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Retreat at Mountain Brook
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Year: 2021

Participate in our SPOOKTACULAR Halloween sprit week!! We are holding a contest for the best Halloween decorations with so many categories, including your furry friends!! Submit your photos by emailing them to retreatatmountainbrook@arlingtonproperties.net from now until October 22nd. Voting will …

Participate in our SPOOKTACULAR Halloween sprit week!! 🎃👻 We are holding a contest for the best Halloween decorations with so many categories, including your furry friends!! Submit your photos by emailing them to retreatatmountainbrook@arlingtonproperties.net from now until October 22nd. Voting will take place October 25th-October 28th. Prizes will be awarded with each category (see 2nd photo for all categories). Happy Halloweek and GOOD LUCK! #halloween #rmb #apartmentliving #apartmentevents #spookyseason #happyhalloween #rmbresidentevents

Participate in our SPOOKTACULAR Halloween sprit week!! We are holding a contest for the best Halloween decorations with so many categories, including your furry friends!! Submit your photos by emailing them to retreatatmountainbrook@arlingtonproperties.net from now until October 22nd. Voting will …

Participate in our SPOOKTACULAR Halloween sprit week!! 🎃👻 We are holding a contest for the best Halloween decorations with so many categories, including your furry friends!! Submit your photos by emailing them to retreatatmountainbrook@arlingtonproperties.net from now until October 22nd. Voting will take place October 25th-October 28th. Prizes will be awarded with each category (see 2nd photo for all categories). Happy Halloweek and GOOD LUCK! #halloween #rmb #apartmentliving #apartmentevents #spookyseason #happyhalloween #rmbresidentevents

TAILGATING INSIDE & OUT—THE IDEA SPECIALISTS™ AT THE RETREAT AT MOUNTAIN BROOK IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, SHARE THEIR TIPS

UAB Football Stadium

Root for your team at local faves Otey’s Tavern & Avondale Brewing Company Whether you bleed crimson and white, orange and blue, or gold and green, this season the Idea Specialists™ at the upscale Retreat at Mountain Brook apartment home community in Birmingham, Alabama, have some tailgating tips for you! Family & Friends, Food & Fun Tailgating with family and friends is first and foremost about the fellowship and fun of sharing in the excitement of game day–not to be confused with enjoying ESPN’S popular College GameDay, which is also big fun! Whether you gather together on campus, in a stadium parking lot, or in your comfortable den or the Retreat at Mountain Brook clubhouse, food and drink are key players to have on the field.   Depending on the time set for kickoff, you might want to have brunch and mimosas or some beer and bottled water with afternoon burgers and baked beans. Either way, the Publix at Montclair Place has you covered with its extensive selection of regular and craft beers, sparkling and still waters, and pre-made mimosas in bottles! Perfect for when you’re planning to set up near Protective Stadium, the new home football field of the UAB Blazers; you can just leave them in your cooler while you welcome the team as they make their Blazer Walk. Maybe you can count on friend Ragan to always show up with his famous chicken wings and special sauce, or maybe you’d rather let Publix  do the heavy lifting when it comes to grilled meats and party platters. Either way, if you’re rooting on the Crimson Tide you’ll for sure want to have on hand that classic University of Alabama student and alumni favorite adult beverage—a Yellowhammer! While Gallettes, the bar inside the Campus Party Store near Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has never shared the recipe for this cup of tropical sweetness, Garden & Gun says the ingredients are a combination of orange juice, pineapple juice, white rum, amaretto, and vodka served over ice. We’ve been known to mix ours with a plastic shaker stick while yelling Roll Tide (or singing Sweet Home Alabama!). Tasty Treats And speaking of brunch, who better to turn to than the inimitable Southern Living for recipes that will have your guests cheering for the way you’ve upped your hospitality game. They’ve put together a list of “45 Super Tasty Tailgate Treats To Make Ahead For Game Day” that the Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists™ have bookmarked, and you should, too! From Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels to Muddy Buddy Mix to Pepper-Pepper Cheese Dip, there something for everybody to enjoy as the soak up the gameday atmosphere on the Plains at your tailgate at Auburn University’s Graves Amphitheater. Especially if you stop by Byron’s Smokehouse on Opelika Road for some ribs on the way. (Did somebody say War Eagle?) Score With Comfort & Convenience Cute top for her from Gameday Couture? Check. Comfy T-shirt from Vintage Sports for him? Double-check! With everybody dressed and ready to go, the next thing to do if you’re going to tailgate near Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield, Alabama, is make sure you have comfortable seats, a good cooler, and enough table space for everything you’re sharing with your personal teammates. One favorite of the Idea Specialists™ from an HGTV list of “tailgating essentials” is a Giantex Folding Grill Table; you can get something similar online for not much more than $100. Then, once you’re ready to go inside, you can enjoy both the athletic prowess of the Miles College Golden Bears, and the fantastic halftime entertainment provided by the school’s Purple Marching Machine! Pub & Grub There are lots of fun sports bars convenient to the Retreat at Mountain Brook in Birmingham, Alabama. If you and your crowd don’t already have a favorite place to spend a Saturday afternoon or Sunday evening (we know a lot of y’all pull for the Saints, Falcons, and Titans!), you can always count on Otey’s Tavern for a good time.  And, like the Retreat at Mountain Brook community, Avondale Brewing Company is pet-friendly—you can enjoy watching the game with your furry friend!

