I haven’t had much time lately to write and during my free time, I haven’t wanted to write. So I’m here today on a four W-word alliteration bender to share some photos, mostly from the Memorial Day weekend, which involved me going back to Connecticut to see my good friend Kristen marry the love of her life!
Kristen and her husband Greg met when he fell into her at a bar, spilled her drink, and offered to buy her a new one. How’s that for a rom-com romance?
I received complimentary admission to this event, but I have paid for and would continue to pay for Barcelona Wine Bar events in the future – they are always more than worth the money!!!
I sound like a broken record to long-time readers, but I just ADORE Barcelona Wine Bar and feel very fortunate that I moved from one area with several locations to another! I used to blog about Barcelona West Hartford‘s events all the time, and though I’ve visted the Brookline location a few times since moving to Boston, I had yet to attend a formal, structured event here in Boston. That is, until last Wednesday!
And not only did I get to attend the Barcelona South End Wines of Catalunya dinner (or Caitalunya, as my sister so cleverly came up with), but I also got to share my experience during a live takeover of Barcelona’s Instagram, @barcelonawinebar! Fun fact: I have attended a Wines of Catalunya dinner at the West Hartford location as well…read that recap here!
OK so this is not the last “Boston-based” Trade Em Up Tuesday EVER, but these posts always end up being weekend recaps and I won’t be spending a weekend here again until mid-June. So get ready to hear a lot about Connecticut, Tennessee, Nantucket, Newport, and Mexico. Yup, I’ll be hitting up all those spots between now and mid-June. Now you can see why I’m looking at this as a last Boston-focused weekend recap.
I would not trade…a weekend of fairly solid workouts. Any morning that I can wake up and find the willpower to do 30 minutes on the Stair Master before work, especially if it’s a Friday, is a morning I feel proud of. You already know about my SoulCycle class on Saturday, and Sunday I managed to get in more stairs and weights at the gym. I didn’t feel too hot during Sunday’s gym trip (going to brunch beforehand probably had something to do with it) but I got it done, and patted myself on the back for that.
I would not trade…finally getting to Liquid Art House. Before Friday night’s Boston Wine Riot I met up there with my friend Jay (he was also going to be working the event) of Gerard Bertrand, for snacks and a drink somewhere near the venue. I suggested Liquid Art House because I’ve heard great things about the food, drinks, and ambiance. I selected The Ponte – rye cognac, vermouth, benedictine, and bitters. It was fantastic and just what I was craving before having to go into that crazy event.
The idea for this post came to me last night as I was reflecting over parts of my week that probably would not have been “possible” given the fact that Boston had snow over the last few days, and was also STILL in the 30’s and 40’s. Winter’s ugly face has been sticking around for longer than anyone would like, but in an effort to stay positive, I started brainstorming the benefits of winter’s extended stay. I thought five benefits would be perfect for Five Things Friday.
1. Hot yoga feels way more satisfying. Days have been extra-dreary and that fact has made me look forward to CorePower Yoga Sculpt classes a few times a week all the more. I’ve even tried getting there a few minutes early so I can just lay on the mat and sweat in serenity. (Sweating while laying on your back is much more pleasant than sweating while doing a bunch of jump squats.) And when I exit class, the wintery temperatures actually feel…refreshing! For a few minutes at least.
I’m back, and I don’t just mean back to this blog (sorry about that inadvertent hiatus, guys!), but also back from an amazing vacation with my family. I’m lucky to have parents that love going on fun trips; we went to Mexico last year during my brother’s and sister’s spring breaks (which thankfully fall on the same week). This year we went to Mexico again, but also to Belize, and also to sea…we took our first family cruise!
How did it go? Well, spoiler alert…
I went home to Connecticut this weekend so that I could my dad, sister, and I could head to New York City for our annual holiday trip! But due to some unforeseen circumstances, we never made it there. I’ll explain in a sec but will also share up front that everything ended up turning out marvelous!
Link up with Katie if you’re sharing marvelous today!
