Courtyard Marriott Tyler Texas

November 5th, 2010

Court Yard Marriot in Tyler

Courtyard Marriott
7424 S. Broadway Ave.
Tyler, TX. 75703
(903) 509-4411

My wife and I recently returned to Tyler to celebrate our ninth wedding anniversary. We were fortunate enough to spend two nights in the beautiful, new Courtyard Marriott Hotel. We did have a little trouble getting in at first. My parents are part owners of a Courtyard Marriott and so they get a special discount which they are able to pass on to family and friends. Well, the hotel was having a bit of a hard time verifying all of our info so we had to call and have a new fax sent to them etc. Anyway, that was the only difficulty we had during our stay. The rest was great.

The whole hotel is really nicely decorated. Their is a small restaurant and coffee bar in the lobby of the hotel. They have a pool, hot tub, and exercise room. The TV lover in your family will adore this place. They have a big, plasma screen TV next to all the elevators so you don’t have to miss a minute of TV.
We did have one problem with the TV in our room. It wouldn’t turn on. At first I thought that the batteries in the remote control were dead. But I called the front desk and learned the true cause of the problem. Apparently people like to swivel the TV and this loosens the power cord in the back. I finally found the one she was talking about and we were in business.

My wife and I thought our room was really beautiful and classy. We had a king-size bed and nice little fold out couch. The wardrobe, desk etc. are stained a nice dark red like cherry wood. The paintings, bedding etc. were all really tasteful.
The room also has a mini-fridge in it if you need to keep some food cold like we did.

We had a lot of fun one afternoon swimming with our three boys in the pool. It’s a pretty small pool but it was great for them because they are still learning to swim and there weren’t any really deep parts. Also, we were the only people in the pool, so we had the run of the place. Another thing I really like about the pool room is that there is a bathroom with a shower right in it. That means you don’t have to pee in the pool. It also means that you can change your clothes before and after and take a shower there if you want.

The Courtyard Marriott is conveniently located across from a big movie theater and nearby several great restaurants such as Bernard’s and Fish City Grill.
If you have the money to spend, or if you can get a good discount like us, I think the Courtyard Marriott is one of the nicest places to stay in Tyler. I would definitely like to stay there again on our next visit to Tyler.

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The Brewtones Galaxy in Tyler Texas

May 27th, 2010

The search for Tyler area activities to write about has led me to the part time coffee bar, part time church, known to patrons and parishioners respectively as the Brewtones Galaxy, or the Vineyard Church of Tyler. The Brewtones coffee shop has become a well known venue for local artists, musicians, modern-day beatniks, and twenty-somethings in general, to gather for a cup of Joe and an “unplugged” musical performance by area indie bands that are usually quietly Christian. The venue is not large but it provides a slightly bigger than intimate setting, for area young people to gather and take in various musical performances.

The primary mission of the café is to provide a place for local and out of town bands often on the cusp of real commercial success, to play to a somewhat more, but not exclusively religious crowd. The Vineyard Church has always had as part of its mission to reach out to younger, more under-churched people. Given this focus, the Brewtones Galaxy is a sort of natural partnership. Attendees are not likely to hear any kind of homily or gospel reading, but it is an opportunity to mix with other college aged youth in an environment they may or may not be otherwise interested in. Past performances have come from artists like Eisley, Sleeping at last, Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot fame) The Rocketboys, Christi Dupree and others. If most of the names are not immediately familiar that’s not surprising. But many area young people cooler than I would recognize these bands in short order.

On May twenty eight, the band entitled Moving Castles, (apparently a reference to the novel and film by the same name), will be performing at Brewtones in Tyler, in honor of the release of their new CD. The doors open at seven and admission is ten dollars a person. For more information see the Brewtones website at http://www.myspace.com/brewtones. They are located at 5201 S. Broadway Ave., in Tyler. For more on the band Moving Castles, visit http://movingcastles.com/. To read more about The Vineyard Church in Tyler go to www.tylervineyard.com, or look for the article entitled The Vineyard Church of Tyler located elsewhere on this site.

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Brookshires Grocery Store

February 8th, 2010

Brookshires in Tyler Texas

100 Rice Road
Tyler
903 561 7943

This family-friendly Christian owned and operated grocery store in the center of the popular shopping area in Tyler is a delight to shop at.

