New Hope, Pennsylvania + Deerfield Beach, Florida
Hey, check out The Daily Happy - our daily 10 minute catch up session that reflects our #whatsyourhappy affirmation - there is something to be happy about every day, and while we are not here for ignoring the world around us, we are here for bringing the inspiration and the joy! In other news, we now have a website for our forthcoming web series, Live from [Blank]! Check it out as well as our youtube short videos, pretty please!
Alison is obsessed with the collapsible folding wagon she now uses to haul all her stuff at her daughter’s dance competitions. She loves how organized and functional it makes her life. She’s actively looking for other ways to use it. After a severe allergic reaction, she is now on a morning medicine and protein shake regiment that she has successfully integrated into her likes-to-sleep-in-lifestyle.
Alison is really wanting an Extreme Home Makeover: Closet Edition. Her sliding door closet is not the thing wardrobe dreams are made of, but some kind of carpentry genius could surely figure out how to make her closet awesome and functional. Lulu wishes for a magic drawer that reappears disappeared items. Looking for stuff you’ve lost is just too much, you know?
Lulu is excited for her accommodations, as she found where Aaron Burr hid after his duel with Hamilton, located in New Hope, Pennsylvania, half-way between New York City and Philadelphia. The Aaron Burr Bed & Breakfast has options like The Federalist Room, The Schuyler Room, The Hamilton Room, The Madison Room, The Theodosia Suite…if you're not already hearing tunes in your head from Hamilton, what did you even watch during quarantine?
There's a coffee bar on the first floor, they will cook brunches and dinner upon request, and can even accommodate vegan dining. They have an on-site massage therapist and energy worker, beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy, and are a stones throw away from the main street. They even have a dog-friendly room with a separate entrance so as to not disturb any other guests! You can book the rooms individually starting at $125 USD a night or you can book the whole house through Airbnb for roughly $2,000 USD per night.
Lulu is excited for a meal at The Pork Shack, where you can get breakfast all day, or their delectable brisket dip sandwich. A side of tots, chili mac, and a tall glass of homemade lemonade is exactly what Lulu was looking for to start her day.
Lulu plans to spend her morning meandering around Peddler’s Village, a storybook town of colonial-era buildings, beautiful gardens, shops, eateries, festivals and family fun. There is so much to do here that you could spend an entire vacation enjoying this spot, there’s even lodging in the town, the Golden Plough Inn.
For lunch Lulu heads to vegan hotspot Sprig & Vine. She is mesmerized by the menu, and orders a bit of everything, it would seem. Black bean and gold potato chili, cauliflower lettuce wraps, Soba noodles with baby arugula, and cornmeal crusted tempeh make it to her table. She wraps up lunch by indulging her sweet tooth with their chocolate-blood orange sorbet and spiced hot cocoa! Next Lulu walks the half mile across the Delaware River - and crosses state lines - to visit New Jersey’s Lambertsville Trading for some coffee.
Fueled and caffeinated, Lulu heads on a walking tour of the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle. The castles grounds are majestic, but nothing is wuite as breahtaking as the castle’s interiors. The castle was completed in 1912, built by archaeologist and ceramist (among many other things) Henry Chapman Mercer with the primary purpose of showcasing his impressive collection of tiles and prints.
Lulu has VIP tickets to Bucks County Playhouse’s Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marshalls. They are only allowing a very limited, socially distanced audience to attend, and Lulu is ecstatic to be in a theatre for a live performance! Her ticket comes with a post-show champagne toast, a talkback, and a signed CD. Thing is, she doesn’t have a CD player so she drops $2600 on this Marantz CD Player with integrated wireless multi-room operating potential. Now, Lulu is very COVID-conscious, so she is going to be prepared for her public outing. She wears this beautiful Proenza Schouler satin face mask, and tops it with the Louis Vuitton Monogram Face Shield, a transparent visor with monogram trim that turns darker when exposed to direct sunlight, thus protecting Lulu from both germs AND sun damage.
