Highlights from Stratford, Ontario

I have not had the chance to travel for work in a long time, so I was very excited to not only go to Canada for work, but I got to plan the trip, too! It was great working with the Bruce Hotel and researching restaurants and other fun things to do in town (other than the Stratford Festival for theatre, of course!). And even though I was there for work, I had a lot of fun doing my own thing, too. Here were the highlights in no particular order:

1. Staying at the Bruce Hotel

When I first started planning this group trip to Stratford, my boss was insistent that the Bruce Hotel was the only place worth staying. And boy was he right! The Bruce is a very fancy, 5-star hotel, with extremely attentive staff and lots of food included in your stay (apples and pastries in the room upon arrival, breakfast each morning, little candies after each meal, etc.). The rooms were beautiful with ginormous bathrooms; you know I had to take a soak in the tub my first night there to decompress! And the grounds are lovely, with a little meadow walk out back (they have an apiary!) and pretty gardens. Our group was so comfortable there, and all of us said if we made it back to Stratford, we would be sure to stay at the Bruce again!

There was a pumpkin patch behind the Bruce Hotel, and I found an apple tree, too!

2. Starting off my mornings at Modo Yoga

I knew I wanted to exercise each day, but since Stratford is too small to have a Pure Barre or Orangetheory, I opted to take hot yoga (and other classes) at Modo Yoga (formerly Moksha Yoga). The owner, Christa, taught most of the classes I took. She was so kind and welcoming, taking the time to tell me more about the history of the studio and really bringing me into the fold. I made sure to bring a new washcloth with me to each class to wipe off ALL the sweat (I learned quickly not to pick a spot right underneath a heat element!), so there was definitely some detoxing going on. I also took a fusion class and a barre class, but I think the yoga classes were my favorite. 

These were the Thai noodles from Mercer. So yummy and a very good size portion (with big shrimp, too)!

3. Trying different restaurants around town

While we enjoyed many meals at the hotel, we also tried several restaurants in downtown Stratford. On my first night, since I was on my own, I went to Stratford Raja INC. for some Indian food. Raja did not disappoint! I had the samosas, dansak, and peshwari naan (i.e. lots of fruity/sweet options). And I made those leftovers last over a couple of meals. The same goes for our group lunch at Mercer Hall; three courses means lots of leftovers, including Thai noodles and carrot cake for breakfast! I also enjoyed lunch at Bluebird one day, where I had raw oysters, an heirloom tomato salad, and a delicious English dessert called posset, which is like a custard. Delicious!

These were my souvenirs (other than the ice wine I bought and drank while there!)

4. Exploring the chocolate trail!

Along with real food, I had many desserts outside of the hotel along the chocolate trail. For $35, you get six vouchers to spend at different sweets stores around town. I had already done my research, so I made sure to get the most bang for my buck! I tasted amazing truffles from Rheo Thompson Candies (including their fancy mint smoothie chocolates), picked up two retro candy bars from the Small-Mart, and ate a fudge sundae from Jenn and Larry's for lunch! And there was more! This was so much fun: every city should have its own dessert trail like this!

5. Going to a cat café

I had heard of cat cafés before and walked past the one in Georgetown several times, but I had never been to one before. I had some time to myself, so I stopped into Alley Cat Cat Café to pet some cute kitties for a half hour. Black cats get a bad rep, but I swear these were the cutest and most friendly of the bunch. They had more than ten (!) cats, but most of them were sleeping and seemed to get along okay with each other. I hope they get adopted soon!

6. Walking along Lake Victoria/the Avon River

The whole town of Stratford was designed after Stratford-upon-Avon in England, home of Shakespeare. So the manmade lake is called Lake Victoria, but it's also called the Avon River. It was so pleasant to walk along the water and see the weeping willows, mallards, Canada geese, and kayakers. We had such amazing weather (low 70's and sunny), so I wanted to spend as much time outside as possible. We also stopped by Art in the Park where many artists were selling their wares. I could only fit a small ornament in my bag, but I took business cards in case I want to have a custom piece sent to me!

This artwork is a fabric collage that was sewn together and then stretched onto canvas. So cool!

While I didn't like the storyline, the costumes from Dangerous Liaisons were amazing!

