Lisbon: #TBT LXFactory

HEY GUYS, YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?

IT'S COMPLETE AND UTTER BULLSHIT. AND NO, MY CAPS LOCK ISN'T LEFT ON BY ACCIDENT.

Really, I thought this winter was supposed to be a break for the East Coast. We put up with that polar vortex shit for the last two years straight, so when we didn't have any snow in November and had close to 70-degree weather in December, I relaxed a little. I let my guard down. Sure, El Niño was flooding the shit out of other parts of the country, but if I tried hard enough, I could imagine I was actually in the southern hemisphere and we were just having a really mild SUMMER.

But no. It's here. In fact, as I write this (Wednesday night), it is snowing already and it's cold enough to stick. And now there is an impending blizzard ahead. El Niño, you have failed me. YOU ARE FUCKING DEAD TO ME.

So Jen came up with this great idea to throw back today to warmer, happier days -- namely, a day spent in Lisbon, where I wore a lightweight jacket and wasn't forced to eschew iced coffee for hot coffee by necessity.

One afternoon, Jen and I visited the LXFactory in Lisbon. It's not actually a "factory," per se, but instead it's an old manufacturing district taken over by artists, designers, and foodies. (Heaven, amirite?) It's off the tourist-beaten path, but probably one of my favorite things we did in Lisbon. Among the artist's studios are their shops, great little cafes and restaurants, and possibly the coolest bookstore I've ever been to, called Ler Devagar, which has bomb-ass art all its own and when we were there, live music (covers of American music, in fact, by some very talented preteens...I didn't understand it, but you know...mad respect, ladies).

It's awesome to just walk around -- the buildings are covered in quirky, subversive, and witty graffiti. The shopping is clutch; I came away with a number of gifts (some were even for other people). And Jen and I had a great time just chilling at a table outside a coffee shop, eating cookies and sipping some tea.

Take a look around!

-Staci