My Mom, her best friend Cathy and I take a trip to Vegas almost every year. This year my mom and I stayed at the Stratosphere our first night then with Cathy at the Bellagio the next 3 nights. We went to the top of the Stratosphere and enjoyed the view, along with the crazy adventure rides up there! We didn't partake, just watched and laughed at the people. I was really tempted to do the SkyJump, but decided not to in the end.
The rest of the trip we just did our typical thing - gamble, drink, eat good food, relax by the pool, walk around the strip, etc. One of our favorite things though was sitting in Hyde bar at Bellagio. It had a great view of the Bellagio Fountains, so we sat there for a while enjoying some wine and watching a few water shows! After watching the fountains we had a very nice dinner at Prime Steakhouse in the Bellagio for our last night in Vegas.
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After work my friend Jessica and I grabbed a picnic dinner at Bay City Italian Deli and headed down to the Santa Monica Pier for one of the summer concerts. We couldn't really hear the music, but just hanging out on the beach, with the huge crowds was relaxing and fun!
I had a couple extra days in California this weekend, after flying back from Atlanta for 2 day work training. So I decided to rent and car and go visit San Diego for a couple days. I drove down on Saturday morning, checked into my hotel in the Gaslamp district and met up with my mom's best friend Cathy, who drove in from Murietta. We walked down to the water and had a nice lunch at San Diego Pier Cafe. We walked around some of the Seaport Village shops, and down the harbor, then decided to drive out to Coronado Island. The island was insanely crowded on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, but after much driving around we finally found parking at the Hotel Coronado. We sat out on their huge patio and had a couple drinks and caught up with each other, which was so much fun! After that Cathy had to get back home, and I just took it easy that night. The next day, I went back out to Coronado Island to walk along the beach. I then drove down to La Jolla on my way back to Los Angeles and saw the sea lions and explored the town for a bit. It was a short trip, but good to finally see San Diego. Check out some more of my photos from this trip here - San Diego Photos For my Mom's 60th Birthday I took her to Scotland. Her birthday was in November, but we booked our trip for March. We knew it would be cold, but apparently they were having unseasonably cold weather (January temps at the end of March). We just bundled up, I bought a silly but warm hat and we enjoyed the cold weather and snowflakes every day! We arrived in Edinburgh and checked into the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa. We took it easy our first day - we walked to the Royal Mile, shopped a little (for my warm hat!) and then had dinner at The Beehive Pub. The next day we walked to Edinburgh Castle. We joined a short tour and then walked around the various areas, buildings and Prisoner of War rooms...which were pretty creepy, but cool. We stuck around until 1pm so we could see the One O'Clock Gun go off. After that we grabbed some lunch and then walked around for a couple hours along the Royal Mile and the New Town area. That night we ate at a small family run Italian restaurant - Bar Frizzante. It was delicious food and the owners were so friendly. Great place! On the following day we walked down to Holyrood Palace and did the audio tour. Then we walked over to the Scottish Parliament Building to look at the neat exterior architecture. It started snowing pretty hard on us, so we ducked under some cover to not get too wet. We found a little cafe for lunch - Serenity, and each had a sandwich. Next we took a tour of Mary King's Close...which was pretty awesome. Then one of my favorite parts of the day - the Whiskey Experience tour! The best part was probably seeing my mom's reaction to tasting a sip of whiskey. Ha! I did a tasting flight after the tour. Drank a little of it - some were ok, some (like the one that taste of burnt wood) was just horrible! We made our way back to the hotel after that, enjoyed the spa services at the hotel that evening and then had a late dinner at Nando's just across the street. Our next day we got picked up by Timberbrush Tours for a day tour the concierge had recommended for us. It turned out to be one of our favorite days! They picked us up in the morning and we first stopped at the Forth Bridge for a photo op. Then we stopped at Dunfermline Abbey to take some pictures around the grounds...it was just beautiful, especially with the snow on the ground. Next we stopped at Glenturret Distillery for a tour and a taste of the Famous Grouse Whiskey. Another great part to the day was driving to the The Hermitage for a nature walk through the trees and along the falls. It definitely fulfilled my need for outdoors on the trip! Beautiful scenery - and such great contrast of snow, green and water! Our last stop of the day before returning to Edinburgh was the Dunkfeld Cathedral, from 1318. March 29th was my birthday! I've never been out of the country on my actual birthday...I kind of enjoyed it!! We decided to take a bus to Leith to tour the Royal Yacht Britannia. We grabbed some lunch in Leith and took the bus back to the Royal Mile. We walked up the stairs to Calton Hill to enjoy the view, and I climbed up Nelson's Monument for an even better view. We did some more souvenir shopping on our walk back to the hotel and that evening we had a special birthday dinner at Wedgewood. Yum!! On our last day we were running out of things to see, but we managed to visit the National Museum of Scotland and the John Knox House. We indulged in some more shopping and then headed back to the hotel in the late afternoon. We relaxed in the spa one more time and then grabbed dinner at the same place we went the first night - The Beehive Pub. And that ended a really great trip with my Mom!
