ashleyd /

A Chicago Evening: Bliss and Fresh Air Dining

Greetings from Chicago!

Today has been exactly what I needed after yesterday’s rough afternoon. I went home last night and relaxed with Meg and Bo, enjoying a home cooked meal and a glass of wine with a side of Sex and the City. This morning I craved a workout in a big way. I wanted an intense sweat session. Luckily for me, Akin William’s Cardio Kickboxing class was on the schedule at my Equinox which meant that Meg and I punched out our feelings for 45 minutes while dripping sweat. WHAT A WORKOUT! It was a great way to loosen up my body after yesterday’s kettle bell personal training session and Monday’s run.

My manager and I were both upgraded on our flight to Chicago thanks in part to the flight’s lack of business travelers and all our travel this year. It was complete bliss to enjoy a meal and comfortable seats on our quick flight. I was thoroughly impressed with the chicken salad and level of service. If only I could always fly first. *sigh*

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When we landed our team had some much needed downtime to catch up on emails, rest our feet, and prepare for the next few days. Thanks to a discount and a stress knot deep in my shoulders, I indulged on a 30 minute massage at Bliss Spa. While it was definitely an indulgence, I stood up from the table feeling light and refreshed. This Bliss Spa was so much nicer than the ones I’ve visited in New York City. It felt like a luxurious experience, from the service to the overall spa. I wish I could have lounged around for longer but I literally only had 30 minutes before our meeting.

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Check out the gorgeous views from their lounge area. I can’t wait to run by the lake tomorrow morning and enjoy the cool morning temperatures and scenery! I really do love running in new cities. It is the perfect way to wake up after a long day of travel, it leaves me energized, allows me to see things I wouldn’t normally have time to see on a quick business trip, and gives me that dose of Vitamin D my body craves!

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The rest of my evening was spent enjoying dinner with my team and our local colleague. Our wish to dine outside was granted by Rosebud Steakhouse which led to a relaxed dinner under the evening dusk. Fresh air dining is one of my favorite aspects of summer. Now if only we had a lovely porch and grill in New York City. 

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Knowing that tomorrow night’s dinner is at another local steakhouse, I opted for a seafood based meal. The waiter highly recommended their fresh, never frozen, tuna as soon as I asked for his advice. I took it to heart and went with tuna for both my appetizer and entrée. My co-worker and I shared the tuna and avocado appetizer, which was the perfect portion to share while not being too rich. It seemed like a perfect summer appetizer.

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My entrée, which wasn’t quite as delicious as the appetizer, was a Japanese inspired tuna dish, served rare and accompanied by seaweed salad and ginger. But, when dining at a steakhouse in Chicago, one can’t be too picky about the tuna I suppose. Was it perfectly rare? Nope. Was it filling, a healthier option than most things on the steakhouse menu and left me satiated? You bet!

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Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to chill out with some gentle yoga stretches compliment of the DVD I brought with me on the trip and my delicious NEST candle which I bought on sale at Bliss this afternoon.

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For those of you who enjoyed yesterday’s travel post, next week will include another installation which features my favorite hotel room necessities when traveling.

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ashleyd /

Wente Wine and Bocce Too!

It feels wonderful to be home enjoying a glass of wine and a night on the couch with Bo and Meg. After a quick trip down to Bedford Cheese, we’ve deemed tonight wine and cheese night, complete with a few new favorite cheeses and an amazing balsamic fresh fig spread!

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Before our cheese shop adventure I satiated my post flight hunger with this month’s Naturebox. I’m loving the selections in this month’s box including the Mexican dried mango! So good!

So my trip out to California was quick and crazy. I was gone just over 48 hours but enjoyed having the chance to get to know my West coast peers a lot better and getting to know the market. Our trip out wasn’t exactly stellar based on the fact that the flight was warm and without wi-fi. But, I did have the time to get a manicure at the airport before enjoying Mean Girls on the flight.

Plane snacks

Tuesday night we were greeted with the most amazing dinner event at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards! Just over a year ago Theodora and I actually had the chance to attend a Wente Vineyard and Food Network event for the launch of Entwine Wines, which come from Wente Vineyards!  The location was beautiful, the wine flowed all night, the dessert was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, and the company was enough to leave my side aching from all the laughter. A great night indeed! Wente Vineyards

The chilled soup of cucumber only had a hint of honeydew and the yogurt made it super creamy. My main course, the roasted ling cod with a succotash of corn, garden squash, fennel and basil was my dream dinner. Perfectly light cod, flaky yet crispy and the succotash brought together my favorite summer flavors in one bite! Salt flakes sprinkled atop the succotash made the flavor punch each bite with an extra bit of flavor. Oh and then there is the dessert. This may be one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Even though I could only eat about four bites it was heaven in a dessert. The chocolate crunch cake had marshmallow sandwiched between it and then drizzled and topped with crumbled salted caramel. On the side, a scoop of balsamic ice cream which paired perfectly with the rich cake.

If you’re ever in the area, I can’t recommend the restaurant at Wente Vineyards enough!

After all of this delicious food, I was very inspired for a morning workout bright and early Wednesday. Since it was actually supposed to be a rest day I didn’t run but instead stuck to incline walking while catching up on this month’s Fitness Magazine before doing a quick abs and arms workout. Not too shabby for a rest day!

Then last night, we played Bocce at Campo di Boce, a nearby restaurant that brings together delicious Italian food and bocce courts. I’ve never been to a Boce restaurant before but it was awesome! The staff provided us with instructions and then we had two hours of bocce fun on our own!

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Such a great trip but man I am glad to be home! After a night of relaxing I’m heading to Healthy Living Summit up in Boston tomorrow on the bus with Tina and Theodora! I can’t wait to catch up with everyone and enjoying a weekend long run in temperatures that include the number 6..67 as the low for Boston!!

Question: Are you heading to Healthy Living Summit this weekend?

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Staying Sane During Travel

Good morning and happy Friday! The last 24 hours have been a complete whirlwind! Yesterday was my 28th birthday and while celebrating it with my work family was wonderful it was a bit stressful as well.

I made another rookie travel mistake by not packing any going out clothes or even jeans for this trip. Therefore, I spent half of yesterday contemplating whether I needed to buy a new outfit for my birthday dinner last night. I ended up trying on multiple outfits and shredding my body to pieces due to trying on one too many sequin dresses, which can hurt like woah when you’re rushing in the dressing room.

In the end, I decided to stick with my workout outfit and still had a blast. More details to come regarding my birthday celebrating, but for now, let’s talk about how I managed the stress of a four day work trip, losing my driver’s license, and having my computer crash.

I ran a lot!

I ran three of the four days down here just to keep my mind clear and focused.

Even though I didn’t get to bed last night until past 2am, I crawled out of bed at 7 this morning for one last Miami Beach run.

I’m lucky that I’ve spent the week in a city like South Beach. There is a gorgeous boardwalk right outside our hotel which runs for at least three miles along the beach.

I have found that if I maintain my workout plan while I’m traveling it can help keep me sane and on a healthy track.

How can you be stressed out when you start your day with views like this?

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I killed my calves two of the mornings by running a mile in the sand but I loved every minute of my workout.

Next time you have to travel, whether for business or personal, make sure you make time for you and your workouts. Whether it’s a long walk or a twenty minute boot camp session in your hotel room, I promise you’ll feel better!

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