A really radical DJ will be spinning your favorite 80′s tunes, and the bar will be pouring classic 80′s cocktails.  For $6 each, try a Long Island iced tea, Mai Tai, Blue Hawaiian or one of the new concoctions from Fadó’s winter drink menu. 

don't forget these bad boys!

Start the evening with the Atlanta Dance Marathon from 7:00-10:00 p.m.!  Join this fun-lovin’ group donning their best 80′s outfits for non-stop dancing to raise money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. 

Cost is ONLY $15 per person + includes a pint of beer and all-you-can-eat complimentary appetizers.

yessssssss

There are few things that LK + I love more than a good 80′s party…

rock? ON!!

Sounds so super fun! 

xx, L

Fado Irish Pub + Restaurant
273 Buckhead Ave.
Atlanta, Georgia  30305
404.841.0066
http://www.fadoirishpub.com/atlanta/

Two years ago, we celebrated in Orlando at Disney for my very first visit.

Last year, we trekked out to Kansas City to watch the ball drop.  An excellent time was had.

THIS year, Kev + I are the hosts and we’re ringing in the New Year in Atlanta!  (Expectations are high.)  Sooooo, we’ve decided to celebrate with Yacht Rock at Park Tavern!

If you’ve ever seen Yacht Rock perform, you KNOW that we’re in for a great time!

And, Park Tavern is an awesome place to celebrate any holiday.  PT always throws a solid party…

NYE with Yacht Rock is an all-inclusive event.  Drinks and food are covered all night and into the wee hours of the morning.  There will be live music with Yacht Rock Revue & Atlanta’s best DJ spinning in the Piedmont Room overlooking the Midtown skyline.

Highlights include:
- Open bar: premium liquor, beer, wine and champagne
- Live music + NYE countdown with Yacht Rock Revue
- Gourmet food including hors d’ouvres, carving station, NYE specialties along with plenty of sides + salads to keep your energy up and dancing into the New Year.
- Sushi display
- Toast & get toasty with smores for dessert
- Midnight breakfast buffet including all your favorites + fresh Krispy Kreme donuts
- Photo booth
- NYE favors
- Champagne toast at midnight
- Coat check

This party is where it’s at on Saturday, so get your tickets NOW: NYE w/ Yacht Rock Revue!

***BONUS***  LOOK FOR ME AT PARK TAVERN totally rockin’ out to Yacht Rock…

…and I will give a fist pump + one of these super rad Q+DD koozies to the first three people who wish me a “HAPPY QUICK + DIRTY DIRTY NEW YEAR!”

Your drinks have never looked so fashionable…  I can’t think of a better way to toast 2012!

Q+DD koozies: so hot right now.

See y’all at Park Tavern!  Wishing a fun NYE to all! 

xx, L

1. Bagel Bash 2011

Kosher Chameleon will continue the time-honored tradition of gathering single people who, on the night before Christmas, aren’t caroling, drinking hot wassal or um… cooking a ham… for a little dancing, a little schmoozing, and of course, some bagels. 

Also featuring DJ Jazzy “Bagelsteingoldbaumschwartzberg” and lots of cash bars.

A message from your grandma: “Go!  What else are you doing?  G-d forbid you might meet someone!  Oy gavalt!”

Use promo code KraselskyBagel for $5 off your ticket!  Click HERE to get yours now.

2.  Spiral New Years’ Eve: The Kings Ball

Ring in 2012 Spiral style at the Kings Ball!  Spiral pays homage to the Big Easy at it’s annual new year’s party this year at Westin Atlanta North in Perimeter  (OTP?  No big D!) featuring:

• 6 different party areas including the Grand Ballroom
• 5.5 hours of OPEN BAR (and plenty of ‘em to avoid lines!)
• Gourmet catered buffet with carving stations, pasta, mini Spanish Wraps, a “fancy shmancy” baked potato bar, veggies and desserts
• Dance the night away with Cover Band MOBY DICK (80’s and 90’s dance music)  and then DJ Jazzy J and DJ Wats spinning a mix of 80’s, 90’s, Top 40, Hip Hop, Classic Rock till 2:30AM
• Laser Light Show  (oh yuesss?!)
• Midnight champagne toast
• Krispy Kreme donuts after midnight
• Free coat check and parking and….
• $99 Spiral hotel room rate.  No drinking and driving, kids!