Luxury Towels for Luxury Apartment Living at The Retreat at Mountain Brook in Birmingham, Alabama

waffle bath sheets

Special Finds For Your Home at Three Sheets & Alabama Goods in Homewood Time for new towels? Maybe you’re moving into your luxurious apartment home in Birmingham, Alabama, at the Retreat at Mountain Brook and need to stock up, or maybe you’re just ready to replace the ones you received as a gift from your Aunt Susan a few years ago. Either way, the Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists ™ have got you covered. In high-quality Turkish cotton, of course. Bath Towel Basics First let’s talk about what bath towels are made of—and maybe answer that pressing question of why the ones we get at spas and hotels often seem so much nicer than what we have at home. The folks over at the HGTV website put together a list of 12 bath towels for different budgets and styles, and included some important information about what makes a towel “good.” Namely, it’s GSM, or grams per square meter (kind of like the thread count of sheets). The baseline is 400, they say; anything less than that and you’ll be drying off with a scratchy towel that doesn’t do a very good job of absorbing water. If you get up to the 620-900 range, then you’re into the world of super-plush spa and hotel luxury linens. The next factor to consider is material. While some towels are made of bamboo or modal, most are cotton. If you’re looking for super-soft, look for Egyptian or Turkish cotton with their long fibers. (Be a smart shopper and don’t get taken in by “Turkish-style” in the name—it’s not the same!) Located in the heart of Homewood, Three Sheets (a linen shop) is a convenient place to go and feel the lushness that is an Abyss & Habidecor Egyptian cotton bath towel for yourself. If you’re looking for something a little more mainstream, you can’t go wrong with the Wamsutta Classic Turkish in white, usually easily available from Bed, Bath & Beyond.   Clean & Pretty No matter what kind of towels you have, the Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists™ have some tips on how to make them a pleasant part of your bathroom dĂŠcor. You’ve got towels that feel good; it’s important to make sure they smell good, too. Learning how to launder your linens is one key to achieving that “hotel towel experience.” Most resorts provide all-white towel sets, sometimes monogrammed. The standard color scheme means less sorting in the laundry, and white towels look crisp and clean when stacked neatly on the vanity or in the shower, or in a favorite basket or hamper. The experts say less is more when it comes to detergent and towels, and instead of using bleach and fabric softener, use baking soda and vinegar for stain treatment and softness. Many hotels use HTD Heavy Duty Detergent, which is sold in bulk. If you’re not up for buying a 25 lb. pail of washing machine soap from Worldwide Janitor, though, other pleasant-smelling heavy-duty options available at the grocery store or on Amazon are Persil ProClean, Gain, and, of course, that classic: Tide Original.   Color & Convenience Consider adding a pop of whimsy and color to your bathroom with one of custom-designed hand towels available from Alabama Goods in Homewood. You also can make sure your guests don’t have to fret about using “the good towels” after they wash their hands by offering them the convenient option of cloth-like paper hand towels, which come in so many colors and patterns, and can be personalized with your initials and more. You can find some steals at the Tuesday Morning on Montclair Road, and are guaranteed good quality if you go the online route with PaperStyle.   Seasonal Sales   It’s always a good idea to keep your eyes out for seasonal sales, not just the traditional January white sale. As summer winds down, beach towels of all sizes, shapes, and materials are on the offer. We’re particular fans of the Linum Home Personalized Alara Turkish Pestemal now marked down at Macy’s. The Strategist has put together a list of the best beach towels on Amazon “According to Hyperenthusiastic Reviewers,” if you’re looking for other ideas.   Out With The Old Now that you’ve got your new towels nicely displayed in your powder room, what to do with the old ones? If you’re in the mood for some simple arts and crafts, you can always cut your old towels into strips, braid them together, tie knots on each end, then pull the ends together and tie an overhead knot in the center: Voila! Homemade dog toy! Or use your old towels to wipe down your precious pup after y’all have been out to play at the Retreat at Mountain Brook’s pet-friendly park. Don’t have a fuzzy friend of your own? You can always donate your old towels to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

