So this report has been a long time in the making…

Melbourne

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Where to stay: The Park Hyatt.

As you might know from previous posts or just happen to realize for me to rave about a hotel it must be pretty nice.  Well the Park Hyatt Melbourne rates up there in terms of even the hotels I like.  I don’t need a huge superior room, what I need is a clean, comfortable, quiet room with a nice view, a great bathroom and nice amenities.

We went to Australia in May, which is their fall, but it meant off season rates in Melbourne and Sydney, not a ton of tourists and nice crisp, but warm weather.  We got a great deal at the Park Hyatt at less than $200 a night.

For that we got a really nice comfortable king size bed, valet attendants that helped us figure out how to work our GPS system, a hotel that was a close walk to most of the attractions in Melbourne, a huge bathroom with a shower that had a tv and speakers, a electric tea kettle with good tea and nice toiletries that I actually used.

Also the breakfast served here was wonderful. There was a really nice a la carte menu, but we normally went for the buffet with a huge selection of fruits, breads, cereals, juices, cheeses, charcuterie and hot items including the traditional English breakfast of course.  We normally had long days of walking or exploring ahead of us so a nice big breakfast really hit the spot.

What to do:  The very top of your to do list should be the Queen Victoria Market.  This is a huge market.  They have some little restaurants, fish market, meat market, a deli section with stalls selling breads, meats, cheeses, olives, dried goods, eggs, honey, teas and everything else you could imagine.  Then outside they have fresh produce.  They have a lot of produce that is hard to find here like Nooshi a fruit that is like a small juicy apple and very fresh ripe Passionfruit.  Also outside are bins of flour and other grains and people selling wines and other homemade goods.  Then in back of that is a huge flea market.  My favorites were a cracked black pepper meat pie sold at a deli in the bottom left section.  The crust was flaky, it was piping hot and fresh and the fresh cracked black pepper made it the best meat pie of the trip.  Hubby and I also picked up some kangaroo salami, cheese, bread and fruits to take with us on our adventure out to the country that afternoon.

If you are adventurous- and you should be this is Australia for God’s sake- I highly suggest renting a car and driving down to Philips Island.  Now I went mainly for my obsession with non-flying birds of the black and white variety, which you can see nightly.  We got the “Ultimate Penguin Experience” which was really great.  You were taken to a separate area for viewing and walked down the beach to a small break in the dunes where we sat for probably about an hour and fifteen minutes watching with night vision googles little penguins teetering all around you within feet.  Then you hike back along the road spotting little Philips Island Penguins running and nesting all about you.  We were unfortunate and fortunate enough to be able to touch a penguin that was rescued by our ranger when we saw him injured and floundering on the beach in front of us.  I am sure they took good care of him.

Also on Philips Island is a koala sanctuary where you can view koalas a couple feet away doing there thing aka sleeping or eating, I think that’s all they do honestly.  They are cute as can be!  Also if you are lucky like us you will also see some wandering wallabies throughout the park grazing on grasses.

Philips Island also has an area called the nobbies that has beautiful rock outcropping.  Sometimes they have seals, but we didn’t see any on our visit (apparently they sometimes have Great Whites too).  And a working farm.  What we enjoyed most was the beautiful scenery and quiet beaches.

For eclectic shopping and some really good casual restaurants check out Brunswick Street.  This was my favorite area in all Melbourne.  The cute store signs and shop fronts give way to cute fashions, home goods, amazing coffee and tea shops.

Where to eat:

Now we didn’t do a lot of fancy eating in Melbourne, there are so many great casual restaurants to check out and the market was just so tasty, but we had a really great dinner at Movida- Bar de Tapas.  The atmosphere is laid back with nice low lighting.  The croquettes were just like what you get in Madrid.  We also sampled the San Jacobo de Cordonice a quail stuffed with cheese and ham, Pimientio de Piquuillo hickory smoked peppers with potato and salt cod and some other small plates while Hubby had a Bees Knees Beer and I drank some good Australian wine.

