Best BBQ in Austin

The food in NYC is amazing, but we just can’t do BBQ like they do in the south.

There’s lots of debate as to what is the best BBQ spot in Austin. I went to a few spots while I was there over the long week(end).

My favorite spot in Austin has to be… (drumroll please)…

la Barbecue!

la Barbecue!

However I will give some honorable mentions to a few other spots that win on other aspects. Here’s my list of BBQ spots in Austin (& Dallas) thus far, I still have so many places to try!

Best Overall - la Barbecue

What to Order: Brisket, Ribs, Shells & Cheese
Website: https://www.labarbecue.com

la Barbecue has the best overall BBQ food from the brisket to the ribs to the Mac & cheese. I stopped here on Thursday before my flight (I had to get in all the BBQ I could!) and there was a line at lunch - and no these weren’t all tourists!

Upon getting on the line, we were already greeted by a nice waitress asking us if we wanted to order drinks as we wait online. Once we made it into the store (which only fit one group at a time), they offered us some brisket to try - how nice is that!

Then it came to eating the food, we grabbed a table outside and feasted! The quality was amazing and I rolled out of there super happy! The shells & cheese had a bit of a spicy kick, which I enjoyed, the chipotle slaw was good, but just not my style - but good if you like that style! And if you have any room left over, the homemade banana pudding was a great way to end the meal!

Best Ambiance - Hard Eight (Dallas)

What to Order: Brisket, Ribs, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potato & BBQ Chicken
Website: https://www.hardeightbbq.com

Hard Eight BBQ

You can smell the BBQ as soon as you get to Hard Eight. You can see and pick what you want right off of the giant grill - there are so nanny options, it is hard to choose! They had everything from brisket to bacon wrapped chicken to sausage! In addition to that, there were sides galore, I tried sweet corn for the first time! I love everything I ordered, you can’t go wrong with anything - there are also a ton of sides to choose from and don’t forget the sweet tea!

Best Pastrami - Mum Foods Smokehouse

Mum Foods Smokehouse BBQ Pastrami

What to Order: Pastrami
Website: https://www.mumfoodsatx.com

The pastrami at Mum Foods Smokehouse just melts in your mouth, it is so tender, well seasoned and smoked (you can see the smokers in the parking lot/front of the restaurant). I had the pastrami, burnt ends and brisket with shells & cheese, slaw and a few other sides. The pastrami and burnt ends were my favorites, the pastrami is a must have if you go to Mum Foods! They also have fountain drinks made locally in Austin - I really liked the prickly pear lemonade and ginger beer. And you need a caffeinated pick me up or it’s too early for som pastrami, they have a coffee shop in the front of the smokehouse - Talisman Coffee, which was very cutely themed with sloths!

This is just the tip of the iceberg for all the BBQ spots to try in Austin & Dallas! Where should I go next, what are your favorite spots?

Dreamhack Dallas 2025

Dreamhack Dallas took over the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center May 23-25. Dreamhack Dallas featured speakers, E-Sports competitions, arcade games, indie games, video game competitions and lots of vendors!

There were too many games to name, but my favorite new game from Dreamhack is Brawl Stars! I’ve been playing non stop since I got back from Texas! Maybe next year I’ll make it to the live e-sports competition! I entered the Overcooked Nintendo Switch competition, however did not win :(

Me and my new friend Cargo!

I was able get my dance on playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution to all those who aren’t familiar, throwback to my childhood!) and a ton of new indie games, some of our favorite indie games were Strikewave and Art of Flight!

Dreamhack also had a fun diner themed scavenger hunt! We were sent all over the convention center to do different tasks and learn about video game related non profits, which equated to money and pieces of a burger that you could build and trade in for more dollars that could be used at the “diner” to buy actual products! I walked away with some fun swag and indie board games - Minotaur & Gemini Gauntlet.

