil Fumble His Wine by Robert Bruce – A book of poetry that doesn’t suck? On your Kindle? WTF, right? I originally downloaded this for free from Robert’s website, and now that it’s available on Amazon, it’s only $2.99 (the magic price) and highly recommended. I particularly enjoyed “Four Foolproof Ways to Create Staggering Wealth in This World.” Check this one out, even if you hate poetry. I promise you will dig it, the way hipsters dig Bukowski.
We’ve always been a fan of potent potables and the Jeopardy! category dedicated to rounding them up, in question form. So put on your thinking caps and riddle us this, Trebek fans: Where can you stomp grapes with your bare feet here in Texas?
If you replied “What is Becker Vineyards?” you’re the champ. Bonus points if you’re also dressed in your Italian peasant clothes or happen to own a Lucille Ball curly red wig, ‘cus Becker is also hosting their annual Lucy Ricardo Costume Contest on September 4 at 3 PM. Contestants will be judged by three criteria, according to the vineyard’s website: “1) Stomping Ability, 2) Costume, and 3) Enthusiasm!” Bring your best Lucy impressions and nice, clean feet to stomp to the beat of music by Brian Mullin.
If you’re busy on the 4th, don’t fret! You can come the day before (Sept 3) between 10 AM and 6 PM for a grape-smashin’ good time (though no prizes for your whining to Ricky about how you wanna be in the big show).
"Kim's grapes" from Becker Vineyards' Grape Stomp (photo by Flickr user aavarnum)
For those who prefer to tiptoe through the tapas, enjoy a gratis gastronomic tour of Spain at Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars (10000 Research Blvd, #130) this Tuesday, August 30. Olive oil, wine and paella will be served from 6 to 8 PM. While you’re there, invest in a nice, fresh bottle of EVOO so you can re-create the experience at home for your besties, using the “perfect paella” recipe from Ginny’s Austin.
And don’t forget to say “gracias” to your gracious hosts, lest you be branded a cheapskate. We may be on a budget, but we Shoestringers aren’t freeloaders, am I right?
Two great FREE freaky foodie events happening this weekend as the temps continue to soar… like the bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge!
Coincidentally, one of those events is the Austin Bat Fest, which has teamed up with Night of the Bat for a day-long celebration of Austin’s favorite local beasties. (Sorry, armadillo, but I don’t see YOU having a day dedicated to your honor. What’s up with that, anyway?)
Hit up the Congress Avenue Bridge this Saturday, August 27 from 1 PM until midnight for live music, a bat costume contest (8:15 pm), and–of course!–TV’s Batman, Adam West. There will be plenty of food and drink from local faves like Best Wurst, Boomerang’s Pies, Rita’s Italian Ice and more, and you can shop ’til you drop with local vendors.
And for those who love hot sauce as much as they love our hot weather, you won’t want to miss the Austin Chronicle’s Hot Sauce Festival this Sunday, August 28 from 11 AM to 5:30 PM at Waterloo Park. This event is almost-free, as entry is just $3, or you can donate 3 cans of food to the Capital Area Food Bank instead.
While you’re sucking back hot sauce from restaurants, bottlers and even gifted home chefs, be sure to purchase a few raffle tickets for the Sizzling Summer Raffle prize packages. We’re not sure what’s in ‘em, exactly, but at $1 a pop or 6 for $5, all proceeds go to the CAFB and enable them to provide $5 worth of nutritious food to Texas families for every $1 ticket sold. Holy burning biscuits, Batman!
In addition to screamingly hot sauces, local restaurants like Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant, Curra’s Grill, Matt’s Famous El Rancho, Santa Rita Tex Mex Cantina, and Torchy’s Tacos will be slinging their best dishes and bands like Bright Light Social Hour, La Guerrilla, Foot Patrol, Moonlight Social and Schmillion will be blasting the sweet beats. Come for the hot sauce, stay for the party, and be sure to keep cool out there: this weekend is supposed to be 110 degrees, and no rain in sight.
Enjoy your last summer weekend, Austin, and we’ll catch you on the flip side.
There has been an explosion of deal sites across America, and like many cities, Austin’s in love with their daily deals. Here at Shoestring Austin, we’ve signed up for plenty of these sites (Living Social, Groupon and Localiter, to name a few), each offering one new deal per day, with deep discounts at local businesses.
Even though we all love deals, there can be drawbacks to using these sites. The most common complaint is that while the discounts are certainly large enough to pique a buyer’s interest, the quality of participating businesses can vary widely. If you can’t find much information about the products or services offered, why would you care about getting a deal on these items? This is especially true with new businesses, who may not even have a web presence, much less any accurate online reviews by real consumers.
The second biggest complaint about deal sites is that they usually require buying a coupon or voucher. This is fine if you can remember to use your coupons or vouchers, but let’s face it: some of us are forgetful, or just plain busy, and this can end up becoming a waste of money instead of the promised huge savings.
