Sunday, April 24, 2016
Spring Classic 5k
I managed to avoid a PAX Hangover to run in the Spring Classic 5k in Cambridge! The weather was beautiful for a run through Cambridge and I finally broke 30 minutes again! Running a 5k is a great way to start your day!
Pax East 2016
PAX East is JO's version of my UConn Huskies obsession. He lives for this video game convention. I've gone a few times and it's always been on a busy weekend for me so I haven't been able to enjoy it to it's fullest before. PAX on vacation week was a fabulous thing!
First, I was able to go on Friday and Saturday which was awesome. It made for a much slower pace, and lots more time to enjoy all of the video and board games.
I really enjoyed the whole event this year. Not having to worry about school work or errands was pretty awesome. Brit Brigade put on a great live version of video game music while someone speed ran the Ninja game.
I even bought a couple new games- Camel Cup (which we call Camel Up) and Evolution, which I'm in love with!
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| Why wouldn't you love betting on camel races |
JO bought Dragoon, pretty much the board game of the convention! I loved the dragon pieces and the lightness of the game play.
Overall, I really "got" PAX East this year and am already looking forward to next year's event!
A Couple Beautiful Days in the City
The weather this vacation was fabulous. JO and I roamed around Harvard Square and ate lunch at Tory Row. I always forget how solid this restaurant is. The food is very well priced, fun atmosphere, and great views of the Square.
I headed into Boston to do some shopping and stopped at the library to read in the courtyard. It was so nice to not have to do anything except soak in lots of city goodness.
I headed into Boston to do some shopping and stopped at the library to read in the courtyard. It was so nice to not have to do anything except soak in lots of city goodness.
A Few Days Away
After celebrating the start of vacation at State Park, it was time to hit the road. No big road trip for us this year, but we did spend a few days in New Hampshire. The weather was gorgeous for our hike up Mt. Rattlesnake. It was a fairly easy hike, just over 1.5 mile round trip but a great warmup for the hiking season. I have a big hiking goal for this summer's trip to Yosemite so I have to start training. The views were spectacular and the hike was a lot of fun.
After the hike, we had dinner at Lago with JO's family to celebrate his brother's birthday. Lago is near Mills Falls and offers great views of the lake. The food was yummy and the company great. The tiramisu dessert was pretty delicious. After dinner we hit up FunSpot before heading to our hotel.
The next day, we made our way to the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Brenton Woods. I have been wanting to stay here for a while and I'm so glad we did. I love the old fashioned feeling to the resort and the grand rooms with super high ceilings and lots of open space.
We checked out the "Cave," an old speekeasy in the basement floor. It was cool, but so loud. I thought they would keep it a bit calmer there but I guess it is a nightclub. After drinks we wandered around, checking out the fire pits, and other fun parts of the resort. Nothing says vacation like a fire pit!
We woke up fairly early the next morning so that we could go hiking. We had found a 4.5 mile hike that looked good and we wanted to get it in before the rain came. We fueled up with the breakfast buffet in the main dining room, which was absolutely beautiful. It's a round room with tres ceilings and huge windows so you can take in the mountain views no matter where you are. The made to order omelette station was my personal favorite.
The hike took about three and half hours and it was a lot tougher than we were expecting. We had to navigate some "scrambling" sections, cross a couple streams, and deal with some ice and mud on the trail. Despite those obstacles the hike was awesome and the Arethusa Falls was pretty cool.
After the hike we were starving so we stopped at a little diner and ate a lot of steak! After a quick nap, we checked out the whirlpool, before getting ready for dinner. We ended up eating in the Rosebrook Bar just off the main dining room. This was the only bad part of the hotel. The service was lousy and the food was just ok. After dinner we had drinks in the Princess Room, an small bar and lounge off the dining room. The bar area was dimly lit, and consisted of only the bar. The attached lounge featured a lot of funky, eclectic chairs and furniture. We had a lot of fun at this bar and spent a lot of time talking about our next road trip adventure this summer.
The next day we headed home, well rested and relaxed!
The next day, we made our way to the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Brenton Woods. I have been wanting to stay here for a while and I'm so glad we did. I love the old fashioned feeling to the resort and the grand rooms with super high ceilings and lots of open space.
