Cheers to Responsibility (and Killer Bloody Marys)

June 21, 2014 Samantha Inch

Ever have a Saturday morning where you can't help but have an internal battle with yourself about whether to accomplish the things on the 'to do' list that continue to pile up, i.e. laundry, painting the bathroom or organizing the closet -- OR -- to do the other things that during your Mon-Fri adult life, you cannot justify doing? For example, the decision to attend a four-hour brunch and enjoy a bloody mary before noon.

Today is one of those Saturdays for me. And this time, the laundry won. We all know life is about finding a balance, right? So in honor of how difficult these life altering decisions are to make; and how much I wish I were enjoying extended Saturday brunch right now; I dedicate this post to the memory of the best bloody mary of all time.

Now this isn't your run of the mill BM. This one comes with a bar. Yes, a build-your-own bloody mary bar. Location: Poste Brasserie, Washington D.C. And its a steal at $8.

Here is how it works. Step 1: Choose your poison. Bacon infused, horseradish and chili, or garlic and habanero vodka.

celery, pickled green beans, dill pickles and BACON!

Step 2: Choose from a plethora of hot sauces. And I mean every kind you'd ever want or need. Then choose either bloody mary mix or tomato juice and start mixing.

a serious complexity of flavors all in one glass

Step 3: Enjoy the final product. Preferably on a porch in the sun.

Cheers to responsibility, life balance and savoring the moment.

Saturday in the City

June 15, 2014 Samantha Inch

In this city, you can do anything with a free Saturday afternoon on a sunny day. So I did something I’ve never done and walked the entire length of center city from Penn’s Landing to Kelly Drive. For anyone interested in enjoying some solitude in the city while clearing the mind, this is the walk for you. The mani/pedi at the end is of course, optional.

First, walk all the way down Ben Franklin Parkway past the art museum, to Boathouse Row and Kelly Drive. At this time of year, everything is green, the birds are chirping and people are out enjoying their friends and family. Its all very intoxicating.

Then on your way back, turn off the parkway at around 19th street and make your way to the farmers market at Rittenhouse Square for beautiful produce, organic chocolates, truffle honey, strawberry ice cream and fresh squeezed lemonade.

After perusing the farm stands, stop for a quick lunch at HipCityVeg. Once you get over the fact that you may have to wait in line for a few minutes, you'll be able to choose from any of the seriously delicious and creative sandwiches, burgers and salads made from 100 percent plant-based ingredients.

the oozy goodness that is the buffalo bella

After finishing lunch, the option is on the table for a last minute mani/pedi next door at NailBar. Complementary champagne and foot rub included. After spending a few hours walking the city, this may be hard to decline.

A little spontaneity and adventure with a splash of comfort makes for one relaxing afternoon in Philadelphia.

Inspired Philly

June 14, 2014 Samantha Inch

The mantra of the critically acclaimed movie, Love Actually (note: when I say critically acclaimed, this means in my mind), says “love is all around us.”

In Philly, it seriously is.

May in Photos

May 31, 2014 Samantha Inch

For a while there I didn’t think I’d get through May. Life and work, as it does, got in the way this past month but I made sure to enjoy the city’s pretty sweet segway into spring. Philly is known for its warm weather festivals and this month we got a few of them in. Each had a different flavor. Additions from each fest are now part of my Philly favorites list.

Mayfest #1: Rittenhouse Row. Personality: As should be expected in Rittenhouse, there was a fair mix of upper-middle class families and yuppie couples shuffling through the streets with their hands in each others back pockets. I'm eye-rolling, but I secretly love it. Favorites: Lobster rolls and Sam Adams from Luke’s Lobster; hot tots from The Tot Cart; and uber trendy robes from the best boutique hotel chain in Philly, Kimpton Hotels.

Mayfest #2: South Street Festival. Personality: So much lederhosen you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. While this fest screamed WE LOVE GERMANY, the vibe was humble and homegrown. Favorites: It wouldn’t be Philly without good ol’ Yards that people sipped maturely from DAS BOOT; keeping with the German theme, Laugenbrezel (pretzels) from Brauhaus Schmidtz; and lots ‘o jigging round ‘n round the maypole.

Mayfest #3: Night Market Philadelphia in Old City. Personality: Fit for foodies -- athaynkya very much -- but this one was too crowded. While I'm usually partial to my own neighborhood, I can’t give a glowing review to the Food Trust’s “what could have been awesome” food-truck fair because the mobs were so out of control. Good news is there are still two more locations to attend this summer. For more info on the next two Night Markets, click here. Favorites: the scratch biscuits from the pop up at Supper Philly; the moment I joined the Mac Mart truck cult once and for all; and a good collab by Visit Philly and the Food Trust on social engagement i.e. #visitphilly #nightmkt.

Love What You Do

April 14, 2014 Samantha Inch

During Philly Tech Week 2014, I attended back-to-back nights of stimulating digital communications discussions held at two great spaces in center city. During Wednesday night’s blog, brand, biz & buzz, hosted by Philly Blog Love, a panel of entrepreneurs gathered at Brick American Eatery and talked about their use of social media to build awareness of their businesses and elevate their brands.

The panel included: Jesse Holeva {TrendHungry.com}, HughE Dillon {PhillyChitChat.com}, Andre Richard Baldini {andrerichardsalon.com}, Curran J. {Kings Rule Together}, Leah Kauffman {Philly.com/Rad-Girls.com}, Melony Roy [KYW News Radio], and was moderated by Chaucee Stillman [StreetsandStripes.com].

The next night I attended a launch party at the Philadelphia Art Alliance for Rad-Girls.com, a new website for women in support of women, founded by Leah Kauffman {@leahrkauffman}. This was a celebration for girls everywhere who are inspiring change within their industries while serving as role models for each other along the way. This panel included: Rakia Reynolds [Skai Blue Media], Gloria Bell, Hillary Sedgwick {oh-revoir.com}, Suzi Analogue {Suzianalogue.com} and was moderated by Leah Kauffman.

All of these panelists love what they do.

all female entrepreneur panel brought to you by rad-girls.com

caroline lathan-stiefel's "greenhouse mix" installation at the Philadelphia Art Alliance

I walked over to the Ritz post-event to grab a cocktail, relax and reflect on it all. As I sipped on my spring pear martini, I developed a list of my top 5 takeaways from the week centered around the "do what you love" lesson.

1. Remember that the best ‘you’ you can be is genuine and organic. Use that sincerity to establish your own point of view for your business or brand -- and your opinions will be valuable to others because they are uniquely YOURS. Pursue you passion and if you don’t know what it is yet, try new things and use process of elimination to find what excites you.

2. There are many people who fall down numerous times before they stand up. So don’t be defeated by hard times and failures. Use trial and error to your advantage to grow, learn and push yourself.

3. The no-brainer for a career in any industry is to use social media to drive a conversation, contribute to one and promote your brand. Be consistent across all of your social channels and make sure your content is clean, relevant and relatable. Share your expertise and share your story. Your passion will come through.

4. Support others who are trying to do the same things as you. Collaborate, engage others in the same field and join communities of interest.

5. Finally, be friendly, reach out and introduce yourself to people. That’s what I did last week and learned that there are really smart people in this city. And they are people who have an innate desire to make Philadelphia a stronger, diverse and progressive place to live. Listening to them talk about their respective paths was an inspiration, and a reminder to all of us that we can achieve anything we commit to. Yes, life is hard work and there are not enough hours in the day for any of us. But to be happy, you have to do what you love and most importantly, make life what all that you want it to be.