I still can’t believe the Fitbloggin’ weekend is over. How is that even possible?
(In case you missed my previous recaps, you can check ‘em out here, here, and here.)
Knowing that the end was near, a group of us headed out on the town last night to make sure it ended with a bang!
Pictured: Me, Jaclyn, Brittany, Grace, Gabriela, Beth, Theodora, & Nicole.
Unpictured: Julie, Cynthia, Tina
Our first stop of the night brought us to Talara, a local Nuevo Latino Bistro in Harbor East.
Talara is a seviche bar, featuring modern South American cuisine, fun drinks, and a very inviting South Beach art deco interior.
I loved it!
Shortly after getting a table, we ordered some drinks, and there was only one thing calling out to me on the menu…
Sangria…I love me some homemade sangria.
Since there was four of us sharing the pitcher, it didn’t make for a very large glass.
So it really didn’t take much twisting of the arm to order another. This time around, they only had red available, but I actually preferred the red to the white. It was delicious.
Since some of us were planning on grabbing dinner somewhere else later in the evening, we decided to order a round of tortilla chips and black bean hummus to snack on with our drinks. With all the hummus I consume, I had actually never tried black bean…I think I need to try to make this stuff. Wow.
Unfortunately, Tina had to leave us a little later to catch her shuttle back home…we missed ya, girl!
Eventually, the rest of us left Talara to get some dinner. We were on the hunt for somewhere that had outdoor seating and a view of the water, so we lucked out to find a table at Pizzazz Tuscan Grille, which had just what we were looking for.
Hi, Theodora!
More sangria was consumed…
…but unfortunately, this stuff didn’t hold a candle to Talara’s. This one tasted a lot like the pre-mixed stuff. Ahh well, ya can’t win ‘em all, right?
None of us were feeling like anything too heavy for dinner, so Gabriela and I decided to share the Pizza Rustica and the Hummus Platter.
After ordering, our group ended up sitting and chatting…for a while. We waited…
…and waited some more…
…and then I think the owner felt guilty because the service was so slow (thanks to a few waitresses bailing because of this weekend’s Preakness), so she brought out some pizza slices for our table to snack on.
I snacked on a small piece before our food eventually arrived. The hummus platter was good, but nothing I would rave about.
The pizza, on the other hand, was really tasty. I was loving all the roasted veggies on top, especially the zucchini. Gabriela and I each had three pieces, and had I had a spot to store the extra two left over, I totally would have taken them. They were great.
Dinner definitely had its interesting and amusing moments, which we all had a few good chuckles about. Somehow, this scene ended up happening in the midst of dinner…
(many photos below courtesy of Gabriela)
Hey, healthy living bloggers know how to have a good time!
We actually ended up talking with the owner of the restaurant, who told us that she is a raw foodist and that all of her menu items are are completely organic and made with five ingredients or less. She was very easy to talk to and actually gave us a couple complimentary vegan cupcakes: Pumpkin Spice & Chocolate.
I didn’t try the chocolate, but I did try the pumpkin, and I will tell you that it was absolutely incredible. I couldn’t believe how good it was.
After dinner, we headed out to Power Plant, a popular bar scene near the waterfront.
Our group had a blast dancing and enjoying a few beverages.
Talk about a great group of girls. I already miss them!
******
Despite going out last night, I made sure to keep things pretty tame; I knew I had a 5:45am wakeup call this morning to get grab my shuttle to the airport.
Seriously, the next time I travel, will some of you please remind me to steer clear of these early flights? This stuff is for the birds…
Once I checked in, (which was a feat in and of itself, since I was really worried I wasn’t going to be able to fit all of my amazing swag), I swung by Starbucks for my favorite skinny caramel macchiato, which I’ve been sipping on along with some Quaker Oatmeal Squares and this beautiful banana.
A little beat up, no? Despite its ugly appearance, it still tasted totally fine.
And now…after a super fun weekend, I’m ready to get home and take a looooooong nap.
Catch ya later after some snoozin’ to make you all jealous of fill you all in on some of my fun swag from the weekend!
