Bar Deco Brunch

A few weeks ago, I went out for my annual birthday brunch. I don't know about you but the less drinking and more food for birthdays is totally my style the older I get. Being the typical D.C. brunch-a-holic, I decided that I wanted to try something new rather than go to the tried and true brunch spots. 

I recently read a review from Bitches Who Brunch, which is an amazing resource for D.C., New York, and Chicago if you haven't heard of them before, and decided to give the new Bar Deco a try. After a quick tweet confirming that they were indeed serving bottomless mimosa, the reservation for 15 people was set. 

The Best DC Bars to Watch Football

Now some of you may know that I'm not a passionate, wild, sports watching type of girl. However, most of my friends are. I always feel left out when football season is back on. So this year season I've tried something different. I joined a fantasy football league. I'm decently competitive so I thought that if I put myself in a competitive game that I would actually pay attention to the games more...which was kind of true. Guess what the second thing I needed to really get myself into the game?

Favorite Things to Do in Autumn

It's finally September! Are you all ready for autumn as much as I am? Today, I'm teaming up with Jasmine from Classy, Sassy and Smartassy and we're bringing you the best things to do in autumn.

I'm Jasmine and I blog over at Classy Sassy & A Bit Smartassy. I'm a beauty & lifestyle blogger. I have two boys ages 4 & 6. I'm a girlfriend and self taught makeup artist.  Today, were going to talk about Fall. If you don't know, Fall is my favorite season. But living in Wisconsin we only get maybe 2 months of Fall. Which really sucks. So we have to try and fit all activities in that short amount of time.  

What are my favorite things to do in Fall?

A Dog's Day Out in D.C.

Summer is a great time to get out and do things outdoors. And with so many things to do in and around the District, why should you leave your four-legged family member at home? I've been trying to find as many things as possible that I can bring Starla to in the city, and there's been a lot we've found to do. 

Other than just walking around the National Mall here are some of my favorite things to do with Starla.

Go to the Shirlington Dog Park. If you haven't been here you're missing out. The park is huge and even has a river that your dog can cool off in. It's Starla's favorite place to go. It's kind of tricky to find, but there's parking off of Four Mile Run Drive. 

Grab a drink at Hotel Monaco in Alexandria. They host a doggy “Yappy Hour” in the hotel’s courtyard every Tuesday and Thursday evenings from April through October. You can enjoy a refreshing drink while your dog can enjoy some social time, doggy treats, and fresh water. 

I also just discovered, Cantina Marina on the Southwest waterfront. The whole downstairs is an open air bar that you can bring your pup in. When I was there, we met three other doggy friends. Careful, their margaritas are strong!

Wineries are also great options. I haven't yet been to a winery that doesn't allow dogs. My favorite one to go to with Starla is 868 Winery in Purcellville, about an hour out of the city.

Take a evening cruise with your canine. Sailing out from Alexandria, the cruise is an hour long and free for your dog. $15 for you. Enjoy seeing all the sights of the city with your pup. 

Of course, there's always Pups in the Park at Nationals Park. What a better thing to do than enjoy America's favorite past time with man's best friend? You're out in section 143 in the outfield and is $26 for you and $10 for your pup. Their $10 ticket goes to the Washington Humane Society.

Barktober Fest is coming up in October for it's second annual beer festival. It's $35 for general admission (free for your pup) and it includes unlimited beer tastings and a tasting glass. There's also food trucks, a doggy costume contest, an agility park for your dog and much more.

And for all your drinking fun with your dog, you definitely do not want to be driving. Red Top Cab of Arlington and Diamond Cab in DC happily take dogs in their cabs usually for an additional $1 surcharge. I'm sure there are more cabs that will take dogs, but these are the two that I've found so far. 

Lastly, dogs are great running partners. You can take your pup along Mt. Vernon trail or even the W&OD trail, but keep make sure it's not too hot for your dog and that you keep them hydrated!

What are your favorite places to take your pup? What should Starla and I do next next?

Linking up with these awesome group of bloggers.

Say hello to this month's sponsor:

What's in my bag? & Giveaway

Some Affiliate Links: If you make a purchase after clicking some of the links below, I may make a small commission.

I don't know how, as a lifestyle blogger, I haven't written a "What's in my bag?" post. If you know me, you know I am a purse-a-holic. I actually put myself to Purse Hoarders Anonymous and banned myself from buying any new purses as of last summer.

So with great pleasure, I bring you, what is in Alanna's bag!

Don't let this picture fool you. This purse is purple, not poop brown, I swear.

So let's start from the left and go right. 

