I can't believe another year has slipped by and the modern home tour is upon us again. Tickets are on sale today for $30, or they can be purchased tomorrow for $40 at any house. While the lineup is as impressive as always there are a few that I am particularly excited about. Here are my top 4 picks in no particular order: 

This week East Austin lost another local landmark the Jumpolin Piñata store on East Cesar Chavez. It's not the first, and certainly not the last, but it has sparked renewed debate about the effects of gentrification in the city. I used to live a block away from Jumpolin, and have fond memories of buying balloon and piñatas there. You can read more about the demolition, and how it was done with all of the store owners products still inside the store here, here, and here. I'll let you come to your own conclusions. For me, the last straw is the fact that it appears the demo was all part of an application to have sufficient parking for a SXSW event.

Living in East Austin I've always felt a little guilty. I'm pretty much the exact definition of

A home is so much more than just four walls and a roof. It's a place where you carve out your little space in this world and fill it full of memories. It's where you return at the end of a work day or the end of an adventure. It's where friends meet, glasses clink and laughter comes easy. Where you choose to carve out that space is one the biggest choices we make in life. 

This is the first in many future posts that peels back the curtains and takes a peek inside not just someone's space, but someone's life. This one happens to be inside the home for sale at 5413 Agatha in Agave, where the adorable couple that lives there have managed to create a place that truly represents them and their lives. The next chapter in their life is taking them away from this fine city. What would your life look like in their space?

Much has been written about the East Austin restaurant Qui, by food critics far more knowledgeable and talented than I. I have no intentions of waxing poetic about the perfect combinations of sweet, salty and umami (though I would love to) or the creative use of platting or the brilliant interior decorating. As we slowly get ready to transition towards spring, one of my favorite months in Austin, I wanted to touch on what it's like to have a great restaurant like Qui right in your neighborhood.

When Qui was just getting ready to open. I was super excited to have such a top notch restaurant right in my neighborhood, but guess what. When it finally did open, I found myself walking right past the door and into the Liberty to grab a beer and some Chicken Karaage from East Side King. I'm not sure if I was intimidated by the big white building or what, but it almost felt too nice for the east side. 

The first time I ate there was many months later when some friends were in town. A group of us managed to make our way through the entire menu (this is before they were prix fixe) and quite a few cocktails. Though the menu was full. . .