Category Archives: seattle

Travel Brand Shout Outs to Sixt and Flytographer!

Over the past year I have been so fortunate to discover and work with these two travel brands and I wanted to take the time to give them the credit they are due. Both Sixt and Flytographer are consistently professional and a pleasure to work with. Here’s a quick run down of my experiences with both brands in the United States and abroad! Proof positive that consistency in business and customer satisfaction can be universal.

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As a frequent traveler, I rent cars quite a bit. It’s usually fine but not above and beyond. With Sixt, all three instances were just that, above and beyond. Truly, hands down, the best car rental experiences of my renting career.

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In Seattle I tried one of Sixt’s luxury cars – a sweet BMW, perfect for a drive into the countryside for a wedding. Not only was the process painless but the staff were extremely helpful. AND upon return, it could not have been easier. Pull up and pass off the keys, that is it!

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In Iceland we rented an SUV for our Icelandic roadtrip. It was perfect for the time of year and road conditions. I particularly loved Sixt’s concern for us as they followed our progress on our journey. Again, upon return, the process couldn’t have more simple.

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In Miami I had the pleasure of cruising around in one of Sixt’s fantasy cars – an ombre neon pink Mini Cooper, perfect for Lola and SoBe. The rental process was a piece of cake and the staff ensured I knew where I was going and then upon return it was just a matter of handing over keys and getting an emailed receipt. Nothing could be easier. Parting with that little baby was the hardest part!

Founded in Germany, Sixt is one of the oldest, most prestigious car rental companies in all of Europe and the world. Renowned internationally for their quality customer care and low rental rates, Sixt has recently opened branches in the United States. Now you can experience the benefits of a great car rental from Sixt both stateside and worldwide. Sixt has locations in 105 countries across the globe.

Lola Approved Flytographerlola_blackpink

My favorite travel photos in the past year have been those with Flytographer. Alyson Aliano for Flytographer captured fun moments in California for a girl’s glam weekend. Acting like a fly on the wall, she was able to get truly wonderful candids.

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Soon thereafter, we found ourselves in Amsterdam having a tour of the city and getting some great action snaps with Flytographer’s Traci White of the girls enjoying learning all about Amsterdam’s neighborhoods. Again, non-intrusive and professional. I love these photos showing what it is like to be on a tour and not just of the things you learn but your reaction to it all.

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Finally, my most recent time working with Flytographer was in my beloved Miami. They had just found a local photographer, Daniel Lateulade, and I happened to be there and loved the idea of getting photos around various highlights of South Beach. It was amazing! Some of my very favorite pictures of myself. You can see why.

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The highly acclaimed Flytographer captures travelers around the globe every day whether it’s special romantic trip, family vacation, girlfriend getaway or a reunion & more! Capture memories in over 100 cities worldwide with their hand-picked list of over 170 professional photographers. It’s like strolling the streets with a local friend who shares insider tips, all the while discretely chronicling unforgettable vacation memories.

Disclaimer: all of my experiences with both of these brands have been complimentary but they are still my favorite travel brands I’ve worked with over the past year. Customer satisfaction and professionalism are priceless and that’s why they are Lola Approved.

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Filed under amsterdam, car rentals, iceland, los angeles, miami, seattle, travel, travel photography

My Year in Travel – 2013

This year was a great year of travel for me, hitting some brand new destinations and revisiting some of my old favorites. BUT, for me, the VERY BEST thing about this year in travel are all the wonderful people who I met or was reunited with in various locations around the world. My travels wouldn’t be anything without the people on my journey.

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January saw me in NYC and meeting friends old and new – who knew how important they’d all become in my life over the course of this year. I count my blessings for you.

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In January I also skied in Verbier, Switzerland and absolutely loved my time with the legendary Warren Smith. I truly hope to see him again in 2014.

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Rounding out January, I went to Copenhagen for the very first time and got to reconnect with a travel friend, Christoffer. I loved the cool capital city of Denmark.

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February saw me catching up with a dear travel buddy, Anita, in Montreal, Canada for the very first time. We had a ball doing all kinds of wintery fun things like staying in an Ice Hotel and going to Igloofest.

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March was my month for Barcelona & Costa Brava, Spain. I was thrilled to meet up with a fellow traveler, Brian, in Barcelona and was lucky enough to see him again in London in November.