And of course you can’t forget all the fun merch and photo ops! I got a cute poke ball from a gatcha machine with a mystery pin, I got a Dratini and a fidget keyboard key!

Can’t wait to see what fun games will be featured next year!

Foodie Day in Beacon, NY

This past weekend I went upstate to Beacon, NY for a friend’s wedding. I had heard a lot about Beacon and was excited to finally make my way upstate to check it out!

I was delayed on my way up, so really only had Saturday before the wedding to explore before heading hope early on Sunday for Mother’s Day festivities!

We decided to explore Beacon, the best way I know how - through shopping and most importantly my stomach!!

Check out the stops I made along my self guided food tour! We started our adventure on the west end of Main Street slowly making our way down to the east end, where we met our friends for lunch.

Stop 1: Bank Square Coffeehouse
We started the day at Bank Square Coffeehouse, where I had a frozen chai latte! It was a cold, but delicious way to start the day! They have a large outdoor back patio for when the weather is nice

Stop 2: Alps Sweet Shop
A chocolate factory with a large variety of chocolate, they just celebrated their 102nd anniversary! Is it bad to start the day with some chocolate?

Stop 3: Glazed Over Donuts <— this was the winner and may be the best donut spot I’ve ever been to, for those of you who know me, that’s a bold statement..
The donuts here are all fresh out of the fryer (you can watch them make the donuts front in front of you), you select what donut you want - the glaze, the topping and the drizzle. I had a strawberry donut with Oreo toppings and strawberry drizzle. It was absolutely heavenly! If I didn’t have the wedding afterward, I would have had another 1 or 3!

Stop 4: Trax Coffee Roasters
Cool coffee shop with industrial vibes with seating outside feet away from the tracks. The ambiance was nice, but the coffee was ok (or so I was told - Im not a coffee girl)

Stop 5: Håkan Chocolatier
Trendy tasty chocolates with fun exotic flavors, such as Quake and Dragons Breath to Strawberry Champagne and Sakura Japanese Whiskey! The chocolate truffles were very rich and tasty, but a bit pricy at $3.75 a piece - that won’t stop me from coming back though!

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad

Stop 6: Beacon Falls Cafe
Cute spot for brunch or lunch with good portion sizes, they had brunch foods, sandwiches burgers and salads. I’d recommend for some solid staple American dishes.

Korean Chicken Wings at Hudson Valley Food Hall

The night before: Hudson Valley Food Hall
I had some tasty Korean Chicken Wings and plantains from an asian latin fusion spot in the food hall. By the time I got there around 7:45 PM, most of the stores were closing up, but I managed to get my order in just in time. There was also a Mexican spot and Ice Cream spot that may be worth checking out!

Lavender Matcha Latte

Sunday Morning Fix: Elixxr
Lots of varieties of ceremonial matcha - I had a lavender matcha on my way running to catch the train home this morning. The latte refreshing, but was a bit pricy, but on par with NYC matcha prices.

 

I couldn’t just eat my entire way throughout Main Street, so took some shopping breaks along the way, here were some of my favorites!

  • Hudson Beach Glass - They blow the glass here and you can even take a glass blowing class!! Definitely on my list for my next trip

  • Zakka Joy - Give me all the pens!
    Throwback to my middle school days when milky pens and jelly roll pens were all the craze, I left the store with 5 pens, they weren’t all for me… just 4 of the 5! This store would be trouble if I lived nearby.

  • Little King - Home goods bliss, there were so many amazing home good pieces, I wanted to buy all of them! Sadly I ended up leaving empty handed, but did see some amazing pieces bowls from a studio out of Copenhagen Denmark that really caught my eye!

That’s it for my self-guided food tour, shopping finds and recommendations! Let me know your favorites or if you have any recommendations in the comments!

Volunteer Month 2025 Reflection

Volunteering is something I love, but sadly do not do as often as I like.