I work in downtown Los Angeles, and one night my company took everyone on our project to a King's game. There were about 30 of us and they rented a suite. It was a lot of fun! This picture is with my friend, Jessica, who oddly enough also loves taking feet pics!
My friend Kylee and I took another trip to Sonoma and Napa this year. It was her 40th birthday, so I had fun celebrating with her and surprising her with a couple things along the way! We stayed in Petaluma, which was the quaintest little town - we just loved it. We got into town that night and drove into downtown for dinner. We stumbled upon Old Chicago Pizza, and had a really great dinner! On our first day we drove to Napa to stop at some of the wineries that a few friends had recommended. First stop was Silver Oak Winery for a tasting. You can never go wrong with Silver Oak! Next we stopped at a small winery - Goosecross, which was great. We had fun sipping our wine and laughing with one of the workers behind the counter. You get such a better and more personal experience at the smaller wineries. We stopped to grab a sandwich at Ranch Market Too (they really have the best sandwich shops in wine country). Next we went to Mumm for a Champagne and Cheese tasting I had made a reservation for. That was really nice - just to sit at a table overlooking the vineyard, relax and enjoy the tastings. We've made a note to do more of this on our next visit...pick just a couple places and really enjoy the experience. After Mumm we stopped at Paraduxx. Their tasting was really nice - you got your 4 tastings on a tray and could go sit at a table to enjoy them. On our drive back to Petaluma we made one more stop at Domaine Carneros for some more bubbly. We were pretty tired after our long day, so we found a Chinese restaurant in Petaluma - Lily Kai, which actually ended up being some great Chinese food. Our next day was my big surprise for Kylee. I set up a private car through Ultimate Limo to drive us around Sonoma for a marathon of tastings. Ha! Our driver was great - he picked us up in Sonoma Square, I handed him my list of wineries and off we went. He dropped us at the door of each winery and was ready to go when we walked out. Now that's the way to do it! In about 4 hours we tasted at Ledson Winery, Chateau St. Jean, Wellington, Arrowood and Imagery Estate. After our last tasting he drove us back to Sonoma Square and we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park with our sandwiches from Basque Cafe. On our third day we drove into Sonoma, rented bikes from Napa Valley Bike Tours and headed out for some tastings. We started at Sebastiani - the tasting was great, but we also really enjoyed the trees around the winery - gorgeous reds and yellows. From there we biked to Buena Vista Winery, from 1857, which was pretty unique. Lastly we biked to Gundlach Bundschu. Their vineyard was huge and they had this great outdoor space near the tasting room. We made our way back to the bike store and then walked around the Sonoma square shops for a while. We had heard really good things about the restaurant Girl & the Fig, so we stopped in for an afternoon snack. That night we ate at a really good Italian restaurant in Petaluma - Cucina Paradiso. We checked out of our hotel the next morning and drove out to the coast. For a couple years we had been hearing about Spud Point Crab Co, so we had to go check it out. We drove out to Bodega Bay Spud Point Marina. It was pretty cold and raining, but we got out to enjoy the views for a bit. Then we finally got our chance to try out the crab sandwich...and yes they completely lived up to all of the hype! When can we go back for another one?! We explored the bay a little more, stopped in at a taffy shop and then drove up the coast on Hwy 1 headed towards Muir Wood National Park. We enjoyed the scenery, the countryside, the cows, the ocean, etc along the way. As we passed by Stinson beach it looked really nice, so we stopped there to stretch our legs. We made it to Muir Wood National Park and thankfully the rain stopped so we could enjoy our hike. The redwood trees were pretty amazing, and I just had a field day taking pictures of all the trees, moss and creeks. I was testing out my new camera on this trip, so in the darkness of the park, it made for a great learning experience to attempt to get a decent picture! That ended our great girl's weekend trip! We drove back to San Francisco and caught our flights back home the next day. Until next time wine country... Check out some more photos from this trip here - Sonoma & Napa Photos My friend, Barb, and I were working in Los Angeles and decided to take a girl's trip to Oahu for a long weekend. We stayed in Waikiki at the Moana Surfrider hotel. On our first day we started in the morning by going to Pearl Harbor, but the wait to get on one of the boats was over 2 hours. So we decided to come back later. We set out with no real direction, just driving up the coast. We ended up at Ka'ena Point Trial, where we parked and enjoyed a walk along the coast. The views were just amazing, with the waves crashing against the rocks. In the afternoon we made our way back to Pearl Harbor and got a ticket to take the boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial, which was definitely worth the visit! We walked through a couple of the museums and then headed back to our hotel. We had heard about the Mai Tais at the Royal Hawaiian, so of course we had to go get one and watch the sunset. For dinner we found a great sushi restaurant, Doraku Sushi.
