friends

creative overnight!

October 8, 2014

This past summer, I took at trip to the Catskill Mountains in New York with a bunch of local Boston creatives {and friends!} for a very special overnight. The event was dubbed “#CREATIVEOVERNIGHT: no work, all play” and with my friend Lauren running the show, I was instantly up for being a part of it. We drove down on a Tuesday morning, spent the day stopping here and there around the Hudson Valley, and then spent the late afternoon and evening doing the kinds of things that fun people do when they are together. There was rain, which was not ideal for swimming or sunbathing, but there was certainly plenty of instagramming, taco eating, flower crown making, and S’MORES, which was QUITE IDEAL and perfectly delightful.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip…

Rachael, Natalie, Laura and I all drove up together from Boston. We piled into my car and coasted out on the thruway, heading towards the Hudson Valley and the Catskills– and we stopped in the town of Hudson for lunch!

Hudson is so cool! Old School vibes with both vintage and trendy storefronts.

…

Destination #creativeovernight: Phoenicia, NY

Home of The Graham and Co!

Rachael and I were roommates for the night! Loved!

The Graham and Co. was amazing. It’s a small but mighty boutique hotel located in the town of Phoenicia. This wasn’t my first trip visiting the Catskills, but it has been a very long time {my cousins have a cabin in “upstate” where we visited once or twice when we were little} so everything felt very new to me. There is just such an old fashioned feel to the whole town, like you’ve stepped back in time. The Graham and Co was the perfect spot for our getaway– and so kind and accommodating, too. They had simple cozy rooms, and both a lobby garage and a den, which saved us from the rain and was also the perfect movie theatre for Moonrise Kingdom!

The next morning we headed to the Phoenicia Diner for brunch. SO DELICIOUS!

This is the kind of place I would go back to every weekend if I could.

I just loved everything about it.
Because it’s fun to have a good time, eat good food, and spend time with good, kind, inspiring people. And because this getaway was the dreamiest.

Thank you, Lauren for organizing the best #creativeovernight ever!

And 3 cheers for The Graham and Co! Such a sweet place!

{diner food by Rachael + map photo by Natalie}
{group photos by JAMES. Thank you for everything, James!}

♥

5 Comments · Filed Under: friends, summer, travel ·

when your friends come to town…

February 13, 2014

Oh, my friends! They came and they stayed and they played. And just as I suspected it would be {the best}, it was.

Two weeks ago tonight my high school friends flew, and drove, and bussed it up to Boston. We did all the best things, of course, filling our days with good food and good conversation. We walked along the Charles River for views of the Boston skyline and drank wine in my living room well into the night. On the third day we walked through the city, filling our hearts with hometown Basketball and our bodies with pretzels and Harpoon Beer. I loved this weekend with all my might, and if I had my way, I’d choose this all the months of the year. It sucks sometimes being so far from your friends, but it always makes the visits that much better. You savor, you know? We most certainly did.

Here’s a few of the details from our weekend in the Bean:

EAT // Border Cafe + Flour Bakery + Duozo Sushi + The South End Buttery

STAY // We stayed at the Westin one night because FANCY! {It was wonderful.}

PLAY // Boston Public Library + Harpoon Beer Hall + MY LIVING ROOM <—– the best spot of all.

We ate at all my go-to places, and since the BPL was so close to the hotel, I brought the girls in for the views {they are the most glorious in the city}. The Harpoon Beer Hall was one of my favorite spots of the weekend— I’d been wanting to go for just about forever and what a perfect chance to visit with friends. The space is AMAZING, the beer, of course, fantastic, and! Pretzels of every kind! I chose the cinnamon and sugar and MMMMMM MMMMM GOOD.

When I really think about it, the best of all we did was the time we spent in my house. We were cozy and comfortable, exactly the way it should be. Most of all, I want to remember the music we played, the dinner we made, the time we spent talking together. And that warm and fuzzy feeling of knowing you belong.

I loved this weekend and I love these friends. Forever and ever AMEN.

14 Comments · Filed Under: boston, boston photography, friends ·

a little taste of providence.

January 29, 2014

Last Friday night I headed to Rhode Island for a girls night in with some of my favorite blogger/twitter/instagram friends. Gathering with internet friends is a regular occurrence for me, and while there was a time in my life when I thought this was unusual, I’m mostly of the mindset now that it AIN’T NO THING! It feels like the most natural kind of friendship in the world at this point. And especially with these ladies. We spent the night at Lindsay’s drinking wine and talking about life. A real life sleepover, which, if your wondering, is still as fun as the early years.

Before this trip, I’d been to Providence once in college to see John Mayer play {in HIS early years, at a small dive bar– the intimacy!}, and one other time to walk around the Providence Place Mall. This trip was particularly awesome because I got the chance to actually see the city, and what a wonderful little city it is. In the morning we headed to brunch at The Grange {IDEAL INTERIOR with okay food {sticky bun, YES. eggs benedict, I’ve had better.}, then we walked around Westminster Street for a little while popping into shops, and also down Benefit Street to enjoy some of the architecture and each other’s company.

I had no idea I’d like Providence as much as I did, but I LOVED IT. What a great little city!

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Such charm, I love it. I will definitely be taking a return trip in the near future. I’m thinking maybe once the trees start to bloom.

Sigh. I bet it’s especially lovely in the spring. ♥

18 Comments · Filed Under: friends, life, travel ·

a cape cod weekend.

November 4, 2013

This past weekend Zan and I drove out to the Cape with some close friends to enjoy a few days away of fun and relaxation. Our time there was pretty simple– home cooked meals, beer + wine, and a fireplace {my HEAVEN}. We ate clam chowder and loaded nachos for lunch, and made time for a shopping run to a favorite local gift shop {if you’re ever near Orleans you must come here}. There was music in the kitchen and football on the TV, and chili out of mugs, and cornbread from a box. Late at night there were rounds of Balderdash and in the morning there were cups and cups {and cups} of coffee with bagels and eggs and bacon. All with the most perfect view of Little Pleasant Bay.

The thing about these kinds of weekends is that they don’t happen nearly enough. It’s nice to be around home and yes, of course, it’s fun to travel— but traveling with friends to a weekend away spent lounging around in leggings and sweatshirts and cozy scarves? Well, these are the kind of weekends we need more of in our lives.

It was so low key, I loved every minute of it— and already wishing and wondering— when can we go back?! ♥

10 Comments · Filed Under: fall, friends, life ·