TFlynn457, Author at Succulents and Sunnies

Green Water and Blue Skies at Green Lakes State Park

We knew this fall’s vacation to Smugglers’ Notch State Park would be a bit of a drive from Buffalo. We also didn’t want to take more than a couple days of vacation after enjoying a lot of long weekends this summer. To make the trip to northern Vermont more manageable, we made Wednesday night reservations at Green Lakes State Park, just outside of Syracuse.

This park is just as old as Allegany State Park and in both parks, many of the existing trails and buildings are thanks to Depression-era CCC efforts. What’s different about Green Lakes is that it feels like a little oasis just outside the busy suburbs of Syracuse. You could hear the planes at the airport take off and land from our campsite.

This may be why Green Lakes has received a lot of love the last few years. The bathhouses in the loops were both beautiful and very clean, the beach was closed but still perfectly groomed and new grass was growing by the playground.

We picked Green Lakes State Park as our stop on the way to Vermont because of the Instagram-worthy lakes, which are indeed green. The layers of water within Green Lake and Round Lake don’t mix. The minerals of the deeper layers are what make the water the blue-green color. It’s also incredibly clear and you can rent kayaks with clear bottoms to see more of what lies below the surface.

Our original plan for our time at the Park was to bike around Green Lake, starting at the beach and taking the short path at the south end of the lake to make our way around Round Lake as well. It turns out you can’t bike around the lakes, so we only saw Green Lake before hitting the road.

I didn’t expect the water to be so green. It was cool to see the water between the trees every few yards as we walked. We’ll definitely be back because I so badly want to swim and kayak in this water!

A Classic Birthday Buffalo Brewery Tour

We have visited a lot of Buffalo’s craft breweries but never organized a proper brewery tour – until a few weeks ago. To celebrate Cody and his brother’s birthday, as well as a friend’s upcoming move, we rented a big yellow school bus and hit some of our favorite breweries.

1. 12 Gates Brewing Company

It’s still weird that 12 Gates is in an industrial park. However, I’ve never received bad service here and our brewery tour was no exception. We were the only group in the taproom, so I didn’t feel bad about tasting some new brews. The Coffee Porter on nitro was everything I wanted it to be on a cold, rainy day.

2. Flying Bison Brewing Company

I don’t have a go-to beer here, so I usually branch out a little bit more than other breweries. This time, I tried the Bisonberry Kolsch, which was refreshing after the creamy porter.

We ordered pizza and had it delivered here, which is, according to the Carbone’s delivery driver, totally fine. The pizza was delicious and tasted great with the beer.

3. Community Beer Works

I can’t get over how welcoming CBW’s new space is. It’s the perfect mix of good beer, repurposed industrial space, games and natural light. We stayed here for a drink (I had an Alpaca Porter) and a few more friends of friends joined our group.

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4. Resurgence Brewing Company

Resurgence’s beer isn’t my favorite, but their space is an awesome place to end a brewery tour. Morgan, Shannon and I split a flight while watching a few intense games of giant Jenga. My personal favorite was, of course, Vanilla Cappuccino Pumpkin Ale.

It was nice to visit some oldies-but-goodies, especially with Buffalo getting so many new breweries in the coming months.

I wouldn’t have changed anything about the breweries we visited or the order we visited them in. Coming from the Northtowns, we didn’t have time to fit all the breweries downtown or in South Buffalo. There are so many good options north of downtown I really didn’t feel like we missed out.

9 Downtown Dallas Gems

Last month, I had the chance to explore a little bit of Dallas, Texas thanks to a four day work trip. We stayed downtown and because I didn’t want to wander too far from our hotel, I kept my exploring to downtown as well. This probably isn’t the most exciting part of the city.

There has to be a neighborhood with cute boutiques, blocks of cute craftsman-style houses and streets lined with authentic Latin American and Asian restaurants somewhere. Unless I really messed up, they’re not downtown.

Because those more everyday experiences are my favorite part of getting to know a new city, I didn’t love Dallas like I love Austin, Ithaca or Boston. However, I did find a few gems hidden within the limits of Downtown Dallas.

