She's My Carrie... Bradshaw, That Is!: April 2014

Pax East

JO is such a good sport when it comes to my UConn obsession so when he asked me to go to PAX East I said yes. I went for the first time last year and this year it was only four days removed from the end of March Madness. I was exhausted and had a ton of school work to do so it would've been easy for me to skip the event but I'm glad I didn't. JO had so much fun and it was so nice to see! The event is pretty crazy and the train rides are really funny since they are filled with costumed convention goers.

Catalyst, Belly Bar, and Parker's Restaurant

My birthday fell on the same weekend as JO's surprise bar golf outing, due to a nasty winter storm a few weeks earlier. This was especially funny since JO planned a surprise outing for my birthday. Not too many people were able to attend since they were going to JO's party the next day but the thought was really nice.

My birthday started with some beautiful flowers!

Then it was off to Catalyst for dinner. JO had picked out this restaurant and I was very pleased with his choice. We've been here a few times before for drinks, but we've never eaten here and I'd heard great things about their food. The buzz didn't disappoint. Everything was fresh and delicious! My favorite part of the meal was the French Onion tortellini with short ribs and vegetables. Yes, you read that right. Tortellini injected with French Onion soup. The tortellini burst in your mouth and oozed the most delicious French Onion soup I have ever had. The vegetables, especially the mushrooms, partnered perfectly with the short ribs that were cooked so perfectly they flaked apart with no effort at all. The restaurant strikes just the right balance of softened industrial decor and the extremely open space with very tall ceilings leads to a very pleasant dining experience.

After dinner we headed over to Belly Wine Bar for the surprise portion of the night. I thought this was a great spot for JO to have picked for people to meet up since I was recently talking about how much I wanted to go back there. JO had reserved a fondue pot to share and we had fun sampling the different featured wines. This place is a great little bar with a really knowledgable staff. I love that the wines can be bought at Central Bottle and the sample size tastings let you sample a variety of wines pretty easily. We have to go back soon, since they have a s'more plate that you can make yourself and toast on the outside fire.

Because JO is awesome he even treated me to a second birthday outing, this time of my choosing. I love the Omni Parker Hotel and have been wanting to eat at Parker's Restaurant for a long time now. When JO asked me where I wanted to celebrate my birthday I couldn't help but pick this place. It's very rare that we get all dressed up for a dinner out so it made the night even funner.

The dining room is really grand with ornate wood carving and lots of large paintings. The service was impeccable. The food was delicious. I got the chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables and it was cooked perfectly. The preparations aren't fancy but they are classically good. I felt really special sitting in the dining room having dinner in such a historic building in Boston.

After dinner we tried to find a place for a quick drink but it was pretty crowded since it was nice out. We did walk past No 9 Park and tried to find a spot at the bar but it was way to crowded. I would definitely like to go back and give it another shot in the future.

Both evenings were great successes and perfect ways to celebrate my birthday in the city!

Zelda Bar Golf

JO turned 35 this year and we wanted to celebrate in style. His good friend and I planned a bar golf outing to celebrate the big birthday! Of course, we needed a theme for the event and Zelda was a natural choice. JO loves Zelda and I love designing things. We had official score cards made up for the event that took us from Harvard Square to Central Square.

One of the challenging parts of planning this event was finding bars that would work for a pub crawl in Harvard Square. You can't roll into a place like Daedalus with 20 people in tow in varying states of sanity. We finally settled on John Harvard's, Charlie's Kitchen, Fire and Ice, Whitney's, Hong Kong, People's Republik, and Tavern on the Square. Along the way we had a night full of laughs and lifelong memories! JO, and I as a result, am so lucky to have friends like this!

Tis the 5K Season

We started March by getting back into 5K races. We ran in the Craicfest 5K just before St. Patrick's Day. This was a great race and really well organized. I loved that it started at the Galleria. It made pre-race time very easy. The course was really cool, following the pedestrian path under the Zakim Bridge. Despite the cold and very windy conditions I got my time down to 31 minutes.

Just today, we ran the Spring Classic in Cambridge. Another great race course and a personal best of 30 minutes and 25 seconds.

After the race we went to Tatte Bakery in Kendall for some post race fueling with our friends. The croque monsieur sandwich is amazing and the croissant is perfection. Plus, Tatte Bakery features the added bonus of Stumptown Coffee. We left talking about making our own 5K race and finishing with our own celebration on our friend's steps on Commonwealth Ave.

Parlor Sports

As I mentioned in my previous post, we love Parlor Sports. It's a great neighborhood bar that really takes the time to get to know their regulars. For instance, they give crazy UConn fans like me Geno Auriemma autographed bottles of wine, "Because we know you are a big fan!"

So there was no where else I was going to spend the first day of March Madness, the best day of the tournament. Parlor Sports opens early for the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament. Three years ago I went and there were only a handful of people in the bar. This year JO and I went and it filled up quickly. Luckily we were able to get two seats at the bar and spent three hours watching lots and lots of basketball surrounded by a great group of people.

Throughout the tournament we headed back to watch more games and to celebrate big UConn wins. We were always welcomed with rounds of applause, and after the Elite Eight win, a big hug. We tried to go after the Florida win but it was so crowded that the bartenders were actually going out the back exit and running around to the front entrance to deliver drinks and take orders.

Parlor Sports is one of the things that makes Inman such a special place to live. It's a true neighborhood spot and you feel like you are at home when you're there. Thanks for another great March Madness Parlor Sports- two championships for UConn is pretty sweet but celebrating at Parlor Sports made it even sweeter!

Double Trouble- UConn wins and wins and wins!

I've been missing for a while but it's for a good reason! My UConn Huskies went crazy during March Madness and took home not one, but two, National Championships! March Madness was magical but quite rigorous for Husky fans!

Ten years ago when UConn pulled off the double championships it was expected. As a Husky fan you went into March Madness committed to watching 12 games in three weeks. This year the women were expected to win, but the men weren't. After showing flashes of brilliance early on in the season, the men kind of faded away, but when the brackets came out it all changed. If they could get past the first round then they had a shot.

For three glorious weeks in March and early April I was a Husky fan on a mission and I proudly displayed my Husky banner in our living room for all of Inman to see. We got lots of Husky honks during the title run!

We also had a lot of fun building the Special Support Zoo in our living room! By the 12th game we had maxed out all stuffed animals and accessories.

I loved Coach Ollie's catch phrases and I found myself "Taking the stairs because escalators are for cowards" and believing "That we have enough right here in this room." I reveled in Geno's back and forth with Muffet McGraw and how determined my Huskies looked when they took the court against ND. We went to Gampel for the first two games for the women and got to cheer for seniors Stefanie Dolson and Breah Hartley for the last time.

They will need to make room for a 9th banner!

All along the way we were celebrating with our favorite bartenders at Parlor Sports. After each UConn victory we headed over to toast at our favorite neighborhood sports bar. After the Huskies beat Michigan State to make it to the Final Four we walked in to a round of applause and a big bear hug!

A few days after the men and women wrapped up their National Championships we went to Parlor Sports for one last toast to UConn's "April Reign!" When we walked in the bartender gave us a high five and then presented us with an autographed bottle of Geno Aurriema wine. I couldn't believe it. The bartender explained that he knew we were big fans and wanted us to have the bottle. That's one of the many reasons Parlor Sports is so awesome! They really do take the time to get to know their regulars and make them feel appreciated.