The other day, a lovely guest came in with some friends for dinner and we got to talking about her 8-year-old grandson who was having a birthday soon, could I recommend some games for her to give him? Absolutely I could! We ended up talking about a lot of different things while she and her friends were here. She was delighted to find the welcoming space of Free Parking in the broader sense and also the specific help in finding a gift for her grandson. We both remarked on not expecting such a lovely connection, calling it serendipitous.

I love that word, serendipity—things lining up in a surprisingly good way, an accidental discovery. When I left my previous job, I wasn’t expecting to have to find something else, yet a friend sent me the hiring info for Free Parking and the librarian position seemed written with me in mind. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, I only mean, I was not looking for this, and suddenly, surprisingly, wonderfully, it fell in my lap.

Sometimes when you go out for a hike in the woods, you end up finding spring ramps or a wild number of edible mushrooms. Or you might meet someone at a bus stop or a museum or a board game bar and make an unexpected connection over something you both care about. Or you might need something and coincidentally the very thing—or person—you need arrives on your doorstep. It’s not magic, it’s not about deserving it or making it happen, it’s just how the world works sometimes.

Sometimes when we play games, another player misses something that gives us a windfall or the flow of turns leads to a hilarious or poignant moment, one we remember for some time. Or maybe it’s just a new game to play that we’d never heard of that turns out to be really fun. I’m aware that I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to board games and connecting them with “real life”—I refer to these emails as my "painfully earnest blog posts”—but I really think games can model for us a way of being curious, of being open to things we don’t expect.

Alice C, board game librarian

Play Gnome Hollow

Have you ever thought about spending the day in the woods foraging for mushrooms but you wanted to be cozy at the same time? Do you like a complex, set-collection and tile-laying game? Do you like beautiful things? Gnome Hollow is for you!

Draft fairy-ring tiles to surround the central tree trunk, send your gnomes out to take actions in the forest, and harvest gorgeous mushrooms to sell at the market. While Gnome Hollow isn’t a short game, it’s a relaxed good time.

Alice C, board game librarian

Try our Mushroom Swiss Smash Burger

The new Mushroom Swiss burger combines our classic Free Parking patty with melted swiss cheese, caramelized onions, sauteed button mushrooms, and cremini mushroom croquettes. It’s smooth, flavorful, and filling, a new twist on an old favorite.

Order one for dinner to fortify you for a game of Gnome Hollow!