1. Ascension

Thursday, my first full day in Dallas, I had most of the day to explore. Of course, my first stop was for coffee (and avocado toast) at Ascension‘s Elm Street location. The combination of amazing coffee, proximity to the hotel and a server who spent a few years in Buffalo means I ate here three of the four mornings I spent in Dallas.

2. Klyde Warren Park

This pristine park sits on top of a freeway, giving visitors a unique perspective at either end of the park. When I walked through the arch-lined paths early Thursday morning, there were multiple staff working to clean up after heavy rains. Lots of tables, twinkle lights and pristine public bathrooms made this one of the cutest corners of Dallas I found!

3. Dallas Museum of Art

I arrived at the Dallas Museum of Art a little early, along with what seemed like 15 schools worth of field trips. We were ushered into the Museum together, but there are enough exhibits that it didn’t feel too crowded most of the time. The collection here is impressive, especially considering admission is free. I loved the impressionist collection, and ancient Asian and African pieces.

4. West End Historic District

I had a few hours to myself on Friday morning so I walked down Main Street to the West End Historic District. I stepped into the JFK Memorial Plaza for a few minutes as the sun came out for the first time since arriving at the airport. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to go into The Old Red Museum, Dallas Holocaust Museum or Sixth Floor Museum.

I did spend a few minutes breathing in the smell of leather and looking at a hundred or so pairs of boots I don’t need at Wild Bill’s Western Store before walking back to the hotel.

5. Dallas Farmers Market

It should come as no surprise that I loved the Dallas Farmers Market. It was also one of the very few places downtown where I saw families enjoying the city together. A huge complex of permanent structures house various vendors, selling everything from pumpkins and peppers to ice cream and coffee, as well as tons of pretty accessories.

I took the short walk to the farmers’ market for lunch between a stint at our exhibitor booth and tearing it down at the end of the conference. After a smooth cold brew on nitro and delicious banh mi, I wandered through the vendors and a few acoustic musicians under a perfect blue sky.

6. Ruibal’s Plants of Texas

Just across the street from the farmers’ market is the incredibly well-stocked and staffed Ruibal’s. The rows of pumpkins, mums and perennials were both a gardener’s and blogger’s dream. There were plenty of both wandering through the rows of flowers here, taking photos of their fall outfits and planning their fall porches.

It was strange to see so many people just starting to get excited about fall, when the season was coming to a close at home. Thinking about picking out pumpkins in 80° weather was also pretty weird.

7. Deep Ellum Brewing Co.

I wanted to see the murals painted on buildings throughout the Deep Ellum neighborhood, but a quick internet search had me thinking I shouldn’t head there alone. So, I convinced the rest of the team to explore this historic neighborhood, which was once an industrial hotbed, and home to early jazz and blues musicians.

We made our way to Deep Ellum Brewing Co. on Bird scooters, which was way more fun than I thought it would be. After arriving in style, I had an amazing Oak Cliff Coffee Ale and really good nachos (nachos are not complicated, but some bars really mess them up) on the patio, along with a cat on a leash dressed for Halloween. 😻

8. Dot’s Hop House

100 beers on draft, giant Jenga and a huge chandelier for no apparent reason? Yes please. I lost at Jenga, as per usual, but I had fun doing it. The expansive outdoor space filled with costume-clad groups was a people-watching paradise.

9. Braindead Brewing

Our last stop was at Braindead Brewing, which had a huge list of beers on tap. Good Morning Dave, a grapefruit saison, was a good way to end the night.

Fall in Dallas feels like June in Buffalo, with patios seating, doors open and people spilling onto the streets after months indoors. Braindead was no exception and we took a seat at a table between the bar and the doors, enjoying the breeze.

Tamales and Tequila for Day of the Dead

Medina is getting cooler by the day, from the annual Farm to Table Dinner to the renovations and other goings on at Mustang City. One of my favorite Medina staples is the annual Day of the Dead celebration at Mariachi de Oro. Over the last few years, the restaurant brought traditional Oaxacan food, drink and music, along with a marigold-topped ofrenda, to a small crowd gathered at the restaurant. This year, Mariachi de Oro recruited the help of multiple other Medina businesses to bring the celebration to the entire town.

