Photo credit: Falashad Flickr Creative Commons

#1 Travis Station Apartments –as low as $375
Enjoy a beautifully landscaped community in the heart of Austin. Travis station is a quick 15 minute commute to the University of Texas, plus Austin nightlife is right at your fingertips. Travis Station, with apartments starting at a low $375 offers residents poolside Wi-Fi and a free gourmet coffee bar!

#2 The Village at Riverside –as low as $405
This community is a student oriented community offering resort-style amenities. Not only is this apartment complex within biking distance to the university, you get large private bathrooms and free tanning!

#3 Mission James Place –as low as $429
This apartment complex is just a 15 minute drive to the University of Texas. With seven floor plans to choose from you can live in a trendy, urban setting in downtown Austin. No need to go to the laundry mat. Each unit comes equipped with a washer and dryer!

#4 Lafayette Landing/English Aire –as low as $452
9 minutes away from the college’s campus, Lafayette Landing accepts pets, offers public transportation, and has on-site laundry facilities. The most affordable unit is the efficiency starting as $452 per month.

#5 Montecito Apartments –as low as $499
How would you like to study near a wood-burning fireplace or do your homework on your private balconies or patio? Covered carports protect your vehicle in this apartment complex, only 10 minutes away from the University of Texas.

#6 Salado at Walnut Creek –as low as $499
Designed to live like homes, Salado at Walnut Creek features two pools, a lighted sports court, sand volleyball, and a community laundry center. The studios start a $499. It takes only 13 minutes to get the University of Texas.

#7 Forest Hills –as low as $499
Only 4 and half miles from the University of Texas, a Forest Hills apartment is best described as an “oasis in the midst of a thriving city.” One bedroom apartments start at $499. Need to organize a study group? Take advantage of the two beautiful club houses on the property.

#8 Bainbridge Villas –as low as $500
For 500 dollars a month, you get a pet-friendly apartment complex with large closets, a pool and a playground. It will take you a mere 13 minutes to get to class and for your shopping convenience; you will be located within a stone’s throw of the Southwood mall.

#9 Cameron Greens –as low as $500
For 500 dollars you get a one bedroom, one bath apartment. Location is everything. Within walking distance to shopping centers, restaurants and bars, Cameron Greens Apartments is only a 9 minute drive to the University of Texas.

#10 Promontory Point –as low as $509
Located minutes from the UT shuttle, Promontory Point features apartments with vaulted ceilings, fireplaces, and large patios. Not only will you be close to campus, but you will also be located near major employers such as Applied Materials, Motorola, Apple, Samsung, USPS and UPS. You may not even have to move after getting a job after college!

AUTHOR INFO

April Lentini writes for http://austin.apartmentguide.com

#1 Rag Doll Blaster
This game is simple in concept, but not so easy to master. Superbly designed by Backflip Studios, you’ll be astounded with the real physics used to measure the distance, power, and angle to shoot rag dolls across various obstacles. There is a free version called Rag Doll Blaster Lite ($2)

#2 iStooges
Includes 72 motion-activated sound effects and voice clips from your three favorite knuckleheads, Larry, Moe and Curley. Amuse yourself a “nyuk nyuk”, a “slap Ooh”, or a “soitenly.” (Coming soon in the app store)

#3 Trace
What a time-killer! With this quarky iPhone app, you can draw your own paths and erase lines you made by mistake in order to get through moving obstacles and reach the destination. It’s really easy to play but gets tricky and keeps you playing for hours –and if not, at least several minutes. (free)

#4 Paper Toss
This is the iPhone version of the original office game of tossing the scrunched up paper into the basket. This version throws some extras in the mix to make it interesting such as fans and other interfering objects. (free)

#5 Madlibs
Just like the game you used to play when you were a kid. Type in a series of adjectives and nouns and you get a crazy story cranked out with the words you used. (Free)

#6 Dream Dictionary
Interpret what your dreams mean with the dream dictionary. If you and your friends have a lot of crazy, random dreams, you will be sure to get a lot of use from this application. If not, at least a lot of laughs. ($1)

#7 Chimp Adventure
In this game, you have to memorize numbers and several humorous missions that appear only for a few seconds then press them in the right order after they get hidden. This is a productive time killer as it trains your memory. ($1)

#8 Face Melter
Morph your photos into freaky works of art. By dragging your finger across the screen, you can elongate exaggerate, and warp your friend’s faces. ($2)

#9 The Moron Test
This game features a collection of more than 100 brain-teasing puzzles that challenge you to see how many you can solve in record-breaking time. Scores range from moron to genius. ($1)

#10 iDoodle
This simple drawing tool allows you to draw any number of lines, polygons, circles, and squares in an array of colors. The iDoodle app also lets you to set up an online gallery where you can share your mini-masterpieces with the world. ($2)

AUTHOR INFO
April Lentini writes for San-antonio.apartmentguide.com

#1 Go Longhorns

University of Texas fans will get the latest information, news, and scores on football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball with this app.

