Welcome to "Evening Out"

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Courtney Hoppe will be exploring New Hampshire's evening scene throughout the year. See below for how you can send her your suggestions.

Be Heard!

Courtney would really like to hear what you have to say! You can help her by sharing your favorite places to spend an evening out. You can visit her on Facebook or at her website.

You may have noticed a few subtle changes in this issue of New Hampshire Magazine - a cleaner font here, a layout adjustment there. One of the not-so-subtle changes is the addition of this column, "Evening Out." I will be visiting a variety of cities/towns in New Hampshire with the intent of experiencing a memorable evening that you can re-create, whether on a "date night" or out with some of your girl or guy friends.

Although not born here, I grew up, for the most part, in N.H., but spent the bulk of my formative years in New York. As a personality and producer in the radio and television industry, I was constantly out and about, and the lifestyle that came with this career exposed me to many foods, beverages, events and activities that I might not have experienced otherwise - in a very condensed amount of time. In 2005, I decided to make a quality of life change and have been rediscovering N.H. with a pair of eyes - and palate! - that can now appreciate what our great state has to offer.

One of the philosophies I learned in New York, and will apply to researching this column, was to approach planning an evening as creating an experience. Sure, I will venture out in the more populous regions of our state where one might assume this is easier to do, but I also plan to visit a couple "remote" locations. No matter the city or town, I believe there is a memorable evening to be had thanks to all of the amazing individuals who choose to set up shop and continue to contribute to N.H.'s accessible sophistication. They own and/or operate amazing restaurants, theatres, art studios, live music venues, bars and what have you.

But I need your help to craft my evenings! I plan to start with a night in Nashua next month and I'll be visiting the following locations throughout 2012: Keene, Manchester, Plymouth, Berlin, Concord, Peterborough, Londonderry, Portsmouth, Newport and Milford. Do you know of a great restaurant I should try? A bar to grab a drink? A café to have dessert? A bingo hall? An independent movie house? A laundromat with live music? Whether you're the owner, a regular or visited once while passing through, tell me about it!

You can either comment on the wall of my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/courtneyhoppe) or contact me via my website (courtneyhoppe.com). You can also "like" my Facebook page to follow along as I research these pieces.

I look forward to sharing my evenings with you!

Love & Cocktails, Courtney