O-Ball 2008

On May 3, the Downtown Orlando Foundation, Inc. invites you to O-Ball 2008, an unforgettable evening in a cool, urban setting with fabulous downtown views. Beginning at 8:00 p.m., enjoy live entertainment, incredible music, worldly culinary creations, and a premium open bar at the Dynetech Center (121 E. Washington Street). Attire is city-style black tie.
The Downtown Orlando Foundation, Inc. exists to enhance the desirability of working, living, entertaining and conducting business in downtown Orlando by engaging young professionals interested in helping shape the future of the heart of the City Beautiful.
Tickets are on sale through May 2 for $125 each at http://www.oball2008.eventbrite.com.

Casey Wohl at Art on the Waterfront

The Highlands Art League's "Art on the Waterfront" was held over the weekend and raised more than $14,000 for the construction and renovation of the Artists' Village. Many thanks to everyone who attended the event and participated in the silent and live art auctions.

The event was the perfect Girls Night Out (GNO)!

Photo (L to R): Carly, artist Janet King and Casey Wohl with the Paris street scene Janet painted on site; it was the final auction item bringing $1,500.

Casey Wohl at Whiskey Park North's Little Black Dress Party

We had a fabulous time at Whiskey Park North's Little Black Dress Party Saturday night. We got massages, spray tans, and perused lots of great merchandise. More than 300 women attended the event, which was filled with food, a wine tasting, salon treatments and much more. All proceeds went to the local Humane Society. Many thanks to Larissa and Sheddrick for all their hard work in making this a fantastic event! I cannot wait until next year.
Pictured: Casey Wohl & Girls Getaway Guide prize winner Deb Davis.

Join Casey Wohl at Whiskey Park North's Little Black Dress Party - April 26

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 26 and join me from 6-9 PM at Whiskey Park North's Little Black Dress Party in Tampa, FL. Enjoy a fun night out with the girls and indulge in a wine tasting, spa and salon treatments, great food and drinks, as well as fabulous gift bags for the first 100 ladies. The party is complimentary for those who RSVP. For more information and to RSVP, visit http://www.whiskeynorth.com/.

In Honor of Earth Day - Casey Wohl Provides Tips to "Go Green" During Your Next Girls Getaway

Green travel no longer means sleeping in tents and showering once a week. Today, all travelers should be cognizant of how much energy they use while vacationing and practice responsible travel. With the World Travel and Tourism Council projecting that global tourism will increase from a $7.1 trillion industry in 2007 to a $13.2 trillion industry in 2017, it is more important for all tourists to ensure the only thing we leave behind is a footprint.
Even during a fun-filled girls’ getaway, there are things we can all do to make sure our trip is everything we expect while remaining “green.” Casey Wohl, The Getaway Girl™ and author of the Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave Your Baggage at Home, was an Environmental Studies major and recommends the following tips for staying “green” during your next getaway.

What Can You Do to Stay Green During Your Girls Getaway?
· Accommodations – Make sure the hotel you patron is environmentally friendly. Do they recycle? Do they have a towel and sheet reuse option? Be sure to provide feedback to the hotel regarding your stay and their environmental practices.
· Your Habits – In keeping with eco-friendly habits you should already practice at home, turn off all electrical devices (television, lights, heat, air conditioning) when they are not in use, reuse your towels and sheets, keep showers brief and turn off water while brushing your teeth and bring your own toiletries. Also, be sure to use a digital camera.
· Transportation – Use public transportation (or walk or bike) whenever possible, rent a hybrid car, travel in groups, use the hotel van, and take fewer and longer trips to reduce energy usage.
· Sightseeing – Buy local products to support the local economy, travel with an environmentally-sensitive tour operator, during outdoor activities do not disturb the natural environment, take only the necessary brochures and maps and don’t buy endangered species products.
· Food – Try to eat locally-grown food to support the local economy and reduce transportation, carry bottled water with you and refill as needed, pack a few plastic bags for saving half-used items, avoid Styrofoam and avoid room service.
For more information or if you have additional green travel tips to share, visit www.GirlsGetawayGuide.net.
Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave Your Baggage at Home is the first in a series of women-specific guides by Wohl. It can be purchased at www.GirlsGetawayGuide.net, in select Barnes & Noble stores, on Amazon.com or Target.com or in select boutiques and gift stores.
Photo: Author Casey Wohl & Heather wait for the El, Chicago's public transportation.

