Lisa Jeffries Nobling – Raleigh, NC

Tag: travel

  • Salt Water Views

    Raleigh, be warned. As much as I miss you, a girl could really get used to waking up near the water. The views on my last few days of runs and walks in Antibes have been too good not to share. These pictures are from the beachfront in Antibes, Fort Carre, and Port Vauban.

  • I’m Living in France – and Drinking Less Wine Than Ever

    I’m Living in France – and Drinking Less Wine Than Ever

    I’ve been in the south France for nearly a month and I’ll be here off and on through the end of April finishing my dual master’s degree in Global Luxury Management. You’d think while I’ve been here that I would have had more than my fair share of wine already, right? Wrong. In fact, I’ve enjoyed less wine here than I did at any time in the states.

    So, what gives? There are some cultural differences in the retailing of wine here, especially in restaurants and bars, but the real reason I’ve consumed so much less wine is the very sub-par selection of wines by the glass at restaurants and bars. I really had hoped before venturing here that I would be outside of my United States comfort zone of wines available and trying a greater variety of European wines that haven’t made their way stateside, but when you’re out and about here, the by-the-glass selections are as follows: “red”, “rose”, and “white”. No kidding! You’re lucky if the menu includes any details about the by-the-glass varietal or the geographic source.

    Perhaps this recent experience is why this article struck me so strongly today: Millennials dragging wine sales down – and the prudent included advice:

    “One way to sell Millennials more wine: Carefully curate your wine-by-the-glass list to boost its appeal to this demographic.”

    I think it’s a great read for restaurant, nightlife, and hospitality operators everywhere – regardless of geographic location.

    Don’t get me wrong – the wine selection at retail points of sale and by the bottle in restaurants are pretty wide and adventurous here in France (and aggressively priced since most are domestic products) – but I rarely desire an entire bottle in one seating and when I want just a glass, I don’t want a mediocre glass of “house wine” that was selected for a profit margin rather than to complement menu offerings.

    Ending on a positive note: the retail store wine scene is in much better shape offering a really nice selection with incredibly high-quality and great tasting wines beginning at 8 euros (about $9 USD) a bottle, so I’ve had fun with that! I mean – a girl’s still got to have her wine, right? (Especially when there is no craft cocktail culture here… but more on that later.)

  • A Monday in Monaco

    I knew Monaco was one of the places Johnnie Bud was most looking forward to while visiting Europe, so we had to get a visit in before he had to return to North Carolina… even if that meant visiting on a Monday. We were a little underwhelmed at the lack of glitz and glamour… and any real activity at all… but maybe that can be attributed to visiting on a Monday afternoon and evening in January (the off-season).

    Regardless of the lack of things to do, we took in some spectacular views, drooled over more impressive yachts, checked out a casino (SO very different than Vegas: slots and tables in different buildings, had to pay to get in, no free drinks, and less than 20 people in the casino playing at tables), strolled through the luxury shopping area, and hopped on the train back to Antibes with some great memories and pictures in tow. PS: It wasn’t all a total bust! While in the casino, I hit with $5 on 29… my birthday day. Show me the money!

  • Sunday Funday in Cannes

    A week ago Sunday, Johnnie Bud and I headed to Cannes with GLM classmates Daniel, Sarah, and Stephanie. Taking the SNCF train for $12 round-trip, it was about a 30 minute ride (with stops included) and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

    It was fairly quiet in Cannes on the day we went, missing the film festival the area is known for that takes place in May, but we walked from the busy town streets down to the beautiful waterfront and enjoyed a super fun lunch at restaurant called o’key beach that is literally situated on the sandy beach and mostly porch seating.

    Word to the wise: there’s nothing speedy about dining in France. (Or really anything speedy, except bus and train service, in the south of France.) Luckily, we were day tripping and enjoying good food and drinks with great company – with absolutely no rush needed. Many service staffers speak a good deal of English, so we haven’t had any challenges dining out… but they certainly appreciate and it usually entertains them when you try to speak French and order off the menu as its written. Also to note, tax and gratuity is included in menu prices and when you try to tip your bartender extra for speedy service, they look at you funny.

    I would love to see this place during the film festival, but I’ll be back in Raleigh by then. Put it on my bucket list to return soon, though! 2017, perhaps?

  • First Days in Antibes

    First Days in Antibes

    Can I take just a second to brag on my wonderful manfriend who accompanied me over the pond for the first week to help me get adjusted to life here in Europe – and to enjoy a mini-vacation, too?

    While I was joining 41 other NC State GLM students here in the south of France, I elected to rent a private apartment for myself, so it was nice not to feel incredibly alone and have Johnnie here while the rest of my classmates were all arriving on different dates and getting settled themselves. Luckily, we found out quickly that many of my GLM gang are all staying in apartments super close to my place, which makes it easy to get together for brunch, shopping, bar hopping, day trips, sight seeing and the like.

