Category Archives: boston

October 14, 2013 · 9:11 am

Lola’s Cocktail ‘Pink Love Affair’ for Breast Cancer Awareness

No one is EVER shocked when I tell them I have an obsession with the color PINK. It’s a FUN color and definitely my signature (among other things) hellllooo boa?!

Anyway, given that I’m a girl and somewhat an ambassador for the color pink, I felt it was very fitting to dedicate October to Breast Cancer Awareness on Lola’s Travels. I had already started #PinkMonday on Facebook because, you know, most people dread Mondays and pink makes me happy. So, in the month of October, for every like on my #PinkMonday posts on Facebook, I will be donating a $1.00 to Breast Cancer Awareness & Research. Including today, 3 more Monday’s to go folks!

This #PinkMonday I also wanted to showcase a yummy PINK cocktail made just for moi and in honor of my #PinkMonday October Facebook posts. After the color pink, cocktails might be my next favorite thing! I got to name my drink and thought ‘Pink Love Affair’ was an appropriate name since I do have a huge love of pink.

BUT, I’ll be honest, although I wanted a pink drink, I don’t love sweet cocktails so this was a big challenge. I love this delicious drink because it was fresh & fruity but not too sugary. AND luckily for you, here’s the scoop on how to make ‘Pink Love Affair’. Go on and toast to all the lovers of pink and ladies in your life!

PINK LOVE AFFAIR

Ingredients:

3 oz house infused cranberry vodka
1/2 oz Cointreau
Splash of simple syrup
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon
Touch of cream
3 strawberries & 3 raspberries

Method:

Place 3 raspberries and 2 sliced strawberries in the base of a mixer & muddle.
Build remaining ingredients over ice.
Shake vigorously and pour with strainer into a martini glass.
Garnish with remaining strawberry.

Now I should sing the praises of the creators of my special cocktail. A fine bartender, Mike Dillon, over at The Wild Horse made it up for me. The Wild Horse, newly renovated and reopened under new ownership, is a delicious and fun restaurant and bar in Lola’s neck of the woods – the North Shore, 30 minutes outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

I’ve always been a fan of this establishment but love it even more now that it’s been revived by the new owners. They serve locally sourced fare wherever possible BUT, no surprise, I’m a huge fan of the house infused spirits! Same idea, made with farm fresh sourced ingredients, some of the current offerings are Pumpkin Puree Vodka, Cinnamon Vanilla Bourbon and my personal favorite for my dirty martinis – Jalapeño & Habanero Pepper Vodka for what they call ‘Hot & Dirty’. MMMMMM LOVE!

I truly appreciate The Wild Horse creating a special drink for Lola for my month of celebrating PINK. Consider liking my #PinkMonday Facebook posts during October…I’m glad to donate to Breast Cancer Awareness & Research since breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, behind skin cancers, and about 1 in 8 women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime.

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2013 are:

About 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
About 64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
About 39,620 women will die from breast cancer

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman’s death is about 1 in 36 (about 3%). Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1989, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.

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Tagged as breast cancer awareness, pink cocktails, pink love affair, pink monday, the wild horse in beverly

August 19, 2013 · 7:10 am

One Day Stay: Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is one of the oldest and, in my opinion, most charming cities in the United States and I’m proud to call it HOME. A perfect ‘One Day Stay’ for many East Coasters, Boston is a short drive or train ride and well worth the trip. Pretty in all seasons, Summer and Fall are my personal favorites. Who wouldn’t love watching all the boats on the Charles River or out in the harbor? OR how about viewing the colorful Fall foliage? It is always fun to spend a night in town discovering new hot spots and reminiscing old haunts. I’d say, make Boston your stopover even if you are coming from elsewhere to tour some of The States. It is a great bouncing off point – no wonder it’s nicknamed ‘The Hub of the Universe’!