The next day we headed over to Diamond Head Crater. We took the trail to the top, which was fairly strenuous, not to mention it was really hot! But the views from the top were definitely worth the effort! We enjoyed hanging out at the lookout for a while, taking some great panoramic pictures, then made our way back down. After that we basically made a whole day out of looking through the guidebook and just working our way up the coast to the North Shore. We stopped at Lanikai Juice, Kailua Beach, Sunset Beach, a macadamia farm and had the best food ever at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck! That night back in Waikiki we ate dinner at A House Without a Key. They had live music and a hula dancer - it was very nice. On our last day I decided I was going to try Paddle Boarding. I found an offer for a private lesson just down from our hotel and said why not! It was actually much harder than I anticipated...especially with the beach waves! But my instructor was good and very funny (and crude at the same time), so it was a fun experience. I definitely had my share of falls, but by the end I finally started to get the hang of it. I will have to try it again one day...maybe in some calm water! That afternoon we relaxed by the beach, did some souvenir shopping, had another Mai Tai at sunset, and finished our trip off with dinner at the Hula Grill. Check out some more photos from this trip here - Oahu Photos I live in Houston and on this weekend I decided to take a kayaking tour with Buffalo Bayou Kayak Tours. We started at Memorial Park and paddled our way through Buffalo Bayou Park and down to Sabine Street for a total of 8 miles. It was my first time kayaking - a fun experience!
On the second half of my work/vacation week, I flew from Vancouver to Chicago. I arrived on 4th of July and it was the heat wave of all heat waves! And I say that as a Texan...who is used to the heat! I arrived at the airport, took a shuttle into town and checked into the Westin on Michigan Avenue. That afternoon I walked down Michigan Ave to the Cloud Gate (The Bean) and other sites around that area, then walked along the Lakefront trail back to my hotel. For dinner I decided to jump right into the Chicago experience and grab a deep-dish pizza from Gino's East. The line was crazy long, like an hour plus wait. But thankfully I stood there for a bit and then they called out they had a single spot at the bar. Bingo! Pays to be by yourself sometime. I sat at the bar, next to another girl who was traveling on her own - and we both enjoyed our pizza. After dinner, with half my pizza in a to-go box, I walked down to the Lake with minutes to spare before the 4th of July fireworks started.
The next day since it was a workday, I worked from the hotel during the day, but was lucky enough to find a nighttime bike tour with Bobby's Bike Hike. It was raining some before the ride, so of course with the heat that just made it "extra-steamy" for our ride! The ride started at 7pm and lasted about 2.5 hours and we rode just over 9 miles around town. We rode along the lakefront trail from Navy Pier up a few miles, then made our way back down through some of the neighborhoods - over the Chicago River Bridge on Wabash Ave. We then cut over to Millennium Park, saw Cloud Gate and the Buckingham Fountain, and then rode by Soldier Field and went out to the Aquarium for a great view of the skyline at night before ending our tour back at the bike shop. On Friday I also had to work some from the hotel. At lunch I went across the street to the Hancock Building's 96th floor to enjoy the amazing view. That afternoon I took a train out to Wrigley Field and joined a tour that was just starting of the stadium. The tour was actually pretty good - going around the stadium, up into the press box, in the locker room, dugout, etc. After the tour I took the train back to downtown and that night I went to an amazing restaurant my brother had recommended - The Purple Pig. The wait was really long, but I was finally able to snag a spot at the bar. It was all very unique tapas, and the food was great! Favorite meal in Chicago. After dinner, I walked back to my hotel and called it a night. Saturday I joined up with another bike tour through Bobby's Bike Hike at 9am. This one was the Lakefront Neighborhoods tour. We rode along the lakefront trail again, and then went through some of the quiet neighborhoods around town. We saw Oprah's building, the gold coast mansions, the old playboy mansion, Lincoln Park Zoo, old town historic district and Lake Michigan beach. Overall we rode about 7.5 miles in 2 hours. After the ride I went to the Art Institute of Chicago. Loved the entire room of Monet paintings they had. After grabbing some lunch I signed up for an Architecture Boat Tour. I had heard great things about the tour and it definitely lived up to expectations. After the boat tour I walked back to my hotel via the Million Dollar Mile, doing a little window-shopping along the way. That night I went to Carmine's for dinner. On Sunday I was flying out in the afternoon, but before then I took a bus to Sears Tower because I just had to check out the glass floor. I knew it would make a great feet picture! After that I was able to meet up with an old coworker that I hadn't seen in a few years. Him and his girlfriend picked me up and we went to grab lunch at Ed Debevics. They dropped me off at the hotel and I did a little last minute shopping (I found the Patagonia store!) before heading back to the airport. It was a great trip - but someday I will definitely have to go back when the temperature is a little cooler! Check out some more photos from this trip here - Chicago Photos I absolutely fell in love with Vancouver! It is one of my favorite short trips I have taken to date.