7. Experiencing the theatres

The whole point of the group trip was to see theatre. Most of our group went to a matinee and an evening show, so that's six shows in three days! I skipped the matinees so I could explore town, but I did see the plays at night. I saw Annie, Dangerous Liaisons, and Sense & Sensibility (and I only slept a little bit during each one!). But more than the shows, I really enjoyed the backstage tour we had at the Tom Patterson Theatre. It was renovated in 2020, so everything is very new. And it's an international building, featuring wood, stone, and other materials from all over the world. There are large windows along one side of the building closest to the water so you can see the natural views. The building is quite a masterpiece and designed specifically for the theatre, so that's really cool!

The cafe at the Tom Patterson Theatre looks like a fancy hotel lobby!

These are some of the headpieces for The Winter's Tale. 

Here are two videos about the Tom Patterson Theatre:

I took my photo with a cut-out of the dog featured in Annie. He looks pretty real!

This was such a fun trip! I would definitely go back, and I look forward to exploring more of Canada in the future. It's so underrated!

Recipe: Creamy Chicken & Zucchini Casserole

I bought several large zucchini thinking I would make zoodles, but then I came across this casserole recipe from Eating Well, and since I had all the other ingredients, I thought I would try it.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces 
• 3 teaspoons salt-free garlic-and-herb seasoning blend, divided
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped (5 cups)
• 1 tablespoon water plus ¼ cup, divided
• 6 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsalted chicken broth
• ½ cup whole milk
• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• ½ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces and 1 teaspoon garlic-and-herb seasoning; cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through (165°F), about 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Wipe the skillet clean. Add chopped zucchini, 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon garlic-and-herb seasoning to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken.
2. Add chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt and the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon garlic-and-herb seasoning to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in 3 tablespoons flour; cook, whisking often, until the mixture smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Add ¾ cup broth, ½ cup milk and the remaining ¼ cup water; continue cooking, whisking often, until smooth and thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in 4 ounces cream cheese until smooth and well combined, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Pecorino, stirring until melted and smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Spread half of the cheese sauce in the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Add the chicken and zucchini; top with the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Pecorino. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional pepper, if desired.

To make things easier/cleaner, I baked the chicken (I used thighs) in the air fryer, and once that was done, I put in the zucchini and cooked that in the air fryer, too. So much faster! I also use the diced garlic from a jar and whatever random spices I already had in the pantry. 

While the recipe doesn't use this word, I think the butter-flour-cheese mixture is called a "roux," and this was my first time making one. But it worked! It took a little while to thicken up, but once it did, I knew I was on the right track. And even though I forgot to pre-heat the oven until I was half-way through making the recipe, I simply cooked everything until the cheese on top started to brown. And that was just right!

I think the recipe smells better than it tastes. Coming out of the oven, it smells so good! But the taste is just okay. But this could be more about the spices I used (or lack thereof). It's still a pretty good (and easy!) recipe, so I'm still happy I made it. Anything with cream cheese in it is good in my book!

Lee Brice Concert

I was supposed to see Lee Brice in concert a few years ago in DC, but at the last minute he cancelled the show with no explanation. So when I got a chance to see him live, I had to get tickets!

You know I had to wear my cowgirl hat, cut-off jeans, bedazzled Betsy Johnson boots, and my Whiskey Girl T-shirt from Dark Corner Distillery, which I visited in 2018 (read that blog post here; the distillery is no longer there, so that's kinda sad!)

I had been to Baycare Sound before to see Brad Paisley in concert (read that blog post here), so I was already familiar with the venue and I had a game plan. First of all, I bought seats closer to the side than the center because we would be closer to the large fans; I also invested in a neck fan that did come in handy. My friend and I left early enough to beat rush hour, and we parked on the street I was familiar with for ONE dollar for the entire night! We had drinks and tacos at Prelude Sports Bar (great prices, poor service) before walking over just in time for the show to start. 

Lee's brother, Lewis Brice, was the first opener. He was good (certainly better than Sting's son; read that blog post here), but doesn't compare to his older brother. Here are some of his songs:

Blessed (He feels extra-blessed now that he has a 16-month-old baby.)

Product Of

She Loves My Country (This song is to the tune of Puddle of Mudd's "She Hates Me" song, so when I heard the first few chords, I thought, "He's not going to sing that song!" And he didn't; he made a country version!)

I LOVED her outfit!

Next up was Ashley Cooke. I didn't know who she was until she played the last song, "Your Place." I've heard that song on the radio, and I love it! She commented that songwriting is her favorite, and she likes to be clever with the lyrics, and that song is the epitome of just that. Here are some of the other songs she performed:

Back in the Saddle

It's Been a Year (She dedicated this song to a friend of hers who passed away who was from Sarasota, FL.)