Keeping Your Cool in the Dog Days of Summer

Home is Where the Pool Is

The Retreat at Mountain Brook in Birmingham, Alabama, is definitely a pet-friend luxury apartment community, but even we get tired of the “dog” days of summer—all they fetch is more heat and humidity!   Not to worry, though: Our Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists™ have some ideas on how we can keep our cool during this stretch of sweltering weather, which, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “coincides with the year’s heliacal (meaning ‘at sunrise’) rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris—the ‘Greater Dog’—which is where Sirius gets its canine nickname, as well as its official name, Alpha Canis Majoris.”   Of course their first suggestion is to cool down with a dip in one of the community’s three beautifully landscaped saltwater pools. Yes, please! And after that you can meet up with friends in one of the two on-site clubhouses in air-conditioned comfort.   Read on for more recommendations!   I Scream, You Scream…. Yep, that’s right, we all scream for ice cream! And according to Food & Wine, you can find the best in the entire state of Alabama right here in Birmingham at Big Spoon Creamery. Check out the coverage on this summer’s fun food story at Bham Now, an online-only news site dedicated to covering “the good in Birmingham.” We’re not sure if we’re gonna have a cone of sweet basil or a few scoops of the watermelon-margarita sorbet. Can’t go wrong either way, right?   Oh, Those Summer Nights The Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists™ know all too well what it’s like to not be able to get a good night’s sleep because it’s so hot outside. Even if your home is pleasantly cool, your body and your mind are still impacted by the day’s thermometer reading. That’s why they’ve invested in cooling mattress toppers. We’re going to follow their lead by purchasing one from Cozy Earth, which this review from CNET says is, “Ideal for those of us who sleep hot, or have bedrooms stuck in the most insufferable of humid environments.”   Can’t Stomach The Heat? If you can’t stomach idea of turning on your oven when it’s 98 degrees in the shade, then look no further for inspiration for cold dinners than Mashed, with its suggestions of salad classics like Cobb and Waldorf, and its version of aguachile, ceviche’s bright green cousin from Mazatlan, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Tiny Bubbles Whatever you have for supper, these days you have more choices than ever when it comes to selecting a sparkling water to accompany your meal. From the ubiquitous La Croix Pure to Bubly Bounce Caffeinated in triple berry, there’s something fizzy out there for every set of tastebuds. Advanced Mixology “scoured the market” to come up with its list of the 12 Best Sparkling Water Brands of 2021.   Maybe what you’re after, though, is just the right cold beverage for a late-morning pick-me-up or an afternoon treat. In that case, a field trip to conveniently located YoYo Donuts in Homewood for some of their bubble (or “boba”) tea is most certainly in order! Not familiar with this sweet and chewy drink that’s long been wildly popular in Asia, Taiwan in particular? Eater does a great job of guiding us novices through what turns out to be a delicious world of bubble-related options.   Let’s Go To The Movies Order your snacks ahead of time and have them waiting on you when you escape from the blinding sunshine into one of the cool, darkened theatres at the AMC Summit 16. With, well, 16 movies to choose from, you can spend many an entertaining hour out of the heat before you’re ready to head back home to The Retreat at Mountain Brook.

