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And actors Drew Barrymore and Justin Long tell us that love will always find a way. In the duo’s newest film Going the Distance, Long and Barrymore portray two people who spend six great weeks together until the relationship meets its first giant obstacle when Barrymore’s character has to fly cross-country. They both commit to making the long distance relationship work, but of course problems will arise, especially when it comes to Hollywood.

The movie is being met with mixed reviews by critics but looks like a good twist on your typical romantic comedy. Justin Long is always likable with whatever character he plays, and Drew Barrymore can be considered pretty consistent when it comes to her acting ability. The supporting cast is also phenomenal, which includes Christina Applegate, Jim Gaffigan, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis.

If you’re planning on going to see Going the Distance this weekend, the nearest cinemas to our community here at The Preserve at Arbor Hills is the Cinemark Legacy on the North Central Expressway, only a few miles away!

If you go see the movie, let us know how it was! Just a leave a comment on this post.

Texas has some great local markets that are spread all around the Dallas and Fort Worth area, but there seems to be no other market that garners the respect and adoration of Texas residents like the Grapevine Market.

Located in the town of Grapevine (which is only about 18 miles from our community here at The Preserve at Arbor Hills), the Grapevine Market is a European-style shopping experience, with an open-air marketplace and local vendors selling various products from fresh produce to hand-crafted souvenirs.

Sure, there may be some local farmers markets that are slightly closer to Plano than the Grapevine Market, but none of those seem to come close to the magnitude than this one, which is why several people continue to flock to this particular market.

Being Labor Day weekend soon, the Grapevine Market will be having several musical acts and other festivities going on this weekend. Check out the Grapevine Market’s website to find out who will be performing and when. So if you don’t have any plans yet for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, be sure to stop by the Grapevine Market!

We may be going into September, but it’s not too late to circle the date for Plano’s Ocktoberfest. The festival is arranged and put on by the Southlake Chamber of Commerce every year, and the festival is now in it’s 9th year and is expected to draw at least 50,000 people.

The festival will be held Oct. 1-3 and will be modeled after Munich’s Ocktoberfest featuring a German-style beer and food pavilion. Visitors can expect to feast on traditional German food, or you can find other favorites like corn dogs, hot-dogs and hamburgers.

The biggest event is the Weiner Dog Race. This year’s race is expecting 100 entries. There will be a doggie parade beginning at 11 a.m. on Oct. 2nd. Races will begin shortly after the parade, and there will be prizes for the winner of the race and the best dressed dog in the doggie parade.

There will be plenty of family and children activities with a concert closing out the festivities every evening. For more information about vendors, activities, and the races, you can contact the Southlake Chamber of Commerce at 817-481-8200 or visit the Southlake Chamber website for more details.

Amid the rushing traffic of downtown Dallas, the rising building of the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science forges on. Although the museum’s completion date is not until 2012, Dallas residents will be able to view the construction of the building that will add to the list of museums serving the  public.

To generate conversation about the museum, officials are inviting visitors to come out and view the building plans that are in motion at the Museum Construction Center. The center houses the maps, scale models and interior plans which will be put on display after completion. Visitors in attendance will navigate through the construction process then view workers from an observational deck. The museum will be complete with 10 exhibition galleries, a children’s gallery, and an outdoor playground.

The Perot Museum of Nature & Science has already raised $135,000 for the construction, but still needs to raise an additional $50,000. The fundraiser, called the Final Fifty, will help to find the funds needed to finish the project.

On Sat., Aug. 28th, the museum is inviting the public to come out and visit them during this pivotal moment in their building process. On hand, museum reps will be able to answer questions about the museum and walk visitors through the construction process.

For additional information about the museum, residents at Preserve @ Arbor Hills can visit the website.

Before there was Nirvana, there was The Pixies. Much of what pop rock is today owes some homage to The Pixies. With their obscure subject matter, they dominated much of the 80’s and early 90’s until their parting in 1993. But since their reunion in 2003, they have been bringing their music back to the masses with tours and concerts.

