Marliave with the Family

Every so often we get together with JO's family for a day of fun.  Sometimes we go up to New Hampshire or Maine and sometimes we meet up in the city.  Today was one of the meet up in the city days and there is no better place to meet up than at Marliave!

Marliave is definitely my favorite restaurant in the city!  The atmosphere, the food, the drinks, everything is perfect!  Today we went appetizer heavy and got the macaroni and cheese (to die for), the rarebits (bacon and cheese~ yum), and the Brussels sprouts (oh my gosh, these were phenomenal) before our meals.  I almost always get the ravioli and today was no different!  (I really thought about getting something different but in the end the ravioli won out!) The sauce is so perfectly balanced and the ravioli are cooked to al dente perfection!  

If you go to only one restaurant in the city, this is the one for you!  

Gustazo's and Colette~ A Night Out in Porter Square

After missing out on a lot of city living for the past few months I was finally ready to get back to being "City Vicky!"

We decided to head over to Porter Square to check out the new Gustazo's.  We had gone to Gustazo's in Waltham back in December and really enjoyed it.  I was very excited to find out that they would be opening a second restaurant in Porter Square. 

The Porter Square space lacks a bit of the intimacy of the Waltham space but it's still nice.  There is this big round staircase in the middle.  We were surprised they didn't make the stairs more of a feature piece in the room.  We did enjoy the collage on the wall and the soft lighting.

We both ordered cocktails and they didn't disappoint!  Neither did the food!

After dinner we continued the evening with bubbles and beignets at Colette Wine Bistro.  We had visited this restaurant right when it opened and we loved it!  This place is the real deal.  The art deco decor is spot on and the food is lovely!  (Disclaimer~ I've only gotten the beignets but based on the amazingness that they are I'm sure the food is excellent!) 

We had planned on sitting at the bar but it was already full so we got a table for two in the lounge part.  The lounge tables feature mismatched chairs and of course I took this fun chair and left the other to JO.  We were having such a good time that we grabbed a second glass of wine before calling it a night.  Porter Square is becoming a destination spot and I'm here for it!

For the first time in a long time, I felt like myself, wig and all!  I still have a little ways to go, and I'm currently in a dispute with my insurance company to get the right meds, but I'm getting there and feeling much better about myself!  I am so thankful for JO~ he was a rock during all of this and basically took over all of the chores, applied medicine, took care of my dad, went to appointments with me, spent a lot of time on the couch watching tv with me when I really couldn't do much more than that, and so much more.  I'm also super thankful for some very amazing friends who helped me navigate the wig thing. 

Sub Rosette at the Lizard Lounge

Sub Rosa is a group of local singers and songwriters who get together from time to time and put on great shows.  From my understanding, they used to perform quite often a while back but then life things like kids and jobs got in the way.  That's why I was so excited when I saw an ad for a monthly Lizard Lounge residency of a scaled down version called Sub Rosette. 

Lizard Lounge is a great venue to see music.  It's a basement space with a small bar and a few tables.  The room is small so you get some really intimate performances.  The group of musicians in the collective on this night featured a few of my favorites, including Dietrich Strauss and Kris Delmhorst.  It was definitely a great night of music and another notch in reclaiming my city life!

It's Officially Spring~ Lunch on the Daedalus Roof Deck

The weather hasn't been great this spring.  The warm, sunny days have been few and far between and there's been a lot of rain!  Thankfully the weather was nice on Wednesday afternoon.  I was meeting up with a friend for lunch in Harvard Square and we both were hoping for lunch on the roof deck at Daedalus. 

It felt so nice to be walking around the city again but it also made me realize the toll the last few months have taken on me.  I have a lot of work ahead of me to get back in hiking form.  I had to take a bunch of breaks which was actually kind of nice.  It gave me the chance to see the blooming flowers and the leaves coming back on the trees.

It was a perfect day to sit on a roof deck and catch up with a good friend.  Daedalus is the best place for outdoor dining in Harvard Square.  The roof deck is peaceful and the food is always good.  I'm slowly reclaiming my life and I'm not going to lie, it feels really good!

Ole, Ole, Ole

I hate having colds, I mean who likes them?  But I really hate having colds on vacations!  After being down for the count from Friday through Monday I was finally feeling slightly better on Tuesday.  My good friend and I had been planning a night out at Ole for a while and I didn't want to miss it.