#2 University of Texas Directory
The Texas Directory application provides a seamless way to find your friends and contacts at the University of Texas at Austin. With this application, you can search for any student or faculty member at UT by name, phone number, office location or email.

#3 University of Texas Blackboard
This app offers students, faculty, and campus personnel a variety of features including the ability to use an interactive campus map, browse the university’s catalog, and watch campus related content on YouTube and iTunes.

#4 Austin Traffic
Want to find out what the commute will be like for school? The traffic app for Austin gives you real time traffic reporting in the Austin, TX area. Use this app to help decide if you want to blow off class for the day or hang out a little longer at happy hour before returning back to your apartment.

#5 Craigser (Austin)
Craigster is the iPhone application for Craigslist. Use this app to search for jobs in Austin, post or search the classifieds, and browse concerts and events. At 99 cents, you’re able to search all cities on Craigslist. You can bookmark your favorite searches, email listing to friends and call numbers directly from listings.

AUTHOR INFO
April Lentini writes for San-antonio.apartmentguide.com

#2 Artessa At Quarry Village Apartments
Located within walking distance of Austin’s exciting urban scene and penthouse views of the award winning Quarry Golf Course, Artessa gives you the best balance of tranquility and stimulation. Whether you want to feed off the energy of the Quarry Village main street or you just want to relax in one of four courtyards Artessa gives you space for your sense of place. Enjoy two pools, a wine tasting room with private wine lockers, a gym, and wi-fi in all common areas. Luxury amenities include a wet bar, designer appliances, crown molding, spacious kitchens, fireplaces, large bathrooms with separate wardrobes and walk-in closets.

#3 The Mansions at Canyon Springs Apartments
This luxury apartment community offers units with 1-5 bedroom and also has separate cottages with attached garages. Residents enjoy a massive health club which includes a pool, Jacuzzi, dry sauna, and private tanning room. This incredible country club residence is adjacent to the award-winning PGA Canyon Springs Golf Club. The “M” Spa allows tenants to pamper themselves from the comfort of their own home. Get top-of-the line treatment from expert skincare specialists, makeup artists, hair stylists, massage therapists, nail technicians and personal trainers.

#4 Verde Braun Station Apartments
When you live at Verde Braun Station you feel like you are being spoiled at a luxury hotel. Set in the midst of a private, heavily wooded area, you can be proud to have friends visit your apartment which has 9-ft. ceilings, crown molding, and designer color schemes. There is free wi-fi in the common area, a heated spa, a surround sound media room, a swimming pool with fountain and lap lanes, and covered parking available. This luxury apartment community also provides 24 hour emergency maintenance to its residents along with laundry services.

#5 The Crescent Apartments
Lush landscaping and a cozy, secluded neighborhood give these luxury apartments a distinguished style that you can be proud of. Relax with your neighbors under the gazebo in the courtyard area. Enjoy the large open floor plans, spacious oversized closets and oval garden tubs. With your best interest in mind, The Crescent provides its residents with limited access gates and intrusion alarms. Tired of taking the trash out? Enjoy the first class door-to-door trash pick-up!

AUTHOR INFO
April Lentini writes for San-antonio.apartmentguide.com

Full-time tuition at the University of Texas is about $5,000 per semester for Texas residents (double that for out-of-state tuition). If you choose to live on campus, a shared dorm room will cost you about $8,000 per semester (or $2,000 a month). Some people may consider 40k a small price to pay for four years of endless Frat parties, on-campus fast-food restaurants (handy for just rolling out of bed after a night of drinking) and not having to pay utility bills, but what if you don’t want to start your life in the red? Here are three smart ways to party like University of Texas student without actually enrolling there.

Enroll in a nearby community college

For a fraction of the cost of the tuition at UT, you can take classes at Austin’s Community College. It is not ranked in Playboys “Best Party School” list, but who said anything about partying there? You’re just taking classes. Go party with students from the University of Texas while you get your education on the cheap. If anything, you can get your “core classes” out of the way then transfer later. That’s about two years worth of tuition you’ll save on basic requirements.