I started my weekend with Friday night out in Hartford, because I drove home late that afternoon. Kat and I went to dinner at Front Street’s location of The Capital Grille (more on that in another post next week) followed by the Nutcracker Suite & Spicy after-party at NIXS. As usual I ran into a ton of CT event circuit friends and it was so great to see them all.
Me and the newly-blonde Jonathan!
I have to start this post with a quick Cyber Monday plug for 90+ Cellars! We are doing FREE SHIPPING on everything in our online store, so head on over and check out our wine selection! We ship to over 35 states, so click here to find out if yours is one of them!
It’s been quite awhile since I did a Marvelous In My Monday (MIMM) post! It’s been quite a weekend away from Boston, back in Connecticut to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. I certainly ate and drank plenty, but I also didn’t let any bad feelings get me down and keep me from continuing to enjoy myself. Though I weigh more right now than I ever have in the last few years, I also felt happier and more fulfilled over the course of this long holiday weekend than any Thanksgiving I can remember in “recent” history. And that’s certainly marvelous!
Marvelous is…being able to drive home Tuesday night. Especially given the snow we got on Wednesday! I worked from home that day so was able to beat (a little) traffic by heading out of Boston around 8PM on Tuesday. Plus I had a car buddy – I gave my neighbor Molly a ride too. The 1.5 hour ride took 3 hours, but according to her that wasn’t nearly as much of a delay as she experienced last year. And I was home in time to accompany my dad and Nana Connie (yes she was back!) to get my sister from t he airport at midnight.
I received admission to this event free of charge, in exchange for promotion via my blog and its social media channels. All opinions are my own and this is not a sponsored post.
I’ve talked about Gerard Bertrand wines on this blog – both before AND after I moved to Boston to work for 90+ Cellars! And through various 90+ Cellars-related events like Nantucket Wine Fest and Wine Riot I’ve connected with Jay, who handles all things Gerard Bertrand here in Boston. After I expressed interest in his Wines on the Wharf event, which took place this past Friday, he was more than willing to offer my friend Leigh and I tickets to come check out the scene at the beautiful Fairmont Battery Wharf!
Fairmont Battery Wharf happens to be home to one of the coolest bathrooms in Boston.
I received the food and drink in this post free of charge. All opinions of the experience are my own; this is not a sponsored post.
The title of this post is a bit misleading because there are already plenty of Sam’s at Louis fans out there. The patio is hoppin’ in the summertime and the restaurant is located on the water right along Boston’s Harborwalk. But unless you’re looking for it, you’re not likely to drive by. And if you call an Uber from there, you’re likely going to have to go meet your driver out on Seaport Boulevard if you want a chance of him or her finding you. So I’m going to go out on a limb and call Sam’s a bit of a secret – location-wise at least.
But now that I know where it is, and how WONDERFUL the food and drink are, I’ll absolutely be back. Jeannie and I had dinner there on Tuesday night, and she’s had nothing but great things to say about Sam’s at Louis for awhile now. The food and drink of the Sam’s Instagram feed have been torturing me and I’m so happy I finally was able to go and experience it for myself.
Another longer-than-a-week gap between posts – ugh! I honestly had time this past Sunday night to blog, but opted to sit in bed and color (something I haven’t done in awhile) while listening to NPR instead. I’m getting ahead of myself though. Let’s get rolling with a Trade Em Up Tuesday that’ll tell you what’s been up with me in the last week-ish.
Oreos and beer were involved.
I would trade…FOMO. I’ve had a serious case of it lately and it’s resulted in me wearing myself out. I need to take a step back and slow down. Is there an event coming up? I feel like I have to go to make sure I don’t miss anything. Someone’s having a party? Well I can’t possibly miss it, it’ll be so much fun! The thing is, a lot of the time it’s not even worth it, so I need to take a step back and put on the brakes. I was sick this past weekend and spent all day Saturday contemplating whether or not I should still go to my co-worker’s party. In reality it should have been a no-brainer – NO. Stay home and REST.
NO. That’s not resting.
I’m a 28 year old full-time working girl living in Boston (previously lived in Connecticut). I’m passionate about food/drink, restaurants, self-love, fitness, and the ever-present search for balance. I write about that journey on this blog – I hope you enjoy!
