Brooklyn Travel Addict

Beach House: The Ultimate TNT Fete Experience

February 18, 2012

I’ve never been one to hang out with stuck up people. Or “stush” as it’s called in West Indian culture. Back in high school when I was in Jack and Jill I used to boycott the meetings and in college I almost didn’t pledge AKA because I fell for the rumors about them being conceited (Whew! That was a close one! I mean we are a little conceited but whatever *flips hair over shoulder, toots nose in air and continues writing*)

So when I heard about the infamous Beach House fete last year, I wasn’t really interested in going. Folks say it’s all #fancyhuh with girls dressed up like there’s a runway in the vicinity and nobody really workin’ that thang out on the dance floor. What da hell kinda party is that? And why would I pay *mutters obscene number under breath* to go to that sort of thing? You can’t get me to pay over $30 to get into a party in NY so the idea of spending over $150 to get into a party where I didn’t walk away with a charleyhorse from dancing just didn’t seem worth it. However, in 2013 I will likely not be back here and who knows if my 30-something-year-old knees can handle it after that so I figured I needed to check this Beach House thing out for myself.

Yeah, you read that bottle right. It’s Johnny Walker Blue folks. A few feet into the fete there was a stand serving it up like it was water. Straight up or on the rocks. Because apparently anything less would be uncivilized. Word on the street that stuff is like $180 a bottle so this sort of lavish gesture pretty much set the tone for the experience to come.

Once we fueled up on Johnny and snapped a few pics in front of the gorgeous Hollywood-like Beach House sign, we headed in to the main area up the hill. The party sits on a sprawling lawn with large white tents for each food and beverage station. On the way in I spotted a Nuvo tent, a Patron tent, a Bailey’s tent and a Jaegermeister bomb tent. And these are all in ADDITION to the regular bar, which was stocked with the likes of Johnny Walker Green and Hennessy White.

Since it took quite a while to get out to the location in the middle of nowhere, our first stop was the food tent. From the parking lot I saw smoke so I figured there was a jerk stand or something. Uh, negative. Yes, there was jerk. But there was also Curry Crab and Dumpling, Chicken Tikka Masala, Roast Pork, Pholouri, Garlic Shrimp, and a whole tent of sweet temptations including Bailey’s Double Chocolate Delight and Red Velvet Wave. If you know me you know I was overwhelmed with all the options, taking multiple trips to the various tents to try different things. The Roast Pork was better than Chipotle (What? You know you love you some Chipotle. Admit it.) and the doubles were probably the best I’ve ever had in Trinidad or elsewhere.

Once my food baby was fully matured and tucked in nicely behind my bubble skirt, we commenced the libation fest. Every time I went to the bar and was able to order Hennessy White without forking over my paycheck, I considered my ticket worth it’s value. There were no performances at Beach House but the DJs definitely kept the party going with no problems, and while yes, the crowd was a little “Hey look at me in my heels and my hair-done-nails-done-everything-did/ Ayo son check out my white linen pants and aviator shades I’m famous yo, ask about me”, it wasn’t anything a little soca couldn’t cure. As the sun started to set, it was like the freshman year for a preacher’s daughter. All hell broke loose like folks had permission to act a monkey cause the sun had gone down (news flash ladies: I can still see you touching your knees to your elbows in them stilettos in the dark. And I salute you for such agility cause my knees divorced my elbows over 5 years ago)

The telltale sign of a good party is that you don’t want to leave when it’s over. You want to secretly start the music back up, kick off your heels, pull the flats out of your purse and keep dropping that thang to the floor until security comes to usher you out. Or maybe that’s just me. But you get it. Beach House deserves it’s notoriety for being the ultimate Trinidad Carnival fete experience. If you’re one of the people who have already told me they are coming next year, go ahead and put it on your list and just know that in terms of quality, organization, professionalism, production value, premium alcohol access and overall awesomeness – Beach House is where it’s at.

Travel

Why Your Travel Crew is As Important As Your Destination

February 18, 2012

“I might not make the flight,” she said.

I thought my girl was being dramatic at first, but when she clarified that she was 40 minutes away from the airport with 20 minutes left before the cutoff time, the math revealed that the drama was real.

A year ago I would have been a little sad for my new friend, who I “didn’t really know like that”, but was happy to travel to Trinidad with her since she was a veteran and I was a newbie. However, a year later, we were friends. A term I don’t take lightly, and in one year, that light sadness was now devastation.