See You Around

The F Word (It's not what you think!)

And finally it was time to see Lee Brice! My friend looked at the set list, and he was planning to sing some of his very best songs, so I was so pumped. His show did not disappoint! And this was actually the kick-off show to his What You Know About That tour; I guess that song is so new that it's not even on YouTube yet!

Hard to Love (I remember when this song came out in 2012!)

Soul

One of Them Girls (Great encore song! I remember this song coming out during the pandemic.)

Rumor (such a cute, romantic song!)

I Don't Dance

Memory I Don't Mess With

Drinking Class (He wore a hat that said UPPER MIDDLE CLASS WHITE TRASH lol)

I Drive Your Truck (This is my favorite song of his. I cry every time I hear it. I also remember the first time I heard it in 2012. So moving.)

I Hope You're Happy Now (He sang this with Ashley Cooke, which was great!)

Woman Like You (He did NOT play this song, but I love it, so I had to include it in this list!)

SUCH a great concert! I'm so glad I finally got to see him live. I feel like the other country singers I still need to see perform are Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (even better if they're together!), and Luke Combs. AND I would love to see Rascal Flatts when they come to town in February, but I'm not sure if that'll happen. We'll see!

Recipe: Rum Cake

We met a woman who makes AMAZING rum cakes down here in Florida. She only makes them for friends on special occasions; she doesn't sell them at farmers markets or anything like that. She inspired me to make one myself, even if it wasn't fully from scratch. I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com, and it sounded like something I could do.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup dark rum
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix

Glaze:

• ½ cup butter
• ½ cup white sugar
• ⅛ cup water
• ¼ cup rum

Directions

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan.
3. Sprinkle walnuts over the bottom of the prepared pan; set aside.
4. Mix cake mix, eggs, dark rum, water, oil, and vanilla pudding mix together in a large bowl until well combined. Pour batter over walnuts in the pan.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
6. Cool, then invert cake onto a serving plate. Gently prick holes into the top and sides of cake with a toothpick or skewer.

To make the glaze:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir sugar and water into melted butter; bring to a boil.
2. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove glaze from heat; stir in rum.
3. Drizzle warm glaze over top and sides of cake.

I actually made this cake to bring to a friend's house for book club. While she's the only one who is vegan, she does host the gathering at her place every time, so I feel it's only right to bring something she can eat. There are many different substitutes for eggs in baking: applesauce, bananas, even seltzer water. Since this recipe called for four eggs, I thought it would be best to use a mixture of all those options instead of leaning in for just one of them (otherwise the cake would have been REALLY apple-y or banana-y!). So I used a quarter-cup of mashed banana, a quarter-cup of apple sauce, and a half-cup of seltzer water.

I didn't bother with the nuts, since some people are allergic or simply don't like nuts in desserts. I knew this wouldn't really impact the recipe anyway. But what I did forget was the vanilla pudding packet: I didn't have any! I read online that a pudding substitute can be a cornstarch slurry made with water and added flavoring. So I did that with vanilla extract. That was the last ingredient I added to the mixture, and I noted how wet the batter was. But I did replace two of the eggs with seltzer water, so I don't think the slurry was the culprit. 

And I wasn't sure what to use instead of butter for the glaze. The idea of a rum cake is that the glaze soaks into the cake to deepen the rum flavor. But instead, I made a rum-flavored icing (as opposed to a glaze) with just powdered sugar and Pusser's. I've certainly drizzled icing over bundt cakes before, so this change wasn't totally out of left field. But it was STRONG. If you took just a spoonful of icing, you almost felt like you were taking a shot!

Because of all these changes, I feel like I definitely have to try making the original recipe. But I will say the vegan version was delicious! It was so moist, and because there was only a little bit of icing on each piece, the rum effect wasn't too strong. My friends LOVED the cake, and they might have even liked the icing more! We joked that I have to bring the cake to every book club meeting, as well as little cups of icing for each person so they can just eat it on its own. So this recipe is a real WINNER!

UPDATE: I did make the regular version of the recipe (still skipping the nuts), and I actually think the vegan version is better! Yes, the true recipe rose much higher in the oven and is lighter/fluffier. But it's not as moist or flavorful. And the glaze is SO messy. A full stick of butter is way too much. Only some of it goes in the cake; the rest of it spilled everywhere. I would NOT recommend making the glaze, but instead doing the icing like I did the first time. 

Little Big Town in Concert

We looked cute even in the heat!

