Lisa G

New Orleans without the beads: Food and voodoo tours

If a city is known for its hard-partying atmosphere, I usually go in the opposite direction: What else is there to do? How’s the food? What do the locals do? I’m rarely disappointed and bonus: No hangovers. As it turns out, doing this in NOLA is pretty easy. Great food…

The University Club of Chicago, courtesy of UCOC.

View from the top: A day at the University Club of Chicago

Chicago plays host to many storied private clubs promising networking at a higher level than most of us are used to (is it just me hoping for a scene from Trading Places?). Today, they aren’t out of reach, or the snooty boys’ clubs you might imagine. Though you do require a…

Life gets in the way – or why I haven’t written in 8 months

So I haven’t written for a hot second – at least that’s what I’m calling the last eight months – and I hate that work + life has gotten in the way! It coincided with starting improv classes at Second City, which also had me auditioning for an ensemble and…

Serendipity, the Women’s Museum and the Liberty Station Public Market crown San Diego trip

So many of my travels end up being serendipitous: There are things I must see, but I always walk a lot and end up finding a city’s charm not found in a guidebook. This was my experience after speaking at Wordcamp San Diego, held at the amazing Liberty Station. Formerly a Naval Training…

8 not-to-be-missed Raleigh, North Carolina spots

I’ve been meaning to get to Raleigh, North Carolina forever. Besides visiting friends in the area, I’ve heard endlessly about their amazing barbecue and southern charm and hospitality. In the end, five days was not enough (is it ever?) and I came back happy (and probably weighing a bit more…).…

Breather: Airbnb for office space?

It’s difficult not to be aware of the limitations of working from home: No professional spot conference room to host clients, and sometimes, they themselves don’t have the space to share when we need to meet. What with the real estate shakeup that Airbnb has caused, it seems inevitable that hourly…

Three hours and Ben Franklin: Context Tours Philadelphia

To be honest, I had heard enough about the Revolutionary War and the original colonies back in school. I wasn’t too excited to revisit the birthplace of democracy. I was looking forward to exploring the modern-day foodie and neighborhood haunts of Philadelphia. Enter Context Tours and the Benjamin Franklin Seminar. It’s billed as…

Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market delights every tastebud

I love public markets. Whether it’s Milwaukee’s Public Market or San Diego’s Liberty Station Market or Chicago’s French Market, I’m always ridiculously excited by a mass of stalls sporting spices, local delicacies, savory grab-and-go restaurants, and a communal atmosphere. It’s why I was also happy to have extended my stay in…

Travel

Head off car problems with Good Sam Roadside Assistance

Car breakdowns, blown tires and accidents are always a (dreaded) possibility when you drive. As summer road trips and the inevitability of my driving everywhere ramps up (I am not staying in the house in the summer!), I want better protection in case I have a roadside emergency. I’ve had…

Caffeine and community: Why I cafe-work

When you’re on the road often enough, it’s easy to feel rather displaced. You don’t have your typical work setup, and sometimes you completely forget something necessary, like a charging cable. I usually end up in a Starbucks—if nothing else, they’re everywhere and I know what I’m going to get…

Author: Lisa Ghisolf