living the high life in oklahoma

we wrapped up our awesome weekend in the best way we possibly could: with music and friends. sunday afternoon we drove to Tulsa to see alabama shakes with the moores (our celebrity name mash up is the moorcutts). and as all good times in T-town begin, so we started the evening at mcnellie's for a (gf) beer and yummy pre-concert dinner. we walked our way to the venue and made much merriment along the way. 
but the story is the legendary cain's ballroom. back in it's heyday, it played host to mostly country/western singers like bob wills and hank willliams. and in the 70s, the sex pistols made it a stop on their very short us tour. sid vicious is said to have punched a hole in the wall in one of the back rooms and they've left it intact. some day i'm gonna go find it. but cain's is super fun. standing room only, you are encouraged to dance and throw your beer cans on the floor. 
there were two opening bands, hurray for the riff raff and fly golden eagle. i kinda fell in love with FGE. they're like 70s rock psychedelic jam. SO RAD. they had TAPES! and they sold out of them!!! do yourself a good favor listen to psyche's dagger. brilliant stuff there.
but alabama shakes killed it. that brittany can SING. totally brought down the house. we were all packed in there so tight just to get close enough to her awesomeness. you could feel her passion for her music and see that she was having the time of her life just getting to share that with the world. spectacular.

       

eureka! part 2

we cleaned ourselves up in time to walk to a delightful park by our hotel before dinner. it was pretty festive with brightly colored paper lanterns and beautiful flowers all around. a great spot to hang out.
dinner was at a place called rogue's manor just down the street from the hotel. it was perfect. kind of dark. kind of seedy. smacked of a gentleman's smoking room all leather club chairs and great grilled meats. we had steak and drank whiskey: bourbon for me, scotch for him. like i said, it was perfect.
we walked about the town a bit after dinner then settled down to some chocolate and a cigar at that same park. 
the next morning, we had a lovely breakfast brought to our room complete with a cheese danish that i stayed away from like the plague (gluten and dairy free up in here). then downstairs for an hour long massage and mud facial. ahhhhhhhh. wish i could do that every week!
it was such a special time we could spend together. and i pretty much loved the fact that on our way to the car for our drive home, i spotted the unicorn stencil on a random doorway. i am convinced that is my spirit animal :)

eureka!

after staying a night in a super cool, uber modern hotel, we headed over to eureka springs to chill and soak up some relaxation. eureka is a quirky little spot nestled in the ozarks. known for it's bath houses, the old downtown has drawn tons of artists, free spirits, and well plenty of bikers too. we stayed at the palace hotel built in 1901. our room was huge! and complete with free mini bar. it also sports a questionably designed neon sign out front. but it was a lovely place with a friendly staff.
there is so much to see in eureka, so soon after check-in we left our cozy room and walked around. i was able to find a shop that sold only team emblazoned socks so i bought a patriots pair. we stopped in a magic shop and got the kiddo a couple of tricks (my poor fingers are killing me from falling to the 'last piece of gum' gag). then went to a sweet shop, because well, i love sweets. then we had a late snack lunch of cold smoked salmon with capers and onions. i sipped a delicious gin and tonic and people watched from the second story patio. kind of a perfect afternoon.

21c

on friday, matt and i set out in our un-air-conditioned '84 mercedes to spend a weekend away without the kiddo. the first night, we stayed at the super rad 21c museum hotel. it's full of modern and conceptual art. and a giant green penguin that shows up in random places all over the hotel. located in the heart of historic downtown bentonville, we got to take in a lot of the local night life. which was surprisingly happening for a relatively small town. but we had a blast! the hotel is excellent, the breakfast was delicious, and the art was fantastic. we will most definitely be staying here again.