Celebrating their 20th anniversary of Doolittle, The Pixies are on tour in South America, and they are coming to the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on Sept. 19th.

You can be sure they will play all their much loved songs such as Gigantic, Here Comes Your Man, Monkey Gone To Heaven and Where Is My Mind, made famous by the hit movie Fight Club.

The Grand Prairie Theatre is located about 40 mins. from Perserve at Arbor Hills. Here is a map of the route from the apartments from Google. Tickets can be purchased at the Ticketmaster website for the Sept. 19th concert.

This week is one of the best weeks for eating at restaurants in the Dallas area. Not only are there a multitude of great dining establishments, but several of these restaurants are participating in Dallas’ Restaurant Week.

What exactly does this mean? Besides getting quite a discount on your meals from various restaurants, a majority of what you pay will go towards charitable organizations in the Dallas area.

For a list of restaurants participating in Dallas’ Restaurant Week, visit OpenTable’s website for more information. There are several restaurants not too far from The Preserves at Arbor Hills that are on the list as well. Have you gone to any of the participating restaurants in the Dallas area?

Summertime is almost over! That means the Texas heat will be leaving and the beautiful fall weather will be making its way into the city, and what better time to enjoy the beautiful nature of Texas than the autumn season?

There are some great places around the DFW area to enjoy some of the best nature Texas has to offer, so which one is your favorite? Is it Cedar Hill State Park? What about Lake Tawakoni? Perhaps it’s Purtis Creek State Park.

Whichever it is, let us know by taking our newest poll! If there’s one we don’t have listed, let us know what your favorite “nature spot” is by leaving a comment!

2 for 1 deals don’t necessarily just apply to a game golf like we mentioned in our last post on Pecan Hollow Golf Course. You can get the same kind of deal if you visit Plano’s Cox Building Playhouse on H Avenue.

For residents of The Preserves at Arbor Hills, this theater is only a few miles away, so don’t forget about it when you’re thinking of something to do this weekend!

From August 12th to August 28th, theater-goers can see two great plays for the price of one (which ticket prices are $15 except for Thursday which is “pay what you can” day), both produced by the Core Theatre. The two plays that will be performed are Blood on Gold and The Deed. Both plays are recommended for viewers over the age of 13.

If you plan on going to check out this double feature of plays at the Cox Building Playhouse, tell us how it was by leaving a comment!

It may be pretty hot in Plano during the month of August, but that won’t stop golfers from taking advantage of the great deals that go on around the public courses.

The Pecan Hollow Golf Course is having a great deal during the month of August. If you buy one riding round of golf between 11am and 4pm, you get one riding round free! So go out with a golfing buddy of yours and split the cost of one to play a great round of golf at Pecan Hollow. The course also offers several online specials and you can even book your tee times online.

If you’re interested in checking out the luscious greens and fairways of one of Plano’s best courses, the Pecan Hollow Golf Course is located at 4501 E. 14th Street, only a few miles away from our community here at The Preserves!

Photo Courtesy of Pecan Hollow Golf Course

The Kings of Leon have been scouring the country on their latest US tour, and one of their several stops before heading overseas will be in Dallas! They will be playing at the Superpages.com Center on September 23rd in front of what is sure to be a sold-out crowd come showtime.

The success of Kings of Leon has been remarkable over the last 18 months. With their 2008 release Only By The Night reaching seemingly unheard-of popularity, the band jumped from being a small-venue band in the states to playing massive arenas and headlining major festivals in a year’s time.

I had the luxury of seeing Kings of Leon play live recently and they are definitely one of the best bands to see live. If you want to see the band when they come to town, tickets are available through Ticketmaster’s website.

So if you’re a Preserve at Arbor Hills resident, head to downtown Dallas and witness one of the best bands in the world!

Are you planning on going to see Kings of Leon at the Superpages.com Center? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Image via Wikipedia

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