6 Reasons to Make Lyft Your Campus Shuttle This Semester

It might be time to stop begging your parents for a car on campus. Between parking fees and tickets that add up faster than you think, it gets expensive fast. Plus, you'll miss out on walks and bike rides where you'll run into friends.

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But sometimes you just have to get off campus, and walking or riding your bike won't always work. That's when you can skip the campus shuttle and rely on a Lyft ride to get you where you need to go.

Here are six reasons to request a Lyft ride while you're in college.

1. Late-Night Rides

Whether you're at a party with friends or in the library putting the finishing touches on your paper, it can get late - fast. And walking anywhere alone at night can be unsettling, especially with a backpack full of prized belongings. (That thesis is just as valuable as the laptop where it's saved.) Instead, request a Lyft ride at the end of a long day. It's a reliable way to get home safely after a late-night study session or a night of drinking.

2. Rides to the Game

You love your school's athletic teams, but wish the stadium wasn't so far away. And even if you have a car to drive to the game, parking can be a nightmare. Waiting around for the campus shuttle just won't do, either.

Request a Lyft ride to pick up your crew, and then have your driver drop you off at the game. Who knows, you may even turn your Lyft driver into a fan on the ride there!

3. Off-Campus Grocery Shopping

Saving money by opting out of campus dining is possible, even without a car. Request a Lyft ride to shop and run errands around town. You'll be thankful to haul your groceries in a car rather than carrying them home. Here's a pro-tip: Head to a grocery store that's in a big shopping center. That way, you can walk to other stores - say, the pharmacy or cute boutique - that are close by to make the most of each trip. You can also use the Lyft app to split the price with your roommate when you head out together.

4. Weekend-Warrior Activities

Sometimes you just want to take a break from school and find cool places off campus. Head to the park or the beach, or simply find something fun to do in a nearby city - and let Lyft take you there. When you're done exploring, request a Lyft ride to take you back to campus.

5. Airport Rides

Come holiday time, everyone will be scrambling to finish finals and land a ride to the airport. Skip sweet talking friends with cars or paying for an expensive taxi, and request a Lyft ride to take you to the airport.

6. Rainy Days

So long drenched backpacks, jeans, and rain boots. When it's pouring outside and you need to get to class, request a Lyft ride to scoop you up and get you around campus - because, unfortunately, rain isn't an excuse to skip your lecture.

Need a ride around or off campus? Skip the campus shuttle and request a Lyft ride instead.

TPAC's Focus On Education

The nonprofit organization Tennessee Performing Arts Center provides a year-round lineup of incredible theatrical performances. This year they're producing Broadway-acclaimed hits like Evita and RENT. These performances are an inspiration for the arts community in Nashville and TPAC has been fundamental in these opportunities.

For over 30 years, TPAC has helped provide over 1.8 million students and educators with curriculum-based arts education programs in Nashville. These programs are available for children and adults and through TPAC Education's five programs: ArtSmart, Disney Musicals in Schools, Humanities Outreach in Tennessee, TPAC InsideOut, and Wolf Trap Early Learning through the Arts. Children and educators have opportunities like seeing performances and receiving specially trained teaching artists in their classrooms.

By promoting the value of theater education into schools, TPAC fosters a love of the arts in future generations and makes a lasting impact on the quality of their lives and our community.

This month, if you ride with Lyft using the code TPAC16 we will donate the cost of the ride to their programs!

For more news and all things Lyft in Music City follow @lyftnashville on Twitter.

National Dog Day

We love our dogs so much here at Lyft that we can't even bear to leave them at home. Employees are encouraged to bring their pups to work, so these dogs become staples of the office and a part of our Lyft fam. We even have an Instagram account to show off how darn cute they are. To celebrate National Dog Day (yes, it's a thing!), we want to introduce a few of our fluffy Lyft friends. 

"It's me, Steven! I travel, code and love food."

“I'm not a doctor, but I have a white coat" - Mochi

"I'm Pixel the Maltipoo. I like long hikes, Chinese food, and face licking."

