Christmas Festival in Tallahassee

This weekend Tallahassee will host their annual Winter Festival from 3pm -10pm this Saturday, November 20, 2012.

Capital Health Plan 3K Jingle Bell Run ~ 6:15pm
(Immediately following the Lighting Ceremony)
Location: Corner of Park Avenue at South Monroe Street
You can STILL sign up! Register at the event.

City of Tallahassee Your Own Utilities Nighttime Holiday Parade ~ 7:15pm
Start: North Monroe Street at Tennessee Street
End: Gaines Street at South Monroe Street

Also enjoy:
Arts/Crafts Dealers, Exhibitors, 5 Stages of Entertainment, Food Vendors, Animated Illuminated Holiday Displays and Youth Ornament Tree Display


http://www.talgov.com/parks/parks-winter.aspx


ALSO THIS WEEKEND...

The largest craft show, Market Days is at the Tallahassee Fairgrounds on Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 10am - 4pm. The show costs Adults -- $6, Children 6-12 -- $4, Early Bird tickets -- $25, & Premium parking -- $3. You will find jewelry, art, woodworking, clothing, food, and so much more. If you are buying for people who appreciate buying local, you will be able to find them something here. Last year I bought a water color painting that I love.


Lemoyne is hosting their Annual Holiday Show if you are looking for local art!
November 22 – December 23, 2012

Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday, 1 – 5 p.m.

http://www.lemoyne.org/events/annual-holiday-show/

Travel: Sandestin - An Escape

I was lucky enough to have a strapping young man accompany me to Sandestin for the Veterans Day Weekend. We called last minute and got reservations at the boutique hotel of Sandestin, the LeCiel hotel. I learned that Sandestin is a large development stretching from the bay to the beach with residential and commercial properties within its borders. There is a small downtown area with great nightlife and restaurants, a beach area with amenities and rentals, and recreational opportunities. Included in your stay is 4 hours of bike rental, one hour kayaking, and free trolley throughout the property.

Once we arrive we went straight to the beach for lunch and ate outside on the porch at Finz, which had good food and a great view. Although we were ferociously attacked by seagulls, we enjoyed our meal. We walked down to the beach and I was surprised at how powdered white the sugar sand was. I never wanted to admit that any beaches were better than the one I grew up by, but the sand in Sandestin was much finer. We finished lunch and headed to the outlet mall to shop till we dropped! To finish the day up I was treated to a delicious dinner at the Marlin Grill. The portions were huge and we could have shared an entree of the fresh fish that was perfectly prepared. We ended the night with a cocktail at the Village Door Nightclub.


http://www.sandestin.com/ExploreSandestin/Accommodations/Bayside/LeCiel.aspx?itc=rstmap
http://www.marlingrill.com/

Tallahassee Young Actors Theater - Celebrity Performance

Every season the Tallahassee Young Actors Theater hosts a fundraising performance with special guest performances from leaders throughout the Tallahassee community. This year they chose Annie to include members from the county and city commissions, sheriff, local television stars, and business leaders. They offer light appetizers and drinks before the show on their patio for a chance to mingle. The show itself is filled with extremely talented young thespians who act out a great performance, but to add a catch they insert older and less experienced characters throughout the play. Some performances were impressive such as Julie Montanaro, local WCTV anchor, who had an amazing voice and stage presence. Then there were the less skilled characters who did a grand job of ad libbing when they had forgotten their lines adding an element of comedy to the show. I would recommend attending this performance if you are able to recognize the celebrity cast member and to raise funds for a great program. If you missed the opportunity I would still suggest you spend an evening being entertained by these talented young actors.

http://www.youngactorstheatre.com/index.cfm?pageId=3&ContentId=20

Event: Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival 11.16-11.18.2012

http://pwaf.org/

Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival

November 16-18, 2012

Thomasville Center for the Arts
600 East Washington Street
Thomasville, Georgia

Get in the Spirit

Here is a list of Christmas events that are an entertaining and creative way to spend the holiday season!