This trip fell over Fourth of July week. It was a remote work week (from my project in LA), but I figured "working remotely" doesn't necessary have to be from my house! So I set off for the week to partly work and partly play. On Friday evening I flew into Vancouver, checked into my hotel - the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, and then immediately walked around to explore my new neighborhood for the next few nights. I found a bookstore, bought a guidebook, and then walked down to the Harbour and Ship Terminal. For dinner I went to Hamilton Street Grill that a friend had recommended. On Saturday I was taking a bike tour with Vancouver Cycle City Tours. It was cold and rainy out, so on the walk over to our meeting point I stopped in Lululemon and bought some new tights to wear. The bike tour was a lot of fun - as I've said before that is always my favorite thing to do the first day in a new city. It really gives you a good overview of the area. We biked over to Stanley Park, looked at the Totem Poles, Lighthouse, rode through the inner trails, stopped for a view of Beaver Lake (gorgeous lily pads) and saw a 700-year-old tree. After the park we rode back through town and caught a short ferry over to Granville Island. We stopped in the market, rode around the island and then went back to the mainland. Lastly we rode through Chinatown and Gastown and then made our way back to the bike shop. After the ride I walked back to the hotel, got changed and then grabbed dinner at a nearby pizza shop - Pacifico. On Sunday I set out for the day with no real direction, just ready to explore the city. I walked over the Burrard Bridge to Granville Island. Walked through the market, then figured out the bus system enough to catch the bus all the way up to University of BC to check out the Botanical Garden. I wasn't real sure where I was going, but thankfully the bus driver told me where to get off. I then fumbled my way through the University grounds for a while until I finally found the Botanical Garden. I bought my ticket and really enjoyed stepping into a whole other world walking through the trails of the garden. I then got to a spot in the back where they had this amazing trail of suspension bridges. I had a field day up there! You walked over the bridges from tree to tree - it was great. After the garden tour comes the part of my trip that was not my brightest moment! Well, it seemed good at the time! I made my way over to nearby Wreck Beach and according to the map it looked like I could go down one set of stairs, walk a bit and come up the next set. Not so easy... I walked down about 400 steps (no kidding) to get to the beach. There were several people enjoying the beach, having a picnic, etc. I then started walking. Oh...and did I mention this was a nudist beach! Ok...so I'm walking along all these rocks, big and small - over tree limbs etc. I pass a couple people, enjoy taking some pics and my feet picture, and then it starts getting more desolate. Getting a little nervous, but I kept on. I then come across a guy just sitting completely naked on a limb. Um ok...eyes forward keep walking. A little further down I come across a guy with a shovel digging a hole. Seriously!!! Now I'm freaking out - I just know the shovel guy is going to come after me and bury me in that hole! Walking faster now...practically running over these large boulders on the beach...which then made me afraid I was going to fall off one and brake a leg or worse! After about 45 minutes I see a guy off in the distance. Doesn't look like a killer, has a dog with him. I stop and ask him where the stairs are, and guess what - he points directly behind him! They were so hidden in the trees and hillside I must have kept passing the exits. Ugh! I have never run up 400 stairs faster in my life. That beach was gorgeous, but for fear of my life while all alone out there (except for the naked guy and shovel guy) I will never forget that experience!! After that I was pretty much done for the day and found my bus back to town. It was Canada Day, so that night I grabbed dinner at a wonderful Italian place - Italian Kitchen - then I went back to my hotel and from a high up floor watched the fireworks over the harbour. On Monday I had to work, so I spent most of the day working from the hotel. That evening on a whim I decided to book a Seaplane tour. I was so glad they had an opening, and that the weather seemed to be cooperating. After work I walked over to the Harbour and took the most amazing 20-minute seaplane ride over Vancouver! Now that was awesome!!! Too bad all work days can’t end that way. On my walk back I stopped at Steamworks for dinner. Tuesday was a similar day - worked from the hotel, then that evening I took the ferry over to Granville Island and had a very nice last dinner at The Sandbar restaurant. What a great trip. I can't wait until I go visit Vancouver again some day soon! Check out some more photos from my trip here - Vancouver Photos |
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