Easy Breezy Cape Cod

This past weekend one of my BFFs, Heather, and I took our kids the Cape.  We didn't have a real plan.  We knew we were staying two nights at the Ocean Park Inn in Eastham and at some point on Saturday we were going to Heather's family reunion in Harwichport.  Other than that we decided to fly by the seat of our pants.  This is what I love about Heather, she is so easy to be with and we always have fun.

The kids swam in the outdoor and indoor pools morning, noon and night.  We did bumper boats, beaches, trampolines, go-carts, more beaches, more bumper boats and arcades. 

We also ate out.  In this case not planning ahead for a child with food allergies makes me nervous. This is something you really can't be easy breezy about.  I did have back up food in the cooler if there wasn't something that I thought was safe for Sean.  I think because Cape Cod is such a summer tourist attraction almost everywhere we went had a sign posted that said "please inform your server if there is a food allergy in your party".  Sometimes I feel like they put this sign up as if to say "if you have an allergy there is really nothing you can eat here ".  This was not the case at the Fairway in North Eastham.  The manager came out and asked me thoughtful questions.  She told us how they would safely cook Sean's food.  They were so welcoming and understanding.

Although after a few root beers it got a little rowdy!

More pictures from our mini vacation:

Plenty of movies for the ride down.

Sean at the outdoor pool.

The indoor pool...

The beautiful beach in Harwichport.

The go-carts in Harwich.

The bumper boats in Harwichport.

The trampolines in Harwichport.

We took a tram-like shuttle to Coast Guard Beach, located in the Cape Cod National Seashore.

This beach was beautiful and the waves were awesome.

The Red Barn - a great place for lunch, arcades and a beer (located within walking distance from our hotel).  Sean was able to eat here too!

and more bumper boats...

Great fun, great weather, great friends...all around greatness.

Contact info for all the places we went:
http://www.capecodopi.com/
http://www.fairwaycapecod.com/
http://www.theredbarnpizza.com/
Buds Go Karts - 9 Sisson Road, Harwich, MA
Grand Slam Entertainment - 322 Main Street, Harwichport, MA
Trampoline Center, 296 Main Street, Rt. 28, Harwichport, MA

Our Escape to Martha's Vineyard

Since becoming parents my husband Mike and I look forward to our one night (kid-free) escape to Martha's Vineyard each summer. 

We boarded the Island Queen Ferry in Falmouth.  I like taking this smaller ferry out of Falmouth rather than the big Steamship Authority out of Woodshole.  The Steamship Authority boats are bigger, you can bring your car on them (with advanced reservation) and they run more often, but they are really crowded and have alot of closed-in areas.  These closed-in areas make me seasick.  Also before you get to the boat you have to park your car in a parking lot miles away and take a long bus ride to the dock.  So before I am even seasick, I am carsick! LOL.  I guess you could say I have transportation issues.  Anyway, the Island Queen is small but very open and the parking is within walking distance.  No offense to the ole Steamship Authority but the Island Queen works better for us.

Upon arriving on the island we took a short bus ride (no, thankfully I did not get bus sick) to Edgartown. 

For this trip, rather than be our usual gluttonous selves, (we usually walk around stopping to eat, drink, eat, drink, then eat some more and drink some more) our plan was to go for a bike ride.

We did rent bikes but we needed to do a few things first.  A little bit of eating and drinking (always looking for a balance).

Lunch at the Seafood Shanty...so good.  Salad with Lobster and Mike had steamers and chowdah!

Check-in to our hotel...
This year we are very excited to stay at the Vineyard Square Hotel.  Two summers ago we dined at the amazing Chesca's which is a part of this lovely hotel.  I remember peeking in the lobby thinking, I would love to stay here.

Vincent at the front desk was extremely welcoming and helpful, as was the rest of staff.

Full of charm and history, this hotel is 100 years old. 

Formerly known as The Colonial Inn, The Vineyard Square has been tastefully updated without losing the character of the original hotel. 

Our cozy room

The view from the deck...so relaxing sitting up here...

The absolute best part of this hotel is the LOCATION!  We could walk to everything.  It's right in the heart of Edgartown but very quiet and sooo relaxing.

 There is a spa...next time for sure.

There is also a gym, yeah I didn't go in there.