Thomasville's Victorian's Christmas

December 13 & 14

http://www.downtownthomasville.com/?page_id=22

Dorothy B. Oven Park Lights

December 1st - January

http://tallyconnection.com/2012/11/the-beautiful-holiday-lights-at-dorothy-b-oven-park-in-tallahassee/

Take a stroll around Lake Ella after dinner and grab a hot chocolate from Black Dog Cafe and drive over to Dorothy B Oven Park for their holiday light show. There usually is a wait at the entrance off Thomasville Rd, but once you drive through you can park and walk around. 

The Nutcracker

December 8 & 9th

http://www.tallahasseeballet.org/index.cfm?pageId=101

The Tallahassee Ballet's The Nutcracker at the Ruby Diamond Auditorium is $35-45, show featuring the Tallahassee Orchestra.

Saturday, December 8, 2012
10:30am Children's Abbreviated Matinee*
8:00pm Opening Night
Sunday, December 9, 2012
2:30pm Full-length Matinee

Christmas in Narnia

December 14 at 7:00pm until December 15 at 2:00pm

http://www.facebook.com/events/480527618647460/

The show is performed at the Leaf Theatre in Quincy.

10th Annual Nautical Night of Lights Boat Parade

Saturday, Dec. 13 evening

Sandestin Baytowne Marina 

http://www.sandestin.com/MediaRoom/NewsReleases/SandestinChristmasontheCoast.aspx
Festive vessels will leave the Baytowne Marina on Saturday, Dec. 13, decked in joyful Christmas pageantry and parade through the gentle bay waters giving on-lookers an extraordinary visual experience. I used to enjoy these back home crowing up and now it's even better with a bottle of wine and watch the boats float by.

Florida vs George - Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

I've gone to Jacksonville for most of these games since I was a freshman at UF, and this year I was blessed to have amazing seats to the game. Now I have alumni friends and family that live at the beaches so this game gives me an excuse to visit them. I tend to have a great time since I get the best of both worlds. However this year we did lose so it wasn't as amazing as it could have been. My sister came into town with her fiance and I drove over with my boyfriend to stay in Neptune beach for the weekend. We had dinner at Salt Life (like the stickers you see on the back of everyone's cars) which is a casual but nice seafood restaurant specializing in Poke Bowls. It's a tuna roll without the seaweed served in a bowl, but it's delicious! Then we went out to Pete's since it's basically tradition now that we stop in just to make sure it's still in business. This bar is grungy but welcoming. It has a jukebox  pool tables, and a lot of smoke. It's Jacksonville's version of the Palace Saloon. Then we went over to Ragtime which was filled with beach goers that were all about 40 and up but everyone was decked out in either red, orange, or blue. I love spending time in Atlantic beach and bouncing around to the bars and I highly recommend staying at the beach instead of downtown. We usually will have a beach day in there somewhere but a cold front came through which left us in long pants and sweaters. 

On gameday the best spot to be is in the fairgrounds, but we just parked in the ghetto in an empty lot for $25 and walked over to the party. First we had to buy some boiled peanuts from the buy selling them from his bike, use the bathroom in the church where they were hosting a watch party, turn down the mobile paper towel sale out of the back of a truck, and finally eat our publix subs for lunch and then we could walk over to the fairgrounds. We hopped around to a couple of friend's tailgates before heading into the game. A word to the wise, make sure you get a precise tailgate location before heading into the fairgrounds because you'll be walking around forever looking for them. For those who tailgate in the fairgrounds, you can rent a port-o-potty for only a couple hundred and it's well worth it because the lines are not fun! Especially with a belly full of beer :)

It was about that time so we ate a couple more drunken gummy bears and headed into the game. I arranged for the six of us to sit together in the club level Gators side of course, but little did we know we would be in the front row on the 45 yard line! We jumped for joy as we walked down to row A for our seats. Although we were screaming our lungs out hoping the Gators would pull ahead, in the meantime we made friends with the security officials, the flight crew who did the fly over, but most importantly Albert and Alberta. We were on TV a few times and had a blast although we lost. I knew I was going to hear about it in the office back in Tallahassee on Monday, but for now we were having fun. The game ended and we headed back to our car and made the drive back across the bridge to the beaches. Stopped in to Poe's Tavern for some comfort food and to watch the Alabama game on TV (for the boyfriend since he came to my game). The food there never disappoints and the soups are delicious. 