Ole is always a good idea.  We started with the guacamole and some margaritas and went from there.  I always love the special touch of table side prepared "made to order" guacamole.  An added bonus was that our waiter kind of forgot about us for a while which allowed us to linger and catch up some more. 

Alex Honnold at Brooklyn Boulders

My rock gym recently hosted an all day workshop featuring Alex Honnold.  Alex was the subject of this year's Oscar award winning documentary Free Solo. 

I've seen Alex speak twice and each time I leave with such a sense of inspiration.  He has such a genuine way of speaking.  I happen to think the free soloing that Alex does is absolutely crazy but when you hear him speak you realize that he wouldn't attempt a free solo climb without feeling 100% confident in his ability to accomplish it.  His perspective on fear and challenge is really inspiring.  We even had the chance to do a meet and a greet after his keynote presentation. 

Fan girl moment- Alex Honnold wished me luck on my Yosemite hiking projects this summer!  

Sunny Sundays

Last weekend, the sun was finally out and temps were in the 70s.  JO suggested a Sunday Funday and I couldn't say no 😉

We took the train to MGH and strolled down Charles Street and then down Comm Ave.  The city is so beautiful in the spring with the magnolias starting to bloom.  We wanted to eat outside so we walked all the way up Newbury Street to Piattini Wine Cafe.  This is one of our go to places in the city.  The prices are great, they almost always have a spot on the patio, and the people watching on Newbury Street is always great. 

After lunch we kept walking up Newbury Street and ended up walking all the way home, with a pit stop at A4 Arcade in Central Square! 

Marliave and Ruka

By the beginning of April I was starting to get things under control and was feeling more like myself.  Since I had made it through PAX weekend, when our house becomes a rooming house for video game lovers (aka~ JO's friends), JO decided we needed a night out.

Our first stop was Marliave to enjoy oysters and drinks.  I love this place and it was so nice to be able to enjoy a fun night here.  Pro tip- arrive just before four o'clock to enjoy the half priced oysters and guarantee a seat at the upstairs bar.

We decided to continue the evening at Ruka in Downtown Crossing.  Ruka is one of JO's favorite spots.  The decor makes it such a fun place to hang out.  A lot of times we come here just for drinks so it was nice to get to try some of the dishes.  These noodles were delicious!

JO wanted to continue the night so we headed across the street to the Back Deck for dessert!

It was so nice to be back out in the city!

PAX East

I've made it through yet another PAX East!  I didn't stay very long this year, but it was fun to check out the madness and play a few new board games.

Full On Forsythe at the Boston Ballet

During the height of my symptoms I had tickets to Full on Forsythe at the Boston Ballet.  I had been waiting for this ballet all year, especially after we went to Forsythe's exhibit at the ICA back in December.  I felt so gross and exhausted but I wasn't missing this ballet for anything. 

There are not adequate words to describe this incredible masterpiece.  The modern music mixed with classical ballet was mixed so perfectly.  It was truly a visionary piece and I can only hope that this ballet will be included in one of the upcoming seasons of the Boston Ballet.  I loved that there were ensemble pieces and duet/trio pieces that took up the space on the stage so perfectly.  Everyone was on the edge of their seats and when the show was over everyone was talking about how mesmerizing the show had been.

A Life Update

I haven't been posting much, and for once it's not totally related to school.  For the last few months I've been dealing with a skin condition that was the result of having strep throat for almost five months.  Yes, you read that right, five months. 

My issues really escalated over February break and I've basically been dealing with doctors, insurance, and medicine for the last seven weeks.  Most days I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't do much beyond going to school.  It was also really difficult to watch my appearance change so drastically, so quickly.  I also had to make the decision to wear a wig which meant I had to figure out a way to tell my friends, coworkers, and students about my situation.  I didn't feel great about my health or my appearance and as a result, city adventures were few and far between.  I did manage to go out to the ballet, which deserves it's own post, and spend a few nights at Marliave!  Throw in some crazy basement drama and I'm not sure how I even made it to April.

I managed to get the symptoms somewhat under control, although not totally fixed, enough to start enjoying the city again.  Of course, just as April vacation was starting I got felled with one of the worst colds I've ever had.  Today was the first day I left the apartment, other than to go to Urgent Care, since Friday.  On the plus side, I had two more strep tests and they were both negative :-)