West Chester, PA Winter Getaway: The place to Keep, Eat and Discover

West Chester PA: A Borough That Feels Like a Small Metropolis

Someplace between dinner at Limoncello and a late cocktail within the speakeasy beneath our lodge, we realized we had been underestimating West Chester, PA for years.

We’d visited loads of instances earlier than, the way in which lots of people do: lunch at a favourite spot, a day of purchasing, Eclat Chocolate on the way in which out. Good journeys, however surface-level ones. Staying over for 2 nights and three days confirmed us a very totally different model of this place. If you park the automobile on day one and don’t contact it once more till you take a look at, West Chester stops being a day journey and turns into someplace you truly stay in for just a few days. You stroll in every single place. You linger. You discover a speakeasy beneath the lodge on a quiet weeknight and savor each second.

Whereas technically a borough, staying in West Chester looks like a getaway in a captivating, walkable small metropolis. The streets are large and lined with purple brick, the structure spans centuries, and the vitality downtown has a density and confidence you don’t usually discover at this scale.

Historical past is embedded in each block, from carved stone doorways dated 1799 to the courthouse that has anchored the city heart for the reason that 1840s. There are over 65 eating places, bars, and eateries inside straightforward strolling distance, a eating scene that genuinely rivals cities many instances its dimension, and unbiased boutiques, file retailers, a world-class chocolatier, and distinctive finds round practically each nook. When you love discovering weekend getaways from Philadelphia that punch properly above their weight, West Chester belongs close to the highest of your record.

Why Winter Is a Nice Time to Go to

We traveled midweek, which we are likely to favor for the quieter tempo. However West Chester is equally well-suited to a weekend getaway, and the itinerary and proposals on this information work simply as properly both manner.

We got here in February and would select winter once more with out hesitation. The eating places really feel private and unhurried, the heated patios are unexpectedly atmospheric, and the entire downtown settles right into a tempo that makes the whole lot extra fulfilling. That stated, West Chester earns its fame throughout each season. Spring and fall exhibit the historic structure superbly, and summer time brings each out of doors patio absolutely to life. No matter time of yr brings you right here, this information will aid you take advantage of it. It’s also a pure companion to a Southeast Pennsylvania foodie road trip if you wish to make an extended run of it.

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📍 Journey at a Look

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🗺️ Begin Right here: The Chester County Welcome Heart

Earlier than you do anything in West Chester, cease right here. We all know that’s not what anybody expects to listen to a few welcome heart, however this one is genuinely totally different.

The Chester County Welcome Center, tucked contained in the Historic Chester County Courthouse on Market Avenue, is the very best customer heart we’ve ever walked into. The employees treats you want a buddy who simply arrived on the town somewhat than a vacationer to be processed. On a chilly February morning, free scorching cocoa is ready on the counter alongside free snacks together with Herr’s chips and sweet. That alone earns the detour.

What Makes It Definitely worth the Cease

What units this welcome heart aside is how substantively helpful it’s. Step into the immersive map room, the place floor-to-ceiling projections and life-sized location markers put your entire Chester County area at your toes. Browse the bvTV theater room, the place quick video options on native sights play on demand. Discover the augmented actuality room, or sit down on the interactive Brandywine Valley touchscreen desk and begin planning your itinerary. A digital planner takes your pursuits and sends a custom-made plan straight to your cellphone.

The employees can level you to the suitable desk on the proper restaurant, flag what is going on downtown that week, and fill in all of the gaps that no web site ever covers. It’s like having a private concierge proper within the coronary heart of the borough.

Households will discover free exercise kits, toys, and video games for youths as properly. You too can request a free Chester County tourism guide prematurely at brandywinevalley.com to start out planning earlier than you arrive. Plan for at the least 20 minutes on the Welcome Heart itself. You’ll go away higher ready and, on a chilly day, considerably hotter.

💡 Professional Tip: Cease right here earlier than you examine in if timing permits. The itinerary builder and employees suggestions will form the way you spend your first afternoon in the very best manner.