We checked out the "Cave," an old speekeasy in the basement floor. It was cool, but so loud. I thought they would keep it a bit calmer there but I guess it is a nightclub. After drinks we wandered around, checking out the fire pits, and other fun parts of the resort. Nothing says vacation like a fire pit!
We woke up fairly early the next morning so that we could go hiking. We had found a 4.5 mile hike that looked good and we wanted to get it in before the rain came. We fueled up with the breakfast buffet in the main dining room, which was absolutely beautiful. It's a round room with tres ceilings and huge windows so you can take in the mountain views no matter where you are. The made to order omelette station was my personal favorite.
The hike took about three and half hours and it was a lot tougher than we were expecting. We had to navigate some "scrambling" sections, cross a couple streams, and deal with some ice and mud on the trail. Despite those obstacles the hike was awesome and the Arethusa Falls was pretty cool.
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| We hiked by some train tracks |
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| Some of the obstacles |
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| The falls |
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| One of the streams we had to cross |
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| Ice on the trail |
The next day we headed home, well rested and relaxed!
State Park
How do you kick off April Vacation! At everyone's favorite nouveau wilderness bar in Kendall Square. I hadn't been to State Park since October and it seemed like a great place to kick off our vacation (JO was taking the week off too!)
State Park has a great vibe, really good cocktails, and fun pin ball machines. We both enjoyed celebrating the start of vacation!
State Park has a great vibe, really good cocktails, and fun pin ball machines. We both enjoyed celebrating the start of vacation!
Hops N Scotch
When Hops N Scotch first opened it was a great addition to the Square. It seemed to be finding it's way with the food, as the menu changed a bunch. Sometime in the winter they switched to a "test kitchen" concept and JO and I felt like they had jumped the shark. I don't want to spend a ton of money for food when I go to a local bar.
It's a good thing that Hops N Scotch is an avid social media user because I saw an ad for their "Pasta Tuesday" event and it got us to try it out again. On Tuesdays, homemade pasta dishes (small portions but enough) are $9. There's an oyster promotion that overlaps with the the pasta special which is perfect for me. JO and I decided to try it out again a few weeks ago. The pasta was excellent, I enjoyed the oysters, and the bartender was super friendly. We liked it so much that we went back last week too. How can we pass up $9 pastas!
When we were there on Tuesday the bartender mentioned that they might be doing some "beer tent" events. There is no where to drink outside in Inman so if that happens that will be pretty excited. I'm still not in love with their normal menu but the oyster and pasta thing is enough to keep me visiting!
It's a good thing that Hops N Scotch is an avid social media user because I saw an ad for their "Pasta Tuesday" event and it got us to try it out again. On Tuesdays, homemade pasta dishes (small portions but enough) are $9. There's an oyster promotion that overlaps with the the pasta special which is perfect for me. JO and I decided to try it out again a few weeks ago. The pasta was excellent, I enjoyed the oysters, and the bartender was super friendly. We liked it so much that we went back last week too. How can we pass up $9 pastas!
When we were there on Tuesday the bartender mentioned that they might be doing some "beer tent" events. There is no where to drink outside in Inman so if that happens that will be pretty excited. I'm still not in love with their normal menu but the oyster and pasta thing is enough to keep me visiting!
A Spontaneous Night Out
After all of the craziness of March Madness JO and I needed a night out. We decided a bit late, and by late I mean 7:30 pm, which really narrows down our options in our neighborhood. Mobilizing that late pretty much means your shut out of everything. We decided to be spontaneous and try out Muqueca, a clay pot cooking restaurant.
I had kind of wanted something a bit fancier so I was a little hesitant with this choice and after I ordered the house wine which wasn't very good I was sure we were doomed.
I ordered the garlic shrimp with rice and veggies and JO ordered the fish stew served in a hot clay pot. Once our food arrived my entire opinion of the restaurant changed. My garlic shrimp were really well cooked, maybe not as good as Casa Portugal, but they were pretty good. I loved that they were served with steamed vegetables. JO's hot clay pot thing looked, smelled, and tasted delicious! We are definitely going back to this place. Next time, I'm going to order the fruit juice. We were pretty much the only ones not drinking the house made fruit juices.
After dinner neither of us wanted the evening to end. We couldn't think of a place to go and then we remembered Ole! We figured we could get a seat at the bar pretty easily. We were able to get one seat at the bar! It was packed. JO ordered a couple of mezcal cocktails and both were delicious. I stuck with a good old fashioned margarita. The bartender was super fun and even gave us some samples of mezcal when we were wrapping up. It was a super fun way to enjoy a city night out.