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Going to Costa Brava was an incredible experience. I love that area of Spain and really cannot get enough, especially of the coast. But, the people on this trip really made it the very best. I can’t imagine a more fun press trip.

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April found me in back in NYC. I always love my NYC trips because I get to catch up with very special friends like Jeff & Craig – 2 of my favorites!!

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May saw me in my favorite, Miami. I cannot get enough of this city. While I had my usual fun of beach, pool, dinner, drinks and dancing, I particularly enjoyed working with the fantastic luxe swimwear company, Orchid Boutique, during this trip. Talk about a great collection as well as a staff of kindred spirits!

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June was an incredible month chalked full of fun things. Kicking off in Toronto for a conference with so many of my favorite fellow travelers, I actually wonder if we’ll ever be able to beat our #RWTBEX time here. I love you all so much!

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I also got to spend a bit of time with one of my most lovely traveling partners, Mrs. O, Ana. I was able to show her a bit of Americana in the amazing seaside town of Newport, Rhode Island. We had a ball doing Newport the luxe way.

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Wrapping up my June, I had an incredible visit to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. What a great girls weekend we had there and our host, the Bahia Hotel and Carlos, made my trip 100% amazing. Cannot wait to return.

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July found me back in Euroland – one of Lola’s favorites. Although, this was a “repeat” journey of sorts, I did manage to do a few new things. One of which was going to the Henley Royal Regatta.

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Post-UK was a return visit to Prague and Budapest. Two of my favorites that I’ve never visited in the summertime. Absolutely stunning! So was hanging out with friends made on a previous trip. Always nice to share a beer with good people.

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August took me back to Montreal once again and NYC. This trip was extra special because of the time well spent with lifelong friends and a last visit with a friend that would soon depart. Anita, Montreal will always make me think of you fondly. I love you and that city so much.

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September took me to two cities I wanted to know better. First was Seattle with my newly found soul mate, Erin. There is nowhere I wouldn’t go with this girl. And we both wanted to celebrate happy moments, like our dear friends, Captain & Clark’s wedding!

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Toward the end of September, Erin and I were reunited again in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. I like to think of it as the city of sisterly love! We had a blast discovering different neighborhoods of Philly & laughing with each other all the while.

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October I was lucky enough to be reunited with 2 of my favorite traveling partners again, Ana & Mary Anne along with Mary Anne’s BFF Maxine, for a GLAM LA girls weekend.

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November was a busy fun month with a visit back to the UK for a conference and reconnecting with so many fun friends from around the world. I’m so glad our paths cross from time to time.

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Followed up by a quick jaunt to France and Amsterdam for more girlfriend fun. I wouldn’t choose to travel any other way. Traveling with Ashley, Ana & Mary Anne was the very best.

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And I managed to squeeze in a last minute trip back to NYC with my girlfriends and once again be reunited with some of my favorite people.

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In December I finished off my year of travel back in Miami to celebrate Erin’s birthday. I cannot think of a better place to end my year. It is my happy spot and it was made so much better being there, laughing and enjoying life, with two of my travel besties, Erin & Esther.

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Maybe you see some common themes in my travels. Repeat places, repeat friends, repeated silliness and smiles. Traveling is my lifeline and a huge part of my heart as are all the people I meet along the way. My world is better for all of you. Here’s to many more reunions on the road and good times ahead in 2014! Happy travels…

XO – Lola

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Filed under amsterdam, barcelona, budapest, cabo san lucas, copenhagen, costa brava, henley-on-thames, london, los angeles, miami, montreal, new york, newport, philadelphia, prague, seattle, toronto, travel, verbier

3 Ways to Get a Taste of Seattle in 24 Hours

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Sometimes people think I’m a bit nutty cramming a trip into a weekend like my recent visit to Seattle, Washington. Yeah, I’d never been but I figured a little was better than not at all and that really is my motto for travel in general. I’m not a nomad. I have a home base. Sometimes I’m gone a day or two, sometimes 2 weeks plus but, even with the longer trips, I’m never in one place long. I wish I felt I had more time to really live in the places I visit but I just don’t. So…a little is better than nothing. I get a taste for the place and from that, I can decide if I’d like to return. Where Seattle is concerned the verdict is YES, I’d like to go visit for longer.