"Put your ears in the air like you just don't care!" - Roux

"#2BLESSED2BSTRESSED" - Oreo

And here's a dog in a backpack, just for good measure. 

Las Vegas: Your Back-to-School Survival Guide

Next week we're back to school! To make sure you start your year off right, we've gathered the top tips you need to know for a picture-perfect beginning to your school year in Vegas.

GO SEE
End your summer with a bang. Rally your friends and catch Macklemore and Ryan Lewis under the stars at the beautiful Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan Resort and Casino on September 4th. 

GO PREP
We get it. You're going back to school and will be buried in books, so the last thing you want to do is surround yourself with them, but Rebel Books across from UNLV is a great place to pick up school books for your academic year at a quality price. If you want to avoid the line, order your books online and enjoy a free in-store pickup. When you're getting your books, come stop by our booth and say hi!

GO PLAY
Need to unwind from the stress of school away from the chaos of the city?  Check out PKWY Tavern in Spring Valley. It's a local sports bar with a huge variety of beers to chose from and games to play, including corn hole, beer pong, darts, billiards, giant Jenga and Connect Four. They even have a miniature bowling alley. From now until September 2nd, students can get 25% off your total bill with a valid student ID (you must be 21 or over, of course).

BE IN-THE-KNOW
Not sure where to live while going to school? Resiratings has several sweet spots as close as a few blocks from campus as well as further away if you want a little distance. Check out their website for ratings of apartments and condos.

GET YOUR CAFFEINE FIX
Makers and Finders coffee shop is a hipster-bohemian gem downtown off of Main Street in the Arts District. Take a study break or have a meeting while enjoying a nice brunch. The La Paisa arepa, lavender-infused latte, and espresso flan are must-haves!

We'll be at all of these campus hotspots throughout August and September, so come say hi, grab some swag, and get free Lyft credit! Follow us on Twitter to catch all the back-to-school action.

Expensing Rides Just Got Easier

Thousands of business travelers have used business profiles to keep their ride receipts and payment methods organized since we introduced profiles in April. If you're one of those business travelers, our latest update is cause for celebration - all the way to your next cross-town client dinner.

You can now view your business ride history and create custom expense reports. Update your Lyft app to try it out.

Create a Custom Expense Report

Go to Your Ride History
Open the main menu in the app and tap 'Ride History'.

Select Business Rides
Tap the 'Business' tab and then 'Export' to select rides for your expense report.

Send Your Report
Your expense report will be sent to your work inbox.

Move Rides to Your Business Ride History

If you forget to use your business profile for a business ride, don't stress! You can move the ride receipt to your business ride history anytime. Just open the ride receipt in your ride history, and tap to change 'Personal' to 'Business'. This will recategorize the ride, but it won't change the payment method used for it.

Don't have a business profile yet?

CREATE YOUR PROFILE

If your team is interested in adding ridesharing to their business travel program, check out Lyft Mobility Solutions. We'll be introducing a new dashboard with more ridesharing insights this fall, so travel managers can make data-driven ground transportation decisions.

Lyft at School x Honor Smartphones

Students today are busier than ever. There's no time to waste in between juggling classes, study sessions, work, friends, parties, and more.

Need help getting it all done? We can get you where you're going faster with our partnership with Honor, a leading smartphone e-brand under Huawei group. As part of our work together, the Lyft app will come pre-installed on the new Honor 8 phone. Thanks to the Honor 8's smart new SmartKey technology, you'll be able to call a Lyft ride to your early morning econ class or Friday night drinks with a quick double-tap.

We'll also be visiting you IRL at campuses nationwide through September, introducing you to the Honor 8 and Lyft in person. Find us on campus to create your own animated GIF and unlock a chance to win a Honor 8 smartphone, selfie sticks, or Best Buy gift cards!

Our campus tour will hit schools in the following cities:

• Boston

• San Francisco

• Portland

• NYC

• Washington, D.C.