Disclaimer: Not all items are pictured here for neatness sake

Hair clip, neatly tucked on the purse strap for easy access. All girls need an emergency hair accessory. Whether it be a clip like mine, a hair tie, ribbon hair tie, or sock bun, you got to have one for those humid or windy days. 

Hand Sanitizer. I'm honestly not very much of a clean freak, but as soon as I have some hand sanitizer in my bag, I'm a lot more conscious about using it. Think of all the nasty things you touch on a regular basis. Don't even make me think about how many germs live on my iPhone. 

Mini Hair Brush. You can get this conair one at pretty much every CVS ever. It's nice because it won't weight down your purse and goes hand in hand with #1, hair clip. For us girls who live in humid places, it's a necessity!

A pen. How many times have you ran into a situation where you needed a pen but didn't have one? I'm also kind of anal about this pen, which I feel like most people who carry pens in their purses are. So don't even think about asking to borrow it and think we'll lend it to you without watching you like a hawk. 

Lip balm or lipstick of some sort. I always have an EOS lip balm on hand and a lipstick for color. I use Maybelline 14 hour lipsticks. 

Sunglasses. I think this is kind of obvious for summer, right?

Re-wetting Contact Drops. Like I said before, I wear contacts pretty much constantly until I go to sleep, so having re-wetting drops is necessary. Especially if you're at work staring at a computer for hours on end. 

What's not pictured? Hmm, lots. 

Headphones. I totally forgot my headphones at the gym when I took this photo. Headphones are a must. You can't risk having to talk to someone that you don't want to. 

Pepper Spray. I cannot stress that pepper spray is the bare minimum to protecting yourself. Maybe I'll write up a full post on how much I feel that women should learn how to protect themselves sometime later. Let me start by saying that the pepper spray is not in a mist form anymore, and if you still have that type of pepper spray it's probably expired and you should get rid of it. It is in a liquid form that sprays out like water, so there's no risk that you would ever accidentally pepper spray yourself. I carry one in my purse and also on Starla's leash when I walk her. The one I have is Sabre Red pepper spray and is police grade. It's hardcore. There's tons of videos that you can see how intense it is. Seriously, get it. Get two. 

Change and a metro card. Yes, I have a card and try to not take public transportation as much as possible, but sometimes it happens and you need to hop onto a train or a bus. So it's always better if you have these handy, just in case. 

Make-up. Again, obvious. But my make-up bag crowded the photo and I decided to take it out of the photo. In there, I also keep a mirror. 

Gum and breath mints. Sometimes you need to double up. 

Wine opener. You never know....

What does your purse look like? Do we share some of the same items?

And guess what?! Another giveaway!

Fine Print: This is open internationally, pending shipping laws/restrictions. You must be 18 or older, or have a parents permission to enter. This giveaway is open for exactly one week and the winner will be announced July 6, 2015. Winner must respond within 48-hours or a new winner will be chosen. Your form of entry will be double-checked.


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A Tourist's Guide to DC + Giveaway!

Happy Friday, my loves. So I shared this post over at Life with Lolo earlier this week but it's too good not to had to share with you all too! Anyways, if you didn't know, I live and have lived in the DC area for over ten years now and I absolutely love it! So if you're ever visiting the DC area, I'll tell you what I love to show off about my city.

The Touristy Spots

Ok, honestly, I'll just briefly touch on this. DC is a HUGE tourist town. I'm actually a crazy fan of the hop-on, hop-off buses so you can take your time at one place that interests you or skip other sights entirely. If you don't have tons of time, the main place you have to go is the National Mall! You can hang out with Lincoln at his memorial, see the reflecting pool, walk up to the Washington Monument and observe it in all it's beauty and glory. But honestly, if you have the time, go see all the memorials, they're beautiful and you'll get a great workout! Check this out if you want to do a walking tour. 

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The Museums

I don't know how many big cities can say this, but we have world-class museums that are FREE to enter. So, yes go to these too! The Smithsonians are huge so one museum can literally take an entire day if you want to. My top two favorites are the National History Museum (hello, who doesn't want to see the Hope Diamond?) and the Air and Space museum.

Another neat thing, if you're going anytime during the summer, the National Gallery of Art offers free jazz concerts every friday! You can bring a blanket, camp out, and listen to some jazz. Pro tip: you can buy pitchers of sangria there!

What else to do?

Fine, you don't like touristy things or the museums? Well there is always the zoo (again free!), you can go to a Nationals Game for as little as $5. If you go see a Nat's game, definitely go sit at the Red Loft bar, it's better than the nosebleed seats and the bar is RIGHT there! Or you could also enjoy a stroll down the street of Georgetown if you like to shop.