While exploring Brunswick we check out the Real Greek Souvlaki Bar where we had huge gyros and lamb platters filled with juicy and flavorful lamb, ripe tomatoes and tasty pita.  Hubby laughed at the size of my gyro, it was a food as big as your head moment.

We also stopped on our way back from Philips Island at a co-op fish and chippery.  I think getting some fresh fish and chips and a meat pie is kind of one of those quid essential things to do, just make sure you have lots of napkins.

In  Sum: Melbourne we love you to death and really we do want more time with you.  You are a dirty mistress to our love of Barcelona and Melbourne, and while we might not be able to work you into our regular rotation, you will be on our mind.  So keep stylin.

Right now is the time of year where people inevitably attend fall festivities or host their own parties celebrating the reaping of the harvest.

I once again missed what may be the best celebration of Fall, culture and community support: The Pleasant Valley Harvest Sale in Garrett County, Maryland.  An auction is held in a beautiful little Amish community each Fall to support the school in their district the Swan Meadow Elementary School.  The auction has gargantuan mushrooms and produce, breads and baked goods and other auction items, the big ticket item being the Black Forest Cake.

During the sale you can wander over to the counter to buy homemade caramels, no bake cookies, fresh yeast glazed doughnuts and coffee and cider to satiate you during the sale.  Also for sale is a collection of recipes from the community made into a cookbook.  This cookbook is a big deal, as it normally has the heavy hitting favorites from each family.

But I will make up for it by attending what MSN rates as one of the top Fall Festivals: The Autumn Glory festival.  Also located in Garrett County, Maryland (an area that happens to be where I am from).  This festival begins this week and events continue until Sunday.  A sampling of the events:

Fireman’s Parade- Thursday night a parade of mostly fire trucks and engines, with the occasional truck of football players and cheerleaders rolls down Second Street and up Route 219 to the firehouse.

Oktoberfest- Thursday night after the Fireman’s parade at the fire hall an Oktoberfest dinner complete with Polca music, dancing and lots of beer takes place, an event that is mainly attended by locals, but any person who attends will be feeling the love.

Grand Feature Parade- Saturday is the main parade a video of a past parade I found on YouTube! (Not the most professional screening, but you get the picture)

Also during this weekend there is an Amish breakfast at the Pleasant Valley Community Center, a 5k run/walk, craft shows, antique shows, classic car shows, the Maryland State Fiddle and Banjo contest, The Liars Festival, No-hands ice cream eating contest at Lakeside Creamery and so much more!  You can see a few of my photos here, I will post more after next weekend.

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And while I have family that lives in the area, we tend to overload our capacity so we normally rent a house from Railey Mountain Vacations, who right now has a buy two get a third night for free special (very handy since Monday is Columbus Day).

Now if you are lucky enough to be invited to a Fall celebration, or just need a taste of Germany,  look no further than Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe in Arlington, Virginia (Their site seems to be temporarily down).  A big box of soft pretzels, a Black Forest Cake or wursts would get you an invite back to any party.

No invites?  Well check out the Washingtonian’s list of Oktoberfests. You could also join Rustico on October 10 from noon to six for Oktoberfest where they will have nearly 25 different beers on tap, with live musicand dishes prepared by Rustico, Buzz The Evening Star Cafe, Vermilion, Tallula, EatBar, Columbia Firehouse & Star Catering.Admission is free and tickets will be sold for beer, food, activities and a mighty raffle featuring a beautiful 1997 Harley Davidson Softail – along with three other fantastic prizes. The proceeds from this year’s raffle will be given to DC Central Kitchen to help combat hunger and create opportunity right here in our own backyard.  If this doesn’t get you there,

then this might:

Although please note- kids are absolutely welcome. In fact, there will be many activities just for the kids throughout the day – including a moon bounce, face painting, pumpkin tossing and more.  So choose your reason to go.

Or hop on over to Heidelberg for a delicious grilled wurst prepared on their outside grill.  They have brautwurst, knauckwurst, weisswurst and others for you to try before ordering.  If you need some carb loading before all those tasty German brews order the ultimate combo which comes with a soft pretzel, warm German potato salad, drink and apple strudel.