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🏨 The place to Keep: Resort Indigo West Chester

Resort Indigo is without doubt one of the latest locations to remain in West Chester, and its location alone is difficult to beat. The 108-room boutique property from IHG sits proper within the heart of downtown, shut sufficient that after you arrive you’ll be able to overlook about your automobile for the remainder of the journey.

The Foyer and Widespread Areas

The foyer makes a robust first impression. A tiered chandelier hangs above a herringbone ground, surrounded by tufted leather-based seating and gallery partitions layered with native paintings and historic imagery that ties the lodge to the city round it. There’s nonetheless that delicate new-hotel scent within the air, and the entrance desk group was welcoming and environment friendly, checking us in shortly and handing over our parking move so we might head straight to our room.

The Suite

We stayed in a nook king suite that was quiet, properly laid out, and genuinely comfy to spend time in. Regardless that the room is spacious, seating is proscribed to a chair somewhat than a sofa, which is price noting in the event you plan to lounge for prolonged intervals. For us, it labored completely as a spot to calm down and get some work completed within the evenings. The mattress stood out specifically, with a comfortable mattress and delicate linens that made sluggish mornings with espresso particularly fulfilling. We slept extraordinarily properly each nights.

The toilet is smooth and fashionable, completed with Zenology toiletries and a bathe that gives each rainfall and therapeutic massage settings. On a chilly Pennsylvania morning, that element was a lot appreciated.

What to Know Earlier than You Arrive

Just a few sensible notes are useful earlier than you arrive. Hotel Indigo West Chester is deliberately compact, with the foyer, health heart, visitor rooms, and the linked WC Seafood Kitchen together with the Room 109 speakeasy under. The Nook Cafe off the foyer provides grab-and-go breakfast gadgets, pastries, and specialty espresso drinks. Throughout our go to we opted to stroll to Market Avenue Grill as a substitute, which is just a few minutes away and provides a full sit-down breakfast for about the identical value.

Rooms embody a small espresso setup, although ours was stocked for one individual somewhat than two, so we wanted to request additional pods from the entrance desk. Bottled water isn’t offered in visitor rooms and you should purchase it within the foyer, or use the refill station within the health heart in the event you carry a reusable bottle. A Wawa and grocery retailer are additionally a brief drive exterior the borough if it’s essential refill.

Health Heart

The health room is properly geared up with cardio machines and free weights, a handy strategy to offset the additional journey energy.

Room 109 Speakeasy

One of many highlights of the keep sits simply downstairs. Room 109, the lodge’s speakeasy, has an intimate ambiance with a mixture of locals and vacationers, and shortly turned one in every of our favourite spots of the journey. It’s purpose sufficient to remain right here, and there’s extra on it under.

Parking and Location

Parking is dealt with on the Chestnut Avenue Storage subsequent door, the place lodge visitors have devoted spots at a validated fee of $10 per night time with in-and-out privileges by your keep and till 2pm on checkout day. The lodge can be pet-friendly, so no want to go away anybody behind.

The Verdict

We might completely keep right here once more, particularly for an additional food-focused journey exploring extra of West Chester’s eating places and bars with out worrying concerning the drive dwelling.

💡 Arrival Tip: Test in first to get your parking move earlier than heading into the storage. With two folks, it’s best to drop baggage on the entrance entrance whereas one individual checks in, then park after getting the move. A small step that makes arrival noticeably smoother.

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🍽️ The place to Eat and Drink in West Chester

West Chester has over 65 eating places, bars, and eateries packed right into a walkable downtown grid, and the standard is persistently spectacular. This isn’t a scene carried by just a few standouts surrounded by filler. The unbiased eating right here is actual, numerous, and rewards displaying up hungry. Right here is the place we ate and what stood out.

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🦞 WC Seafood Kitchen

WC Seafood Kitchen is hooked up to Resort Indigo, which makes it handy, however the meals earns its personal go to no matter the place you might be staying.

