I moved here two years ago. I don't know anyone and I thought this was a great way to get out and…read moremeet people. I didn't want to do dating apps, I wanted something more organic. Now in the loop is NOT a dating service. It brings single people together to do fun things. Its up to each individual to build an organic relationship with someone in the group. It may not even happen but it gives you the opportunity to try and have fun doing it. Kara who owns in the loop is amazing. I have been a member for over a year and still love it. The vacations they plan are so much fun as well.

Just went on the trip to Ireland and had a great time. Everything was planed and even a free day I…read morecouldn't have asked for more. I personally love the social events and wish I had more time to do more of them. Hope to hang out in the future with you.

Having just come home, fresh off our first win, I'm giddy like a little girl…read more Maybe it was tonight's pouring rain? Or perhaps, it was the kegger at home plate? Or possibly, it was a combination of all these things complete with the new friends we've made thanks to this journey. Old friends, new friends. Young friends, Old friends. Whatever the case, Monday night's have never been so much fun! Team IcyHots started out a smattering of friends, acquaintances, yelpers, complete strangers....a few short weeks later, we're teammates, friends, WINNERS! But to tell you the truth, even if we'd lost every single game, it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. WAKA rules!

I love WAKA. I love kickball. I love it so much I showed up last night after a Yelp event dressed…read moreas a tipsy French maid. (The tipsy part is DEFINITELY part of the costume....)They have great parties, and I love parties. Almost everybody is friendly (if you think you're not in this category, start being friendlier, please. I would love to edit this review.) I love Tom. He's a handsome fella who has big plans for Trapped in the Closet. (I also love R. Kelly). I love being catcher (not a euphemism), because I love chatting with all of the other kickball players that I love. There's nothing not to love about WAKA.

What a beautiful place!…read more A little traditional and somewhat stuffy, but the location and atmosphere make up for it. I recently went to an event here and the auditorium-like stage, it was a perfect fit for a quartet. In the back, is a great setting for the food. A little cramped for a HUGE production, but great for an intimate event. Outside, the building is beautiful and in a really great neighborhood. If you walk up to it from the street parking, be prepared for a steep uphill battle. However, if you park in the lot, there is an elevator that takes you up to the floor you need. I'd love to have a 25 or 50-year wedding anniversary here. Gotta wait at least another 20 years for that one.

I got married here last Saturday and am SO happy with the venue! I looked at many many places. In…read morethe end my (then) fiance and I decided that for convenience and safety (evening wedding where we would be serving alcohol) it would really be best to have our wedding in downtown Austin. We looked at many of the options for a downtown Austin wedding before choosing AWC. We had a wedding of 95 guests, had the ceremony outside in the courtyard and the reception inside in the main dining room. There are places that are newer and places that are grander, but this place happened to be the exact fit for our wedding. We wanted it to feel formal without feeling overly stuffy. We wanted a place that felt historical without feeling rundown or old lady. The pictures came out absolutely amazing in this space, and people were constantly coming to us saying how much they loved the space and the feeling of both the ceremony and the reception. This place was absolutely perfect for my wedding, truly a dream come true!