You can also get your Fall on at Buzz Bakery in Alexandria, VA.  They are selling  Steamed Cider and Pumpkin Lattes. The cider is local and they use a homemade spiced pumpkin puree for the pumpkin goodies. Tempting me most has to be the Candy Apple Martini, made with housemade caramel sauce, apple schnapps and Stoli. They are also stocking seasonal beers, including Dogfish Head Punkin’ and Epheremere.

Order a batch of cupcakes, including out classic Guinness Cupcake, the Caramel Apple Cupcake and the Pumpkin Cupcake with Candied Pepitas and you will surely be a hit.

Fall is glorious, isn’t it?

So I know that I just posted my Phoenix Report and I should save this a bit really, but I just can’t do that.  I need to share.  Plus I am sure I will go somewhere else soon.  So Peeps here it is:

Philly is a really nice weekend getaway.  There is enough to do besides the Independence googly-gook that you leave with plans for next time, but you aren’t like pining to stay like at the beach where really can’t you have just a few more days?  I like that in a weekend vacation, finality with a reason to come back.

Where to stay:  Right now you can score pretty good deal at even the nicest hotels in Philly.  Splurge on the Ritz, which is centrally located centrally and has all the normal luxuries of the Ritz.  Another perk is that their restaurant 10Arts is run by a very capable Top Chef contender.

Friday we went up early so I could have a special birthday lunch date at Morimoto with my Hubby who had been gone for my birthday.  I love the ambiance of Morimoto, the wood walls with uber modern white furniture and the not overbearing neon lighting was cool- not cold and very crisp.  Like a better designed version of the downtown location of Cafe Asia.  But can I comment that the chairs while modern were really comfortable, which I really was happy about.

I really loved the basic omakase ($40) menu. All the fish was very fresh, the opening Toro Tartare with with Caviar, Tempura, Scallions, Ponzu and Fresh Wasabi, and finished with a Japanese fruit was a highlight. It was crispy and salty, but also refreshing and smooth and fatty.  We then had an assortment of sushi with toro, red snapper and others that were all perfectly fresh, they had a wonderful texture and taste in the mouth, never being fishy. We also had a whitefish caparcio with microgreens, with a very tasty vinaigrette with hot oil, we had black cod with miso served with a mustard sauce and pickled peppers that was cooked perfectly, the textural difference between the crispy crust on the cod, the flaky inside and the very smooth pickled peppers created a nice taste. Everything had very good balanced flavors and we were happy with each course. We ended with a chocolate cake with blueberry sauce that was very good. It was just enough food for lunch without being heavy. I wish I lived nearby so I could eat here more often all of the lunch specials coming out looked great.

That night we had a family dinner with the in laws and family in the area at Distrito.  This place was so much fun. I want to go back and eat in the bug. I was worried when I booked it that it would be a little too eccentric for everyone, but it is done in a tasteful over the top way (take the tour on the website- it’s pretty awesome).  A way that doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but makes you laugh at the whimsicality of it.  Personally, I loved the eccentric decorating.

The drinks were good, I was impressed with the Tequila selection. I had a grapefruit soda with tequila mixture.  They served the soda separately so you could make it your own preferred strength.

We ordered way too much food, they say to order 3-4 dishes per person, but at 2-3 each we were stuffed. I had the short rib flatbread which was very good, the meat was tender and savory and melded well with the BBQ sauce, the carnitas tacos were one of the best dishes of the evening, the pork was so tender and flavorful, they had bits that were a little bit more well done and crunchy mixed in for a great ratio of pork texture. The Amarillo (rabbit mole) was excellent, as well, the rabbit was tender and very flavorful it wasn’t overwhelmed by the sauce a rich almost creamy mole which wasn’t spicy, but very homey and comforting,  served on rice in a small hot pot. The whole dish came together really well. The duck fundido was another big hit, spicy and cheesy with tender as can be duck it would be the perfect after bar food. We wrapped the goey, deliciousness in fresh tortillas and it was heaven.  The guacamole was also good, the salsa was decent- very fresh red tomatoes just rather normal. I also had a bit of the tres leches cake which was quite good, much like a very small Smith Island cake. This was one of my favorite meals. I also had some of the salads which were a big portion, but a tad bit bitter (which may have been the cilantro which I don’t really care for).  Especially coming from an area with poor choices for Mexican this was a favorite.  It is so good with all the other choices in Philadelphia I still will be going back.

