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By Katie Bianco Alice Levitt, Holly Gambrell and Michele Kettner
Upgrading my work-from-home space
It has been five months since the pandemic hit the region and I began working from home full time. During this time, I’ve been using my dining room table as my “desk,” stacked magazines to lift my laptop screen up a few inches, attached a USB keyboard to it and have been sitting on multiple pillows, all in the name of ergonomics. I figure it’s finally time to invest in a real desk, and I’ll be starting my research on which to buy from this list of seven desks worth investing in. Need work-from-home space inspo yourself? Read my conversation with local interior designer Josh Hildreth here about his own home office. -Holly Gambrell, Digital Editor
Trying for a date night
Since this pandemic began, my two children have been with me 24/7 as we all work and play at home. There have definitely been some positives to embracing having my little ones with me all the time (“You don’t get this time back!” parents of older children will tell you), but—truth be told—it would be really nice to have a date night with my husband. Luckily, we have an excuse to make one happen soon. Our seventh anniversary is coming up later this month and we plan to get the in-laws over for a backyard play date so we can dine alfresco and celebrate. Our dining editor recently put together this list of great special occasion restaurants offering outdoor dining (which is what feels most safe to me right now) and I plan to make a reservation at one of these. We’ll drink some wine, have a great meal and appreciate the fact that there are worse things than being in quarantine with a loving family. -Katie Bianco, Editor
Summer fun
While I’m more of a cold-weather person, it is always sad to see the summer season go (even during this crazy year). Even though I won’t be mad about the humidity being gone, I will miss weekends lounging around the pool and endless summer nights. So this week, I plan to get in those quintessential summer activities before the weather starts to cool and I go into full fall mode. My activity list will include making my own ice cream, taking a trip to Roer’s Zoofari and filling my driveway full of chalk drawings with my nieces and nephews. Check out some other end-of-summer activity ideas here. – Michele Kettner, Editorial Assistant
Getting weak for Restaurant Week
I can’t resist a prix fixe, especially if it’s a great deal. In fact, I love restaurant weeks so much that I helped originate Vermont’s version. There’s simply no way that I can let my first one in Virginia, Metropolitan Washington Summer Restaurant Week, come and go. I have until the end of this week to follow my own advice and hit one of my picks for the best menus among restaurants participating in NoVA. Ready, set, eat! -Alice Levitt, Food Editor/Critic
