Florida Winter Wedding

It's winter outdoor wedding season! Sound like an oxymoron? Well, not in South Florida. Our friend Omair was getting married in Ft. Lauderdale, so we booked an AirBnB with our friends Alexis, Thomas, and Petros, packed our bags, and flew to southern Florida.

We arrived on a Thursday night and picked up some groceries before retiring to our AirBnB. It was a nice house on a lake/canal, with great outdoor spaces and a pool. The canal view was of a Rooms to Go, which was quite hilarious.

Our AirBnB pool at night.

On Friday we visited downtown Ft. Lauderdale. It has a small but nice touristy center, and we walked along the riverside path and through "Old Fort Lauderdale" before having lunch at The Downtowner.

Next we went to a wedding social event for people who had arrived early. It was on the rooftop deck of an Irish pub overlooking the beach. We enjoyed some drinks and snacks and enjoyed hanging out with the grooms. From there we wandered down the beach to get cocktails at the bar in the Four Seasons before heading back to the AirBnB where we ordered some delicious empanadas from Amado Market for pick-up. 

What a view of Rooms to Go from the backyard!

Some iguanas in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. These are an invasive species that are now everywhere in South Florida.

There were a lot of draw bridges around Fort Lauderdale.

We're the beating heart of this city!

Brightline train heading to Miami. New American high speed rail future?

Small historic site along the river in Fort Lauderdale.

Downtown Fort Lauderdale is super bougie.

View out towards the ocean from the Friday welcome venue.

Los of fancy hotels along the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

Hi!

Petros and Alexis say hi too!

Late dinner empanadas.

Saturday was the wedding day. Thomas, as best man, went to rehearsal events, and the rest of us took the rental car down to Miami, about 40 minutes to the south. We, unfortunately, weren't feeling the best today. We both picked up a cold somewhere on the way to Florida. Luckily, it never got too bad and we were able to soldier through with some cold medicine... but it put a slight damper on the weekend.

We started our half day in Miami at Wynwood Walls, an outdoor mural exhibit. From there we drove down to Miami Beach, and spent a few hours walking on Ocean Drive, checking out the beach, and having lunch. While at Miami Beach, we also visited the Art Deco museum to learn a bit more about the history of South Beach's unique architecture.

Oh, did Miami not tell the rest of us enough times that Messi plays on their (very bad) MLS team?

Wynwood Walls statute. Man-child hulk?

We really love the colors in this one!

This mural is from Atlanta native Greg Mike.

Miami has a really pretty setting.

South Beach is an art deco paradise. This few block stretch was closed to traffic.

The Leslie.

We briefly went down to the beach to put our feet in the water.

Very Miami.

Random Polish car club. Everyone was speaking in Polish.

The Art Deco Museum is very small, but tells the history of the architecture's presence and preservation in Miami.

Paul's an art deco flapper!

Leaving Miami Beach we drove back to the AirBnB to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was at the historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens. This venue was a very beautiful, densely vegetated oasis among the strip malls and hotels that lined Fort Lauderdale's beachfront. The service and reception were both lovely. 

Our AirBnB had a great back patio! Unfortunately, we didn't have too much time to lounge around this trip.

Outdoor wedding in February? Why not! The weather was beautiful.

David, Alexis, and Petros posing by the lake.

Great venue!

 

David and Alexis all dolled up.

Cocktails after the wedding but before the reception.

After the ceremony and reception, we called it a somewhat early night and headed back to the AirBnB with Alexis. Thomas and Petros kept the party rolling with the grooms well into the early hours.

On Sunday morning we grabbed some coffee and pastries for takeaway from the Alchemist Cafe, which was a super cute restaurant/coffee shop with a large patio and a homey vibe. After showering and chatting for a bit, we headed to Bo's Beach for the post-wedding brunch. Shortly after we arrived the sky opened up in a torrential/very Florida storm that lasted 15 minutes before clearing out.

From Bo's the five of us went to a nearby coffee shop to hang out for 30 minutes before parting ways and heading to the airport. All in all a great 3-day weekend and happy event to celebrate with friends in south Florida.

