Birthday steak and a $24 glass of wine

All dressed up

Saturday night we got dressed up and headed downtown to Abe & Louie's for a nice steak dinner to celebrate our friend Andy's birthday. Andy is married to my best friend Germana and they also got married in 2017. Derek and I got to the restaurant early so we settled into the bar and ordered a drink. I ordered a glass of wine and had a bit of sticker shock when the bill came and the glass of wine was $24.00! Serves me right for not checking the menu first.

Our table was right by a giant ornate mirror. Germana and I had some fun with that.

Double vision

I love giant mirrors

It was tough deciding which steak and sides to order but we persevered. I ordered the bone-in filet. All the sides were delicious but the lobster mac and cheese was my favorite.

The birthday boy digging in

After we thoroughly stuffed ourselves we took an Uber to Bond for cocktails. It was pretty dead for a Saturday night so we had no trouble finding seats at the bar. I have a bit of a soft spot for Bond since it was where we had the after-party for our wedding.

View from the bar at Bond

Despite my best efforts, I lost my umbrella. I'm a bit notorious for leaving umbrellas and I wonder how many are scattered throughout Boston.

A foggy Boston after the rain

After Bond we had one more stop at Golden Temple. We didn't last long though as we were feeling the effects of a large dinner and a few drinks. At least I did spot my favorite GT patron, 80s hairband dude before we headed home to bed.

Back again

You may remember from a previous blog post that I was diagnosed with arthritis of the big toe joint at the I'm not old enough for this age of 34. I had a cortisone shot hoping that would give me some relief for at least a couple of months. Unfortunately, I only had a slight improvement for about two weeks and then I was right back to where I started. I'm very limited in my choice of footwear and can no longer go on long walks. My range of motion in my toe is limited and it's painful to bend. It's left me feeling pretty discouraged. I put it off for a few weeks but finally decided it was time to go back to the doctor. After discussing some options with my doctor I'm going to have surgery to remove any bone spurs and clean out the joint. The surgery is not until August so I have time to read all about the surgery on the internet and freak myself out. I'll be out of work for a week and in a boot but I won't be on crutches. Eventually I'll have the left toe done too but for now it's not as painful as the right toe.

That's enough talk about my feet, let's move on to other exciting topics like seasonal allergies. I'm glad it's spring but wow the pollen is bad right now. Even Derek is suffering and finally caved and started taking Claritin. Spring has arrived but I'll take green grass over snow any day.

Prudential Center courtyard yesterday

Cocktails at SRV

Spring has finally come to Boston. What better way to enjoy a nice spring evening than with a good cocktail. After a mediocre dinner we wandered down the street and popped into SRV, a wine bar and bacaro in the South End.

I decided on the Aperol Spritz and Derek had the Trotting Horse. Both were delicious. You could really taste the fresh ginger in the Trotting Horse.

I loved the floral arrangement behind the bar and of course the over-sized mirror. I definitely plan on going back to try the food and of course for more tasty cocktails.

Vino and girl talk 🥂

We're Number One! Wait, What?

I was a little surprised to see Boston listed as America's top summer vacation spot. Here's the reasoning behind the ranking:

Boston appeals to travelers of all types come summertime, with average temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Fenway Park welcomes baseball lovers, the Freedom Trail invites history buffs to a scavenger hunt of historic sites and Little Italy and Faneuil Hall Marketplace beckon to foodies. Visitors can also check out numerous breweries or plan their vacation around one of several festivals held over the summer.

I love Boston and I think everyone should visit at least once, but I wouldn't say it's the first city that comes to mind when planning a summer vacation. I'd also like to call shenanigans on the average temperature listed here. July and August are hot and humid as hell. Cape Cod and the islands are probably a better summer vacation destination with cooler weather than the city and beautiful beaches. I would suggest flying into Boston, spend a day or two in the city and then rent a car and drive down to the Cape. Now that's a good summer vacation.

Some news

I haven't been very good at updating this blog but I have a good reason. I've been promoted at work. I'm now a paralegal and the office manager. I've been trying to catch up before my replacement starts and her first day is Monday. I'll be heading into the office tomorrow to work on the massive amount of filing that's been piling up and finish moving 11 years worth of stuff to my new desk. I've thrown out quit a bit but there's still a lot to go through. I should have the office to myself so I plan on putting on some music and plowing through it. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Presidential Pub

Patriots logo
Framed photo of Gronk catching a football
Irish flag
Cash only

Yep. We were in a dive bar on the South Shore