Vegas Baby!

There is so much to do in Las Vegas that it could take multiple visits to get a full experience. Contrary to popular belief, Las Vegas offers so much more than casinos: food, shows, nightlife, outdoor activities, spas, and shopping. It even offers family-friendly fun (even though I personally don't know if I would take my children there).

Hotels
This time around we stayed at Excalibur. It is certainly appropriate for families and can accommodate budget friendly vacations. However, I personally wouldn't do it again. Lesson learned. At Excalibur, guests can find Dick's Last Resort (which seemed to be popular), the infamous Thunder from Down Under, and beer pong.


We had a chance to explore the newest hotels on the strip: Cosmopolitan, which seemed to bring Miami and all its bling to Vegas, and Aria, which still had the sexy new car smell. Who knows where we'll end up next time.

Food
Hash House A Go Go (in Imperial Palace) was one of our first stops because of all the raves we heard about it. From our experience, it seems that once the excitement of the obnoxious portions diminished, the meals left much flavor to be desired. I'd be willing to give it another chance, but I can't say I was blown away the first time around. Fatburger and my two bacon egg cheeseburgers made me so happy. Open 24 hours, it is definitely a great after party spot. I also enjoyed one of Pink's hot dogs, had my first experience at Denny's, and tried a burger with guacamole and pico de gallo at Cabo Wabo.

I was so excited to see a few of my New York favorites, like Max Brenner and Serendipity 3 (both at Caesar's) in a place that does everything a little bigger and bolder than the rest. Happy hour at the Chocolate Lounge at the Sugar Factory also tickled my fancy as something I'd like to try next time. My to do list also includes Aureole Wine Lounge, where they have Cirque du Soleil-esque wine angels who float through their four-story wine tower.

Nightlife
The acrobats also flew through TAO to deliver bottle service in an extravagant way that only Las Vegas can. I can certainly say that TAO orchestrated a production and delivered a unique club experience. I was also pleasantly surprised by the genuine hospitality by most of the club staff, from bouncers to cocktail staff (something I am not used to in New York). It was an added bonus to enjoy the Vegas nightlife with partygoers who were generous enough to share the VIP experience with us. Foundation Room: check. Pure: check. LAX: Check. I feel accomplished that I finally got to redeem myself and go to Coyote Ugly, which I've been wanting to do since my pre-21 trip to Vegas.

Adventures
Because I'm always up for some adventure, some of my favorite Vegas activities include the rides at the I dare any visitors to brave the rides atop the Stratosphere Hotel for a major rush. The New York New York rollercoaster is also a fun little adventure right on the strip. I would certainly love to venture out and do zip lining, sky diving or a helicopter tour.

Shows
Although we didn't do any shows this time around, Zumanity (which we saw last time) left quite an impression on me.

For your listening pleasure, I'd like to share the soundtrack of our Vegas adventure:

• Lil Jon- Outta Your Mind feat. LMFAO
• LMFAO- I'm in Las Vegas Bitch
• J. Lo- On the Floor feat. Pitbull
• Pitbull- Give Me Everything feat Neyo, Afrojack, and Nayer
• Beyonce- Run the World (Girls)

I already look forward to going back! I'm building my to do list.

What are your favorite Vegas activities?

NYC Staycation: Empire Hotel

Spending a night in a hotel is always fun, even if it's in your own city. Empire Hotel, a hop, skip and jump away from Lincoln Center, was our home for the night of our friend's birthday. Our cute double Queen bed suite was complete with a desk and a lounge area that made the room comfortably spacious.




















Upon entering the hotel, one might feel as if they've escaped the concrete jungle and have stepped into the wild jungle of Africa. From the animal printed furniture to the forest tree-scaped walls, the hotel is completely dressed in a sexy safari theme. (Note: What's funny is that with my sexy cheetah print dress, I fit right in.)


I'm such a sucker for details like the cute little baggy that the toilet paper came in.

Empire Hotel is also known for its rooftop lounge, which is not restricted to guests. Whether it be for happy hour lounging or nighttime dancing, Empire's rooftop lounge is certainly a hot spot in NYC.