    Back to the topic of this post, Johnnie Bud and I spent our first two days here just sight-seeing in Antibes – where I live and will be spending the most of my time. This place is stunning and approachable at the same time. Dripping in old world charm on the exterior, everything is visually beautiful but has all of the comforts of home easily available – great wifi in my apartment, lots of shopping and dining, and a store called Monoprix that is basically Euro Target… it’s short walk from my apartment and every time I walk in, I spend at least $75 on all the random things one collects at a wander through Target.

    We’ve also found lots of great food, but Antibes really feels like a vacation destination in that a lot of smaller businesses are currently closed for an entire month for holiday and vegetarian menus aren’t the most widely available. However, there are several markets, including an open air farmer’s market within steps of my apartment, so I’m doing lots of cooking now that I’m settled and shopping several times a week for fresh food rather than a weekly stock-up trip like at home. (That’s also partly due to the fact that most apartments here have refrigerators that are a fraction of the size of one back home.)

    Up Next: Pics from Sunday Funday in Cannes and a Monday in Monaco/Monte Carlo!

  • Hello from the South of France!

    Hello from the South of France!

    A few life updates:

    1. I’ve migrated this blog over from Blogger – so welcome back if you’re a returning visitor and thanks for tuning in if you’re a first timer!
    2. I’m currently in my second semester of the NC State master’s degree in Global Luxury Management which means…
    3. I’m living in the south of France through the end of April 2016!

    Living abroad and not having the time commitments that go along with being in town (household stuff, social engagements, bridesmaid/baby shower duties, etc.) means I’ll have a lot more downtime and I’m hoping that means updating this blog regularly enough to share some updates from my time in France. Specifically, I’m living in a beautiful coastal town called “Antibes” and attending school at Skema Business School’s Sophia Antipolis campus. For those of you in the Triangle area of NC, I liken Sophia to RTP… but only 7 miles from my apartment in the center of Antibes.

    I’ve got a killer apartment location (snagged via AirBNB!) – a five minute walk to the waterfront and literally on a beautiful street that is within walking distance to anything you might ever want… restaurants, grocery stores, cafes, the bus stop (which takes me right to the front door of Skema), and more. I’m sharing on Instagram via #SouthernGirlInFrance if you want to follow along in real-ish time.

    Stay tuned as I share more of the European adventure this semester!

  • I’m a Starwoods Faithful

    There’s something about brand loyalty – it gets in your veins – the very DNA of how luxury consumers consume. And when you find out one of your beloved brands is going to be absorbed by a larger in the industry? Talk about a gut punch.

    SPG Love
    SPG Love

    “Somewhere between their Westin Heavenly Beds and the room’s rainfall shower system, Starwood hotel loyalists were struck Monday morning by a new reality: their beloved loyalty program would soon be gobbled up by Marriott’s less-generous reward system.” – via NewsObserver.com

    My other half texted me a link to the story as it broke this morning, knowing good and well that I would simply scrunch up my nose in disgust. I would love to think that the Starwoods identify might be preserved in this merger, but luxury travelers will have to wait to see what happens in the years after the deal’s expected closing in mid-2016. Luckily, this industry tends to move slowly, so it could be years before we see any real changes to the SPG treatment we Starwoods faithfuls have grown to love.

  • What I’ve Been Up To: October Edition

    October flew by because it was packed with things to do, places to be, and people to see. My favorite ways to fill up a busy schedule!

    Johnnie Bud and I spent the first weekend of October visiting my little sister Mandy and her other half Joe up in Delaware are their first house. We got a special tour of Dover Air Force Base where my sister is a veterinarian and the officer in charge at the Dover Air Force Base Veterinary Treatment Facility – check out this great Veteran’s Day article on her and the patients she sees daily: Base vet supports mission, your pets. It’s a long 6+ hour drive (about 2 hours north of D.C.), but always worth it to spend some quality downtime with family.

    Johnnie’s brother got married the next weekend on a Sunday – congrats Christopher and Nikki! – and the very next morning was the WRAL TechWire Executive Exchange: Fiber Transforms the Triangle half-day conference held at SAS that I spent no less than three months working on. Every detail, from venue, down to nametags, was painstakingly planned for by my incredible team at WRAL.com and this high-caliber event went off without a hitch. It’s nice to occasionally have a nice, long planning and marketing timeline and a moderate budget to work with!

    Just four short days after the Fiber event, Johnnie Bud and I hoped on a plane bound for Louisville and not only traveled to see NCSU play at Louisville (notice I didn’t say “win”… bummer), but we spent a few days checking out a “new to both of us” city and toured and tasted as many of the stops on the Urban Bourbon Trail as possible. Louisville’s got a great food and beverage culture, but their downtown foot traffic is surprisingly slow on the weekends compared to somewhere like Raleigh. I would love to visit again in 5-10 years to see if that has changed.

