West Hartford
Weekend

Up and at it by 7am on a Friday morning. Woke up at Lane's, loaded up the truck, and hit the road. She was knocked out before 8 - meanwhile I was two hours deep listening to Professor Greg Jackson cruising up 95 North. She woke up right as we were hitting New York. Passed MetLife Stadium through Rutherford, took the GW Bridge across the river, one bathroom stop in CT, and pulled up to Madeline's with a very warm welcome a little after noon.

Madeline and her fiance Michael live together in this beautiful one-story two-bedroom house in West Hartford. Michael was still working when we got there so the three of us headed downtown for lunch.

Went to Bartaco for lunch - this spot where you write your order on a little card and hand it in. I got four mini tacos: roasted duck, carne asada, chicken tinga, and mojo pork carnitas (not pictured unfortunately). Lane and Madeline went different routes with their meals but everything looked phenomenal. After that we walked around West Hartford for a bit. We were bound to end up in a few clothing shops and sure enough Lane and Madeline checked out a couple spots while I tagged along. But the town has a great vibe - solid downtown area with a lot going on.

Got back around 2:45 and Lane decided to grace us with a fashion show. Madeline was getting rid of a bunch of clothes and Lane was trying everything on to see if she'd want any of it. I had a front row seat and enjoyed every second of the show.

Michael got home around 4 and we all chilled and talked for a while. At 5 we poured some wine to get ready for our 6:30 reservation at Restaurant Bricco. Happy hour in the living room with good company and good wine - the perfect way to kick off a Friday night.

After dinner we ducked into a speakeasy called The Bunker so the girls could use the restroom. Michael and I inevitably ended up ordering a drink and we posted up for about 15-20 minutes. When we left this insane storm came out of nowhere - we had to find a restaurant to duck into while waiting for our Uber. Ran through the rain to the car and even saw some trees down on the way home.

Me and Michael grabbed a cart, Lane and Madeline grabbed another. The girls weren't playing - just riding along for the vibes. We played 9 and neither of us kept score. Some great shots mixed in with some that we don't need to talk about. The girls putted a couple times on the greens and hit a few off the tee box but that was the extent of their play.

The carts had restricted zones that would shut them down if you drove somewhere you shouldn't. The girls learned this the hard way on hole 2 when they drove straight for the green and got stuck on a hill - took them a while to back out. The carts also had built-in speakers that we didn't discover until the 8th hole which was unfortunate. Playing 9 was the perfect amount for all of us - we finished in about two hours and kept pace.

After the round we stopped in the restaurant at the club. Waited forever for a host that was nowhere to be found but eventually got seated at a high-top. I got the cajun chicken sandwich with roasted potatoes, Lane got chicken salad with incredible sweet potato fries, Madeline got chicken fingers and fries, and Michael got the western philly cheesesteak with onion rings. The food was way better than you'd expect from a muni course restaurant.

After lunch we headed over to the West Hartford Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park. Beautiful spot with a big pond, a fountain, and some well-kept gardens. Lots of people out doing their thing - families, couples, photo shoots happening all over the place. Good energy all around.

Got home around 5:15 and had a lazy stretch on the couch. Lane took a nap. We had reservations at Barcelona for 7:30 but time crept up on us fast. Pushed it to 8. Then 8:30. Poured more wine and had another happy hour in the living room. Finally got ourselves together and headed out.

Crossed the street to The Elbow Room for rooftop vibes but it was packed up there. One drink and we bounced. Walked into Sparrow around 11:30 - spacious bar with a dance floor at the front. Me and Michael posted up at the bar with some Modelos while the girls danced. We eventually joined them.

We were gonna hit the speakeasy from the night before but there was a massive line outside which kind of defeats the purpose of a speakeasy. We all looked at each other for about two seconds and said yeah, let's just go home. Got back and didn't get to bed until after 2.

Saturday night caught up with us. We laid in bed for a while and didn't get up and out until around 10:30-11. Needing food, we all went to Sally and Bob's around 11:45.

Madeline and Michael decided to walk home from breakfast so Lane and I said our goodbyes and hit the road around 12:45. Took the Commodore Barry Bridge getting back which was way nicer than the GW Bridge. Lane studied for her exam in the car and then napped. I threw on a podcast and just cruised - no issues getting back at all.

Stopped for gas and a McDonald's iced coffee in Jersey to keep me going. Got back to Lane's around 5:30, ate dinner together, walked to Aldi for trash bags, and then I said goodbye to my bestie Lane before she left for a run and I hopped in my truck to head home.