The next morning we had a big farewell at Metro Diner, where the wait is so long they dispense free coffee out front so you don't leave. I got the Yo Hala on the Square which I will not be ordering again. It was two massive slices of Challah bread stuffed with sauteed bananas and cream cheese, then prepared like french toast topped with a berry sauce. It was enough to feed a few people and it seemed a little doughey and gooey for me. I'm a more traditional breakfast gal, but I like to find out if a restaurant's specialty actually tastes good. It's VERY sweet and VERY big. Another recommendation I would make for food while visiting Jacksonville Beach is Taco Lu which usually has a long wait too but they're moving to a larger location so we can all fit!  I look forward to another excuse to visit the beaches of Jacksonville!

Thomasville Treasure - George & Louie's

I rode up to Thomasville last night expecting a romantic dinner at Liam's, but apparently Liam's is closed most nights so I got a pleasant surprise. A quaint seafood restaurant just around the corner from downtown Thomasville called George & Louie's. It's been in business since 1981, so you know they're doing something right. This restaurant appeals to the traditional Thomasville diners who want fresh food without the "fuss". They offer craft beers and wine, southern fried (or grilled) fresh seafood, in house sauces, and a hint of Greek heritage offered through their salads. The restaurant is a newly renovated large open dining space with polished concrete floors, solid wood tables, and aluminum chairs that complement each other effortlessly. The walls are bright white with oversized windows making the place feel open and inviting. The indoor space is accompanied with a handful of tables outside with umbrellas.

George greeted us at the counter as I took forever to read the menu, which was handwritten on 6 large chalkboards that hang behind the counter, he prepared our iced tea. I ordered the special which consisted of an entire mullet fried (two fillets), a deviled crab, cheese grits, and coleslaw.  The mullet was fresh with a thick and crispy fried exterior. I would not get the deviled crab again, but I don't think I've ever cared for deviled crab anyways. The coleslaw was crunchy and good, but was uncomparable to the creamy cheese grits which could have been my dessert. Everything was served in a basket with wax paper, sides are served in styrofoam cups, and plastic silverware to top it all off. My handsome date recounted his childhood memories growing up just around the corner while we shared the most amazing order of cheese grits I've ever had. I introduced myself to George who had been so attentive during our meal I was tempted to offer him a seat so I could hear about the history of the place. He told us that his parents were both from Greece; the photos on the wall leading to the restrooms corroborated his story. The frames were filled with old school photographs of a family holding hands dancing in a circle with smiles on their faces. They reminded me of old photos I had seen of my grandfather and his family. I told him I really enjoyed the food and the restaurant and couldn't wait to come back to try the greek salad.

As we were leaving I noticed they had a drive through!

The menu and pictures of the restaurants are on their website.

Home of the freshest Seafood, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Louie’s Famous Greek Salad!
http://www.georgeandlouies.com/

The Front Porch

It happened! I went last night and had a scrumptious dinner. The restaurant was booked so we grabbed one of the first come first serve high tables around the bar.  The chairs have a low back so they weren't very comfortable but I was just glad we found a table for dinner. The ambiance was very airy but romantic with oversized chandeliers hanging above the bar surrounded by the large oak trees. They did a great job setting the scene. The wine wasn't overpriced and was smooth and just what we were looking for. If you're ordering a bottle, see if Lee (the restaurant's sommelier  I think) is around to make a couple of recommendations. We had something that wasn't even on the menu and was only $30 a bottle.We started with an order of the fresh and fried calamari which was tossed in a light chili glaze accompanied with an aioli dipping sauce. It was good, but I probably would try something different next time. We proceeded onto our main courses which were suggested by Joe Rego their head chef, also the champion on Food Network's Chopped show. I was with a couple other ladies so we shared a few items off the menu for entrees.