Lulu ends her evening with a bit of al fresco dining at Zoubi Restaurant & Bar. She enjoys their courtyard seating and open-air bar setting. Lulu orders the seafood potato chip nachos. The chips come topped with scallops, rock shrimp, pico de Gallo, cotija cheese, sweet soy sauce, wasabi cream, smoked pepper, and corn sauce. How delectable does that sound? Never one to pass up raw meat, Lulu gets the beef tartare with bone marrow and mustard seed. The stuffed dover sole and a cheese board round out her evening of carnivore cuisine.
Alison is heading to Deerfield Beach, Florida, a charming beach town down the road from Boca Raton, and about an hour from Miami. Alison is staying at the Boca Beach Club, a section of the Waldorf Astoria's Boca Raton Resort & Club. She chose the Beach Club portion of the resort because of it's oceanside location with private beach and three swimming pools. She is staying in their Oceanfront Terrace King room that has floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open onto a roomy terrace with sun loungers and views of the Atlantic. The white marble bathroom features a deep soaking tub and a separate rainfall shower. The resort boasts fitness clubs - not just fitness rooms - as well as a sublime salon and spa. There is a golf course, they offer water sports, and they have a contemporary art collection that you can take tours of (and even purchase from if you're so inclined!). This feels like the perfect getaway right about now.
Alison's first excursion of the day is to see the wonder that is Butterfly World. Located 20 minutes from downtown Deerfield Beach in the town of Coconut Creek, Butterfly world is the largest butterfly park in the world, home to over 20,000 varieties of butterflies. In addition to their myriad of butterfly sanctuary areas, they have a museum, and an outside picnic area. Alison is very excited by the latter, and brings some breakfast items she picked up from The Sticky Bun to nosh on while admiring the flora and fauna.
Alison's hops over to the Deerfield Beach Boardwalk to promenade beneath the palm trees. It is over a mile long, with shaded grassy areas where you can set up your beach chair and accoutrement if you are tired of the sun and sand.
So Alison has an until-now unspoken dream... she wants to play a ukulele under a board walk while singing Under The Boardwalk. To make this dream come true she buys the Kanile’a Diamond Ukulele that has a deep sound and detailed design for $3,265. She find’s a ukulele tutor to give her some lessons through Taylor Robinson Music, and pays them double their rate to record her on her Zoom, just in case she turns out to be a ukulele prodigy.
Alison ventures over to Quiet Waters Park, mistakenly thinking there is a velodrome there. She takes in a bit of the nature when she realizes she is in the wrong place, then she heads south to Brian Piccolo Park’s Velodrome in Hollywood, Florida. A velodrome is a steep-banked bicycle racing track. Once you start, you don’t want to slow down, because centrifugal force is the only thing preventing gravity from taking you crashing down to the base of the track! They will rent you a bike for $5/hour, but Alison is determined to go pro after her morning of trying it out, so she buys the gear she needs:
Ekoi Gel 3d Linea Skinsuit - currently on sale for $193.66
Shoei Neotec 2 Helmet (pretty sure this is a motorcycle or motorbike helmet, so a bit overkill) - $699
After her wild ride Alison heads to The Whale’s Rib Raw Bar for a beachside lunch. She gets the Asian tuna wrap, rock shrimp, and a whole lot of king crab. She also orders The Whale Mary, their bloody marry with clamato juice instead of tomato juice that comes with a shrimp garnish. She only has one because she’s going to need her wits about her for her next activity.
After lunch Alison heads to Ski Rixen USA, a unique water park offering water sports to all ages and skill levels. They use cable systems to pull you on your chosen kneeboard, wakeboard, or water skis. They have a cable tower and a cable course, so that you can learn the basics on the former and show your skills off on the latter.
For dinner she heads to JB’s On The Beach, where she enjoys the scallops and lobster scampi, and a $300 bottle of wine!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
Nakashima Foundation for Peace
HEY, FRIEND! IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, FOLLOW US!:
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. For a full understanding of how we use affiliate links on our site, please visit our Policy Disclosures page. Thank you!