What will I wear? Because I love to eat on Vacation

I recently had a quick few days in Las Vegas for a conference. I wanted to travel with a simple easy wardrobe that I could mix and match. I looked to pack a few pieces that could be dressy, casual, easy to layer, and items that I didn’t have to worry about wrinkles. By the way, is soft surroundings in financial trouble? because I really like the clothes in Soft Surrounding. offers stylish, luxurious, and comfortable women’s clothes for every size.

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Love this simple pop of bright pink top – you can dress it up or down. Here I have it with a simple pair of jeans, faded black.

This silky black top can be worn for a nice dinner, off to a show, in a club. It gives you a lot of room to enjoy the food you may want to try in the restaurant. If you spill on it no worries, to make sure it’s wrinkle free when you arrive just hang it in the bathroom, and boom it’s ready to wear.

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A great silky black top, with a dark dressy pair of jeans. Gold jewelry.

Love this simple clean look, with a pop of color in the red jeans. This black top is easy to layer and again you can dress it up or down. Looks very classy with the silver chain.

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This is a great look to walk around the town. You can layer it up when your get a chill, and strip it down if you get hot walking in the warm Vegas air.

white shirt, black jeans, business look.

This is a great clean and classy look – I paired it with a black blazer and it was ready for business. A crisp white shirt, dark jeans, and high heals.

I love this look, it’s amazing that jeans with these big rips can actually be considered dressy. This is my casual  travel look when I fly, I layer a soft gray sweater over this, and also carry and wear my big gray poncho – pictured below. I wear my easy gray slip on shoes for going through the TSA lines, easy to slip my shoes on and off.

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This photo was taken on a recent trip to NYC not Las Vegas, but I wanted to include it because you can see I have my gray poncho on. It’s like a big warm blanket perfect to travel on a plane with.

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Have a Happy Day – and learn about WEDAY

MJ Tam and I had a chance to attend the Kick-Off for WeDay Chicago. Hearing from the celebrities who have donated their time and talents for the big event, was so inspiring. I was very impressed by Henry Winkler who seems to be one of the most giving people, talent in the business, and he kinda liked my cell phone selfie light.

 

“WE Day empowers change at home. WE make this change through WE Day, a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities. This change is sustained all year round through the WE Schools program which nurtures compassion in young people and gives them the tools to create transformative social change”

Henry Winkler with MJ Tam takes a selfie, Mr. Winkler gives so much of his time to help others.

Henry Winkler with MJ Tam takes a selfie, Henry spends his time and talents as he contributes to various causes to help others.

With MJ Tam and Two-time Emmy Award winner, multi-platinum recording artist, and giving celebrity Paul Abdul

With MJ Tam and Two-time Emmy Award winner, multi-platinum recording artist, and giving celebrity Paul Abdul

Off To A Conference for Midlife Women #BAMC16

Marketing Zeus: The Purchasing Power of Women

Eating Las Vegas

Food , Food, Food, and more food. Make sure you come to Las Vegas hungry, because the selection of food you will find is truly amazing. What makes the Las Vegas food scene different from Chicago, LA, New York is the condensed strip 4.1 mile area where all the hotels and casinos, shops, restaurants, attractions can be found.

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Las Vegas has more than 330 restaurants on the world-famous strip. What used to be known as the land of buffets and diners, Las Vegas has discovered that the way to a man or woman’s cash can also be found through the taste buds. Today variety of cuisine, talent of innovative chefs, and clients looking for cuisine that’s artsy and daring.

The rise of the celebrity and world-famous chefs makes Las Vegas a go to location to launch a spot for one of their top-notch restaurants.

  • Mario Batalia
  • Wolfgang Puck
  • Bouchon by Chef Thomas Keller
  • Mesa Grill by Chef Bobby Flay
  • Mr. Chow by Restaurateur Mr. Chow
  • Giada by Giada De Laurentiis
  • Table 10 by Emeril Lagasse
  • Heritage Steak by Tom Colicchio

Go to Las Vegas where it’s easy to get into these restaurants, parking is easy, and when you walk out you have a whole world that never sleeps. When you visit LA you need to travel in a car, or limo to try a selection of food from these different chefs, in NYC you could walk,  to find the vast selection of selections and choices as you do walking up and down the Las Vegas Strip.