The lobster cannelloni was lighter than I was expecting served with crisp asparagus and this delicious lobster sauce. Our other main course was the scallops and creamy risotto. These were the best scallops I've ever had, they were fresh and seared on either side just enough to form a light crust on either side of the scallop. I would have liked to see the scallops served with a more flavorful side but that's just me being picky. Onto dessert, which could have used a little help. They serve their tiramisu with soaked twinkies and call it the "Twinkimisu", which actually was a nice change but they needed to soak just a bit longer to taste the espresso more. The other dessert was the roasted apple with gelato, which had a tasty sauce but they could have dressed up the apple with a glaze or something. The gelato was more like ice cream than the creamy gooey I remembered from Europe. I'm not saying these desserts weren't delectable but I was disappointed that they didn't have the traditional key lime pie they had served at the grand opening or the flourless chocolate torte. Overall, I would give shining stars to the lobster entree, the scallops and the wine of course.

The New Crepevine

Here's the deal with Crepvine. A gentleman named Serge Osaulenko (like surge but don't even try to pronounce the last name) from Uzbekistan decided to put a crepe griddle in his fraternity house after returning from overseas and realizing there was something we were missing out on, the crepe. Crepes run rampant around Europe, especially on every menu in France, but the last place I would expect to find them is in a frat house at FSU. So Serge started cooking them up and his brothers were forking  over $5 a piece for a slice of deliciousness. He saved up enough to open up a storefront and serve an even larger population at FSU off Pensacola. Meanwhile I was in Gainesville eating what I thought was the next big thing which was Pita Pit. Chicken caesar pita at 2am was the the best! Anyways back to Crepevine. So Serge started this company and it took off. Local investors got a hold of his business plan and now there are multiple locations in Tallahassee. My favorite is the midtown location off Monroe Street, mainly because it's by my house. Crepevine has turned into a unique franchise opportunity that is spreading very quickly (I think Orlando is coming soon). So today they had their grand opening of the Railroad location which has a great wrap around porch that connects to Side Bar. If you haven't tried Crepevine, you should. It's a slightly healthy quick meal that tastes pretty good and is consistent. I am going to recommend the wobbles with double turkey, no chicken and feta cheese. Their remoulade is pretty awesome so ask for it on the side so you can dip your crepe into it, a new tip I learned today :) If you try this restaurant (either midtown or railroad location) you will most likely get hooked and get crepe cravings like me!

Halloween 2012

I start Halloween off with a small gathering of good friends along with my neighbors and their friends. We ended up with about 45 people coming by our party snacking on chili and cider in the backyard with a small fire burning. I live with a few other neighbors in one building so we tend to throw parties together and include the whole building.  Halloween party 2012 was a success. Once we had a couple Octoberfest beers or cups of cider in us we headed out to the bars. It was a wednesday so I wasn't planning on getting wild, so off to Midtown we went. When we showed up at Filling Station (where we went last year) it was pretty dead. Not the party we all got dressed up for at the least. So we hopped back in the car and rode off to Level 8 where our friends had bottle service and people went all out in costume.

I was pretty impressed with the cardboard robots and the giant Ted, but my two friends dressed as Prince and Michael Jackson and I didn't even recognize them. Jerry curl and red leather jacket they pulled off a couple of great costumes. I stopped by the army surplus store and got a standard issued button up dress shirt and a couple of patches that I pinned to myself and went as a military pinup girl. I got the idea that a few of us gals could dress up like the 1940's poster girls in different outfits. My other girlfriend came as a housewife, which is what she is in real life too ;) Level 8 was packed with girls in underwear and guys in clever outfits and good music. We then headed off to Clydes which happened to be hosting the law school Halloween party so I ran into a few friends there too. They had a live band that was good but I didn't have quite as much fun there as we did at Level 8. I've noticed that they started etching glasses with your initials if you are a member of their drinking club. I made up the drinking club part but a ton of my friends seemed to be members. I'll have to look into this further to find out how I can get my hands on one of these! Here are a couple of pictures of the costumes and me of course ;)