• Nashville

• Los Angeles

Take Me Out to - and Home From - the Ball Game

Watching baseball on TV is a good time, but nothing tops seeing the game from the stands. Driving to and parking at a baseball game, however, can be a real hassle. Instead of taking your car, get a Lyft ride to the game.

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Easy Come, Easy Go

Forget about paying for parking and walking a long way to the stadium. Your Lyft ride can drop you off near the entrance. And while your fellow fans leave the stadium early to beat the parking lot traffic, feel free to stick around well past the seventh-inning stretch.

All for One and One for All

If you're headed to the game with a crew, you don't need to take multiple cars. Request a Lyft Plus and you'll arrive together. That means less time searching for your friends in the sea of people wearing baseball hats, and more time enjoying the sights and sounds.

Make It Home

What goes perfectly with baseball? Hot dogs, peanuts, and beer. Lots of beer. With Lyft, there's no need to drive after you've indulged in a few. Your team may not cross home plate, but your Lyft ride will get you home safely.

Get Local Recs

If you're from out of town, you might wonder where to go before the game or what to do when it ends. Your Lyft driver can offer local places to grab something to eat or maybe even stick around to watch the game with you.

There's no crying in baseball, but there can be a few tears when parking at the stadium. Instead, request a Lyft ride to and from the game.

 

Connecting the Stops with MARTA in Atlanta

In Hotlanta, we're turning up the heat on providing safe, reliable and affordable rides to get you to your nearest MARTA station. Starting this week, we're joining forces with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) to make commuting around Atlanta even easier and more affordable. New Lyft passengers can download the Lyft app and use the code GOMARTA for 50% off each of their first 10 Lyft rides:

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Partnering with transit agencies like MARTA is a core part of our vision to build a sustainable transportation network. By helping fill the first and last miles between a passenger's home and a MARTA station, we're making it easier than ever to ride transit. We believe that when transit is within reach of everyone, our cities are more liveable, connected, and prosperous.

MARTA joins a growing list of public agencies who recognize the important role Lyft plays in growing ridership and expanding access to public transportation.

“We're excited to work together with MARTA to encourage Atlanta residents to use Lyft as a first and last mile connection to transit,” said Sam Bond, Lyft Atlanta General Manager. “We view this partnership as a first step to a much broader collaboration to improve mobility for all of Atlanta, and look forward to continuing our work to make this vision a reality.”

Your Guide to Eagle Rock Music Festival

Festival season is in full swing! We love a good summer music festival - especially one that celebrates all things local. Enter Echo Park Rising: a one-day music extravaganza that brings together local bands and businesses for a weekend of fun.

This year's lineup includes local bands like Orgone, Dengue Fever, Jungle Fire and more so bust out your flower crowns and get your rocker fingers ready. It's going to be a music-filled day.

Here are some tips to make it a festival you won't forget:

1. Wear comfortable shoes. You're going to be walking, jumping, and dancing so you want to be comfortable. It'll be a long night!

2. Stay hydrated. We don't need to tell you that it's LA and it gets hot. Make sure to stay hydrated between acts.

3. Donate. Your ticket is a $10 donation to support the local arts community. Feeling extra generous? A little can go a long way.

4. Support local businesses. Walk around the festival and check out all the businesses that are participating. Grab a bite or a cocktail and meet your local neighbors.

We're excited to be the preferred ridesharing partner of Eagle Rock Music Festival. Come stop by our booth and get yourself some swag or just say hello! And don't forget to share your photos with us on Twitter using #LyftLA and we'll retweet our favorites.

Download the Lyft app and use code ERMF for $20 off your first Lyft ride or click here.

Fort Collins, Meet Your New Ride

Attention, Colorado: Lyft is now live in Fort Collins! So whether you're heading to Old Town or Vine Drive, Lyft is a ride for every reason. Plus, get $5 off your first ride in Fort Collins, on us!

