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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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go beyond the sushi bar at Sunda

Chicago is truly becoming on of the best food cities in the country. With so many new places to wine and dine arriving each week you can get very tempted to just keep trying new foods. We like to keep you up to speed, as we taste our way around the town. It was just this past week that I had an opportunity to get back to one of the places where I continue to return to have always enjoyed.

Tender strip steak formed into “lollipops” around lemongrass skewers

Tender strip steak formed into “lollipops” around lemongrass skewers

Sunda is in the very cool River North area. Always a fun crowd, great drinks, and some good tasting Asian-inspired dishes.

Oxtail Pot Stickers braised oxtail, caramelized onion jus, white wasabi cream

Oxtail Pot Stickers braised oxtail, caramelized onion jus, white wasabi cream

A great place to grab a group and sit around the table tasting an assortment of different types of food from China, Japan, but also dishes from other countries, including Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.

Tiger Shrimp Tempura candied walnuts, creamy honey aioli

Tiger Shrimp Tempura candied walnuts, creamy honey aioli

A dish to try is Crispy Brussels Sprouts brussels sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, chilies, fried shallots, minced shrimp nuoc cham, vinaigrette.

Go give it a try, eat, drink, and enjoy.

Sunda New Asian River North

110 W. Illinois

 

A #Foodie Adventure in Italy Boom!

Bread Basket

Bread Basket

Get ready for a 10 day in Italy #Foodie Fest – we start our experience in Taormina, high up on the eastern coast of Sicily looking down on the Ionian Sea. The Hotel in Taormina is more than beautiful inside, with it’s well-appointed villas having all the comforts you could want. The grounds are filled with cypresses and magnolias, green and glorious, with views of the Sea and Mt. Etna. With a outdoor pool, wellness center, and a shuttle down to the sister property where you can spend the day on the beach. The Grand Hotel Timeo, is a member of the prestigious Orient-Express Hotel Group. has a stunning location, amazing views, and on the same grounds as the ancient Greek Theatre.

Tomatoes filled with creamed tuna and capers

Tomatoes filled with creamed tuna and capers

Marinated anchovies with chilli pepper

Marinated anchovies with chilli pepper

Sardines with breadcrumbs and raisins "beccafico"

Sardines with breadcrumbs and raisins “beccafico”

All the different flavors made the meal, along with local selections of fish a few meat dishes  from the grill were served.The meat included selections of lamb cutlets, sausages grilled on charcoal, and small meat balls that came in lemon leaves. Below I included a photo of the prawns the size of these was so large one was enough per person.

Mediterranean king prawns
From the Grill, Swordfish, squids, tuna

From the Grill, Swordfish, squids, tuna

The Pasta before the sauce -

The Pasta before the sauce –

More Fritters

More Fritters

Tomorrow we will look at the Desserts and, delights from “Vucceria” a selection of Sicilian dried fruits

Boomer Brunch in Brooklyn – Good Bet

Diner – South Williamsburg Brooklyn

Having Brunch at Diner Brooklyn

Having Brunch at Diner Brooklyn

I loved my meal at “Diner”  http://dinernyc.com in Brooklyn, as a #Boomfluent boomer I have had my share of diner food. When my son suggested we try it, I was a little hesitant, Being that this is Brooklyn and located in yet another trendy area I knew that it was going to be a bit pricey and may not fill me up.

My son and his girlfriend who live in the area know that breakfast is my favorite meal and I can be a bit particular when it comes to my brunch, good thing they took me because, you kinda have to know where it is. It has just a tiny sign on a side door. I think it used to and old diner car, I loved the vibe, but it can feel a bit tight in the retro bar area.

Diner has been in Brooklyn for a while 1999 and is part of the Marlow & Sons, Daughter, Diner group. Once inside Diner is a cozy place. http://www.marlowgoods.com/about .

Diner part of the Marlow Family - Brooklyn

Diner part of the Marlow Family – Brooklyn

When we arrived there was a wait but we were lucky it was a nice day, and decided to wait for a table to sit outside, inside it’s a pretty tight squeeze, but certainly the people watching makes up for that.

This area is getting more gentrified and there were enough cute little shops to keep us occupied as we waited.

Diner is known to have a changing menu filled with fresh and seasonal items.

Homemade lemon scone, and also a side dish of tomatoes with sardines

Homemade lemon scone, and also a side dish of tomatoes with sardines The server wrote out the menu on the paper .

We could not wait to try the homemade lemon scone, and also a side dish of tomatoes with sardines. I know a strange combination but we were hungry and she made them each sound so good and special. The scone was served warm with cream and was amazing. The Sardines might have been better if not for the Mimosa I was having.

The real treat was in our main dishes. I had the perfectly Poached eggs atop fresh spinach on a toasted Baguette, yum it was cooked perfect, light fresh one of the best egg sandwiches I have ever had, I could have had two.

Best Poached egg sandwich ever Diner Brooklyn

Best Poached egg sandwich ever Diner Brooklyn

My Son tired Poached eggs served over crusty toasted bread with sliced onion with veggies in a light sauce.

Poached eggs, with fresh veggies and beans

Poached eggs, with fresh veggies and beans

I loved everything about this restaurant – the food was so fresh and tasted great, the vibe was retro and relaxing, and the drinks amazing. I can’t wait to go back, and I live in Chicago.

 

 

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