She eventually made a flight as a standby (a miracle of testimonial praise dance proportions considering flights were overbooked for 3 days) but for that half a day when things weren’t looking good, I had trouble getting into the carnival spirit. We heard the tunes in our taxi on the way home but they weren’t doing it for me. I came home and upacked all of my outfits, feathers, glitter and carnival fun, and even that didn’t excite me. I soon realized that carnival isn’t about parties, or costumes or dancing in positions that are probably illegal in some countries. Carnival is about the people you spend it with.

A year ago this trip was “a fun trip to cross of my list.” 12 months later, this trip means so much more. This past year was phenomenal but a lot of work. Hard work. Late nights, all nighters, tears of joy, pain and everything in between trying to bring several dreams to life. The same goes even more so for so many of the people in my group who 1 year ago were homegirls and now are friends. So this trip is a celebration. Of every mountain and valley we all traveled through to get to this beautiful celebration of culture, friendship and unity across nations.

With that said, let the wotless, 72-hour nonstop, whine upon anyting, Johnny Walker Black for breakfast, dancing on top of cars, cock up your leg like a puppy on hydrant and ride out on a poor 20-something boy at 4 AM in the middle of the street covered in silver paint games begin!

Brooklyn, Giving Back

The Jetsetters’ Holiday Fiesta

December 28, 2011

When I first heard about the Passport Party Project I immediately knew it was a program I wanted to get involved with. I started hearing tidbits about it early this year on Twitter and with a little research, found out it’s an amazing program that grants girls ages 11-16 their first passport, and most of the girls just happen to be brown like me? I was all in and immediately signed up to host the party when it comes to New York next year. Not long after, I heard about Kenji Summers’ Passport Project, funded by the Marcus Graham Project and realized there is a new movement of programs that are giving passports to diverse people in our communities.

I decided as an avid traveler it’s my responsibility to give back and these types of programs are the perfect way to do so! However, fundraising has never been my thing (I sucked at selling $2 girl scout cookies so imagine me asking people for $20 for programs they had never heard of.)

I do have experience, however, with hosting events so in my mission to promote these amazing programs and others like it, I chose to throw a holiday party with a twist! Imagine if you could board a plane that stopped at 6 destinations around the world that you could visit with one ticket. In first class there’s a full bar with a diverse range of cocktails as well as samples of international food and there’s a DJ spinning the best of music from around the world in the rear of the plane. The vision for this event was exactly that and I had the most awesome crew on board to pull it off.

Magner’s Cider

Magner’s Cider sponsored the event with their apple and pear ciders that pack more punch than you anticipate (non-beer drinking ladies take note – there’s now a sweet alternative to dousing your Corona in grenadine)

The Haiti Table – curated by Frantzie Bazile, Sendy Chancy and Marie LeBrun

The Haiti Table was curated by some awesome friends of mine of Haitian descent, Frantzie Bazile, Sendy Chancy and Marie Lebrun. These ladies have traveled to the country recently for various trips to give back to the earthquake-stricken nation and are heavily involved (and proud of) their Haitian culture. The table featured artwork, a slideshow of their mission trips to Haiti, Haitian Cultural Exchange brochures, homemade Pikliz, shots of Barbancourt rum, Black rice made from dried mushrooms and shrimp (Du Riz avec Djon-djon et Ecrevisse) and Haitian Pâté Puffs Chicken and Beef. And some punch that I need to recipe for (hint, hint ahem, Frantzie lol)

Ghana Table

The Ghana table was curated by my friend and fellow Trinidad Carnival masquerader Cassandra Nuamah (who is in Ghana celebrating the New Year as I type this). The Ghana table featured the infamous jollof rice, a ‘Dua Korkor’ Oware Table Game, kente fabric, Ghanaian flag, a mask from the artists market in Accra and various artifacts and artwork. Click here for stories about my trip to Ghana this time last year.

South Africa table

The South Africa table was curated by two friends of mine who are also travel addicts who live in Brooklyn, Marcella Tillett and Maisha Husband. Both of them have spent time in South Africa as well as other countries in the southern region of Africa and were gracious enough to donate some stunning pieces of artwork including woven plates from South Africa using a traditional basket weaving style, sculptures from Zimbabwe, Shona style stone scuptures representing family, unity and love and masks originally from Southern & East Africa, purchased from traders in South Africa and Namibia. The male/female pair were said to be fertility masks and the black/white one represents welcoming (in a hospitable sense). The table also featured a guide to Southern africa and a biography on anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko.

Trinidad & Tobago table

The Trinidad & Tobago table was curated by yours truly 🙂 Everything on the table was from my trip to Trinidad Carnival 2011 this past March including our Monday Wear Remix outfit, the Digicel scarf I wore during J’ouvert, my mask and costume from Carnival Tuesday, photos and a slideshow video from our weekend. Click here for more stories from the most fun week of my adult life.