The Front Porch Preview Party

The much anticipated Front Porch is now open! I went to the grand opening but didn't get a really good idea of what their food was like with the small appetizers they were passing around. I will say that the desserts were awesome! The key lime pie and flourless chocolate torte alone gave me enough reason to revisit and reorder. The other appetizers were somewhat forgettable, the lamb was a little chewy, the melon and prosciutto disinteresting, yet the Vidalia onion tarts with toasted pecans were pretty awesome. I didn't get enough to form a valid opinion yet I have heard from other fine diners that this place cooks up some AMAZING food; I would credit this all to Joe Rego (head chef).  There are still some kinks to work out in terms of service, but I will be back to report when I get a chance to order a full meal. The atmosphere and the renovations were well done and add a lot to this space. The outdoor patio is by favorite with a massive wrap around bar in the middle next to an outdoor dining area. There is a great diagonal accent wall against the massive oak that grows right up through the patio area.


Check it out before you go:
http://frontporchtallahassee.com/

Acting Like an Undergrad

So it was my friend's final birthday in her 20's so we thought we would revisit her 21st! A group of us met up at Aloft to pregame and get some liquid courage before we headed off the to the main event. I had requested a party bus, yes I did say a party bus, to pick us up from Aloft and take the birthday girl and company off to the secret venue. The party bus ended up being over an hour late, but we still hopped on when the blacked out school bus arrived. The interior was gutted and replaced with white cushion backing and pleather couch seating topped with a stripper pole and a flat screen TV. We arrived at the Coliseum, what used to be a Winn Dixie in a strip center on the college side of town, and were escorted through the crowd to our elevated table. My friend purchased bottles to drink from and champagne to toast with. We danced the night away and forgot about us being the oldest group in the club. If you're able to leave your inhibitions at the door and dance like it's 1999, then you'd have a great time at the Coliseum.

Brew Fan

I mentioned earlier that the Tallahassee Brewfest was coming up and I recommend getting your tickets soon. But I want to tell you a little about a new brewery in town that will be there.

Last night I attended a Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce ACCESS and Networking Young Professionals happy hour that was awesome. It was held at Proof Brewing Co. where they recently expanded and opened their downstairs bar and back deck. It is a great bar with quality beers that unfortunately is on the college side of town. But it is 21+ so you'll mainly find the more sophisticated student, maybe a grad student if they can afford it, and young professionals. There is parking behind Proof which I just found out about and there is a brand new Chic-Fil-A next door incase you need to go for a food run. It is the perfect spot to sit outside and enjoy a beer. They just started brewing their own stout, pale ale, gameday (lighter), and rye beers and you can view the brewing machines behind glass from the bar. They allowed us to walk through the space and gave us details on how they got started brewing and their vision. Their beer is selling like hot cakes and they are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand. They are also playing around with their recipes so you can expect something different every time.


http://www.ll100proof.com/proof-a-modern-american-pub/index.asp

Gameday in Tallahassee

This weekend I was fortunate enough to have a friend who got us into Old School for their BBQ on game day. Old School (OS) was a fraternity house that Seminole Boosters got a hold of and turned inside out. It is divided into four luxury and spacious master suites. There is a large kitchen and living room, but that's not where the excitement ensues. Outside there is an infinity pool surrounded by a patio that reaches into two property lines. The patio is filled with a large bar, tents, grills, fire pits, just to name a few. On gameday Seminole Boosters flock to OS to tailgate with their fellow elites. A buffet lunch is provided along side with two fully stocked top shelf bars and hotties ready to whip up rounds of shots or pour you a beer. You have to be a member or a friend of a member to enjoy the scene on gameday. Tickets are $75 for guests of members. They have golf carts that shuttle members to the game when kick off is close. So I headed to the game with a few friends who were kind enough to offer me a ticket to sit with them. Little did I know it was on the 45 yard line 6 rows up from the field. Florida State blew away Boston College's team and added a W to their record.

