The Location

Buena Vida Social Club is an “instaworthy” rooftop bar at Buena Vida Restaurant in Arlington with a Mexican-inspired menu with fresh guacamole, delectable tacos, and fresh ceviches. Tip: you must try their brunch! The rooftop is an escape from the day to day life in DC: bright colors, friendly staff, and stunning views of the sunset.

The Guests

I’ve been thinking of rebranding from #DCTravelBlogger for a while because the group is so much more than just bloggers. We have travel writers, lifestyle bloggers, influencers, travel public relations professionals, vloggers, tour operators, among others. Thought the name #DCTravelCreator was more fitting for a diverse group in Washington, DC who share their passion for sharing travel stories.

Bloggers, writers, and other travel media professionals joined us for a fun evening of networking. Guests included seasoned travel writers such as Troy Petenbrink and Jessica Moss to lifestyle influencers such as Carla of SpicyCandyDC and Barnette Holston of DCFashionFool to popular travel bloggers such as Ashlee Tuck of Will Drink for Travel and Alex Tracy, the editor of Travel Latina to TV personality Bren Herrera.

The Sponsor

This beautiful evening was sponsored by Park Royal Golden Resort, a beautiful all-inclusive property in Cancun, Mexico. The hotel shared their signature cocktail recipe, The Ekinox with Buena Vida Social Club. We sipped the coconut and rum-based drink that automatically transported us to the tropics.

Giftbags

What’s a DC party without a fun gift bag? Our Park Royal Golden Resort gift bag was filled with some fun goodies that I fan run curating: eco-friendly glass straws by Heart Straws, a fragrant box of spices by Spice Madam, the latest issue of Washingtonian Magazine, a deck of Travel Banter Cards created by fellow travel writer, Nicolette Olermans, and small-batch tea bags by Paromi.

#DCTravelCreator

Truly enjoy bringing people together to talk travel and share our experiences. I am all about community over competition and very happy that we have such a collaborative and inclusive group of travel bloggers, writers, and other creators in Washington, DC. Are you a #DCTravelCreator? Please reach out so we can add you to our list!

The post Recap: #DCTravelCreator End-Of Summer Meeup appeared first on The Dining Traveler.

The Venue

This meetup was held at NoPa Kitchen DC, a chic and award-winning American Brasserie. The restaurant is named after it’s location, just North of Pennsylvania Avenue in the heart of DC’s Penn Quarter.

Walking distance from concert venues and museum, the restaurant offers a space for everyone. Private rooms serve the needs of business groups, a ‘lively bar and happy hour’ offers a great space for the young professional to decompress.

The atmosphere is the innovation of DC Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj and designer Martin Vahtra. Exposed white brick walls, worn metal lighting, and wood-paneling creates an industrialized, yet rustic ambiance.

The Experience

As always, the #DCTravelBlogger meetup was a lively experience with around 25 travel and food bloggers from various locales. The intimacy of the small guest list allows for great conversation among the amazing movers and shakers in the industry that attended.

Delectable small plates of croquettes and charcuterie, the inspiration of executive chef Matt Kuhn, were served during the event. Truly special was the Pink Paradise cocktail,  that NoPa’s bartenders replicated from the Ocean Club Resort’s menu. What better to get excited about the resort experience giveaway than a fun, pink tropical cocktail.

Giveaways

This year’s giveaway sponsors truly brought the excitement to the event. I was thrilled to offer the following giveaways:

• a four night/three day stay for two at the Ocean Club Resort in Turks and Caicos
• one round trip summer ticket from BWI to Frankfurt with Condor Airlines
• one bottle of aged Don Q Rum
• one box of assorted snacks and gifts from GuestBox

Gift Bags

I couldn’t let people leave empty-handed. Consequently, every guest walked away with a cute, reusable canvas bag from Ocean Club Resorts. Bloggers received goodies from a handful of amazing sponsors.

How can you walk away with a frown when you have a teddy bear pilot in your bag? Sponsors for the bags included Ocean Club Resorts, Condor Airlines, National Geographic Magazine, The Washingtonian, SterilStay, GuestBox, Skincando, This Bar Saves Lives, Don Q Rum, and Mühlhaus Coffee.

Where would an event be without an amazing location and guests? Sponsors are important, but I couldn’t have pulled off this event without my amazing guests and NoPa Kitchen DC. If you couldn’t make it, be sure to follow The Dining Traveler on social media at the handle @diningtraveler.

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Yours Truly,

Jessica

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