Unlike most other posts, this one is as much about what we experienced as what I wore…we made reservations for dinner indoors at The Capital Grille in Boston, a place we have always enjoyed, and we always sat at the bar…we were told that high top tables in the bar area were first come, first serve, so a dining room reservation would be our backup…sounded like a good plan, and we both looked forward to indoor ambience after mediocre experiences of sidewalk ‘dining’…

When you rarely go out to dinner , there is not much opportunity to wear your ‘after hours’ clothes, so I was excited just at the chance to dress up a bit! Knowing that the world is currently much more casual (and it was a hot night), I went for something more fun than elegant…

My favorite black leather Tibi shorts with a simple top by Free People…last minute, grabbed a black crepe unconstructed blazer as a topper…always good to have a more covered up option handy… If you always prefer to show less skin, the shorts also look nice with a simple white button up shirt or a black top tucked in – and – if you want to cover your legs too, add tights! This way you still have an edgy look, but much less exposed…;-)

As for bling, it was a nice change to wear bold earrings and to kick up the makeup a bit…

But best of all, I got to wear a pair of new boots! Woohoo!

Bought these online last month from Stuart Weitzman…while they clearly make a strong statement, they are also super comfortable with a block heel and ample toe box…not just for date nights, I expect to be wearing these to the grocery store, and they will be perfect with creative casual ‘work from home’ attire…

But let’s get back to date night! We arrived just before seven and there was a table available in the bar area! Hooray!!!! Or not? :-0

This was the view from where we sat. Can you say BLEAK? Who feels like a Stoli Doli in this atmosphere???

Yikes. Perhaps we should have sat in the dining room…perhaps we should have stayed home…

Now don’t think I am insensitive to the major challenges restaurants face and will continue to face in the coming months…following guidelines and ‘safety’ must be their priority. I get that. Yet, for the customer like me, ambience/energy matters a lot and it affects whether or not I will want to return. On this particular evening, Peter actually came up with a simple solution to improve things a bit – we moved to the chairs with our back to the bar, so this was now our view…

Ok, better! We saw LIFE – people walking the streets, trees blowing in the breeze, the beautiful changing colors of the evening sky…starting to relax…yes, another glass of wine please…;-)

Maybe not the best night ever, but at the end of it all, I am glad we tried and we vowed to keep trying, on a weekly basis…if for no other reason, it’s an excuse to dress up! 🙂

This way of life will not be ending anytime soon…sad as it is, we need to accept it and find ways to continue on with spirit-feeding social interactions…I will end with the words of Beverly Beckham, as she shared in the September 6th issue of the Boston Sunday Globe:

I miss strangers. I miss friends. I miss making plans. I miss birthdays and christenings and weddings and funerals. I miss hugging people and I miss being hugged…I bought flowers this summer. Lots of them. I watered them every day and they flourished. And part of me flourished too. But another part of me didn’t…this is what I will remember about the summer of COVID-19: It fed my soul, but it broke my heart.

(Her whole article is a good read, check it out)

Stay well. Dress well. Enjoy the NOW.