Another issue doesn’t directly affect consumers, but comes back to bite us with the ol’ trickle-down effect. For businesses that offer deals through these websites, this is actually a very expensive marketing maneuver. Not only are they offering at least 50% off the price to consumers, but they also have to pay up to 50% of the price of their coupon to the sites offering the deal. In effect, for each deal that these businesses offer, they have to give up at least 75% off the value of their products or services. And guess who ends up paying for this in the long run? You guessed it: we, the consumers.
Enter Dealuv
With the goal of improving on the deal-a-day coupon system, Austin-based newcomer Dealuv has come up with something completely different. Deals on their site are all FREE. That’s right: you don’t have to buy vouchers anymore! Instead, vouchers are totally free to print and redeem, in exchange for sharing the deal on your Facebook and/or Twitter accounts. As a result, whenever you share your favorite deals with friends, a viral effect is triggered, encouraging a self-sustaining community of deals between local businesses and consumers.
With a variety of hand-picked businesses, instead of one-off deals from nationwide chains, Dealuv also seeks to ensure that only quality products and services are available to their customers. Participating businesses are all locally-based, and include everything from restaurants (El Chile Cafe y Cantina, Masala Wok, Red’s Porch) to spas (5R Bodywork & Massage, FaceToFace Spa at Avery Ranch) to auto mechanics (Auto Techs, Northwest Imports) to upscale clothing retailers (Astor and Black).
Another bonus? Sharing your Dealuv scores actually gets you even more deals! Members earn reward points for participating in various activities on the site, including sharing deals, inviting friends to join the site, writing (private) feedback for businesses, and more. Reward points can be redeemed in the form of gift cards from affiliated businesses, or donated as cash to the charity of your choice. How cool is that?
Tired of losing your coupons and forgetting to cash in your deals? Want to get more out of your online deals? Why not give Dealuv a try? With free vouchers and sweet rewards for participating, there’s literally nothing to lose!
While this may SOUND like another April Fools bit of foolishness, it’s actually completely real: Austin’s Edible Book Festival is back for another round of literary cakes!
Today only, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM at the University of Texas’ School of Information, you’ll be able to find witty takes on famous (and infamous) books of all sorts, from A Million Little Pieces (James Frey) made of Reeces Pieces to the impressive Bon-Bon Quixote.
Here’s a book I’d much rather eat than read:
"Twilight Spam Musubi - Edible Book Contest" (photo by Flickr user Crystal Watanabe)
Got an idea? Whip that edible book up and have it in the iSchool’s first-floor Tocker Lounge (1616 Guadalupe, across from the Clay Pit restaurant) by 1:15 PM today to be eligible to take the cake! (Winners will receive gift certificates to BookPeople at Half-Price Books.)
Voting begins at 12:30, and winners will be announced at the end of the event—at which point all are invited to dig in and let them eat cake. All Austin residents are welcome to enter and to attend this FREE event, but bring your spare change if you want to pair your cake with some Amy’s Ice Cream—they’ll be on hand with literary flavors including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie & the (Belgian) Chocolate Factory, The Mexican Vanilla Bean Tree, and The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint (Chip).
Brought to you by the Art Libraries Student Association (ArTex) and the Student Association of the School of Information (SASI), this is one event that’s sure to be a mouthful.
Okay, so it’s more like $1 Friday, but the point of this post is CHEAP BOOKS, and for a literary nerd like me, this is a steal of a deal.
Books Beyond Borders, a local bookstore with the charitable aim of building schools from used book sales (and whom I’d tragically never heard of prior to this week), is going out of business and looking to sell off their literary stock ASAP. Hit them up this weekend, starting Friday the 25th, to snap up over 100,000 books for only $1 each. Holy cannolis!
In addition to their vast riches of the book variety, they’re also selling LPs (also at $1 each) plus laptops, compys and various warehouse equipment they need to get rid of. They’re also looking for scads of volunteers, so you may be able to finagle some free stuff if you donate your time to the cause.
To volunteer, email tab@booksbeyondborders.com. To buy books, head out early (the sale starts at 9 AM today [Friday]) to Books Beyond Borders at 618 C Tillery Street. Happy hunting!
"The Apotheosis" - Hot Prez-on-Prez action with Washington & Lincoln
Looking for a good time? Want to have some fun on the cheap? Never fear: Freebie Friday is here! Check out our picks for the best free (and cheap) events happening in Austin this President’s Day weekend.
Cheap Date Night: Posh on a Budget (5 PM to midnight @ The Belmont – 305 W. 6th; $39.95 gets you dinner for 2, including 1 appetizer, 2 entrées and 2 glasses of wine)
Got any recommendations for free/cheap fun we’ve missed? Tweet us @ShoestringATX!
