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Kelsey Social

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During the last 10 years, I've lived in 12 homes in eight cities in four different countries. I've held numerous jobs to pay the bills and fund my travels. But 2016 was different.

2016 was the first year within the last decade that I lived in one place for the entire year. And the first whole year that I held a full-time career (not a filler job or working abroad). It was also the first year that I was able to replenish my bank account from the damage of years of traveling and working abroad.

So in 2016, I made an attempt to keep travel a priority while living a more settled lifestyle. I've realized that I am much happier when I have a trip (big or small) to look forward to. For the most part, I spent 2016 completing one adventure only to plan for the next. And when there were no weekend getaways on the calendar, I explored closer to home.


January [Whole30 + DC]
Travel took a backseat in January as I kicked off the year with the Whole30 challenge. A month of healthy eating and cooking meals at home allowed time for DC exploration like a visit to the newly renovated Renwick Gallery.



February [New York City + Asheville]
I was lucky enough to attend Social Media Week in New York City. I spent my days learning about the biggest trends in digital marketing and my evenings eating my way through the city. I also celebrated the marriage of two of my best friends in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. We spent the rest of the snowy weekend visiting and sampling beers from the many local breweries.



March [Lake Tahoe]
Our second annual snowboarding excursion brought us to Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California. (Our first annual trip was Taos in 2015). We hit the slopes hard each day and enjoyed beers in our cute mountain chalet at night. I'm looking forward to this annual trip for many years to come!



April [Washington, DC]
The Cherry Blossoms in DC this year were gorgeous and I was able to catch them early in full bloom. I ran the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler for the first time but the freezing temps and high winds on race day blew all flowers off the trees. I also celebrated my 27th birthday with a sunny, low-key day at Union Market with my mom.



May [DC + Lake Anna]
May was a very rainy month in DC in Virginia. I hosted some friends and we explored DC over gloomy weekend. I also ventured down to Lake Anna for a very muddy beer festival.



June [Las Vegas + San Diego]
10 days in Las Vegas for work was a lot of time in Vegas. I mostly worked long days but snuck in a few late nights out on the strip and even got a couple hours by the pool. After the long work week, I flew to San Diego to spend time with my cousin and her family who recently moved back from Italy. She gave me quite the tour of San Diego and I loved it all, but eating delicious meals with family while laughing at a toddler was my favorite part.



July [Miami + Topsail]
I made a career change in June and had  enough time in between jobs for a girls trip to Miami. I've heard people talk about the between job vacation and I'm now a firm believer as well. I also spent some family beach time on Topsail Island, North Carolina for a week filled with sand soccer, shrimp boils and good sunsets.



August [Seattle + British Columbia]
For my big trip of the year, I traveled with my friend Shannon to Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver, and Whistler. This was a jam-packed trip. We definitely splurged a little, but it was all well worth it. We hiked, biked, swam, flew in a seaplane, attended two sporting events and treated ourselves to a day at the Scandinave Spa. I enjoyed Seattle, but I fell pretty hard for British Columbia and I'm dreaming of my next trip back.



September [Lake Anna + DC]
To take advantage of the warm September, my boyfriend and I escaped to Lake Anna during our free weekends. We also celebrated at a friends' wedding and I enjoyed walking around the monuments outside my new office on Constitution Avenue.



October [New Orleans + Boone]
During an extended weekend in New Orleans, I tasted a ton of delicious food, drank many strong cocktails and wandered around the different neighborhoods of this unique city. It's a great short trip from DC and I'm hoping to be back for another weekend in 2017. I also visited my college town of Boone, North Carolina for the first time since I a graduated in May 2011. It was so good to be back for homecoming weekend in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I loved meeting up with old friends and showing my boyfriend around one of my favorite places in the world.



November [DC]
Family, friends and feasts took up the majority of November. Somehow, this month flew by but I did take a little time to #OptOutside (Thanks for the idea, REI!). I'm so happy to have finally visited the Billygoat Trail.


December [Las Vegas + New York City]

I traveled back to Las Vegas in December for another work trip with my new job, but this time I rented a car and explored outside the city. I also discovered some amazing restaurants and a place to get rainbow lattes! I rushed home from Vegas to join some friends on a trip to New York City at Christmastime. We saw all the usual sites and discovered the best, most festive holiday bars in NYC.
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New York City at Christmastime has a bit of magic that you don't find in many other American cities. It may be the ice skating at Rockefeller Center, the fancy window displays or the nostalgia from many holiday movies set in the city: Home Alone II, Elf, and Miracle on 34th Street to name a few.

I recently spent a weekend in The Big Apple to soak in all the holiday charm it has to offer. And for me, nothing brings out the warm and fuzzies more than a stiff eggnog at a cozy bar. I was visiting the same time as SantaCon, but my friends and I stayed far away from that crowd and created our own personal Christmas bar crawl.

Here are some of the most festive Christmas bars in New York City. I'm already excited to head back next December to continue perfecting this Christmas Crawl!


