Blog Posts

Celebrate Father's Day in Style

There are few things better than taking some time to honor and thank the people in our lives who have taught us, shaped us, and been there for us throughout our lives. On June 17th, we can take some time to celebrate men who are our personal superheroes, our fathers (or other father figures), on Father’s Day. Today we are sharing some ideas about how to celebrate the holiday on our Autumn Creek Apartments Blog. Father’s Day Gifts While a tie or a wallet is a perfectly acceptable gift, here are some other gift ideas that are a little more tailored to your dad. Hobby — Most dads have a hobby. Do some detective work and find out what would make a great addition to his hobby, and get it for him. Or if you don’t know exactly what to get, purchase a gift certificate to a shop that caters to his hobby. Tickets — Tickets are a great two-for-one gift. You can give your father something he will enjoy, and you can go with him. (Even if you don’t live in the same area, you can do this and he can take someone along with him.) Sporting events, concerts, theater tickets all make great gifts. Photos — Sometimes the simple things are the best gifts. Choose a favorite photo of you and your dad and turn it into a puzzle, or order a mug featuring the photo, or simply be creative, there are dozens of photo gift ideas to choose from. Meaningful Messages Gifts aren’t always necessary, but everyone appreciates receiving a thoughtful card or letter. It’s an awesome way to honor your father. This year take some time to write and share with your father why he’s your personal superhero — the reasons you admire and love him. (If this isn’t something you can do, for whatever reason, perhaps choose someone you love and respect and pen a note to them.) In your note, be specific. Share experiences that taught you something or that hold a special place in your heart. Write about the qualities you see in your father that you appreciate and strive to emulate. Tell him about how he has shaped your life. Include a favorite photo of the two of you if you have one. We hope you have the opportunity to connect with your father, whether that is in person here in East Amherst, NY or via letter, phone, or a visit to wherever he may be. Thanks for reading today’s post.

Let's Barbecue!

With summer nearly upon us here in East Amherst, New York, it’s time to start thinking about summer BBQs and doing a few test runs before inviting the crew over for a Memorial Day gathering. We’re happy to provide picnic space with charcoal grills for our residents — just one of the many amenities we offer . Today, the Autumn Creek Apartments Blog has some tips planning a barbecue for friends and families. Keep it Simple You can’t go wrong with simplicity. Burgers and brats are an American staple that most people are sure to love. Shish kebabs and grilled veggies are also great choices. Planning a complicated yet delicious menu can be fun, but sometimes there’s not a whole lot of time for the preparation you need. BBQs are always about being on the go. Keeping everything simple will make sure that you get the food out in a timely manner. Be Prepared Nothing ruins a barbecue like forgetting something crucial like utensils or napkins. A good thing to do is to have a checklist for the night before. Once you’ve gotten everything, place all the necessary items in a box so you don’t forget! The weather is also something to take into consideration, as it can be fickle. Have a backup plan for if the weather turns sour. Activities Games and activities are fun ways to get everyone interacting with each other; they can also help you stave off the lethargy as the good food settles in. Bring along a frisbee and a few decks of cards for your guests to enjoy. For more grilling tips , take a look at our sister-property, Windsong Place, and their blog post from last summer. Next time we’ll share some recipes that are grill friendly, so stay tuned. What is your favorite dish to cook on the grill? Let us know in the comments. Thanks for reading.

Grill-Friendly Recipes for Your Barbecue

May is the month to get your grill on! Today, Autumn Creek Apartments is sharing some grill-friendly recipes to try out this summer. From main dishes to sides to desserts, we’ve got options. Whether you use our picnic area and charcoal grills or head to your favorite East Amherst, NY park or campground, we hope you enjoy spending some time eating in the great outdoors. Grilled Lemon Oregano Chicken & Shrimp Skewers : This is a delicious and simple recipe you can use with chicken or shrimp. It comes from Yummy Healthy Easy . You’ll need chicken breasts, large shrimp, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and wooden skewers. The Ultimate Burger : Everyone familiar with a barbecue knows that burgers are a staple. Enjoy this delicious recipe for the perfect burger by celebrity chef Bobby Flay. You’ll be surprised by how little you actually need for a mouth-watering delicious burger. Brazilian Grilled Pineapple : As an appetizer or a dessert, this blend of pineapple slices, brown sugar, and cinnamon is the perfect addition to a barbeque. This is the description from Allrecipes.com: "Favorite at a Brazilian steakhouse in Dallas. Not sure if this is the exact recipe they use but it tastes very close. Great side for kabobs and steak." Maple Glazed Bacon Wrapped Roasted Carrots : Every descriptor in the title of this recipe has us pulling out the grocery list! Any skeptic of carrots will fall for this savory side. You’ll get a journey of complementary and juxtaposing tastes and textures with the crispy bacon and tender carrots wrapped nicely together. With just three ingredients (and any seasoning you wish to top it with), this luxury side will look like it’s straight from a five-star restaurant. Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream : For a delicious dessert, try out these soft and warm grilled peaches. This recipe comes from What’s Gaby Cooking . You’ll need ripe peaches and nectarines, canola oil, vanilla ice cream, honey, and sea salt. Grill the peaches face down, then top with the ice cream, honey, and sea salt. We hope you enjoy barbecuing this summer here at Autumn Creek Apartments in East Amherst, NY! Feel free to share your favorite grill-friendly recipes in the comments.

Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Apartment

Spring is here in East Amherst, NY, and so is the perfect time to clean your Autumn Creek apartment! Taking time to do a deep clean this month will help you be ready for the busy summer, which will be here before we know it. Try these tips to make the cleaning process easier for you this month. Start your spring cleaning by taking an inventory of what needs to be done. We like this “walk through” technique which helps pinpoint specific tasks: Simply walk through different rooms of your home with a box or laundry basket in hand for misplaced items you find (which you can then put away where they belong). As you walk through, you’ll get a read on each room and what shape they’re in. Take note of items that need your attention like burned out light bulbs, dirty windows, dusty baseboards, and more. Use a checklist to help you stay on task while you’re doing your spring cleaning. We like this one from Oprah, which breaks things down to a room-by-room approach: Spring Cleaning that Won’t Take Over Your Life: 8 Hours, Start to Finish . In addition to knowing where to start and how to proceed, it’s important to have the tools and cleaners you need close at hand. We like this list Molly Maid has put together of basic cleaning supplies that will help you keep your apartment in tip-top condition. Another helpful tip is to set a timer whenever you clean. Take a break when the timer goes off and then set another timer when you’re ready to start cleaning again. This will make the task of having to clean your entire apartment feel much more manageable because you won’t lose track of time when you’re resting and you won’t overwork yourself. Cleaning a little bit at a time is a lot less draining than having to clean everything at once. Just make sure that you’re using the method that works best for you. How do you get through spring cleaning with ease? Share any cleaning tips and hacks you have with the rest of the apartment community by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading! We hope these ideas help.

Autumn Creek Rated in the Top 5% on ApartmentRatings.com

An 85% Recommendation Score and several other factors has garnered Autumn Creek Apartments the honor of receiving ApartmentRatings.com’s highest award. That’s right — for the second year in a row, our apartment community has shown that we have what it takes to be included in the top 5% of apartments rated to receive this award. The award is given based on these factors : — 10+ total reviews — 5+ reviews in 2017 — Overall recommended score of 70% or greater. ApartmentRatings.com reaches about 30% of the population who is looking for apartments nationwide. It ranks in the top five most-visited apartment hunting sites online . We are, of course, excited to receive this reward, and we know that a big part of why we did is because of our residents. We appreciate the kind things so many of you have said in your reviews. As always, we want to receive your feedback so we can continue to make Autumn Creek Apartments the best place to live here in East Amherst. Having a responsive staff, providing amenities and keeping them in good repair, and having a thorough, competent, and professional maintenance team are all part of creating a great resident experience. Thanks for your support! We invite you to take a minute and add your review of Autumn Creek if you haven’t already done so. Last year in the Luxury Apts WNY Blog, we shared some tips for writing reviews and why they are important , which you may want to read through before you write a review. When you’re ready, write a review for Autumn Creek . Thanks for taking time to celebrate our ApartmentRatings.com award with us today! We know our success in large part is due to the generous, kind, amazing residents who live here at Autumn Creek. Have a wonderful April as we enjoy springtime in New York.

Apps to Keep You on the Road

Autumn Creek Apartments feature plenty of apartment and community amenities to enrich your apartment living experience at our homes here in East Amherst, NY. One amenity our residents appreciate is having a garage, especially in these winter months — though spring is coming! Having access to a garage means less wear and tear on your vehicle and extra security. This month we are sharing some apps we found that may help you when you’re out and about in your car, or when you need to do maintenance or repairs, or even find the nearest gas station. Waze Check out this community-driven navigation map that is more than just navigation. Members provide real-time updates to the maps to indicate traffic jams, road construction, and even gas prices, and it’s not just for major freeways, highways, and arterial streets; even side streets can be included. In the case of heavy traffic and long delays, Waze will reroute you in the most efficient manner. Available for iOS and Android. RepairPal It happens to all of us, that weird sound our car starts to make, or the intermittent service engine soon light popping on then off, or an unfortunate accident and we’re in the market for a mechanic. But how do you budget for the repair? How do you know what you should expect to pay? RepairPal to the rescue! Instead of calling around for repair quotes, let RepairPal do the legwork for you and give you a localized estimate of what you can expect to pay. Available for iOS and Android. GasBuddy Taking the guesswork out of where to find the best price for gas is what this app delivers. GasBuddy posts local gas prices so you can see at a glance the best place to fill up. It shows what grades are available including diesel. Available for iOS, Android, and Blackberry. Plugshare If you’re the owner of a plug-in hybrid or full-on EV, you know the importance of being aware of where charging stations are located. The Plugshare app gives you up-to-date info on where you can find a charge station when you are out and about. It indicates home, public, and in use to save you time and frustration. The app also offers driving directions, contact information, and direct messaging with charger owners. Available for iOS and Android. We appreciate how members of our apartment community are considerate of other residents when it comes to driving and parking on site! Thank you for helping to make Autumn Creek Apartments one of the best places to live in Western New York.