Yesterday there was a huge UConn game. UConn, ranked #1, was playing at Duke, ranked #2. It was a huge game on our road to a possible undefeated season and it was must see tv in my opinion!
Despite the crazy snow JO and I walked over to Parlor Sports to enjoy being able to go out during a snowstorm and cheer on our Huskies! I love how well they know us! The instant we walked in, "our" tv was switched to ESPN2. We didn't even have to ask and the bartender knew what channel a women's basketball game was on! Awesome!
We had a blast watching the game and our Huskies put on a great show and remain #1 and undefeated! JO and I spent a lot of time talking about how important and special this neighborhood is. We both agree our condo/rental search has to be all about location! Only time will tell if we can make this a reality!
In the meantime, go Huskies!!!!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Last weekend we experienced our first storm of the winter, quickly followed up by another storm. I am so not ready for winter and snow and I hope this is not an indication of things to come. I am still scarred after last year's winter.
Since the first storm was on a Saturday I knew there would be no need to drive so I decided to embrace the storm. I did make the mistake of trying to go grocery shopping the morning of the impending storm. I'm just going to throw out the word "apocalyptic" to describe the scene at the grocery store. I learned my lesson will stay far, far away from grocery stores before snowstorms.
We had tickets to see The Nutcracker presented by Jose Mateo's Ballet and we weren't going to let a little snow get in our way. We donned our puffy jackets, winter boots, and earmuffs and walked to The Sanctuary Theater in Harvard Square. It's been a while since I have seen the Nutcracker and I was so excited. The falling snow made the event even more magical. The theater is very intimate which adds to the experience. When I was younger my mom and I would go to the Wang Theater every December to see The Nutcracker. We would get dressed up and go out for lunch in the city before the show. When I saw an ad for the Jose Mateo production I couldn't resist getting tickets. The dancing was quite good. Poor JO had to listen to me talk about technique and arm positions. He was a good sport!
It would have been easy to head home after the ballet since it was snowing quite heavily but instead JO and I decided to embrace the city life and head into the Square for a late dinner and drinks. We grabbed two seats at the window of Wagamama and enjoyed some Raman. We had fun grading the winter driving and commenting on all the crazy "snow madness" behavior we were seeing.
After dinner we headed over to Upstairs on the Square. I was actually worried we wouldn't be able to get a seat at the bar since this treasure is only open for a few more weeks. I was surprised to find the restaurant relatively empty and we easily got two seats at the bar. When you are in this restaurant you can sense all of the history contained within the walls. This restaurant is so unique and so special and I'm so sad to see it go. Once again we found ourselves talking about all of our favorite city memories.
On our way out we spent some time talking to the gentleman at the coat check booth. He has been with the restaurant for 30 years and you could just tell how sad he was that the place is closing. We're going to try to go at least a few more times before a piece of Harvard Square history closes it's doors forever.
We walked home through the snow and even I, a self proclaimed snow hater, had to admit the snow was beautiful.
Of course, the next morning the snow was not so beautiful as it had iced over and the city was a complete mess. It seems most of Cambridge put on their "Give Up Pants" and ignored their shoveling duties because it's an utter mess around here. Tuesday night's storm did not help conditions and as a result, I've been taking a combination of trains, buses, and rides from JO to and from work this week. I'm hoping the snow melts soon and we don't see it for a while even though it made for a beautiful night out in the Square!
Since the first storm was on a Saturday I knew there would be no need to drive so I decided to embrace the storm. I did make the mistake of trying to go grocery shopping the morning of the impending storm. I'm just going to throw out the word "apocalyptic" to describe the scene at the grocery store. I learned my lesson will stay far, far away from grocery stores before snowstorms.
We had tickets to see The Nutcracker presented by Jose Mateo's Ballet and we weren't going to let a little snow get in our way. We donned our puffy jackets, winter boots, and earmuffs and walked to The Sanctuary Theater in Harvard Square. It's been a while since I have seen the Nutcracker and I was so excited. The falling snow made the event even more magical. The theater is very intimate which adds to the experience. When I was younger my mom and I would go to the Wang Theater every December to see The Nutcracker. We would get dressed up and go out for lunch in the city before the show. When I saw an ad for the Jose Mateo production I couldn't resist getting tickets. The dancing was quite good. Poor JO had to listen to me talk about technique and arm positions. He was a good sport!
