Sevilla | España

Our time in Seville was fabulous, however, getting there was not. We boarded the ferry from Tangier, Morocco for the short journey to Tarifa, Spain. After our ferry docked in Tarifa and we cleared customs our driver was no where to be found. We booked with what seemed a reputable transfer company and the bizarre part is we had been texting with the driver prior to arriving. He ghosted us! A mildly stressful situation - there was a lot of back and fourth, then dinner in Tarifa, finding an ATM and eventually a taxi to get us 2 hours to Seville. I had our amenable taxi driver stop for cervesas and we made the best of our much-later-than-planned road-trip! 

We were so ready to enjoy a night out (remember, we couldn't really drink in Chefchaouen) and it was midnight by the time we checked into our hotel. Fortunately, it was a stones throw from some swanky cocktail bars. 

At The Second Room the girls sipped fruity sangria and I a classic manhattan. Delicious drinks and winding down from all the transfer stress just in time for some extremely drunk old men to hit on us. Off to Torero - a beautiful Brandy cocktail bar. Perfect nightcap! I was enamored with the the presentation of my aged brandy. I was also ready for a comfy bed. 

Palacio Pinello delivered a comfy bed and then some. This 4 star boutique hotel in the Santa Cruz district is housed in a late 15th century palace. The rooms are situated around the stunning central courtyard where we had our breakfast each morning. Our triple room was very spacious, the bathroom and waterfall shower were too! It had soaring ceilings and really pretty furnishings .

In the heart of the historic center we arrived briskly to Real Alcazar where we spent the better part of the morning. I was glad we booked advance tickets to skip the lines. We lunched in Plaza de San Francisco, shopped for the kids, and went for rooftop cava spritzes at La Terraza del EME.  

La Terraraza boasts up close views of the Catedral and La Giralda which we would head to next! The Cathedral de Sevilla is majestic, we breezed through with audio guides. The climb to the top of the bell tower was worth it! Finally, we went for a late afternoon wine tasting at Lama La Uva which allowed a meandering walk to take in more of the sprawling city. 

Sevilla - rallying not dallying. purposefully meandering.

Il Casale | Belmont Center

On Bob's birthday, Wednesday, February 27th, I was 2 days postpartum and still admitted. Baby Camden was in the NICU. I was discharged on the 28th while Camden was not quite ready. We had been visiting our sweet son at NWH and as we said our goodnights we impromptu decided to take advantage of his excellent care and head out for a birthday date night. 

Belmont Center is not too far from NWH. We arrived to Il Casale in a warm and bustling converted fire station and grabbed two seats at the bar. I eyed the martinis next to me thinking how good they looked. Suddenly my face lit up. "I can have a drink. I can actually order one of those!" It had not hit me until this glorious moment. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my 9 months of sobriety but what a moment. My first postpartum drink: the 60 day cask aged Meletti Manhattan made with overholt rye, meletti amaro + amarena cherry.  

The Buratta Salad was a wondrous portion of field greens, speck from Trentino Alto-Adige + fresh figs. All the pasta is made in house - I had a terrific Cream Mushroom Gnocchetti featuring pickled Beachwood mushrooms, charred endive, local carrots + pine nuts. It was our first time to this Il Casale location (I had been to Lexington) and it made for a lovely Friday birthday date night. 

Il Casale

50 Leonard St 

Belmont, MA 02478

NYC Babymoon

A peek into our New York City babymoon getaway the weekend before Christmas, where we stayed in a cozy Airbnb on West 10th Street with the prettiest aqua door. The West Village is infinitely charming by way of cobblestone streets, historic Federal style townhouses, underground jazz clubs, trendy bars and fantastic restaurants. Below, two of my favorite neighborhood meals. 

Barbuto (775 Washington Street) embodies the West Village's casual sophistication and cool neighborhood vibe. The elevated Italian comfort food is very good. We ate: insalata burrata ($16) red and green pears, walnut, oregano / pappardelle con bolognese ($26) veal and pork ragu, tomato, parmesan / gnocchi stagionale ($24) delicata squash, spinach, sage & hazelnut / crostata ($14) Bartlett pear & vanilla gelato / tiramisu ($11) ladyfingers, mascarpone & cocoa. 

Barbuto does not take reservations - which actually helped our cause as I hit so many dead ends with popular West Village spots. [Emphasis on popular, I simply researched who had the best reviews. I was booking a week in advance, in actuality you need about a month or two.] If you head to this chic Italian eatery I'd prepare to wait at the bar for 30 minutes until a cozy table for two opens up - preferably alongside the industrial garage doors to soak in the atmosphere both inside and out. 

Jeffrey's Grocery (172 Waverly Place) is a West Village restaurant and oyster bar with a stellar weekend brunch. As large windows bathe the understated nautical kisch in a serene Sunday morning light, I am once again enraptured by this neighborhood, reflecting on her endless eateries, bars and coffee shops tucked perfectly into every other street corner. We ate: Spinach-Artichoke Benedict ($20) poached eggs, hollandaise and home fries / Fried Egg Sandwich ($18) wilted spinach, gruyere, pickled peppers, english muffin, fries and lettuces. It was quite possibly one of the best egg sandwiches I have had in recent memory.  P.S. They've got a really good looking bloody mary menu; not to mention dinner, cocktail and late night menus; I wouldn't hesitate to check out Jeffery's at any point in your West Village stay.

We walked around a lot, seeing the traditional holiday touristy things; the tree at Rockefeller Center, the Macys windowfronts, Paddy Maguire's Ale House, the Flatiron building as we passed by. We met friends in Columbus Circle for drinks at Ascent Lounge on the 4th floor of the Time Warner Center. The elegant space was matched with gorgeous views of the circle and park, plus friendly bartenders who served Bob a perfect Manhattan. 

Of course there is quite a bit more to share before our departure from Grand Central. Stay tuned.