CLICK TO CLAIM

How Lyft Works

Ready for your first Lyft adventure? Here's how to get started:

1. DOWNLOAD LYFT
Sign up and add a payment method.

2. REQUEST A RIDE
Get matched with a nearby driver in minutes.

3. GO
Wanna chat? Hop in the front seat. Feeling quiet? Slide into the back. You choose your ride experience.

4. PAY INSTANTLY
When the ride ends, simply pay through your phone.

Free ride credits expire after 30 days. Subject to Lyft's Terms of Service.

The Happiness Journal

What makes you happy? If you get in Chicago Lyft driver Dwan's car, be prepared to answer.

A few months ago, Dwan began driving with Lyft full-time while he saved up to open a new business. “When I started driving, I noticed some passengers seemed to be having a bad day or were just not in the greatest mood,” he says. Dwan wanted to change that, so he bought a blank notebook and left it in the back seat with simple instructions: write down what makes you happy. “I wanted to give passengers something positive to start or end their day with,” he says. The notebook quickly caught on, and he's had it in his car ever since.

Passengers don't have to contribute to the book if they don't want to, but to Dwan's surprise, nearly everyone does. “Most people love it. Passengers have thanked me for having it, think it's a great idea, and have even encouraged me to publish it.”

Here are a few of Dwan's favorite entries from passengers:

"Happiness is cheese, my dog, and my boyfriend, and not in that particular order!"

"Making my girlfriend happy, and the Blackhawks winning."

“Happiness is not worrying about the future,
Happiness is not thinking about the past,
Happiness is the realization that
This is your moment
This is your time
This is your life
Live it”

For Dwan, the happiness journal is more than a 99 cent notebook - it's a symbol of why he drives with Lyft in the first place. “My rides are about sharing happy moments with individuals,” he says.

Lyft Launches Free Rides for Centennial Commuters

Lyft is proud to join the City of Centennial, CO as a partner in their new Go Centennial Pilot, a groundbreaking partnership that will make it easier than ever for all residents to get to and from public transportation.

Using the code GOCENTENNIAL, travelers can take a free Lyft Line ride from to or from the Dry Creek Light Rail Station in Centennial, Colorado. New Lyft users can also download the app and redeem the code. To be eligible, rides must be on Lyft Line during commute hours: 5:30 AM-7 PM, Monday through Friday.

Rides can also be requested in the Go Denver app, powered by Xerox, which can be used to plan and book a trip across different modes of transportation. "Lyft is setting a new standard for integrating with cities to solve the first and last mile problem and drive higher usage of public transit," said David Cummins, senior vice president, Mobility Solutions, Xerox.

Our collaboration will improve public transit access in a suburban part of Denver by filling the gap between a passenger's home and the light rail station. By subsidizing Lyft Line rides for passengers, the city is providing an affordable alternative to driving alone, and bringing transit within reach of everyone.  

“Lyft is committed to working with cities and transit to be a first and last mile transportation solution, which is why we were thrilled to partner with Centennial to offer free Lyft rides to and from the Dry Creek light rail station,” said Lyft General Manager Gabe Cohen. “This pilot is the first of its kind in the nation, and we expect many other cities in Colorado and across the country to follow the innovative leadership of the City of Centennial.”

“Go Centennial aims to help people who choose not to drive a car,” said Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon. “It delivers on the promise of urban mobility by making it easier to use mass transit and ridesharing services. This pilot will help solve the first and last mile challenge of taking transit, and our citizens will be able to conveniently get from point A to point B.”

Our partnership marks the first time a city has fully subsidized ridesharing for commuters, which makes the program accessible for users of all income levels and abilities. We worked hard with the city to create a partnership that demonstrates our commitment to making Lyft a truly inclusive service. To this end, we've enabled telephone-based booking to make the service available to people who don't own a smartphone.

We've also partnered with Via Mobility to bring accessible vehicles onto the platform. By enabling the Lyft Access Mode, passengers who need an accessible ride will be able to request a vehicle with a ramp.

If you are need of a wheelchair accessible vehicle, check out these easy steps.