The eating room is anchored by a sweeping wall of blue shelving stacked with books, bottles, and maritime curiosities, together with a classic deep-sea diver’s helmet that catches your eye the second you stroll in. The ambiance is upscale and relaxed in equal measure, precisely the suitable mixture for a seafood restaurant in a historic downtown.

Our server Anne was unbelievable all through the night, and her options steered us towards the suitable dishes at each flip. The room had nice vitality on each visits: busy and buzzing with out ever feeling too crowded or loud. It’s excellent for a date night time.

What We Ordered

The wild-caught Spicy Salmon over Crispy Rice was the standout of the night. It arrived as particular person bites, every one a thick sq. of golden crispy rice topped with spicy salmon, a pop of tobiko, and a tangle of microgreens, with aioli and eel sauce drizzled throughout the plate. The portion was excellent for 2 to share as a starter, and the flavors had been precisely proper: clear, brilliant, a little bit warmth that constructed slowly. The Seared Blackened Ahi Tuna Crisps had been a detailed second. Consider the whole lot you’re keen on a few spicy tuna roll, then add a satisfying crunch from the wonton crisps and a good looking presentation.

The Seared Scallops with mushroom, orecchiette, and garlic cream sauce had been one thing else fully: three massive scallops with a deep amber crust, cooked completely by, sitting on prime of a beneficiant bowl of pasta with mushrooms and crispy shallots. Wealthy, warming, and the suitable selection on a chilly night time.

Dessert was a Bananas Foster served heat in a copper pan with candied pecans and a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the caramel. Simply sufficient for 2, and a robust strategy to shut a very good meal.

After dinner, the speakeasy is one ground under. Positively head there for a nightcap.

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🍸 Room 109 Speakeasy

Take the elevator down from Resort Indigo and also you land someplace that feels fully separate from the world above. Room 109 is a correct speakeasy, and it earns that phrase. The area is rooted within the historical past of the location: the Eagle Resort stood on this precise nook from 1803 to 1900, and the mural painted throughout the again wall of the bar room makes that historical past not possible to overlook. An embossed tin ceiling, uncovered brick partitions, a floor-to-ceiling wood card catalog, and low candlelight pull the entire room collectively into one thing with real character.

What makes it particularly good is how properly it really works for various moods. Pull up a stool on the full bar and watch the bartenders work. Sink right into a velvet couch for an extended, extra relaxed night. Discover a quieter nook at one of many smaller tables towards the again. Heat, intimate, and unhurried in a manner that’s more and more onerous to search out.

We had the Smoked Previous Usual, which arrived in a theatrical column of smoke and tasted each bit nearly as good because it appeared, and the seasonal Crimson Flag, made with blanco tequila, strawberry-infused Aperol, lemon, agave, and prosecco. Each had been glorious. The bartenders listed below are doing work they clearly take critically.

Even if you’re not staying on the lodge, find time for this one. It is without doubt one of the most memorable spots in your entire borough.

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🍋 Limoncello Ristorante

This was our greatest meal of the journey, and we’re nonetheless speaking about it.

After we arrived at Limoncello, we didn’t anticipate a secret hall. You flip off Walnut Avenue and end up inside a slender brick passageway, tall partitions on either side draped in Spanish moss and climbing ivy, two stacked lanterns hanging from the arch above, fairy lights operating the total size as much as the doorway. It looks like a hidden backyard passage, and by the point you step by into the patio, you might be already someplace particular.

The eating space itself is absolutely enclosed and heated, with marble-top tables, a twig-and-candle chandelier overhead, a stay flame heaters across the room, and a whole wall glowing with fairy lights and planters on the suitable aspect. On a chilly February night time it was genuinely heat and comfortable, no jacket required. There’s an indoor eating room, bar, and occasion area too. But when the patio is on the market, positively go for it.

Our server Sol was heat and enthusiastic all night, guiding us confidently towards dishes she clearly cherished. The arancini had been fried to an ideal crisp, wealthy and melty inside, with a brilliant marinara alongside. The lobster bisque was deeply flavored and loaded with actual chunks of lobster all through. The Ricotta Board with honey and heat focaccia is a large portion with a delightfully rustic presentation. For mains, the Hen Limoncello delivered on each entrance: egg-dipped rooster over asparagus with lump crab in a lemon wine cream sauce over spaghetti.