I am very involved with two organizations:

  • New York Edge - I am a founding member and President Emeritus of the Young Professionals Board for New York Edge, and have been involved since 2012
    New York Edge believes that every student deserves opportunities to find a passion, develop skills, become a leader, and have a healthy and safe environment beyond school hours. Our after school and summer programs reach thousands of students annually in more than 100 schools across all five boroughs and Long Island, with activities that are welcoming, enriching, and fun.

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters - I volunteer as a “Big” in the workplace program through my employer American Express and have been involved since 2018.
    Since 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is incredible potential. As the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles"), ages 5 through young adulthood in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.

Last week, my team at American Express and I had the privilege of volunteering at Part of the Solution in the Bronx. We spent time preparing and serving meals to those in need while also getting involved in our community.

POTS offers a variety of services to fight poverty and hunger for free for those in need. Their free services are organized in three programmatic pillars:

  • Dignity and wellness program (including shower, haircuts, mail, medical and dental services)

  • Food Security program (including a food pantry and community dining room)

  • Long-term stability program (including guidance on the application to public benefits -like SNAP and Unemployment Insurance-, guidance to achieve long-term personal growth -education and employment goals- and legal services to prevent eviction and support housing and income stability).

Please share your favorite organizations you like to volunteer with!

Salon du Chocolat 2025

This past weekend was Salon du Chocolate NYC! Salon du Chocolate is a chocolate show featuring chocolate from across the globe, including Ecuador, Cote d’Ivorie, Dominican Republic, Japan and Brazil.

We had the opportunity to sample all of the different chocolates, which was heaven - however eating my weight in chocolate did not fair so well for me by the end of today. In addition to all the chocolate sampling, there was also a culinary theatre to watch different demonstrations of how to make things with chocolate, a chocolate sculpture demonstration and chocolate fashion!

I attended the culinary workshop with Pastry Chef Stephen Durfee of Dandelion Chocolate. He taught us how to make chocolate Italian mousse, which is fluffy, especially when compared to Swiss chocolate. He also taught us how to tell the difference in flavor between chocolates from Honduras, Uganda and Ecuador. I was supposed to learn that:

  • Honduras chocolate was the least sweet and almost a bit bitter like super dark chocoalte

  • Uganda chocolate was a bit fruity/sweeter

  • Ecuador chocolate was the most rich and what you imagine when you think of milk chocolate

I LOVED tasting all of the chocolates and trying new flavors, my favorite had to be the chocolates from Royce, followed by hibiscus chocolate from Ecuador, chocolate covered cashews from Cote d’ivoire and lavender sea salt chocolate.

Check out my haul!

NY Rangers Take Home the Win!

NY Rangers Win!

Today I went to my first NY Rangers game at Madison Square Garden!

The NY Rangers played against the Vancouver Canucks. Today’s game was also a “Salute to Sam,” celebrating the NY Rangers announcer’s final and 40th year working with the Rangers.

The came was super close! I was on the edge of my seat the entire game, the Rangers & Canucks were neck and neck the entire game. In the final few minutes of the last period, the Rangers came through with 2 consecutive goals, winning the game 5-3!

The game was so much fun! I highly recommend going to a game if you get the chance!

First Time in Texas

It’s crazy to believe I’ve been all over the globe, but have never been to Texas!

First time in Texas!

What brought me to Dallas? TINYCON 5!

I was in Dallas for a long weekend - I got in late Thursday night and flew out late morning on Monday - so a very quick trip to say the least. I think I was able to cover most of the highlights in the few days I was there. The highlights were:

Massive BBQ Meal at Hard Eight BBQ in Dallas

Lunch at Hard Eight!

  • BBQ

  • Bishop Arts District

    • Bishop Arts was a cute little shopping area with some fun looking restaurants and cafes! I walked away with some candles, a new top and a ring!

  • Grassy knoll where JFK was assassinated

    • This was so surreal to see the spot where JFK was shot. I had seen it before in videos in social studies class, but to see it in person was so different, yet familiar as it looked exactly as it did in the videos!

