214: The Queue Episode
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Ash, the original producer of 10K Dollar Day is also Alison’s sister-in-law. This Christmas, Ash gave Alison a most thoughtful and sentimental gift. A great stylist, Ash took one of Alison’s late brother’s leather jackets and altered it to fit Alison. It is nice leather, now fits her perfectly and is filled with sentimental value. What a thoughtful and beautiful gift for her to treasure.
Lulu found a low budget obsession! Long skinny iced tea spoons! She likes that they make you feel fancy but they’re cheap! Alison was a bit disappointed that the spoon itself wasn’t made of concentrated iced tea, but hey…she could invent that!
Alison loves games and to be good AT them, so she is wishing that she were much better at playing darts. Her mom got her husband a dart board and darts as a gift, but she hasn’t quite mastered it yet. Her goal is to be able to hustle her family at darts by Easter. Gotta love a goal!
Lulu is wishing for a haircut as it is currently not within her budget. But, she has to get one before she starts her 1776 adventure in April. I’d offer to cut it for her, but that would be a whole different kind of look for her!
Although Alison and Lulu have ended up choosing similar cities or experiences lately, this week they picked polar opposites! Starting with this week’s 10K word (Queue) chosen by her father, Ted Herrera, Lulu chose a city in the only country that starts with the letter ‘Q’…Doha, Qatar. This is conservative muslim country with plenty of luxury options and super hotsy totsy desert climate temps! It can get up to 108 in the summer! Yipes!
Unable to afford the Royal Suite, she stayed in the Panoramic suite at the Mandarin Oriental Doha where she had a 1 bedroom suite with balcony. No stranger to Asian hotel breakfasts, Lulu chose to break her fast at the hotel, as she was sure it would be much more than a random muffin in plastic.
If you regularly listen to the podcast or read this blog, you know Lulu loves art and often visits museums in her 10K days and real life. I share that passion with her and was excited to hear that even in such a conservative country, there was art that supported the beauty of the female body. She went to see the Miraculous Journey Sculptures. Fourteen bronze sculptures representing different gestation phases of a human fetus, from conception to birth, stand outside a medical center. This artwork by Damien Hirst was commissioned by Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani and placed in front of the Sidra Medical and Research Center, a hospital with a focus on women’s and children’s health. Then it was on to the National Museum of Qatar which is so revered, they even put it on their currency. In 2019, it was declared one of the world’s greatest places to visit by Time Magazine.
After so much culture, Lulu broke up her day with a trip to Angry Birds World. Although she’s never been a fan of the game, it seemed like a fun theme park experience. There she joined in on the Red Alert Dance Party and surprisingly, a lunch very similar to any other theme park around the world…pizza, nachos and mojitos. Good news is that they have live shows! Way to keep our fellow entertainers working, Qatar!
Still hungry for adventure, Lulu went to the Salwa Beach Resort for the Desert Falls Family Canyoning experience. “The canyoning attraction at the Desert Falls is the first man-made canyoning structure within the Middle East and the third of its kind in the world. Unique in its design; this is the only attraction of its kind in the region which boasts 17 pools, 10 Slides, 16 cliff jumps and two rappelling positions connected by steep staircases and tunnels giving it a maze-like appearance. With cliff jumps as high as 7.5 meters and pools ranging from depths of 1.5 meters to 6 meters this attraction definitely causes an adrenaline rush similar to what you would experience out in the natural canyons.”
To close out the night with some culture and culinary artistry, she went to La Petit Chef at the Ritz. Available in other cities around the world, it is a two-hour immersive dining adventure that tells the story of a small animated chef who is projected using 3D project mapping technology onto the diners’ plates and proceeds to ‘cook’ their food in front of them. She opted for the most expensive — “Le Grand Chef Menu” (Burrata, bouillabaisse, wagyu ribeye with sauces, saffron rice pudding brûlée) but she was delighted to see they had a fancy kids menu as well. She and Alison agree this should be on their bucket list.
And the final adventure was a fun ladies night at W Doha Hotel’s Crystal Bar. In Doha, the ladies night means absolutely NO men allowed! And you know what that means, ladies…comfy clothes!! She bought a Pucci printed organic cotton jersey hoodie, Pucci sports bra, Pucci sweat pants, and Roger Vivier Viv Skate crystal-embellished rubber trimmed leather sneakers. Now, that sounds like a super comfy 10K way to end her day in Doha, Qatar!
Well, Alison went a completely opposite route to choose her 10K city this week. She looked up the origin of the word, ‘queue’ and was inspired by the French slang meaning of the word…the penis! And that research took her to the ‘not so conservative’ city of Taormina, Italy. She stayed at the Grand Hotel Timeo in the Junior suite that had a ‘superior sea view and balcony.’
Once she knew what fun she was going to have in Taormina, she decided to fly Lulu, her favorite ‘giggling companion’ so they could experience this together. Once Lulu’s premium economy flying self hit the ground, they headed to Turris Bar. This café was opened in 1947 and the city itself became a magnet for 19th century artists. Now, though you don’t see any overt mention of the meaning of ‘queue’ on their website, go ahead and click on Photo Gallery and you’ll see plenty of what their interior decor is like! So, they enjoyed the ‘queue view’ whilst brunching and picking up some fun items at the Gift Shop. Knowing Alison and Lulu, they were probably laughing more than eating brunch, so they went directly on to lunch at Trattoria Tiramisu.
This part of Sicily is widely known for it’s Mt. Etna Volcano that had the longest eruption in the last century (1991-1993). They took a Private Tour of Mt. Etna to explore a lava cave and take in some breathtaking Sicilian panoramic views and they also visited the historic archway of Porta Catania. To get a better understanding of the history and culture of Taormina, they went on a Nighttime Walking Tour w/Greek Theatre Visit. Bringing along some Portable LED lanterns, they made their way through beautiful seaside sights, enchanting churches & cathedrals, and learned about the influence of the mafia in Sicily as they headed to Fondaco Parrino, a nude beach 30 minutes outside Taormina. Again with nude beach experiences…I sense a future ‘real’ trip to one for these two!
We all know Alison is one of the hardest working people on the planet and doesn’t get quite enough sleep on the regular. So, as the kids were off spending time with grandparents and friends, she was able to sleep in until 10AM! We’re dubbing 2022 the year of the NAP!
Lulu is happy that her sister is using and enjoying the yoga mat Lulu got her for Christmas this year. They’ve even done some yoga together!
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