There have been rumblings, but now the word is finally out: DRY Soda is officially partnering with Urban Outfitters! We’re excited to have custom DRY Soda coolers featured in 16 UO stores throughout the US.

Want DRY Soda at your local Urban Outfitters? Let Urban Outfitters (Twitter / Facebook) and DRY Soda (Twitter / Facebook)  know and we’ll see if we can make it happen!

DRY SODA + URBAN OUTFITTERS STORE LOCATIONS

Portland, OR (2320 NW Westover Rd, 97210)

New York, NY (628 Broadway, 10012)

New York, NY (526 6th Ave, 10011)

New York, NY (2081 Broadway, 10023)

New York, NY (999 3rd Ave, 10022)

Cambridge, MA (11 John F. Kennedy St, 02138)

Studio City, CA (12110 Ventura Blvd, 91604)

San Francisco, CA (80 Powell St, 94102)

King of Prussia, PA (640 W DeKalb Pike, 19406)

Evanston, IL (921 Church St, 60201)

Boulder, CO (934 Pearl St, 80302)

New Haven, CT (43 Broadway, 06511)

Montclair, NJ (20 S Park St, 07042)

Dallas, TX (5331 E Mockingbird Ln, 75206)

Houston, TX (2501 University Blvd, 77005)

Washington, DC (3111 M St NW, 20007)

Photo credit: EJP Photo

With spring officially underway – though unfortunately less evident here in Seattle – it’s time to shed some layers, cycle some color into our wardrobes, turn on some AC and start rediscovering what’s out in the world since we stopped going outside in December. We’ve pulled together some wonderful spring activities and resources to custom tailor your season for maximum excellence.

So, after you’ve put away that black North Face jacket of yours, what should we seek out for spring?

Find a New Happy Hour Spot

With more light in each coming day, those precious hours of food frugality after work are becoming better and better. Spring is a great time to mix it up and find a new “spot” that you can bring your friends, coworkers and hot dates.

Tool: Unthirsty lets you search, map and filter happy hour spot near you. (Protip: use the Patio filter to embrace the newfound sun)

Find a Trail to Hike

Sometimes you’ve just got to connect with nature, and fewer activities accomplish this better than a lovely, sun-soaked hike. Just be sure you bring plenty of water, trail snacks, and good company; nothing worse than a dehydrated, hungry and awkward hike.

Tool:   Local Hikes searches for the best hiking trails in or around your city.

Find a Park to Lounge and Play In

Ah, the park. This timeless institution has enabled millions of people with space to enjoy leisure, sports, reading, gatherings, you name it, and the sun brings city parks alive. It can be nice to mix things up from your closest neighborhood park as different places offer different scenery, crowds and amenities.

Tool: Park Grades lets you locate and rate parks near you. (Protip: bring a dog, as everything in life is better when there’s a dog around)

Find a Co-Rec Sports League to Participate In

We don’t all have time to get in a 40-minute workout every day, but there can be more compelling ways to get your blood pumping in preparation for true swimsuit season. From ultimate frisbee to dodgeball and everything in between, trying a co-rec sport can get you active in a stress-free way.

Tool: this guide from Fitness Magazine has tips to find co-rec/noncompetitive sports leagues in your neighborhood.

Find and Experience the World of Food Trucks

We’re all about food truck culture, and some of the city’s best food can be found being served out the side of these mobile food havens. Since food trucks are in new locations all the time it can be hard to keep track of your favorites or find new four-wheeled flavors, but the delicious reward of seeking out a new food truck can be bigger than a taco truck burrito.

Tool: Roaming Hunger lets you search by location or vendor with an interactive map to find food trucks near you.

Cheers to a happy spring. What will you be finding first?

Ta-da! DRY has introduced a fresh new look and we’re so excited about it. We love how the new design pops with each flavor’s image and conveys exactly what DRY Soda is – Less Sweet / 04 Ingredients / All Natural.

So why the change? DRY Soda launched in 2005, which makes the company five years old! In that time DRY has evolved from its beginnings on the white tablecloths of the country’s finest restaurants, to finding huge success in grocery stores, cafes, and other retail locations across the US and Canada. Every day we hear from DRY customers about how they love DRY’s flavors and we’re continually inspired by the ways people are pairing and mixing DRY with their favorite foods and spirits. We wanted DRY’s design to reflect the flavors that make DRY Soda so unique.

We also wanted the design to reflect that DRY Soda is less sweet. One of the things I’m most proud of about DRY is that it’s always used the minimum amount of pure cane sugar so you can taste the flavor. Currently there’s a shift happening in our country’s collective food culture to reduce the amount of sugar in our meals so that we can actually taste the flavors of food instead of coating our palates with sweetness. DRY has been about flavor from the beginning and we want people to know that DRY is the soda that allows the flavors to shine through.

So DRY’s new design helps communicate the best parts of DRY Soda – its distinctive flavors and its uniqueness as a less sweet, four ingredients, all natural soda. And while it was hard to let the old design go, we think this new design fits DRY perfectly.

DRY’s new look was designed by the stellar Seattle-based Turnstyle. I started working with these great guys back when DRY was just an idea in my head. These incredibly talented designers took my vision for DRY and created a beautiful bottle worthy of the best restaurants in the US and now they have done it again – taking all that is great about DRY and reflecting that on the bottle.  Our new look will be rolling out across North America this month and we’d love to hear what you think. Find us on Facebook or Twitter and tell us your thoughts on the new look of DRY!

Are you tired of the unlimited number of depressing news stories constantly circulating mainstream media? They seem almost inescapable, which is why we take often refuge with Operation NICE.  Creator, Melissa Morris Ivonne, decided one day that she wanted to spread some love to combat all the negativity out there. Realizing a blog could be the best place to begin, Melissa started using her own experiences to “encourage individuals to be proactively nice.”  Additionally, her site invites readers to share uplifting stories, news, and products, and even highlights a NICE person of the week.  We all need a little more nice in our lives, so pay a visit to www.operationnice.com.

We have admittedly and wholeheartedly fallen under the spell – the spell of cupcakes, that is.  These shops, each offering their own special twist to today’s tiny cake, have captured our minds with their sweet designs, friendly people and tremendous tastes!  And they look just beautiful next to a bottle of DRY!  Lucky for our waistlines, we have a whole team of cupcake sleuths on the move to help us find the best of the best. Our favorites from across the states are listed below.  More to come soon!

Big Sugar Bakeshop – Studio City, CA

Kara’s Cupcakes – San Francisco, CA

Vanilla Bake Shop – Santa Monica, CA

Happy Cakes – Denver, CO

Tee and Cakes – Boulder, CO

The Shoppe – Denver, CO

Swirlz Cupcakes – Chicago, IL

BabyCakes NYC – New York, NY

Magnolia Bakery – New York, NY

Saint Cupcake – Portland, OR

Brown Betty Dessert Boutique – Philadelphia, PA

Cupcake Royale – Seattle, WA

Hello, cupcake – Tacoma, WA

Sprinkles Cupcakes – AZ, CA, TX

Trophy Cupcakes – Seattle, WA