So it was sunny and 52 degrees this past Thursday. I had to get myself outside with a coffee and a book but our patio is in storage for the season. After some brainstorming for a bit, I grabbed a Union Square latte and headed over to Bow Market. During the weekday afternoons, all of the seating is open and it was a great spot to enjoy the sunshine!
In a recent post, I raved all about Trade. While I was there with my college friends, I texted JO and told him to book a table for vacation week. This place is definitely my current favorite restaurant in the city.
We had a lovely experience this past week. We ate dinner in the beautiful dining room and our waiter remembered us from our last visit, back in May. It was the perfect way to start the evening.
After dinner we headed to the bar for drinks and dessert. The bartender overheard me talking about pisco after I spotted a bottle on their top shelf. I watched him start to make a pisco sour and I just knew it was for me. The bartender was so nice, talked me through how to make the cocktail at home, let me on their secret (their citric juice is 2 parts lime, 1 part lemon), and then gave JO a glass of sparkling wine.
It's things like this that really set Trade apart from other places. I cannot recommend this place enough!
One of the things I love to do on vacation is go to a coffee shop and read. I never have time to do this during school and I find it so relaxing.
I headed over to Bloc Cafe to start vacation. My favorite coffee around here is Union Square Donuts but they are only open until 2:00 and they aren't really set up as a traditional coffee shop. Remnant Brewing also serves coffee but I'm not the hugest fan of their coffee, so Bloc Cafe it was.
Apparently everyone in Union Square went to Bloc on this day. It was jam packed and I actually walked out because there were no tables. I turned around and tried again when I noticed a couple leaving from the front seating area.
I have to say, I didn't love it. Bloc has all these windows that look out onto the street, which is rather appealing, until the sun streams in and blinds you while you are trying to read your book. LOL!
And finally for our most favorite December tradition, The Christmas Tree Challenge. We invented this "challenge" several years ago. Basically, we go all over the city checking out the hotel holiday displays and rank them based on theme, creativity, and overall look. Of course, we stop along the way for drinks and snacks. A few years ago we started pairing it with a staycation at a fun Boston hotel.
This year we decided to stay at the Omni Parker, which is always a favorite of ours. We love the historic charm of this hotel and it's perfect for the holidays.
A newer December tradition for us to go to the Under the Covers show at Club Passim. This show is a collaboration between Mark Erelli, Zachariah Hickman, Lyle Brewer, and Canadian treasure Rose Cousins and features really unique covers of really unique songs. This year's set list was amazing. My favorite was there take on Running up the Hill, the 80s hit that was featured in "that" episode of Stranger Things. I had actually thought about skipping the show because I was exhausted but I'm so glad we didn't. Nights at Club Passim are always the right choice!
Another December tradition is going to the Calling All Crows benefit concert, featuring my favorite singer, Chad Stokes. After last year's really subdued show, this year's show was at the House of Blues. It was great to be back in a big venue and we were able to get spots really close to the stage.
On a very cold day in mid-December JO and I took a stroll along the inflatable trail through Union Square. It was a fun way to get some fresh air and enjoy the neighborhood.
