6 Things to Drink in Lisbon, Portugal

Since visiting Portugal nearly a year ago, I've had a story idea bouncing around my brain. At the risk of sounding like a lush, it's about all of the wonderful things you can drink in Lisbon, from its distinctively dark coffee to its fizzy "green" wine. I finally pitched the idea to Paste, and it was published last week. You can read it here, and check out my previous blog post on Lisbon here.

Finkelstein's Center's awkwardly adorable creatures

Is it weird for an adult to want to buy stuffed animals? Not if they're as cute as Michelle Jewell's "Finks." I recently interviewed the artist for Charleston magazine. My favorite quote:

"No one questions the amount of stuffed sloths you own when you’re a toy maker. If I quit, I would just be weird again."

Read the story here and check out her Etsy shop here.

Fridays for a Freelancer

The meaning of the word "Friday" has changed so much for me since I started freelancing full-time. There's still an excitement for the weekend, but there's not an overwhelming relief that the week is over.

I'm working harder than ever to make this life work, but I can honestly say that every day is pretty darn good. I wake up early now, without a trace of dread. I make coffee, take my dog to the park, work out, and then head up to my sunny office with some breakfast. I'm still learning to work at my own pace, even if it's not 9–5 (though it's really hard to shake off those 9–5 habits).

My only regret is that I didn't take this leap years ago.

Bottled Cocktails: Three Places in Boston to Find Them

I find myself writing about cocktails a lot lately and drinking none of them, since I'm on a semi-strict post-vacation diet. It's a bit torturous, really.

Anyway, this is my first contribution to GM's Drive the District blog. It's all about bottled cocktails, a trend that's catching on in Boston ever-so-slowly. Read it here.

Can you afford this cocktail?

Photo via Boston Magazine

I've been a fan of Paste for years, so it was a thrill to get one of my stories published in the magazine this month. I wrote an article about crazy expensive cocktails that was inspired by a $100 drink at Boston bar Wink & Nod.

“Every single person who bought it said it was the best cocktail they’d ever had,” Wink & Nod GM Curtis McMillan says. “I want to make sure that when a person buys this cocktail, they don’t feel like they got gypped. I want them to feel like there’s a reason that they paid $100 for it.”

Read the full story here!

Gown Envy.

Isn't it a bit tragic that a girl only gets to wear something as fabulous as a wedding dress once in her lifetime? That is, if she even chooses to have a wedding. Here's to making wedding gowns acceptable as everyday attire.

*This post inspired by a very exciting new bridal project I'm working on. Stay tuned.