Rent an apartment with a roommate

Many students believe that college dorms are over-rated. When you live in a dorm, you have very little privacy. Sharing space with a bunch of other party college students may sound fun, but be careful what you ask for. In a college dorm (especially a party college dorm), you are susceptible to loud music, stinky hallways, cruel pranks, and endless interruptions at any time of day or night. Not to mention it’s expensive. Renting an apartment with a roommate will not only save you a bunch of money, but it has other advantages too. With an off-campus apartment, you have options. You can choose to remove yourself from the party scene and only make an appearance on your terms (smart move) or, with all the extra space, a full kitchen, and perhaps a nice deck or patio, you can host the party yourself!

Get a job

You’re going to need some cash to fund the beer, snacks and other various party supplies. If you think relying on your student loan check is a good idea, think again. Getting a part-time job in college is smart. Not only does it provide you with some much needed income, it will give you something to put on your resume when you finally graduate and start looking for a job. If you’re in no hurry to graduate college (and who can blame you if you live near a top ranked party school), then working full time as you attend college part time is another smart option. You really win here because you get a full time paycheck and you double your time in college. Way to drag out the party years!

AUTHOR INFO
April Lentini writes for http://San-antonio.apartmentguide.com

“Why can’t I grow tomatoes in San Antonio?”

No garden is complete without home grown tomatoes. But many Texan gardeners complain about how difficult it is to grow a nice crop. One common reason is that all the gardening books (and even the tag on the tomato plants) tell you to plant tomatoes in full sun. In many places of the United States this works, but if you live in Texas, full sun can actually burn your plants during the sweltering summer months. This is also true for other plants and herbs including bell peppers and basil.

It’s for this reason growing a vegetable garden in a controlled environment has its advantages. If you have a patio or balcony, potted vegetable plants work great because you can move them around and control the balance of sunlight and shade. (Keep in mind that for San Antonio, “full sun” may actually mean “partial sun”.) Make sure your indoor pots have a drain hole, and then use the recommended mixture of garden soil and plant fertilizer to ensure a healthy growth.

Photo by: Whoisstan

Many vegetables and just about any herb can be grown in a single pot. Some of the easiest vegetables to grow in apartment patio containers are; tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, pole beans and lettuce. If you want to include some fruit, strawberries, and even some fruit trees will grow well in a large pot on your patio.

“What if I have no room on my small apartment patio for all those pots?”

Photo by: Donabel & Ewen

Lucky for you hanging upside down plants are all the rage! They take up no floor space and are easy to install as long as you a strong hook or pole to hang them on. You have probably seen the popular Topsy Turvy tomato planters advertised on TV. But a regular 5 gallon bucket works great too! Drill a 2-ich hole in the bucket, insert your seedling through the hole (upside down), and then fill the bucket with soil and fertilizer. Tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers grow really well upside down, as they are not as prone to damage from rodents and pests.

“What if my small apartment patio gets no sunlight?”

If your apartment is in San Antonio and you get no sunlight you may be a Texas rarity. However, anything is possible, and that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy fresh home grown vegetables anyway. Modern technology has made it possible to grow fresh herbs and vegetables all year round -rain or shine. Self-contained lighting and watering systems like the Areogarden may be the solution you are looking for. They take up minimal space and are practically fool proof. Just set the Areogarden on your kitchen counter, plug it in and watch the plants grow.

No matter what kind of space you currently live in or how uncooperative the weather may be in San Antonio, you can join the popular grass roots trend of growing your own organic fruits, herbs and vegetables. Not only is it economical (most of the time) but it’s generally a lot healthier and tastier too.

AUTHOR INFO
April Lentini is an avid amateur gardener. She has had some success with container gardening, upside down gardening, and hydroponic gardening with the Areogarden. April writes for San Antonio apartmentguide.com

Photo by: tracy ducasse

Holiday Storage Places

Look around your San Antonio apartment and decide where you are going to store your decorations. Under a bed, in a spare closet, or maybe you have a storage unit or space in your apartment complex. Then measure the area to get an idea of what size containers and approximately how many containers you will need.

Christmas Storage Boxes

Use clear plastic containers and bags so you can see what is inside without having to label or open every container. Don’t buy Christmas storage containers any larger than you need because once you fill them, they may be too heavy to carry and they may not fit in the space you want to store them. You may shop at your local Target, Wal-Mart, or on the Internet for basic storage containers.

Usually, right before Christmas they have a section just for storage containers and there are containers made for wreaths and Christmas tree storage. Go to The Container Store for containers that are hard to find. Remember, this is an investment to keep your decorations from breaking so you do not have to replace them.

