May 4, 2012 · 3:38 pm

did you know, i won the lottery?!

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that’s right! the travel lottery!!

travel scratch ticket, anyone?

a little over a month ago, my travel blogging pal, Leah, told me about a contest called Go with Oh. there were several prizes one could win depending on how you wanted to play but Leah was interested in the BIG prize and said she was entering and thought i should too.

we struck a deal. if she won, she’d take me. if i won, i’d take her. EASY deal to make! we shook on it virtually – like we do with most of our big plans.

Leah went on to craft her perfect story Go with Oh to Florence and i wrote my story about Go with Oh to Paris. it was super fun to imagine outrageous things i could do in Paris and i loved promoting both my story and Leah’s. we make a great travel team!!

well, guess what?! the contest is now over and I DIDN’T WIN. but there’s no need for me to be a sore loser. Leah won and so i’m getting to go as her travel partner in crime tag-a-long. it really couldn’t get much better! we will be traveling to more than 5 cities the month of November. Florence & 4 other cities will be revealed next week!

put it up top, lil lola! we are going to Europe with Leah & Go with Oh

i truly feel like i’ve hit the jackpot with this one. when do you ever get a free pass to go to Europe for a month and have all your accommodations paid for? ummm, like NEVER. it’s an opportunity of a lifetime that i’m so grateful i get to partake in.

thank you Leah for striking the deal & inviting me along. i know our adventures together will be memories that last us a lifetime. AND i look forward to sharing our stories with all of you that enjoy reading where in the world is lola?

 

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May 2, 2012 · 7:04 am

my 7 super shots – done lola-style

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when i got tagged by my travelin PIC (partner in crime) Leah of Leah’s Travels to do the HostelBookers’ 7 Super Shots i actually snickered to myself. like i said, i am no real photographer and think many of my *best* shots are of me taken by someone else. WHY? because these shots really tell the stories of my travels and the people i meet!

a photo that takes my breath away:

in the bathroom of the playboy club in vegas

you’re probably thinking “why does this take lola’s BREATH AWAY?” well, for starters, i’m not totally sure how i ended up at the playboy club in Vegas let alone in the bathroom with these characters. when i entered the loo these two were striking similar poses which, of course, i felt necessary to replicate. WHAT THE….

a photo that makes me laugh or smile:

blow up man-doll sandwich in miami

c’mon, be honest, this makes you LAUGH just a little doesn’t it? there was a bachelorette party going on that day in Miami. we were at the swanky Delano enjoying a lovely afternoon by the pool. it was time to shake up the place a bit! THE. END.

a photo that makes me dream:

seaside in santorini

as i mentioned in my “real” 7 Super Shots post, going to Greece was a dream come true. this photo reminds me that it wasn’t a dream that i went there. i actually AM there in this picture BUT i continue to DREAM of going back!

a photo that makes me think:

groundhog day in budapest

i got stuck in Budapest when the Icelandic volcano ash cloud debacle happened in April 2010. it was actually quite fabulous to have an enforced extension to what was supposed to be a short getaway. downside was that things got a little repetitious and i picked up a few BAD habits that made me THINK “maybe it’s time to get outta here or i’ll be needing serious rehab!”

a photo that makes my mouth water:

rum punch at st. jean beach - st. barts

there’s much about this picture that makes my MOUTH WATER. fun times, happy friends, beautiful St. Barts, the beach, the ocean, the sunshine…BUT those RUM PUNCHES! they could make anyone’s mouth water – SCRUMPTIOUS i tell you!

a photo that tells a story:

miami airport

what’s the STORY here? what does this photo say to you, HMMM? feel free to TELL ME in your comments!

a photo that i’m most proud of (aka, my NationalGeographic shot):

lolafying the locals

for this honor i coulda gone REAL “National Geographic” with a topless shot. that’s what i remember most about flipping through that periodical in my younger day! BUT i decided it isn’t really worthy of a National Geographic title. SO i chose this. this is a local fortune teller on Miami beach. he takes his craft VERY seriously. he told me my fortune and scared the living daylights out of me by saying someone had put a curse on me but for a nice sum of cash he’d remove the curse. again, WHAT THE….

why am i PROUD of this shot? because after he finished his rounds, i was able to sweet talk him into snapping a pic with me. see how i got him to loosen up & smile?! i gave him some boa feathers to remember me by. HA! the jokes on him – he’s now under a LOLAFIED spell!

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April 30, 2012 · 9:44 am

my 7 super shots from here + there

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i don’t fancy myself much of a photographer but will give this a go…

my travelin’ partner in crime, Leah, from Leah Travels tagged me to participate in HostelBookers’ 7 Super Shots. i enjoyed putting this together as it inspired me in a time when i have not been traveling. incredible, the power of photographs! it was fun to see & read what other travel bloggers posted as well. there are some amazing pictures out there that will cause wanderlust in anyone!

a photo that takes my breath away:

sunset in santorini, greece

it was a dream come true to go to Greece this past fall. seeing the Acropolis has been on my bucket list for a LONG time. i’m still carrying the awestruck feeling of seeing it with my own eyes. along with visiting Athens, i also stopped over to the beautiful island of Santorini. it truly looks like all the photographs you’ve seen. AND, for me, it had the most incredible sunsets i’ve ever watched go down. it took my breath away, quite literally.

a photo that makes me laugh or smile:

miami beach, florida

this photo may not incite laughter or cause you to smile but it does for me. Miami is my ‘happy place’ and whenever i’m feeling a little blue, i look at this picture and am reminded of the warm sun, calm water & peace i feel when i’m in Miami. it makes me say ahhh.