OUR BIKE ADVENTURE

Mike on a bike

We took a small barge-like ferry over to Chappaquiddick.

 

We rode out to Chappaquiddick's South Beach.  Round trip it was about 8 miles. 

I seriously can not remember the last time I was on a bike.  I occasionally ride the stationary bike at the gym but as far as riding a bicycle, I swear it's been at least 18 years.  But as they say "it's just like riding a bike".  I was doing pretty good until I hit a bumpy dirt road going down hill....eeek!  And then there was the swishy sandy road...OMG.

 But it was worth it as this was the most scenic part of the ride...

We arrived at this beautiful beach and cooled off.

On the way back...

Chappaquiddick Beach Club

I love the old fashioned beach huts.

I called home to check-in.  When I told my 5 year old I went for a bike ride, he was astonished and said "You did?  Did you have training wheels?" 

Then back to eating/drinking:  We had a fancy smance dinner at Alchemy...at which I got a burger, LOL. 

Got an ice cream at Mad Martha's and called it a night (yes we are getting old). 

Then the next day it was time to get back to reality...

One last stop before getting on the boat home -Captain Fishbones in Oak Bluffs.

Good bye Martha's Vineyard see you next year.

 We had to get back home to mini Darth Vader...

 and my little couch burrito...I really did miss them ;)

Lunch and The City - La Belle Nail Salon

While my past "Lunch and The City" posts have been all about food, sometimes it's about what errands can you cram into an hour.  Usually a manicure or pedicure is not one of them.  Until now…La Belle Nail Salon opened it's doors a few months ago on South Street (100 South Street, Boston) which is located on the block behind my office building.  Woo Hoo! 

My good friend Maureen (how lucky am I that I get to work with one of my bffs!) and I went to check them out.  We both got fabulous relaxing pedicures while sitting in lovely massage chairs…ah…it was like a 1/2 hour vacation from work.  I nearly dosed off I was so relaxed.  We could get use to this.

 

La Belle is very clean and everything appeared to be extremely sterilized.  

They gave us 20% off our first pedicure and also they also gave us a card that they stamp, after 10 stamps you get a free pedicure, sweet deal.

So yeah, I will be choking my lunch down in 15 minutes or less so I can go get a manicure or pedicure every once in a while J

La Belle Nail Salon

100 South Street

Boston, MA

617-292-3348

Restaurants that Accommodate the Food Allergic - South Shore, MA

We have a guest blogger today, my 3 year old Sean.

As I mentioned before Sean has multiple food allergies (see allergy story to the right for more info).  Sean would like to share his favorite restaurants where we have found safe eats:

This past Easter we had a very good experience at the Chateau Restaurant in Braintree, MA.

The manager informed me that the restaurant has just gone through extensive allergy training.  They were extremely accommodating to Sean.  They asked me lots of questions.  They cooked him a plain burger on a clean grill with a baked potato.  He was so happy and ate it up!

The Chateau is now our "go to" for birthdays, etc. I think we've been back three or four times since Easter :)
Not your Average Joe's- Norwell, MA
We have dined here a few times.  They have rice pasta!  They follow specific food allergy guidelines.  The chef came out to the table to talk to us, he was very concerned and attentive.  We went here for Mother's Day last year and have been back a few times.

b. good (next to Gymboree) at The Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham, MA.  This is a treat for Sean it's his version of McDonald's.  We have a little saying that Sean will tell you "you have to be good to go the b.good" LOL.  They cook his turkey burger on foil and their fries are cooked in canola oil.  Sean loves the sweet potato fries.  Their ingredients are all natural and local.

We come here a lot...so much so that on this particular day the manager gave us a discount on lunch!

Last summer on the way home from Water Wizz Water Park we stopped at Lindsey's Restaurant  in Wareham, MA  They also have rice pasta and will cook things that Sean can eat, plain and on a clean grill.  After a day at the water park he chowed down.

We will definitely be stopping here after Water Wizz again this summer.

I can't guarantee that all the above restaurants are safe for every food allergic person.  Although they have worked for us in the past they may not work for everyone.  The best thing to do is call these and other restaurants ahead of time and discuss your needs.  If you click on the above restaurant names they are linked to their websites.  If folks are annoyed or baffled by my requests, this (I try really hard not to get mad) makes me feel unsafe for Sean and he would not be eating there.