On our first full day in Philly we checked out the foodie mecca that is the Reading Terminal Market.  Located in what used to be the Reading Railroad Terminal (Yes, Monopoly is based on Philadelphia) this market has fresh produce that is just amazing, fish and meats, cheese and other dairy, Amish baked goods, other pastries, candy, pretzels and lots of food stalls.   The best day to go is Saturday when the market is in full swing.  Sundays the Amish vendors won’t be there.  It could take days and days to eat through all the goodness held within, but I think that a fresh doughnut from the Amish stand in the center of the market is a must eat.  So is a roast pork sandwich at DiNic’s, in my opinion this puts a cheesesteak to shame (although I recommend eating it right then and there as it can get quite soupy if it sits).  Also while here it is essential to get a good soft pretzel.  Although we passed vendors selling boxes of fresh pretzels on the streets the ones at Miller’s in the market where nice and warm with a good bread, salt, butter ratio.  There were also some very tempting sticky buns.  I would have liked to go back on Sunday before we left to get some things to take home, but we had a full agenda.

After exploring the market and taking in a lot of calories we decided to burn some off by walking  down to the Constitution Center, which is a fun interactive museum in the heart of Constitution madness.  We then walked along Arch Street, which has some neat shops and takes you by Benjamin Franklin’s gravesite.  We ran into the First Lady and Obama girls on our walk which caused quite a scene,  but luckily it meant that the Franklin Fountain was without a line.

Another calorie splurger the Franklin Fountain is a really fun stop.  I got the ladies choice which is a float of raspberry soda with peach ice cream. It was fruity refreshing, but still nice and creamy. The ambiance is the main draw though.  Men in daper fountain boy clothing with handlebar mustaches prepare your concoction on the marble in big glass cups, and that is a big temptation.

Then we walked around a bit more and just enjoyed the sites.

We ended up at Fork for the FIL’s big 6-0 birthday dinner. Our meal there was excellent.  We started with a Soellner, Wogerain, Grüner Veltliner, 2007, Austria that was lovely after a hot day, it was crisp and fruity, but not too oaky or sweet and paired very well with my food. Followed by a choice of multigrain, french or other bread, I had the french which had a great taste to it, crusty on the outside, tender within. They had a nice cow butter which was soft and had good flavor.

For dinner I started with the baby lettuce salad with croquette and balsamic. It was very fresh, nicely dressed and the croquette was was warm and crisp on the outside while almost, but not quite gooey on the inside. Hubby had the fish provencale soup with crouton and that was very good, it had a lovely fish broth thickened with cream that was very light I really enjoyed the couple bites I got. For entree I had the citrus cured salmon that was then seared on carmelized shallots, potatoes and a lovely spinach sauce. The citrus with the shallots and spinach sauce balanced very nicely. The fish was cooked with a nice sear and had great flavor. It was seasoned just right. The potatoes were a nice bit size, but in a rustic style that blended nicely with the bold flavor of the fish. Hubby had a duck dish that was very good as well. The duck itself was incredibly juicy, again not overcooked at all, a perfect medium rare. We split the chevre cheesecake with oatmeal crisp and champagne pear. The pear was a bit hard to cut you had to use both fork and spoon but was very juicy and had a nice texture, almost like a plum in texture. The chevre cheesecake was rich and tangy and the crisp was sweet and crunchy so the flavors and the textures were nicely varied. All in all another nice meal.

The next day we visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Textiles Museum. The art deco building that the textiles museum is in is beautiful, and the exhibitions were a girls dream with one room of fashions from the 1800s to 1930s the next vivid modern household objects.  What I really enjoyed was the interior of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  They have transplanted whole rooms that show vivid architecture from many countries and cultures.  The Japanese temple and tea house are stunning, while the Moorish and Arabian rooms showcase the amazing attention to detail those cultures places in each piece of design.  A walk down to the beautiful river would have been nicer without the humidity, but it offers a beautiful view of what has become a really great river.