The party started with crafts, snacks and stories at Main Street businesses. Cody and I weren’t able to make it to Medina for this part of the celebration. We arrived on Main Street late enough to find a parking spot but still in time for hot tamales. A party tent protected the second half of the festivities from the rain. We walked into the tent and were immediately greeted by a lively celebration.

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The tent housed a huge ofrenda, community alter, sand painting by artist Antonio Cruz Zavaleta, delicious food and dance-worthy mariachi music. As per usual, the tamales lived up to our incredibly high expectations. To be honest, they were one of the biggest reasons we drove an hour in the pouring rain to celebrate Día de los Muertos.

After taking in mariachi band Zelaya and colorful, swirling skirts of dancing family members, we headed to Shirt Factory Cafe to sample their Day of the Dead menu. I’m not a huge tequila fan, but I am up for almost anything in the name of a cultural experience. My cucumber-tequila concoction and a flight of 123 Organic Tequila gave me a new appreciation for the liquor.

We ended our night out with huge slices of pizza at Avanti, which is definitely not Mexican but is incredibly Medinian.

Celebrating the First Day of Fall in NOTL

When I have a free autumn Saturday and a desire to gaze at acres of vineyards, I usually head to the Finger Lakes. Sucking the juice out of concord grapes while picking bunches for jelly with my grandpa will forever be one of my favorite things about fall. Because Penn Yan holds such a special place in my heart, and I don’t really like wine that much anyway, I always forget about how close Niagara-on-the-Lake’s beautiful wineries are.

Tourism Niagara Canada invited the Buffalo Bloggers to take in a few of Niagara-on-the-Lake wineries on what turned out to be a beautiful first day of fall. I hadn’t been to NOTL since a very fun long weekend there when I was in elementary school. (My parents were very early adopters of the staycation trend.) The picture-perfect vineyards, fun tastings and adorable Queen Street are a blogger’s paradise.

Our first stop was the beautiful Konzelmann Estate Winery, which greeted us with panoramic views of the Toronto skyline over their vineyards. I learned a lot about wine on our tour of the facility, from growing and harvesting to fermenting and aging. Our guide grew up on a vineyard and you could tell he loves sharing everything he knows about wine and winemaking.

I don’t particularly like wine, but I really enjoyed all the wines Konzelmann offered to us, even bringing a bottle of the Peachwine home.

Next was Small Talk Vineyards. Our first impression was how Instagramable this cute winery is. Arches covered in flowers and grapevines, brightly colored doors, and funny speech bubbles in adorable typography guided us toward the door.

Here, we tried two wines, neither of which I loved. However, this winery is also home to Shiny Apple Cider. Their cider varieties all start with the same base and are mixed with different flavors, for some really tasty results. The Bootleg Cider, a combination of hard apple cider and whiskey, was delicious. As they describe it, “It’s like apple pie and vanilla ice cream had a delicious alcoholic baby that they raised to be a respectable member of cider society…”

Our group chatted under the beautiful blue sky on the pretty patio before heading to dinner at Bistro Six-One for pasta and pizza. We headed back over the border full of wine, spaghetti and sunshine, with a whole lot of pictures for our Instagram grids.

My Favorite Sunday Funday this Summer

Everyone has a different idea of the perfect summertime Sunday Funday. For some, it’s a wine tour, or an hours-long brunch, or enough time and energy to deep clean the kitchen. While I love all of those things, they aren’t my idea of the perfect Sunday.

This summer, my favorite Sunday caught me by surprise. Everything about it was last minute, which made it that much more special.

AHTC’s Summer Sizzler

Getting up at 5:30 am probably isn’t most people’s idea of a good time, but I’m willing to wake up just about any time of day for horses. I just never outgrew the horse-crazy phase. On this particular Sunday, I arrived at a (super duper casual) horse show at 6:30 am with zero expectations.

I rode possibly the sweetest, prettiest paint, Trent, who I’ve come to love but didn’t really know all that well a few months ago. The weather was perfect, my parents stopped by to see us ride and our performance wasn’t too shabby either. It also doesn’t hurt that Trent receives a compliment about how cute he is approximately once every three minutes. I know they’re not talking about me, but positive energy is positive energy.

