washington d.c.

Back in early October, Kurt, Erik, Silvia, and I took a quick weekend trip down to Washington D.C for a football game. It was the weekend before Kurt and I left for Italy, so we probably should have packing, but Kurt had been looking forward to watching Ohio State take on Maryland ever since he heard they were joining the Big Ten a couple years ago. You only live once! Packing can wait! While the boys went to the game, Silvia and I did some site seeing around D.C.

We saw the Capitol Building...

...toured around the Botanic Garden...

...used D.C.'s bike share to ride along the Mall...

...saw the Washington Monument...

...the WWII monument...

...the Lincoln Memorial...

...stopped for a bite at We the Pizza...

...saw a few exhibits at the Hirshorn Museum...

...and breezed through the Air and Space Museum just as it was closing.

The DC metro is so moody and clean in comparison to NYC.

We stayed at an awesome Airbnb in Columbia Heights which was convenient to Maryland's campus as well as central DC. The neighborhood was great and we found some great bars and restaurants nearby--Kangaroo Boxing Club for meat-heavy dishes, The Coupe for tasty brunch, and Meridian Pint for football watching on Saturday night and again for a quick breakfast before hitting the road on Sunday.

Thanks D.C.! See you next time!

weekend in review

Kurt and I have a couple friends who live in Astoria and have mentioned good things about Singlecut Beersmiths in their neighborhood. Kurt and I are not ones to shy away from a good brewery, so we enlisted a group to make the trek to Queens last Friday night for a few beers and music.

The brewery is a bit of a hike from the train (and across the street from a strip mall) but the vibe is fun and laid back with indoor and outdoor seating.

The beers were awesome. My favorites were the 19-33 and the Jån. 

Kurt's brother Erik had a connection with one of the employees and was able to talk someone into giving us an impromptu tour. I always love hearing about the beer making process and how every place got its start. FYI, the brewery is named "singlecut" after a type of guitar and most of their beer varieties are named after musicians. 

Way back in 2013 Kurt and I bought tickets to see Arcade Fire here in Brooklyn. The show finally rolled around and it was fantastic! Worth the wait! I'm such a big fan of their music and was thrilled to see it live. There was even a cameo performance from one of the Ramones.

On Sunday, I ran a bunch of errands around Brooklyn while Kurt and Erik made a big batch of their famous jalapeño mustard (thanks to Silvia for the photo!). 

We spent the afternoon at a cookout at Supercollider with some friends before getting re-hooked on Homeland in honor of the new season starting in October! Don't get me wrong, I love love love summer and the hot weather, but there is something exciting about new TV shows on the horizon in the fall. Bring it on!

Enjoy this last week of summer, people!

north fork weekend

A few weeks ago, Kurt and I returned to the North Fork for a fun weekend of wine drinking and bike riding. We enjoyed our visit a couple years ago so much, we convinced Kurt's brother Erik and his girlfriend Silvia to join us on the trip this time. 

We stayed at the same Airbnb house in Mattituck. The host is so sweet and fantastic. The house is such a great find. After a harrowing train ride out on Friday afternoon, we gladly dropped our bags at the house before grabbing dinner nearby.

We had a nice seafood dinner at the Old Mill Inn overlooking the water. We had the deck to ourselves other than a few buggy neighbors.

Darts and beers at the Broken Down Valise

On Saturday, we had breakfast at the Love Lane Kitchen and enjoyed a street fair on Mattituck before setting off on our wine tour.

Our first stop along the wine trail was Pellegrini Vineyards. We had to compete with a few bachelorette parties but the courtyard and back patio overlooking the grapes was a great place to warm up.

Next, we stopped by Bedell Vineyards and played the most difficult game of cornhole ever. Slippery boards are not your friend! However, a good rosé is.

Next, we stopped one of my favorite spots: Osprey's Dominion Vineyards. The atmosphere is so laid back with picnic tables (bring your own spread!), sangria sold outside in the gazedo, an outdoor band, spots for byo grilling, and a net for volleyball. You could really spend all day there and be perfectly content.

Our last stop was Corey Creek (a partner to Bedell Winery). We shared some more rosé and the view over the vines and soaked up the last of the afternoon sun. 

We had some dinner at Alure Chowder House overlooking the marina.

As suggested by my favorite food blog, we rode our bikes all the way back to Mattituck for ice cream at The Magic Fountain. They had tons of tasty sounding flavors and a huge line outside, but after much deliberation I settled on S'mores. Delicious!

On Sunday, we took the train to Greenport near the end of the North Fork to do some more exploring. Kurt and I got some incredible lobster rolls and local beers at the Rhumb Line. (Thanks for the suggestion, Colleen!!)

If we had more time in town, I would have loved to take a visit to the Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. Next time!

And we finally got a taste of the beach! It was only on the harbor side and a little rocky, so instead of sunbathing, we just rummaged through the shells before heading back to town to watch the World Cup final. After watching Germany take home the title, we got some ice cream for the road and piled back on the train and headed home.

I love the North Fork! It is such a fun vacation very close to the city. I'm already scheming a way to get back very soon!