 

Say Hello to More Convenient Pickups & Drop-Offs

When you're rushing to catch a flight or a concert opener, every second counts. That's why we've updated our app to make it easier than ever to get picked up and dropped off - down to the exact terminal door or arena entrance.

Now you can set your exact drop-off location, in addition to pickups, at select venues nationwide. Instead of having to call your driver and tell them to meet you at Door 4 of Terminal 2, you can just specify that in the destination field when you request a ride. This feature is live at more than 200 locations across the country, with more coming soon.

Just last week at Outside Lands, passengers used this feature more than 3,000 times. For the duration of the festival, riders could set precise pickup and drop-off points such as Main Gate, South Entrance, or the box office.

Fun stat #2: Since this feature's release in March, we've seen pre-ride calls and texts between drivers and riders decrease by 25%.

Try it out the next time you see it in the app, and see you on the road.

Lyft and Miami-Dade Transit Roll into New Partnership

For the past two years, the people of Miami-Dade County have counted on safe and affordable rides with Lyft. Now, by teaming up with the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), we're making it easier than ever to get around. Starting today, new Lyft passengers can download the Lyft app and use the code GET2TRANSIT for $5 off each of their first 10 Lyft rides.

Lyft shares the same goal as Miami-Dade County, which is to build a more sustainable transportation network. Lyft wants to see this in Miami and beyond, and bringing transit within reach of everyone is critical to that vision.

We're pleased to be working with DTPW to provide commuters a quick and reliable way to reach a Metrorail station, especially for travelers who live too far from stations to walk or bike. By working together, Lyft and DTPW can address one of the biggest barriers to riding public transportation: filling in the last few miles between home and a rail station.

DTPW is the largest public transportation system in Florida - it boasts more than 300,000 average weekday boardings. Its transit system has 31 miles of rapid transit and more than 90 bus routes. While Metrorail serves as the backbone of the region's transportation network, Lyft's flexible ridesharing service can help fill in the system's gaps. By working together, we're creating a more connected and convenient travel experience.

"We're excited to work with Miami-Dade County to fill transit gaps, cut traffic, and expand mobility for all,” said Sam Cohen, Lyft Miami General Manager. “This partnership is just the first step in our long-term mission to make it easy to live well without owning a car."

“We are working closely with our Transportation Network Entity partners to close the 'first mile/last mile' gap. Our goal is to make it easier for people to leave their cars behind at home and take transit and services like Lyft to reach their destination,” said Alice N. Bravo, P.E., DTPW Director. “By working together, we can give residents transportation options that can help get more cars off the road and improve mobility in Miami-Dade County.”

Whether it's bridging the first and last miles between your office and your transit station, or providing a safe ride home after transit hours, Lyft is committed to meeting the transportation needs of the Miami-Dade region.

Lansing, Meet Your New Ride

Attention, Michigan: Lyft is now live in Lansing! So whether you're heading to Old Town or Eastside, Lyft is a ride for every reason. Plus, get $5 off your first ride in Lansing, on us!
 

CLICK TO CLAIM

How Lyft Works

Ready for your first Lyft adventure? Here's how to get started:

1. DOWNLOAD LYFT

Sign up and add a payment method.

2. REQUEST A RIDE

Get matched with a nearby driver in minutes.

3. GO

Wanna chat? Hop in the front seat. Feeling quiet? Slide into the back. You choose your ride experience.

4. PAY INSTANTLY

When the ride ends, simply pay through your phone.

 

Free ride credits expire after 30 days. Subject to Lyft's Terms of Service.

 

Buy Lyft Gift Cards at Your Local Starbucks

Starting this week, for the first time ever, $20 Lyft gift cards will be available for purchase at participating Starbucks stores across the country. And to sweeten the deal, when you pick up a Lyft card, your barista will also give you a $5 Starbucks Gift Card.

Last year when we announced our collaboration with Starbucks, we were excited about all the ways we could bring together our two vibrant communities through great experiences. We've still got some fun surprises brewing for the future, but we're happy for these gift cards to make their debut.