Paige @ Running Around Normal says
Sounds like such a fun night of partying! Glad the group dynamic was awesome! I haven’t had sangria in such a long time :)
Farrah says
Looks like you girls had a great time! Can’t wait to see all the stuff you snagged :)
Katherine says
I go to college in Baltimore and absolutely love the harbor! I hope you enjoyed your time in Baltimore, I’ve also heard Powerplant is great, I haven’t been able to go yet, but its on my list of things to do next year!
Jaclyn says
Ah that was so fun! Glad we got a chance to catch up again this weekend! :)
My shuttle left earrrrrrrrly too – 5:27 pickup!!
Jamie aka "Sometimes Healthy Living Girl" says
Looks like such a great time! The pizza looks so good! I hope to get a chance to go to one of these types of conferences one day :-)
Khushboo says
That banana looks gorgeous to me: the blacker the better!
Colleen says
Sangria just screams summer, love it. The pizza looks amazing too! I hear you on the early flights, but they always seem like a great idea when you are booking the cheaper tickets…
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
I LOVED getting to know you this weekend! Seriously, meeting you was definitely one of my conference highlights. Hope you had a safe trip back! And you know what’s awesome about coming for a cupcake tour in the city? No crack of dawn flights involved… :)
Courtney says
Yes! Getting to know you was amazing Gabriela! I can’t wait to meet up for more cupcakes…and no crack of dawn flights ;)
Theodora says
I had so much fun hanging out with you this weekend! Also, thanks for not taking a photo of us sleeping when you got up early this morning :)
Courtney says
Hahaha…I may have thought about it… ;)
Jess says
I bet you have the besttt swag, and yes, I will be jealous :D
Glad you had funnnnn!!
sara @ the foodie diaries says
I’ve been reading all the recaps from Fitbloggin’ and it’s safe to say I am JEALOUS! Looks like you all had a great time :)
Annette@EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
oh those cupcakes look amazingly delicious!
Cara @ EAT. PRAY. RUN. says
Sangria nights = rough mornings! It’s just too refreshing and easy to drink…
Safe travels home!
Brittany says
It was wonderful meeting/getting to know you this weekend. I’m glad we were able to hang out a bit more last night. Even though it was quite the eventful evening, I had a blast.
Come visit Richmond anytime. :)
Courtney says
Absolutely!
And I’ll definitely keep that Richmond visit in mind ;)
Tori (Fresh Fruition) says
Thats a shame about the service at dinner. It looks like you guys had a ton of fun, though!
Stephanie @ StephSnacks says
Ahhh I wish I could have been there! Looks like soo much fun. And I agree with you on the sangria, I just can’t turn it down — especially in the Summer time :)
Grace says
Wow! That looks like so much fun! and you guys had tons and tons of yummy food! I am definitely jealous:)
Nicole @ Geek Turned Athlete says
It was great meeting you at Fitbloggin! Had a great time dancing the night away!
erica says
omg. i am totally craving a sangria right about now.
i’ve never tried a white wine sangria….
maybe that’ll be my next pick :)
Parita says
Loved reading all of your conference highlights! Glad you had a blast!
Natalie says
Hello Sunshine!
Found your blog a few weeks ago (maybe on Julie’s) and have REALLY been enjoying reading. You are quickly appearing on first-to-dig-into list and I am loving it. Looks like you had a great time at FitBloggin’ you lovely ladies looked like you had a blast.
Courtney says
Thanks, Natalie! So glad you’ve been stopping by…leave me a message anytime! :-D
Katy Widrick says
I passed out on the tray table during my flight home and woke up with a big divot in my face…ouch! And I can barely keep my eyes open now, but it was all worth it.
So fun!
Courtney says
Ohhhh Katy!!! Hahaha…you poor thing!
I think we all need a little extra rest after this weekend, but you’re so right…definitely worth it. It was so great meeting you!!
Tara says
Looks and sounds like such a fun weekend!!! So did you meet everyone there? was it hard to meet people? Or was everyone just super friendly? I would be afraid I would show up and not meet anyone! :)
Courtney says
Everyone was definitely super friendly! Unfortunately, I didn’t really get a chance to meet everyone (LOTS of people there) but it was definitely a blast!
Kristen says
I love dancing especially when its just a group of girlfriends!