Road Trip! I love adventure weekends.
Sometimes it's nice to get out of the city and it's always nice to see family. I have LOTS of family. It never seems to stop growing. This Connecticut trip my sister and I were visiting my Dad's older brothers family; my Uncle Steve and Aunt Donna, whose kids are Jen, Amy, Billy, and Meg. Though none of them are actually kids anymore. Between Jen, Amy, Billy and their spouses, they have 10 kids of their own! The oldest is 18 and the youngest are 2 year old twins. Meg has over 100 "kids" whom she teaches dance at her company: Nutmegs Dance & Theater Co. This includes some of the 10 kids referenced above (her nieces and nephews, my second cousins.) We were lucky enough to score tickets (awesome seats, thanks Jen!) to the Company's Saturday evening sold out performance of "All We Need is Love."
Besides the obvious, teaching dance, Meg is the artistic director / choreographer / mastermind behind it all. However, each family member plays an integral role in putting on the show. They have been coming together to make this magical event happen every year since 2003.
The choreography was absolutely incredible. The songs and costumes were so much fun. The dancing was spectacular. From the two year old twins in their first stage performance, to the younger girls carefree numbers like "Escapade" (Janet Jackson) & "Send me on My Way"(Rusted Root), followed by a Hairspray Medley that fills my heart right up (something about the motion of the ocean and the rain from above that puts a huge smile on my face every time.) There were some intense Bollywoods, some moving contemporary pieces, and the older girls lit up the stage in Broadway numbers like "You Make My Dreams" (Hall & Oates) and "Don't Stop Believin" (GLEE). The younger boys had a rockin "Bye Bye Bye" ('NSYNC) hip-hop routine and there was even a re-staged "Put a Ring On It" (Beyonce) number staring Nutmeg herself. There were all those and so so many more amazing dances! The finale had the Senior boys and eventually the whole company dancing to Thriller. I was hooked from beginning to end, awed and inspired. I'm going to focus on the food and drink pictures of the weekend as I'm sure any / all interested parties got their fill of DANCE via my facebook album.
It all began at Ruby Tuesday across the street from my Grandpa's House in Bloomfield, CT. Leah and I had some time to kill before meeting up with my Dad, Lisa, and Caycee. We opted for a seat at the bar. I had a Bloody Mary and Leah had a Mango Mojito.
Did I mention these cocktails only cost $5 each?! What a deal they've got going. The bartender was a super friendly gal who muddled and shook a mean drink, which even came with chunks of fresh mango and a sugar cane. Jillian's could learn a thing or two about mojitos from this casual franchise! We put in an order of the Four Way Sampler to share. I was pleasantly surprised with how fast it came out and how good everything tasted.
Here we have: Southwestern Spring Rolls, Chicken Strips, Fried Mozzarella and Fire Wings w/ celery sticks. I am pretty sure this location is the only Ruby T's I've ever been to. From my limited experiences, munching on apps and drinking at the bar, they consistently live up to their motto printed on every awning. And the service has always been great!
The next good eats of the weekend were after the show at my cousin Jen and her husband Rob's business, Rome's Place. The wrap party was held here, where much to my amazement, some of the girls who just put on a 3 hour performance, continued dancing till the wee hours of the night. You can't stop the beat. These kids eat sleep and breathe dance. I think it is awesome, especially since I can't dance for anything. I ate some fresh veggies, delish homemade pizza, some fried dough, and we drank Coronas.
I had a blast catching up with my older cousins and enjoying the continued dance performances by my younger (second) cousins and their friends. The next morning came too soon for all of us. Aunt Donna and crew put together the perfect brunch spread complete with a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar. 
Does my family know how to throw a brunch or what?!
We had bagels galore, lemon pound cake, fruit salad, scrambled eggs, homefries and croissants (w/ Nutella!) We ate on the huge wraparound porch.
Afterward, Leah and I went for a walk around the farm. 
My cousins own some 40 acres of land!
We explored the gardens, barns, and old horse stables. 
I've always loved this place. Such a good environment to raise kids, or to have a wedding. Billy and Meg both got married here. In fact I have some pictures in the vault from Meg and Tyler's wedding 4 years ago. 
