Fountain Outside the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park

In January, after checking in at airports three weeks in a row, Foursquare told me I was “pretty fly.” I can’t help but agree! As an avid traveler, I cherish any opportunity to go out on the road for work or for play. Here are a few highlights from my month bouncing between New York City, St. Petersburg, Florida and Washington, D.C.!

Trip One: New York City – DBGB and Behind the Scenes at TODAY
I kicked off the New Year with a whirlwind New York City trip. Almost immediately after arriving on the Acela and checking into the Hilton Garden Inn Times Square, I was whisked off by two of my favorite city dwellers for a little coffee before dinner at DBGB Kitchen & Bar. Described as, “French brasserie meets American tavern,” I was excited to savor a burger, duck fat french fries, sausages, the most amazing mussels ever and a few veggies for good measure. Hands down the Mussels a la Marocaine were the stars of the show. Over a month later and the dish’s Moroccan spiced broth and tender mussels are still lingering in my mind. The biggest surprise of the night? I actually liked a sausage, The Vermont. One cut down the middle revelazed ooey gooey cheddar cheese and I fell….hard.

DBGB by wonggawei Flickr

After the feast, I took a “nap”, then was up and off to the TODAY Show long before the sun rose. It was incredible to see the studio in person and something I documented on my company’s blog. A few hours later and I was back on the Acela, happy yet exhausted. Trip one = mission accomplished!

Trip Two: St. Petersburg, Florida and New York City Round Two
After a few days in Boston, I found myself at Logan Airport boarding a JetBlue flight to Tampa for another 24-hour business trip. Driving into St. Petersburg is interesting, as the highway is surrounded by water on both sides. After a nice ride in, I was thrilled with the hotel I selected. I didn’t have much free time on this trip and it made such a difference. I cleverly used TripAdvisor to find the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, which had a lake and boardwalk running path behind it. Even though I had to get up super early to go for a jog before my meetings, it was worth it to be running on a boardwalk, above a lake in WARM weather! It’s the little things….

View of the running/walking dock and pool from my room at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park

After meetings and a very successful event, I was back at the Tampa airport and en route to New York City for a little fun, where my favorite city dwellers had an ambitious foodie weekend planned for me. Here are a few of my favorites:

Waking up to homemade waffles

It was a freezing outside, but we did try to get in a little sightseeing at Bryant Park (above) & the NY Public Library

Amazing baklava at Gulluoglu, 982 Second Avenue, NYC

Trip Three: What’s Next DC Social Media Conference in….(you guessed it) Washington, D.C.
Last, but certainly not least, was a trip down to Washington, D.C. to speak at the What’s Next DC social media conference. I was very excited for the opportunity to speak on a panel with (incredibly nice) reps from The Gap and Hilton Worldwide, two companies/brands that I really admire. In addition to learning a lot from The Gap and Hilton Worldwide, I was fascinated to hear Amy Thibodeau, Content Strategist for Facebook, speak. I entered the social media world from the content/community management side and enjoyed hearing how Facebook approaches content. I always think about content strategy from the brand side, not the platform side.

Also inspiring was Sabrina Caluori, VP of Social Media/Marketing for HBO, who spoke about HBO Connect. HBO Connect is a simple, yet very powerful idea, which augments the social fan experience when watching one of their shows. While there are several ways HBO is socializing the fan experience of watching their programs, I was most intrigued by the “conversations” section. HBO is smart to leverage their talent and producers/directors to live tweet an episode, or host a fan Q&A, which is then saved, so other fans can also enjoy the experience if they missed it live.

In addition to a great time at What’s Next DC, I was able to make a rare stop at Le Pain Quotidien, my favorite bakery/cafe, for a quinoa, veggie salad with a large hunk of multigrain bread. They also host super cool events like the picnic I went to last summer in Central Park. I am starting to sound like a broken record when I say, pretty please come to Boston!

All in all, the DC trip was a great finale to a month of travel. And, now that I’ve been home for nearly a month, I’m itching to get back out and on the road again…preferably to London….

Love Is Sweet Cookie Mix

As someone who has hosted a bridal shower, I understand how easy it is to overlook the shower favor. With so many details to stay on top of, who can blame the poor host?

If you’re looking for bridal shower favor inspiration, here’s a sweet idea. While a lot of people may not have time to embark upon a DIY bridal shower favor, I was super impressed with the “Love is Sweet” Cookie Mix my friends cleverly made for a recent shower. You see, the bride-to-be is known for her baked goods, so this was both sentimental and cute. Apparently, the ladies hosting the shower got together one evening and made the favors assembly line style, so it wasn’t too taxing. Once done, they added a cute label on the front, baking instructions on the back and a cute piece of fabric with a ribbon on top.

