Sunstone Yoga: Practice Yoga at This Welcoming Studio

Whether you’re a seasoned yogi or a beginner looking to get into the practice, Sunstone Yoga has a class for everyone. This open, airy studio is located in the Great Hills area of Austin, and it’s in a plaza convenient to other businesses.

Inside, there’s a colorful, welcoming entry area where guests can sign into class, borrow a mat, or check out the selection of yoga apparel for sale. The instructors and owners are all friendly and welcoming no matter your situation, and they’re especially accommodating to beginning guests or people with injuries and medical conditions. Try one of the Water, Wood, or Fire classes depending on your personal yoga preference, and the studio will even provide you with free towels and mats if you don’t have your own.

For a full schedule of all of Sunstone Yoga’s classes, visit Sunstone's convenient website.

Sunstone Yoga
10710 Research Boulevard
Austin, TX 78759
(214) 764-2119
www.sunstoneyoga.com
www.yelp.com/biz/sunstone-yoga-austin

How to Keep Your Furniture Looking Like New

Purchasing furniture is one of the priciest investments that you make in your home, so you likely want to keep it looking as good as new. Follow these smart tips for preventing stains, rips, and other signs of wear and tear on your new furniture.

  1. Invest in high-quality pieces. First and foremost, investing in good quality furniture is one of the very best ways to ensure that it keeps its original look for years to come.
  2. Protect your fabrics and upholstery. When you first purchase a new rug or upholstered sofa, pay a bit extra to have a professional administer a protective coating to repel stains.
  3. Flip sofa cushions. By flipping your sofa cushions monthly, you can distribute the weight from frequent use to multiple parts of the cushion.
  4. Minimize eating in the living room. If you’re already trying to break this bad habit, just imagine a food stain on your brand new sofa for a bit of extra motivation.
  5. Tackle stains immediately. Whether it’s on a rug or the sofa, the most important way to prevent permanent staining is by addressing it immediately so that it can’t sink into the fabric. Read the care instructions on your furniture or rugs when you purchase them so that you know exactly how to remove that red wine stain before it inflicts major damage.

How to Keep Your Furniture Looking Like New [WikiHow]
4 Steps to Keep Your Furniture Looking New [Apartment Therapy]
Keep Your Sofa Looking Like New in 3 Easy Steps! [Shofer’s]

Don’t Skip the Naan Wraps at Chicken Lollypop in Austin

Chicken Lollypop combines the cuisines of two cultures to create a flavor-filled dining experience in Austin. This small cafe serves Chinese-Indian fusion fare, boasting a succinct menu of sandwiches, wraps, soups, signature entrees, and fried rice.

The naan wraps are a popular choice here. Chef Imitiaz Shaikh cooks chicken or paneer (Indian cheese) in a Szechuan sauce and wraps it in naan with green chutney and a yogurt sauce. The chef also cooks chicken breast in a house ginger sauce and pairs shrimp with spicy Manchurian sauce. You can add such signature house items as sautéed spinach and herbs and Bombay potatoes with green peas and spices. While the flavor in each dish is great, the price is even better. Menu items are $10.99 and below.

You’ll find Chicken Lollypop inside the East Braker Lane Food Mart. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Chicken Lollypop
1005 E. Braker Lane
Austin, TX 78753
(512) 909-9826
www.chickenlollypop.com
www.yelp.com/biz/chicken-lollypop-austin

Have Lobster at Garbo’s Restaurant

Garbo's Restaurant is the bricks-and-mortar extension of Heidi Garbo's popular local food truck. Like the original food truck, Garbo's Restaurant specializes in fresh, buttery lobster rolls served either "Maine style" or "Connecticut style" and accompanied by fries or clam chowder, but this Austin restaurant also offers an expanded seafood menu.

Yelp reviewers recommend trying the smoked fish dip, served with crackers or grilled French bread, as well as the crispy clam fritters accompanied by a gribiche sauce for dipping. Main dishes include whole gulf shrimp simmered in a spicy herb and lemon broth, as well as beer battered fish and ships served with house-made ketchup and tartar sauce. Don't forget a bowl of creamy, New England clam chowder, topped with scallions and served with traditional oyster crackers to round out your meal.

Don't worry if seafood's just not your thing, either, because the restaurant also serves a popular Texas wagyu burger accompanied by fries and a pickle.

Garbo's Restaurant
14735 Bratton Lane
Austin, TX 78728
(512) 350-9814
garboslobsteratx.com/restaurant
www.yelp.com/biz/garbos-restaurant-austin

You’ll Be in Stitches at The Cloth Pocket

Austin is widely known as a very crafty town. The city’s sewing scene is particularly powerful, and one of the key places artisans shop supplies is The Cloth Pocket. This fun, funky fabric store was established by a mother-daughter team who knew that the town had a need for a carefully-curated stock of textiles designed for crafting, quilting, and other fabric arts.

The square footage of the space is not huge, but it’s so expertly organized that you’ll have no problem finding the perfect bolt of fabric for whatever you plan to do. The staff here is super nice, too, offering you tea or water when you step in the door and helping you work out your project needs without spending too much money.

The Cloth Pocket is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. If you’re into the fabric arts, this is going to be your new favorite store.