It would have been easy to head home after the ballet since it was snowing quite heavily but instead JO and I decided to embrace the city life and head into the Square for a late dinner and drinks. We grabbed two seats at the window of Wagamama and enjoyed some Raman. We had fun grading the winter driving and commenting on all the crazy "snow madness" behavior we were seeing.
After dinner we headed over to Upstairs on the Square. I was actually worried we wouldn't be able to get a seat at the bar since this treasure is only open for a few more weeks. I was surprised to find the restaurant relatively empty and we easily got two seats at the bar. When you are in this restaurant you can sense all of the history contained within the walls. This restaurant is so unique and so special and I'm so sad to see it go. Once again we found ourselves talking about all of our favorite city memories.
On our way out we spent some time talking to the gentleman at the coat check booth. He has been with the restaurant for 30 years and you could just tell how sad he was that the place is closing. We're going to try to go at least a few more times before a piece of Harvard Square history closes it's doors forever.
We walked home through the snow and even I, a self proclaimed snow hater, had to admit the snow was beautiful.
Of course, the next morning the snow was not so beautiful as it had iced over and the city was a complete mess. It seems most of Cambridge put on their "Give Up Pants" and ignored their shoveling duties because it's an utter mess around here. Tuesday night's storm did not help conditions and as a result, I've been taking a combination of trains, buses, and rides from JO to and from work this week. I'm hoping the snow melts soon and we don't see it for a while even though it made for a beautiful night out in the Square!
Shop Inman by Moonlight
I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I love my neighborhood and one of the main reasons is all of the community events the business association sponsors throughout the year. We had Inmanween and the Inman Harvest Hoedown during the fall and December brought us Shop Inman by Moonlight.
The festivities kick off with a scavenger hunt around the Square. Despite the frigid temps, I ran around the neighborhood finding all of the hidden candy canes before JO came home from work. Once JO got home we headed over to the plaza to check out the tree before stopping into The Druid for dinner.
After dinner we did a little shopping at Boutique Fabulous before getting a picture with Santa! Boutique Fabulous was extremely festive and it was fun to see so many neighborhood people. We decided we didn't want the evening to end so we walked over to Puritan and Co. for one last drink. We had a lot of fun reminiscing over the last five years of Inman Square memories.
The festivities kick off with a scavenger hunt around the Square. Despite the frigid temps, I ran around the neighborhood finding all of the hidden candy canes before JO came home from work. Once JO got home we headed over to the plaza to check out the tree before stopping into The Druid for dinner.
After dinner we did a little shopping at Boutique Fabulous before getting a picture with Santa! Boutique Fabulous was extremely festive and it was fun to see so many neighborhood people. We decided we didn't want the evening to end so we walked over to Puritan and Co. for one last drink. We had a lot of fun reminiscing over the last five years of Inman Square memories.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
YuleFest 5K
Back in October I ran my first 5K and I got hooked and started looking for another race to run. I came across the YuleFest that starts and ends in Harvard Square and winds it's way through Inman Square. How could I not run in it? I got JO to sign up with me and we lucked out with a not frigid December morning. There was a bit of a drizzle and some of the roads were a little slick but overall it was really fun. I beat my time by a minute and am looking forward to running some more races in the spring. I'm hoping we can add this race to our city holiday traditions! If the weather is nicer next year we can enjoy the big post-race block party!
A Triple Play- City Style
Some nights you just have an epic evening. Everything lines up and life is good. We had a night like this on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
After dinner we had some time to kill before we were meeting up with a friend for her birthday. We did a little shopping but we still had a lot of spare time. That's when JO had a great idea. We had an expired Groupon for Finale but it was still worth it's face value. We headed over there and indulged in tiramisu and chocolate cake. We almost never go out for dessert, but I think we should change that.
After dessert we hopped on the train and headed over to Eastern Standard. I've been wanting to try this place for a long time and was glad my friend picked it for her birthday celebration. We were able to get a table in the bar area. The lighting is classic French brassiere and although it was packed it wasn't too loud. Bonus- I didn't know it was part of a hotel and by now you should now I love a good hotel bar. My only negative comment about this place was that they gave us two different drink menus but neither contained a wine by the glass list. I ended up ordering a Cava but had no idea how much it was. Luckily, a few hours later we got a drink menu and I was pleasantly pleased with the $9 price.