Alllllll that AND $20 off your ticket with promo code LKfest.  What more could you ask for?  Click HERE to get yours now.

Happy happy, darlings!

xx, L

And I’ll be honest – until a couple of months ago, I thought Zumba was perhaps less appropriate for this blog and better suited for a feature in say… a publication like this: 

I was wrong.  Lucky for me, I had a small herd of girlfriends who persuaded me to attend a class at the brand spankin’ new LA Fitness in Town Brookhaven (which is conveniently located mere feet from my apartment door, so I had no excuse)

You guys.  It is a DANCE PARTY and full of adorable people. It’s less like this:

And more like this:

Here’s the Q+DD on Zumba: It’s a dance workout class that combines Latin-influenced music with pop songs that’s meant for all fitness levels.  You can burn 1000 calories in a single class!   

My 7:00PM Monday class at Town B is definitely more Usher than “Oye Como Va”– and definitely more cheerleader than soccer mom – but I think at least partial credit goes to the instructor, Melissa.  I am pretty much obsessed with her.  I don’t even know where to begin – she’s so cute I want to put her in my pocket.  And she SMILES the whole time.  It’s love.

Last night I took Broadway Meredith with me and pretended we were in our own little show stopping production of a dance musical.   It is the MOST fun.  (Can’t WAIT to bring Linds with me in a few weeks!)

Cabaret, Shmabaret. It's ZUMBA, baby.

BONUS: If you attend Melissa’s class on Monday 10/31 – wear all black and come prepared to do a little THRILLER.  (!!!!!!!!!)

In doing a little Zumba research, I found out that this class has been around since 2001- so I don’t know what took me so long to find it but I hope it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

The bottom line: it’s a super intense cardio workout cleverly disguised as a party and I am ALL about it.  

Obviously, I love the 7:00PM Monday class at LA Fitness Brookhaven, but check out your local LA Fitness, I think they all have a class or two on the schedule. 

You can also find a class nationwide by clicking THIS link.

Or, apparently Zumba from home!  DVDs are available HERE.

I hope you Zumba with reckless abandon. As that old cliché goes, “Dance like no one is watching.”  Seriously.  It’s way more fun that way.  

xx, L

Until now!  Scoutmob threw a Revel Party at the CfPA last night, and as soon as I found out about it I snagged two free tickets for Mrs. Casey (this chick is down for it all!) + I to join in on the fun!  Thank you, Scoutmob!

scoutmob revel party at the CfPA

We pre-puppeted at Ecco, and headed over to the CfPA a few minutes before the show to check out the Jim Henson exhibit. 

The only photo I have of the museum area is this one, which I happen to love. (I was scolded by the hipster puppet museum cop when I tried to take an iPhone photo within the exhibit…  She was intense.)  What I CAN tell you is that we saw a number of our favorite Sesame Street characters, we heard Kermit sing “The Rainbow Connection” (Kevin’s fav), and we ogled the Fraggle Rock + Labyrinth portions of the exhibit.  It was very cool.  But, it was also time to get a drink (priorities, people!), so we quickly shuffled downstairs to the bar “The Tavern of Lost Souls,” for some overpriced wine in plastic cups.

CfPA Atlanta

The downstairs area + theatre were all Halloween-ed out.  We loved! 

The stage + a sneak peek at one of the puppets:

SOOOO without further adieu, here’s the Q+DD on The Ghastly Dreadfuls (according to our friends at Creative Loafing):

“The Center for Puppetry Arts has an unflowing crypt’s worth of spooky stories composed for The Ghastly Dreadfuls, its annual anthology of comedic and scarifying short puppet shows.  Co-creators Jon Ludwig and Jason Von Hinezmeyer debuted the show in in 2006 as The Ghastly Dreadfuls: Compendium of Graveyard Tales and Other Curiosities, then revised it in 2008 as The Ghastly Dreadfuls II: Handbook of Practical Hauntings and Other Phantasmagoria.  Currently Ludwig and Von Hinezmeyer can cherry-pick their favorite tales of the lot, such as the witty, grisly “The Girl in the New Dress,” adapted from the story by Larry Letemplier, which unfolds – or maybe “unscrolls” would be a better word — on a single, seemingly endless sheet, in the style of old Coca-Cola advertisements.  You’ll recognize the music of “La Danse Macabre” by Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns, accompanying a skeleton dance worthy of Fantasia.”  Etc, etc, etc…  I don’t want to give away too much!

