Papagayo Restaurant 246 King Street West
The Baltimore House 43 King William Street

Arriba! To celebrate I Heart Hamilton Tour’s first anniversary, we ventured back to where it all began – a Mexican feast at Papagayo. Last spring, the restaurant is where we came together and discussed what we would do with our summer, and decided to be tourists in our own city.

We knew that returning to have a fiesta at the colourful Papagayo would be a fitting way to celebrate. We even busted out our chili pepper necklaces for the occasion.

To our surprise, we were treated to a pitcher of sangria from my new friend Mark Furukawa – Dr. Disc, himself! And what would a fiesta be without the fruity, red wine concoction. Our meals were delicious and filling; I seem to always choose the meal off the menu with the biggest portion!

As usual, I couldn’t help but marvel at the decor – beaded curtains, tapestries, lights, bright yellow walls, a parrot designed in tiles on the floor, and everywhere you look there are eye-catching knick-knacks. The place is bright and colourful, yet still feels cozy and intimate. This night felt even more so as we were the only ones in the dining room.

After dinner we drove over to The Baltimore House for a night of rockabilly. The Greasemarks were ready to swing it out in the gothic Parlour and it was a fun setting to see them play in.

It was a nice, low-key night and fun to catch up. This was the first night in months that we got to all be together to have a night out in our hometown.

I can’t wait for year two – cheers, Hamilton!

– Kristin

kristin
ihearthamiltontour@gmail.com
Kristin Archer is the creator of I Heart Hamilton (www.ihearthamilton.ca), where she has blogged about experiences around her hometown since 2011, growing a social media presence along the way. Encouraging locals to “be a tourist in your own city,” she promotes arts and culture across her various social media platforms, blog, and weekly radio show on 93.3 CFMU.

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