Jamaica & Barbados table

Jamaica & Barbados are two countries that should just give me citizenship because I will be going back for the rest of my life. I began traveling to Jamaica in college with the International Medical Outreach Program and put together a photo album of my experience for the table. The Jamaica Travel & Tourism office sponsored the event with travel guides and super cute table calendars. The Barbados section contained a few items I brought back from my trip last month including shots of Mount Gay Rum, rum truffles, and pink sand (Yes, it’s real. Pink “ish”, but real.)

Wine Tasting & Beer Sampling

Guests were offered samples of wines from around the world and beer donated by Vanberg & Dewulf including Foret Blanche, a Belgian white beer, and Saison Dupont, a Belgian Farmhouse Ale.

International Food Sampling

Food was available for sampling as well, including dishes from Nigeria and Jamaica. Buka New York has been touted by the Village Voice among others as the best Nigerian Restaurant in New York. They were gracious enough to donate jollof rice for the event which received rave reviews! The Islands is Prospect Heights’ best kept secret in Caribbean cooking. A bona-fide hidden “hole in the wall” near the Brooklyn Museum but hands down the BEST Jamaican food I’ve had in New York. They donated jerk chicken and rice and peas for us to sample. If you’ve never been to either restaurant, definitely give them a try this winter during hibernation season.

This was supposed to be an actual map but what had happened was, I realized I can’t really draw and my geography ain’t as um…precise as it was in high school so er…yeah, you get the idea. We had a wall where you could tag your travels and it was interesting to see where in the world young Black travelers gravitate towards. Nobody has been to Australia! Can you say group trip? *calls up Evita Robinson of Nomad•ness Travel Tribe*

Glamour Passport Photos by Kris Mari

Guest who wanted to take a fun twist on a passport photo were offered a makeup touch-up by Kris Mari makeup. While most guest already had passports (which is inspiring in and of itself) it was a fun option for camera hams like myself 🙂

DJ Sean

So remember the DJ in the back of the hypothetical plane that I mentioned earlier? Here he is spinning the best of soca, dancehall, world music, and Brooklyn from Fela Kuti to the Notorious B.I.G. and kept everyone who was already feeling happy off the Magners cider even happier off the tunes. DJ Sean of BKrepertoire is (in my humble but extremely important opinion) one of NY’s best kept secrets in the DJ scene so if you wanna check him out come by Voudou Lounge in Brooklyn on Saturday nights (but don’t tell nobody cause this is my crew’s spot and you can’t have it).

Raffle Prizes

Raffle Prizes included Dirt Bag travel totes donated by Nomad•ness TV, Kiratiana’s Travel Guide to Black Paris, a bottle of Hennessy White and the grand prize of 3 nights at Coconut Grove Hotel in Ghana. All raffle proceeds will go to support passport programs for diverse youth. Guests also left with a gift bag complete with Hobnob Drive Black Travel guides, sponsored by Steed Media and Street King Energy shot samples, the proceeds of which combat starvation in African countries.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to support the first travel event/holiday party/fundraiser/1 year anniversary party for Brooklyn Travel Addict! There were so many sponsors and people who donated and helped out, including my amazing hostess Evita Robinson of Nomad•ness Travel Tribe who has an international movement of young diverse travelers on Facebook (ahem, if you’re into traveling like for real, hit her up and get down with the Tribe.)

And who knows, maybe we’ll do it again this summer? Maybe it could be the Jetsetters’ Summer Soiree and it could be outside on a rooftop? Or by some water and we can feature even more countries, have more sponsors and celebrate all the new places we have been between now and then? Who knows 🙂

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE EVENT PHOTOS

Photography by Sergio Fermin

Travel, Travel Stories

My Solo Trip to Barbados

December 9, 2011

Barbados was a snooze button for me. Not in the sense that it was somehow a boring vacation, but it was a virtual pause button on life that allowed me to just breathe in the goodness of another culture. Don’t you wish that actually existed? Like, a real life snooze button you could press that would just stop life for a second? Sometimes it feels like life is a series of alarms that last all day – time to go to work, time to eat lunch, time to turn in the project, time to take the test, time to have drinks with the client, time to go to class, time to feed the kids, time to walk to the dog. It’s always time to do something and though it’s a sad reality, we need to schedule time off if we truly expect to indulge in such a thing.