I was supposed to see Little Big Town in concert a few years ago at Wolf Trap, but my friend ended up needing to leave early, and I didn't want to stay by myself. So I knew I had to get tickets when I saw they were going to perform at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater. I have made more country friends down here, and I planned to go with two girls I met through Pure Barre. Unfortunately one of them had to cancel, but the other was still game, so we carpooled up to Tampa for the evening.

This is a rooster mural at the Barrio Tacos restaurant in Ybor City.

We didn't want to eat at the venue, so we stopped by Ybor City first. I had been up there once before with my husband (read that blog post here), but she hadn't been up there, and I figured there would be plenty of places for us to choose from for dinner. We ended up going to Barrio Tacos, since we both like Mexican food. And we were in time for happy hour! So I had an orange margarita (very yummy), and the tacos were so stuffed that two was plenty. It was also fun watching wild roosters fly up into a tree across the street. It was built-in entertainment just outside the window! I would definitely go back to this restaurant, so I'm sure the next time I'm in Ybor, I'll suggest it to whomever I'm with. 

Laura was very happy with our wine!

After dinner, we had perfect timing to make it to the concert before the music started. My friend wanted wine, but at first it looked like the only options were these tiny cans of wine which she didn't like. We then found the wine bar, but they only sold wine by the bottle. I don't think I've ever seen that at a concert before! For safety reasons, they have to pour the whole bottle into a plastic carafe before you can take it back to your seat. My friend really wanted wine, so we opted for a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle (which of course is $60 at the venue but $12 at any grocery store) and split it throughout the concert. I had never done that before, but it was kind of fun and certainly refreshing on such a hot day!

Image found here

But onto the concert! The first opener was Carter Faith. Neither of us had heard of her before, but we enjoyed the few songs she sang. She also did an Eagles cover, so that was fun. She's only 25, so I think she could have quite the career ahead of her!

Here are some of her songs:

Grudge

Bar Star

Image found here

Ashley McBryde was the second opener. I mainly know her song, "One Night Standards" (see the video below), and she has a duet with Carly Pearce called "Never Wanted to Be that Girl" (also below). But I had never seen her live before. She looks great! She's lost a lot of weight (and has added tattoos to her sleeves), and she truly seemed joyful and grateful to be on stage. I love when stars are still so thankful for the opportunity to perform and seem down-to-earth. She also gave shout-outs to all her band members, which I always think is cool. I hope she gets to headline her own tour someday!

This is a sample of her songs:

One Night Standards

Never Wanted to Be That Girl (She did not perform this song, but it's a good one!)

The Devil I Know

Light on in the Kitchen (I love the message telling girls and women to love themselves!)

Brenda Put Your Bra On (There is part of the chorus that makes me think of Garth Brooks' "Papa Loved Mama" song.)

She also covered Don Henley's "Boys of Summer," which was awesome.

Image found here

And Litte Big Town of course was the main act. It's funny: I think I recognize them best by Kimberly Schlapman's big blonde hair, but Karen Fairchild has the better voice (But Kim is by far the fashionista of the group; compare her cute outfit to Karen's Haraguchi-style ensemble in the last photo here.). And the two men in the group, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook, almost feel like back-up singers to the ladies, even though they do lead a few of the songs (but everyone knows the girls' songs better). Even though the band has been together since 1998, I really only know a handful of their songs. But I really like those!

Better Man (written by Taylor Swift!)

Girl Crush (They closed the show with this one, but we left early, so we didn't see them sing it.)

Pontoon (Perfect summer song, especially in Florida!)

Rich Man

Sober

The four women from the evening did a cover of Jo Dee Messina's "Lesson in Leavin'," which is a great song!

Laura and I had so much fun, and I think I might have found a go-to buddy for future country music concerts! I'm tempted to go see Lee Brice in Clearwater next month, or maybe Jason Aldean in October at this same venue. We'll see!

My trip to DC!

This summer, I was given ONE summer Friday (i.e. a Friday in the summer when you don't have to work and it's treated like a holiday). I knew I wanted to travel given the long weekend, and when my husband and I couldn't agree on a place, I decided to visit friends in DC on my own. I moved out of the DC area about a year ago, and while I didn't expect to visit so soon after moving, I was very excited to see so many of my favorite people. I made sure to pack the weekend to see as many friends as I could!

Here are the top 10 highlights of the trip (in chronological order):

Here's my mommom with our peach cobbler dessert. She's 89!