a photo that makes me dream:

gouverneur beach in st. barts

if you’ve visited St. Barts you know it’s an absolute dream. i think everything there is dreamy. the weather, the beaches, the food & drinks, the lifestyle, the people – it is HEAVEN on earth. i dream about St. Barts all the time & cannot get back there soon enough.

a photo that makes me think:

berlin wall, germany

there are so many moments in history landmarked around the world and i certainly haven’t seen them all. for me, seeing the Berlin Wall brought home the division of a country that has reunited in my lifetime. World War II was so horrific and the division of a city and country must have been such a dark and sad time in Germany. this picture certainly conjures up thoughts of darkness and sadness to me.

a photo that makes my mouth water:

champagne in provence, france

sante! champagne may not make your mouth water and it doesn’t always mine either. BUT i spent my birthday this year in France and had the pleasure of being reminded how much i love French food. my mouth is watering just thinking about all the delicious food and drinks i devoured while there. bon appetit!

a photo that tells a story:

roman forum in rome, italy

you may think lola’s all fun & games. i am mostly BUT i do enjoy history quite a bit. i have been to Rome a couple of times and even with a personal guide, still am overwhelmed by all that makes up the Roman Forum. so much history, so many stories. everyone from Jesus to Caesar – even me – walked this cobbled path. truly the center of Rome and, at one time, the whole of the world.

a photo that i’m most proud of (aka, my NationalGeographic shot):

nepali coast in kauai, hawaii

it was easy to catch the beauty of the Nepali Coast at the end of the Waimea Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii. it certainly helped that mother nature decided to give me a rainbow to highlight the beauty of this place. like i said, i don’t think i’m a world-class photographer, so i appreciate a subject that is photogenic!

so, there it is – my 7 Super Shots. this is an area of improvement for me and look forward to learning more about photography at the upcoming travel blogger conference – TBEX. i’m going to tag friends who i know are better about taking photos…their’s are sure to inspire wanting to travel near & far.

Raul of ilivetotravel

Keane of Keane Li

Craig of Stay Adventurous

Kirsten of aviators and a camera

Aaron of  The Adventures of elatlboy

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April 18, 2012 · 10:08 am

foodie adventures in NYC

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travelin pals - foodie international, kirsten alana & epstein travels with lola

i’ll be honest, while i do think i like a lot of different kinds of food, i don’t think of myself as that adventurous of an eater. strange foods scare me a bit. i think i might even have a texture/sensory issue that was never dealt with but that’s another story.

i’ll be traveling to Asia this august and i figured this would be the BIG food exploration experience for me. Asian food really scares me. but, in order to have an adventure of a lifetime, i’m going to get past that. i’m going to be willing to try things i wouldn’t ordinarily choose to eat AND here’s how i know i will…

i ate SCARY ASIAN food in New York at the end of march. it wasn’t intentional. not at all. but there was a formula that led to the scary Asian food eating and here it is:

  • going to a happy hour mixer on an empty stomach & finally eating dinner at midnight = i’m so hungry i could eat a horse!
  • being a little tipsy (ok maybe really tipsy) = i’m drunk enough that it’s a good idea to put something in my stomach
  • dining amongst well-traveled peers = i feel like i’m on survivor and this is a crazy dare that i must take so i don’t kicked off the island!

good times at Kenka - east village - NYC

all of this chow-down took place at Kenka in the east village.

here’s the run down of the crazy-ass Asian food i ate. just typing this makes me a little nauseous but i’m going to persevere just like i will in august.

  • takoyaki – fried octopus balls
  • yakitori – chicken skewers of thigh meat, chicken liver, hearts, gizzards
  • bull penis – bull freaking penis
  • kaeru no kara age – fried frog

it really wasn’t all that bad with the exception of the aforementioned texture issues with the bull penis – YUCK.

like kids in a candy store!

BONUS was DIY cotton candy and cheap big pitchers o’beer! that, and hanging out with three totally cool travel peeps that i’d been dying to meet til 1:30am! thanks miss foodie international, kirsten alana & jonathan epstein for a night i’ll not soon forget!

XO – lola

*cotton candy photo credit to Kirsten Alana – photographer extraordinaire

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April 13, 2012 · 10:00 am

i have a dream!

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did you know, i have a dream?

some of you do…some of you don’t. my dream is to travel and write fun & funny stories about the experiences i have through the eyes of a woman named LOLA. LOLA is a personality, a brand if you will, that people seem to be drawn to because who doesn’t want to have fun? who doesn’t want to have a laugh? life is FAR TOO SERIOUS sometimes and it’s nice to just be light and airy – NO?! in my dream, people enjoy LOLA and her writing so much that she is able to make a career out of her writing and brand. wouldn’t that be nice to have a BIG DREAM come true?

in order to continue to move MY DREAM forward, i set some goals for myself at the beginning of 2012:

  1. i will get published once a month somewhere else besides my own blog.
  2. i will diversify where i write so i show that i can adapt to different styles.
  3. i will build a real website to be more professional.
  4. i will call myself a travel writer because if i can’t who can?
  5. i will go to conferences to learn more about the trade.
  6. i will network with people that are influencers in the space.
  7. i will take on challenges that will put me outside my comfort zone.

it’s mid-april and so far so good, LOLA. i so appreciate the support of those who encourage me and are proud of what i’m doing. it is HARD to start something new and attempt to be good at it. i truly love traveling – the world is a wonderful, wonderful place with so many interesting people in it. i am so happy to have the opportunity to cross paths with new people and see new places and then return home to write about the things that i’ve experienced and learned. THANK YOU!

i hope i never stop traveling. i hope i never stop learning. i hope i never stop making new friends. i hope i never stop writing. i hope i never stop dreaming!

happy DREAMS & TRAVELS to you! XO – lola

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