TGIF! I am really excited for this weekend—I’ll be at home in DC and have a good mix of social plans and relaxing, which is my favorite kind of weekend. Tonight, my dinner club is meeting at Seven Reasons—dinner club is always one of my favorite Fridays of the month, and I am especially excited about this restaurant because the Washington Post food critic named is as number one in his 2019 fall dining guide. I will definitely report back soon! On Saturday, two of my friends from spin class are hosting a fall party at their new house, and I’m bringing along my friend Jackie who just moved to town. Other than that, I plan on sleeping in, reading, knocking out some blog posts, and hitting up Soul Cycle.

This week has been kind of meh, so it will be nice to do some things just for me this weekend. It’s a really busy time at my day job and I’ve been really stressed out about work. I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel soon, but in the interim, I’ve been thinking a lot about a question someone asked (I sadly don’t remember who!) on Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday podcast, “if this experience were to last forever, what quality would have to emerge for me to have peace of mind?” Still not sure what my answer is—but I do know that I need to develop some healthy copying mechanisms to deal with this level of stress and not put so much pressure on myself.

I also think I’m running on fumes because last week, I went on a really fun work trip—and worked Thursday through Sunday. So even though we had Monday off work for Columbus Day, I didn’t have a ton of time to recover. While I was on my work trip, two of our dinners were at 21 Club, which is a legendary NY institution, and I was so excited to get to go! While we were there, we did some research into the history— and 21 Club was a speakeasy during Prohibition! The owners had a system of levers built that they could engage when a raid was happening that allowed them to tip the shelves of the bar in a way that would dump liquor bottles into a chute that dropped them into the city’s sewers—talk about genius. The jockeys (shown in the photo above!) are the symbol of the club, with some of the 37 out front donated by some of the best stables in American thoroughbred racing. I loved it here, and was glad my friend Emma (who I went on my road trip with!) could join me for dinner one night! Also—they have matchbooks, so you know that’s always bonus points in my book.

Side note—I realized recently I have *no* travel posts on New York City! Outside of DC, NYC is the city I’ve spent the most time in as an adult, and have been lucky enough to get back there almost on a monthly basis this year. I need to think about the best way to organize my NY recs since there is sooooo much to do there—and there are always new things popping up! Stay tuned—this will be a good project for me in January when life settles down a bit. 

Have a great weekend! x

PS—GO NATS! First time in 86 years a World Series will be played in Washington!

• This article so spoke to me: how America lost dinner.
• Jose Andres: how we’ve served 1 million meals to Hurricane Dorian survivors.
• Inequality is slowing cities to a craw.
• Elizabeth Holmes on the hobby that transformed her career.
• Loved this profile on The Everymom of one of my favorite bloggers to follow, Meg Hall.
• On the Downton Abbey movie: was Princess Mary’s marriage really unhappy?
• Downton Abbey’s historical advisor Alastair Bruce says he was ‘ruthless’ on set.
• Renée Zellweger on playing Judy Garland: “If I Could Have Run Away, I Would Have”
• I can’t wait for season three of The Crown — FINALLY!
• Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye comes out.

And here’s what’s been new lately on A Touch of Teal:

• The Perfect Fall Wedding Guest Dress
• King Family Vineyards + A Few More Cville Restaurant Recs
• My First Time on a Podcast!
• 24 Hours in Birmingham, Alabama (By Way of Tuscaloosa)
• 24 Hours in Oxford, Mississippi
• On My Nightstand: September 2019
• The Loft Dress I’m Loving (& It’s 50% Off!)
• Festive Drinks for Football Game Day
• Dinner Club: Chez Billy Sud