Y’all it was SO good!  The show was really well done – from the detailed puppets and impressive puppeteering to the creative stories and talented musicians.  It was funny, too!  I very much enjoyed it.  In my opinion, The Ghastly Dreadfuls is probably not for the novice theatre goer, but it IS for someone who is really passionate about theatre, off-beat humor +/or Halloween. 

if this photo looks blurry, you are probably drunk. stop drinking at work, readers... (JUST kidding.)

mrs. casey w/ her scoutmob moustache

I strongly suggest scheduling a date night this month to see The Ghastly Dreadfuls at the CfPA!  But do it soon because they only have performances on Wednesday – Saturday nights through October 29!

serious theatre-goers...

Still need more convincing??  Check out a behind-the-scenes preview HERE: The Ghastly Dreadfuls.

And, Happy (early) Halloween!!

xx, L

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring Street Northwest
Atlanta, GA 30309
404.873.3391
www.puppet.org

The finest chefs in Atlanta are preparing food for you to sample. The line-up currently includes:

•   Kevin Rathbun of Rathbun’s

•   Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia

•   Shaun Doty of Yeah! Burger

•   Jay Swift of 4th and Swift

•   Hugh Acheson of Empire State South

•   Ford Fry of JCT Kitchen

•   Duane Nutter of One Flew South

•   Brian Jones of the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta

•   Joe Truex of Watershed

•   Joshua Hopkins of Abattoir

•   Ron Eyester of Rosebud

•   Scott Serpas of Serpas

•   Pano Karatassos of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group

•   Frederico Castellucci of Iberian Pig…and more to come!

 

As if that wasn’t enough, some of your favorite food trucks will also be on hand to be sure that all of your food cravings are satisfied.

 

Tours of the old Sears building will be provided during the party on a first-come first-serve basis.

Ponce City Market, a two million square-foot structure, is an adaptive reuse development that when revitalized will house a mix of retail, dining, office + residential space.  A landmark structure at the crossroads of Midtown, Poncey Highland, Old Fourth Ward + Virginia Highland, situated along the Atlanta Beltline transit corridor, Ponce City Market is perfectly positioned to become a hub among its neighboring communities, and a vibrant reflection of the diversity that makes each of those neighborhoods authentic and distinct.  It is a development borne of integrity, one that is destined to emerge as Atlanta’s next great urban experience.

This all sounds amazing, but for me The Indigo Girls performing takes the CAKE!

indigo girls

I am going to DC this weekend + will unfortunately miss PatP, but I would absolutely be there if I was going to be in town! 

Find out more about the event here: PARTY AT PONCE. 

Ticket info here: GET ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE HOT!

Party on, Atlanta. 

xx, L

For something new and different: Spiral goes international!  We’re holding German Oktoberfest at an Irish pub!  (One world.  One love, guys.)

Saturday, October 1st from 6PM till close.

Tickets are available at www.spiralentertainment.com

USE CODE LKFEST FOR $3 OFF!

Here’s the rundown of events:

6:00PM: Live Music on the outdoor stage starts with Astral Freaks

8:00PM: Games…

BRATWURST EATING CONTEST  (sexy, I know)

STRONGMAN STEIN HOLDING COMPETITION (yowza!)

BEER CHUGGING  (...has now become a competitive sport, apparently!)

9:15PM: get your Bono on with U2 cover band Desire

Hope to see you there!

xx, L

Fadó Irish Pub
273 Buckhead Avenue NE

Every part of the weekend was marvelous, but if I had to distill the amazingness down to 5 key points they would be as follows:

1. Hotel Gansevoort – OK, so I may be a tiny bit biased.  When I lived in NYC, I spent far too much time and FAR too much money sipping cocktails on the roof deck of Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District…and I don’t regret a single minute or a single cent of it.  So when I checked in to the Miami location, all that good nostalgia came rushing back the second I saw the logo.

But the enormous and gorgeous rooms, top tier customer service, inexplicably green tea scented air and the fact that there is a BIG DROP in the lobby I think more than support my positive feelings.