We had to leave a bit on the early side since we were running a 5K the next day but we had an amazing night in not one city, but two!
Holiday Traditions
I'm not a huge fan of Thanksgiving but I do love the Christmas season. One of the reasons I love Christmas time is all of the traditions.
There's the tree lighting in Harvard Square
And decorating the tree! We went with a UConn theme this year and I think it came out perfect!
Still to come are checking out the lights in Boston, the annual Calling All Crows benefit show by Chad Stokes, and It's a Wonderful Life at the Brattle! We've even added in the Nutcracker performed by Jose Mateo Ballet in Harvard Square!
There's the tree lighting in Harvard Square
Walking to Ricky's Flower Market in Union Square to get our tree
And decorating the tree! We went with a UConn theme this year and I think it came out perfect!
Still to come are checking out the lights in Boston, the annual Calling All Crows benefit show by Chad Stokes, and It's a Wonderful Life at the Brattle! We've even added in the Nutcracker performed by Jose Mateo Ballet in Harvard Square!
Sometimes you Just Need to Wear a Santa Hat
The Friday after Thanksgiving was booked solid for me. Unfortunately it was booked with things like report cards, correcting papers, and coursework. By 6:00 p.m. I just couldn't do anymore. My plan had been to pull an all-nighter and finish everything but I was very easily convinced to go out and grab dinner first.
We walked over to Trina's and grabbed dinner with our good friend. I still had plans of going home and doing work but again I was easily convinced to run a quick errand with JO and our friend. We all had holiday themed 5ks that weekend. We decided to swing by Walgreens and get the hats before we headed home.
Well one thing led to another and before you knew it we were wearing our Santa hats out of the store. And of course, since we were all wearing Santa hats we felt the need to grab one last drink at Parlor Sports. We had fun talking about the city life and our great neighborhood while wearing Santa hats.
The evening spiraled even more out of control when we returned to our place and watched Sharknado, while wearing our Santa hats!
Good times! Good times!
We walked over to Trina's and grabbed dinner with our good friend. I still had plans of going home and doing work but again I was easily convinced to run a quick errand with JO and our friend. We all had holiday themed 5ks that weekend. We decided to swing by Walgreens and get the hats before we headed home.
Well one thing led to another and before you knew it we were wearing our Santa hats out of the store. And of course, since we were all wearing Santa hats we felt the need to grab one last drink at Parlor Sports. We had fun talking about the city life and our great neighborhood while wearing Santa hats.
The evening spiraled even more out of control when we returned to our place and watched Sharknado, while wearing our Santa hats!
Good times! Good times!
Tom Hanksgiving!- A Bukowski's Thanksgiving
If hadn't already had plans for Thanksgiving I would totally have attended this fabulous Inman Square event:
Are you really City Vicky?
The week of Thanksgiving was absolutely brutal at school. I put in two and half days at school and close to fourteen hours of work at home. Between the coloring in of bubbles, the correcting of test after test, and trying to finish report cards I was completely frazzled. Wednesday was a half day but it was also tropical outside making my classroom almost unbearable. As a result, when I finally returned home at 4:00 p.m. I put on my newly purchased fleece "Give Up Pants" and curled up into a ball on the couch. JO and I had made plans to go out and enjoy the night free of responsibilities but I wasn't feeling it.
JO tried everything and I just wasn't budging. That was until JO pulled out the big guns. He threatened me with moving to the suburbs if I wasn't going to take advantage of nights like these out in the city. He rallied me with shouts of "You're City Vicky not suburb Vicky." (disclaimer- many people love the suburbs. I'm not judging. That's great if you love the suburbs but it just doesn't work for me.) This totally worked and I snapped out of my funk and quickly started searching for reservations.
We met up with our good friend at Marliave, pretty much my favorite restaurant in Boston, for dinner and drinks. We got a great table upstairs and ate some delicious food while reminiscing about all the great things about the past year. When dinner was over we all agreed that the night was young and that we should take advantage of the city so we headed over to Highball Lounge in the Nine Zero Hotel.