Helpful Hints

• First, throw away broken ornaments and decorations.
• Give away decorations you do not want any more (Goodwill, Salvation Army)
• Throw away the cardboard boxes that many of your decorations came in, they tend to fall apart.
• Save newspapers, tissue paper and bubble wrap to use to wrap your decorations.
• Wrap your breakable decorations in tissue paper, then put them in small containers with extra newspaper or bubble wrap.
• If you have glass balls that came in divided boxes, keep the boxes and put them in a storage container. Do not stack anything heavy on them. The top shelf in a closet is a good place to keep them from breaking.
• Put Christmas wreaths in a clear plastic bag and store on the top of other containers where they will not get crushed.
• If you have an artificial tree, put in a large plastic bag and stand up in the corner of a closet.
• Put Christmas lights in individual bags so they will not get tangled and then in a medium size storage container so they will not be too heavy.
• Bows may be flattened to save space and then reshaped next year.
• Store decorations in a climate controlled area; otherwise they could melt or stick together.
• Mark containers with delicate decorations as FRAGILE, so you will not forget to be careful moving them next year.

With a little organization and investment, your decorations will be preserved and last for years. So, now you are all prepared for an evening of un-decorating in your San Antonio apartment.

If you want to get out of your San Antonio apartment and explore the places to go and things to do in this city at night, there are a number of hotspots that draw in locals and tourists alike. Some of the best places to go and things to do in San Antonio at night include:

Photo by: Ben

Houston Street

There are a number of bars and nightclubs that keep Houston Street alive and hopping. This part of San Antonio is considered the “party strip” by many. The options to check out here include Vbar, Davenport, Zen and Suede. The latter is one of the newest nightclubs on the strip.

Suede is loved for its VIP section in the mezzanine where you’ll pay more, but many say the price is worth the admission. Houston Street is also home to a number of other establishments, which makes taking a walk along its expanse well worth the time if you’re interested in checking out the local scene.

Riverwalk

The Riverwalk area in general is home to dozens of bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Some of the choices here include:

• Ruta Maya Riverwalk- where live music packs in the local college crowd.
• Dolores del Rio – which offers drinks, music and country Italian food.
• Esquire Tavern – which is known as Texas’ oldest continuously operating bar.

It offers affordable drinks and cheap jukebox music. If you’re not into the nightclub scene, the Riverwalk is also a great place to grab dinner and enjoy a beautiful stroll.

Photo by: Edward Mao

Tower of the Americas

Located in the downtown/Riverwalk area, this is a landmark that is worth taking in during the day and at night. Dinner in the revolving dining room of the Tower of the Americas will give you a view of San Antonio that is simply breathtaking.

The Majestic Theater

This historic theater, built in 1929, was restored and reopened in the late 1980s. Today it plays host to the San Antonio Symphony, live concerts, off-Broadway shows and more. If you love live performances, the Majestic is the place to go.

As beautiful as San Antonio is during the daytime, you’ll find a whole new world awaits after the sun goes down. The things to do in San Antonio at night will not disappoint.

Photo by: leafar

If you’re looking for a party in Texas, you might want to check out these events:

The First Friday Art Walk – Head to Southtown on the first Friday of each and every month for this major event featuring live performances, food, music, art and plenty of fun.

The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo – This major event generally takes place in late January and early February. It includes major rodeo performances, live bands, tons of food, a carnival and more.

Photo by: jfravel

Remembering the Alamo – Of all the San Antonio attractions, the Alamo might be the most famous. If you want to get out and really celebrate the past, March is the month to visit. During the annual event, the history of the Alamo is highlighted as those who died in the siege are honored. The event includes a recreation of the events in Alamo Plaza.

Fiesta Arts Fair and Fiesta – A San Antonio tradition since the 1800s, this event is a 10-day celebration that takes a hold of the entire city. During Fiesta, you will find carnivals, fireworks, plenty of food, art displays, shopping, live entertainment and more. Fiesta takes place in April each year.

Juneteeth – This event recognizes the day that Texas’ slaves were told about the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth runs for several days in the month of June (around June 19) and includes a festival, freedom celebrations, a picnic and more.

Living in San Antonio apartments will give you access to a calendar that’s jam packed with special events. While this city might not have the jet setting appeal of New York or LA, it moves to a beat that’s all its own!

Photo by: programwitch

1. Some people feel their vote won’t count so they say ‘Why vote’?
2. Students and employees report they are too busy to take time off from work or school.
3. Some Americans are not interested in voting or politics.
4. People who are ill or disabled can’t get to the polls.
5. Illegal immigrants are not authorized to vote.
6. Many non-voters say they just don’t like the candidates.
7. Some residents don’t have transportation to get to the polls.
8. Citizens might be out of town on vacation or business trips.
9. Forgetting to vote is a common explanation.
10. Many Americans complain the voting lines are too long.

Whether you are in a San Antonio home or elsewhere in the United States, it feels good to take part in voting and exercise your right to cast an election ballot.