224: The Local Episode
Thanks Podcast Movement: Evolutions!!! Alison & Lulu had a blast, met some amazing people and learned SO much!
Lulu is obsessed with the trusty magic of Dry Shampoo! She uses it as a styling tool, not just in between shampoos.
Alison has developed an obsession with her ‘Frankenstein’ fingernail! It’s quite amazing how that little fingernail keeps holding on by a thread! *if you don’t already know, she accidentally ripped off her fake nail, taking her real nail off at the same time.
Lulu wished for us to get a sponsor for our PodCastaway retreat and we ended up getting TWO! Thanks, Focusrite & Ossa! AND, she got to create a ramen closet for the retreat! That’s been on her wishlist for years!
For the 2nd week in a row, Alison’s wishlist is about her new love of working out with weights. She’s dreaming of weight lifting gloves to stave off blisters.
Inspired by a line (“Your local for tonight.”) in the show, Choir of Man, a show that Lulu has deep ties with, she chose Cambridge, England as that is where one of the show’s creatives lives! Check out the link to the show above! It’s SO amazing! I saw them in a last rehearsal before going on the ship and it was incredible, but to see them LIVE with a whole audience is simply electric!!
With Cambridge, England being home to two major universities and 31 semi-autonomous constituent colleges, Lulu chose a scholarly retreat by staying in the Senior Fellows Suite at The Varsity Hotel. Some of the in-room amenities include: Espresso coffee machine, complimentary bottled water and WIFI. Air conditioning, under-floor heating and my favorite…monsoon showers in the bathroom! They state that the rooms range from cozy to ‘special treat’ and the roof terrace is “the only place in Cambridge where you can view 800 years of history whilst enjoying a delicious cocktail.”
Breakfast was at Hot Numbers Coffee for some ‘speciality coffee.’ Yes, I typed that correctly…speciality coffee is a movement – a drive for better coffee and a better living for coffee farmers. For coffee to be qualified as speciality, it must be graded between 80-100 points on a 100 point scale. To achieve this, coffee producers painstakingly hand pick and sort fully ripe coffee cherries. She enjoyed some buttermilk pancakes, porridge, and more along with milled cider-poached apples, which sound divine!
Full to the brim from brekky, she moseyed on over to Cambridge Distillery where she not only got to taste, but mix and take a molecular cocktail making class!! This all sounded so much fun that she decided to bring Alison along as they went Hen Party Punting! Punting is boating with oars or sticks in a long flat-bottomed boat. This was a luxurious 50-minute private punt tour with a charming chauffeur to show them the sites. You can bring your own food and since you’re not doing the navigating, drink as much as you like!
Lunch was at Smokeworks, which sounds counterintuitive since the US is known for pulled pork sandwiches, but hey…England was around first! They enjoyed ribs, wings and more chased down with some good ol’ beer. Next came the the Polar Museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute. The Scott Polar Research Institute was founded in 1920, in Cambridge, as a memorial to Captain Robert Falcon Scott, RN, and his four companions, who died returning from the South Pole in 1912. Scott's last words were, "For God's sake look after our people" and Lulu really loved that sentiment. So much in fact that she decided to get that tattooed on the top 10 employees of the museum at Blood of Angels Tattoo.
After that came the visit to the Wren Library which is linked to my favorite library in the world, Trinity College Library in Dublin that houses the Book of Kells. Now, luckily for Lulu this is a fantasy trip, as the Wren is still closed to the public, but you can take a virtual tour if you like. And inside you can see Sir Isaac Newton’s walking stick, AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh and even a lock of Newton’s hair. So, Lulu decided she needed a First edition set of Winnie the Pooh. I can get behind that, for sure!
Always up for an exciting dinner, Lulu and Alison went to the Giggling Squid for some Thai food including Salt & Pepper Squid with a spicy kick and betel leaf and ginger lime salmon morsels.
Alison chose somewhere very local to where she resides and that is Indian Rocks Beach, FL. Now, this Airbnb that she chose took up about 3/4 of her 10K budget…so it’s total luxe, baes! Of course, FL means fun in the sun, so Alison chose some Private Boating on the Funship. “A Boat Day offers private, customized half-day and full-day boat charters for small groups of up to 8 passengers. Sit back and relax on the very comfortable, 25 foot double-decker Funship as you cruise the waterways with a Captain as your guide. Your boating adventure will get you up close to wild dolphins and take you to secluded barrier islands so you can go shelling on pristine beaches or swim in the Gulf of Mexico.”
Lunch was provided by The Picnic Social where you can pick your own incredible picnic experience with options like:
Upgraded Drink Station
(Mimosa, Champagne, or Sangria Bar Cart)
Custom Cocktail Experience (1.5 hrs or 2 hrs)
Personal Mixology Kit (2 custom drinks)
Upgraded Dessert Station
Meal Selection
(Sushi, Sandwich, Wrap, or Flatbread)
Photography Session (30 mins or 60 mins)
Upgraded Floral Arrangement
Upgraded Decor - Lace Teepee
And what sounds more fun after all that? A massage, right?? Alison thought the same thing, so she went to Zen Massage and Yoga for an Ashiatsu barefoot massage. “Ashiatsu is a deep compression barefoot massage where the therapist uses overhead bars on the ceiling for support and balance. The therapist can deliver a consistent deep pressure massage with their feet by using body weight and gravity. The broad surface area of the foot makes the compression smooth and provides the deepest massage possible without painful poking.” I’ve had one of these in LA and it was…ahhhhhhhhhhh….BLISS!
Who wants a brunch AND a lunch!? Alison does! She followed her brunch and massage with lunch at Salt Rock Grill. So, she enjoyed some jumbo coconut shrimp with orange-ginger sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. And after dinner she wanted to support some local businesses, so shopping was in order! She spent just under $200 in Suzette’s On the Rocks Boutique, Little Pelican Gift Shop, and Pinky’s Ice Cream and Candy.
Ready to chill on the beachy vibe, Alison had a Sunset Beach Yoga Sesh with a cool group of yoga enthusiasts that say, ‘This eclectic spirited group meets three times a week on the sand at 22nd Ave North on Indian Rocks Beach. We have a potluck dinner after class once a month. This is a group of outgoing inclusive people who have a passion for yoga. All levels are welcome.’ And since Lulu hooked her on that fabulous Taco Soup from the retreat, she decided that was her contribution to the yoga potluck! So, for that she needed the 8 Qt. Nomad-Traveling Beige Insulated Slow Cooker with Locking Lid and some 10K Dollar Day Hot Container Cups to enjoy the tasty Taco Soup in! I mean, that soup IS super tasty!
Lulu is still riding on the high of our fantastic PodCastaway Retreat! Man, was that a blast & we’re having so much fun keeping in touch with our PodCastaways in our Discord group as they create their first episodes!
Alison agrees with Lulu 100% on that and adds that the momentum of 10K’s journey ahead is exciting and definitely her Happy for the week!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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