Shuggies, a burger shack housed in the popular outdoor eatery South Austin Trailer Park, has failed. Shuggie's is owned by the same folks who own Torchy's Tacos. Rather than shutting down quietly, they have chosen to have fun with it and remember Shuggie as a real person who has died.

According to the hilarious press release, Shuggie was killed by "a drive-by" from "national chain gangs," alluding to McDonald's, Jack 'n the Box and Burger King. Torchy, cited as Shuggie's cousin, is quoted as saying, "Participating in drive by's during this financial pinch, there may not be any local businesses left when this recession ends and life resumes. It's a shame to see a good business die like this, it sucks."

The public is invited to come out to the South Austin Trailer Park (located off S. 1st St. and Elizabeth St.) this weekend for Shuggie's 'Last Brunch' and Sunday for a makeshift memorial before shutting down for good. Says the press release, "Shuggie fans have already started placing flowers, candles, and gifts honoring the noble and brave attempt of serving another great burger out of a hot trailer to the hungry folks of Austin."

It's sad to see a local business lose out to the big guys. Do you anticipate this happening more often?

Forbes.com recently named the best and worst cities for recession recovery. Cities in some states, such as California, could take years to recover. But Forbes says Austin (including Round Rock) is one of the country's cities best poised for a quick recovery.

Forbes calculated which cities were best geared for recovery by analyzing unemployment levels, projected gross domestic product, incomes and affordability data.

Forbes says one reason why Austin (and several other Texas cities) have survived well is because we were not involved in the housing bubble that occurred in states such as California, Nevada and Florida, so we didn't experience the burst they did. The fact that we have a diverse economy with growth in the education and health care fields gave us a great advantage. "From now to the end of 2010, the economy of Austin is projected to grow by $5 billion," Forbes says.

In April, Forbes also declared Austin as the best big city for jobs. Are you job searching? Read this list of the best places to find Austin jobs online.

Happy 4th of July, Austin! Independence Day in Austin comes with plenty of celebrations, so be sure to go out and enjoy yourself. Whether you want to see fireworks, hear live music or watch cannons fire, there is a July 4th celebration in Austin this evening that you will enjoy! Have a wonderful Independence Day.

I recently jumped at the offer to attend a tequila seminar and dinner at Twin Liquors Marketplace and found it a wonderful escape from the Texas heat! A Don Julio representative used a PowerPoint slide show to explain what qualifies as tequila, the painstaking process of making tequila, and the various types of tequila. We then sampled four types of tequila and she helped us identify the different aromas and flavors. It was very educational, but so much fun at the same time. We then dined on a delicious dinner catered by Iron Cactus. Not a bad way to spend a summer evening!

I discovered that Twin Liquors offers lots of great events like this. While the event I attended required an admission fee, some of the events are free, such as Wine 101 Class, which is held every other Wednesday (all you need to do is RSVP). On July 18th from 2-6 p.m., there is a free tasting tour at the Marketplace, with 20 different wines you can sample. On some evenings, you can sample Russian vodka along with authentic Russian bread and pickles. If you want to get out of the heat as badly as I do, one of these events at Twin Liquors is a great way to cool off and relax.