Two Girls Nights Out To Remember

This week, I enjoyed two delightful girls nights out.

Wednesday, I enjoyed a much-needed reunion with my beloved cousin Alexandra at Trattoria Bolognese in Midtown.

Trattoria Bolognese is one of those rare and wonderful NYC restaurants that has been around for awhile. I remember eating there often in my twenties, as it was located right around the corner from my parents’ building. Serving delicious old school Italian fare in a casual, warm setting, Trattoria remains one of my favorites – and a perfect setting for lingering conversation.

Alexandra and I hadn’t seen each other since she glammed me up for my photo shoot back in June, so we had a lot to catch up on. We talked about summer getaways, the ebb and flow of professional contentment and coping when life throws you a curveball.

Alex has been my rock through so many trials and tribulations, a soul sister whom I have cherished since childhood. We already have our next bonding session scheduled and I can’t wait.

Speaking of wonderful women, I also had the pleasure of catching up with my dear friend Lauren. A fellow hospitality marketing pro, Lauren was the first person I connected with in the industry a decade ago. I remember thinking when we met that if everyone in the biz was as awesome as she is, I was going to love being part of it. I was right.

Lauren invited me to join her at a fantastic networking event hosted by the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Colombia Tourism. Held at Barraca in the West Village, the night offered great opportunities to mingle along with delicious Latin cuisine and beverages. Among the interesting folks we chatted with — a freelance writer who has ridden halfway across the country on a bicycle and a twentysomething finance rep by day/travel blogger by night.

The finance gal asked lots of questions about parlaying her passion for travel into a career change. Happy to share my experiences as a career changer, I found myself thinking how fortunate I am to love what I do. The varied work I did before couldn’t have been a better preamble for it had I planned it to be.

And I couldn’t be more blessed to have amazing women like Lauren and Alexandra to remind me of all I have to be grateful for.