I had kind of wanted something a bit fancier so I was a little hesitant with this choice and after I ordered the house wine which wasn't very good I was sure we were doomed.
I ordered the garlic shrimp with rice and veggies and JO ordered the fish stew served in a hot clay pot. Once our food arrived my entire opinion of the restaurant changed. My garlic shrimp were really well cooked, maybe not as good as Casa Portugal, but they were pretty good. I loved that they were served with steamed vegetables. JO's hot clay pot thing looked, smelled, and tasted delicious! We are definitely going back to this place. Next time, I'm going to order the fruit juice. We were pretty much the only ones not drinking the house made fruit juices.
After dinner neither of us wanted the evening to end. We couldn't think of a place to go and then we remembered Ole! We figured we could get a seat at the bar pretty easily. We were able to get one seat at the bar! It was packed. JO ordered a couple of mezcal cocktails and both were delicious. I stuck with a good old fashioned margarita. The bartender was super fun and even gave us some samples of mezcal when we were wrapping up. It was a super fun way to enjoy a city night out.
Bridal Brunch at Omni Parker
Back when I got engaged I went to the Bridal Brunch at the Omni Parker and had really enjoyed it, so when my friend got engaged I suggested we go together. The event is a really nice way to celebrate being engaged. There's champagne, yummy food, lots of prizes, and lots of decorations and flowers to look at. Plus, the whole thing is in the roof top ballroom at the Omni.
UConn!!!!
This post has nothing to do with the city life! I just can't help but declare my love for my Huskies! My Huskies have won 11 National Championships, 4 in a row, 101 games in three seasons, etc., etc. I wasn't able to go to the Victory Parade so instead I went to the Celebrate the Season Event at the Werth Training Facility.
We got to tour the facility, see all the trophies, and meet the team!!!!!!! It was unreal!
We got to tour the facility, see all the trophies, and meet the team!!!!!!! It was unreal!
Figure Skating and Sfizi
I love watching figure skating. There's something about the rhinestones, sequins, pressure, and beauty of the sport that just sucks me right in. I've had the chance to go to two National Championships at the Garden and had a great time both times so when tickets for the World Championships at the Garden went on sale it was a no brainer. I was a bit disappointed that a bunch of the events were during the day, which conflicted with work, but I was able to go the ice dancing finals and the ladies' finals.
The ice dancing finals didn't really get going until 8:00 so JO and I had plenty of time to eat in the North End. I had had my eye on Sfizi for a while. I love tapas bars and an Italian tapas bar sounded like a great idea.
Sfizi is located just off the main street in the North End on the corner. It features floor to ceiling windows on all sides but one. The bar is along the back wall and there are tables everywhere else in the space. The tables aren't right on top of each other, an anomaly for the North End. We ordered a bunch of tapas: burrata, ceasar salad, the lobster ravioli, and the boar ragu. The food was decent but nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was great but there is much better food in the North End.
As for the skating, it was fabulous. It was so neat to be at such a prestigious event. I loved watching the coaches during the skaters performances. The ladies final showcased some amazing skating. All but one of the last six ladies scored a personal best. I had never seen ice dancing live and it was really cool.
An added bonus was how we could walk back to the mall to grab our car so we didn't have to deal with the traffic.
The ice dancing finals didn't really get going until 8:00 so JO and I had plenty of time to eat in the North End. I had had my eye on Sfizi for a while. I love tapas bars and an Italian tapas bar sounded like a great idea.
Sfizi is located just off the main street in the North End on the corner. It features floor to ceiling windows on all sides but one. The bar is along the back wall and there are tables everywhere else in the space. The tables aren't right on top of each other, an anomaly for the North End. We ordered a bunch of tapas: burrata, ceasar salad, the lobster ravioli, and the boar ragu. The food was decent but nothing to write home about. The atmosphere was great but there is much better food in the North End.
As for the skating, it was fabulous. It was so neat to be at such a prestigious event. I loved watching the coaches during the skaters performances. The ladies final showcased some amazing skating. All but one of the last six ladies scored a personal best. I had never seen ice dancing live and it was really cool.
An added bonus was how we could walk back to the mall to grab our car so we didn't have to deal with the traffic.
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