    We wrapped up the month with more places to be at the UConn vs. ECU game in Greenville (thanks for the hospitality, Cory and Alison!), another lovely night of fundraising for the Rex Foundation at the Rex Gala, and as with every October, a quick visit to the NC State Fair!

    Business-wise, I’m thrilled to say that several projects were completed for Raleighwood Media Group clients and I even had the opportunity to develop three proposals for new business (social media management and email marketing projects) which are all coming to fruition now that we’re in November… also known at #Movember. So #LetItGrowRDU and I’ll check in next month. Thanks for reading, y’all!

  • What I’ve Been Up To: June Edition

    Punctuation is everything - especially when it comes to marketing and promotions
    Punctuation is everything – especially when it comes to marketing and promotions

    Truth be told, June wasn’t as professionally exciting as May was, but it was still one heck of a busy month. I can’t believe we’re already looking the 4th of July holiday smack in the face!

    • Started June with Charlotte and Jeff’s wedding, which meant quality time with a few Pi Phi sorority sisters I have gone inexcusably too long without seeing
    • Put together a month long Twitter campaign for a Raleighwood Media Group client to test out a new product/service offering I’m considering and to get their feedback along the way
    • Put in a few late evenings knocking out real estate licensing continuing education after the workday was over – a week before the annual deadline – gold star for that one…
    • Took a much-needed mini-vacation to Ocracoke with Johnnie Bud and friends… realized these trips are no longer “college” trips when everyone in the rental house spends the first hour of their day checking in on work while on vacation
    • On a semi-professional/all enjoyable weeknight, Johnnie Bud and I attended Chef Matt Thompson‘s first cooking club at The State Club – that’s a place I encourage all NCSU graduates to consider having a membership at for conducting business meals
    • Enjoyed a chill Amos Lee concert at Koka Booth Amphitheatre
    • Went to Pinehurst to attend my very first US Open with Johnnie Bud – many thanks to the Stricklands for the hospitality of letting us stay with y’all when hotels have been sold out for two years for this signature professional golf event.
    • On a professional note, I was in awe over the promotional tent for American Express at the US Open. They gave out free ear piece FM radio devices to cardholders so that attendees could hear the ESPN radio coverage of the event, had an interactive “improve your golf swing” demo set up, as well as generated custom rotating .gif images of attendees in front of a green screen with the scenes of Pinehurst imposed on the background… how very memorable for the audience!
    • Made some big strides with fellow TIMA board members to make our programming and value of membership more marketable and well… more valuable – and loved our Mobile Marketing Panel Event that was held in the American Underground at American Tobacco Campus
    • Spent a few hours sorting potatoes for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC with Rotaract, and was totally humbled by how many people in NC are at risk of hunger everyday and the work the food bank is doing to combat that
    • Attended the Movember Team RDU spring social with William Ammerman, Director of Sales and Marketing for WRAL.com, and Johnnie Bud – loved seeing the wheels turn in their heads as they got excited about raising critical awareness and much-needed funding men’s health and cancer research this upcoming fall
    • Worked with my super talented WRAL.com team to put together four Sir Walter Raleigh Award submissions for the Raleigh Public Relations Society. It’s our first year participating, so winning or not, I’m thrilled with the quality of our submissions.
    • Closed out the month hosting the Raleigh Beer Guide Volume 2 Release Party at Tribeca Tavern in Raleigh with Tara, Steph, and Jodi of WRAL Out & About… with guest appearance by Deanna who spent some time job shadowing the marketing suite at WRAL.com. Anyone looking for a stellar marketing coordinator, let me know! I’d love to connect you to this great job candidate…
    • Almost forgot: Dragged Lisa S., Joel-o-saurus, and Johnnie Bud to see Little Big Town, also at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary… there’s always time for one more country music concert!

    Hope your June was productive, successful and if you were lucky, even a little bit profitable. Cheers, y’all!

  • Day Trip to Boone?

    I’d probably be too scared to take the plunge, but this seems like the cooooooolest thing ever. (Especially after watching last week’s episode of Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory where he installed his own zip line in his massive warehouse/office complex).

    From Garden & Gun via email:

    GO SOUTH
    Zipping Along

    Believe it or not, zip lines (those cables youth campers attach themselves to to go whizzing across a lake or valley) have grown up. This spring, Scream Time Ziplines just outside of beautiful Boone, North Carolina, will send adult riders (and kids, too) zooming above some of the prettiest topography in the South.

    You start out by taking a 1972 six-wheel-drive army transport vehicle to the top of a local peak. From there you don a harness and attach yourself to a series of zip lines (the longest east of the Mississippi River) that crisscross down the valley. On the way you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of Boone, Appalachian State University, and all manner of flora and fauna. Just remember to open your eyes.

    Sweeeeeeet!

    Check out Canopy Tours in NC, SC, and FL!

    Maybe I’ll make this my push my boundaries experience for the year…

    PS – YouTube videos from the experience!