227: The Ice Cream Episode
A GREAT time was had by all at our inaugural PodCastaway Retreat with these amazing humans! Saying goodbye was bittersweet, but the retreat weekend was only the beginning of Team 10K helping these new podcasters amplify their voices in the world of podcasting! And our Discord group has kept us right there by their sides for feedback and assistance ever since they left!
During their recent trip to/from Los Angeles, they unexpectedly got bumped up to 1st class. Now Alison feels like there’s no going back for her! She’s in LOVE with flying 1st class! And especially with Alaska Airlines. They really know how to treat you right!
Lulu’s obsessed with how much Alison LOVES flying 1st class! Being there, first-hand to watch it was an epic experience!
Lulu wishes she would’ve remembered to bring a heavier coat to NYC as it is still not as warm as she would like.
Alison fits more in one hour of her day than most do in a day, but she still wishes that she could ingest information as fast as they do in the movie, The Matrix.
Thanks to our PodCastaway Retreat pal, Amy Fagan of Amy’s Jams, ice cream is the ‘word’ for this week and that sent Alison to Bath, England. There she stayed in the “unspoilt” Lucknam Park Country House. They say that “whilst it is a glorious, grand house, it is not run in a formal and stuffy manner and therefore the ideal place to relax.” She stayed in the Grande Suite, which not only has 24 hour room service, but is ‘elegantly decorated with a large sitting area, an open fireplace, a dining table, writing desk and a stately four-poster bed.’ And for this price of $4003.31 for 2 nights, they better have 24 hr. room service!
After a good ‘lie-in’ in her comfy 4-poster bed, she enjoyed a traditional British Afternoon Tea ‘amidst 500 glorious acres of beautiful gardens and unspoilt parkland.’ There’s that word again! Go ahead…say ‘unspoilt’ in a British accent…it’s fun! Her private chauffeur (pay no attention…no chauffeur here to see) took her to Lick me, I’m Delicious! which is more of an experience than a destination. They say, “This company brings their Wonka-like creations to corporate events, where you’ll pay top dollar to taste some of the most interesting sweet treats in the world. One of their most famous ice creams actually glows in the dark! Powered by the luminescence of jellyfish, this ice cream innovation turns a glowing neon green when it comes into contact with the tongue.”
As no one should go to Bath, England and NOT go to the Roman Baths, Alison went! Mind you, you can’t go in the ancient baths anymore, so she ventured down the road a bit to Thermae Bath Spa for the Twilight Package to enjoy a relaxing spa session, delicious meal & a drink in the Springs Restaurant. This package includes:
2 x 2-hour spa sessions, plus time in the Restaurant - full use of the indoor Minerva Bath, multi-sensory Wellness Suite and open-air indoor Rooftop Pool
Complimentary use of towels, robes & slippers
2 x Choice of one dish from the menu
2 x Glasses of specially selected wine, beer, juice or water
And since her bed back at the hotel was so comfy, she closed out her ice cream inspired day with a pint or two or 6 of Chicago’s own Cappanari’s ice cream shipped in just for her.
Perhaps it was also inspired by Alison’s upcoming trip to attend Outlier Podcast Festival, but ice cream took Lulu to Austin, TX this week! She stayed at the San Jose Hotel in the Courtyard Suite and although she didn’t bring Alison with her this time, she wanted her to feel like she was there. So, Lulu purchased the hotel’s kimono robe and duvet to send back to Alison.
Lunch was at the Gourdough’s Public House where the wordplay continued as she ate some Kail Caeser Salad!, Pork My Avocado and CBD donuts. Wait, are we back on the High episode? Nope, just feeling good with donuts here.
Now, Austin is a great city for so many reasons, but one that I particularly love is that they embrace their WEIRD! I mean, I still use my Keep Austin Weird beer coozie that I got at the ATX airport years ago! So, in total weird fashion, Lulu found the Museum of Junk! I think it’s best if I use the official description- “Some 60 tons of discarded items, many of them bicycles, make up the skeleton and decoration of the structure. The construction of the Cathedral started in 1989, when Hannemann was in his 20s. For a few years he collected junk for his project, but it was soon unnecessary as people began to supply him with their unwanted goods.”
Ever thoughtful, Lulu decided she needed to donate some things to his museum. So, she purchased some 1929 original UNC Chapel Hill Hall organ pipes, a Vintage 70’s Paolo Soleri Arcosanti cast bronze bell wind chime MCM angel for almost 1/2 her 10K budget and an Antique xylophone. All that philanthrophy got her in the mood to finally partake of some good ol’ ice cream! And, par for the course in Austin, you don’t want to get just plain ol’ ice cream! So, she went to Spun Ice Cream where they get all sorts of fancy with local dairy, fair-trade chocolate, and organic spices and produce, the best quality milk and cream Texas has to offer (non-homogenized and low-temperature pasteurized from healthy cows fed on grass and GMO/corn/soy-free feed and never given artificial hormones) and “Faster than traditional freezing techniques, spinning ice cream with liquid nitrogen produces smaller, more condensed ice crystals and thus an intense purity of flavor and the creamiest, smoothest frozen treats science has to offer.”
After such sweet indulgence, Lulu decided to invest in some LYMA supplements for some nutrition and vitamins. Definitely a bougie experience, but hey…this is 10K! Dinner was at Vigilante Gaming Bar for some yummy bites and a milkshake and drinks!
Alison is happy about the peaceful feeling she was getting from listening to the rain fall on her roof while she was working in her garage studio.
Lulu is on a life-changing journey as a cast member of the all-female/non-binary and trans cast of the Broadway revival of the musical, 1776. And with that adventure comes making new friends. Lulu has been really enjoying having lunch with a different new friend every day.
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