Austin

Sometimes you just fall in love with a certain restaurant. Could be the atmosphere, could be the food or could just be the good times you shared there. For me, Galaxy Cafe is one of those places. I have spent so many good times there with friends -- catching up over coffee, eggs or burgers -- that it has become one of my very favorite places to go. In fact, I can't go longer than a few weeks without going these days.

That's why I wrote this review of Galaxy Cafe, which has three locations in Austin. From quiche and breakfast wraps to burgers and pasta, there's a little something for everyone at this modern, trendy joint. Do yourself a favor and check out the menu online, then head to one of the three locations to give it a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

As the mom of a 3-year-old and an 8-month-old, I'm always looking for fun new things to do with kids in the Austin area. Thankfully, Austin has a lot to offer in that department. From lake activities to a wonderful children's museum to parks where they could play for hours, there's a little something for children of all ages.

In the spirit of new things for kids, I wrote this round-up of some fun things to try with your little ones next time you're looking for something fun to do. There's a good range here, from exciting ways to watch movies to live theater action to getting their hands dirty at the Austin Nature Center. Tell me, what's your favorite thing to do with little ones in Austin?

The first time I met a celebrity in Austin it was a completely random afternoon. I was walking near the University of Texas campus when I saw none other than Kevin Spacey walking directly toward me. My hearted started beating fast as I tried to decide if I should say something. As he got within a few feet of me, I said nervously, "Mr. Spacey -- I'm a huge fan!" He graciously thanked me, shook my hand and continued walking.

Little did I know that it's actually quite easy to meet celebrities in Austin. All you need is a little planning. That's why I compiled this list of places where you can meet your favorite author, actor or artist. Just look at the schedules of upcoming events ahead of time and plan your afternoon.

It's March, which means that in just a few days Austin will be flooded with celebrities of the film, music and interactive varieties. While the South by Southwest festival may be one of the exciting times of the year for many Austinites, the high badge prices keep it from being a reality for many others.

Not so fast. There are ways for you to attend this year's SXSW festival without spending a dime. First of all, the city hosts a slew of free events associated with the festival, including a free concert series on Auditorium Shores (Counting Crows are one of the headliners this year), a guitar and poster show, and various arcade games set up across town.

Want even more access? You can sign up to become one of SXSW's 2,000 volunteers, who do everything from greet out-of-town registrants, to work tables at the Austin Convention Center, to assist with music production. If that sounds cool, check out the official SXSW site for more details.

SXSW photo.

I'll be the first to admit that I was once skeptical about the whole food truck craze. After all, did I really want to eat my dinner off a paper plate outside an old Airstream in a gravel parking lot?

Nowhere are food trucks more ubiquitous than Austin (OK, maybe New York City), where you can find everything from crepes to deep-fried avocados served out the window of a small trailer.

But rather than shy away from its distinction as a food truck Mecca, Austin has decided to celebrate its counter culture (no pun intended) with an annual Gypsy Picnic, which will bring together more than 40 food trucks on the banks of Auditorium Shores.

Sponsors of the event, which is scheduled for March 24, are promising a huge number of vendors, free admission and live music throughout the day. It seems like a pretty cool deal that's definitely worth a visit.

The drought has affected several planned Independence Day events across Central Texas.

And though Austin canceled its annual pyrotechnic show and musical celebration on Lady Bird Lake, surrounding areas still plan to offer events like parades, festivals and, yes, fireworks.

To see the current status of local events, visit the July 4 events calendar here.

Anyone delayed by the weekend construction closures of Interstate 35 or just frustrated with the daily slowdowns will be interested to hear that the Austin City Council recently approved a $1 million traffic study to find ways to ease congestion.

The global engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff Americas will study the feasibility of such projects cutting accident response times and altering traffic light timing to see whether smaller solutions would have a bigger impact than adding lanes.

And in other City Hall news, the council delayed a vote on the controversial Formula One project until June 29. At the most recent City Council meeting, members expressed concerns that pending contracts had not been fully vetted and about potential loopholes related to environmental and tax concerns.

Mayor Lee Leffingwell, the only member of the City Council who voted against the delay, recently told the Austin American-Statesman, "It could kill the deal for the City of Austin."

However, other council members expressed discomfort over details in the contracts and said they wanted time to scrutinize them further.

"It's the responsible thing on our part to take the time to do this right," Council Member Laura Morrison told the Statesman.

The Austin F1 project has both strong supporters and detractors, who have debated everything from the extent of the race's economic impact to the role of the state in the financial arrangements. A lawyer for F1 organizers told the Austin City Council that its delay could endanger the deal, though construction has already begun near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Talk about a boost for live music in Austin: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded Texas Performing Arts at the University of Texas a $450,000 to expand the scope of its classical music program over the next three years.

And thanks to a few university officials, who are matching the Mellon gift, the program will get a total of $900,000 to complete its mission.

The funds will support interdisciplinary programming, artist residencies, composer commissions and the formation of a classical music task force.

Former Planning Commission member Kathie Tovo defeated incumbent Randi Shade for the Place 3 City Council Seat. And the surprising thing was that more people voted in the runoff than in the May general election.

Tovo garnered about 56 percent of the vote in the runoff with Shade collecting about 44 percent.

According to election figures provided by the City of Austin, overall turnout for the runoff was just under 10 percent, or 42,626 registered voters. That's nearly 10,000 more voters than the number that participated in the May 14 general election.

So, as if the loss of the fireworks wasn't enough, the Austin Symphony Orchestra announced that it will not be performing its yearly July 4 show on Auditorium Shores.

The orchestra's performance of patriotic music on the Fourth of July draws an estimated 100,000 people to the shores of Lady Bird Lake.

But with Travis County and the City of Austin putting a stop to public fireworks displays and consumer fireworks sales, organizers thought that the crowds just wouldn't turn out for the 2011 event. The decision also took into account a potential shortage of funds from donors -- it just didn't make financial sense to go forward.

2011 will be the first year in 35 years that the Austin show will not go on.

But if you had your heart set on seeing an Independence Day fireworks extravaganza and don't mind a short drive, the City of Kyle will still be holding one. In fact, because it's one of the few shows still scheduled and with larger crowds expected, Kyle moved the show from Gregg-Clarke Park to the Plum Creek Golf Course Driving Range. That's at the southwest corner of Kyle Parkway and Kohler's Crossing, and visitors should be able to see the fireworks from various parking lots in the area. The show will start about 9:30 p.m. on July 4.