The Restaurants

So, by now you'll definitely be hungry right? Here's some of my top picks around different neighborhoods of DC. Ted's Bulletin serves good american cooking and also breakfast all day. They even make their own pop-tarts! They're out in Eastern Market but also on 14th St. If you like Tapas, definitely check out Jaleo in Penn Quarter. They have over 70 options and most are pretty reasonably priced!

Heading over to Capitol Hill, you can also try out Good Stuff Eatery (I actually ate at another location in Virginia but I'm sure it's the same food) where you can try out Spike Mendelsohn's hand crafted burgers. P.S. Spike Mendelsohn is a Top Chef finalist!

Want something a bit fancier, try out Le Diplomat for classy french cuisine. Since it's nice weather out, you can sit on their adorable patio, too! If you like meat, definitely go to The Partisan in Penn Quarter. They have amazing charcuterie that's provided by the butcher right next door! And as a perfect segway, they have an awesome brunch menu there too! Oh for the love of brunch! But I'll let the bitches speak to that. They're the pros.

The Bars!

My favorite part! So unless you want to relive your college days I would suggest staying away from the ultra-preppy Georgetown and rowdy Adams Morgan neighborhoods. But no judgement, if you want that type of night, by all means go for it!

You'll typically find me around H or U St. There's H St Country Club if you want to play a little bit of games while you're drinking, there's also the Biergarten Haus, which keeps a dozen German brews on tap.

Around U St, a new favorite of mine is the Fainting Goat or Marvin's. The Fainting Goat is big 2-level bar with great prices and awesome craft cocktails. Bar Charley is a nice new place that I've been going to. It's great for a date night and with economical prices, that's a bit of a rarity in the area.

Then two places get noteworthy mentions because of their views: The POV and Brixton. Brixton is on U St and has three different floors, but their top rooftop level has an amazing view of the city. POV is in the W Hotel and it's more club like than a typical bar scene. You'll be paying about $11 for a gin and tonic and you'll have the best view of the city. Definitely somewhere to go to at the beginning of the night and then head somewhere else for cheaper drinks. Beware, you'll most likely have to wait in line for both of these...

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If any of you are in the area or visiting, seriously, hit me up, I love to show people around the town and am always happy to give suggestions! Happy travels.

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Lastly, a giveaway!

Uncustomary Art // Small Towns and City Lights // SEDiva Abroad // Kate the (almost) Great // Sweet Magnolia // Venus Trapped in Mars // Lot 48 // Alanna & Company //  Seeking Sunshine

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Linking up with: Friday Favorites, Little Friday, Oh Hey Friday, High Five for Friday

Say Hello to This Month's Sponsor:

Why I Love D.C. + Secret Blogger Club Link-Up

I know, the DC area can be expensive, overcrowded, busy, and filled with politicos. But there are so many awesome reasons to live in the nation's capital!

There are tons of activities to do

For whatever reason, people think D.C. is a stuffy city with no fun to be had. Wrong! Yes, there's tons of monuments to go see, amazing (and free) Smithsonian museums, but also lots of fun activities that aren't super touristy. You can kayaking (or booze cruise) on the Potomac, you can walk down the streets of Georgetown and go shopping, you can go to Nationals games, there are amazing bars, and more. Also during the summer, there's a food or beer/wine festival pretty much every week.

There's a new bar or restaurant popping up every day.

Like seriously, I'm not joking. So many options and so many types. Do you want hole-in-the-wall? Craft cocktails? Upscale? Trendy? Re-living your college days? We got it all.

There are tons of opportunities

Yes, I know. D.C. is expensive! But that is paralleled by tons of career opportunities (that pay very well I might add). I'm always jealous when my friends from other states tell me that they pay about half the rent that I do. At the same time, they get paid half the salary I do. So it all evens out. Another huge perk, is that I've never had any issues finding jobs straight out of college. It's a booming area for job growth in tons of different fields!

It's full of beauty at every corner

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

It's centrally located

It’s centrally located to a whole ton of great places: Philadelphia, New York, Ocean City, Virginia Beach, Richmond, Baltimore. Planning a weekend trip is super easy! Just the fact that I can take an hour drive and be in either wine-country, beach, or a whole other metropolis is amazing.

Hello, Patriotism!

You can't go anywhere without seeing at least 489123840 flags. But honestly, there is just so much history in DC that you can't find anywhere else in the country. It'll make you feel proud to be American (even if you are a dual citizen like me)!

What do you love about your city? Have you ever visited DC?

