Wine With Wanda

Haute & Haunted Holidays: Halloween Getaways

I haven't dressed up for Halloween in ages but I adore any holiday that combines costumes and candy. Whether you prefer to stay at home and watch a scary flick with a cocktail or want to take a Halloween themed vacation, here are a few classy-creepy ways to spend the holiday.

First Class Captain Costume
($59.99 at Party City)
Why fly a broom when you can captain a plane? Now, I don't think the TSA would approve of you wearing this costume on your next flight but you will certainly turn heads at any Halloween soiree. Available in small, medium, and large.

Book a Haunted House with FlipKey
Over the years, I have visited several cities and hotels that declare themselves to be haunted. Do you dare to share your room with a ghost? If so, FlipKey makes it possible to rent your very own haunted house. Operated by TripAdvisor, FlipKey takes the stress and worry out of renting a private home. Their Halloween Haunts collection includes a Haunted Savannah Cottage, Villa Radu in Transylvania (pictured), a Venetian Castle with Unsettled Royal Spirits, and more ghostly getaways.

Have a Haunted Good Time in New Orleans
Fun loving New Orleans proclaims to be "The Most Haunted City in America." I can't guarantee any ghost sightings but you are certain to have a grand time in the Big Easy. Fun Halloween themed events include haunted tours through the French Quarter and the Boo Carre Halloween & Harvest Festival. Want to snuggle with a ghost? Make the 125 year old Hotel Monteleone your NOLA headquarters - in March 2003, the International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days investigating the Hotel Monteleone and made contact with more than a dozen earthbound entities. Boo!


Ghosts at the Hotel Monteleone

Pumpkin Martini
Toast Halloween with this festively colored cocktail. Share the candy with the trick-or-treaters, but this tasty treat is for grown-ups only!

2 oz vanilla infused Russian Standard Vodka**
½ oz Cream Liqueur
½ oz pumpkin puree*

Pour the cream liqueur and vodka into a shaker filled with ice. Add the pumpkin puree. Shake again. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

 *To make pumpkin puree

-Take 1 pumpkin, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or  baking sheet with. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh and puree in blender along with 2 Tbsp of ground cinnamon, 1 Tbsp of ground ginger, 1 Tbsp of ground cloves and 16-28 oz of simple syrup (can be adjusted according to desired sweetness). Store in the fridge. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use.

-If you are using pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin and follow the same steps above.

**  To make vanilla-infused Russian Standard Vodka

-For every 750ml bottle of Russian Standard, add in a couple vanilla beans allow to infused in an airtight container for approx. 24 hrs.  Fine strain beans and re-bottle. Store in fridge.

 

Three Spectacular & Spooky Halloween Getaways

It's been years since I've celebrated Halloween but I love any holiday that involves playing dress-up and carefreely consuming copious amounts of candy. While Halloween may not be a huge travel holiday, there are plenty of places that show major love for the great pumpkin. Here are three picks on where to go for a spectacular and spooky getaway. Pack this sexy pilot costume (available at Amazon) in your bag and go!

New Orleans - Yes, the Big Easy knows how to party but this town also considers itself the most haunted city in the world (hello Anne Rice).  NOLA's official Halloween Day parade, the Krewe of Halloween, unwinds through the Boo Carre on Saturday, October 30th. Put on your snazziest costume and let the good times roll. Music lovers should snag tickets for the Voodoo Music Experience (October 29-31). Performers include Kermit Ruffins, Ozzy Osbourne, Janelle Monae, Macy Gray, and many others. While you are in town, will you dare to go on a ghost/paranormal tour? Also, New Orleans' cemeteries, with their aboveground tombs, are hauntingly beautiful places to visit and often referred to as "Cities of the Dead.

New York City - As a native, I assure you that you can wear a costume 365 days a year in the Big Apple and no one will give you a second glance.  However, the great thing about Halloween is that practically the whole city will play dress-up with you! The raucous and colorful Village Halloween Parade (Sunday, October 31) will celebrate its 38th year of winding through the streets of Greenwich Village. Don't just be a spectator - everyone in costume is invited to march in the parade! For a real fright, cross the terror threshold and visit the Blood Manor or Nightmare: Superstitions haunted houses. For a more spiritual escape, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine will host a Crypt Crawl (Saturday, October 30) where guides will lead visitors through the crypts and explain the origins of Halloween. Green-Wood Cemetary in Brooklyn, founded in 1838 and the final resting place for many famous New Yorkers, also has a Halloween tour (October 30 & 31).

Las Vegas: Doesn't everyday in Las Vegas seem like Halloween? Last year I coincidentally found myself in Sin City on October 31st and those of us without costumes really stuck out.  Practically every hotel and nightclub in Las Vegas is hosting a special Halloween soiree - click here for a comprehensive list of what's happening in this adult playground. Other fun events include the Las Vegas Halloween Parade.

  PS - Wherever you go, get ready for Halloween with a relaxing bath. This Fizzy Baker Halloween Cupcake Bath Bomb looks like the real thing but is actually a calorie-free scented soak. "Hand decorated, the frosting, sprinkles and decorations are made of soap! In the tub, the 'cake' fizzes and releases skin softening coconut oil and glycerin, while the frosting floats free to use just like soap." Nibble on some candy corn and let this cupcake take you away! ($5.50 at Amazon)