Since no one has provided commentary for the last year, I would like to contribute my personal…read moreexperiences with NKL. First of all, I am a newbie--and after a year and a half of wandering around Austin trying to find a local hang out where I could meet people, I happened to stumble into Egos on a Thursday night in desperate search for Karaoke and a good time. With me was my friend Patrick. We look around, there's two people at the bar with afro wigs. Another patron walks in with chaps on. I look at Patrick and say, "I guess we missed the notice that it's wig night..." and then I look over and notice Master Shake in the corner. After being rebuffed by the Karaoke Jocky with a snort, "Karaoke's only for NKL until 10!" we decided to grab a booth and watch. We snag someone in a white lab coat (now my teammate) and ask what is going on: "It's National Karaoke League! It's the last night of the regular season. We're all on teams and we take turns singing--it's a lot of fun. Excuse me, I have to go." The young man runs up to the stage and proceeds to strip off his lab coat--and is wearing a full S&M harness underneath. As he hoods himself and unzipps his mask to let his voice be heard on the mike ("I wanna sex you up" I believe), Patrick reminds me to close my mouth (my unhinged jaw is on floor in shock). We watch the rest of the performances in awe--"Maniac" from flash dance, where I wait to see a nip slip as she bounces up and down on the stage in a full run-in-place with only a bandeau bra and a homemade leotard, a full corseted drag performance of "No More I Love Yous" where the man singing has a full beard and the best Annie Lenox voice I've ever heard. Then we are treated to "Thriller" replete with zombie costumes and of course, the signature dance. After that number I run to the ladies room, and when I open the door, I find the bartender (who I now know as Laura) mopping up the floor covered in water and muttering, "fucking zombies." As Patrick mounts the stage at 10 to sing his signature number "I want it that way" the zombies break out into their dance at his feet, and I look at him from the crowd, and he looks at me, and we both know. We have to join. My first season at NKL has not disappointed in the least. From seeing "The Human Centipede" in front of my eyes, to witnessing two "births", and spending countless hours with Patrick and 7 other people I didn't know, I have made wonderful friends--and even better memories. There's a picture of me dressed as a little boy, munching on a cupcake while the creepy old Herbert from Family Guy croons "Somewhere that's Green." There's pictures of teammembers half naked--almost totally naked--cross dressed, in the throes of passionate performance that we will have to one day explain to our kids. There's been drama and paranoia and politics and a whole lot of laughter. And I cannot wait for next season.

I've been involved in the NKL for several years now, and it's one of the most fun activities around…read morewith an amazing community of people involved in it. Well worth your valuable time. The basic idea is that you get on a team with people and, as a team, do three songs each week. You can have a team already, or come in as an individual and let them set you up on a team. It's very friendly to newcomers, and each team generally has a few new people on it. The audience will vote for their favorite performances, and over the course of the season, eventually a champion is crowned. But it's way more than just singing. In fact, singing ability isn't even a major factor. There's costumes, performances, and choreography in addition to the singing, and it's an environment where enthusiasm counts for more than ability. They have two divisions in town: one up north at the Canary Roost and the other down south at Ego's, so you have options as to where you want to go. There are three seasons a year, each lasting about two and a half months with weekly competition. But as much fun as it is to perform and see what everyone else comes up with (and, believe me, it's really amazing to see what gets done), what I really love about NKL are the people involved. It's a really diverse crowd where you really can't predict what kinds of folks you'll encounter. The quality that unifies them, though, is that they all like to perform and they all like to have a good time. The folks that I've met through NKL are insanely fun and interesting and awesome. Bottom line is that there's really never anything boring in NKL, and you're sure to meet a ton of cool people. Participating has been one of the best things I've done.

I will never forget the random party I somehow ended up at at this place. Definitely one of my…read morefavorite speakeasies in Austin. I've always wanted to go back but it never seems to be open. Cool ass venue.

Great place to play poker. Friendly staff and nice clean tables…read more When you walk I your greeted by a host and she or he tells you possible games running. Tonight they had 1-2 no limit and a 1-2-5 PLO table. The games are full and it's a fun time. The dealers are nice and knowledgeable. The room is clean and they have good snack and drink selection for purchase. I enjoy playing here !!

Best cash game card room in Austin! The owner Big E knows how to take care of his players. I've…read morebeen going here since March and it's the only room I play at now. Super professional and fast dealers who understand the rules and manage the game. The players give great action and have fun not a sunglasses and hoodies environment, a real social club. It's BYOB so bring your favorite spirit, beer or wine. Good luck and see ya on the felt.

If you're looking for a place to build and create, to cut wood or work on your car, to use a laser…read morecutter, a 3D printer or some other awesome tool - the ATX HackerSpace just might be the place for you. The crowd is friendly, the rates are reasonable and the zietgeist is strong. Come, be nerdy, play board games, solder, program, woodwork, craft and otherwise geek out. There are people of all ages hanging out most every evening.