Buffalo Brewing Company

After the show, I headed home way earlier than I thought I would. Cody and I couldn’t let the rest of what had turned into a beautiful day get away from us. We’re slowly getting to every brewery in Buffalo and decided to check another off the list. This time, we opted for Buffalo Brewing Company.

Their small tasting room and shaded outdoor space offered a lovely breeze that kept us comfortable. We ordered inside before claiming a spot in two of the beer garden’s Adirondack chairs. The tap room was out of the 1856 Cran-Raz Wheat, so I went with a pint of the 1842 Vienna Lager. Cody chose a couple of the brewery’s IPAs, as per usual. All were good! I loved how each beer’s name commemorated an event in Buffalo’s history, reminding me of how LyonSmith incorporates English history into their beers’ names.

Outer Harbor

Until this particular Sunday Funday, I had never been to the Outer Harbor. Terrible, I know. After a couple of beers, we hopped on the Skyway for a nice pre-dinner bike ride on the Wellness Trail. Because of construction, the trail is currently a little short, but there are plenty of ways to bike around the peninsula.

The fresh air, the unexpected nature of the day and dinner on the grill when we got home made this, hands down, one of my favorite days this summer. It wasn’t super special, but it included so many of the things I love about Buffalo and life, all wrapped up under a cloudless blue sky.

Smuggs and Stowe Aren’t Just for the Winter

After a very, very busy July and August, Cody and I finally got around to a summer vacation in September. We chose Vermont after an afternoon of research on the couch last spring. Our first choice was one of the state parks within Groton State Forest, but they didn’t have as many camping options as we were looking for.

That led us to Smugglers’ Notch State Park a little further north. The Park is surrounded by ski trails and the mountains are dotted with luxury lodges. It’s obvious how ingrained skiing is in the culture here. Finding travel guides written about visiting in the summer proved challenging.

What ended up being so nice about Smugglers’ Notch was how close it was to Stowe. We could hike and cook breakfast over a fire, but also go out for pizza and get coffee in the morning.

We packed a lot into a long weekend, especially considering we slept 10 hours a night and never managed to leave our campsite for the days’ activities before 11.

Day 1: Road Tripping to Stowe

We spent Wednesday night at Green Lakes State Park, both because we had never been and it would get us 2 hours closer to our final destination. After a walk around Green Lake Thursday morning, we got in the car, ready for the 5 ish hour drive to Smugglers’ Notch. Most of the trip was through the southern end of the Adirondack Mountains, making for a much prettier, more interesting drive than, say, the 7 hours on the NYS Thruway/Mass Turnpike it takes to get to Boston.

You emerge from the mountains just in time to cross the New York/Vermont state line over Lake Champlain and are immediately in the prettiest farmland I’ve ever seen. We drove toward the Green Mountains, taking in the view and coming up with a game plan for setting up and getting dinner.

Our campsite was tucked back into the woods, making it feel like we were much more remote than we really were. The one downside to this was how early it got dark in the trees, but it was nice to sit around a fire every night and just listen to the sounds around us. We set up the tent, blew up the air mattress (priorities…) and took quick showers before heading into Stowe for dinner.

After three days of showers in the coin-operated Smugglers’ Notch showers, I think I’m 100% on board with the idea that a campsite should charge for hot, high pressured showers, instead of provide free lukewarm showers that don’t have enough pressure to even get the shampoo out of your hair.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the Park was how attentive the rangers were. They were easy to find if you had questions and even stopped by our campsite to see if we needed anything or were looking for trail recommendations. We ended up with extra tomatoes from the camp volunteer’s garden too, which were delicious.

We did a little bit of restaurant research before leaving for the trip, and decided Piecasso was worth checking out. Like most Stowe restaurants, they have a draft list filled with local craft brews and try to source their ingredients from local farms and producers.

It was just the right temperature to sit on the patio for the last few minutes of the sunset. Our pizza was delicious, as were our beers (Zero Gravity Strawberry Moon for me and Burlington Beer Company and Lost Nation’s Mosaic IPAs for Cody). We headed back to our site tired and full, but excited to explore more of the park and Stowe.

