ashleyd /

Living on Las Vegas Time

 

When I’m in Las Vegas, I lose track of time, especially in the clubs. Last night, Theodora and I partied like rockstars with my co-workers enjoying four hours of dancing and drinks at Eye Candy in Mandalay Bay. But, as you know by now, every great party has an even better after party, and for this reason I didn’t get to bed until past 5am.

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Needless to say, when I woke up 8:30 this morning I was more than a bit tired and me legs were sore from dancing.

But, I forgot about that as soon as I saw this amazing site out our hotel window. Evidently the weather listened to our prayers and instead of rain, storms, and temperatures in the 40s, we were greeted with blue sky and sunshine!

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After an hour of reminiscing about last night’s escapades in our room, our stomachs were growling. Since we were both pretty tired and hungry we didn’t want to walk too far for breakfast.  Yelp recommended Raffles in Mandalay Bay for their delicious pancakes and savory dishes.

 

We were able to sit near the windows, enjoying views of the pool and palm trees. I knew I wanted something a bit larger than a normal breakfast, but also knew that I’d never want more than one or two bites of something really rich like eggs benedict or pancakes. Luckily, Theodora went with the pancakes so I was able to enjoy a bite of hers.

I made my own egg white omelet including lump crab, asparagus, onion, tomato, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese. I substituted a biscuit for my normal wheat toast and as didn’t touch the hash browns.

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Other than Theodora’s fake scrambled eggs, we really enjoyed the food and we felt ten times better after breakfast.

After being inside all week, I was craving sunshine even though the temperatures were still in the 50’s. We laid by the pool for an hour, reading and napping, staying warm in long pants and sweatshirts.

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After an hour it was warm enough to change into bikinis and hoodies! Didn’t you know that all the cool kids wear their Lululemon hoodie at the beach?

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After four hours of relaxation, we were both antsy. We decided to take a walk down the strip, which unfortunately reminded us more of Times Square than Vegas. But, the sun was shining and we have realized that we’re perfect travel partners so the laughter was helping balance the stinky tourists and sketchy strip club promoters.

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By the time we reached the Cosmopolitan Hotel it had been 6 hours since brunch. We stopped in Jaleo, one of Theodora’s favorite Washington, DC restaurants for a glass of cavo and a few tapas. It was the perfect way to satiate our hunger until our 10pm dinner reservations.

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The food was delicious even though the service was horrible. We chose well and devoured the small plates in record time.

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What? You’ve never been served fried chicken nuggets in a shoe?

We completed our adventure in true Vegas style with some slot machine action. Now I have to figure out where to spend my winnings!

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Don’t wait up for us tonight…

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ashleyd /

Healthy Travel: Conference Food

 

Hello from Las Vegas! The weather this week has been amazing, based on what I see out the windows. Unfortunately, like most large conventions and meetings, we are inside the hotel all week except for a few breaks. But, we have been treated to a few views during meals which are a welcome treat!

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This week, in addition to keeping up my workout routine, I’m trying to be conscious of my food choices. It is easy to indulge in more alcohol, sweets, and heavy foods at meetings since most meals are buffet style. Luckily, I came equipped with a game plan this week.

  • No sweets since Lent is still going strong. (I still haven’t broken that goal!!)
  • Drinking water with breakfast, lunch, and dinner
  • Eating a healthy breakfast and lunch
  • Trying to eat more fruit, vegetables, and nuts for snacks versus processed foods

So far, my plan has worked well, especially since P&G has provided some amazing food options. Our breakfast especially has provided me with a plethora of healthy choices, which has therefore forced me to focus on portion control!

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My breakfasts have been around 350-500 calories this week, depending on options. I’ve also ensured that I bulk up with fiber and protein so I’m not hungry. I’ve avoided the hot bar section and the pastries since those luckily fall under the sweets category in my book.

Lunches and dinners have been a bit harder, but I’ve done my best to follow the “peace sign” rule and the 80/20 rule. I divide my plate like a peace sign, ensuring that greens or vegetables make up the largest portion. Then I try and put healthy carbs and protein in the other portion. In addition, I’m avoiding heavy sauces and the fish dishes since I don’t normally care for fish on a buffet like these.

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Question: What are your tips for staying healthy at meetings and conferences?

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ashleyd /

A Las Vegas Afternoon

Greetings from sunny and warm Las Vegas!

My early wake up call was well worth it as I’ve had the entire afternoon to relax poolside.

Newark Airport was empty this morning when I arrived which meant that I flew through check-in and security within 10 minutes.

It was still dark when I boarded flight #1 to Cincinnati.

I slept the entire flight which was made even easier since the flight was only half full. I had the luxury of sprawling out across my row.

When we landed in Cincinnati at 8am I was starving! There weren’t many breakfast options in our terminal which made finding a healthy option a bit more difficult than usual. The Starbucks didn’t serve hot breakfasts and the McDonalds line was wrapped around the corner. Luckily, I remembered that Subway now serves breakfast.

The egg white, ham, and cheese melt on a whole wheat english muffin was filling and delicious! At 4 grams of fat you can’t beat this for an airport option. I paired this with a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt and a bottle of water.

This breakfast kept me going the entire flight to Las Vegas. This flight, while packed, was wonderful due to the plane’s newness. There were power outlets and televisions at every seat and I enjoyed plenty of leg room in my exit row seat. Thanks to the internet,  I had a great time keeping tabs on all my friends running and walking the More Half Marathon via Twitter!

Time flew quickly due to my many distractions and before I knew it we were landing in Las Vegas!

The airport itself was a madhouse packed with hungover vacationers, gamblers, and lots of smoking. I quickly stopped at the Starbucks for a banana and water.

Luckily, within fifteen minutes I had retrieved my luggage and was in the shorter than normal taxi line. Last year when I came to Vegas for our national meeting the taxi line took over an hour!

The dessert terrain and bright blue sky greeted me as soon as we hit the interstate towards the Strip.

Our hotel is definitely an upgrade as well versus last year’s location! The staff has been very helpful so far and each of our rooms are suites! Theodora was amazed when I sent her pictures of the amazing room we’ll share this weekend!

After jumping up and down with excitement, I calmed down enough to unpack everything neatly into the drawers and closet. If I stay in a hotel more than one night, I always unpack immediately so I feel at home.

My next stop was poolside, in hopes of enjoying my book, relaxing, and getting some color. The pool area is perfect as it has a balance of relaxing areas and then also a huge wave pool and lazy river near the DJ. Today I stayed near the cabanas, away from the noise so I could focus on my book and enjoy my own tunes. I also shelled out $17 for Banana Boat Deep Tanning Sunscreen since I forgot to pack one of my many bottles at home. Oops, at least I protected my skin while I was out in the sun!

I ordered a grilled chicken caeser salad around 4pm EST/1pm Pacitic time as my stomach was making sounds and the time change started to hit me. I was surprised that this huge salad was only $9 and happily enjoyed it with dressing on the side.

After three hours of sun, I was ready to chill in my room before this evening’s festivities begin. Tonight I’m enjoying a casual dinner with a few of my other co-workers who came in early for our national meeting.

See you later!

Question: Have you been to Las Vegas before? If so, any recommendations of shows, clubs, or restaurants?

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