Won’t lie, I was a bit underwhelmed, but I did have some yummy food and got to meet some new friends at TinyCon! Check out more about my time at TinyCon 5 here!

Artistic mural that says Y'all means All in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas, Texas

Bishop Arts District

Welcome to Cuenca

I never thought I’d end up in Cuenca, Ecuador - not for a lack of wanting to go, it had just never hit my radar. However, when your best friend decides to have her wedding in Cuenca - Ill be there, bells, whistles & all!

A little information about Cuenca. Cuenca is the largest city and capital of the providence Azuay. Cuecna is a very walkale town and as a New Yorker, you can easily cover most of the city by foot.

The food scene in Cuenca was very good, filled with delicious Ecuadorian food and even found some amazing sushi on one of the many rooftops with amazing view of the big church in the city center!

While I was in Cuenca, I went to a hot spring spa at Piedra de Agua, tried some cuy (guinea pig) and of course had a lot what Cuenca is known for DULCE, CANDY!!!

New England Weekend

For the long holiday weekend, we decided to make the trip to the New England area to visit Providence, Cape Cod and Newport. I had driven through Providence in the past, but never spent real time there, so it would be a new adventure and place to explore!

Our road trip began with dinner at Cafe Silvium, an Italian restaurant in Stamford, CT. The pasta is made fresh there and very delicious - I will definitely be making a return trip next time I’m in the area! Thank you to my friend Jess for the recommendation!

After a few hours of driving, we finally made our way to Newport, Rhode Island! Some of the highlights of Newport were:

  • Gondola ride in the canal - it was a great, unique way to tour downtown providence compared to your typical boat tour, for just a little more money, we were able to get a private tour, which even came with cookies, drinks and some romantic Italian songs!

  • Providence River Walk - a nice area to walk along the canal

  • Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - Art Museum

  • To do: WaterFire - centers around a series of ~100 bonfires in baskets on the water along the canal of downtown Providence. Sadly I didn’t get to see this while I was there, but definitely want to go back to do this!

Next we were off to Cape Cod! It was a bit cold, but still a nice quaint town with great seafood! Despite the cold hoody weather, we:

  • Took a boat tour around the cape, where we saw some mansions, light houses and just enjoyed being out in the ocean

  • Walked around downtown

  • Visited some light houses, national parks and even added a junior ranger bad to my collection!

  • Ate dinner out on a pier in the middle of the arena, we got lucky and got a seat outside with the best view at the Baxter’s Boathouse

While we were there, we also had breakfast at Red Barn with my first VP, who took a chance on me and shaped the trajectory of my career for the past 9 years. I’ll be honest, we were a bit skeptical of the restaurant and had no idea what to expect as the restaurant looked very small and quaint, however there was a long line and wait. The food was definitely worth the long wait and turned out to be one of the best breakfast spots I have been too! If you are in Dennis, Cape Cod, I recommend he cinnamon bun french toast or the corned beef hash!

For our final destination we found ourselves in Newport for the day, where we:

  • Found our favorite lobster rolls of the trip at Belle’s

  • Visited the Cliff Walk

  • Walked around downtown Newport

We covered a lot in just a few days! I can’t wait to go back to see Cape Cod in it’s prime when it’s warm out and to see the WaterFire in Providence!

Happy 2024!

Happy New Year!!!!

Fun Fact: These are the actual numbers displayed under the NYE ball in Times Square!

2023 was a chaotic year to say the least with many ups and downs - from a 6 day hospital stay & dating debacles to 3 international trips across 6 countries & good times with amazing friends! 🙃

It’s always good to remember and appreciate all the experiences you have, the good and the bad.