FullSizeRender (6)I have taken a food tour in the past and being on a guided tour is where you get the history, the great gossip, background stories, fun facts, you can meet some of the chefs,  and taste an amazing selection of food. If you have the time I suggest a food tour, and now they have many to choose from.

IMG_0707This past trip, I had limited time so I decided to sample some small bites, and big flavors in a few of my past favorite restaurants. I choose them based on the location to where I was staying, the location of where the restaurant was based on shopping, site seeing,  and going to get a good meal.

The portions are big, the cost is reasonable, and the atmosphere is outstanding so get ready to enjoy your meal, and after you’ll be perfectly placed to continue your night with friends, as well as the best people watching, lounges and late-night entertainment.

Where I ate this time

  1. MICHAEL MINA – Seafood and american cuisine. The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, adjacent to Café Bellagio.
  2. Wolfgang Puck- CUT Las Vegas The Grand Canal Shoppes
  3. The Country Club – Wynn 19th hole
  4. The Palm –  Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace
  5. LAVO Italian Restaurant – entry of Palazzo
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A traveling “Cirque du Soleil has constantly sought to evoke the imagination, invoke the senses and provoke the emotions of people around the world” spotted at the NADA convention in Las Vegas

Location, Location, Location or when in NYC

The Plaza Hotel

It’s considered the ‘Mona Lisa’ of hotels. It was featured in pop culture movies and books such as Eloise, Home Alone and The Great Gatsby. This  grand hotel is located right in off Central Park. The current GOP front-runner used to own it.

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From the greeting staff to the waiters, they all were helpful , warm, and friendly. Exceptional customer service.

That’s right: The Plaza Hotel! I had the privilege of staying at one of New York’s most iconic landmarks. The Plaza Hotel has a long history of being the backdrop to some of the country’s biggest events and celebrations. Immediately when you’re greeted by the bellhop, walk through the marble encrusted lobby, and check in with the concierge, you can sense The Plaza Hotel is more than just a place to rest your head at night.

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The Rose Club, embodying the grandeur of The Plaza with a splash of contemporary style and spirit, overlooks the stunning new Fifth Avenue lobby

 

 

 

During my two night stay, I enjoyed all of the luxuries The Plaza Hotel had to offer. Sitting on Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman is only a two minute walk away. With the sun shining, and temperature in the mid 70s, I was able to enjoy a nice walk around the reservoirs, pavilions and fountains of Central Park.

 

 

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Setting the standard for luxury for more than a century, The Plaza Hotel New York is a testament to timeless elegance.

 

Another highlight to The Plaza Hotel was the food hall. I did not have to travel far from my room to get a taste of New York. There were many diverse options such as Chi Dumplings & Noodles, Pizza Rollio, and Luke’s Lobster. I decided to go with something a little more traditional, but, delicious nonetheless.

If you ever get a chance to stay at The Plaza Hotel, be check out all of the great sights and scenes. This Boomfluent had a 5 Start Stay and the location, the food, the service, and the great people watching made it even worth it.

 

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Located on Concourse level, The Plaza Food Hall offers a collection of fine food purveyors, as well as counter-style dining options. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner I had a classic Lobster Cobb.

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The Plaza Room features one King bed and is located on floors 5 – 19.

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Bathroom is finished with inlaid “earth stone” mosaics and include a luxurious bathtub and separate shower. Among many splendid details are 24-carat gold-plated Sherle Wagner fixtures, as well as hand-crafted solid white marble vanities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classic Women’s Clothing – seen around the globe

It’s fun to update your wardrobe. I spend time looking to find items that are worth the investment, easy to wear, and stay in style.  To invest in versatile separates, great dresses, blazers that dress up or down, and jeans that can rock fancy to fun.

Where do you go to find items that stand the test of time? Below are items I found while traveling Europe 2009-2011, and items from Chicago 2009-2013. 

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I think these are classic, bring a sense of fashion, and can continue to be worn, and updated.  2011-09-19 07.52.34In 2010 I attended a blogger event from Ann Taylor. I have been a big fan since my early working agency days. Today the styles are still very clean and classic.There stores continue to offer classic styled suits, separates, dresses, shoes and accessories.