Nashville's Favorite "Meat and Three"

In the south, some country restaurants are often called "Meat and Threes" as they offer your choice of one meat and three sides. Arnold's Country Kitchen is legendary in Nashville as one of the best Meat and Threes in the area. Mandy and I ate lunch there, and I cannot remember the last time I had country cooking this good. Meat choices include fried chicken, roast beef, fried catfish, and chicken and dumplings, while side choices include fried green tomatoes, turnip greens, mashed potateos, macaroni and cheese, green beans and much more. Plus, you also get their homemade corn bread and an optional homemade dessert. If you want to experience classic country cooking in a very casual, cafeteria-style atomosphere, visit one of Nashville's many Meat and Threes.

Honky Tonkin' at The Stage

If you are out on the town in Nashville, you won't want to miss "honky tonkin" along Broadway. Here you'll find some of Nashville's most famous bars (also called honky tonks) that most often feature live music and a great time. You may even spot a country music star amongst the crowd.
Mandy and I love The Stage on Broadway (www.thestageonbroadway.com), which is usually referred to as The Stage. Monday nights are 80's nights and we like to frequent The Stage and request our favorite music from the 1980s. If the music doesn't entertain you, the people there usually will.
Photo: Casey Wohl and Mandy at The Stage.

Casey Wohl Visits Doyle and Debbie Show, Dinner at Flyte

Last night we went to the famous Doyle and Debbie Show in Nashville, which is featured every Tuesday night at The Station Inn. This musical comedy is hilarious! The songs and performers are great. This show is not for the prim and proper, but is a must see (for those not easily offended) during your visit to Nashville.
Photo: Casey Wohl with Doyle & Debbie.
After the show, we went to Flyte World Dining & Wine (http://www.flytenashville.com/) for a fabulous and unique meal. Mark waited on us and was quite possibly the best server I've ever had. Many thanks to Mark and co-owner Scott A. for all of their great recommendations and service. If you are looking for a non-traditional meal and top-notch service coupled with an amazing wine list, be sure to try Flyte.

Casey Wohl Visits Tenessee's Arrington Vineyards

We had a fantastic visit at Arrington Vineyards, a winery located about 30 minutes south of Nashville on 75 beautiful acres. The vineyard is co-owned by Kix Brooks of the country music duo Brooks & Dunn. The place is fairly new and everything was top notch. They had an outdoor seating area around a fire pit where you can picnic, as well as a porch that was heated for the cool weather.
Many thanks to "Tastemaster Mike" for his excellent recommendations and informative instruction on wine tasting. We loved the Cabernet!
Top photo: Casey Wohl and Mandy taste wine with "Falcon."
Bottom photo: Casey Wohl & "Tastemaster Mike."

Girls Getaway Breakfast at Loveless Cafe

We stopped at the renowned Loveless Cafe for breakfast today. The meal started with the amazing homemade biscuits made from a secret recipe. We had scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, fried chicken, fried okra, macaroni & cheese, meatloaf and BBQ pulled pork. It was way too much food and we left with To Go boxes; however, it is worth the stop (and the wait). Be sure to call ahead (reservations are not accepted). After Calling ahead, we still had to wait about 20 minutes, but without calling ahead, we would have been waiting 90 minutes. The Loveless Cafe has been a favorite of locals, visitors and celebrities for more than half a century.
The Loveless story has been told by Gourmet Magazine and Bon Appetit, as well as U.S. News and World Report, CBS Television, and People Magazine. At Loveless, you'll experience casual Southern dining and hospitality at its best.
Photo: Casey Wohl & Mandy at the Loveless Cafe sign.

Casey Wohl Visits Nashville Hot Spots!

We had a fantastic evening visiting several great Nashville restaurants and hot spots. We started at The Acorn (www.theacornrestaurant.com), where we had the Acorn Squash Stuffed Ravioli and the Crab Cakes...both were delicious! We accompanied our early dinner with martinis. Mandy had The Knight Owl and I had the Bad Girl. We then went to Loser's, a local favorite that features live entertainment. After Loser's we walked to Blue Bar, another local hangout complete with pool tables and darts. After another short walk, we went to Lime, a Mexican-infused, trendy restaurant with a happening after-hours bar area. Many people highly recommend the sangria and unique mojitos, along with the festive cuisine choices. After Lime, we headed to Cabana. This place is deceiving from the outside as one may mistake it for another modest establishment. Don't be fooled as Cabana (www.cabananashville.com) offers private "Cabana" tables and great dance music. Last we ended our evening at Sunset Grill (www.sunsetgrill.com), which is known for its late night dinner. We split the Cow in a Blanket and the Rainbow Sloppy Joe (both perfect diet food....ha, ha).
Photo: Martinis at The Acorn.