Hope everyone has an amazing 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ filled with lots of joy, love, happiness, prosperity and good health! 🎉

10 Days in Puglia

I just went on a 10 day trip to the southern part of Italy, Puglia. After a crazy rain storm in the northeast and a missed my flight from NY connection to Italy by MINUTES, but I finally made my way to Rome from Vancouver & NY via Barcelona and a few days late.
(Note to all: Fly Norse Airline does not have digital check in, so despite making it to JFK from Newark in time for boarding the check in desk was EMPTY, so I literally saw my friend but couldnt get my boarding pass)

We started the trip in Rome for a few days before heading on our road trip of Puglia where we visited:

  • Bari - largest city and port town of Puglia

    • Bari is very small and you can visit it all in a day. Aside from a major port for boat/trains, the main things to do there are shop and eat, with 1 Michelin star, 1 recommended restaurant and lots of high end designer shops

  • Pogliano del Mar - coastal beach town by the water

    • Gorgeous beaches, but they are pretty rocky vs sandy but most known for Lama Monachile Beach (Cala Porto)

    • Boat and cave tour is a must here!

  • Monopoli - coastal beach town

    • Great town to walk around and have some seafood

  • Fasano - olive tree town

    • In Fassano, you can stay at a masseria, which now are more of resorts where you can get some much needed R&R. You can learn now olive oil and cheese are made at some of them!

  • Alberobello - known for the trulli style of architecture, which reminded me of some of the Smurf homes

    • You can check out some of the architecture and a few of shops for souvenirs and my favorite - gelato!

  • Matera - old town located within the caves and rocks of the ruins

    • Very cool to see how people lived in the past in some of the cave dwellings, many of which have been turned into shops and restaurants now. There is not much shade, so be sure to bring a ton of water and sunscreen before you start your trip!

  • Lecce - 2nd largest city in Puglia, known for a lot of their limestone buildings, with many pretty churches and even a mini coliseum

    • Great city to explore the local and historical architecture and delicious food!

Each of these towns had their own personas and brought something unique and special.

If you plan to make a trip out there, I would recommend renting a car, so you can drive around and see things at your own pace - however it was a bit tricky to drive down the narrow streets, especially at night in the more rural areas.

Happy π Day!

Pi (π) Day is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, you can see the inner math nerd coming out right now!

For those of you who are less familiar…

What is Pi (π)?

π is an irrational number starting with 3.1415… going on to infinity. π represents the constant ratio between a circle’s circumference to its diameter. This may not be a number your average person uses in their everyday lives, but there are so many everyday items that used the application of π in some way.

How did I celebrate?

This year I celebrated π Day with lots of pi, pies & circles!

My high school friends, Yi, Ganesh and I have a tradition to get together on or around π Day for some pie! This year we celebrated early (due to work travel) and had pie at Little Pie Company, dessert first of course and then dinner. We each ate a pie our own pie - I had a blueberry crumb pie, Ganesh had a classic apple pie & Yi had a key line pie!

After we each finished our pies, we decided to have dinner at Tim Ho Wan, needless to say we were all rolling home that night.

Today I exclusively ate circle items today (except for 1 banana - oops, I was in a rush - don’t tell anyone), including a Sprinkles cupcake and an entire large cheese pizza w/ chicken cutlets, and only drank out of round cylindrical cups! Sadly I was unable to finish the 18 inch pizza, but I tried!

What other pie and circle items should I eat next? 🤗

Tinder Swindled by a Con Artist

Wow, has it been a week!

I am sad to say I have experienced my own version of the Tinder Swindler, version 2.0 the Bumble Bamboozler!

I was swindled by a man from London, who seemed nice, but boy was I wrong! Not only did he try to take advantage of me, he turned out to be a con artist and tried to con my boss, friend of a friend and his friends!

Don’t worry everyone, I am safe and sound! I am mentally a bit shaken up and shocked that this happened to me, but all good otherwise! However, things did not end as well for him… I’ll let you read more about the encounter for yourself here.