The Berkshires

Last fall we took a trip to the Berkshires of Massachusetts to hang out with David's grad school friends Thomas, Alexis and Omair. Alexis and her family very generously volunteered their home in Lenox for our reunion. In total, we spent about four full days bumming around the Berkshires, looking at leaves and doing fall-themed things when we weren't stuffing our faces with booze or food. It was a great chance to catch up and keep the friendships going.

For our first full day we went to breakfast in the morning at a spot a few minute walk from the house called Haven. Afterwards we strolled around town for a while, checking out some small shops. Lenox has a cute little touristy downtown. We headed back to Alexis's family's house to get the car to go grocery shopping. Omair ended up cooking a few different delicious things for us while we were visiting, and Alexis brought enough of her pretzels to feed an army. The rest of the day was spent chatting and day drinking. Dinner that evening included Alexis's mother at a farm to table restaurant called Nudel.

General Berkshires scenery.

Philadelphia on the flight into Boston.

Manhattan! Our flight gave us great views of DC, Baltimore, Philly, and NYC.

Alexis's family's house in Lenox. Beautiful!

Breakfast at Haven.

Paul got some new local-ish beer to try while up in Massachusetts.

We didn't skimp on the harder stuff either!

Cute old town hall in Lenox.

Don't be fooled by the book cover...

On the second day we explored the Berkshires a bit more. We took a short hike through the nearby forest to a small pond. Complaints were minimal. ;) Later that afternoon we went apple picking with some of Alexis's family. There were still tons of apples on the trees, despite most of the leaves on the hills around the farm being bare already this time of year. On the way back to the Faraci house we stopped in Pittsfield, to check out the downtown and window shop. Pittsfield used to be the home to GM and has a nice historic downtown, with lots of cool buildings.

That evening, the Faraci's treated everyone out to dinner at the Old Inn on the Green. A really great restaurant about 40 minutes south of Lenox in an old inn. People still use the building as an hotel, but the downstairs has been converted into a great American restaurant.

David and Alexis looking cute in the woods.

A rare candid smile.

Five went in...and only five came out!

Apple-picking money shot.

Sooo many apples.

It's decorative gourd season, y'all!

Wait one apple-picking moment...while I take your photo!

Pittsfield has lots of nice old buildings.

Case in point.

And a really cute downtown in general with lots of little shops and restaurants.

We were lucky to find ice cream this late in the season, but you know if anyone can find it, we can!

Paul's crusted lamb from the Inn on the Green. Delicious!

We had a large group for a wonderful candlelit dinner at the Inn on the Green.

For our last full day up in the Berkshires, we slept-in and then visited a ski resort for Paul to ride an alpine roller coaster. The ride was short, but fun. Almost everyone in the group went...some rode their brakes more than others. Following the coaster, we visited a local farm where we got to pet some cows and see some gourds. The ski resort was about 30 minutes away from Alexis's family's house, so we swung back through Pittsfield on the way home to check out a local brewery.

Later that evening, we visited a haunted house in the nearby town of Richmond. The entire old mansion was set up with a series of spooky rooms. There was also a walk through a haunted forest to get up to the house. Lots of local high school kids were paid to jump out and scare us and overall, there was a good production value. The evening was rounded out with a long fireside chat with mulled wine. Delightful!

Wheee! Coaster-time!

Alpine coasters are fun. They're never very high and you can go pretty fast.

Group shot!

Moooove over, Paul, I'm trying to eat!

The beer was good, but the space wasn't really heated and it was cold!

Spooky haunted house effects.

Follow the candle-lit path to your dooooooooom.

Hot Toddy & Fireside chat time.

Adorable dog in a hoodie. He's like people!

So ended our brief trip to the Faraci manor in the Berkshires. The Faraci's were tremendous, over-generous hosts. We felt right at home and really enjoyed our relaxing time away from Atlanta, along with the opportunity to catch up with friends. On our way back to the airport, we wondered around Boston and had a nice Italian meal. A fine finish to a long weekend in Massachusetts.

Checking out one more historic house on the way out of Lenox.

Freeway heading back to Boston. Lots of fall colors.

Cute neighborhood streets in Boston.

Quick walk around Boston Common before lunch.