Casey Wohl Visits Downtown Franklin, TN

Today, Mandy and I drove to Downtown Franklin, TN (about 30-45 minutes south of Nashville) to visit the very cute Main Street shopping area. We had so much fun browsing through the great clothing and home decor boutiques. Mandy bought a dress at The Ivey on Main. We ate lunch at McCreary's Irish Pub & Eatery, then stopped for marintis at The Red Pony and visited with Stephano, who is originally from Italy, then re-located to Florida and now resides in Nashville.
After our visit in Franklin, we drove to Cool Springs where we found a fabulous shoe store called Marti & Liz Shoes. Here you'll find "retired" display shoes and returned shoes from major department stores; no pair of shoes is more than $30. Needless to say, we bought seven pairs of shoes between the two of us (Mandy only purchased one pair).
After a drive through Green Hills and a stop at Starbucks, we are on our way to dinner at The Acorn.
Photos: Casey Wohl & Mandy enjoy martinis at The Red Pony in Franklin, TN.

Girls Getaway to Nashville!

I am off to Nashville, TN (often referred to as Music City or Nashvegas). We have a lot planned for our trip, starting with a fabulous dinner once I arrive at 10 PM! Stay tuned for udpates.

"Deltalina" Stars in New Delta Safety Video

Delta recently released their new in-flight safety video starring a popular flight attendant, Katherine Lee (dubbed Deltalina due to her resemblance to Angelina Jolie).
Needless to say, this video is a little more engaging than the old video. Kudos to Delta for their efforts to entertain us while teaching us the importance of airplane safety.
To see the video, click on the link below:
http://blog.delta.com/2008/02/20/world-premiere-deltas-new-in-flight-safety-video/

Visit Casey Wohl's New Post on GoGirlfriend.com

Looking for fantastic places to eat in Chicago? Check out my latest post on GoGirlfriend.com at the link below!

http://www.gogirlfriend.com/travel-news/taste-chicago-girls-getaway-guide-chicago-dining-9960

Thank you Leigh!

We'd like to thank Leigh Scott, a former Chicago resident, for providing us with great recommendations for our Girls Getaway to Chicago. We invited Leigh to join us but she could not fit it into her schedule.
We thought she should at least be there in spirit, so Anne crafted a posterboard cut out of Leigh so she could "join" us on the trip. Thank you Leigh for all of your fantastic suggestions!
Photo: Traci, Leigh, Anne & Casey during taxi ride.

Last day in Chicago!!!

WOW!! I cannot believe we spent a weekend in Chicago and covered so much ground. On our last day, we still had several things we wanted to do. First, we went to the Millenium Park and saw all the sights (including the bean). Then we went to the Chicago Art Institute where we browsed the Van Goghs, Picassos, Dalis and saw the American Gothic painting. Last, we headed to Potbellys Sandwich Works for our last meal in the Windy City.
We cannot wait to go back. Traci re-named it the "Friendly City" since everyone was so nice and helpful. Email me if you have any questions about your Girls Getaway to Chicago: Casey@GirlsGetawayGuide.net or visit my website www.GirlsGetawayGuide.net.
Top Photo: Traci, Casey & Heather at Potbellys.
Photo Bottom Left: Casey & Anne with American Gothic
Photo Bottom Right: Casey, Anne, Heather & Traci at Millenium Park

Saturday Night in Chicago!

We had a great time Saturday night in Chicago. We started with martinis at the John Hancock Signature Room, which is on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building. We had an amazing view of the city next to us and enjoyed great martinis such as the Signature Pear Martini, the Sky High Martini and The Windy City Martini....all were fabulous!
After the Signature room, we headed to Japonais Restaurant (one of Oprah's favorites), which is located on the river. We had a nice, cozy wait in the lounge, then went upstairs for dinner. Heather and I shared the Special Salmon and the Spicy Mono (both were delicious)! We recommend this trendy restaurant, but be sure you make reservations well in advance!
Top photo: Traci, Casey & Heather at Japonais
Bottom photo: Traci, Heather, Casey & Anne at John Hancock Signature Room

Wat to go Cubs!