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And now for the link-up! I'm co-hosting my favorite link-up The Secret Blogger Club with Kels today.

The rules: There are no rules!! (j/k mostly)

-Display the badge in your post or link back to the link-up

-Link-up, click around, share each other’s posts, and be friendly 

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.blondersideoflife.com" title="The Blonder Side of Life"><img src="http://blondersideoflife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/SBC-Button-250.jpg" alt="The Blonder Side of Life" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Say hello to this month's sponsor:

Copperwood Tavern Review + Giveaway Announcement

So I've mentioned Copperwood Tavern a couple times before, but now I'll actually write-up a full review of them here!

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Carlos and I ventured over to Copperwood this past Sunday evening. Shirlington is a great dog-friendly area with plenty of dog bowls already set-out and patios that are happy to host your furry friend. So with our pup in tow, we walked right over to Shirlington to pick out a good spot to eat. There are great options there but we ended up settling on Copperwood Tavern for our dinner that evening.

The menu is "protein-heavy" with their menu organized by "Small Bites", "A la Carte Proteins", and "Shared Sides". Their proteins ranged from $18-32. We started with the mussels and then Carlos chose the Swordfish with a side of asparagus and I chose the Cesar salad topped with grilled chicken. When you start off they bring you a whole pitcher of water, which is great for me, and some corn bread mini-muffins. 

Surprisingly, they brought the mussels at the same time as our entrees. The mussels were great, huge, perfectly cooked, and sitting in a bacon and bleu cheese broth. My salad was a half grilled, half fresh Caesar salad and the chicken was perfect. I was glad I added the protein though, because if I just had the salad alone, I would have left hungry. 

Carlo's swordfish was topped with an oven-dried tomato and kalamata olive relish that was slightly overpowering. He also thought the fish was a bit on the under-cooked side but didn't feel like sending it back since he hadn't specifically asked for it to be cooked to a certain temperature. Honestly, at $22 plus $8 for the side of asparagus, I felt like his meal was overpriced, or that it should have been served with the asparagus together instead of at an additional price. 

We've been out there for brunch before and I honestly like their brunch menu better than their dinner menu! With six types of Benedicts, and features like Bananas Foster French toast to Duck hash, I'll probably just stick to Copperwood for their brunches. Copperwood Tavern, 4021 Campbell Avenue, Arlington.

Lastly, I will be co-hosting a giveaway this upcoming Monday with a great group of girls, so definitely pop back to see what it is!

Where To Brunch in DC

Happy Monday! Who watched the Oscars last night? I was able to break my usual grandma routine and stay up through most of them. I'm so glad I was able to watch Birdman early Sunday before the Oscars since it won so many awards last night. I was also happy that the Grand Budapest Hotel took home many well-deserved awards. Even though Boyhood wasn't my favorite movie, I thought that the movie would have won more... Were you surprised with any of the results?

Today, I bring you: the best brunches of the D.C. metro area!

Like any twenty-something, I'm practically obsessed with brunching (yes, it's a verb) and mimosas. I can drink them all day (but I won't, don't worry). Not sure how important brunches are in other cities but around this area, it's the thing to do. So if you're ever in the DC metro area here are some of my favorite places on Sunday morning.

Birthday brunches. Couldn't even stop eating for the picture.

Best Party Brunch: As a preface, Virginia doesn't allow any "unlimited" drink specials. It's sad. But luckily D.C. does! The best party brunch I like to go to is Mad Hatter. I've been there for a handful of birthdays and they also have a nice private room that you can have for large parties. It's a whopping $10 for unlimited mimosas and their food is your typical brunch options with options like eggs benedict, french toast, breakfast burrito, etc. Also, they have that crazy drink pictured below! It's a Mad Hat!

Unattractive, I know. But you had to see that drink!

Best Farm to Table Brunch: Copperwood Tavern. All their food is farm to table and they make all their condiments in-house (downfall: their ketchup is kind of weird...) They have a good selection of drinks and I would highly suggest their spicy bloody mary. You can get great food from simple steel-cut oatmeal to a fancy quiche lorraine. A nice perk for your friends who don't like brunch food as much as we do, they can order from the regular menu.

Best Buffet Brunch: Whitlow's on Wilson. If you are hungry, go here. You will have food options for days. Buzzfeed actually rated this the best bar in Virginia. It's $18 for all you can eat. Their buffet food goes on for days where you can select anything from Cheesecakes, Scrambled eggs to...wait for it.....king crab legs! A secondary perk is their bloody mary bar for the pick bloody mary drinkers in your life. Pro tip: Their brunch starts at 9 a.m. but they don't put out all the food until 11 a.m!