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2011-08-18 18.32.35I love these gathered waist dresses, each dress has an great neckline and gathered elastic waist for a softly draped front

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College Campus Countdown Top 5

Getting it right – top 5 items to bring to campus – and 5 other

(I told you so) tips to keep in mind

Less is More

Less is More

We all know

#1. Less is MORE!

You will discover this to be more than true once you start loading, unloading, and schlepping all the items up to the dorm room. Did I mention schlepping

#2. Shop in your garage, basement, parents house before you spend money at the store.

#3. Label your stuff, even if it’s just a dot from a black sharpie or your initials. This will save a few roommate squabbles down the line.

#4. Spend some time on “Pinterest” and see how many ways you can use a storage cube, and multipurpose.

#5 Get to your dorm room first so you can choose your desk, bed, and better side of the room…

Get to your room early - to pick your side

Get to your room early – to pick your side

Having spent the last 10 years getting kids to college I have started to realize that I’m so over packing and still “overpacking” them. I tend to pack many items that they don’t need, and then I get to campus and still have to run to the nearest Target, Wal-Mart, or campus bookstore to pick up other items.

Here are 5 more of my tips to keep you on track, save you time, save you money, and save your sanity.

BEDDING

• Sheets. Get the right size sheet set – Twin XL! This is a biggie those dorm beds only work with XL unless your college lets you know different- get the right size– right the first time. I have tried to wrangle other old sheets from around the house, and trust me – they don’t work.
• Foam Topper. I thought it was just my daughter being her best version of princess and the pea, until the twins called from college and they also needed the Foam topper. You can find them everywhere these days and at a reasonable cost.
• Mattress cover. Well they are going to study in bed, perhaps have a cup of coffee (right) it might spill – keep the mattress dry and get your little study bug a protecting mattress cover, with bedbug protection…

Make sure you get the x long

Make sure you get the x long

 LAUNDRY

• Don’t sign them up for a service – make them learn how to do their own laundry and suffer. So many many life lessons can be learned from doing laundry, trust me.
• Skip the hamper and get them the laundry bag. It’s easy to carry, stuff full and fuller, add detergent, and if needed a full bag can provide extra seating if friends stop over to the dorm for some “study time”.
• Tide Laundry Pods– the best invention – easy to use, carry, they don’t tip, spill…I love em

Best bet for Laundry - better then a basket or hamper

Best bet for Laundry – better then a basket or hamper

TOILETRIES/BATHROOM ITEMS

• Get a soft fold shower caddy – not the hard plastic kind. Also make sure it has holes so it can drain.
• Shower shoes – your child is going to want these! You want them to wear them.
• A small unbreakable personal mirror – for contacts, make-up, one you can carry with you.

These soft Mesh totes are much better then plastic shower baskets

These soft Mesh totes are much better then plastic shower baskets

Sporttote dorm

TECH/DORM

• Chargers – Chargers, did I mention Chargers
• Surge protectors
• Lap Desk
• Bottle opener
• Paper towels
• Flashlight

Trojan

Protection

ODoor

More Space

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Some items you can get once you get to camput

OTHER STUFF

• Protection – you know from the sun, from unwelcome birth, outdoor safety, heavy rain, power surge,keep laptop safe
• Debit Card – small amount for nights out on the town
• A phone card with grandmas address, phone number
• Great college Apps (Next blog post)

• Over the door rack
• A plate with a usb charger
• Bottle opener
• Paper towels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Sense of humor

You want them to have some fun

You want them to have some fun

 

New York Fashion Week – #OCBTW

 

At the NYC Harbor with a flair for Fashion

A Hit at the Harbor – Party on the Pier

Opening Ceremony is making it hip to be seen at the @SuperPier along the Hudson River.

With a selection of special box car shops, some NYC food trucks and I heard even the world famous #cronut by @DominiqueAnsel along with his new #magicsouffle wowed the crowd as they hit the Hudson side of New York City, for the opening party on the pier.

If you’re in NYC during Fashion Week, you need to get over and see how #OCBTW is showing their swanky sense of style.