The ATX Hackerspace is a fantastic group of people, working together to provide a space to learn…read moreand produce things. Run as a co-op, it's easy to join and get access to the tools and resources, including a laser cutter and several 3D printers. This is more of a community than a company: members help out in running the space, and assist others in their creative pursuits. If you're looking for a place to learn and work on projects, from nerdy to crafty to almost anything else, this is where you need to be. Stop by for the Open House on Tuesday night. The Co-op members are friendly and will gladly show you around.

La Dolce Vita! What's not to like?…read more Once a year, I get three blissfully gluttonous hours to shamelessly walk around with a plate and a glass to sample some of Austin's best fare on the beautiful grounds of AMOA's Laguna Gloria in West Austin! More than 50 of Austin's finest chefs line the walkways peppered with more than 20 wine tables of local and international wines. Sample everything from sushi to soup to decadent sweets and everything in-between. Notables at this year's event: Driskill Grill - I want to MARRY all of them. They had these corn dog-style Scallops & Fois Gras served with a kumquat ice cream that were succulent and perfect... and then sent me over the edge with their Chocolate Delight - which were in shot glasses and started with their signature 1886 Chocolate cake topped with caramel, banana, and chocolate sauce then sprinkled with toasted rice. It just changed my life I will be more than happy to cheat on my betrothed Driskill Grill with The Carillon - the pumpkin lobster bisque soup had my eyes rolling in the back of my head. Seriously... What do they put in that stuff? How can you go wrong with crab cakes from Truluck's or Fillet Mignon from Sullivan's? And just when I thought it was safe, Piranha Killer Sushi sent me to my own little version of heaven with these Wasabi Crusted Salmon Rolls that were panko crusted and filled with salmon, cream cheese & scallions. Don't stop there... Hey cupcake gives away full sized cupcakes... May be a bit tacky, but I now bring a container for my annual red velvet cupcake so I do not fill up on carbs.... Moving along, Word of Mouth catering... can you say simply luscious sweets???? They have a Peanut Butter Bacon cookie that will change your life. And what can I say about the wine? Every corner you turn, there is wine, white wine, red wine and my personal favorite - the bubbles... they even had Prosecco there!!!! Not a wine drinker, they had a Texas Spirits section that had lots of vodkas, rums, tequilas and more like Graham's Texas Tea and Treaty Oaks Rum sampling their famous HOT Pepper-ritas... YUM. Stogies and Scotch more your thing? They also have a Scotch & Cigar Lounge Ticket you can add on to the price of admission for an EXTRA $25 (AMOA members $20). Enjoy all of this while listening to live music and taking a visit to the Annie Ray photo booth! The price - $125 unless you are an AMOA member then it is $100 or you can volunteer and get a $25 ticket. The proceeds all go to support AMOA's education programs... so you can eat, drink, feel like a high rolling philanthropist and enjoy "The Sweet Life!" La Dolce Vita indeed!

Someone is doing something VERY right here. What a well organized, fabulous festival. It was my…read morefirst time at La Dolce Vita and I didn't really know what to expect so here's expected vs. reality in the hopes of informing some future LDV attendee: Expected: Bites Reality: A smorgasbord of incredible food. Pork belly bahn mi, short ribs with truffled polenta, ahi tuna sashimi on crispy naan, mini cupcakes with raspberry filling, beef tenderloin sliders... and that was just in the first 15 minutes. Protip: Get there RIGHT on time. You want to be there before the masses and before it gets dark. Expected: Drinks Reality: Cocktails, scotch, red wine, white wine, bubbly, big pours, hearty tastings, knowledgable local wineries and whiskeys. At the end of this event, you might as well have a fancy cab waiting for you because you'll be drrrruuuunk. Expected: Friends Reality: Friends and yelpers and celebs and industry professionals that I rarely get to see in such a fun and casual environment. There's goodwill and cheer to spare here and it's kind of like a big old group hug without that one creeper that always manages to cop a feel. So hopefully this paints a picture of what LDV is... and has been for many a year. If you've got one food event to go to, make it this one. But make sure your liver and your stomach are prepared for the best kind of assault. (Note: Since it was themed as a classy affair, perhaps next year the DJ will play some more sedate music vs. full on LMFAO)