Morpeth, England + Orlando, Florida
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Alison is obsessed with wearing a real bra, which seems like an unlikely infatuation given all of our current WFH situations. Apparently real bras make you better then sports bras…who knew? Specifically the Victoria’s Secret T-shirt Bra is making her realize she can look good while still being comfortable. Because it’s 2021 and sacrificing comfort will happen no longer. Lulu is obsessed with her lates podcast listen, Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out, which essentially replaces comics and creators rehearsing untested materials in a club, since you know COVID closed all of those down.
Alison is wishing for the money to purchase said Victoria’s Secret T-shirt Bras. She is open to suggestions though, and Lulu recommends Third Love’s T-shirt Bras.
Lulu is wishing for a brunch. Like going out for a brunch. It feels like a luxuriously slow outing, and the current COVID climate makes slow outings a bit superfluous, especially as spikes occur all over the world. So as soon as it is socially acceptable she is looking forward to some eggs Benedict and bottomless mimosas with multiple friends!
Alison decided to let someone else decide her location for this week’s episode, and so turned to Earth Roulette. This website chooses a destination for you, and for Alison it chose Wilmington, Delaware. But she’s been there already. She “spins” the roulette will again and gets Morpeth, Northumberland in England as her destination. Among other things it is “known for lunch”. You had her at lunch.
Alison found the picturesque West Grange Estate on Airbnb, a mere 20 minutes from Morpeth. This large country house has been completely restored to its early 1800's glory, with its halls, drawing room, and library setting a scene that will surely make you feel like you're one of the Brontë sisters. Alison's choice of this locale may be influenced by her current book club pick, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. This spacious spot has 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, a modern country kitchen, and a boot room. Oh, and no big deal, but you have the option to add-on a formal silver service dinner organized by their staff set in the sprawling dining room. "A truly magical experience in the beautiful Northumbrian countryside" may just be an understatement. Her total for two nights comes in at $2,957 USD.
Alison hires a car and driver through CA Chauffeurs for the entire day as she's got a lot of countryside exploring to do! Her first stop is Café Vault for a coffee-and-pastry breakfast.
Then its off to the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum! Boasting a display of over 120 sets of pipes from across Europe, housed inside a 13th century building, a visit here is sure to be magical... and musical! There are regular live performances, and you can attend sessions like "Learn to Play in a Day" and "Meet the Piper". Feeling inspired, Alison decides to invest in her own set and purchases the Kilberry Bagpipes “Full Engraved Nickel” Set, with all kinds of customizations! Not wanting her new pipes to collect dust on a shelf or merely be a souvenir, Alison takes bagpipe lessons from Sarah whom she found on FirstTutors.com. If the idea of Alison learning bagpipes has you seeing this display of bagpipe talent, you aren’t alone.
Lunch during a visit to England must surely be had in a pub, and Alison has found the perfect one in The Black and Grey. She gets the homemade pie of the day with gravy, seasonal vegetables and "chips" with a pint to wash it down. This spot also has a range of "quirky cocktails" and over 50 gins available, so perhaps another pop-by mid-afternoon or late-night will be in order.
While there are many free things to do in Morpeth like churches, chantrys, parks, and paths, there's also a perfect spot for Alison to do a bit of shopping.
Specifically she finds herself strolling Newgate street - where her lunch spot The Black and Grey is located - and the adjacent Oldgate Street, where she finds unique one-off fashion boutiques, sewing shops, galleries, and the Sanderson Arcade shopping mall.
There are also plenty of cafes and bakeries around for when all that shopping has depleted your energy and you have a hankering for high tea. Charming and full of character, even if you just window shop, but Alison is allowing herself a $1,000 shopping spree!
Alison heads back to the estate to have a catered dinner in that luxurious dining room, “Be Our Guest” style. She opts for the formal silver service from the estate’s esteemed staff, with the cuisine prepared by Hartford Catering. All of the meals come with a soup starter, new potatoes, and a choice of seasonal vegetables, and Alison goes with the roast beef with Yorkshire pudding as her entree. She got two desserts, a sherry trifle and a gateaux, and the catered meal comes with a nightcap of tea or coffee and an after dinner mint.
Orlando, Florida is the place to be, apparently! We've done a Disney World-centric day in Orlando before, in our special guest episode Scatting and Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears with Christina Bianco!… but there's so much more to Orlando than just Mickey and the gang! Lulu is choosing this destination as she found the perfect place to host a family reunion! And she's craving some time with people outside of her quarantine bubble. 10 months in and this introvert is ready to hang with 40 of her closest friends and family!
The Queen Palmilla Villa on Airbnb will be hosting her imaginary family reunion, and at 12,000 square feet this rental is not short on space! There are 12 bedrooms, each with en suite bathrooms...everyone gets their own bathroom! Anyone that has stayed in a house with a lot of people knows what a blessing that is. There are multiple fitness rooms, multiple living areas, multiple dining rooms, AND multiple kitchens. A pool table and arcade games are sure to entertain as are the TWO movie theatre rooms. Oh, and there are TWO pools, a jacuzzi, and an outdoor kitchen and dining area! Even if you crammed your entire extended family into this house there would be space for days! For two nights this Airbnb rents for around $3500, which when you divide by the number of people able to stay here, makes this a cheaper option than most budget motels!
How will Lulu feed such a large crew? She did some research and found this article on Orlando Magazine's website listing the 20 best breakfast spots. Among their recommendations was Paris Banh Mi Cafe Bakery, a spot renowned for its French-influenced Vietnamese baking. Bahn Mi for breakfast? Why not! Or you can indulge in a number of their extensive pastries on display at the center of the cafe. Lulu orders a variety of baked treats to bring back to the villa for everyone, along with several growlers of cold brew from Foxtail Coffee.
For lunch she plans on utilizing the multiple kitchens at the Airbnb. It's going to be the great family pho tasting of 2021 for Lulu and her group. They get broth from the top ten Vietnamese restaurants in Orlando, prep all of the veggies, meats, and noodles at "home", and create a smorgasbord…a plethora of pho, if you will!
The group's first outing is to the President's Hall of Fame, a museum with many exhibits displaying copious amounts of presidential paraphernalia. You can see a miniature white house, wax figures of various former presidents, a replica of Mount Rushmore, even an exhibit featuring replicas of several First Lady's inaugural gowns. Entry ticket costs $15.50 USD per person, brushing up on American history - priceless.
Now time to make some serious use of all that living/entertaining space at the Airbnb. It's GAME TIME. She gets four customized playing card decks from Shuffled Ink, a Sony Playstation 5, and the new Just Dance for the Playstation 5. It is on, all the games, but with this many people, there may need to be a tournament style shuffle to where some are participants and some are spectators. Lulu decides to get customized award ribbons for those who really dominate family game night.
For dinner the group heads to sushi and sake bar Kadence in Orlando's Audubon Park Garden District. They have a tuna tasting dinner where they showcase various cuts, preparations, and flavors of tuna...but it can only seat 8. Lulu is thinking she'll buy out the restaurant and get them to serve it outside, or have it delivered to the Airbnb considering all the dining tables available there. For dessert they’re thinking ice cream and assorted treats - we hear the halo-halo is very good - from Filipino favorite Nipa Hut!
All the family feels and all the Asian cuisines made for a great day in Orlando, Florida!
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