We then headed back to the city making one last stop at Pat’s King of Steaks for a cheesesteak.  I had a “Wit Provolone, mushroom and pepper steak” which was a little too drippy for me.  Next time I think I will stick with the basics.  And the steak really doesn’t have a ton of flavor so I can see why the saltyness of the whiz is needed.  I will admit fries with cheezwhiz was the favorite of mine for the stop.  But I will have to try again- they can’t be a legend for nothing.

A short Note:  I will have to attach my albums slowly as I haven’t found a great upload yet and the NextGen is slow on my computer, but I will try to do it eventually so you can have the pictures I say I will post.  And if anyone knows of a better gallery tool, by all means let me know!  I did it here they are!

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So I could have posted my Phoenix report this winter when you were dying to get somewhere warm, but then the prices were outrageous.  Right now you can get a pretty good deal for a Phoenix vacation in January at some of the nicest resorts and you can put in that vacation leave form way too far in advance for anyone to say no.

For people who know me really well, I am very particular about nice hotels.  If I am paying a premium to stay somewhere I have a high level of expectation.  There have been many a Leading Hotel of the World that I will not be returning to.  In particular I am very sensitive to noise.  Poor Hubby will attest that I am not an easy sleeper with a lot of noise, and me not sleeping means I am quite grumpy.

Hubby scored major bonus points in Phoenix though as he picked a hotel that is now one of my all time favorites.  Hubby and I stayed at the Royal Palm.  I really love the Royal Palm for many reasons including the following:

• Great Spa (see it’s own post the Alvadora Spa) which is even open late
• Large guest rooms at even the basic level
• The hotel restaurant T. Cooks is really good (the mediteranean breakfast burrito and their roast chicken are really good)
• They have a beautiful heated pool
• Large very nicely appointed bathrooms with tubs
• Wonderful level of personal service
• Many small private areas for relaxing or having private dinners
• Beautiful gardens, terraces and water features
• You can use the sauna and steam room for free

Here are some pictures for just a small taste of the resort.

Hubby and I enjoyed quite a number of great activities while in Phoenix- we hiked Camelback Mountain (link has wonderful pictures, maps and guides), we visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West which was really neat and had some really beautiful details and art, we visited the Desert Botanical Garden which was hosting a Chihuly exhibit that you can see in the gallery below and we also went to see Frank Lloyd Wright designed hotel the Biltmore, and of course we spent time napping by the pool, swimming and enjoying the spa at the Royal Palms.

Hubby and I also enjoyed some great meals, besides T. Cooks, we also loved Matt’s Big Breakfast- the waffles were amazing made with sweet cream they were soft and full of flavor also the ham they use is freshly baked off the bone ham not those gross cubes of ham you normally see and they have wonderful hashbrowns that are crispy and flavorful.

Los Dos Molinos a reccomendation from the brother filled our craving for excellent green and red chille sauce.  It was hot and it was satisfying.  The margaritas were good, the chimichangas great and the owner was talking to us and was as nice as could be.  This isn’t an upscale fancy smancy place, but it was one our favorites.  They have multiple locations we went to the central location which was a bit like an open bar in a good way.

I also have to admit that we enjoyed a couple Blue Corn Burritos in the airport on the way home Sunday afternoon, they are much better than anything you get here, even in the airport (sad but true).

While for us Phoenix isn’t really a weekend getaway, it is an extended weekend getaway.  I even kind of liked going to the cheesy downtown area and wandering.  It is a little dissapointing that so many of the art galleries have closed in this economy, but it was still a great weekend with a lot of outdoor activities, culture and adventure to soak up.  My last tip is make sure you rent a car as everything is really spread out and you wouldn’t enjoy the area near as much if you were limited to cabs.

I am lucky enough to have in laws who live in Charlottesville.  I am even luckier that my in laws who live in Charlottesville love food and wine, especially that grown from the earth in Virginia.