I enjoyed my brief time at Empire and would certainly recommend it to anyone, whether you're visiting or want a brief staycation.

Girls Getaway: Westchester

I have to say that this weekend was exactly what I needed. One of my friends takes her birthday so seriously that she goes to great lengths to orchestrate elaborate celebrations. This year she planned a mini girlfriend getaway to Westchester. After a quick hour long road trip, we arrived at the Ritz Carlton Westchester, where we were greeted not only by the friendly hotel staff but also by the ladies of My Nails at V, who were there for our spa services for the evening. (I was shocked to find out that they traveled as far as we did.)

Once we were escorted to our suite, complete with a living area, we spent the next several hours snuggled in our robes getting pampered, drinking wine, eating Buffalo Wild Wings, playing Taboo and watching movies. It was the perfect girls night. We did not have to worry about setting alarms, going to work the next day, driving home or anything else, and it felt amazing. The next morning our only concern was to try out the rain shower head before heading out to the mall.

From what I saw of Mamaroneck Village, relaxation is a priority. Spas dominated the strip we drove along. With a number of dining and shopping options, Mamaroneck served as the perfect quick getaway for us. I would definitely love to go back to explore it even more.

Take a quick trip back to childhood

This assignment for Guts.Glam.Grace. Magazine really made me want to take a quick trip back to childhood. Betsey Johnson designed a suite for The Plaza Hotel based on the Eloise books. Even though I have never read any of the Eloise books, I was intrigued by her story. Take a quick trip back to your childhood and allow me to introduce you to Eloise, a young, feisty and adventurous little girl :

Betsey Johnson for The Plaza Hotel

I. LOVE. New York.

As if I didn't already love New York. One of the main reasons I love my city is because it is filled with new reasons for me to discover. I have to admit that I am a little sad about summer coming to an end. On the other hand, I'm embracing the fact that as an adult I have the freedom to extend the summer fun. In true NY summer fashion, I discovered a new rooftop lounge. Rare View is a newly opened bar and lounge on the rooftop of the Fashion 26 Hotel, which has also opened this year. Although I didn't stay long, I enjoyed what I saw, from the amazing view of the Empire State Building to the cute and chic seating and overall atmosphere. I will definitely be back.

My other discovery from this weekend was the mouth-watering goodness I found at brgr. I've driven by before and have taken a mental note to check it out. I figure if your name is "burger" you have to know what you're doing when it comes to burgers, right? If New York Magazine voted them as the Best Milkshake, then I need to see what all the hype is all about. I promise my mouth watered at the thought of a great burger and shake. Because I happened to be on that block this weekend, I could not let the opportunity to pass me by. After a lunch of: The Down on the Farm Burger, which I added a fried a egg to (after seeing a bacon egg and cheeseburger on TV I've been obsessed), sweet potato fries and a black and white shake shot, which was my favorite part, I can now say that brgr has one more fan. The burger was juicy and satisfying, the fries were crisp (just how I like them) and not too thin, and the shake shot was the perfect little treat to top it all off. Something about the shake shot evoked the childhood memory of having Mister Softee on a summer day...mmmmm. What's cool is that they also have turkey burgers and a garden burger for everyone to enjoy the mouth-watering goodness.

I'd also like to share that this love for New York has been magnified by the love of friendship and sisterhood that has been rekindled this weekend. Since September 1st, Girlfriendology has been honoring the Month of Friendship with daily suggestions on ways to reconnect with girlfriends. I must admit that it got me thinking about how much more girl time I could use. I also felt a bit guilty because I could certainly work on being better friend and not becoming so focused on work and business that my friendships suffer. However, this weekend I had the honor of meeting an amazing group of women through She Creates Change, many of whom I already consider new friends. With this new love of friendship, I am even more excited about my friend's visit to NY. Not only will we have the chance to reconnect as friends, but I know that we'll also discover some more reasons why I. LOVE. New York!

P.S. The Bloggers Soiree is ONE WEEK AWAY! Another reason to love New York!