1. Dinner with my aunt and mommom

Despite my flight from SRQ being delayed by more than FOUR hours, I made it to DCA in one piece. My aunt and grandmother (whom I call "Mommom," because she thinks "Grandma" sounds old) picked me up at the airport, and we had a belated birthday dinner (two of us have April birthdays and the other is in June) at Ruthie's All Day. After all the stress of traveling, I was happy to relax with family over a drink and some real down-home cooking (think biscuits, mac-and-cheese, etc.). 

This is me and Christine, my former OTF coach!

2. Reliving my time in Bethesda

I spent my first morning in Bethesda, where I lived for more than 12 years. It's where I had my first (and only!) apartment and started my real "grown-up" life. It was fun walking along the streets where I had spent so much time, and I was happy to see how much was still the same. I met up with an old boss for breakfast at Maman, walked along the Capital Crescent Trail with a sorority sister, had more treats at Tatte with a friend from Moishe House, and ate a taco with my old Orangetheory coach at Fish Taco. After all that eating, I made sure to workout at OTF to end my day in Bethesda (a studio where I normally would exercise at 5am before work!). 

Beth and I made it to Succotash just in time for happy hour!

3. Friday night in downtown DC

I spent many Friday nights downtown meeting up with friends, and last Friday was no different! I met up with my friend Beth at the Hamilton for drinks and sushi, where we caught up about our jobs and the general state of the world ("doomsday" is what we called it). We continued the evening at Succotash, where we just made it in time for happy hour (theirs ends at 7pm) so we could have some milk punch and cornbread (more Southern food. Yum!). Beth is a friend whom I randomly met as we left the metro together and realized we were neighbors. I love that we are still friends to this day!

Kelley, Kay, and I all used to work at American University. Now we're onto new things!

4. Reconnecting with friends in Clarendon

I stayed with a Theta sister in Clarendon for this trip, and I would go there every once in a while to meet Virginia friends. So that's what I did last Saturday morning. A colleague from American University (AU) and I grabbed acai bowls at South Block and chatted mostly about traveling (he's been around the world!), and then I met other AU colleagues at Northside Social, during which we mostly lamented about previous horrible jobs/bosses. Afterward, I met up with my hostess and her husband for brunch at Smokecraft. I don't eat pork or beef, but I did try the pulled chicken eggs benedict, and it was delicious! (I did not purposely eat Southern comfort food over this weekend, but it just happened!)

Could the day get any prettier?! I don't think so!

5. Walking along the gardens near the National Mall

I metroed my way to DC after brunch (I have missed having such extensive public transportation!) and met up with a friend to visit the gardens behind the Smithsonian Castle and to go to the United States Botanic Garden. He works for the government, and I was happy to hear he still has a job, especially since he is rather new to the role. The displays at the botanical garden were not as impressive as they are at Christmastime, but we still got to see the corpse flower and other cool stuff. As we walked back toward the metro, it was neat seeing the Washington Monument in the distance and walking past all the other Smithsonian museums. 

This is a smaller version of the entrance gate at Auschwitz. It means "Work makes you free."

6. Visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

In all the time I lived in the DC area, I never went to the Holocaust museum. I knew it would be depressing, and who wants to purposefully go out and do something that makes them sad? But I know how important this memorial is, and as a Jewish person, I felt it was my duty to go. Luckily another friend was down for it, so we spent about two hours in the museum. While we didn't read every word on all the signs, we made it through the majority of the museum. Much like my experience at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum in Israel; read that blog post here), I didn't feel overwhelmed with sadness or cry while seeing the exhibit. Everything is so overarching, and it feels less personal compared to reading a biography about a Holocaust survival (Rena's Promise, for example, is extremely moving and I cried multiple times while reading it.). But there were certain parts of the exhibit that hit me harder than others. There is a smaller replica of the sign at Auschwitz that you must walk under, which made you feel like you were entering the camp in a way (same with the cattle car you had to walk through, imagining how people were squished in those cars for days at a time with no food, water, bathrooms, etc. ). There was also a recreated image that portrayed how much hair would have been removed from those in the concentration camps (literal tons), and we read how the hair was used to stuff mattresses (can you imagine?!). But some of what I learned was more hopeful. Denmark were able to save all of their Jews by sending them via boat to Sweden; Bulgaria still sent its Jews to labor camps, but never exported them outside of the country, so they were spared as well. 

