We enjoyed a Mardi Gras parade and a cheeseburger from Bentley’s Filling Station on Friday night. The Filling Station is an old gas station turned restaurant. Although I was disappointed they were not serving food after the parade despite the crowd. That is a huge difference – in NJ business owners would be trying hard to make the extra bucks. In LA, they just say, sorry we are closing so we can also party all weekend. Anyway, they have the best cheeseburgers. Something about freshly shredded sharp cheddar…yum!

The parade was cool – the high school marching bands are my favorite part. I know, hard to believe its not begging for beads. The whole ‘krewe’ thing is interesting to me as there is really nothing like it up north. On Saturday night we had seafood at Don’s and saw a few tables of krewes all dressed up and ready for their ball- think of it as an adult prom where they even crown a king and queen.

Speaking of food…more southern cuisine to try- I enjoyed a catfish po-boy at Pat’s Landing in Henderson and a great breakfast at Dwyer’s. If you get to Dwyer’s which is in downtown Lafayette, be sure to try to the sweet potato pancakes.

My favorite part of the trip was On Sunday when we went out to Lake Martin, which is a bird sanctuary and swamp. We went out with the Cajun Country Swamp Tour and it was awesome. It was two hours and $20 per person. I recommend siting near the back so you can hear the guide. Get ready for a very strong southern Cajun accent! We saw nutria rats, alligators, turtles, many birds and even a few snakes. Kids and adults would enjoy this tour. The guide was knowledgable and took us close to the wildlife. I had to duck branches more than once. This is a definite must do if you are anywhere near Lafayette. It was beautiful, peaceful and very cool!

Time to go back home but I am glad to have a weekend away from the hustle. Love ya Louisiana!

XO
Bette

Sometimes I am lucky enough to travel to a beautiful place for work.  This week was such a time!  I spent the week in Steamboat Springs, CO.  I love Colorado from the people and culture to the breathtaking scenery.  Add in snow, a room with a fireplace and I think it becomes incredibly romantic.  However, traveling for work does not equal romance.

Although we spent three days in a conference room, we did have a few great evenings out.  The first was dinner at the Mahogany Grill right off the main street in Steamboat.  The food was delicious!  Make sure you make a reservation – on a Sunday night in January it was still very busy.

The second night we took a moonlight sleigh ride on an 8000 acre 4th generation family owned ranch.  It was a clear night and the stars were amazing. They take you on a 20-30 minute horse driven sleigh ride up to dinner.  The baked beans were delicious!  There was music and you could dance (we didn’t) and then they taught whoever wanted to learn how to rope a cow.  What a fun experience!  www.saddlebackranch.net

I stayed at the Trailhead Lodge which was below the base of the mountain but connects to the base plaza via gondola.  The rooms were perfect – fireplaces, granite counter tops, amazingly comfortable bed – vacation rentals are always the way to go!  I did a load of laundry and kept a cold bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge.

Heading back again next week and can’t wait to actually spend a couple of days on the mountain!  The snow coverage is light this year but hopefully that also means the mountain won’t be crowded.  We plan to take another sleigh ride but this time on top of the mountain.  This time a few friends will be out over the weekend and there is nothing better than a fun group on a ski vacation.

Off to first class – love those upgrades, Continental!

XO
Bette

1- met up with friends at Bocca di Bacco on the West Side for drinks and apps. Awesome on both accounts and it didn’t hurt to see one of my best friends from VT. Try the cheeses…you won’t regret it. And the Chardonnay went down like water.

Then we went to the upper east side for some delicious sushi at Wasabi Lobby. The Godzilla and Sweetie rolls were perfect….yum! 16 people for a birthday dinner…great night.

2- Saw The National, a great band, at The Beacon. We were the fourth row from the stage…simply awesome. We were supposed to have dinner in the village but due to some traffic ‘challenges’ my friend and I ended up eating at Citrus right by The Beacon. Very good…Mexican food with a twist.

After the concert we went back downtown to a little cigar bar…lots of scotch, gin, cigars and they always play James Bond movies. We only had one drink but I would definitely go back.

