48 Hours: Baltimore Edition

Welcome to Finance Foodie Travels. This new series showcases journeys to various locals around the world. Because, yes, there is a lovely life to be had outside of New York and Boston…

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending my 48 hour weekend in Baltimore, Maryland, home of the Terps, Ravens, and Orioles. Along with visiting the usual tourist packed spots (e.g. The Inner Harbor, M&T Bank Stadium), I also got to see a side of the Charm City that was more artistic in nature – the hidden gems, if I may say. Check out where I played, ate, and stayed during my short getaway!

Do Good and Do Well: Greyston Bakery Tour [New York]

“It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away…”

During the past two years writing Forays of a Finance Foodie, I’ve had the opportunity to attend many fantabulous events – from restaurant openings to fashion shows to grand tastings. Although all were fun-filled and electrifyingly awesome, none of these experiences touched my heart as much as my recent visit to Greyston Bakery, a company that epitomizes the crux of social entrepreneurialism at its best.

Double Whammy! Smorgie Party and Bliss Spa Grand Opening at the W Hotel [Boston]

"Double your pleasure, double your fun..."

Tonight I attended two parties, which coincidentally both took place at the W Hotel (one downstairs and one upstairs). Hooray – no having to choose between a rock and a hard place – if only life were this easy all the time!

My first party was a get-together downstairs at the W Lounge celebrating the public unveiling of a new foodie site called Smorgie. This Yelp-esq site allows users to make custom lists of restaurants they’ve visited and ones they would like to go to, and also lets users “friend” their favorite users to see their recommendations. Honestly, I didn’t really see a huge difference between Smorgie and Yelp, but the site is still in its beta phase, so I’m sure there will be more cool features added later!

BONUS EDITION! New York Fashion Week: Bright Young Things, Bebe, and the VIP Gifting Suites

By: Anne M. Raso

I am a very select New York Fashion Week attendee...for us not-Anna Wintour’s, it gets exhausting waiting for shows that always start 45 minutes late or are so crowded that eight hundred people are fighting their way in and out the doors.

As a result, I only saw two shows this season: Bright Young Things and Bebe [Ed Note: Don’t worry Anne, I fought the crowds for the both of us when I was in town]. At Bright Young Things, which was part of the Green Shows at the Metropolitan Pavilion, each separate was used two or three ways (such as a blouse that also doubles as a scarf or even a skirt)! This show also used some "real people" models of different shapes and ages (which was really refreshing)!

New England Dessert Showcase 2010 [Boston]

“Sweet dreams are made of this…”

Last Saturday, I died and went to heaven – dessert heaven that is! The New England Dessert Showcase, held at the Westin Copley Place Hotel, was a sugar lover’s paradise that was brimming with sweet treats -- including the World's Largest Creme Pie! This event, which drew everyone and their mothers (literally -- the line to get in was almost a mile deep at one point), featured dessert samples from all of Boston’s top bakeries and had a wide variety of offerings to please even the pickiest palate. I arrived near the close of the event, so I missed out on a lot of the samples (including the cool sounding beer-flavored ice cream that my friend Megan sampled. Boo)!  Not to fear though, because there were still other options still available to taste.

Among them were:

New York Fashion Week(end): Wrap-up Part 3

(continued from part 2)
“Big city, Bright lights, Sleep all day, Up all night…”

The last and final day of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (for me at least)! Without further ado, let’s jump on in.

New York Fashion Week(end): Wrap-up Part 2

(continued from part 1)
“She don't believe in shootin' stars, but she believe in shoes & cars…”

After staying out into the wee-hours of the night on Saturday (ok it was actually only till 3am, which is early for NYC, but late for granny-pants me these days), I woke up at 11am and realized that there was no way I was going to make it from the UES to the West Side for the Simon Spurr show (which started at umm…11am). So I went back to sleep, disappointed knowing that I was missing some quality eye candy. Argh.

New York Fashion Week(end): Wrap-up Part 1

“City of Blinding Lights…”

Ahhhh and I’m back – to Boston that is! After a tiring but exciting weekend spent in New York covering Mercedes Benz Fashion Week (MBFW), I’m happy to be back to slower paced Beantown. New York – especially during Fashion Week – can be like a non-stop amusement park ride. After three days, I was ready to get off.

Not wanting to fatigue myself to the point of illness (which happened last season), I made the decision to cover fewer shows this time around and use the freetime to catch up with old friends and well….eat proper meals (last season I survived on nothing but protein bars and Diet Coke). So with my Nikon, Blackberry, and badge in hand, I was ready to see what would be in stores for Spring / Summer 2011.

Ravel Hotel's Penthouse 808 - Revisited [New York]

By: Anne M. Raso

I had to check back into the Penthouse 808 as their expanded dessert menu (mentioned in our previous visit) never left my mind. So last Sunday, back out to Long Island City I went - sweet tooth shivering in anticipation!

Shiseido's Beauty Blogger Event at Home Studios [New York]

by: Anne M. Raso

Since we are totally suckers for good skincare and cosmetic products, we could not resist checking out Shiseido's recent event held at Home Studios in the Union Square area of Manhattan. We admit that we love the makeover and services at these events as much as seeing the new products!

Sipping & Savoring Harpoon Brewery Beer at Morton’s Steakhouse [Boston]

“One hundred bottles of beer on the wall…”

Truth be told, I was never a beer kind of girl - if any of you readers have had the (blessed!) chance of seeing me at a party, I’m always the one with the outfit-coordinated fruity cocktail in hand. Therefore, when the invitation to attend a Harpoon Brewery beer tasting at Morton’s Steakhouse arrived in my inbox last week, I was slightly hesitant to accept. However, after speaking with some of my beer “enthusiast” friends about Harpoon, they convinced me that I should go – as Harpoon is one of the leading craft beer brewers in the New England area. Plus, as a good foodie (or in this case drink-ie?), it’s my job to be adventurous and expand my palate :)

Tiger at the 16: Deutsche Bank Golf Championship

"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my..."

Last Friday, I had the chance to watch PGA pros play live when the Bermuda Tourism Board invited me to attend the 1st round of the Deutsche Bank Golf Championship. Now to be honest, when it comes to golf (and thankfully, my personal life), I am no Tiger Woods. In fact, I still cringe remembering the time I dinged my golf instructor’s shiny new BMW when my flyaway shot zinged sideways off the driving range and into the parking lot. So even though I don’t play or follow golf religiously, I’ve watched enough games to know the major players. Therefore, I was uber excited to see Woods, as well as some of my other favorites (Mickelson, Furyk) live in action!