OC Twitter: opening ceremony ‏@openingceremony 4h We chatted with hosts @zanabayne + @pendunyc about their #OCBTW Sunset Takeover with @TigerBeerUS at @SuperPierNYC

OC Twitter:
opening ceremony ‏@openingceremony 4h
We chatted with hosts @zanabayne + @pendunyc about their #OCBTW Sunset Takeover with @TigerBeerUS at @SuperPierNYC

Word had it that last night hosts @zanabayne  @pendunyc rocked it by the river.  Opening Ceremony By The Water #OCBTW  made a splash at the Sunset Takeover with @TigerBeerUS pleasing the crowd – the music, food, and of course fashionable vibe at  @SuperPierNYC made it another not to be missed OC happeningphoto 4 (1)

I know that  Opening Ceremony has had pop-up’s in the past, here they are creating space and exposure for legendary brands we know, and notable new talent. What a wonderful addition to #NYFW with #OCBTH, a marketplace, showcasing celebrated and cutting edge together that’s what makes OC fresh and ultrasmart.  For the next few days Sunset Takeovers is set to provide these unique up-and-coming designers, performers a chance to showcase their collections and talent.

A Tweet from @Openingceremony

A Tweet from @Openingceremony

Talent such as  ZANA BAYNE and Todd Pendu who created a crowd-pleasing open at the SuperPier for #NYFW and OC fans alike.

I wished I could of gone for many reasons, but getting a chance to meet  the fashionable famed boomers of http://idiosyncraticfashionistas.blogspot.com/  would of been worth the trip to NYC alone.   Just in case you don’t know who they are here is a bit from their about me page,  ” GROWING OLD WITH VERVE ‘Growing old gracefully’ is an outdated concept. We prefer ‘growing old with verve’. This blog documents our efforts to live up to that motto, in photos and essays. We embrace our gray hair, while sharing the playground nicely with our younger siblings”

I can’t wait to read their post on the party…I want to thank Zacq for letting me know about these amazing women in NYC, and the photos for this post.

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My son the artist who is also working at NYC Fashion week, taking photos for me, and giving me the social scoop.

So here I am in Chicago following #NYCFW New York City Fashion week. I hope that next year this boomer can make the time to get trendy and get over to NYC for Fashion Week, or at least a party or two…..and a #cronut of course.

The Boomer Top 10 Reasons – MTV Jumped The Shark

Yes the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards –  jumped the shark

MTV Moon Man

MTV Once Played Music
Photo Credit and Link Below

There was a time when MTV actually played music videos, in fact the videos were groundbreaking, thought provoking, and yes even titillating, but not push it your face – shove it down  – because you can’t think for yourself way, more of a “we are young, edgy, and ready to push the envelope”.

I love the saying “Less is More”. Remember when a tease was in fact a tease, and we didn’t need things totally acted out, we used our own imaginations, and guess what,  that worked. Yes even pressing the limits meant something.

What has happened? Didn’t the MTV video awards once reflect a true recognition of young new artists, creating, challenging, and expanding music. A place for up and coming artists to explore this new platform, and the more established artist hung around to mentor, advise, and even learn some new tricks.

Come on Lady GaGa - you can do better Photo Credit and Link Below MTV

Come on Lady GaGa – you can do better
Photo Credit and Link Below MTV

The playground that was MTV would encourage new artists to explore and create. The awards offered a chance for these artist old and young to perform in front of a live TV audience and peers. A chance to perform live was a privilege, a special outing, a bonus for having their videos run on the station, and become popular.

As fortune would have it MTV had to get into other programming because just playing music videos was not enough to keep them viable and the lights on. Yes we know that bills need to be paid, and sometimes other revune streams need to be created. I loved it when the Real World was real.

Screen Shot 2013-08-25 at 10.46.13 PMNow it seems endless programs of pregnant teenage moms, Jersey juiceheads, and online dating scams have changed the vibe too much.  FTV (Fake TV) would be more appropriate now for this channel.

It use to be that watching the celebrities watching the awards with us provided entertainment, but this years artist looked locked into the Barclays Center expressions of boredom when the camera did pan around the arena made it evident,. I’m sure they were told they could not text just incase the camera did catch a glimpse, imagine if they were playing words with friends…

Us Boomers remember a time when Howard Stern showed his buttocks, Madonna made love to the floor, and Britney dressed in next to nothing with a snake, but that’s nothing compared to the over exposure of this years show.