The Cloth Pocket
5448 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 524-5684
www.theclothpocket.com/index2.php#!/home
www.yelp.com/biz/the-cloth-pocket-austin

Live Music and Organic Coffee at Austin’s Monkey Nest

If you’re looking to start your day with a great cup of coffee, head to the Monkey Nest. This popular locally-owned cafe takes a socially responsible approach to its menu, serving only organic coffee and eclectic, internationally-influenced food.

The drinks here range from traditional espresso and drip coffees to some more unique concoctions. Try the Spicy Monkey Mocha, made with chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Monkey Nest also boasts a solid selection of teas if you’re not a coffee drinker. For food, the breakfast tacos can’t be beat; it's made fresh to order. The tuna and feta sandwich also wins raves.

Live music on the weekends draws a significant crowd, and the booking here is eclectic, too. From day to day you can see jazz, bluegrass, and even much more. Check out Monkey Nest's website to see a calendar of upcoming events.

Monkey Nest
5353 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 505-8033
www.monkeynestcoffee.com
www.yelp.com/biz/monkey-nest-austin

How to Make the Most Out of Your Closet Space

No matter the shape or size of your closet, there are ways to make it work for you (and your wardrobe). Here are a few smart tips for creating a space for every sweater, shoe, and t-shirt in your closet.

  1. Add shelves. If your current closet only contains a few clothing rods, you’re not getting the most out of the space. Hang some sturdy shelves along the sides or in any unused space underneath your clothing in order to store shoes and other small, folded items.
  2. Pack away out-of-season items. If your closet is overrun by winter coats that go unworn in the summertime, considering storing them in vacuum-sealed bags under the bed or on a shelf.
  3. Use tie and scarf hangers. If your ties and scarves are creating a tangled mess in your closet, invest in some hangers designed specifically for separating these items.
  4. Purchase storage boxes. Affordable storage boxes are available at just about every home goods store, and they can be stacked neatly on a shelf to minimize clutter. Use these to store things like scarves, hats, socks, and other small items.
  5. Give it a good cleaning. Finally, one of the best ways to clean your closet for good is by sorting through your clothes and donating all of the unworn items. As a general rule, donate anything that you haven’t worn in six months.

How to Gain More Closet Space Without Renovating [This Old House]
Maximizing Your Closet Space [Martha Stewart]
Maximize Small Spaces: 8 Revamps for Your Closet [HGTV]
10 Tips for Maximizing Closet Space [Apartment Therapy]

Katherine Fleischer Park: A Community Gem in Austin

Katherine Fleischer Park is a favorite among Austin's Wells Branch residents. This community green space is home to a soccer and baseball fields, as well as tennis and basketball courts. You'll even find a sand volleyball pit. The playground area provides plenty of shade from the hot afternoon sun, and in addition to all the typical equipment, it features a unique two-story, castle-like playhouse for kids, complete with a spiral staircase.(Regular visitors report that on occasion you'll see kids dressed up in prince and princess costumes in the playhouse.)

Katherine Fleischer Park also offers a set of wide and well maintained running trials, as well as a community center and a gazebo that can be reserved for private picnics and barbecues. History enthusiasts should be sure not to miss the historic Gault Homestead that's also located in the park. Guided tours focus on 19th century pioneer life and can be customized for both children and adults.

Katherine Fleischer Park
2106 Klattenhoff Drive
Austin, TX 78728
(512) 251-9814
www.wellsbranchmud.com/parks/katherine-fleischer-park.html
www.yelp.com/biz/katherine-fleischer-park-austin

Deli Meats Are Cured In-House at Melvin’s Deli Comfort

Melvin’s Deli Comfort makes lunchtime in Austin tastier with house-cured deli meats and made-from-scratch condiments. Meats include roasted pork, pastrami, turkey, ham, and pork belly confit. You can buy these meats by the pound or order them packed into one of the deli’s selection of sandwiches, which includes hot Italian beef, pork confit, or avocado Reuben with house Russian dressing. Patty melts arrive with fresh beef brisket that’s ground in-house, while the croquet monsieur is filled with ham, Gruyere, and house mustard.

If you’re especially hungry, order The Mezeluri, a sandwich that's piled high with a quarter-pound of roast beef, pastrami, ham, turkey, roasted pork, and bacon along with house condiments and veggies! Melvin’s Deli Comfort serves all of its sandwiches with chips. The staff builds every sandwich by hand under strict guidelines.

Melvin’s Deli Comfort
501 East 53rd Street
Austin, TX 78751
(512) 705-3906
www.melvinsdelicomfort.com
www.yelp.com/biz/melvins-deli-comfort-austin

Hill-Berts Burgers: Home to Some of Austin’s Best Burgers and Wings

Since 1973, the Maldonaldo family has been building upon a burger legacy in the Austin area, and their dedication to creating fast food with great quality and fair prices has made their restaurant very popular.

Here, award-winning burgers are made to order from excellent ingredients, and locals rave about the food. Preparation is simple: Juicy patties are nestled atop grilled buns with lettuce, tomato, and onions, but simplicity is a virtue when it comes to burgers. Thick-cut french fries are perfectly prepared, as well. If you feel like branching out, the fried chicken sandwich is out of this world, and Hill-Berts is home to some of the best hot wings in town. Save some room for a “butter-fat” milkshakes, made with real ice cream.

The original Hill-Berts location on Burnet Road is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Delivery is offered.

Hill-Berts Burgers
7211 Burnet Road
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 452-2317
www.hill-bertsburgers.com
www.yelp.com/biz/hill-berts-burgers-austin-3

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