Staycation

David and I have been so rushed and busy lately, that we decided to plan a staycation for a weekend before the holiday mayhem started (we also held our party pre-holiday, so we can relax and enjoy the season. In addition, I decided not to have Christmas surgery this year, so that should free our calendar up a little, har har).
David surprised me with a weekend downtown at the Windsor Court. They were offered a "rest and relaxation package" including a nice suite, spa credit, breakfast, and champagne.
We started the weekend with a Pelicans game. David former boss has a suite, and he invited us - which is obviously the best way to watch the game. It was also nice that they actually won, and against the Spurs, too! None of my teams have been good this year, and this was only their second win of the season, so it was a pleasant surprise. Then we walked about half a mile to our hotel. Saturday we didn't plan a lot: the idea was rest,  after all! Our suite had a lovely dining area overlooking the river, so we had breakfast in our room and read the paper (lots of election coverage: Saturday was the run-off for the governor's race, but we'd planned ahead and voted early to avoid having to head back uptown to vote Saturday). Then I went to the gym to see what cool machines they had (nothing too unusual; I ended up lifting weights) while David swam in the heated outdoor pool. After that, it was spa time. I selfishly declared I was using all the spa credit on myself, and David could just deal, but luckily that was his plan anyway, so I had booked a crazy luxurious HOUR AND 20 MINUTE deep tissue massage.
Best hour and twenty minutes of my life! I could not believe the state my muscles were in. My back was just a network of lumps and knots, but my massage therapist got to them all. One thing she did that was super effective for large, hard knots was to have me lay on my back, and then she'd place her pointed hand under me on the knot. My body weight would drive my back into her hand, breaking up some of the tightest spots. I was also thrilled to have her work on my hamstring, which is still really, really tight and sticky. By the time I got off the table I couldn't really walk normally, I was so loose and limber!
For lunch, we walked to a Vietnamese place we've been wanting to try (Nine Roses), but haven't because it's in the quarter. Then we went to M.S. Rau: it's always practically a museum in there, but this weekend they also had an actual exhibit of Saturday Evening Post covers. It was so neat: they had the covers with commentary, but they also had the original artwork or sketches on display, too. After a short walk through the quarter, we had some afternoon decaf before heading to the Windsor Court's Polo Club Lounge for live music and our complimentary champagne. Then we had late reservations at Peche, a seafood restaurant everyone has been raving about, but that we hadn't tried. I have mixed feelings about the place: the service was great, and the food was prepared excellently, but I would go back with maybe another couple. We wanted to get their specialty, the whole roast fish, but it was far, far too much food for two people. Even with no other food (no sides, no bread, no dessert, no appetizers, no salad) we had too much fish! That meant that, well, we just ate roast fish and nothing else for dinner and were still stuffed. I'd rather share it with more people and also try some vegetables or starches with it to break up the monotony of just fish very Paleo compliant, though).
We wrapped up the night with wine on our balcony, and in the morning headed straight to church (but not before coffee watching the sunrise over the river and a cruise ship come in and dock - great view).
It is a little wasteful to do the whole hotel-in-your-own-town thing, but the understated elegance of the Windsor Court just charms me (it's the little things, like giving you umbrellas to borrow as you walk out if it looks like rain, or the maids leaving cards on your pillow with the next day's weather written on them). Plus, if I try to do a staycation at my own house, I just end up working around the house. The idea this weekend was to relax and really enjoy each other's company - we brought some books, but made a no screens rule - and that's something I need to get away to do correctly. I returned feeling about a decade younger. We needed that break!