a weekend to remember

Best.  Weekend.  Ever. 

Nicole has been planning a get-away for us since I graduated in May.  Leaving me totally in suspense, she simply told me that it was going to be a weekend to remember.  A weekend filled with laughing, food, fun, and simply enjoying life to the fullest.  I didn’t bother trying to guess what she was up to, because this girl can keep a surprise, and she knows how to plan, plan, plan.  Seriously.  I’m convinced that she should be a wedding planner.

After indulging in some ice cream from Kimball’s (where I surrendered to chocolate chip cookie dough icecream…amazing), Nicole drove directly into this adorable little Inn, known as the Wachusett Village Inn.

 I was shocked.  In fact, I started laughing a little, half expecting her to say, “Kidding!” while driving on.

But we stopped.

She handed me the key.

And we walked in to our own little cabin.

 

 The room was so quaint.  So charming.  So New England. 

 

 We quickly took over and made it our own.  This was a girly weekend to the MAX. 

 

And no girly weekend is complete without (a) twizzlers, (b) funky nail polish colors, (c) girly magazines, and (d) anklets!

Nicole used to make these all the time, and she showed me the how-to’s. 😀

I then became a little overexcited about the spread of breakfast items that she prepared (not to mention the gallon sized water bottle that she bought specifically because she knows how much water I drink…haha.  This girl knows me 😉 )

Complete with whole wheat bagels, The Bees Knees peanut butter (first time trying it…love, love, love!!), bananas, heart to heart, milk, and crunchy granola.  She also bought chobani yogurts, but we brought them home since we simply didn’t have any more stomach space for them. 😀 

 Best.  Weekend.  Ever. 

And this was just day one.

 

DAY 2

The next day was absolutely gorgeous.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Seventy degrees.  Cool.  Breezy.

And I still had no idea where we were off to.  Nicole simply stated that we should each wear a sundress and live it up for the day.  There are never enough excuses to wear a fun sundress. 😀 

Where were we going?

I was dying to know.

And as we were sipping on our Starbucks coffees-to-go (I felt so girly and carefree! :mrgreen:), Nicole filled me in with some of the details.  We were going to spend an entire day in…

…BOSTON!

This is one of those things that we’ve always talked about doing, but never actually have.  Dress up.  Feel pretty.  Go shopping in any and all stores (Gucci, anyone?) 

Live.  Life.

And this weekend, we did just that.  I honestly felt as if I were living in a dream.  One in which my best friend was also living that same dream, and everything was ten times better then even my imagination could have allowed. 

We walked, and walked, and walked.  Taking in all that the beautiful city of Boston has to offer.

Swan Boats!

Newbury St.!!!

(aka, shopping central!)

We walked into specialty soap shops.  Shops that carried only imported olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  Shops that had tiny little spoons with a price tag well over $100.  Shops that had fancy little cupcakes in every flavor imagineable.

Such fun.

And then there was dinner.  It was the highlight of the day.  The one thing that Nicole refused to tell me about until the very last minute.  I had no idea what to expect, but when she led me to the elevator and told me that we were going to the 52nd floor of the Prudential Center, I almost squealed, screamed, did a little happy dance.  But instead, I just smiled and laughed in shock.  Utter, complete shock.

We were going to the Top of the Hub.

 

The above picture was the view from our seat.  The view right from where we would be eating.  We were literally overlooking the entire city of Boston.

If it weren’t for the pictures, I still would think it all a dream. 😀

When we first walked in, the host commented, “Congratulations on your graduation, Sarah.”  Wait, what?  How did he know?  And when the waiter came over later on to issue the same congratulations, I practically fell over.  Nicole and I felt so special at this restaurant, as if we were the only people in a room full of people.  I’ve never had such perfect, intricate, or special service as I did here. 

Of course, it’s not all about the service, is it?  It all comes down to the food.  How quickly your water glass is filled upon the time you reach the the last sip.  How hot the entree is when it is placed in front of you. 

The bread. 

 

 The bread.

The warm, doughy raisin bread oozing out cinnamon from its deep swirls of perfection.  Needless to say, I loved it.

The real highlight of the meal, I’ve got to say, was the appetizer, the Joan and Lump Crabmeat Cake with Avocado Cream and Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade. 

Nicole and I took one bite, looked at each other, blinked, and went back for another.  This literally melted away in your mouth.  The outside was crisp and buttery, and the inside was soft, tender, mouth-watering.  We almost told the waiter to just bring us another round and skip the entree altogether.

 

 Nicole’s entree was the Vermont Misty Knolls Chicken, a free-range chicken served with fingerling potatoes, bacon lardons, and braised swiss chard.

The chicken melted—absolutely melted—off the bone.  And the sauce tasted like a gourmet, adult version of a bbq sauce reduction.  Amazing.

 

 For my entree, I ordered the Potato Gnocchi, made with smoked chicken, morel mushrooms, fresh english peas and a parmesan cream.

This reminded me of a traditional macaroni and cheese that was given an adult, gourmet twist.  The gnocchi were soft, oozing with the creamy sauce.  Comfort food at its finest.  My favorite part of the entire meal were the morel mushrooms.  They had these tiny little pockets that brought in–and held–the cream sauce.  It made me sigh.  Literally. 

I can’t imagine a meal ever topping this one.  A meal to remember.

 

 Although we were both pretty full by the end, we wanted to take complete advantage of the fact that were sitting at the top of the Prudential Center and eating at the Top of the Hub.

We ordered dessert. 

We ordered Valrhona Warm Chocolate Cake, served with blackberry icecream atop a delicate meringue, and drizzled with burgundy sauce.

One poke into the chocolate cake, and a flood of warm chocolate sauce oozed out onto the plate.  We practically licked the plate clean, it was so amazing.  Perfect.  So perfect.  Everything about the meal, the day, the service, the dessert. 

Perfect.

 

 We uttered our thanks to the Top of the Hub for the most delightful experience I have ever had, and walked our way back to our car.

And, might I add, walking through Boston at the end of the day is an experience in and of itself.  The sun was just beginning to set and a cool breeze swished and swayed its way through the city.  But the city was not resting.  A whole new side of the city came to life.  Amusement parks.  Live performances and plays on the common.  Sail boats.  Boston is always so alive.

 

 

 I can hardly wait for our next extravaganza. 😀

 

Thanks again, Nicole!!  The entire weekend was filled with non-stop surprises.  It was by far the best weekend of my life, and I mean that completely. 😀

Question: What is your favorite city/town to visit? 

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