Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines.
1. Texas company books unique lodgings for the ultimate Hill Country getaway. Latching onto rising interest in easy getaways, Texas-based vacation rental provider Top Trip Rentals has rebranded as Lodgewell and plans to extend its reach throughout the state and nationwide. Lodgewell connects customers with private furnished homes primarily in the Texas Hill Country, placing particular emphasis on memorable or unique abodes that cater to each guest's specific needs.
2. Crispy Filipino fried chicken from Jollibee makes Dallas debut in Plano. Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee, known for its crispy fried chicken, debuted its first Dallas-area location. The chain opened a restaurant in Plano at 1016 Preston Rd., in a former Pollo Tropical space, on Thursday, August 20. Jollibee West Plano is their third store in Texas and their 45th store in the U.S.
3. New York's most famous chocolate chip cookie is now available in Dallas. If you're a cookie freak, you already know about the Levain chocolate chip cookie made by Levain Bakery in New York. They have such a following that fans have been known to make field trips to New York to get them. Come September, you can buy them in Dallas.
4. Hidden park in Arlington with enticing name is a joyously hilly enclave. Dallas resident Stacy Breen is an intrepid explorer of local culture, and her adventures are now taking her to parks around Dallas-Fort Worth. She recently discovered Crystal Canyon, a 37-acre preserve in North Arlington with a half-mile soft-surface trail, through forest and hilly, rocky terrain.
5. Omni Las Colinas Hotel debuts 3 new restaurants and fancy lakefront pool. The former Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas is now Omni Las Colinas Hotel, a newly renovated property that recently received a $13 million facelift. The transformation includes an interior redesign, redesign of the pool area, and introduction of three new dining concepts.
The Bloomhouse, Austin, a Lodgewell rental property.