I had just heard about Highball earlier in the week when I read an article about it's grand opening. They did a great job renovating the space. It has the rustic modern vibe that's so popular right now. The bar is made out of old library card catalogues which was pretty cool. The drink menu is a Viewfinder:
They have a game closet with lots of card and board games to play at the table. They even have a live dj but the music is just the right volume as to allow costumers to actually talk with each other.
In fact, I think this bar was made for people in our age range. There are lots of retro throwbacks: ViewFinder, UNO, Battleship, etc. The place has a hip vibe and live music but like I said, you can actually carry on a conversation. It's upscale but not stuffy.
When I go out to a bar I want to enjoy the space and enjoy my friends. Definitely different priorities that the youngins :-)
Overall the night was a smashing success thanks to the city!
JO tried everything and I just wasn't budging. That was until JO pulled out the big guns. He threatened me with moving to the suburbs if I wasn't going to take advantage of nights like these out in the city. He rallied me with shouts of "You're City Vicky not suburb Vicky." (disclaimer- many people love the suburbs. I'm not judging. That's great if you love the suburbs but it just doesn't work for me.) This totally worked and I snapped out of my funk and quickly started searching for reservations.
We met up with our good friend at Marliave, pretty much my favorite restaurant in Boston, for dinner and drinks. We got a great table upstairs and ate some delicious food while reminiscing about all the great things about the past year. When dinner was over we all agreed that the night was young and that we should take advantage of the city so we headed over to Highball Lounge in the Nine Zero Hotel.
I had just heard about Highball earlier in the week when I read an article about it's grand opening. They did a great job renovating the space. It has the rustic modern vibe that's so popular right now. The bar is made out of old library card catalogues which was pretty cool. The drink menu is a Viewfinder:
They have a game closet with lots of card and board games to play at the table. They even have a live dj but the music is just the right volume as to allow costumers to actually talk with each other.
In fact, I think this bar was made for people in our age range. There are lots of retro throwbacks: ViewFinder, UNO, Battleship, etc. The place has a hip vibe and live music but like I said, you can actually carry on a conversation. It's upscale but not stuffy.
When I go out to a bar I want to enjoy the space and enjoy my friends. Definitely different priorities that the youngins :-)
Overall the night was a smashing success thanks to the city!
ThanksgivingFest
Each year we host a ThanksgivingFest for our friends at our house. JO lives for hosting events and I think Thanksgiving is his favorite. This year he cooked 34 pounds of turkey because in his words, "You cannot run out of turkey!" While I agree, I thought 34 pounds of turkey might be too much. In the end, this Thanksgiving was our best yet. Some years it gets really crazy in the kitchen right before dinner with everyone heating up their food. This year everything got on the table with very little stress, the gravy came out perfect, and 25 adults and three children sat at one long table in our kitchen. I love the idea that we can get everyone at one table.
Over the last few days JO and I have been doing a lot of apartment hunting and it will be a major miracle if we find a new place where sitting everyone at one long table is possible. We've seen some places that are more updated than ours but we haven't seen anything with a layout that even comes close to our place. Reason 856 to love this place!gm
Over the last few days JO and I have been doing a lot of apartment hunting and it will be a major miracle if we find a new place where sitting everyone at one long table is possible. We've seen some places that are more updated than ours but we haven't seen anything with a layout that even comes close to our place. Reason 856 to love this place!gm
Parlor Sports- Where Everyone Knows Your Name
Yet another UConn Husky season is upon us! I love this time of year. Lots of excitement over what the season might bring, undefeated records, and big match ups! Last year we had a lot of fun going to Parlor Sports to watch the games. They even saved the day during the second game of March Madness when ESPN changed the coverage to a channel we don't get. I still remember racing over to Parlor Sports, probably the furthest restaurant from us, as fast as possible. We rushed in, out of breath, with a UConn emergency and they happily put the channel on for us!
We decided to watch the first televised UConn game at Parlor Sports to celebrate the season. We got decked up in our UConn gear and upon entering the bar was greeted with a "Go UConn."