After the game we headed back to the truck to finish off a couple of beers and watch the rest of the UF vs Vanderbilt game. As the Florida State game ended a few other friends came to hang out with us before we went to the bars. Only four of us were up for getting drinks so we checked out the crowd at Proof and got a couple specialty beers. Proof just began brewing their own beer so I had to try it out. I ordered a stout and it wasn't bad, my friend ordered their IPA and seemed to enjoy it too, meanwhile our other two friends swear by Crown Royal Black and stuck to their guns. After having a beer we scurried across the street to dine on some delicious fried chicken from guthries. We got a few "gut boxes" and headed home.

But the night didn't end there. It was my young friend's 21st birthday and she had asked that I joined her and a handful of her friends out in midtown. I regrouped and met up with them at Tap Room and then onto Filling Station (MTFS). They were a group of pretty, young, sorority girls in the midtown bars so they got a lot of attention. I rallied my friends together to buy them rounds of shots and get them out on the dance floor. I'm not sure how much she remembers of her birthday, but you only turn 21 once!

It was an extremely busy but fun filled day to say the least!

Thursday Nights at MTFS

This Thursday my friend asked that I join him and a few others at Midtown Filling Station for his birthday. I wanted to post and let people know that Thursdays are now cool. As I was walking down Thomasville I heard a crowded Wine Loft overhead that was very enticing, but I continued on and went to MTFS to have a few drinks on their 90's night. Although I really enjoy a good 80's night, the 90's night was a little less intense. The music was all familiar since I grew up to the beats of N'Sync and Mariah Carey and the bar was pretty busy. So cheers to Thursdays!

Review - Joe Mama's

My sweet boyfriend took me to Joe Mama's the other night for dinner. He knows I get really excited about going somewhere new. Here's the deal with Joe Mama's, their sign does not reflect the character of the restaurant. It isn't fine dining but it's not casual either. They did a great job with the interior design. It has a full length bar which serves premier seasonal brews, a pizza countertop with a wood burning stove behind it, and a dining room full of black and white Floridian photography prints.

Now onto the food, the pizzas are around $12 a piece and serve two (8 pieces). They are attempting to be an authentic italian pizzeria so no pineapple and ham, but they do have proscuitto and deliciously spiced pepperoni. The pizza is fresh, crisp on the bottom, light on the sauce, and all around damn good. I wouldn't recommend the proscuitto though, it did nothing for me. We had fresh green peppers atop the pepperoni which were thinly sliced and done right. They offer fresh bread for $3 which was good, but not worth ordering.

The service was good although since they are so new I could feel the manager watching our reactions, which could be a good thing if they would be willing to accept criticisms and make alterations. Adapting in the restaurant business is essential. They serve the tap water in bottles they leave with you at the table with small water glasses; and when I say small I mean small. Like 4 oz glasses or something. I had to request a larger one after I refilled it the 5th time. I'm sure I wasn't the first person to do this when the waitress told me she understood, but had to bring out the small ones first until a request was made for the larger ones.

Take away, I would definitely eat here again. I could see it being a hit for the midtowners for dinner before heading to the bars with friends. Their competition is fierce, cheaper but not as nice. Decent pizza is pretty good and not as fancy, but will make the pizza you want with what you want on it. I'll be interested to see what kind of crowd Joe Mama's draws.

Shopping in Tallahassee

The most difficult task in Tallahassee is finding something to wear for a special occasion especially if it has to be a specific color (i.e. gameday). I am a very petite person and have always found shopping to be a daunting experience. If there is a wedding or gala I get to go to then I will class it up and have the girls at Cole Couture dress me. There are great local boutiques around town such as Narcissus, Kenzie Girl (more for college crowd), and Divas and Devils for the vintage style. My first choice is always Marshalls because it's cheap and unique. They also have shoes on clearance for a steal. A new DSW just opened and I have learn to appreciate their clearance sales, but that's about it. The good thing about DSW is you can buy the shoes online and return them in the store if they don't work out. Plus they have a great customer rewards program so shipping is free.