⚠️ Reserve Effectively in Advance: This place fills up, and it deserves the trouble. E-book earlier than you permit dwelling.

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🍺 Sedona Taphouse

Sedona Taphouse is the sort of place that works on virtually any event: an off-the-cuff lunch, an early dinner, or a protracted afternoon with over 200 beers on faucet and no explicit purpose to rush. The room is heat and ethereal, the meals shows are sharp, and the kitchen places significantly extra thought into the menu than a taphouse is anticipated to.

Price realizing: Sedona has donated practically $1 million to native charities by their ongoing Dine Out for Charity program, which runs each Monday with a portion of proceeds going to a rotating native trigger.

The Desert Hearth Jalapenos, bacon-wrapped and full of 4 cheeses, arrived with a calming cilantro-lime sauce and simply sufficient warmth to remain attention-grabbing all through. The New England Clam Chowder, thick with clams and potatoes and completed with crispy bacon, was notably good. The Gorgonzola Chopped Salad with Steak got here with grilled steak cooked and sliced precisely proper, laid over a vibrant, well-dressed salad that felt indulgent and light-weight on the identical time. The Prime Rib Sandwich, with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, fontina, and horseradish sauce on a toasted Cuban roll, is one thing we’d order repeatedly.

The Salted Caramel Cheesecake arrived as a beneficiant, superbly plated slice. Wealthy, clean, and sufficient for 3 folks to share.

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🍳 Market Avenue Grill

Market Street Grill is the place West Chester eats breakfast, and after a morning right here we fully perceive why.

Half traditional diner with purple vinyl cubicles and a counter, half rotating artwork gallery with unique work masking each wall and out there for buy, it has a character that’s fully its personal.

The Nook Cafe at Resort Indigo is grab-and-go and advantageous for what it’s. However the three-minute stroll to Market Avenue is the suitable name each morning you’re right here. The espresso was the very best we had anyplace in West Chester. The service is pleasant and unhurried. The parts are the sort that carry you thru a full day of strolling without having to consider lunch for a number of hours.

The hashbrowns are the explanation folks come again. Crispy, golden, and seasoned good, they arrive with most plates and genuinely earn their fame. We ordered two eggs over straightforward alongside, and the entire plate, eggs, hashbrowns, and crispy bacon, was precisely the sort of breakfast that units a day up proper. The Bruno plate, with scorching honey rooster, two eggs, hashbrowns, cheddar, and sausage gravy, is a full morning in a single bowl. If you’d like one thing lighter, the yogurt parfait with seasonal fruit and home made granola is contemporary and light-weight. Both manner, begin your mornings right here. You’ll not remorse it.

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🥙 La Tartine

La Tartine was a spontaneous cease that was one of many highlights of the journey. We noticed crepes and shawarma on the menu by the window and rotated mid-stride. Price each step again.

This informal cafe attracts on Lebanese and Mediterranean roots and commits absolutely to creating the whole lot contemporary and to order. The menu covers falafel, crepes, paninis, salads, wraps, and glorious espresso, juices, and smoothies. The employees is heat and the vitality within the area is simple and welcoming. It could get busy throughout peak lunch hours, so be affected person when it does. The meals justifies the wait each time.

The Beef Shawarma Wrap, with naturally raised beef in shawarma spices, pita, tomato, onion, and tahini, is filled with taste and satisfying sufficient for a correct mid-afternoon cease. Order a aspect of the home made scorching sauce and apply it to the whole lot. It’s that good. The Ham and Cheese Crepe was easy and made with actual care, precisely what you need from a spot like this. Quick, contemporary, inexpensive, and private in all the suitable methods.