(For those of you who don’t know about Big Drop – it is only one of my FAVORITE stores in the whole wide world.  I could go on and on.  I got the most spectacular yellow dress and turquoise earrings and could have happily left the rest of the contents of my wallet there as well.  Click HERE for more information and locations)

Also worth noting were the TWO pool scenes they had going on.  We spent the majority of our time at the 3rd floor pool, gazing out from the infinity pool to the ocean while lounging 12-deep on cushy beach chairs while delightful servers brought cocktails, frozen fruit, and ice cold water.  It was so serene and blissful, I never wanted to leave.

The other pool option? The roof deck.  I am here to tell you that there was a line around the block to get up to the roof deck pool and it was full of ladies in stilettos and bejeweled cover ups and dudes with hair product.  I was intrigued so my girl Ashley and I went up for a little walk-through and that party was BUMPING.  People dancing in cabanas, standing shoulder to shoulder in the pool, bottle service, the whole 9.  It was rumored that several famous athletes and Justin Bieber were there that weekend and if they were…I either didn’t recognize them or see them, but suffice it to say – a total 180 from the oasis on the 3rd floor, but just as awesome.

I totally snapped this with my iPhone like a nerd.

Hotel Gansevoort South Beach…I love you.

2.    The Big Pink – We did some good eating in Miami, but I really got a kick out of the Big Pink.

It’s this total beach place with huge long family style tables running from end to end and the portions are ridiculously enormous.  I got a chopped salad and I’m sure the entire contents of a produce section of a grocery store made it onto my plate.

Looking down the table I also saw mounds of French toast, omelets, French fries, and all kinds of other delicacies sure to cure the damage we did to ourselves the night before at the W Hotel.

Struggle Street

3.    Taverna Opa – These people are professional partiers.  If you are bringing ANY kind of group situation to Miami, I think Taverna Opa should be on your list- no question.

We parked our party at one of their sturdy wooden tables and for a mere $25/per person, they brought us mounds and mounds of delicious Greek food and threw stacks of paper napkins at us as we danced on the tables and generally had a ball.  Opa is always a good, rowdy time.

Bachelorette approved!

4.    Sushi Samba – I’m sure you’ve all been to a Sushi Samba in one city or another.   I had NO IDEA they had such a cute price fixe menu for a group! There was literally something for everyone.  We started with edamame and salads and the regular fare and ended with a platter of amazing sushi, but we had some very interesting stops along the way such as sea bass on skewers and grilled octopus – it was absolutely perfect.   When can you open a location in the ATL, Sushi Samba?

5.    Fontainebleu/Arkadia– We did a fair amount of partying that weekend, and it was very hard to pinpoint my favorite lounge, but we really had a great time at Arkadia in the Fontainebleu Hotel. 

We got a table and totally felt like VIPs as we bypassed the enormo line and sashayed right down stairs to a freezing cold, almost totally empty club.  We really appreciated both the temperature and the moment of quiet before the place totally filled with people and we had a blast dancing on floor, the banquettes, and everywhere else.

I will admit, I could have had fun just about anywhere with the group in attendance, but that weekend in Miami was something special…

Next up?  Bachelorette weekend for my girl EZ in HOUSTON this weekend!

Further bulletins as events warrant…

Get ready, Houston!

xx, L

(Here’s a peek at the mouthwateringly INCREDIBLE Sugar Lilly Cupcake Jar that LK + I shared on Tuesday…) 

Cupcake Jars stay fresh for up to five days + have all the perks and goodness of Sugar Lilly’s delicious, signature cupcakes.  Each jar is crafted with slices of gourmet cupcakes, layered with homemade frostings + topped with decadent goodies!

All Sugar Lilly sweets are customized - from the flavors to the personal message.  Sugar Lilly will create a unique flavor combination to satisfy any pallet or compliment any event’s theme.  If you want to keep it simple, stick to a signature flavor combo including, butterfinger, oreo, red velvet, heath bar, lemon, strawberry shortcake, black bottom and many more.  After you have selected the perfect flavor combination, customize your Cupcake Jars with a personal message or logo!

Cupcake Jars are perfect in place of gift bags or get well gifts.  Small Cupcake Jars make excellent party favors for showers, birthday parties, weddings, corporate functions or housewarming parties!  Cupcake Jars, along with other Sugar Lilly decadent desserts, can now be shipped across the country in a matter of days. 