As you walk into the store you will be surprised at the quality and variety of fruit and vegetables on sale. Much of the produce available is organic and grown locally too. Look out for samples of their seasonal items.

Brookshires Grocery Store

Before you start to shop you might want to treat yourself to a gourmet coffee – sold just inside the door on the left at the coffee bar. You will notice that there are many who take advantage of the little cafe area there too. If you have time you could stop and drink your coffee while you look at the weekly paper containing details of the latest special offers at Brookshires. Of particular note is the meat section -they have the most amazing deals on particular cuts of meat and these offers change weekly.

Continue on through the store stopping perhaps at the excellent delicatessen or the bakery section where you can buy delicious breads of all sorts of types and containing healthy grains, baked in store. The meat section is very good too and the seafood is one of the best in a supermarket around here.

As for the rest of the store – it is clearly laid out and you will find all sorts of goodies here that you won’t see at Walmart.

Brookshires tries to cater for all palates and budgets and this is reflected in the choice available. ‘Food Club’ is their own brand of goods. If you come from ‘out of town’ like me then be sure to look for the International section where you can buy various familiar food items from Europe. There is also a significant Asian and Mexican section.

The food at Brookshires is slightly more pricey than at Walmart – though the special offers favor comparably. However, the shopping experience is so much nicer and the variety of goods they stock is amazing for East Texas. I have to add that the customer care is second to none – all the staff are so helpful and attentive to your needs. They make you feel valued and important here.

Don’t forget there is a bank instore, a photo shop and an excellent pharmacy, where you can make use of $4 generic prescriptions. There is even a drive-thru pick-up service.

One quick word about prices – there is a dual pricing system – one for the regular shopper and the other for visitors. If you plan to shop at Brookshires more than once, get yourself a ‘Thank you card’ by applying at the cash register or customer services. This means that you qualify for the lower prices and special offers. Don’t worry, they won’t bombard you with junk mail and they won’t give your personal details to any other company. You must present this card when checking out to receive the lower prices.

As you leave the store, enjoy the chance to have your bags packed for you (you can request brown bags rather than plastic or use our own and receive 5c back for each one used). Your cart will then be loaded and your shopping placed in your car for you. Don’t even think about tipping for this – it is all part of the everyday service at Brookshires.

One other thing to note – kids are welcomed at Brookshires. There are mini shopping carts for kid’s use and at the bakery they will happily offer your child a free cookie (while you drool over the amazing cakes on sale).
Altogether a nice experience – shopping at Brookshires in Rice Road is to be recommended.

Tags: Bakery, brookshires, Brookshires Grocery Store, Budgets, Coffee Bar, Cuts Of Meat, Delicatessen, Delicious Breads, Food Club, Food Items, Fruit And Vegetables, Gourmet Coffee, Grains, Grocery Store, Meat Section, Palates, Rice Road, Shopping Area, Shopping Experience, Tyler Texas, Walmart
Posted in Grocery Stores | 1 Comment »

Brookshires Grocery Store

September 2nd, 2009

Brookshire’s, Tyler, TX(Located on Broadway and Rice just south of the Loop)

10 out of 10 Stars – Rate Brookshires Grocery

Besides basic Tyler grocery store needs, this Brookshire’s has some attributes that some may not know about. Some specialty areas which are located on west part of the store include: A Coffee Bar/Shop, a Chinese Restaurant, a Sushi Bar, a Deli Counter, an Olive Bar, and a Salad Bar. Having these extras available in a neighborhood grocery store is rare and at least one can be utilized by most any customer. My favorite part of the store is Brookshire’s Sushi Bar. It has an excellent selection of basic sushi trays at a good price. Another advantage of the sushi bar is the convenience for those who are on a limited budget and maybe even limited time if you should be craving sushi. Since the store is open for 24 hours, the sushi trays are also available for those operating hours. However, one should keep in mind that because the sushi is made during the early part of the day and the actual sushi bar is only open until late evening, the later in the evening, the less chance of finding the variety one might desire.

Tags: Attributes, Broadway, Brookshires Customer Reviews, Brookshires Grocery, Brookshires Grocery Store, Brookshires Tyler Texas, Budget, Chinese Restaurant, Coffee Bar, Convenience, Late Evening, Limited Time, Loop 10, Neighborhood Grocery Store, Operating Hours, Salad Bar, Stars, Sushi Bar, Sushi Trays
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