“You’re going to Concord, NH?” *blink blink* -long distant stare- was the reaction I got when I mentioned that Isabelle and I were going to a mother daughter weekend away. People talked about how Concord, NH was a little run down and not so pleasant. I’ve never been afraid of a little grit and grime in a city, especially a big city, but Concord, NH was anything but. We were invited to visit hosted by Hotel Concord with an offer to see a show (we chose the Red River Movie Theatre) and dinner at O Steaks and Seafood.
One summer, when I was a teen, I spent as much as my time as possible at the local art house movie theatre. I loved the atmosphere, the off beat movies, and the real butter on the popcorn. One of the fab features of The Hotel Concord, especially during a cold winter staycation, is that the movie theatre is attached to the hotel. If you don’t see a movie playing for you, your room comes with a free popcorn from the concession stand and you can bring popcorn back to your room and watch any show you’d like.
Our room was spacious with a wall of windows. It was nice looking out into the street and seeing the state house just down the road. After our delicious and rich meal at O Steakhouse, Isabelle and I were glad to sit in the lounge on our flour for a while and digest for a while before heading to the fitness studio.
It was nice to get a workout in without any effort except what we exerted on the treadmill and elliptical. The hotel was clean and well laid out. There were common spaces to relax and read the paper but the rooms also have enough space to watch tv, read a book, write a letter or plan the next day’s adventure.
Changing pace from a big city to a smaller New England town was pleasant. We visited the local winter farmer’s market and felt the strength and vibrancy of a close knit community. There was a fab bookstore just down the road as well. We sat in the room reading as the sun set over the city street below us. We discovered that the NH Speedway nearby had a lights display called Gift of Lights and went to experience that before dinner.
The next day, we had the option of a short hike at the nearby NH Audubon trail (which my daughter declined and since it was a lazy weekend I went along.). Then we headed to the LL Bean Outlet,a short drive away, to snag some Bean Boots for me and a new winter coat for her. Our last stop was on the way home. We checked out the Merrimack Premium Outlets and got marching holiday Ts for everyone at Vineyard Vines which Isabelle had been wanting to find. It was not crowded and actually a pleasant outlet mall experience.
I also noticed that somewhere near the outlet Anheiser Busch Budweiser Brewery Experience as well. I love a brewery tour and in this case am most excited about seeing the stunning Clydesdales.