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🏛️ Historical past and Tradition: Chester County Historical past Heart

Historical past museums are usually not all the time our first intuition on a getaway. We walked into the Chester County History Center anticipating to offer it 45 minutes. We stayed practically two hours and left wanting to return again.

The distinction was our information. Ellen Endslow, the museum’s curator, led our tour with a depth of data and a stage of enthusiasm that was contagious. She loves this assortment and this materials, and it reveals in each room she walks you thru.

The gathering spans greater than 70,000 objects masking over 300 years of Chester County historical past: furnishings, instruments, quilts, style, pottery, manuscripts, and images. The rotating reveals draw from an in depth analysis library with supplies relationship again to the 1600s.

The exhibits transfer from early colonial life by the Civil Warfare period, the economic age, and into the twentieth century, all of it curated with clear intention and evident care. The reward store carries a choice of books, craft kits, and regionally made gadgets. Browse it in your manner out. In addition they supply private walking tours the place you’ll be able to discover totally different themes and matters round West Chester.

Plan for at the least 90 minutes, and e book a guided tour somewhat than going by by yourself. The expertise is considerably richer with somebody like Ellen main the way in which. If exploring Pennsylvania’s history and small towns is your factor, this area delivers at each flip.

💡 Professional Tip: E-book prematurely. Stroll-in availability could be restricted, and a guided tour is the model of this go to that truly stays with you.

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🛍️ Issues to Do in West Chester: Buying, Chocolate, and Extra

In the case of issues to do in West Chester, PA, you’ll discover one of many strongest unbiased purchasing scenes within the Mid-Atlantic. Boutiques, galleries, reward retailers, and specialty shops line practically each block of the downtown grid, with one thing genuinely price discovering for each style: style and classic, dwelling items and unique artwork, information and uncommon chocolate, handmade jewellery and regionally crafted skincare. The 5 retailers under had been our standouts from this go to, however you possibly can spend a full afternoon wandering and turning up one thing new on each block. That sort of discovery is half the pleasure of being right here. It’s an analogous vitality to what you discover at Peddlers Village, simply with a extra city, walkable downtown really feel.

🍫 Eclat Chocolate

Bon Appetit referred to as Eclat “the very best chocolate in America”, and thirty seconds inside, you begin to imagine it.

Proprietor and Grasp Chocolatier Christopher Curtin educated with Europe’s premier guild of pastry cooks in France earlier than turning into the primary American ever awarded the consideration of German Pastry Chef and Chocolatier in Cologne. He then spent years learning with main chocolate makers throughout Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, and Japan earlier than opening a small store on South Excessive Avenue in West Chester.

On a winter go to, complimentary scorching cocoa samples could also be ready on the counter. Settle for with out hesitation. The Fallingwater Bars, impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural landmark in western Pennsylvania, are a good looking reward. The complete vary at Eclat Chocolate consists of signature assortments, spiced and fruit-infused bars, caramels, and vegan choices. Give your self extra time right here than you assume you want.

🌿 Pine and Quill

Pine and Quill is a one-minute stroll from Resort Indigo and a store price constructing time round. This women-owned dwelling items and reward vacation spot carries a considerate mixture of distinctive fashionable and vintage-inspired gadgets: unique paintings, handmade jewellery, terrariums, books, dwelling decor, and one-of-a-kind finds you merely is not going to come throughout elsewhere. Proprietor Dianna has a robust eye, and the store all the time feels present and punctiliously curated.

In addition they carry furnishings and wallpaper from Thibaut and Anna French if you’re searching for one thing bigger. Month-to-month workshops and pop-up occasions add an interactive factor. Test their calendar earlier than your journey.

👗 Malena’s Classic Boutique

Malena’s is what a classic retailer appears to be like like when somebody with actual experience has edited it all the way down to solely what’s price your time. A West Chester fixture since 2003, the store has earned Better of Philly from Philadelphia Journal and Better of the Mainline from Mainline At the moment, and each make full sense the second you stroll by the door.

