Dining Out – Page 6 – Blondie Birdie

Good Evening, everyone!

I hope you’re all enjoying your Friday night. It’s a bit unlike me to post after dark (I usually update Blondie Birdie early in the morning before I head into work or while I’m waiting for my coffee to brew)– but I took a long-overdue “Selfie Night” for myself today in order to catch up on e-mails I’d been neglecting for the better part of a week, enjoy a long bath while I started binge-watching the new mini-series for “Wet Hot American Summer” on Netflix (I’m nearly finished and it’s so over-the-top crazy-funny. I love it!)– and catch up on some much needed overall rest and relaxation. After I post this, I have a feeling I’ll be crawling into my clean and freshly folded sheets to try and get a full night of undisturbed sleep. I’m exhausted!

My last attempt at a “Selfie Night” was supposed to have been last Sunday, but my plans became a bit rearranged when- as I’d mentioned in my July “In a Nutshell” post earlier this past week- my best friend Sean returned home from a month-long stay in Spain after he came down with a severe case of food poisoning/dehydration that resulted with him spending a significant amount of time in the hospital. It’s a scary thing- to have someone you care about be so sick and so far away from home- and I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like for him to go through on his own. Thankfully, he’s back in the States and on the mend- and once he had stepped off the plane- some of our friends and I (and his mother!) who had showed up to surprise him at the arrival gate outside the airport snatched him up to get him some food and a couple of drinks so he could tell us all about his trip.

While Sean had been in Madrid prior to falling ill, he picked me up this really beautiful paper and lace fold-out fan that he gave to me at dinner. I love it. The imagery on it is really gorgeous- and even though I briefly used it to cool myself off in the car ride home since the temperatures were scorching- it’s since been placed neatly and delicately on display near my nicer dishes and silverware in my dining area. I don’t want anything to happen to it- and that’s the safest spot!

It’s just really nice to have him back home. I missed him a lot and I’m glad he’s feeling better and doing okay. We have a lot of catching up to do- starting tomorrow, more than likely! While there’s a few different weekend getaways planned throughout the month of August- I believe the next day or so will be spent in the White Mountains for the first time in over a year. I’m sure I’m going to have plenty of pictures to share!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

– Ashley –

I’m a straight woman who was fortunate enough to be raised and currently reside in Massachusetts. I say fortunate because Massachusetts- and most of New England, really- is one of the more liberal and progressive areas in the country. Our impressive list of schools and businesses bring in so many different people from all races, religions, cultures and orientations that my state is like a big mixing pot of never-ending educational and growing possibilities. If you spend any significant amount of time in any of the neighborhoods around Boston- you get to know some of the most incredible individuals and can learn so much from them at the same time.

So when Boston has it’s annual Pride celebration for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters, you know it’s going to be a fun time and that all are welcome with open arms- no matter what- compared to other areas of the country where homosexuality/bisexuality or being transgender is either not properly understood, accepted- or both. I’m grateful I get to be in a city that celebrates the variety of life instead of trying to suppress it or refuse to acknowledge it’s existence. People say a lot of things about Boston- some good and some not so good- but you can’t deny that we are a city that takes care of our residents and look out for one another.

I have a wonderful group of longtime friends from the LGBTQ community, and every year I like to meet up with them while they hop to and from multiple events around the city for the celebration. While I missed the parade this year due to a prior commitment- I was able to head down to Back Bay for a huge block party with plenty of drinks and dancing. The weather was absolutely perfect- so much that when our group eventually dispersed from the party, we were able to enjoy a delicious outdoor dinner in the shade at nearby TICO.

If you stop by, be sure to try their truffle guacamole and watermelon margaritas. You won’t regret it (and yes- that’s a side dish of macaroni and cheese. A girl has to get her carbs when she’s having a little bit of alcohol in the sunshine!) TICO is a bit on the pricier side for tapas- but it’s worth the splurge every now and then. I certainly don’t have any regrets- and the view from their outdoor patio where we were seated was pretty spectacular.

The party eventually made it’s way- and winded down- at Dillon’s on Boylston Street where we once again found ourselves lounging on an outdoor patio and sipping refreshing, chilled (and fairly strong) cocktails under the sunset. When more of our friends arrived from their own dinner reservations elsewhere around the city- we all started to head in different directions. Some friends went to a drag show in Cambridge, others went to a different bar, and I headed home to get some much needed rest after a busy day and an even busier work-week.

Exciting, I know- but I had a lot of stuff to get done and errands to run around Downtown Crossing on Sunday!

Speaking of getting things done- I’m headed off to the office for the day. Have a good Hump Day, everyone!

– Ashley –

Tag: Dining Out

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