I love this place because it embodies everything that is great about Inman Square! Fun, funky restaurants with neighborhood charm. This is the kind of place where everyone knows your name! The head bartender came over and talked Husky basketball with us while we cheered on our team. We even got free drinks to celebrate the early season win which was really nice.
We went back to watch another UConn game and got similar treatment. I always think it's really nice that this small sports bar will put on a women's basketball game for us. The place started filling in because a Celtics game was starting and some guys sitting at the table next to us asked to have our tv switched. They were greeted with a, "Not till that UConn game is over" from the waiter. That's loyalty for you!
I've been thinking a lot lately about what I will miss most about Inman Square if we have to move and I think Parlor Sports and Trina's will at or very near the top of the list because of the neighborhood love they show. If we have to move to a new neighborhood I hope we get the same Husky love Inman shows us!
We decided to watch the first televised UConn game at Parlor Sports to celebrate the season. We got decked up in our UConn gear and upon entering the bar was greeted with a "Go UConn."
I love this place because it embodies everything that is great about Inman Square! Fun, funky restaurants with neighborhood charm. This is the kind of place where everyone knows your name! The head bartender came over and talked Husky basketball with us while we cheered on our team. We even got free drinks to celebrate the early season win which was really nice.
I've been thinking a lot lately about what I will miss most about Inman Square if we have to move and I think Parlor Sports and Trina's will at or very near the top of the list because of the neighborhood love they show. If we have to move to a new neighborhood I hope we get the same Husky love Inman shows us!
A Night Out in Union Square
In all of the craziness of this past week I haven't had a chance to sit down and blog about all the fun things we have done in and around Inman Square over the past few weeks. I had planned on a lengthy blogging session on Saturday but JO and I had to do some proactive work in light of our housing situation.
One of things I love most about where we live is how easily accessible so many other neighborhoods are for us. We can get to Union, Kendall, Harvard, and Central within 20 minute walks. If we get "bored" with our neighborhood we have lots of other places to go. I'm stressing the quotation marks in that last sentence.
A few weeks ago one of my friends organized a "Girls Night" for a Thursday night. We ended up in Union Square at Bronwyn. We've been here a few times and loved it each time.
We had to wait a bit for a table since they don't take reservations and it was pretty full but that was ok. It gave us lots of time to catch up with each other. We've all been so busy this fall that it seemed like forever since we just got to hang out together. While we sitting at the table my mind drifted to how lucky I am to have stumbled into this group of friends and how lucky I am to have completely changed my life. Seven years ago I could never have imagined a night like this at a restaurant like this.
One of things I love most about where we live is how easily accessible so many other neighborhoods are for us. We can get to Union, Kendall, Harvard, and Central within 20 minute walks. If we get "bored" with our neighborhood we have lots of other places to go. I'm stressing the quotation marks in that last sentence.
A few weeks ago one of my friends organized a "Girls Night" for a Thursday night. We ended up in Union Square at Bronwyn. We've been here a few times and loved it each time.
We had to wait a bit for a table since they don't take reservations and it was pretty full but that was ok. It gave us lots of time to catch up with each other. We've all been so busy this fall that it seemed like forever since we just got to hang out together. While we sitting at the table my mind drifted to how lucky I am to have stumbled into this group of friends and how lucky I am to have completely changed my life. Seven years ago I could never have imagined a night like this at a restaurant like this.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Home is Where the Heart Is
For many young adults renting an apartment is a small step on the way to buying a house and finding a "home." For me, renting gave me my home. The home I had always wished for. A home in the perfect neighborhood with the perfect neighbors. When JO and I stumbled on this apartment five years ago we instantly fell in love with it. It's big, with a great layout, and an even better location. We often joked that if ever had to move our rental agent would hate us because our demands would look something like this:
*an apartment next to a goat shop because any day is made better by a goat delivery
*a kitchen big enough to host 25 of our closest friends or play kickball in the night before a big storm
*centrally located right in Inman Square...not on a side street...right in the Square. We need to be able to get Christina's ice cream during a commercial break without missing anything
*at least 4 windows in the living room
*25+ kitchen cabinets
*a stock room (aka- our second shower)
*lots of closets and huge basement storage unit
*neighbors who immediately hug you like a grandmother when you tell them your mother just died
*neighbors who offer to carry your ridiculously heavy school bag home
*neighbors who give you water after a scary fire alarm
*two bedrooms and an office for a grand under market value
What agent would want to work with us? We'll soon be finding out. We got notification today that our landlord plans on selling our unit asap. I have not cried so gutturally since I got a phone call telling me my mom had died. I actually had almost the same stunned reaction and then it all hit me and I started screaming. I know for a lot of people this seems absurd. It's just an apartment. But for me it's not. Our apartment is so much more than an apartment. It's my home. It's my life. It's where I celebrated happy things and lamented over sad ones. It's my home base for enjoying everything the city has to offer. It's my window that always has something exciting going on outside...from goat deliveries to shopping carts relay races and RR shenanigans my apartment has given me so many amazing memories that have made me feel truly alive for the last five years. Part of what makes me me is this place and where it's located. I wish it was easy to find another place like this in our neighborhood. I wouldn't have spent the last few hours crying. But the reality is that it is not. Prices are skyrocketing in our neighborhood. An apartment with less square footage and a bad layout goes for $2800 and sells for upwards of $500,000. The chances that we will make it through this change and still live in this neighborhood are very slim.
