After the absolute whirlwind that was the extended Memorial Day Weekend just a few short days ago, it felt nice to have a more quiet and low-key couple of afternoons off where I could tidy up my apartment, restock some groceries, catch up on e-mails that had been sitting patiently in my inbox, and- most importantly- go through the endless amount of photos and videos I snapped during my recent travels!
As many of you may have already known from my previous posts, Troy arrived in the Pioneer Valley last Thursday night to spend the holiday weekend with me and attend Boston Calling for Sunday’s stellar lineup. The first couple of days he was here, as is tradition, were spent at some of our favorite local spots for dinner and drinks- like Antonio’s Pizza in Amherst, Galaxy and Gigantic in Easthampton- and at our respective stylists for some long overdue root touchups (for me,) and haircuts (for him.)
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen- Troy has short hair for the first time in five years and I absolutely love it!
On Saturday, after sleeping late and grabbing some coffee, we headed out to what would be our first night in Boston since we were fortunate enough to be able to attend The Killers’ surprise (and sold out!) pop-up show at Paradise Rock Club. I can’t remember the last time I saw them play a room so small- but it was definitely nearly twenty years ago- and what a performance it was! Not only was the setlist as close to perfect as you can get, but I got to see and catch up with some of my nearest and dearest friends I hadn’t seen in what felt like ages during the night- and made a couple of new friends, as well!
By the end of the evening, I was almost full-on crying from happiness and gratitude, and I practically floated back to the hotel Troy and I were staying in for the night after grabbing some late night snacks.
On Sunday, after a breakfast of lattes and unique doughnuts across the street from our hotel at Blackbird Doughnuts, it was time to slather on the sunscreen and make our way over to Cambridge for the final day of Boston Calling. Much like the night before, we had the privilege of catching up with longtime friends- this time in the Media/Press area and by designated crew passageways- before checking out sets from Megan Thee Stallion, Hozier, and finally- The Killers once again! Pure bliss!
And I’ve heard some criticism of the festival’s approach to overcrowding and limited access to water- which I whole heartedly agree with. Since moving the event to Harvard’s campus, the festival is notorious for it’s lack of shade in brutally hot conditions and one singular location for water stations near the entrance of the grounds. Troy and I saw multiple people fainting, throwing up, etc. throughout the day/night- and I’m hoping that next year there will be better crowd control and way more areas for people to get water closer to the stages to prevent medical emergencies. We can and absolutely must do better moving forward.
On Monday, Memorial Day, Troy and I stopped to have coffee with his friend Justin- whose wedding we attended in New York last Summer, before it was time to make our coastal journey up North to Old Orchard Beach in Maine- which is what we had done last Memorial Day and absolutely loved our time there!
This time, however- things were a little different. For starters, the weather was dreadful– rainy and foggy the entire drive up- even when we popped by Kooks for lunch. The conditions resulted in most of Old Orchard Beach being closed up by the time we arrived later on in afternoon, including the arcade, amusement park, and most of the food stands/restaurants. While we were able to eventually find a bite to eat and walk around a bit as it got darker out leading up to a torrential downpour, it didn’t exactly have that “Summer Kickoff” vibe we were hoping for.
And our small seaside room, which looked great in photos at the time of booking, was actually closer to an active and very loud railway that shook our walls multiple times during our one-night stay. It also didn’t have hot water- which made for a very interesting Tuesday morning when it came time to get ready to head back to Massachusetts.
But we made the best of it- as we always try to do- laughing about the absurdity of the situation and rejoicing in Tuesday’s much nicer weather as we grabbed breakfast and coffee at OOB’s beloved Café 64 before taking the scenic way back towards Western Massachusetts.
Troy had to fly back to California bright and early on Wednesday morning, so we closed out his visit with a final dinner of pasta and tropical cocktails at Fitzwilly’s in Northampton on Tuesday night- which is officially our “unofficial” spot at this point.
And while I worked for the remainder of last week after his departure, this morning I’m actually (kinda’, sorta’) focused and ready to dive back into my roles and responsibilities full-time as I normally do on a Monday morning. No vacation can last forever, after all.
But I am still so full of gratitude and even a little disbelief at just how wonderful and fun last weekend/week was. I cannot thank the people who made it possible enough. I just hope they know I love them with my whole heart and I will cherish the memories made forever and ever. I’m SO thankful, and I truly feel beyond blessed.
I’m hoping I’ll get to visit some of those amazing people again later on this Summer pending more information and with making some travel arrangements, so we’ll see. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
And a little later on this week, I’m going to be doing a long overdue check-in on my 2024 Resolutions and sharing a whimsical place in Connecticut I was fortunate enough to visit this past weekend in-between errands.
Here’s to a great start to June!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 