The gathering spans ladies’s classic style, jewellery, and equipment from the 1870s by the Nineteen Seventies, organized by shade throughout well-maintained racks that make looking a pleasure. Whether or not you might be looking for a structured coat, a beaded robe, or one thing with fringe and character, the employees will information you straight to it. The sort of classic retailer you look forward to finding in a serious metropolis, positioned on a road in a small Pennsylvania borough.

✨ Kaly Store

Kaly is the store the place you go in for one factor and are available out carrying three. Handmade jewellery, clothes, skincare, candles, dwelling decor, and equipment, operating the vary from genuinely sentimental to gadgets that may make somebody snort out loud. The employees is welcoming and the vitality is relaxed. A dependable cease in the event you nonetheless want one thing to carry dwelling.

🎵 Hop Constancy

Hop Fidelity is a file retailer and nano brewery that takes each halves of that description critically. The vinyl choice runs from traditional rock and punk by jazz and soul, with new releases alongside classic finds throughout well-maintained bins. The brewery produces small-batch beers on faucet on the bar, alongside cans, wine, and non-alcoholic choices for everybody on the desk.

Plan for thirty-minutes and finances for an hour. The employees is aware of their stock, the ambiance is enjoyable, and a chilly beer whereas flipping by information on a quiet weekday afternoon makes it straightforward to lose observe of time.

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🍷 Wine and Small Bites: Turks Head Wines

Turks Head Wines is a California vineyard with a Pennsylvania tasting room, sourcing, producing, and bottling all of its wines in Napa earlier than pouring them right here within the coronary heart of West Chester.

The tasting room occupies a hovering industrial constructing with a glass skylight ceiling, uncovered timber trusses, and oak barrels lining the higher balcony. On the heart of the bottom ground, a life-sized indoor tree anchors the area in a manner that earns a real pause if you stroll in. A protracted marble bar runs the size of the decrease stage, and past it, a number of seating areas with their very own distinct moods provide you with choices relying on the way you need to spend the time.

An important spot for a wine tasting and a few bites, the meals menu is small and centered, constructed to enrich somewhat than compete with what’s within the glass. Whether or not you compromise in for a tasting flight, a glass by the hearth lounge, or a bottle shared over a protracted dialog, Turks Head earns its place in any West Chester weekend. There’s additionally a bottle store on website for taking one thing dwelling.

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🌿 A Quick Drive Away: Longwood Gardens and 1906 Restaurant

No information to this nook of Chester County could be full with out mentioning Longwood Gardens, one of many world’s nice horticultural locations and only a 20-minute drive from West Chester.

For a really particular night, plan dinner at 1906, the advantageous eating restaurant positioned inside the Conservatory District and named for the yr Pierre S. du Pont bought the property. Reopened in fall 2024 as a part of Longwood’s $250 million reimagining mission, 1906 is the sort of dinner that stays with you. The eating room sits behind signature arched home windows overlooking the snow-dusted gardens, with mid-century fashionable furnishings, pink orchid centerpieces, and repair that matches the environment. The menu modifications with the seasons and the kitchen plates the whole lot prefer it belongs on this explicit room. The cocktail program is equally thought-about, and desserts listed below are genuinely extraordinary: whimsical, technically achieved, and price ordering even if you assume you don’t have any room left. We’ve a full 1906 at Longwood Gardens review with the whole lot it’s essential plan the dinner.

One sensible notice: reaching 1906 requires a five-minute stroll by the out of doors gardens, so costume for the climate. Backyard admission is required to dine right here, however the conservatories are included, making the total go to very a lot price constructing a night round.

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🗓️ Fast 3-Day Itinerary

Right here is how we might construction three days in West Chester to cowl the highlights with out feeling pressed. We traveled midweek and located the quieter tempo, attentive service, and decrease charges made the journey even higher. The identical itinerary works equally properly over a weekend.

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💡 Sensible Ideas for Your Go to

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❓ Regularly Requested Questions

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Planning a visit or have one thing so as to add from your personal go to? Depart a notice within the feedback. And if this information helped you place collectively a fantastic weekend, share it with somebody who has been in search of a purpose to go.