DROP YOUR BAG

Opened in 1985 in the heart of Back Bay, Four Seasons Boston is an institution of luxury in Beantown. Being a local to Boston, Four Seasons Boston is THE PLACE you think of for a cozy, after dinner drink or Sunday brunch at their Bristol Lounge. Staying as a guest is just a major added bonus! Four Seasons Boston has 196 rooms and 77 suites – all decorated in a contemporary style with touches of New England details. Perfect for the business or leisure traveler alike, recent updates include guest bathrooms as well as the ballroom & meeting spaces. Of course, it wouldn’t be Four Seasons without a FAB spa and fully equipped fitness facility. Completely LOLA APPROVED! I especially enjoyed the welcoming staff. Ron may be the very best doorman I’ve ever encountered.

DO

Stroll through the Boston Public Garden and take in what has gone virtually unchanged since the Garden’s inception. Said to be the “oldest” botanical garden in United States, the Boston Public Garden is one of my all time favorite places, in ANY season, to take a deep breath and enjoy the beautiful nature all around. You will find there the pretty Lagoon, old school foot-peddled Swan Boats, gorgeous fauna and more. Children of all ages love the duckling statues of Make Way for Ducklings fame.

DRINK

Enjoy a drink along the waterfront. After all, Boston is the capital of the “Bay State”. There are many places to go and have a seaside cocktail but to me the best places are in the recently developed Seaport area. Specifically, Legal Seafood Harborside Roof Deck. Holy WOW! This isn’t how I kicked off my evening. No, I stopped by on a sunny Saturday afternoon and, OH BOY, was this place jumping. I cannot even imagine what the scene must be like after dark. With a scaled-down food menu but a generous drink menu, one could be there for hours sampling the variety of specialty cocktails Legal Seafood offers. Lola tried the Raspberry Fix and it was delish on a warm summer day!

DINE

Eat at Bistro du Midi, named the ‘Best French restaurant in Boston’ by the Boston Globe and it is easy to see why. The dashing staff and talented Chef gave a warm welcome plus a little amuse-bouche. I followed up that tasty treat with a marinated beet salad sprinkled with Vermont goat cheese and then had the pasta with duck & port bolognese paired with apples and French feta for my main course. Even though French inspired seafood is somewhat Bistro du Midi’s specialty, I can attest that my meal was DIVINE. At dessert time little cookies were gifted. My favorite part of the meal, however, may have been the wine! Unique to Bistro du Midi is serving Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge 2011 from a gigantic bottle. I confess, it kinda won me over instantly.

PS – Another one of my favorite ‘DO‘ activities in Boston is walking the Freedom Trail. It would be criminal not to suggest the 2.5-mile red-brick trail that’s easily navigable and takes you past 16 nationally significant historic sites. Just follow the red-painted line from the Visitor Information Center in the Boston Common to see sights such as important cemeteries, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, the Old North Church and the Old South Meeting Hall, where patriots planned the Boston Tea Party. Markers along the trail tell the story of the American Revolution and our nation’s early years. OH and by the way, the Freedom Trail is FREE!

A big THANK YOU to Four Seasons Boston for hosting my stay. As a local, I’m also a regular visitor to Four Seasons Boston and so I totally ‘Lola Approve’ it. The views here are mine!

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Filed under boston, massachusetts, one day stay, swanky luxe stays, travel

Tagged as Bistro du Midi, Boston Public Garden, Four Seasons Boston, four seasons hotels, Legal Seafood Harborside, luxury hotels in Boston

July 29, 2013 · 7:05 am

#BarbieIsMoving – a traveling world of PINK

YES, it’s true, Lola is a travelista who has an affinity for the color pink. Well, this summer, one of my favorite icons and fellow lover of all that’s PINK, Barbie, has been on tour – traveling throughout North America. I was invited to experience VIP access when the tour came through Boston and, let me tell you, it was a treat. I think it’s no real surprise that Lola has a big imagination and it was fun to go down memory lane with the #1 doll property in the USA.

The #BarbieIsMoving tour was super well-organized and the staff was so friendly & patient. Every person/family registered at the beginning of the experience and received gift bags to place all the Barbie giveaways into, including a brand spanking new awesome Barbie doll. I LOVE my new Barbie tote bag…it’s PINK!