Fire Up the Grill for Father’s Day

Outdoor kitchen at The Retreat

Whether you’re gearing up to grill for the summer or planning a special Father’s Day feast, The Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists™ in Birmingham, Alabama, have you covered with recipes, tips, and techniques, as well as ideas for the perfect gift for dear old dad, puppy papas, and first-time fathers!   Safety First! Before you light a fire at one of The Retreat at Mountain Brook’s outdoor grilling stations, make sure you’ve invested in some heat-resistant gloves. Business Insider named the Steven Raichlen Extra Long Suede Grill Gloves as their No. 1 pick of 2021, saying they’re “essentially oversized and reinforced welding gloves, and the most protective ones we’re tried.”   And, if you’re planning a nighttime cookout, you’ll want to get a GrillLight Stainless LED Tongs & Spatula set from The Cook Store of Mountain Brook so you won’t have to worry about losing sight of your shish kabob in the dark. Owner Wesley Lassen says it’s one of the things that flies off the shelf this time of year, along with a wooden grill cleaner that won’t shed fibers or chemicals that can contaminate your food.   Grill All The Things    Sure, we like the basics as well as anybody else. Hamburgers and hot dogs, sausages and steaks, chicken and fish – when you think about a poolside party, you probably start with “the meats.” After having some grilled Romaine lettuce and a fab grilled peach salad at one gathering a few years ago, our Idea Specialists™ basically tried to figure out what they could _not_ grill. The answer? If you invest in a good grill pan or basket, _not_ much! Check out the selection at Little Hardware in English Village’s Grill Shop when you get the chance.   This season, our mouths are watering for Southern Living’s updated version of a cookout classic: potato salad. Their version? Charred Okra-Potato Salad, seasoned with a hint of fresh thyme and tossed in a lemon-scallion vinaigrette. Yummy.   Subtle Salts & Other Seasoning We’ve started following FoodFireFriends on Pinterest. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, there’s sure to be something there for you, from grilling guides to equipment reviews, and, of course, recipes. We like their guidance on Himalayan Salt Block Grilling; what could be easier than setting a nice cut of beef down on a sanitary rectangle and having it do the salting for you? Because such salt is unrefined, the inclusion of multiple minerals and trace elements gives complexity and subtlety of flavor to foods cooked on a solid block of it.   If the dad in your life likes a little bolder taste, look no further than Penzeys on 18th Street South in Homewood. Their various gift boxes contain some of their most popular meat, poultry, and fish seasonings, and there’s a salt-free option, as well. We just love the cute little minis contained in the Grill & Broil Red. And the store is still offering touch-free curbside pickup.   Pet Papas The Retreat at Mountain Brook gets high marks from its residents for how truly pet-friendly this upscale apartment community is. So of course our Idea Specialists™ are going to have some Father’s Day gift ideas for all of those dedicated daddies of fuzzy babies. For dogs, the Snuffle Nosework Dog Mat recommended by the editors of The Strategist tops the list, and if CrossFit is a part of the family, too, then of course your good boy needs his own kettlebell!   For the kitty daddy, a gift certificate to Sheppard’s Pet Supply on Fourth Avenue South will do nicely. Owner Will Sheppard loves it when folks bring their pets in to visit the store, which he opened in October 2015, and which features high-end toys and treats in addition to raw and holistic foods (for dogs, too).   New Daddies One of the most-asked-for gifts on Baby List’s registries right now is the Inglesina Fast Table Chair—perfect for when the first-time father wants to take his new little family out to eat instead of staying home to grill. The attachable chair’s padded seat is washable (a must!), and cleverly tucked in at the bottom is an integrated carrying bag.   More Ideas Check out this list of 124 Best Father’s Day Gift Ideas in 2021 at Groovy Guy Gifts. Somebody we know is getting an engraved minimalist wallet this year, just saying….   For more good grilling ideas, go to Delish to learn about “29 Awesome Ways to Cook Steak.”

Start your Memorial Day-Weekend early with dinner at our community garden on Thursday, May 27. Kayjun’s Food Truck LLC will be offering up good eats to satisfy your holiday kick-off! #rmbresidentevent #foodie #apartments #memorialday #mountainbrookal

Start your Memorial Day-Weekend early with dinner at our community garden on Thursday, May 27. Kayjun’s Food Truck LLC will be offering up good eats to satisfy your holiday kick-off! #rmbresidentevent #foodie #apartments #memorialday #mountainbrookal

November promo