Your young and beautiful - please don't do this yet

Your young and beautiful – please don’t do this yet

Here are my top ten –  WTF

 10. Taylor Swift – Fire your makeup artist now. You have so much class and style, I understand your wanting to be seen as more mature – but looking like a middle aged women on her way to a PTO fundraiser is not the way to do it–

 9. Taylor Swift Also– Please send your mom over to Miley Cyrus house to have a sit down with her parents.  I know I know it’s not her parents fault but at least if Milys parents could of guided her a bit – yes she’s a big girl and “she can do what she wants to”…but that doesn’t mean she should

 8. It was so meaningful that  Jason Collins introduced Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – I also loved seeing Jennifer Hudson – but she was not needed there, I felt it stole a bit of the thunder away from what a simple but important moment in that MTV train wreck of the show

7.  Wait – I thought NSync was going to perform – oh that was them – a quick “Hi Hi Hi and then Bye Bye Bye”

6. What – What – Daft Punk was there and did not play and did not win. One Direction may be talented, but they are a template pre fab band – who can carry a tune and look cute, but groundbreaking, original no and their song that won, “Best Song Ever”. was it? Was that a Sally Fields moment!

5. Where are the adults who should be watching the store – the show lacked pace, it was a technical nightmare,  with so much thought put into bleeping the offensive language and not making any inappropriate drug references—what about the porn performances live on stage – Hello?

4.  Can we get Bruno Mars’s team to produce the whole show please; I loved his understated performance that showed his clear talent and class. Thank you Mr. Mars’s

3.  Katy Perry – UM the 1970’s called and they want the look, sound, and choreography back. Although it was probably one of the best parts of the show. It felt real; an audience  filled with real folks who actually seemed thrilled to be there, but certainly not what I would call a “ROAR”..

2. Lady Gaga – GRL you have at your disposable the most talented costume people, choreographers, and many other creative sorts. So what’s with the white cardboard square, nun outfit? That’s what you gave us last night – shame on you.  Also walking onto canned “Boos”  am I really at that “Get off my lawn, stage”.  Still GaGa I was happy you’re healed and able to move like before

1.Please bring back the edgy, real, creative, ground breaking, MTV video awards. Oh wait that’s right MTV don’t play music anymore. Never mind

I WANT MY MTV – HOW ABOUT YOU?

 

 

Bad Bad Botox – So Why Do I Want It So Bad?

I am, Iam trying to be a mature women without using the ” Botox”..I said trying…

I’m a virgin – stop it – ok, a Botox virgin. Us, older ladies know that
you, younger women, are using Botox to prevent looking like mature older women and it just might work.

Sporting the bangs with, Lisa Lillien (a.k.a. Hungry Girl) is a New York Times best-selling author and the creator of the Hungry Girl brand
See, I grew up in a time when you would look at your canned food to
make sure there were no dents in the can. That was BAD – That Was Botulism.

Back in the day we wanted to make sure the food was in an airtight container. We didn’t buy home canned foods at the fair because of the scare of Botulism. Botulism was known to cause a very dangerous disease. We knew about it and stayed away.

Don't eat what is in here - but inject it into your face

Don’t eat what is in here – but inject it into your face

Then in 1989 a purified botulism toxin was declared a medicine. The
FDA licensed it for treatment in eye conditions. Since then it’s also
be used for many other medial treatments, and then cosmetic purposes.
So this Botulism now known as Botox is being injected into the faces of many. Young, old, men and women. Do they feel no fear as they try to turn back the hands of time?

The Botox is injected into the facial
muscles to cause a limited paralysis, the muscles relax and the
wrinkles release making the skin appear smooth.

I have been filling my cosmetic cabinets with anti wrinkle creams for
years, and many –  in fact, all don’t work. THEY DONT WORK –

In fact, many also have harmful chemicals that I’m not sure what the long term danger is.  It could even be worse then eating that the old canned food?

As a Boomer, I am not ready for Botox –My face is ready, more than ready.

Yes, I have the wrinkles of a mature women, I’m going to try a detox diet for a month a sort of internal cleansing. I hope this will not only help me on the inside, but show on the outside. If you truly want to bring back your youthful glow, tools like a face massager might be the game-changer for you.

I will document this – starts this week.
I might have to go back to the Bangs – a little while longer – then maybe look at my wrinkles again and decide…

Bangs not Botox

Bangs not Botox