This past July I met up with former roomies of mine from Denver in Worcester, MA. I had the pleasure of travelling through the West coast of Africa a few years back with Jaime, the girl who hosted us - and she had no shortage of plans for our girl's weekend. After catching up over various drinks the night we arrived, we were tipsy enough to crave copious amounts of sugar.
First stop: Sweet, a dessert bar in Worcester. We all know that feeling... when you walk into what you imagine will be an ultra-trendy establishment and there are maybe two other parties there... and you're faced with a choice: Stay and get the party started or head back home. We, of course, opted to get the party started. I wasn't impressed with the food - pastries were generally dry, accompanying sauces too thick or too sweet, that sort of thing. But we were friends with the wait staff in no time and rocking out to bad pop music while drinking Prosecco. What more could a girl ask for? The menu was limited but fun; French donuts with peanut butter and jelly, Cracker Jack popcorn ice cream... creative, to say the least. But they lacked in execution. Still, we had a fabulous time.
Next was Newport, RI. We opted for a cheap hotel and fully expected roaches and strands of hair in the shower, of which there were none. Having spent the day on the beach (and I wish I remembered the name of the beach, the water was really serene and pleasant), we dragged our sunburned selves back for the ultimate girly-girl time: getting ready. After much deliberation, advice, and trading undergarments/accessories/hair products, we were ready for a night out. We ate at a restaurant on the water - the food was, again, unmemorable, but eating while watching the sunset at the dock was magical. The bar scene in Newport was interesting. Combine the preppy, upscale, trying-to-be-exclusive feel of D.C. with the coolness of Canton - et voila. I had a blast. Despite parking tickets and tired feet, we bar hopped until we were ready to crash, and loved every minute. I'll definitely be visiting Newport again.
Boston was next. And shame on me, teaching U.S. History, never having been there. Philly's great, I love D.C., and I adore Manhattan - but I've gotta say, Boston is my favorite U.S. city so far. So full of history, so old-town New England... and it's just so unexpectedly green. I wished we had stayed for the night (hey, something to do next time, right?) I'm dying to try the restaurants and bars... to meet locals... just seems like an interesting place. We walked around and enjoyed just taking the city in.
That evening we ventured out in Worcester to a place called Evo. It was cute and artsy and everything you'd expect from a vegetarian-friendly establishment (options for everyone). My salad was amazing - greens, blue cheese, walnuts, some other-worldly vinaigrette - as was my salmon. The drinks, though, were my favorite. Clean and crisp, never too sweet, perfectly mixed. I love this place. And then, after a good night's sleep and plenty of girl-talk, it was time for Martha's Vineyard.
Yessss.
I expected something better than Cape May (and maybe I'm just partial at this point) - and while it wasn't the Cape, I fell in love with its quiet charm. I absolutely must get back to MV (didn't get a chance to go to the Black Dog, but it's on the list for next time). It was too overcast to do much swimming, but Jaime showed us the bridge where we'll jump off into the water next time around. Can't wait. Rather than bore you with the details of every single place we visited (as I tend to do), I'll highlight my three favs:
- The Gingerbread Houses. At first, I compared them to the Victorian houses in Cape May, but my snobbery was quickly put to rest when I heard the history. Do some Google-ing - very, very cool.
- Gay Head cliffs. Iconic, beautiful, peaceful. Loved it.
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- Sweet E's Bakery. A little background: I've been searching for the perfect cupcake for two years. Since cupcakeries are popping up everywhere, I decided a while ago that one of these trendy new shops is bound to have the world's best cupcake. While admittedly I had only made it through the Potomac region, I was fairly certain it would take a lifetime. I even waited in line for 3 hours at Georgetown Cupcakes (site of TLC's show, DC Cupcakes), only to be completely disappointed. The secret to the soft, plump look of their cupcakes? Cream cheese icing. In just about everything. Cream cheese icing should be reserved for spice cakes and the occasional lemon cake. They were also WAY to sweet. Sweet E's was adorable, and I never expected to completely fall in love, but I did. And fast. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.
Okay... seriously? Perfect. Perfect. A chocolate on chocolate cupcake needs to be just right - perfect balance of that deep chocolatiness and sweetness, perfect icing-to-cake ratio, perfect texture, traditional buttercream... and Sweet E's did it all. I kid you not, I'll be back to MV just for the cupcakes. We actually waited for the shop to open, so it was as fresh as it could be. Needless to say, the search is over. A little anti-climactic, if you will (they were here on the East Coast the whole time) but I'll certainly enjoy hunting down a runner-up. :)
I love you, New England, and I'll be back next summer to run amok!
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