Summer Lovin'

Tuesday after a holiday weekend equals BLEH. Three days is just enough time to feel vacationy, but not long enough to feel completely refreshed, which basically just means a grumpy Tuesday for me. In hopes of fighting off the post-3 day blues, I've decided to share some of my Twin Cities summer favorites with you. Maybe thinking about all the fun to be had over the next few months, will keep me in good spirits today.

WINDOW SHOPPING Warm days and window shopping go hand in hand. Especially furniture window shopping. Why? Who knows. Clearly I'm an odd duck. Anyway, my new window shopping obsession - Nadeau Minneapolis. I kinda lurve this store. The only problem? I'm nearly certain to upgrade from window to real shopping.

LAZY SUNDAY BRUNCHES I know that some of you brunch all year. Fantastic. Honestly. For me, a sun shiny Sunday without a care in the world is best kind of day for a restaurant brunch. No muss, no fuss, and someone makes you whatever lil' drink your heart desires. These days my heart desires a Frozen Screwdriver at Haute Dish. If you've not had one yet, you should. They are delish.

DRIVE-IN MOVIES It's been a couple summers since I've been and it is absolutely time to change that. My drive-in of choice - Vali-Hi Drive-In (to be fair, I don't really know if there are any others worth going to around here). As a mom, I love this place for a few reasons: 1. kids are free (under 5) or cheap ($1 for 6-12). 2. Infant? You can breastfeed in relative privacy. If you stay in the car, no one will be bothered by any crying. And you can watch a current grown up movie out in the world - you know, with other people. 3. Young kids? No problem. Put that portable/car dvd player to good use - set them up with a kids movie in the backseat. Win-win.

ROOFTOP HAPPY HOURS On the right kind of day, a rooftop happy hour is pretty much perfection. Although I don't have an absolute fave - each offers a particular scene, view, or menu - I must give a shout out to the super cute rocking chairs at Uptown Cafeteria and Support Group Skybar. I want.

RANDOM FESTS Everyone city, group, community, or whatever holds a fest at some point in the summer. There's no way to remember them all, so I don't even try. I just rely on the fact that almost every summer since I've lived here, I've stumbled upon a fest, ditched my previous plans (assuming I had any), and had a fantastic time. If you suddenly find yourself in the middle of a fest, I suggest you do the same.

So, there you have it - a few of my summer faves. There are more and I'd love to keep on writing, but (unfortunately) I gotta get to work.

SOURCE: Nadeau Minneapolis; highbrowfurniture.com