Normally when I travel I have a full agenda planned to explore my destination thoroughly and record my experience in photos and writing. However, this trip is different. This trip is my snooze button. I have no agenda. I booked this trip back in September with the sole purpose of relaxing on one of the top 10 beaches in the world at a 4 diamond hotel. And I didn’t really know what 4 diamonds meant but I didn’t care because it sounded like a place I wouldn’t mind leaving for 4 days if I chose to do so.

The Crane has so far proved itself to be worthy of the aforementioned bling in it’s rating. I’ve been traveling to the Caribbean at least once a year, sometimes more, for about 10 years now. This hotel is by far the nicest I have ever been to. When I walked into my room I thought for a second they had brought me to the wrong room and was worried they were gonna charge me for the mix-up, but luckily the Groupon that I used to get here had indeed guaranteed me a junior suite that is bigger than my apartment with a private balcony, massive bedroom with couch, desk and television, a bathroom the size of my bedroom and a jacuzzi big enough to sleep in if I wanted to risk drowning in my slumber. There’s even a tiny kitchen where I could cook if I chose to do such a blasphemous thing on vacation.

The sweet girl who showed me all of my room features encouraged me to take the catamaran rides and swim with the turtles and all sorts of other things but her words went in one ear and out of the other as I sat complacent in the idea of having absolutely nothing to do for a few days. Well, theoretically. I’m of course still kind of “working from not really home” (new job life), in event-planning mode for the Jetsetters Holiday Fiesta on Saturday at Free Candy in Brooklyn, and doing post-event work for the Curly Girl Collective’s Curl Crush event last week (unbelievably shameless double promotion) but that can be done from right here where I’m typing this – on a pink sand beach in Barbados.

I may be here only for a few days but a snooze button pause can’t last too long or else you’d be that chick late to work with wrinkles in her shirt, mismatched socks and a roller in the back of her head. Not a good look. And besides, stay in the Caribbean too long and you’re liable to not come back (play with it – one of these days later in life that may happen for me) So I plan to indulge myself the next few days in the best of nothingness – no tours. No catamarans. No westernized restaurants or attractions. I’m eating down the street at the local restaurant and hanging with the homies at the Ostins fish spot tonight. I may go to town tomorrow. I may not. But it’s all good because my snooze button is good until Sunday night so rum punch and extended naps are fine until then 🙂

Bedroom the size of my apartment

Garden View Balcony

Bed the size of my bathroom

I actually got in and made a bubble bath and acted like I was 6. It was awesome!

Flying Fish is the BEST!! Shout out to Crane Palms down the street from the hotel. Delicious!

Musings

Checking In and Giving Thanks

November 22, 2011

Hey guys! How have you been? I’ve missed you so much! I hope the end of 2011 has been treating you well and that the next six weeks are full of family visits, belly laughs, excessively large meals, butter laden desserts, holiday party shenanigans, good tidings, comfort and unreasonable amounts of joy.

So much as been going on with me in the past month that I looked up and realized I haven’t posted here in over a month! *gasp* I know, I know, blasphemy in the world of social media but I promise I haven’t been home chillin’, watching Vh1 Soul and eating chinese takeout on my couch. Okay maybe that one day last weekend but that’s it. I promise I’ve been busy! Right after the Apple Picking trip, an amazing opportunity came out of nowhere and threw cold water on my face, waking me up from a long slumber in my career. It shook me, told me to wipe the drool off my face and get dressed for an interview the next morning. So I went, and before I knew it I was knee deep in the interview olympics for the next few weeks. And I won! Gold metal in smiling pretty, sounding smart and believing in what felt like a dream. My trophy is now sitting in my wallet – a grey business card with my name and new agency on it! 2011 is WINNING I tell you!! *does backflip* *looks around to make sure nobody saw me fall*

In addition to the interview olympics and the following adjustment period, I’ve been knee-deep in planning an exciting fundraiser for the Passport Party Project! It’s going to be a virtual trip around the world with tastes, sights, sounds, and sips of cultures and countries spanning the globe. Putting the final touches on it so look out for invitations after I’ve completely stuffed every inch of my stomach in New Orleans this week.

So overall I’ve been busy, but not too busy to check in with you guys and say hi! *waves* More posts are definitely on the way since winter travel season is allawayturnedup as of this weekend. Just got back from Florida and between now and the end of the year I’ll be in New Orleans, Atlanta, Barbados, Columbia, SC (home sweet home) and a possible last-minute trip for New Years. About to head home shortly to pack for a few days laughing with and learning from the people who have supported my dreams since I was little. I’ll be giving thanks for all that this year has blessed me with and reflecting on the people that made this year awesome. I hope you do the same, survive Black Friday and return to work on Monday refreshed, plump and ready to finish 2011 with a bang!

