Visit Carlsberg: A Tour of Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Julianne visiting a brewery in whatever country she’s in. Since touring both the Heineken Experience and the Guinness Storehouse last year, I’ve become, shall I say, *really* into beer tours. So it should come as no surprise that Visit Carlsberg was one of the first stops we made on our trip to Copenhagen in February 2018.

Without further ado, here’s the 411 on how you can take part in this fantastic Danish ex-beer-erience.

Jersey City is sometimes referred to as “the sixth borough of New York City,” and after visiting last fall, I finally understood why. With its stellar restaurants — Razza! Short Grain! — and no-nonsense watering holes, the second-most-populous city in New Jersey can hold its own when it comes to food and drinks.

My friend Erin of 10 Miles Behind Me took me on a thorough tour of Jersey City’s bars last fall, and hot diggity dog does this city have some incredible drinking options. To people who live there, that’s about as surprising as New Jersey-born Meryl Streep starring in yet another film, but to me, it completely blew my mind. Here are five fantastic bars you need to visit on your next trip to Jersey City, NJ.

I’ve always secretly wanted to be a spy. (Guess it’s not so secret any more, right, Internet?) Given the nature of blogging, though — I’m sharing my experiences for the whole darn world to read — I’m guessing I won’t be on any intelligence agency’s shortlist when it comes time to recruit new secret agents.

Still, I’ve done my fair share of reciting lines from James Bond films, examining John le Carré novels, binge-watching The Americans, and stealing French fries from my mom when she isn’t looking. Which, of course, means I’ve got a few spy skills up my sleeve.

So when I heard that a new spy museum called Spyscape was opening in Manhattan, my ears perked up. And when I learned that Spyscape hosts a special “Missions and Martinis” experience on Thursday nights, I was sold. Here’s the inside scoop on Spyscape, NYC’s new 60,000-square-foot spy museum and experience.

As beer-loving Brooklynites, it’s a complete mystery how we didn’t discover Coney Island Brewery until this April. (Seriously, how did this take a whopping five years of New York City living?!) Nevertheless, we’ve been happily sipping on their brews all summer long.

As summer draws to a close — although the weather gods may beg to differ — it turns out that the fall season is moving full speed ahead at Coney Island Brewery. They’ve got a stellar lineup of specialty beers coming your way during their annual Freak Week, which runs from September 17-22, 2018.

So what’s the deal with these new brews? And how can you join in on all of the fun? Here’s the 411 on everything you need to know about Coney Island Brewery’s 2018 Freak Week.

A long time ago in my college days of yore, a friend returned from winter break with tales of a strange land up north. “They speak French, but it’s not in Europe,” he waved his hands wildly. “They have this one hotel that looks like a huge castle, and there’s fries with these cheese things and gravy. And get this — they have another hotel made completely of ice!” Suffice it to say that I’ve been dreaming about Québec City ever since.

Flash forward fifteen years later: when I learned that the annual Women in Travel Summit was taking place in Québec City in 2018, I knew it was the perfect time to go. Québec City — and its hip food and drink scene — surpassed my expectations, and I can’t wait to share all these spots with you. So without further ado, here’s your ultimate guide to where to eat and drink in Québec City.

A certain blonde gentleman with a penchant for European travel — perhaps you’ve heard of him? — often shares this advice in his guidebooks: “Your trip to [insert European country] is like a complex play — it’s easier to follow and really appreciate on a second viewing.”

(Spoiler alert: it’s Rick Steves, of course.)

Keeping this sentiment in mind, I had several questions about what my second trip to Amsterdam would be like. Would visiting at the height of the summer make us want to scram from Amsterdam? Would I manage to avoid head-on collisions with one of their 881,000+ bicycles? And, most importantly, would I be able to stuff myself with as much stroopwafel and beer as I had last time?!? Inquiring minds needed to know.

Denmark is a pretty magical place: it’s not only known as the inspiration for the happiest place on Earth (Walt Disney can thank Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens for that), it actually is the happiest place on Earth. That’s no joke — the Scandinavian country ranked first in the world in the United Nations’ World Happiness Report in 2013, 2014, and 2016.

So it should come as no surprise that with such happy people (which we all know equals people who are highly satisfied with their beers and their bars, right?), Denmark’s capital city has an abundance of fantastic drinking options to try.

With Hamlet’s eternal question in mind, then – “To drink or not to drink,” of course — here are the best places to drink in Copenhagen right now.

Banff National Park: The Lake Agnes Tea House Trail Guide for Non-Hikers

He said there would be tea.

That’s how my brother, Sir Campsalot, convinced us to make the trek up to Lake Agnes Tea House in Banff National Park. He’d been living in Calgary for nearly a year now, and our family had ventured up to the Great White North to see what his new life was all about: the digs, the poutine, and — of course — the mountains.

It’s no secret that my usual vibe is cocktails in a New York City bar or craft beer in Belgium instead of contemplating the wonders of the universe surrounded by trees. But in the spirit (ha!) of getting healthier this year, I hoped to change all of that in Banff this past June.

Having tea as a reward was the motivator I needed to turn this rusty pair of legs into an actual hiker. But what’s the deal with the Lake Agnes Tea House trail, and why should it be on your list of hikes to do in Banff? Here’s the scoop for all of you non-hikers out there.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while now, you’ll know that I’m a complete sucker for themed experiences. Whether it’s a Marie Antoinette-themed speakeasy or a Doctor Who-themed restaurant, I tend to seek out the quirkiest, wackiest themed experiences I can when traveling.

So it should come as no surprise that, when we discovered a magical place in Japan where it was totally acceptable — nay, encouraged — to bathe in wine, it was the first thing I booked when we were planning our stay.

Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, also called Yunessun Spa Resort or simply Yunessun for short, is a wine-loving, coffee-guzzling tourist’s dream come true. Here’s the real deal about what to expect when you visit this hot springs theme park in Hakone, Japan.

New York City has no dearth of incredible museums. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History to smaller institutions like the New York Transit Museum and the Tenement Museum, you could spend a whole week in the city just museum hopping from one place to the next and not get bored.

But museum fatigue is a bonafide problem. (You know, when your feet start to ache after standing in front of sculptures for a few hours and your brain goes, “Not another painting that a three-year-old could draw.”) And in mammoth-sized museums like the Met, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure about what’s worth seeing.

Enter Museum Hack. In an effort to get out of my cocktail bar comfort zone and into more of New York City’s cultural institutions, I signed up for their “Un-Highlights” tour of the American Museum of Natural History, not knowing what to expect.

It was wacky. it was zany. And it was the best time I’ve had in a museum in years. Here’s why.

Category: Destinations

Visit Carlsberg: A Tour of Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen

5 Fantastic Jersey City Bars You Need To Visit

Missions and Martinis: A Night Out at Spyscape, NYC’s New Spy Museum

Booze News: Coney Island Brewery’s Freak Week is Here!

Where to Eat and Drink in Québec City Right Now

Second Time Around: What To Do on Your Second Trip to Amsterdam

Where To Drink in Copenhagen Right Now

Read More

Banff National Park: The Lake Agnes Tea House Trail Guide for Non-Hikers

Yunessun Spa Resort in Hakone, Japan: Or, You Too Can Bathe in Wine and Coffee

An Unconventional Day at the Museum: The Museum Hack Tour of NYC’s American Museum of Natural History