This was in July of 2006. I had graduated college in May and just moved to Boston. I was living in Back Bay. I hadn't even met Adam yet. I remember Meg's wedding like it was yesterday.
The ceremony outside was gorgeous. They had a mojito bar on the porch, buckets of beer all over the yard, we danced until 2am, and then some of us sat around a bonfire till the wee hours.
Leah and I didn't want to leave Granby, but after a few more hours of visiting we knew it was time to hit the road. We made a smart move and stopped at Target for gallons of water. 
In CT we didn't have to fight anyone for these! The Weston water main break has left oh just about 2 million of us in Boston and surrounding communities without clean water. Should be an interesting week.....
The happening scene around Plaza Santa Ana was just begging to be discovered. There is plenty to appreciate about the lively square and surrounding barrio (neighborhood) before the sun goes down, so a dance infused disco-bar crawl was often prefaced by a free outdoor concert or play at Teatro Español as well as hearty dose of tapas and sangria. 
Teatro Español is the oldest theatre in Madrid built in 1745. They put on classical Spanish Productions which attract quite a crowd. 
We began one evening at La Tosta, where the initial plate of tapas were free, because that's how they do it in Spain. 
And the third glass of sangria was free, because I'm pretty sure the bartender liked us. 
We also feasted on patatas bravas and a huge plate of jamon y queso croquettes. Yum! 
Oh and check out the pitchers of sangria lining the bar - no wonder the buy-two-get-one special was in effect. 
Not all bartenders we encountered were as friendly as the gentleman at La Tosta, as evidenced by another evening that commenced at La Venencia, where the barkeep shot daggers through my heart when I asked her if she spoke English (I asked in Spanish, just trying to break the ice, as in, her ice cold glare.) 
She then looked at me cross eyed when I proceeded to order a glass of sherry. This atmospheric old world bar is dedicated to the art of serving Spain's finest sherry - in fact, besides a few choice tapas, that's all they serve! Behind the bar rows of old sherry bottles collect dust. On the walls tobacco smoke stained posters advertising old sherry festivals hang. A sour expression accompanied our garlicky marinated olives, followed by a rude explanation in Spanish, that photos are not allowed. 
We paid our tab written in chalk on the bar and I left feeling literally as big as one of the olives I just ate. You will most likely stumble upon mentions and write ups singing the praises of this place if you are researching Madrid. Skip it. I have a feeling they only welcome locals anyway. 
The various disco-bars we would end up at, were fun! I classify them as "disco-bars" because they didn't feel like a full fledged discoteque or club. They were smaller in size, with a dance floor, sometimes a DJ, and the appropriate pulsating lights atmosphere.
Bar Bia embraced foreigners. The national flags were a nice touch, and my free drink + shot didn't hurt!
Scouts or representatives from various bars would approach us on the streets, enticing a visit to their bar by handing out free drink or shot cards. This took me completely by surprise at first, but it didn't take long to embrace this aspect of their nightlife culture. 
We loved the Moijtos and the DJ at iReal on Calle de Echegaray
Sol & Camera also had a great DJ, dance floor, and awesome bathrooms!
No matter where we've traveled in Europe, we somehow always manage to find ourselves in an Irish Pub! I'm pretty sure it was called The Dublin? There was also an O'Connors right next to it. Pretty sure we went to both. 
A little comfort thrown in for good measure never hurt, neither did an American football game on TV. 
Often times, our nights ended up being a jumbled mix of all the local spots - cervecerías, a tapas bar here, a disco-bar there, a pub somewhere in between....
Although Madrid has a number of popular neighborhoods in terms of nightlife, the entertaining, high energy hot spots in Plaza Santa Ana have a lot to offer. They're an absolute blast!
Sometimes, we made friends. And sometimes, we took photos (and shots) with said friends. 
Honestly, who are these people? Probably our best friends for about an hour. 
And how awesome is this guy? 
Otros Mahou, por favor!
Amicable bartenders, strong drinks, no covers, high energy, good vibes and lots of dancing to American and Spanish top 40 hits - we clearly developed an affection for the streets in our neighborhood that came alive at night.