3- a little holiday dinner with 18 people in the city. We started with cocktails at Madame Geneva on Beeker by Bowery. They had this amazing gin & jam drink…I had the pear & ginger. A glass of gin on the rocks with a spoonful of jam…perfect.

We continued the party across the street at DBGB. Our party of 18 had a private room by the kitchen. And best part…the host was able to make a playlist and plug in his iPod. As a serious music lover that was awesome! We had a series of appetizers and sausages and I had a delicious burger for dinner. Dessert was my first try at Baked Alaska. A great night with new friends, great conversation and delicious food!

Hope everyone is finding time between shopping, wrapping, baking and sending cards to have fun times with friends. That’s what the holidays should always be about!!

XO
Bette

I’m staying at The Market in a great one bedroom vacation rental. The bed is beyond comfortable….definitely key component to a good stay. The Market is a great little upscale shopping/residential/vacation rental place. Shops, restaurants, movie theater…perfect! I’m eating at Tommy Bahama as I write this (I did say I was alone so I’m not ignoring any dinner partners). I love the food at TB…fish tacos are delish.

This afternoon I drove around a bit in search of a last minute Halloween costume. We were snowed out last weekend in NJ so I need something for a rescheduled party tomorrow. Randomly found a huge costume store in an otherwise completely abandoned shopping center. Ended up buying 4 wigs and a pair of shoes that will be perfect when I dress up as the queen of hearts. Also noticed the MB has many gentleman’s clubs…guess this is because it is such a popular men’s golf destination. And that’s why it was easy to find costumes…town with many ‘dancers’ = lots of costumes. I love exploring towns and doing things off the beaten path.

Decided to dress as Velma tomorrow…black wig, glasses, turtleneck and scarf over a pencil skirt and black boots. Not my best idea but good last minute! Otherwise it was going to be a witch.

Ok back to enjoying my glass of wine…

XO
Bette

Where are all the glamorous people who fly? Oh right…that’s just TV!

I will never be sick of people watching…

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Spend a lot of time in Indianapolis and my heart goes out to those fatally or otherwise injured….

If you are road tripping up RT 84 this is a must stop for a quick bite. And don’t forget to try their pickles. Yum!

Vernon.reinsdeli.com

Here’s to hoping the Stanley Cup parade doesn’t stop us from seeing the happy couple walk down the aisle today. Congrats to the Boston fans!

XXO
Bette

We saw four shows – Peepshow, LOVE, Country Superstars and Viva Elvis. Elvis was by far my favorite – if you even kind if like his music, you can’t miss it! The montages brought tears to my eyes and the closing act of Suspicious Minds was simply amazing. Also on my list is Jubilee (hello Vegas showgirls!), Le Reve and maybe the Playboy Comedy Show.

Golden Nugget was my favorite casino this time- don’t miss the tomato soup and bruschetta at Grotto- delicious! We managed to visit a lot of casinos this time but I still want to see Palace Station, Mandalay Bay, the Palms and Riveria. I was sad to see Sahara was closed for good because I am such a fan of old Vegas (and dives!).

Managed to see the lions napping and cuddling at the MGM lion habitat and the Mob Experience at the Tropicana was very cool. The ‘cast’ was super into it and made it a neat way to learn a lot about mob history in Vegas.

The only buffet we hit was Monte Carlo because it was so close to the Aria theater for the Elvis cirque show. We used Half Tix for each show and got great deals. They have so many shows and restaurants to choose from that you’d be silly not to use it. Great seats at every show too!

I spent a wonderfully luxurious afternoon at the Spa at SouthPoint. Pedicure and massage were both relaxing and worth it. The spa had a great steam room, soaking tub, hot tub and sauna that I made full use of – would go back in a heartbeat. I picked up sone great products – Skinceuticals and some hair products.

We stayed at Grand View which is a few minutes off the strip but I loved the extra space and washer/dryer in the room. We even managed to hit the gym a few times (have to exercise to keep up with our In and Out burgers!).

I love Vegas and can’t wait to come back! Next time…Golden Nugget or MGM.

Next stop: an overnight in Boston.

XXO
Bette