Simple and sweet, you could easily use this idea for a holiday or hostess gift. Enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of 28 Degrees

Sometimes you don’t find the right birthday party venue, it finds you. Case and point with my 29th birthday celebration last month. I had what I thought was the perfect birthday celebration planned. A nice little soiree at The Beehive. I imagined being surrounded by friends savoring Beehive Juleps, live jazz and good conversation.

The reality? The Beehive is typically all of these things – and then some (do try the mussels for dinner sometime). Unfortunately, on the night of my birthday it was overcrowded with a long line outside on a very chilly night. Add in an unsympathetic door man and frozen friends and you have a not so happy birthday girl.

The solution? 28 Degrees! One phone call to 28 Degrees to confirm that there was no line or wait, and I was whisking my friends down the street. Inside, we found great music, delicious cocktails and plenty of space to command. C’est magnifique! In the end, I got exactly what I had wanted and then some. I couldn’t imagine a better venue to host a birthday party at than 28 Degrees.

The moral of the story? If you’ve got a large group gathering, don’t waste your time on a bar that has the potential to be overcrowded. Look for a venue that’s easy to get into with good music, good drinks and plenty of space to hang. I know I will from now on!

28 Degrees is located at 1 Appleton Street in Boston’s South End. 

Ingredients:

Makes Four-Six Servings

-1 Tbsp canola oil (extra virgin olive oil works too)
-1 Garlic clove, minced (I use a garlic press)

Chop, chop, chop!

-4 Cups diced butternut squash
-1 Cup diced granny smith apple (~1 large apple)
-4 Cups broth (I use low sodium veggie broth)
-1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
-Salt + black pepper to taste

Start by peeling and chopping up your butternut squash, then chop up the granny smith apple. I don’t recommend peeling the apple – don’t waste the nutrients are in the peel!

Add the butternut squash, granny smith apple, canola oil, garlic, cinnamon, salt, pepper and broth into a stock pot or soup pan. Bring the mix to a boil. Once the mix comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 25-30 minutes. You’ll know when the mix is soft enough to puree.

Boil, baby!

Use either an immersion blender or a traditional blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Caution: the soup will be hot, so be careful if you’re transferring into a traditional blender. I recommend using a soup ladel and pureeing in batches. The result is a vibrant orange soup which a thick, creamy consistency. It’s on the sweeter side, but the hint of granny smith apple balances it out.

Warning...It could get messy if you're not careful!

Pour the soup into a bowl, grab a hunk of crusty bread and enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Remember how I said it's healthy?

For some reason this grab came out on the small side, but for four servings, each serving has about 150 calories, 4g of fat and 8g of fiber. Not too shabby for something that’s so delicious!

Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market
If you’re looking for a handmade gourmet treat to bring to a holiday soiree, or a little something special for the foodie in your life (even if that foodie is *you* hehe), this is a great market to visit. On Saturday, December 10, from 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., swing by the Eat Boutique Holiday Local Market at the Made in Fort Point Gallery (12 Farnsworth Street). Entry to the market is free and inside you’ll find more than 15 delightful food makers selling a variety of sweet and savory treats.

In addition to visits from noteworthy cookbook authors Judy Rosenberg, Erin Byers Murray and Béatrice Peltre, I’ve heard that there will be samples, including fresh-shucked oysters from Island Creek Oysters from 12-4pm. There will also be a wrapping station to box and make the local goods you purchase are gift ready, which is a brilliant idea for folks like yours truly who would likely eat said gift. I shouldn’t admit that…

For more information on the market, click here and don’t forget to RSVP to the Eventbrite invite. It’s important to RSVP so there are enough samples!

SoWa Holiday Market
Normally, I groan when there are too many fun things going on at once, but my stunning lack of Christmas presents purchased has me feeling opportunistic with the prospect of market hopping. Enter, the SoWa Holiday Market, which promises to be chock full of local craftspeople and artisans. If you’re looking for something unique, but you’re not quite sure what, this is a great market to pull yourself out of the holiday shopping rut.

The SoWa Holiday Market is on Saturday, December 10 from 11:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. inside the Cathedral High School gym at 74 Union Park Street. The market has a five dollar entry fee, but children under 12 can enjoy free admission. While I’m not crazy about having to pay an entry fee, I think the free gift wrapping at the Yelp booth makes up for it. Apparently Yelp is offering this service gratis in an effort to encourage people to shop local. Way cool, Yelp!

For more information on the SoWa Holiday Market, click here.

Have a great tip to get Bostonians through last-minute holiday shopping? Send it my way!