1. Rolf's German Restuarant
281 3rd Ave

Rolf's is probably THE Christmas bar of New York City. The restaurant spends around $60,000 on decorations and maintains the decor until May. They also offer themed drinks like holiday martinis and spiced eggnog. There's usually a line at the door about 40 people deep during the holidays, but luckily you have many months to catch this decorative display.

A photo posted by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseyohleger) on Dec 11, 2016 at 2:33pm PST



2. Pete's Tavern
129 E 18th St

Pete's Tavern takes a unique approach to holiday décor by covering the entire ceiling with red lights. The wreaths out front and the Santas behind the bar also bring in a little cheer. Not only do Pete's holiday decorations make it a special place, it is also the oldest continuously operating restaurant and bar in New York City... open since 1864!

A photo posted by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseyohleger) on Dec 14, 2016 at 5:16pm PST



3. 230 Fifth Rooftop
230 5th Ave

For views of the city skyline without freezing your buns off, 230 Fifth Rooftop is the place to be. Sip your drink inside an inflatable igloo while wearing a complimentary red robe. The igloos will be open on the rooftop until the end of March.

A photo posted by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseyohleger) on Dec 13, 2016 at 2:57pm PST



4. LOCL Bar in NYLO Hotel
222 W 77th St

The decorations here elicit winter forests and magic kingdoms, but you really come for the drinks! Order a Shakespeare's Globe and sip your cocktail out of an actual snow globe. Visit before this pop-up leave NYLO Hotel on January 1. As if you need any other excuse to get there, $2 from every drink goes to Save the Children. Go ahead, buy the first round!

A photo posted by Martina 🍦 (@martinalamode) on Dec 10, 2016 at 6:14pm PST



5. The Lodge at Gallow Green
542 W 27th St

Step into Gallow Green and feel like you skied right up after a long day on the slopes. The lodge sits on top of the McKittrick Hotel and transforms itself into a rustic chalet during the winter months. Cozy up to the fire with a glass of mulled wine or venture outside to a snow-covered pine forest.

A photo posted by Gallow Green (@gallowgreen) on Nov 30, 2016 at 11:57am PST



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My favorite thing about winter is looking forward to a trip to the mountains. This year, I went with seven friends on a ski/snowboard trip to South Lake Tahoe. It was the second annual trip for what is hopefully an ongoing tradition. (Read about my 2015 trip to Taos).

Day ☝🏼️ at Lake Tahoe was a success. Snowboarding between Nevada & California all day with beautiful views & only a few minor spills 😁🏂
A post shared by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseysocial) on Mar 4, 2016 at 9:39am PST

Tahoe, day 1. CA/NV. 🏂✌🏼️ #snowbunnies #shredlyfe #heavenlyresort
A post shared by Shannon Healy (@healyshannon) on Mar 4, 2016 at 10:43am PST

These trips are different from my usual travel because I allow myself to focus on one thing only: snowboarding. Seeing the sights or visiting the best restaurants aren't on our radar. It's nice not to plan anything and arrive with few expectations - other than good conditions on the slopes.

Yeah.. Life is good. #LakeTahoe 🏂
A post shared by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseysocial) on Mar 5, 2016 at 5:53pm PST

Mornings were spent sipping mimosas and spiked coffee before full days on the mountain. We all met back up in the afternoon for après-ski at the lodge. During the evenings, we soaked in the hot tub and cooked family style dinners at our cabin. 

Aprés ski 🎿 #shotski #fireball #heavenlyresort #laketahoe
A post shared by Shannon Healy (@healyshannon) on Mar 5, 2016 at 5:31pm PST

"Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing" - #HST / 🏂 #LakeTahoe
A post shared by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseysocial) on Mar 16, 2016 at 9:55pm PDT

We skied at Heavenly Mountain Resort. There are two things that make this resort extra appealing: the views of the lake and the ability to ski back and forth between Nevada and California.

This place is truly heavenly #laketahoe #heavenlyresort #watchmewhip excellent 📷 work by @kelseyohleger 👏🏼
A post shared by Shannon Healy (@healyshannon) on Mar 5, 2016 at 2:56pm PST


All good things must come to an end. Ending a great week in Tahoe with these #snowbunnies. 🏂 Not pictured: @healyshannon
A post shared by Kelsey Ohleger (@kelseysocial) on Mar 6, 2016 at 10:17am PST

It was extra hard to leave this vacation. On our way out, Tahoe had a big snowstorm rolling in. We may have been a week early to get the fresh powder, but we still had an amazing time adventuring in the Sierra Nevadas.
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About Kelsey

About Me
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Hey there! I'm Kelsey. I'm attempting to create a life full of adventure and excitement. After living and traveling abroad for years, I now live a more settled life in Washington, DC while working in social media and traveling every chance I get. I'm a strong advocate for #WeekendWanderlust. Let’s adventure!

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