The pink-patterned cards are available now at Starbucks stores in our 20 biggest cities - and they make the perfect gift. Kids heading to college? Friend taking a trip? From birthdays to graduations, bad days to just because, $20 in Lyft ride credit can go a long way. And as for that $5 Starbucks gift card bonus? Well, if you keep that for yourself, we won't tell.

For more information on the Lyft gift cards in Starbucks stores, check out the FAQs.

Limited quantities, while supplies last. See details and restrictions here.

Coming Soon: Add an Extra Stop to Your Lyft Ride

You've got places to go, things to do, and people to see. And sometimes, all of it happens at once. To make these moments easier, we'll soon be introducing the ability to add an extra stop to Lyft rides. Whether you're picking up a friend or a bottle of vino,  just add your stop into the app and your route will instantly update - making it a seamless experience for you and your driver.

How It Works

As usual, select Lyft, Plus, or Premier and set your pickup location.

Tap the 'add' icon to enter your drop-off location. Then, request a ride.

Enter your first stop under 'destination.' Your driver will head here first.

Remove a Stop Any Time

Plans change. If for any reason you don't need to make the stop you added, just tap on it and select 'Remove stop.'

Think of how an extra stop can add to your day - maybe it's grabbing a coffee on the way to work or your dry cleaning before going home. We look forward making this available to you.

Athens, Meet Your New Ride

Attention, Georgia: Lyft is now live in Athens! So whether you're heading to Sanford Stadium or the Georgia Theater, Lyft is a ride for every reason. Plus, get $5 off your first ride in Athens, on us!

CLICK TO CLAIM

Fly In, Ride Out

It's easy to take Lyft when you're travelling to or from Athens Ben Epps Airport (AHN). When getting picked up, head to arrivals and request a ride. Your driver will meet you there. To get dropped off at the airport, just let your driver know which airline you're flying and they'll drop you off, curbside.

How Lyft Works

Ready for your first Lyft adventure? Here's how to get started:

1. DOWNLOAD LYFT
Sign up and add a payment method.

2. REQUEST A RIDE
Get matched with a nearby driver in minutes.

3. GO
Wanna chat? Hop in the front seat. Feeling quiet? Slide into the back. You choose your ride experience.

4. PAY INSTANTLY
When the ride ends, simply pay through your phone.

Free ride credits expire after 30 days. Subject to Lyft's Terms of Service.

Celebrate National Watermelon Day with These Recipes

Today is #NationalWatermelonDay! We not only love this summer staple because it's pink, of course, but also because watermelon is one of the most shareable fruits. Celebrate watermelon season with these five fresh-picked recipes from your Lyft Chicago team:

1. Grilled Watermelon: Taking dinner to the BBQ? Throw on some watermelon (I know, but trust us) for a healthy dessert.

2. Watermelon Lime Cooler: With or without alcohol, this mix is perfect for a summer day.

3. Cool and Creamy Watermelon Pie: Because apple is so last year.

4. Minted Watermelon: Enjoying a burger? Spice it up with this tasty side dish.

5. Ginger Watermelon Pops: Home-make your own delicious popsicles. There's only five ingredients.

Enjoy!

To keep up with all things Lyft in Chicago, follow us on Twitter at @Lyft_CHI.

East Nashville Tomato Art Festival

As Nashville grows, East Nashville is becoming a unique hotbed of artisans, musicians, and creatives of all kinds. They all flock to this neighborhood, rich with eccentricities, hipster beards and all the craft beer your heart desires.

The 13th Annual Tomato Art Festival is the perfect celebration of all of the inhabitants of this fantastic neighborhood. Being neither “fruit nor vegetable” the tomato has become the perfect mascot of East Nashville.

Since 2004, the community has come together for this annual festival to celebrate all the art, music, and peculiarity this neighborhood has to offer. Now in its 13th year, the festival has grown to expect over 60,000 people and become the signature event of the year for East Nashville.