The mall has a few good stores if you can catch their sales such as White House Black Market and Ann Taylor. There also is a Banana Republic, Limited, and Express. Dillards is the best department store we have. It has decent young lady designer labels, juniors casual dresses, and shoe sales. I have become addicted to shopping at Nordstrom online because shipping is always free even if you return it. So you can buy it, try it on, and return it at no cost.If you are looking for something for a easy one time wear, I would suggest Forever 21. They also have great cheap jewelry. I am about to tell you a huge secret about a store called the Country Dollar. It's next to Pier 1 off the parkway and north of I-10 by Starbucks. They have crazy crap jewelry all for $1. You need to really judge the jewelry you are buying there or else when you wear it it will break or you will look cheap. The best part is you can buy jewelry already made and just deconstruct it and use the beads. They use a ton of seed beads.

Local Boutiques
http://www.colecouture.com/
http://www.narcissustallahassee.com/

Online Shopping
http://www.laversei.com/
http://www.tobi.com/

Gameday
http://judithmarch.com/
http://www.twelvesaturdays.com/

More Online
http://shop.nordstrom.com/
http://piperlime.gap.com/

Gator Gameday

This blog doesn't necessarily pertain to Tallahassee, but I know there are a lot of gators out there that live in Tallahassee. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some amazing tickets for the UF vs LSU game so my boyfriend and I along with another couple drove down for the day. No need to get an overpriced hotel room, just leave early in the morning, tailgate, scream your lungs out at the game, and head home. Luckily I didn't have to drive, but the trip wasn't bad at all!



I want to suggest a couple of shops to purchase game day dresses (FSU too). Laversei.com has adorable chic trendy dresses that come in colors that can be worn to seminole and gator games. I tried a few other places, my go to shop Marshalls, which didn't have much and Forever 21. If I had the money to burn I would suggest Cole Couture and Narcissus and their dresses probably could have been worn again for other purposes. The end result was a Angie dress from Dillard's (http://www.dillards.com/product/Angie-Lattice-RuffleTop-Dress_301_-1_301_503226014?df=03758553_zi) in orange. I will address shopping in Tallahassee in another post...Back to Gator Gameday! So we left around 9am and picked up some Publix subs when we got there and started tailgating around 11:30am. It was my boyfriend's first time in Gainesville but we didn't have much time to show him around to the hot spots. If I had a weekend there, here's where I would go:

Guide to Gainesville:
Swamp Restaurant - get here early and get a table sit on the porch with a pitcher for a taste of tradition

The Garden Restaurant - Right behind Swamp with better food - great balsamic vinaigrette

101 Cantina - A little wild on game day weekends, but fun for a margarita

Balls & Salty Dog - Grungy typical college bars

Rue Bar - What used to be my favorite club downtown

Lillians - Fund bands to dance to classic rock


Looseys - Used to be Market Street, not sure if it is still fun but it used to be!

Food:
Paramount Grille - Upscale dinner best food in all of Gainesville


Dragonfly - Delicious sushi you MUST get their crab rangoon, best in the world!!!


Emiliano's Cafe - Cuban Fusion - delicious Tres Leches and maduros

Ivey's - Yummy breakfast when you're heading out of town

Harvest Thyme -  Yummy deli sandwiches

Leonardo's - 706 or By the Slice - Great pizza and tuna club

Manuel's Vintage Room - Upscale italian in an intimate setting

The Top - for the hipsters, buffalo tofu! good vegan brunch

Where to Stay:
Hilton - If you can get a room, usually booked or pricey

University Center Holiday Inn - Best location not the nicest

Magnolia B&B - adorable secluded B&B downtown with cabins off the main house for privacy

Paramount Hotel - A little south of campus, average hotel

 

Network of Young Professionals

The 1st wednesday of every month the Network of Young Professionals hosts a happy hour. I have been involved with NYP for a few years now and have seen it shrink and grow. Right now, it's growing. I have found myself actually wanting to go to their events and the quality of professionals who attend has become quite promising. Last night I went to the happy hour at the Filling Station and met up with a large group of friends there. The bar was pretty packed and there was a good crowd there for the happy hour. We gathered our friends and headed over to Alchemy next door to continue the fun!