Sugar Lilly also specializes in cupcakes, candy buffets, gift baskets, gourmet chocolate desserts + party favors!  Ordering is available through Sugar Lilly’s Facebook Page.

As I mentioned, LK + I tried a Cupcake Jar the other night and it was absolutely as good as it sounds!  They are delicious cupcakes and the portability of the mason jars makes them SO much easier to enjoy!  Deeeee-lish!  

We heart Sugar Lilly! 

xx, L

Here’s me two weeks ago with 8-months-prego Anjali as we were celebrating her pregnancy in DC.  Check out our awesome traditional outfits:

She had two parties that weekend (one a religious Indian ceremony + the other a Western baby shower for friends).  Anj spent the weekend opening gifts and chatting with folks who can’t wait to meet her little bundle of joy arriving in late August.  I spent the weekend supporting her (SO excited to meet the baby!) + sipping on Captain Kurt’s custom adult beverage he created for me over the weekend entitled: “All My Friends Are Pregnant + I’m Getting Drunk.”  Witness:

Here’s what was in it: Bols Genever (about 2 ounces), lemon juice (about .75 an ounce), a splash of grenadine + two drops of cherry bitters.  Shaken and strained and topped with blood orange soda.  Sweet, sour + pink…just like my iPhone case.

Drinking these over the weekend was delightful.  Bring ONNNNN the babies, I say!!

Anyway, over the past few months I’ve thrown a handful of baby showers + attended a number of others.  While I am still really uncomfortable setting foot into Babies ‘R Us (OMG – that place is s.c.a.r.y), I can tell you what My Breast Friends is, I can recommend bella bands + maternity jeans, and I consider myself to be an expert on fun baby shower games. 

Let’s take Anj’s shower for instance, because it was recent + she had a slew of fun games.  First was the Never Have I Ever College Fund Game that I thought was super cute.  All you need is a decorative piggy bank + shower goers who are willing to donate their wallet change.

Everyone goes around and says baby shower-related (+ appropriate) Never Have I Evers like “Never have I ever changed a baby’s diaper” or “Never have I ever given dirty looks to a crying baby on an airplane,” etc, and those who have done that walk up to the piggy bank and drop in wallet change to start the baby’s college fund.  Here’s Anj with her baby’s piggy bank:

Although it’s not actually a game, I thought this was a really sweet idea: Anj’s sister put out a baby’s bedtime book + pens for shower goers to flip through and write a note to the baby.  Such a thoughtful little keepsake for folks to work on over the course of the shower.

Another one of the baby shower games that I think is a big hit is Guess How Big Momma’s Belly Is.  We purchased string from Michaels + passed it around to everyone with a pair of scissors.  Shower goers cut the string to the length that they thought was Anj’s belly circumference.  Then, everyone measured their strings around Anj + the shower goer who cut the string closest to the size of her belly won a prize. 

We also had a station running for shower goers to personalize onesies for the baby.  We purchased paint pens + markers and iron-ons (we set up an iron and ironing board for those) from Michaels to encourage folks to be as creative as possible. 

Shower goers ate, drank, chatted + made adorable onesies (in a variety of sizes) for the baby.

This one was mine. 

We hung them up with twine and clothespins in front of the area where Anj would later open her gifts.

This was another onesie I loved…

Finally, we did not play this game at Anj’s shower, but I have to admit that it’s my favorite.  I call this one: Identify the Poop!  To set it up, all you need is a variety of candy bars + diapers.  Open the diapers and inside of each one place a different candy bar.  Write a number outside of the diaper corresponding with the candy bar within it, i.e. Milky Ways in diaper #1, Twix in diaper #2, and so forth.  Microwave the candy bars until they are melted.

Have everyone gather around and pass out the candy bar-filled diapers + pens and paper.  Shower goers have to taste each one and try to identify which candy bar it contains.  Whomever is the most accurate gets a prize.

It’s a total blast + SO funny!  And, definitely not for the squeamish…

That’s all I’ve got for now.  There are several more babies on the way, though, so Aunt Lindsay may have more to share in months to come.  In the meantime, I’ll be sippin’ my pink martinis + jet-setting to meet new additions to my friend’s growing families…while tightly holding on to my B Braithwaite mayorship.

xx, L