With the festival just around the corner - August 12th and 13th - plan to indulge in common festival staples like drinks, food, and free music as well as very tomato specific activities like a red-head contest, a giant ice cream sundae extravaganza, and even a tomato fairy/elf contest!

Needless to say, the Tomato Art Festival is all the things we love about being a part of #LyftNashville. The festival is free and if you would like to win some V.I.T (Very Important Tomato) Tickets be sure to follow @LyftNashville on Twitter and watch for our giveaway later this week.

Also next weekend we are offering a special Lyft discount if you are heading to or from the Tomato Art Festival.  New users can get $10 off their first 2 rides when you sigand existing users can get 15% off two rides to or from the festival by clicking the button below.

I'M A NEW PASSENGER


I ALREADY USE LYFT

 

 

Join us at the Denver Flea in City Park

Join the Denver Flea and Lyft for a pop-up market full of vendor booths, food, drink, music and fun in the sun. The Denver Flea is back at its original City Park location August 13 and 14 from 10 AM - 6 PM and will host over 150 vendors. Among the retailers are graphic designers, home ware providers,  jewelry makers, furniture builders, coffee experts and more. Read on for a look into some of the vendors that will be at the Denver Flea in City Park.

Landmine Design: “Fashion for us. Hope, Education, Water, and Employment for them.” 

Landmine Design is a jewelry company whose workers are women living on a former minefield in Cambodia. The women are trained in how to create jewelry out of rolled paper beads and are not only compensated with a competitive wage and flexible work hours, but are also educated in the fields of health and hygiene, financial management, literacy and spiritual development.

The jewelry created by the women of Landmine Design manifests itself in simple but elegant pieces. In women's fashion, Landmine Design offers long necklaces and number of differently styled bracelets.  For men? Bracelets and wallets made of leather for a more rugged feel.

Old Colorado Flags: Denver Flea vendor Old Colorado Flags' name may seem simple, but what the brand has done with their namesake is beautiful and creative. A Western Colorado company, Old Colorado Flags creates handmade Colorado flags and weathers them to look “old, faded and historic.

To go along with the antique motif, each flag is bordered by frames made of reclaimed wood from various structures around Southwestern Colorado. Though the frames are made new to fit each flag, the wood used in them can be hundreds of years old. Old Colorado Flags juxtaposes the past and the present to make gorgeous pieces of art.  

The Long I Pie Shop: This place has proven that not all pies are created equal.

A core belief from The Long I Pie Shop is “making pie is a mix of art and science all wrapped up in the feeling of family and home." The bakers of Long I take this mission to another level, making every pie in a cast iron skillet so as to ensure that the crust is “extra buttery, flaky and delicious.” No need to worry if Long I will have a flavor you like - they bake traditional favorites (strawberry rhubarb, spiced apple) but also have developed a number of flavors unique to their ovens (salted honey lavender, bourbon chocolate pecan and peach rosemary chicken pot pie, among about 20 others). 

 

We're excited to be a part of The Denver Flea's City Park event! And even better? You can get 20% off a ride to or from the Flea on August 13 to 14th by clicking the button below.

CLAIM DEAL

How to Beat the DC Heat

We know, DC: this summer is a scorcher. To help you out, we've made a list of the best tips and tricks to keep cool when you feel like melting in the city.

1. Spritz - Use a small spray bottle to cool yourself down. Just a spray or two every so often will do the trick (and make you the hero of your crew on a hot summer day).

2. Reverse your fan - Instead of letting your fan face inwards, turn it around and face it outwards so that the hot air inside the house can be pushed out and cool air can come in!

3. Lose your shoes - Don't be afraid to take your shoes off! The skin and blood in your feet will cool as the sweat evaporates. The cooler blood then flows through your body, giving you "a greater sensation of coolness," says Donald R. Bohay, M.D., a member of the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society.

4. Drink more - Water, that is. As you sweat, you're losing moisture that can best be replenished by drinking water. Replacing those fluids is essential to keeping cool.

