Travel – Page 16

ROAD TRIPPIN’

May 28, 2014 by jessica Leave a Comment

We’re back from our Memorial Day road trip to Louisville, Ky.! The city is only a seven-hour drive from Madison (eight hours with the inexplicably long construction traffic jams), which is close enough for a day-long drive and a great excuse to take Dave’s convertible on the road. Sunscreen should have been my top travel essential (I have quite the sunburn on my scalp from driving that long with the top down), but it was actually this Hayden Reis tote. It’s made of durable, lightweight sailcloth (read: packable, water resistant and wipes clean) and was large enough to stow all of my on-the-road essentials with plenty of room for souvenirs. My bag is the larger “Ditty” version, but Hayden Reis’ upbeat, preppy designs also come in a smaller “Middy” size, which is a bit more manageable for daytime use. There are also plenty of summer accessories like this darling pouch to stash your wet swimsuit and a mesh bag for beach-combing finds.

BON VOYAGE

May 23, 2014 by jessica Leave a Comment

…and we’re off!

I won’t be updating the blog while we’re away (aside from Sunday’s scheduled “Bauble of the Week”), but there will be plenty of bourbon-laden Instagrams to document our trip to Kentucky. I hope you have a relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

The above photo is from our 2012 trip to Louisville. Yes, those are penguins on the roof of 21c. The staff moves them to new locations in the hotel-restaurant-gallery hybrid each day. I’d love to spend the night here, but a more budget-friendly hotel is just fine with me.

TRIP PLANNING: LOUISVILLE

May 16, 2014 by jessica Leave a Comment

Even though our trip to Belgium is on the horizon, we’ve been itching to take a long weekend somewhere stateside and settled on a return trip to the Bluegrass State. We visited Louisville a couple of years ago and checked off the major tourist attractions, freeing up this trip to meander through neighborhoods, discovering shops and bars along the way. There are a few must-dos on our list already: coffee at Please and Thank You (I’m definitely buying one of their adorable branded mugs), the races at Churchill Downs (we’ve done this already, but it’s too much fun to pass up), craft beer at Holy Grale (an old church renovated into a bar), a distillery tour at Woodford Reserve, and a stop at the Zappos/6pm outlet.

We leave next Friday in Dave’s convertible (oh la la). Let me know if there are any hidden gems I need to add to our itinerary!

{images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

Packing List | Venice

March 28, 2014 by jessica Leave a Comment

Things have certainly changed over at Yoox! I hadn’t visited their site in years (I found the product selection overwhelming and navigation underwhelming), but they’ve really stepped up their game. The site looks more modern, the homepage is a bit blog-meets-retailer with some editorial pieces and it’s now so much easier to find what you’re looking for. (If you spot something you love, use discount code SHOPSENSE15 for 15% off your full price purchase and free shipping through April 7.)

After browsing the site for well over an hour, I thought I’d put together a little fantasy packing list for a weekend in Venice. You wouldn’t need much for a long weekend. Two dresses, two pairs of shoes and a handful of thoughtful accessories can be mixed for fresh new outfits each day—and it’s a heck of a lot more fun than packing an all-black wardrobe. Here are a few ways I’d wear the pieces above:

Striped Dress + Flats + Tote + Scarf (to tie hair into a ponytail) + Cuff
White Dress + Sandals + Clutch + Ring
Striped Dress + Sandals + Clutch + Cuff
White Dress + Flats + Scarf (tied around your neck) + Tote + Ring

Shop It: Dolce & Gabbana dress, $755 // Case Scenario iPhone case, $30 // Halston Heritage dress, $370 // Dolce & Gabbana flats, $295 // 8 cuff, $45 // Taolei ring, $30 // Anya Hindmarch clutch, $465 // Missoni sandals, $309 // 8 tote, $306 // Valentino scarf, $206

Packing List | Las Vegas

March 14, 2014 by jessica Leave a Comment

I’ve been to a casino twice. The first time was on my birthday to collect my free $10 in birthday cash (with no obligation to gamble) and the other was on an impromptu day trip with Dave. I played the penny slots, lost money and that was that. The romanticism of the day was pretty much shot after seeing elderly people feebly toting their oxygen tanks to each slot machine. (Thank goodness smoking wasn’t allowed.)

Honestly, I feel like you’d get a better experience gambling at home with sites like http://www.luckynuggetcasino.com/au. Add a stiff drink and a strobe light for ambiance and it sounds like Sin City to me. And it’s a heck of a lot cheaper.

But I get the allure of the Vegas Strip. Flashing lights, beautiful people, a peacock-display of wealth, and warm weather. That last bit might actually be enough to convince me to jet set to Vegas. I’m yearning for 80-degree weather and the ability to lay poolside all day, which is exactly what I’d do. My travel bag would be stuffed to the brim with the brightest pool items I could find: a hot pink swimsuit, big sunglasses (for anonymity, naturally), gold sandals, and show-stopping jewelry.

And, since it is Vegas, a sequin cocktail dress, feather faux lashes and the highest stilettos I can manage are a must. After all, do you really think I could resist flirting with Lady Luck at least one night in the casino?

Have you been to Vegas? What’s in your bag?

Shop It: Maslin beach towel, $225 // Alex Woo pendant, $168 // Napolean Perdis false eyelashes, $25 // DKNY dress, $395 // J.Crew sandals, $198 // Fantas Eyes, $22 // Ca & Lou earrings, $355 // Marysia swimsuit, $315 // Neutrogena sunscreen, $10

This is a collaborative piece with Sean Doherty, but all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting Bedknobs & Baubles! Images via here and here.