Yesterday we took the El (Brown Line) to Southport and browsed the cute boutiques and stores. We headed towards Addison, grabbed some pizza at Dags, then walked to Wrigley Field just in time to see the Cubs fans celebrating their win. After a stop at Cubbie Bears (a bar across from the Field), we took a quick cab ride to Halsted/Armitage where we shoppped some more in the boutiques located in that area.
Once we had our fill of shopping, we took the El (Brown line) back to our hotel to get ready for dinner and our evening activities. Stay tuned for more from Chicago!
Photo: Casey Wohl with Chicago Cubs mascot, Billy.

Chicago Architectural Tour

Our second day in Chicago began with the architectural tour. On our way to the pier, we stopped at the Fox & Obel Food Market for snacks and refreshments (a great market). The tour was very interesting and provided a fantastic way to see the city and all of its great buildings while also learning about some of the city's history. We saw the Sears Tower, Wrigley Building, Merchandise Mart, and Trump Tower. A great way to spend 90 minutes seeing this wonderful city.
Photo: Heather, Casey, Anne & Traci at the river.

Breakfast at Yolk - Yummy!

We had a terrific breakfast at Yolk. Traci and Heather shared the Blue Cheese Bayou Fritatta and Banana and Blackberry Pancakes. They said they were delicious. Anne had the Potato Pancakes with applesauce and sour cream....she loved them. I had the Scrambler (Italian style) with Italian sausage, tomato and mozzerella cheese. It was fabulous! A very quaint breakfast and lunch place....we highly recommend.

Getaway Girls Visit Jersey Boys

We all loved the musical Jersey Boys. We had a great time at the LaSalle Bank Theatre in Chicago tonight. We highly recommend this show. The music was great, and the performers were exceptional. We did upgrade to the VIP package but don't recommend it for future visitors.

The Getaway Girl in Chicago - The Drake Hotel

We made it to Chicago and we are so excited to be here. We checked into the fabulous Hotel Monaco and our wonderful room. Sylvia and Rich at the concierge have made us feel right at home and have helped us map out our trip. One of our first stops today was The Drake Hotel, where we walked around this historic landmark and had drinks at the COQ d'OR Bar. We are on our way to see The Jersey Boys tonight. Tomorrow is a full day of the architectural tour, boutique shopping, Cubs game at Wrigley Field and dinner at Japonais. Stay tuned for more getaway fun from Chicago!!!

Casey Wohl - Girls Getaway to Chicago

I cannot wait to meet up with Heather, Traci and Anne as we leave sunny Florida for the Windy City. We have so much planned for this weekend, starting with our stay at Hotel Monaco, seeing The Jersey Boys, tours, shopping and a stop at Wrigley Field. Be sure to check my blog for updates!

Baby Boomers Invade Daytona Beach for Spring Break

April 18-20: Join hundreds of fellow Baby Boomers for Spring Break. The event will kick off Friday, April 18, with the taping of a town hall meeting by WCEU-TV to address issues and concerns of women at midlife. It will be followed by a meet and greet reception.
On Saturday, April 19 there will be a host of activities including a vendor shopping area, celebrity luncheon, aerobic workout session, pamper me mini-spas and seminars. The first 200 women to enter will receive a special gift bag fit for a Diva and $100 Visa Gift Cards will be given away as prizes during the seminars.
Tickets are still available and may be purchased at the door. Those interested in attending the luncheon and/or dinner must purchase their tickets in advance. For more information, go to http://www.beverlymahone.com.

From cocktails to cougars...

From cocktails to cougars to stolen wheelchairs to broken ankles to stalkers to Baby Got Back to amateur strippers to popcorn stories, we had a terrific time at Carly's Bachelorette Party.
Carly (aka Bug, Stein, Louise, Carls) we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness.
Photo: Bug shaking "what her momma gave her" on stage. Is that a lap dance?

Do we have to leave the resort?

Do we have to leave the resort? That is what everyone was asking Sunday morning as we left the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort. The pool time was great and we enjoyed a very relaxing day on Saturday.
Pictured: Nikki Breedlove, Carly Morris (bride-to-be) and Casey Wohl.