Beer Tasting

Network of Young Professionals and ACCESS Tallahassee are hosting a beer tasting at Proof at October 23, 6pm for $10. RSVP, email Dmc06n@gmail.com

Event: See and Be Scene

FSU Theatre School is hosting a "See and Be Scene" series for young professionals with a happy hour at Andrews at 5pm and a play at 8pm. Here's the line up if anyone wants to go!

Crimes of the Heart – Lab Theatre - October 11
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Fallon Theatre - October 25
Spring Awakening – Fallon Theatre - February 28

http://theatre.fsu.edu/Special-Events/Young-Professionals

Event: Power of the Purse - United Way

Event: Gaines Street Fest

Firstly, this is not my scene but I am open to pretty much anything. This crowd is described as "hipsters" who are counterculture hippies in a sense. They tend to come across as rugged, needing a bath, vintage styled, carefree kind of people. The festival was supposed to be a huge music festival with over 80 bands. I'm not sure if it was just because it was the only place we felt most comfortable, but we hung around Side Bar and Crepe Vine enjoying the band they had out on their deck. The fact that it started raining didn't help much, but we had a decent time with some different people. We figured we would make the most of it and get to drinking. Two shots of Patron later we headed back to our comfort zone, the Midtown Filling Station. The bar was relatively empty, which I prefer. The DJ was playing older music (within the past 5 years) rather than  only what is on the radio today. Drunkards were playing Jenga on the stage as we jumped around the dance floor all night. It was a very randomly awesome night.

Review: Market Square Lounge - A Quiet Night Out

I took advantage of the fact that everyone was out of town for the FSU vs USF football game and went downtown for dinner on Friday night with a handful of great friends. The seven of us ate at 101, I had the eggplant stack of course, along with a couple of cocktails. This place has the best happy hour in town twice a day! After dinner we drove north to Market Square Lounge. If you have never ventured out to this place it's worth a visit if you're in the mood to have a low key off the beaten path night. The bartenders are extremely knowledgeable and fully stocked since it is partnered with the liquor store next door. If you want to try something new perhaps a specialty whiskey or new vodka, this is the place to go.

Event: Game Day Weekend - FSU vs Clemson

Tallahassee was buzzing this weekend with Florida State fans flooding the streets of Tallahassee. My Saturday started off pretty productive, a little pilates and some shopping. Then my girlfriend Shannon arrived and it was time to enjoy some Florida State football fun! The highlight of my weekend was the many hours spent with friends sweating the day away in the stadium parking lot. The tailgates were amazing on Saturday, filled with live bands and DJ's, top shelf liquor bars, and political celebrities. I made a few new friends, Larry and Ingrid were my favorite though. An older couple who partied harder than us 20 somethings. Larry was the life of the party and his wife Ingrid, the diva! He introduced me around the MAC tailgate which had a great band and even better bars. I wandered around to a couple other tailgates including Tailgate for America. They are no strangers to the college game day tailgate. Well equipped with fans, an enormous smoker, and a new theme every week they surely know how to throw a party!  We took advantage and jumped in their winning Publix Tailgate of the Week photo.
We skipped the game and headed to the RV lot to pick up a couple of out of town guests to continue the party. We ended up at Potbellies where we got to see Chris McCarty jam out. Shannon and I were no stranger to this band since he used to play in Gainesville when we were in college. Yes, I went to UF and I now live in Tallahassee.
It was a late morning on Sunday but I wrestled out of bed and threw some cinnamon buns into the oven for us to chow down on before Shannon had to hit the road. A little El Jalisco for a late lunch and the weekend was complete!