Day 2: Exploring Smugglers’ Notch State Park

We chose to explore the park on Friday instead of Saturday hoping to avoid some of the weekend crowds. We started with Bingham Falls, which is a short trail right outside the campground that leads to a series of waterfalls and crystal-clear pools, perfect for swimming if you don’t mind water so cold you can’t feel your legs. It wasn’t warm enough to stay all day, and we wanted to cook lunch and have plenty of time for another hike.

Our next destination was Sterling Pond. To get there, we drove through the Notch along Scenic Route 108, which was equal parts amazing and terrifying. I didn’t take a single picture during our drive because I was too distracted by the view and the blind turns. As you drive between Mt. Mansfield on one side and Spruce Peak on the other, you can definitely see how goods were smuggled though this pass before it was widened and paved for the enjoyment of nature enthusiasts. At the higher altitudes of the Notch, the leaves are beginning to change colors, hinting at how gorgeous this drive becomes each fall.

The trail to Sterling Pond from the Notch is pretty much straight up the side of Spruce Peak, but the view at the top is worth it. The trail connects to Long Trail, which reaches across the entire state from North to South. We could have reached the Pond exclusively on the Long Trail for a much more gradual hike, but it would have made for a much longer round trip than we were planning on.

We caught our breath taking in the deep blue water and watching two friendly ducks go about their afternoon. There’s a trail around the pond as well, which, if we started earlier in the day, we may have done. Instead, we headed down to continue our drive along Vermont Scenic Route 108.

On our way back to the campground, we stopped at Barnes Camp Visitor Center and walked along the boardwalk there, which winds through a wetland created by busy beavers. We were lucky enough to see a few of these beavers going about their day against the dramatic view of the Notch.

We had grand plans of taking in part of the Stowe Jazz Fest after dinner, but that never happened. Instead, we got another 10 hours of sleep, which felt way better.

Day 3: Drinking Our Way Through the Green Mountains

Vermont feels almost synonymous with craft beer. Stowe and nearby Morrisville have more than enough breweries to fill a day with. However, we started at Black Cap Coffee (which actually also sells craft beer, although you can’t drink it in the shop).

We brought our bikes with us to Vermont and until this point, all they had done was sit in the truck bed. We finally put them to good use on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. This trail runs across the state in two long sections, one of which conveniently goes directly behind Lost Nation Brewing.

Lost Nation Brewing

After a short ride, we were ready to find a new favorite beer or two. We took a seat on the covered patio at Lost Nation among bikers much more serious than us and ordered a pint each. My blueberry gose, The Wind Blue, was delicious.

Our one complaint was how refined the food was. Maybe it’s because every brewery in Buffalo has chicken wings and pretzels on the menu, but we were looking for a snack to tide us over and nothing on the apps menu was calling our names.

Ten Bends Beer

We weren’t originally going to stop here because it seemed out of the way, but we realized it was only five minutes from Lost Nation! The location would remind Buffalonians of 12 Gates; Ten Bends shares a building with a reuse store and has picnic tables in the parking lot. Just like our first trip to 12 Gates, we drove right by the brewery before realizing we went too far down Main Street.

The beer list was small but impressive, there was a dog to pet when we walked in, and the bartender had really good suggestions. Cody and I split a flight, considering we still had a lot of stops and the nearest Lyft was in Burlington. I was recommended the Cream Puff War because, despite its IPA style and 8.3% ABV, it was fruitier and less bitter than the blonde ale. The iteration on tap when we stopped was peachy, which I loved.

Rock Art Brewery

Rock Art only offers pints once a week, so we settled for a tasting of each of the brewery’s beers. Nothing here was super impressive, but I do have to say they get points for creativity.

Idletyme Brewing Company

We headed back to Stowe, very ready for lunch. Idletyme was more restaurant than brewery, but the food was delicious and the biergarden was exactly what I wanted a Vermont brewery’s outdoor space to be, filled with flowers, tomatoes and hops.

I tried both the Danube and Pink N’ Pale before settling on the later, a grapefruit-infused American-style pale ale. After lunch we sat in the sun in Adirondack chairs before heading off to our next stop.

The Alchemist

Cody was more excited for this tap room than I was because of The Alchemist’s reputation for their IPAs. (Heady Topper anyone?) This was another brewery that only offered samples, but it wasn’t stopping people from walking out with dozens of cans.