So I have spent the past few years exploring the wineries in Charlottesville and other parts of Virginia. So here is my advice of what is worth a stop and sip.

Flying Fox-

A quaint little country store front located in Afton, Virginia.  With Veritas and Pollack wineries nearby you might pass right by this little shop and think it isn’t worth a stop, but you would be wrong.  The red and whites presented here offer a good variety of tastes and very well blended wines.  The Petit Verdot is the perfect porch sipping red, while the 2006 Cab Franc presents an excellent crisp red, that will only get better with a little age.  The chardonnay wasn’t too oaky or fruity, but a nice balance.  The staff are also personable and knowledgable about their wines.  I went here with a group of ladies and we all expressed the opinion that Flying Fox was much better than Pollack and Veritas, which are pretty wineries, but not the best in terms of taste.

White Hall Vineyards and the Greenwood Gourmet Grocery

I was at White Hall quite recently and was really impressed.  The location is really beautiful.  Located on the slopes of Break Heart Mountain it is nestled into its location, not overbearing the landscape.  It is nicely landscaped with grassy areas and picnic tables, a beautiful arbor in front and nicely manicured gardens.

It would be a lovely place to pack a picnic for, they don’t sell any food on sight, but you could certainly pick up something in Crozet, in fact if you take the Crozet exit off 64 there is a little grocery called the Greenwood Gourmet and Grocery, pictured above, that stocks local products and produce including fresh bread.  They also have sandwiches and prepared items.

White Hall had whites and reds that were really good.  The highlights were the 2006 Chardonnay Reserve which was crisp, refreshing and fruity with a nice rounded flavor of oak, the Break Heart Red is a steal at $10, it can be sipped like a white, but has the rounded flavor of a red we bought extra bottles to take as presents to people, the Touriga is also very good another lighter red wine, but if you like a full bodied rich red wine the Cuvee de Champs is your wine.  This is the answer from White Hall to Barboursville’s Octagon, but at $10-15 dollars less without the discount.  Even the 2006 Soliterre a sweet dessert wine shows refinement, it is not overly sweet and sappy, but has a crispness that makes it lovely and delicate.  It would be great drizzled over some peaches and fresh ice cream.  All in all this is perhaps one of the best wineries to visit as they really have a nice varied selection.

Barboursville Vineyards-

I haven’t gotten to go to this winery yet, but it is high on my list after having a few bottles of their lovely Octagon and their chardonnay.  Octagon is very full bodied, yet it has a crispness to it that makes it refreshing, as well.  This wine was served at a Inaguration Conservation Gala.  They have Palladio restaurant, which I am eager to check out, as well.

The last winery I am going to feature in this post is the King Family Vineyards-

This winery is in a lovely location overlooking their vines and fields.  They have polo matches and outdoor seating.  Inside not only do they have wine they also offer a variety of meats, cheeses, crackers and other accompaniments so you could have a nice meal outside.  Their wines are not as good as Barboursville or White Hall, but they are still much better than Veritas and Pollack and some other wineries in the area.  And they really are nice wonderful people.  My favorites were the Meritage 2006 a nice blend to make this a full bodied red with a smooth finish it can also be aged until 2012 to let the flavors age.  The Pedit Verdot was another nice sipping red, but it is a little spicier than your typical Petit Verdot.  They also have a nice Chardonney and Brut sparkling wine.  They have sold out of the Cab Franc so I won’t tell you about it as they should have a new vintage out this fall.

So go explore!  And after all that wine go to Three Notch’d Grill in Crozet.  It has a nice variety of entrees and each come with a salad.  After our last visit I highly recommend the shrimp penne with cream sauce, sundried tomato, pancetta and spinach.  Both the shrimp and spinach were very fresh and had great flavor.  The dish was so rich you won’t want dessert, but the entree is good enough to not care.  The lasagna was also particularly good made with fresh pasta.

So… I have learned that crowding your balcony so full of plants that you don’t have tables can cause harm to marital bliss!  Don’t worry not my marital bliss because our balcony is holding the toilet that will go back in our bathroom once it is tiled.  Yep, I am super classy.  But apparently how much room plants take up in your house can be a point of contention.

