Girls Weekend
Last weekend my stepmom took the train up from New Jersey to spend the weekend with my girls and I and we had a non-stop, fun-filled weekend that was incredibly enjoyable. Not only were the spots that we visited perfect for what we were looking for, but spending good quality time together and disconnecting from the phones (a bit) felt so refreshing!
Friday
5pm: Savannah Nails & Spa We had appointments scheduled for manicures and pedicures, and the place was hopping with people. Thankfully we had appointments booked, as I never would have thought it would have been so busy on a Friday night!
7pm: Dinner at home We came home and cooked dinner together: filet mignon with herb butter, garlic green beans, roasted potatoes, and, of course, sourdough bread - which is always my favorite part! We made cocktails and capped the evening off by watching one of our all time favorites, Devil Wears Prada. 'That's all!'
Saturday
8:15am: Sheehan Personal Training I feel like I need an entire blog post to properly convey how I feel about Sheehan Personal Training and about the owners Leanna and Tom, as a small paragraph won't even come close to expressing how much I love it there. They are very special people, and they operate a very special place. For someone like me who felt she had tried everything and just never enjoyed working out, I've now had my membership over two years and a week hasn't gone by without my taking classes. Not to mention I have met the most incredible people there! I feel so thankful to have found them and to have them so close by! Their business model is one that forces me to be accountable, which is definitely what I need, and their intimate setting (classes average only 12-15 people) help to make each workout feel not only personal but challenging at the same time. I cannot recommend them enough! I was so intimidated to show up the first time that I put it off for so long. One of the best things I did was walk through their door the first time. The first class is free, I can't encourage you enough to try it!
So much for not saying anything, right? What can I say? Short and concise has never been a strength of mine! We kicked the morning off with my favorite workout class, Pound, and I kid you not when I say I wait all week for Pound class! It is a high energy workout class that is choreographed with drumsticks, and while my oldest daughter and my stepmom have previously attended classes with me, this was my thirteen year old's first time. It was so much fun kicking the day off with a workout together, and it made me smile to hear how much Abby enjoyed the class too.
After Pound class we stopped into Juice on Main (another one of my faves, but I'm going to spare you from my crazy ramblings on that one. JUST TRY IT! You will be HOOKED!) for smoothies and acai bowls. My two favorites include the Mint Smoothie and the Power Green Açaí Bowl.
11:30am: Eataly Boston I avoid Boston at all costs. I find the traffic, the horns beeping, the trash everywhere all to be too much for me. And listen, it's not like I'm some high brow gal who grew up in the riches of suburbia. I'm originally from Dorchester! And maybe that's why I don't make an effort to go in to the city, as I spent many days in downtown Boston when I was younger. But going to Eataly this past weekend made me realize, it actually wasn't all that bad! We got in no problem, didn't hit any traffic, and were parked at the Prudential Center within seven minutes of our getting off the highway. Totally doable!
Eataly has been on my radar since it opened and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to explore it together, and it did not disappoint. Based on recommendations from friends, we got there right at opening as the crowds weren't too heavy. From the outside, it didn't look overly impressive, but that all changed as soon as we entered.
We started out attending a demonstration of making Cacio e Pepe, a traditional Roman dish, inside a cheese wheel. It was very interesting to watch them prepare it, but the flavor itself was simply outstanding!
Eataly has four restaurants inside, in addition to multiple counters where you can purchase food. We at lunch at La Pizza & La Pasta and we chose to simply split two pizzas, though they are small, we knew we'd be eating the whole time we were there. It was more than enough for the four of us.
Margharita Pizza & a Spritzata cocktail
Walking around each little market area was so enjoyable. Everything was organized so beautifully and every single display looked so appealing. I don’t even like mushrooms, but their display had me second guessing myself!
We also stopped for cannolis and then for gelato (good thing we started with that workout!), and each item we tried was better than the one before. We spent close to three hours there, so it was certainly worth the trip into the city. By the time we exited Eataly, it seemed to be wall to wall people. If you’re thinking of visiting, I highly recommend getting there as early as possible.
Before heading home, we walked around the Prudential Center shops and there were so many unique shops and carts that caught our eye. Lovepop was one of the spots that definitely caught our eye! They make the most beautifully detailed greeting cards, and they had so many to choose from!
That evening we picked up my grandmother and enjoyed dinner with her at Cibo Matto before ending the day with a late night visit to my aunt and uncles house, which was a time full of smiles and laughter.
Sunday
We were off to a slow start on Sunday given the time change and the busy day we had on Saturday. We put our name in at The Farmers Daughter for breakfast, and killed some time during our expected wait by walking around TJ Maxx (I could spend hours at Home Goods alone!) My husband joined us for breakfast this morning before we said our goodbyes and drove Linda back to Providence to catch her afternoon train.
It was an awesome weekend from beginning to end. Going into the weekend I wanted to make sure we wouldn’t have to take care of any household duties or chores during our time together. We picked up fresh flowers for the house so it felt like a little mini vacation, even though my girls and I were simply sleeping in our own beds. Last year we went to New Jersey for a girls weekend with Linda and a few of my aunts, and our hope is to make this an annual tradition.