Because of Jazz Fest, the grounds and tasting room were packed, but the atmosphere was great and views were amazing. We walked through the vendors before heading back to the car.

von Trapp Brewery

We weren’t really planning on having time to make it to the von Trapp Brewery, but because we didn’t order pints at very many places, we still had plenty of time before the sun went down. I ordered an Oktoberfest Lager and we grabbed a picnic table with an amazing view of the mountains and sinking sun. While this beer wasn’t our favorite, the weather was perfect and there was a cozy buzz of conversation around us.

Hindsight is 20/20. If we were to do it again, I think we’d start at the von Trapp Brewery and then head to Idletyme for lunch. Next would be Ten Bends, and then we’d bike before hanging out at Lost Nation for the afternoon. The tastings at Rock Art and The Alchemist weren’t really worth the stop, considering we didn’t buy any cans.

Lost Nation was by far our favorite. They had a great mix of beers and a relaxed, not too busy atmosphere. Because it was our first stop and we were getting a little hungry, we only had one drink here. It set the bar really high, but no one else quite lived up to that expectation.

Stowe Ice Cream

Nothing like fueling your body with a dinner of ice cream after a day filled with beer… But hey, we were on vacation. The homemade ice cream at Stowe Ice Cream is delicious, and the view of Main Street from their Adirondack chairs is darling.

Saturday night was another low key evening. We burned the rest of our wood, showered and put on enough layers to sleep through the 40° night. Sunday morning we packed up and hit the road for the 7 hour drive back to Buffalo.

This four day trip was exactly what I needed after a summer of constant motion. It felt so good to catch up on sleep and start our day at 11 am instead of 6. I was worried we wouldn’t have enough to keep us busy in Stowe and the State Park, but I don’t think we even scratched the surface. That just means we’ll have to go back someday, hopefully soon!

No Bad Choice at Ellicottville’s Steelbound Brewing

After a weekend of camping at Allegany State Park with Cody’s family, we stopped at the new Steelbound Brewery on our way through Ellicottville. Camping with the Jones clan means almost constant eating, so we were not hungry for a meal, although everything coming from the kitchen looked great.

We ordered two flights, mixing and matching Steelbound’s huge draft list. Cody went with 8 IPAs (which wasn’t even all the IPAs on the list) and I went for a more eclectic combination. I enjoyed everything, from the Blueballs (their much, much juicier answer to ECB’s Blueberry Wheat with 600 pounds of blueberry in every batch) to the Fat Porter.

For a new brewery (they opened in May of 2018), these guys have very impressive beer and a huge distribution network. They’re really embracing their tagline (“Where Buffalo meets Ellicottville”) with lots of Bills references and a big presence at this year’s Buffalo Beer Week.

If you’re heading to Ellicottville for Fall Fest, doing some last minute camping or hitting the slopes this winter, it’s definitely worth stopping at Steelbound!

A Three Day Weekend on the North Shore

Since visiting Paige in the literal dead of winter, I was dying to explore her new corner of the world in warmer weather. Earlier this summer, we spent a three-day weekend taking in all the best parts of eastern Mass, from Boston’s city lights to Rockport’s coastal charm – and a lot of places in between.

I spent most of Friday driving, arriving in the eastern part of Massachusetts just as the entire state headed toward Cape Cod. When I did arrive in Salem, Paige had an amazing dinner filled with fresh produce from the farmers’ market ready for me, which we enjoyed on her breezy second story porch.

After dinner, we caught the train into Boston for good beer, neon lights and a long walk through the city on a beautiful summer night. We met Tom, one of Paige’s friends from high school who now lives outside Boston as well, at Trillium Brewing Company’s Garden on the Greenway. I sipped on Peach Fated Farmer with Peach Juice, a sweet beer that went perfectly with the view of The Greenway and just a touch of a salty ocean breeze.

We wandered through the city, around the harbor and on and off the Freedom Trail before catching the train. We headed back to Paige’s apartment for a good night of sleep before a day on the North Shore.