Brooklyn

The Big Apple Weekend Getaway

October 6, 2011

Imagine if we all had huge bank accounts with large chunks of our financial pie charts exclusively dedicated to traveling the world at our leisure. We’d spend our days scouring the internet for the most fascinating destinations that tickle our travel fancies and spend evenings sauntering through our favorite clothing stores in search of the perfect attire that would eventually make its way into our Louis Vuitton luggage set and onto our international flight of the month.

*logs into Bank of America*
*peeks at account balance with one eye open*
*logs off*

Um, yeah….that’s not happening for me, and unless you’re that friend with the secret bank account in Sweden that is hiding money from me because you know I’ll convince you to take me somewhere or buy me something (why you gotta be stingy like that I thought we was friends from way back when?), then it’s not you either. Most working professionals indulge themselves in the occasional destination wedding or anniversary getaway, but overall, our kids Mortgage, Rent and Loans need to be fed regularly so we reluctantly move boarding passes to the bottom of our responsible adult checklist.

With this insight I thought to myself, “Self, why don’t we come up with ways to give these overworked and underpaid New Yorkers a way to escape the gangsta bite-your-toes-on-the-subway-platform rat race of the city?” From there the Brooklyn Travel Addict Local Adventures series was born and our the first excursion was taken this weekend, in the Hudson Valley of New York. I decided to co-host the trip with my dear friend Latoyia Matheiu of Breuckelen & Honey lifestyling to elevate the experience with the personal (and unbelievably fabulous) details that characterize her company’s offerings.

Below is a selection of photos from our inaugural trip. It was a pleasure to host the ladies that joined us on this first adventure and we are already thinking of new and creative experiences to give New York city residents a chance to get away without having to spend 3 hours on the runway at LaGuardia Airport.

Each guest received a customized gift bag containing a boarding pass, Absolut Brooklyn cocktail recipe card, Orchard granola bar, ginger candy and business cards for Brooklyn Travel Addict and Breuckelen & Honey. We arrived at the cabin early evening so the first place we headed was the bar (first things first!) Our signature drink was the Stoop Party” cocktail by Absolut Brooklyn, which is a limited-edition vodka infused with apple (representing the Big Apple of NYC) and ginger (representing the spice the Brooklyn brings to New York. What? I can’t make this stuff up! It’s on the bottle insert and endorsed by Spike Lee. So there.)

After we settled in to our clubhouse, Latoyia began preparing our dinner with help from her friends David and Josh while the rest of us provided them with moral support and encouragement (sipped wine and gossiped while they slaved over the hot stove.)

One day when I grow up I will be able to think of ideas like “Oh, I know! I’ll cut a pumpkin in half, make butternut squash soup from scratch and serve it piping hot from inside the pumpkin,” but until then I’ll just hire Breuckelen & Honey to handle everything lol. Dinner was so pretty I didn’t wanna eat it but if you know me you know that would never happen in real life.

After dinner we were so pooped from traveling and slaving in the kitchen *wipes forehead* that we pretty much passed out after dinner and prepared for our trip to the orchard the next morning.

Once we arrived at Dubois Farms, our first stop was the pumpkin patch. This random rusted thing shown above sparked a 15-minute photo shoot but hey, that’s what girls do when they’re on a farm for the first time surrounded by pumpkins, grass and random farm equipment. Nearby children participated in the apple cider donut eating contest (sidebar: can you imagine riding home with the kid that won the sugar coated donut eating contest? It’s probably enough to wanna slip them an Ambien but that would be unethical, not that I would ever do that. Maybe.) and Dads lugged their family’s selected pumpkins around the farm (Lets give a hand clap to the men that carry pumpkins around for an hour without complaining! Go men!)

There was so much to do at Dubois Farms we didn’t know where to start! There were 3-4 different types of apples, pears, concord and niagra grapes, a petting zoo, a corn maze and more trees than I have seen in the 7 years I’ve lived in Brooklyn. We had a blast tasting the apples (I didn’t even like raw apples until I tried a fresh-picked Cortland apple – it was so good) and exploring all that the farm had to offer.

After we finished picking fruit and paid for our selections, we sat down for a BBQ lunch. I heard the burgers weren’t anything to write home about but the pulled pork sandwich blessed my belly tremendously. We also purchased treats and souvenirs from their gift shop including apple cider donuts, apple chips, apple crisp mix and apple jam. All apple everything. Matter of fact, after I finish my basket of apples and the apple crisp I made yesterday, I’m good on apples for a while lol.

Till next time!