There were three main attractions. A fashion design area for little couture creators. A dress up & strut on the catwalk for little divas. And a Barbie branded Mega Bloks area for little architects and builders.

I started my Barbie experience with the fashion show & runway photo op. They offer lots of tutus for girls of all sizes (and ages) and what else BUT feather boas!! I, of course, travel with my own feather boa but, as you can see, Barbie and I have the same FUN taste!! The staff helps you get dolled up and then you get to practice walking the runway before they snap your official photo and either email or text it to you. SO FUN!

Next, I decided to try out my talent as a fashion designer and make my Lil Lola a new dress. This was especially fun for me. When I was a young girl they had this thing called ‘fashion plates’ where you could switch around the parts of the outfits and trace the outlines onto paper and then color the outfits in. Well, this experience was the same idea but on a real doll dress & you were able to color them in with fabric safe markers. I opted to go with a simple design that I could decorate with a Union Jack since Lil Lola and I were headed to the UK the next day. It was great to sit amongst kids (both boys and girls) making outfits. I got some good design tips for some of those lads & lasses.

Finally, I headed over the Mega Bloks area to checkout that experience. Every person is given a starter floor & wall to build a room to add to the BIG Mega Bloks dreamhouse. There was a large building area with more bloks to add to your starter room. I knew I was in building heaven when the staff pointed out that some of the bloks are even glittery. YES…next to PINK, glitter is my next favorite color. 😉 Once you add your room to the dreamhouse, you get your own little box of Barbie Mega Bloks to take home.

Now, I know you know that I think Barbie is a great doll. BUT, did you know how savvy of a business her brand is?! Created in 1959, Barbie has had over 130 inspirational careers. She is a global doll and has represented more than 40 nationalities. A Barbie doll is sold every three seconds somewhere in the world. 90% of girls aged 3-10 own at least one Barbie doll. She’s had more than 1 billion fashions produced. Barbie has more than 7 million Facebook likes which makes her the largest Facebook fan page of any doll! AND she is the #1 worldwide property in the traditional toy industry. I’m sorry, but she is NOT a dumb blonde doll at all. Quite the contrary!!

If you’d like to experience the FREE and completely PINK-TASTIC #BarbieIsMoving tour the remaining dates are:

Friday, August 2nd in Vancouver, British Columbia
Friday, August 9th in Tacoma, Washington
Friday, August 16th in Santa Rosa, California
Friday, August 23rd in Glendale, Arizona
Friday, August 30th in Mission Viejo, California

AND if that’s not enough Barbie for you, she has a life-size DreamHouse Experience in Florida. Plus, you can hit the high seas on The Barbie Premium Experience with Royal Caribbean International.

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Tagged as Barbie Is Moving Tour, Boston

July 2, 2013 · 6:03 pm

Lil Lola enters Barbie’s World in real life

you may not know, you may not even care that Barbie, Lil Lola’s sister from another mister, is on a cross-country road trip of the United States in search of a new home and about to blow through Beantown.

you probably do know that LOLA (me) enjoys taking Lil Lola to places around the world. she is not a doll that can sit still for long. in fact, you might recall that Lil Lola actually traded in her dream house and downsized to a vacay cabana property last year so she could be more mobile. clearly, her pal Barbie caught on to the idea and decided she didn’t have to reside in Malibu for the rest of her life – smart gals!!

well, it was recently brought to my attention that the Barbie Road Trip is stopping through Boston and you know that Lil Lola and i couldn’t resist the opportunity to check this event out. what we expect to do at the “Barbie® Is Moving” experience is:

Walk the runway in a glam fashion show and get tips from professional stylists before a fab photo opportunity
Build our own Mega Bloks® Barbie™ room to take home
Create our very own Barbie® fashions

yes, we’re aware that we will most likely be the OLDEST people there actually doing these activities. GUESS WHAT…we don’t care! after all, Lil Lola and i know you only live once and we might not have this chance again.

i mean, c’mon, Barbie is really a chick after our own hearts. let us count the ways…

favorite color – HOT PINK!

car choice – PINK convertible

love of fashion & believes she can BE ANYTHING she sets her mind to – we agree

one of her fave sayings – “keep calm and think pink” TRES BON

heck, the doll even uses the phrase ‘Barbie Approved’ – say whaaaa?!? hello ‘LOLA APPROVED‘!!