Because it was 5° last time I visited, I was looking forward to enjoying the wind coming in off the ocean, rather than dreading it. We started the morning in Swampscott, walking along King’s Beach, Red Rock Park and Nahant Beach. The sun was shining, the water was the perfect temperature for dipping our feet in, and we worked up enough an appetite to really, really enjoy our pizza from Volo Craft Pizza.

The restaurant was small but bright, with sun streaming in through the windows and reflecting off the stainless steel tabletops. Everyone behind the counter was incredibly sweet and our food (the House Pizza and a Panino Sandwich) was ready in just a few minutes.

We headed back to Salem for a few hours out of the sun before driving up to Rockport. Our first stop was for coffee at Bean & Leaf, which has an amazing view of Rockport Harbor. We popped into a dozen shops before visiting the iconic Motif #1. Among our favorites along Bearskin Neck were Queen of Sorts, Wicked Peacock and Rusty + Ingrid Creative Company.

At this point, all we wanted were fish tacos, which are surprisingly hard to come by in this lobster-obsessed town, so we stopped for a quick dinner in Gloucester.

Sunday morning was gloomy, but that didn’t stop us from walking to Front Street Coffee House and peaking into Oak + Moss. We walked home through The Point to admire the gorgeous murals, all part of the mission of Punto Urban Art Museum to “break down the invisible, but undeniable socio-economic barrier between the Point Neighborhood and the rest of Salem and the North Shore… through stunning, world class art.”

Because of the rain, I left my camera at home during this outing. I’ve been kicking myself since, because this neighborhood’s art, from the full-scale murals to the small reminders that what goes down the storm drains will end up in the ocean, is stunning.

After our morning walk, I started the drive home, Volo leftovers in hand and ready to face the traffic waiting for me along the Mass Turnpike.

We managed to see a lot in just a couple of days, but I also put a big dent in a new book and got a few much needed good nights of sleep, making this the perfect weekend with my sister.

Root & Bloom: Vegan Comfort Food in the Comfiest Space

I am by no means vegan or even vegetarian, especially when cooking for myself. I do love my Oh She Glows cookbook, but most of the time, I find vegan recipes more complicated and intimidating than their conventional counterparts.

However, if someone else is going to cook without animal products for me, I’m all in. While Paige was home last month I recruited her to go check out Root & Bloom, one of Buffalo’s newest restaurants and its first vegan-only eatery.

Good Vibes Only

Any business that uses “Gazebo” as part of their address probably knows a thing or two about creating a unique atmosphere. Walking off of Elmwood and into the hidden, tree-lined courtyard Root & Bloom calls home feels like stepping into a secret garden. I’m not sure there’s any way to truly capture the airy space in photographs, but I sure tried.

I just couldn’t get over the layers of the space: macrame, linen and copper on wood, lace against bark, wrought iron over pavers and brick peaking through leaves. I have a feeling that each year will lead to a cozier feel. It just seems like the kind of place where beautiful knick knacks are accepted with open arms.

The staff was friendly and when we stopped in on a Thursday night, the dinner crowd was lingering, continuing to chat over their empty plates. There was absolutely no pressure to move along or order dessert, just conversation and an itty bitty kombucha-fueled buzz.

The Dinner Menu

Root & Bloom serves both brunch and dinner. We thought about squeezing in Sunday brunch as a family, but a weeknight dinner gave Paige and me an opportunity to wander down Elmwood before and after dinner.

The dinner menu features vegan staples (cashew cheese, tofu and jackfruit) blended into dishes even the most committed carnivore would recognize: tacos, BBQ sliders, and mac and cheese. While everything looked delicious, we both chose the Ricardo: corn tortilla tacos filled with fried avocado, pico de gallo, cabbage, pickled red onions, mango rice and a habanero lime cream drizzle. Paige chose to wash her tacos down with chia citrus water, while I went for Bootleg Bucha’s blueberry lavender variety.

Everything was absolutely delicious, and the serving size made us glad we had parked a few blocks away!

The restaurant’s indoor space will open this fall, so Buffalo can continue to enjoy the creative vegan menu during Buffalo’s colder months. I’ll definitely be going back for more for three reasons:

Brunch (no further explanation needed).
A robust weekend specials menu and the Saturday night Uprooted series.
The gazebo’s Instagramable aesthetic means both 1 and 2 are constantly popping up in my social media feeds!