On that note...Best Seafood Brunch: If you've never ventured into Old Town Alexandria, you're truly missing out. It's super quaint and walkable all on King St. There's tons of great restaurants but I really like Virtue Feed & Grain. They have an amazing ambiance. Their hush puppies are mouth-watering and have a great seafood soup. My favorite is their Chesapeake benedict which is an eggs benedict with Maryland Crab cakes. 

Best Patio Brunch: Can you tell that I'm ready for Spring & Summer yet? Lavagna in DC has a great little patio to eat their amazing food on. You have the option of mimosas bottomless or not (always a plus!), bellinis, plain prosecco, bloody marys, and tequila bloodies. My favorite food to eat is the pancakes with nutella!

Best Dim Sum: A lot of people opt to go to Ping Pong, which is great. I've been there but if you want true authentic Dim Sum, check out China Garden. I've been going there with my parents since we moved from Toronto. It is your most authentic dim sum food (seriously! Chinese tourists come here in bus loads). If you've never heard of or tried Dim Sum, check out this article here. Also it was just the Chinese New Year! Go be cultural. 

Love all you loyal readers. I hope you like brunch as much as I do and if you're in the area, I'm always up to trying new places! Give me some suggestions.

Joining the Let it Shine Blog Hop and Mingle Monday.

Winter Essentials

Someone loves the dusting we got today #hyperlapse #heelersofinstagram

A video posted by Alanna (@alannaandco) on Jan 6, 2015 at 12:53pm PST

Winter is officially upon us. I got an email today saying that the wind chills tonight are going to feel like 0 degrees or negative 10 degrees! Yikes. For Northern Virginia, that is absolutely freezing!

Winter Essentials

1. Blankets, blankets, and snuggies! I love blankets at any time of the year, but now it's perfect because it's extra cold. As dorky as snuggies are, they're actually extremely convenient, especially when you're blogging on your couch!
2. Aveeno hand lotion. They're not joking when they say it lasts through hand washing and for 24 hours. This is the only lotion that keeps my hands moisturized and prevents cracking during the winter. It's also good for the workplace because it's fragrance free.
3. Anne Klein boots! I actually just got those for Christmas this year and they are perfect! They're lightweight, waterproof, fur-lined, and have a great grip for ice and snow.
4. Eos Lip Balm. They have tons of different flavors and they give you great coverage without feeling sticky or oily. My favorite is the mint flavor because it tingles!



5. Starbucks Chai Tea Lattes. This is life.
   
   

   Alamo?

   A photo posted by Alanna (@alannaandco) on Nov 14, 2014 at 5:14am PST

What are your essentials for surviving the winter?

Rain in Winter should not exist

Let me say this again. Rain in winter should not exist. If you have ever lived in the DC metro area you know the craziness of the weather here. Like Katt Williams once said, specifically about DC might I add, "We need to talk about the m*therf*cking weather. You greedy motherf*ckers cannot have all the goddamn weather...I've been here 24 hours, it's been hot, mild, rainy, cloudy, sleeting, snowing. This is bullsh*t. A pimp don't know what to wear in this motherfucker. I'm in the hotel lobby with a fur coat, swim trunks, timberlands, and a umbrella, 'cause I don't know what may happen in this raggedy bitch this evening."

He's so ratched but he's so accurate. Not only does the weather change on a day to day basis, it changes on an hourly basis. Don't even bother looking at weather channel. I've basically learnt to buy clothes that will work in all weather situations while still looking cute because you can't just rock the rain boot look when it's sunny outside.

My poor dog has also decided that she now wants to be an indoor dog. I'm pretty sure she will try using our bathroom soon.



I have actually even gotten to the point that I would just prefer it to snow. Snow here shuts everything down. I could work from home, my puppy will decide she likes the outdoors again, I would have an extra hour of my life to workout due to no commuting.

Also if you hate small talk or talk of weather, don't move to this area. As a result of this crazy weather, the small talk about weather is extremely prevalent.



After all my bitching and moaning about the weather, I have forgotten about the fact that the holidays are upon us! Channukah starts in a week (haven't bought any presents or found my menorah from storage...), I leave for my winter vacation in a week and a half, and I've only bought one Christmas present (not wrapped). Hmm, maybe this is why I need a snow day...Yikes!

Now off to go get presents...maybe. Ciao Ciao!

Last but not least, I changed my URL and name to something that makes a bit more sense to me. So if you were following the old URL on Blogloving or directly. Switch it to this one! http://alannaandco.wordpress.com or click this link Follow my blog with Bloglovin.