Last weekend I was out of town at Disney World with my family. And while that sounds awesome — especially given the marvelous wonder that is Harry Potter World — the truth is, I needed a vacation from vacation by the time I got back to the Queen City on Wednesday night. That’s why this past weekend, I was committed to having an all-about-me weekend. Not to mention, my boyfriend was going out of town for a tournament.
While Thursday was my first official night all to myself, I opted out of Alive After Five festivities and dodged a volleyball game to sit at home and re-watch episodes of a favorite show until 1 a.m. On Friday morning, I was ecstatic to wake up refreshed and ready to tackle a short work day with my eyes focused on the prize: an epic weekend.
After work, I made my way to Sycamore Brewing in South End, a popular spot for beer lovers, dogs and humans with babies. I’ve always been a bit frustrated with the layout of the venue, especially on busy weekend nights. It’s almost impossible to find space at the bar and the bathroom lines are always lengthy. Plus, they close at 11 p.m., which always sneaks up on me. On top of that, since it was a Food Truck Friday night the congestion felt like it had tripled.
Nevertheless, the atmosphere was filled with those kind of warm summer vibes that consist of laughter and live music. By the time I finished off the first IPA — Sycamore’s Mango Grapefruit Imperium, weighing in at hefty 9.1 percent ABV — I’ve ever loved, I didn’t care that I had to wait for what seemed like forever to close my tab or that I had to use a Porta-Potty with only my phone as a guiding light. All in all, it was a pre-game success.
I hopped in an Uber to meet my partner in crime at her place Uptown. She lives less than a couple blocks away from Tilt on Trade, so it wasn’t long before we stumbled onto the patio. It’s not necessarily my favorite venue in the heart of the Queen City, but I must say I’m always “on tilt” when I leave. And after a couple drinks, I make line dancing a thing. (Yes, I wobbled and cupid shuffled.)
Saving myself time, money and an intense hangover the next day, I made a mad dash to Pita Pit at 1 a.m. for my usual — Philly steak with mayonnaise and honey mustard — before hopping in another Uber and heading home.
The next morning I woke up on the couch with my half eaten pita lying next to me. I warmed it up, and prepared for another fun-filled day. I kicked off the day at Rooftop 210 for Creative Loafing’s Margarita Wars. Even though the event started at the same time as a co-worker’s birthday party at VBGB Beer Hall & Garden, I couldn’t turn down trying an assortment of margaritas. I snagged the drink tickets and hopped in line. The sun was blaring, but I still managed to bare the heat long enough tp try two tasty margaritas before heading from EpiCentre to AvidXchange Music Factory.
After two beers and more time in the sun, I needed a nap. Somehow I managed to sneak in two hours and still make it back out that night — like I said, I was on a mission. I had promised one of my best friends that we would relive the cultural vibes of Su Casa at Petra’s in Plaza Midwood. And since they only do it once a month, I refused to miss out. If you haven’t given it a chance and you love the combination of Afrobeat and great vibrations, you’re missing out. I even got my face painted — twice, because the first piece was sabotaged by a hilarious man pretending he could paint after a few too many glasses of wine.
At 2 a.m. the music was turned off and the lights were turned up. That was my cue that I needed to turn down. I called an Uber, but instead of going home, I politely asked my driver to wait patiently while I grabbed something from Pita Pit again.
On Sunday morning my boyfriend was heading back to town. When he arrived complaining about being tired and missing out on brunch, I assumed it would be a short day spent on the couch. Not so. Instead Sunday turned into another fun day with a couple shots and double mimosas. The night ended with a makeshift Waffle House dinner and an exhausted party animal (yes, that’d be me).
