Ft. Lauderdale fun

We are back from a fun, relaxing weekend trip to Ft. Lauderdale.

Biggest highlight: seeing my bestest friend.

Other highlights:
- locating imported Banks beer for Brad


- the beautiful beach

- the view from our hotel room balcony:

- staying out past 9:00pm. Friday evening, after a great dinner, we went to this lovely, quiet, intimate wine bar called The Naked Grape. After two glasses of a fantastic Malbec, I managed to get almost the entire place sucked into a raging conversation about the genius of Stephen Sondheim (this statement was/is not open to debate). I think I made my Daddy proud :)

Saturday night we went to this INSANE place called America's Backyard.

- hanging at the brunch place with the coolest vibe ever, Rosie's

- did I mention staying out past 9:00pm (this is really a big thing for us)

Things I'm Loving This Week....

1. These awesome door photos
(I've been known to photograph a few doors in my day...)

(Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia)

2. This add-it-to-my-extensive-must-travel-list of the best ferry rides in the nation. I cannot say enough times, loudly enough, how awesome the ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and back is. Staten Island Ferry is on my "must do" list for my next bumming around NYC trip.

3. The fact that Henri Cartier-Bresson was a world traveler before world travel was fashionable.

4. That get to see this Friday night:

(taken in the parking lot of a Starbucks with my p&s
in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)

Five for Friday

1. Woot! It's Friday!

2. Next Friday, Five for Friday will take a brief break, because Brad and I will be causing all kinds of trouble visiting my bestest friend Mark in Ft. Lauderdale. I am beyond way excited to get my toes in the sand again!

This sand:

which I actually admitted to enjoying last year, even though, by nature and breeding, I'm a Gulf-coast kind of a girl.

Hopefully we'll lunch here: because how can you beat the view? Well, I guess you can beat it, actually...

ohhhhh Carib beach bar... I love you.

Anyway, I am most excited to go to Ft. Lauderdale to see this guy, who I love, who has put up with my antics for the past 15 years, who I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like, who has turned me into a texting machine, and who always shows his guests a good time!

Woot!

3. Tuesday night we went to see the Washington National Opera's production of "Marriage of Figaro." It was Brad's first opera. He was a brave boy and I think almost enjoyed it. I, on the other hand, LOVED it and have decided that it has been way too long since I've been to the opera. How we could ever live in a city that didn't have great performing arts is beyond me.

4. I have just been informed that since the majority of my office is out of the office traveling today, the remaining staff will be caravaning (can you caravan on the Metro?) up to the Washington institution Ben's Chili Bowl for lunch. Despite living here for five years, I have never been to Ben's . Perhaps this will be the summer were Brad and I do all the things we've never done in the five years we've lived here.

By the way, a neat fact: the only person to ever have their name added to Ben's famous "Eat's Here Free" sign? The Obama family. They join Bill Cosby as the only names on that list. Reportedly though, when President Obama visited there, he paid :)

5. Woot - it's Friday!

Happy weekend folks!

Other awesome Florida activities

What other super fun things can you do in west central Florida in the middle of January?

How about some shuffleboard?

A visit to the beach?

A performance by the Lipizzaner Stallions?

How about all three? :)

Tarpon Springs, Florida

One of the most fun things you can do in the Tampa area is head over to Tarpon Springs. This awesome Greek sponging community is full of life, great restaurants, fun shops and, well, sponges! We headed over there on Sunday while we were down visiting Brad's grandparents. My old favorites did not disappoint and I managed to navigate the rental car there with no getting lost! It's amazing how, after ten years, my nose will still lead me directly to flaming cheese and baklava...

Brad and his awesome grandparents
a little bit Hollywood... a little bit Tarpon

HELLAS!!!!!!

I love you, flaming cheese (look at all that grease!)

all smiles, post super-Greek-food lunch