Don’t worry I, Katelin Taylor, ever preserver of marriages (hee hee hee, it’s an inside joke maybe you will get it someday) have a solution:

Rent part of a community garden from Arlington Parks.  They have seven locations.

• S. Four Mile Run Drive along the Bike Trail
• S. 9th Street and S. Buchanan along the Bike Trail
• Fort Barnard (S. Walter Reed Drive & Pollard Street)
• S. Glebe and S. Lang Streets
• N. Barton and N. 10th Streets
• S. 9th Street and Rolfe Streets
• N. Harrison Street (near Chestnut Hill Park)
• 1601 Key Blvd.

The ones closer to the metro are harder to get.  You must be an Arlington resident.  They charge a fee which they don’t say is yearly or monthly, but I assume yearly.  Community garden rentals cost $60 (with water) and $50 (without water) for full plots, $30 and $25, respectively, for half plots.

First timers can only have a half plot.  And there is a waiting list.  But here is the information to apply.  So here is to your victory garden.

There is a friend of mine who has tomato plants over-growing her house that I will be trying to convince to get a plot with me (apply now for next year?  It’ll be great).  And lucky my brother is the crazy hippy urban gardner on T St. and can consult on what to plant when and what varietals to plant.  Really you need people to share squash with and help weed.  And who doesn’t love a farm to table experience?

So yay Arlington parks once again and victory gardens.  And friends who like squash.

Virginia is for lovers after all.

So today I was a little down.  As someone who loves to entertain, being broke after paying for a wedding, and having your house out of commission for a bit while contractors are working is a bit hard.

But then I remembered something.  I am Katelin Taylor and never have such small things kept me from having a great time hosting friends.  I have been a broke student most of my life.  And I have plenty of friends who have even offered to do the hosting if I plan the event, or invited me to do cool stuff at their place (props to one of my coolest friends in Baltimore that suggested we make Ginger Ale from scratch together.  You can find the recipe and instructions here.   Some of the ingredients may be a tad bit pricey, but you don’t need to much of them and think how fun it will be.)  So Yay my gracious friends, and the spirit of innovation.

Then I thought to myself that you my readers might like to know how to entertain well, even if you don’t have somewhere to entertain or much cash on hand.

So I decided to post a few suggestions and an offer for you to give me other ideas:

Picnic at a park.  Yep all the cool kids are doing it.   It is all over the message boards.   Even restaurants are having backyard grilling like this event at Evening Star Cafe:

The Big Summer Backyard BBQ
This Sunday At The Evening Star Cafe
Sunday, June 14 | From 12:00 – 7:00
Join us outdoors at the Evening Star Cafe this Sunday for a fun neighborhood afternoon full of food, beer, wine and friends. We roast a whole pig or two, serve housemade hot dogs, corn on the cob, seafood skewers and cool summer soup – along with fresh lemonade, a slew of craft brews, and at least a half-dozen of our favorite summertime wines.
Open Fire Pig Roast
Homemade Red Apron Hot Dogs
Shrimp Skewers & Fresh Corn
6 Craft Beers On Tap
6 Summertime Wines
Tons Of Fun For Everyone
All are invited and theres no fee to attend. Tickets will be sold for all food and drinks at the event and yes, we’ll have a tent just in case it rains. For more information, call 703.549.5051. Reservations are not necessary.

So call up some people and check out some of the great parks Arlington has to offer.  We live in Ballston and have a park that allows grilling and has picnic table a block from the house.

Bon Air Park on Wilson Boulevard has picnic tables, grills, volleyball, tennis, a walking and bike trail, even a playground- so your friends with kids might actually come.  Arlington Parks Service has a great sight where you can look up park features, rent space online, even reserve a tennis court.  I think they have a great website that is really useful, especially this time of year (when it doesn’t thunderstorm every night of course).Â

Low on the moola?  Catch another great trend that is resurfacing: potluck.  Throwing a swank shindig can be expensive, but when times are tough people want to see each other more than ever.  The bonus is summer potluck is easier and cheaper than any other season.  You can make or even buy great pasta or potato salad relatively cheap.  Hot dogs, sandwiches, lemonade all pretty easy on the budget.  And everyone has a friend who makes awesome brownies for any potluck they go to.  I never snub the great American tradition of Hotdogs on the grill, and sometimes a sandwich can be pure heaven, so hey why not.  Just try to communicate with people so you don’t have twelve seven layer dips and offer useful cheap items for people struggling for ideas.