Lola Barbie & her real life Ken!!

So, after i tweeted @Barbie yesterday, Lil Lola & i were invited to be VIP Bloggers for the Boston event being held tomorrow at Boston Harborfest, 1 City Hall Square, Boston. can you believe?! VIP!! we knew it was our destiny!

if you want to get on the Barbie is Moving Tour fun – join us tomorrow or at these other Massachusetts locations on Saturday & Sunday.

July 6 – Toys “R” Us, 1190 S. Washington Street, North Attleboro, MA

July 7 – Toys “R” Us, 105 Campanelli Industrial Drive, Brockton, MA

you can follow Barbie on her tour with the hashtag #BarbieIsMoving. she’s a very social gal so you may be interested in her Facebook page (7.8 million fans) and Instagram feed (70K followers) too!

stay tuned to see what Lil Lola & i have to say about the Barbie is Moving Tour.

until then…PINK DREAMS!

XO – Lola & Lil Lola

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June 11, 2013 · 11:06 am

kickin’ off summertime with seaside mini-escapes!

summertime – my favorite time of year

WHY? well, in the Northern Hemisphere it is when things warm up and the sun shines the most. i’m a sunshine girl all the way and am happiest when by a pool or the ocean. so, nothing pleases me more than to return to some of my favorite summertime spots to kick off the season. it’s time for me to get footloose and fancy free because we’re knocking on summer’s door.

this week i’m excited to be heading back up to Kennebunkport, Maine. i’ve been invited to come check out the stunning Nonantum Resort. with a history in Kennebunkport since 1883, Nonantum Resort is close to the shops, galleries and restaurants of Dock Square as well as some of the most pristine beaches on the East Coast. i’m super excited AND it just so happens they are having a little fete the evening i’m there. Nonantum Resort is opening their new waterfront restaurant. did someone say waterfront? um, yes please! 95 Ocean has been highlighted on The TV Diner and received the show’s “Platinum Plate Award.” some specials highlight Maine’s local farm produce as well as fresh herbs from The Nonantum’s garden and local seafood. sign. me. up!

THEN, over the weekend, my dear friend Mrs. O Around the World is coming to visit and we plan to have a fun overnight in Boston, sampling the best that Beantown can offer in 24 hours. it’s been 7 years since Ana visited Boston so i’m excited to show her some new things around town. Boston is definitely one fantastic city that gets better all the time!

AND after a quick ‘Best of Boston’ tour, Ana and i are off for a lovely drive down to Newport, Rhode Island. i was in both Newport and Kennebunkport over the wintertime. both have amazing things to offer in the off-season but truly the BEST season is the summertime. Mrs. O has never been to Newport so i’m thrilled to show her the ‘City by the Sea’ and all of its splendor. some of what is on deck for us there? i don’t want to make you jealous but a grand tour of the mansions from the sky! that’s right, a VIP helicopter tour because how else would you see the mansions of Newport if you are Lola and Mrs. O?! oh, AND a sailing cruise aboard an America’s Cup yacht with 12 Meter Charters. Ana and i are excited to have a special visit in Newport discovering its roots as the ‘Queen of Summer Resorts’ and the ‘Sailing Capital of the World’.

you can follow our tweets for both cities by searching the hash tag #TwoPlayBoston and #TwoPlayNewport.

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Filed under boston, Kennebunkport, Maine, massachusetts, rhode island, travel, USA

Tagged as Boston, boston tourism, kennebunkport tourism, Newport Rhode Island, Nonantum Resort, visit newport