5. Eat light - Watch out for foods that will slow you down. Try to avoid fatty meals like hamburgers that will give you a sluggish feeling in the heat. Instead, stick to fruits, salads, and other “watery” foods.

6. Change the lights - Changing your lightbulbs might be the trick to saving you from the heat. Long-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs produce about 70% less heat than standard incandescents.

7. Reach for rice - How does rice keep you cool? Due to its starchy properties, it retains cold well for extended periods of time. Just fill a cotton sock with rice, freeze it for two hours before bed & stick it between the sheets. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

8. Apply aloe vera - Aloe Vera is known as a natural means to soothe sunburn. Its cooling properties also work to help you beat the heat.

9. Make it spicy - But wouldn't spicy foods make you more hot? Actually, eating spicy food will help you feel cooler as your sweat dries. There's an active component in hot peppers called capsaicin which encourages your body to sweat more without raising your body temperature.

10. Grab a Lyft ride - If none of the above tips did the trick, hop in an air-conditioned Lyft ride and enjoy a few minutes of relief from the summer sun.

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GBTA Visitors See Ridesharing From a New Perspective

Every year, thousands of travel managers and suppliers from around the world meet at the Global Business Traveler Association Convention. The event wrapped up last week, and the Lyft Mobility Solutions Team is reflecting on the wide range of panel discussions, events, and booths we experienced. Travel managers brought a new sharing economy perspective to GBTA with focused conversations about “bleisure” travel, safety innovations, and sharing economy travel policies.

Our booth gave visitors an immersive ridesharing experience with videos on 40' LED screens.

If you weren't able to attend the conference or want to relive the experience, here are some of the trends we observed at GBTA:

Travelers are blending business and personal travel more than ever before.

“Bleisure” was commonly overheard on stage and behind the scenes at GBTA as a description of mixed business and leisure trips. With more consumer technology companies adapting to serve business travel, it's commonplace for travelers to tack on a dinner with old friends after an out-of-town meeting and share business travel updates on their social media accounts.

In the current travel climate, travelers often need to switch payment methods if they use a corporate card and receive receipts in the right inbox. At GBTA, the Lyft team demonstrated how business profiles enable travelers to easily organize their expenses when riding for work and non-work trips. Travelers can create a business profile in under two minutes, and then they can switch between business and personal profiles in a tap.

Safety is (and will always be) travel managers' top priority.

With bleisure travel on the rise, business travelers are often opting for sharing economy services like ridesharing over their predecessors. With this change in behavior, travel managers remain are evaluating how new services affect their duty of care. Several of the education panels were entirely focused on traveler safety like iJet's “Managing Travel Risk” panel, and questions about how travel managers and suppliers can better protect business travelers were a part of almost every conversation.

The Lyft team presented ridesharing safety standards in our booth materials, and in the conversations we participated in. Following GBTA, we're excited to introduce a new Navigating Safety for the Modern Business Traveler Guide that takes an even deeper dive on how our rigorous driver background checks, a $1M auto insurance policy, a 24 hour Critical Response Line, and other standards fit the lifestyles of modern business travelers.

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Travel managers are adapting policies to fit traveler behavior.

Business travelers are regularly using newer services like AirBnB that offer affordable travel options, even if those services are not integrated in their team's policies. On the “Managing Disruption - The Sharing Economy” panel, participants expressed that it's now riskier for companies to not have sharing economy services covered in their travel policies.

Certify's latest research on expense data found that business travelers are selecting ridesharing services 79% of the time - a 53% increase compared to last year. It's clear travel managers will need to integrate TNC policies in their travel programs to adequately track traveler spend and applicable safety standards. The Lyft Mobility Solutions Team recently shared learnings from working with hundreds of travel managers to adapt policies in our How to Add Ridesharing to Your Travel Program Guide.

Learn more ›

We hope to see you at an event soon if we missed you in Denver. If you'd like to learn more about how ridesharing can work for your team, visit Lyft Mobility Solutions.

The Mobility Solutions Team inside Lyft's GBTA booth.