Have other great ideas for hosting people either sans place, or sans moola?  Please post or email me.  I will feature other ideas and tips as they come to me and would love to hear what you are doing.  Bonus points if you hit both criteria.

So as a good kind-of-boss and friend, I am always in search of cool, but not too expensive gifts.  Often I will bring flowers in a nice arrangement, or a nice bottle of wine for friends who enjoy that kind of thing, but often I like something a little more girly or personal.  For girly girls, often times I pick up stuff at antique stores or during sales.  I always have a bag of small nice gifts, and can normally find something in there for anyone.  A great place to find those things is the Eastern Market.

I love the market, I love the interaction with local artisans, I love the fresh fruit and I love the selection of meats and cheeses.

I really love the card stand at the Eastern Market.  It is in the flea market section.  You can get all sorts of cards from $1.00 to $3.00 and even the $1.00 cards are nice.  I always flip through them and get a bunch of birthday cards, a few wedding cards, a couple baby cards and a couple get well cards.  I use blank cards for thanks you and other occasions, so I get those as well.

Another artist I really like is Amy Marx, her sea glass jewelery is really pretty.  I really like the connectors she has made that you can use to turn her bracelets into necklaces, that makes them very versatile.  Here is a sample:

Chris Water’s has very cool chopsticks and Asian ceramics.

Had Matter Art makes the coolest keyholders.  I really like the ones with funny prints like cows or hula girls.  I also like the collage ones like the one below.

You hook you keys below, and put little things like your extra garage pass on the shelf.

I also absolutely love the arrangements by Blue Iris.  They are modern and chic.  I think anyone would be supremely happy to get one of their arrangements, and they would instantly make a room look put together.

Man Made Design’s which makes very modern earrings, cufflinks and pendant’s has an etsy shop!  Find their beautiful and modern gifts like the aqua cufflinks below… they are super cool and a favorite color of mine.

But my very favorite is Turtle’s Webb.  A humanities major like me who took jewelry classes in college and fell in love with it, unlike me she makes more of a living out of it… someday.  I love her metal flower earrings.  I have ones similar to these below that are cooper and silver, I get compliments on them almost everytime I wear them.  I once saw gold ones that were phenomenal that I would love to have.  I really think this jewelry is so distinctive and creative.  My grandmother used to grow these flowers in hanging pots that look a lot like the flowers in her design so that is one reason they really hit home to me.  I can’t think of the name of the flower now, but maybe it will come to me.

You could also get some lovely cheese, fruit, bread in the Market itself.  The flea market has so many lovely gifts.  There are so many vendors I can’t even remember the name of like the box guy who has small boxes with cartoons and pictures on them.  The vendor who has super cute linens which look very April Cornell.  I love a day at the market I find things for me, and I find things for others.  All in all it is a great time.

And bonus if you get there early you can get bluebucks at Market Lunch, they are yummy blueberry buckwheat pancakes.  They are worth the wait.  If not then get a crabcake, they are one of the best in the city.

This time of year you can’t help but get excited about cherry blossoms.  No you won’t go visit them down at the memorials because it will be swamped with tourists, but you could admire their beauty from afar at one of the many restaurants making cherry blossom cocktails, the Spring in Bloom at Firefly looks particularly good, or admire their beauty with this set of pottery.  I recently discovered Franz pottery and have been secretly coveting it.  It is absolutely beautiful in its detail.  I would rate getting a piece of it like getting a piece of Moorcroft pottery.  They have a cherry blossom set that is very sweet.  So while it is dreary outside, I will keep looking at the rising daffodils and the budding trees and just think how beautiful it will be in a few weeks.