JO keeps telling me we can replace this place. That we can find something in this neighborhood. But it's more than just the location. This apartment really is special and I can't imagine finding something like it here. It really has become my home filled with all of my memories. I imagine these are the emotions I should've felt when we sold my dad's house but that place never felt like home, even when I lived there.
Maybe it's because we found our "home" while renting. Maybe we did this whole grownup life thing out of order. Maybe because in the past five years I have loved my life so very much. For so many years I yearned to get back to the city and it finally happened here. For the first time in a long time I felt like I belonged somewhere. I understood what "home" meant. My fingers are crossed that this will all work out but the realist in me knows I better enjoy every minute of the next few months. I am grateful that I have this blog to look back on and remember all of these special times here!
*an apartment next to a goat shop because any day is made better by a goat delivery
*a kitchen big enough to host 25 of our closest friends or play kickball in the night before a big storm
*centrally located right in Inman Square...not on a side street...right in the Square. We need to be able to get Christina's ice cream during a commercial break without missing anything
*at least 4 windows in the living room
*25+ kitchen cabinets
*a stock room (aka- our second shower)
*lots of closets and huge basement storage unit
*neighbors who immediately hug you like a grandmother when you tell them your mother just died
*neighbors who offer to carry your ridiculously heavy school bag home
*neighbors who give you water after a scary fire alarm
*two bedrooms and an office for a grand under market value
What agent would want to work with us? We'll soon be finding out. We got notification today that our landlord plans on selling our unit asap. I have not cried so gutturally since I got a phone call telling me my mom had died. I actually had almost the same stunned reaction and then it all hit me and I started screaming. I know for a lot of people this seems absurd. It's just an apartment. But for me it's not. Our apartment is so much more than an apartment. It's my home. It's my life. It's where I celebrated happy things and lamented over sad ones. It's my home base for enjoying everything the city has to offer. It's my window that always has something exciting going on outside...from goat deliveries to shopping carts relay races and RR shenanigans my apartment has given me so many amazing memories that have made me feel truly alive for the last five years. Part of what makes me me is this place and where it's located. I wish it was easy to find another place like this in our neighborhood. I wouldn't have spent the last few hours crying. But the reality is that it is not. Prices are skyrocketing in our neighborhood. An apartment with less square footage and a bad layout goes for $2800 and sells for upwards of $500,000. The chances that we will make it through this change and still live in this neighborhood are very slim.
JO keeps telling me we can replace this place. That we can find something in this neighborhood. But it's more than just the location. This apartment really is special and I can't imagine finding something like it here. It really has become my home filled with all of my memories. I imagine these are the emotions I should've felt when we sold my dad's house but that place never felt like home, even when I lived there.
Maybe it's because we found our "home" while renting. Maybe we did this whole grownup life thing out of order. Maybe because in the past five years I have loved my life so very much. For so many years I yearned to get back to the city and it finally happened here. For the first time in a long time I felt like I belonged somewhere. I understood what "home" meant. My fingers are crossed that this will all work out but the realist in me knows I better enjoy every minute of the next few months. I am grateful that I have this blog to look back on and remember all of these special times here!
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