I did several things while in Washington, all fun, but these are the 3 things that made me leave Seattle wanting more.

Touring Pike Place

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When I asked the question on Facebook where should I spend time in Seattle if I had one day…universally the most popular answer was Pike Place. Now, I’m into markets and love to try the food and snap photos of the flowers, etc. but what made Pike Place extra special for me was that it’s located near the water, so it had spectacular views of Puget Sound. I’m such a water person and found that even on a gray day the Sound was so calming and romantic. No, I didn’t spend all my time staring at the water. I did enjoy watching the famous fishmongers at Pike Place Fish Market toss the fish orders to customers – a definite must see. Another must is stopping by Truffle Cafe and sampling their various delicious foodie products and local Washington wines. Yes, I brought a bottle home. No, I don’t have it any more. BUT, I think my favorite find of Pike Place was Rachel’s Ginger Beer. Their flagship store and bar sells their handcrafted ginger beer products and serves YUMMY drinks. One of my all time favorite drinks is Dark & Stormy and they had their own version of this – not with Goslings Rum – so I was skeptical. It very well may have been the best Dark & Stormy I’ve ever had! Soooo their ginger beer is THAT GOOD.

Experiencing the Nightlife

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Leaving the East Coast in the early evening, I arrived in Seattle around 10pm. Since I was there for such a short time, I wanted to make the most of it and insisted on going out that evening. Seattle truly seems to have a HUGE food & drink scene and I wanted to get a small dose of it. The challenge was A) finding a place that served food late into the evening B) it had to be a cool hot spot. A local foodie expert pointed me in the direction of Canon and all my problems were solved. Offering a small but delish menu, I went with the prosciutto, chèvre, arugula & roasted grape flatbread. MMMM. Better still, Canon has the largest collection of spirits in the western hemisphere with over 2600 labels. There was no way Lola was going to be disappointed with her cocktail. Canon has a fun cocktail menu with drinks named ‘Shrouded Roulette’, ‘Campfire in Georgia’, ‘The Hooker’. I went for ‘Swagger’ – a gin based drink with bitter rhubarb, grapefruit & lime. LOVED it! Located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, there was quite a hipster scene, the entire street was buzzing. I loved that Canon was fun, funky and small. It felt like a secret hot spot.

Leaving the City Limits

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The other thing many people suggested while visiting Seattle was actually taking a drive outside the city to get a sense of the gorgeous scenery. I was able to do just this, taking a road trip east to Leavenworth, Washington. Not too far outside the city limits, the gray skies turned blue and the sunshine came out. The rivers and mountains were stunning, just like I imagined from the movies. What made the drive even better was the sweet ride I got with Sixt. Newish to the US rental car market, Sixt has been worldwide for over 100 years. Not only did I love the amazing & luxurious BMW to get me around but better yet was the service I received from the Sixt staff upon check-in and return. I have never had a better car rental experience in my life. SERIOUS! Seattle and Washington State are truly very special.

Big thanks to Sixt for working with me to experience your superior customer service. Completely ‘Lola Approved’ I look forward to driving another one of your awesome cars soon.

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Filed under seattle, travel, washington

i spy eye candy! – Seattle

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This week where in the world is lola? picked the EYE CANDY topic of SEATTLE! I’m SOOOO excited to be featuring the EMERALD CITY as my EYE CANDY because 1) I always wanted to get to Seattle one day AND 2) I’m thrilled that this travel dream is coming true in just over a week. It’s only made THAT MUCH BETTER by the fact that I’ll be seeing great friends!

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I CAN’T WAIT to check out Seattle! It looks so stunning in all its photos. Just look at its modern skyline, the gorgeous bay and Mount Rainier…all in one place!! My trip will be a whirlwind tour but I still plan to get a sense of this charming & cool city by checking out some of its various districts and visiting the famous and unanimously favorite to tourists and locals alike, Pike Place. With Seattle’s history so closely tied to Native American Indians, the logging industry and the gold rush, I feel like I’m heading to the Wild West. Given that it’s one of the fastest growing cities in the USA, I feel there’s a BIG chance I’m going to fall in love with it. I’m certainly ready for whatever adventures are in store for Lola!

Now tell me, what’s EYE CANDY about Seattle to you?

XO – Lola

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Filed under eye candy, seattle, travel, washington