The Ultimate Girls Getaway

Jess and her friends head out to the country for her bachelorette bash.

By Jessica Solloway

I have never been more tired in my life. I just got back last night from a once-in-a-lifetime weekend -- my bachelorette party! Two of my friends, Rachel and Rebecca, planned a fabulous getaway to the North Fork area of Long Island, a very quaint area near tons of wineries. A whole crew of my best friends came from all over (Miami, Philly, NYC, and Cleveland) and we had a blast.
We had two houses on the water, and it felt like being at overnight camp running back and forth between them. In between excessive drinking and eating (the wedding diet was clearly put on hold), we laid on hammocks in the backyard and caught up on each others lives, which is hard to do in the real world when you're distracted by work, kids, errands, school, etc.

Everyone arrived on Friday. I took the train from DC to Philly to meet up with my friend Betsy and then we drove from there to NYC to pick up my friend Steph. We hit no traffic and arrived in Greenport (where the houses were) earlier than expected. So, spur of the moment we hopped on a ferry and found ourselves on Shelter Island, sitting at a great restaurant on the beach having an afternoon cocktail and snacks. (Betsy is preggers, so she skipped the cocktail.)

We got to the house around 6pm, claimed our rooms and the fun began! My friends all bought me gifts (ranging from embarrassing to cute to practical) and I had to guess who they were from. Then of course they dressed me up in all sorts of ridiculous props to go out on the town. We went to a bar called Claudio's with a live band and herds of (cheesy) dudes that love a good bachelorette party. I was spilled on, picked up, spun around, and flipped around. It definitely got a little rowdy, but that's the way these things go!

The next morning, we woke up (not easily, let me just say) and had bagels at the house and got ready for a day of wine tasting! A van picked us up and took us to three gorgeous wineries. The first one, Peconic Bay Winery, was so amazing. Not only was the weather unbelievable, but we got to sit in cushy chairs under umbrellas, listening to live music and trying tons of wines. There's really nothing better! Then we headed over to the Pugliese Vineyards (known for their sparkling wines) for more tastings and a picnic outside. Seth sent me a bottle of champagne which was really sweet and so did my friend Franny who couldn't make it. After a great lunch, where we shoved our faces with sandwiches, chips and brownies, we went to one last tasting at the largest winery in the area, Pindar Vineyards.

By the time we got home, we were beat and just hung out and took naps. Later that night, we picked up pizza and salads and stayed in for a night of "fun and games". You may not know this about me, but at times, I can be a bit of a hypochondriac. So, Rebecca and Rach created a game making fun of all the memorable moments where I have flipped out over various illnesses, findings on WebMD, and scary ailments I have seen on TV. My friends were divided up into teams and if they got the question right, they won a pill bottle (filled with m&m's) labeled with the name of a medication and my picture on it. Classic.

Here's a sample question so you get the idea:

"After a particularly vicious sunburn on her shoulders, Jess asked someone very close to her to stalk and harass the head of the Burn Unit at a prestigious Cleveland hospital to find out if she would be OK. Who did the stalking?"

The answer is my mom, but only because she WORKS at a hospital and knows the guy...whatever.

All in all, it was a fun-filled, fabulous weekend that I will always remember. From our Friday night barbecue to the send-off Sunday brunch, I can't thank my friends enough for planning such an amazing time and for coming out to celebrate with me!