The museum also contains a non-permanent exhibit about the Rohingya in Burma, a genocide I knew absolutely nothing about even though most of the information was from 2012-2017 (recent!). The Rohingya are a Muslim minority from Burma, and they have been refugees in Bangladesh to escape being killed in their home country. But they live in a state of limbo: neither Burma nor Bangladesh see them as citizens, and so they spend their days in slum-like camps, waiting for...what? I had never heard of this atrocity, and the fact that this is still an issue is terrible. No one is coming to help save these people, probably because they are poor and brown in a developing country, which makes the situation feel even more unfair and horrible. 

Miriam and I had to snap a pic in front of the Chinatown arch.

7. Laughing with my old roommate

Originally I was going to stay with my old roommate during this trip (she moved into my Bethesda apartment in March 2020, and we lived together for four years until she moved out and I left for Florida), but that fell through, so we met up for dinner one night instead. She had never been to China Chilcano before, one of José Andrés' restaurants, so we went there (I had been a few times and think it's very good, so I was happy to go again). The weather had been perfect all weekend, so we sat outside, mostly talking about her new boyfriend (I hope he's nice to her!). After dinner, we walked to Tipsy Scoop, a new ice cream shop that uses alcohol in its ice cream. Even though there were limited flavors, I thought the ones we tried were good, and I love the softer texture (since the ice cream can't freeze like it normally does). We were laughing so much that night, just making inside jokes and quoting Spongebob Squarepants. I miss her all the time, and I'm so glad she could visit me in Florida this past January. I hope she can come down next year, too!

Gregg admiring the Key Bridge from the Potomac River

8. Exploring both the nature and urban sides of Georgetown

One of the things I knew I wanted to do during this visit was kayak along the Potomac River from the Georgetown Waterfront. My friend Gregg picked me up in Clarendon bright and early in the morning, but we realized the Keybridge Boathouse does not open until 9:00am on Sundays (a fact that is NOT stated on their website). So we did waste an hour just waiting, but once we were on the water, I was much happier. The weather was still perfect, and it was fun seeing heron, osprey, and mallards as we paddled. 

The GPS told us to walk through Book Hill Park to reach Dumbarton Oaks. It's behind the library!

After an hour, we walked up Wisconsin Avenue and hung out until Gregg left and my other friend Mike met me at Compass Coffee. We chatted for a bit before continuing our walk up to the Dumbarton Oaks Museum. I had been to the park behind the museum before, but never inside the building. There are artifacts from ancient Rome and Greece, as well as a substantial collection of pieces from South America from the time of the Incas. It's not too big of a museum, so we were probably there for less than an hour (the gardens didn't open until later, so we didn't get to do that). I was planning to have lunch in Georgetown, but plans changed, and I quickly bought some ice cream to-go from Thomas Sweet and caught an Uber up to Northeast DC for my next adventure. 

Katy added a shade and rainbow/unicorn floaties to her stock pool!

9. "Pool" party with my soul sister

I had been following my friend Katy's saga of creating her own backyard oasis with a stock pool (think of an extra-large water trough for horses). She found one for sale on Facebook Marketplace, rolled it down the street, and then took the next few days prepping the yard and the pool. I had no idea how much work went into it: I thought she'd just fill it with water and that would be that. But no! She sealed and caulked the tank, bought a filter, and even created a little deck around the perimeter of the pool. This was a full project, and she finished it in time for her husband's birthday party! So as soon as I arrived, Tommy Bahama rye in hand as a gift, I poured myself some rosé and hopped in the pool. It was so pleasant! Six of us could comfortably wade (or rather dunk) while enjoying our drinks and the sunshine. This pool was actually perfect, and if I still lived in the DC area, I told Katy I would come over every weekend to hang out in it. Thank goodness for TikTok in making these stock pools a thing!

I usually get the fish tacos at Chef Geoff's, but I decided to be healthy with the Andes bowl. So good!

10. Enjoying a Women of Dartmouth dinner

For my last night in DC, I met up with some fellow Women of Dartmouth for dinner at Chef Geoff's West End. Two of them I had just seen recently at my reunion in July (and one was the friend I was staying with in Clarendon), but the other was a Dartmouth '90, so it was especially fun to catch up with her. When I lived in Bethesda, I would plan quarterly Women of Dartmouth dinners for members in the Bethesda/Silver Spring area, so it was fun to experience another one of those while I was in town. And the Andes bowl was probably some of the only vegetables I ate all weekend. Oops!

This was such a fun trip! Once I moved to Florida, I joked with my friends that they would have to come visit me because I was only going back to DC if one of them got married or died. But after this quick get-away weekend, I think I might take that back. I had a blast, and I could see going back every year to catch up with everyone!