I have no words, this could happen to anyone and there really is no way to verify a first date. You just need to look out for things that seem odd and go with your gut. There were a few red flags I noticed and thankfully I listened to my gut and did not let this go too far.

That being said, if anyone has any vetted or referrals of eligible bachelors for me to date, please let me know!

A Week in Vegas

Is a week in Vegas too much? If you stay on the strip… yes!

Exploring the Valley of Fire

My friends and I went on a girls trip to Vegas for the long weekend! It was a lot of fun, but just hitting the max of how long you should be in Vegas.

Here’s a rundown of the highlights of all the fun things we did! Feel free to reach out if you need any recs!

Vegas Highlights

  • Vegas Strip

    • Water Fountain Show at Bellagio

    • Lava Show at the Mirage

    • Conservatory Garden at the Wynn

  • Valley of Fire

  • Restaurants & Bars

    • Superfrico

    • Toca Moderna

    • Jessie’s BBQ

  • Casinos

    • Black Jack & Craps - I lost more than I would’ve liked , but at least I had a fun time doing it!

Day 1 - Arrival Day

Wynn

Loving all the decor for Chinese New Year

  • Flight from JFK to LAS
    My friends, Diana, Imen, and I few in on a late flight after work from JFK to LAS.

  • Check in at the Aria Resort & Hotel
    The entire hotel was decked out for Chinese New Year, which in absolutely LOVED!!! In hunger upon arriving so late, we checked out the mini bar, you would not believe how much a bottle of water and a rice krispy treat cost… the prices were $25 & $12.50, respectively - how crazy is that?!

  • Dinner at In-N-Out
    A trip to the west coast and late night cravings aren’t complete without a trip to In-N-Out and my double double did not disappoint! I did have to hold off on the milkshake at that hour though 😆

Day 2

  • Lunch at Din Tai Fung
    I had always heard great things about Din Tai Fung and it was right next to the lobby of our hotel, so we had to try it! The food was pretty tasty, however coming from NY and being Chinese, I did feel like it was a bit overrated and I’ve had better. Am I happy I tried it - yes, would I go again… likely not

  • Hello Kitty Cafe at Fashion Show Mall
    We were exploring Vegas and stumbled upon the Hello Kitty Cafe at the mall, it was SO CUTE and PINK! If there were ever a cafe that described me, this was it! I was also pleasantly surprised how yummy the Hello Kitty cupcake was!

  • Dinner at Jessie Rae’s BBQ
    My friends and I decided to get off the strip and go to a local must go to spot and ended landed at Jessie Rae’s BBQ for dinner. When we first arrived, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere outside a dimly lit restaurant, but this was it. We had taken a 15 min Uber, so we had committed. My friend Diana and I split the a 3 meat platter and went with the Brisket, Baby Back Ribs & BBQ Chicken with Tater Tots. The food was AMAZING 🤤, some of the best BBQ food I’ve had and definitely want to return next time I’m in Vegas! We met an older couple, who frequent Vegas for trade shows and this is their go to spot, where they even know the owners.

Day 3

  • Brunch at the Henry
    Imen and I got a yummy brunch at the Henry in the Cosmopolitan. I had a very tasty truffle fried chicken sandwich - Vegas is delivering on food!

  • Pool Day!
    Diana was working today since she started a new job, so Imen and I decided to hit the pool, despite the 50 degree weather. We were happy to learn that the pool was heated (as was the hot tub), ironically the life guards were dressed in parkas while we were in our bikinis! 🤣

  • Dinner at Sen of Japan
    We met up with my friend Paul who is a pro-poker player in Vegas for omakase at Sen of Japan. The sushi was great and the staff was super nice. Not sure if this is a Vegas thing, but interestingly enough, we noticed that their omakase had a bit more cooked dishes than you would ever find at omakase in NYC.

  • OPM at the Cosmopolitan
    After we finished dinner, we headed over to the Cosmopolitan with Paul, his girlfriend Lindsay and his friend Henry to see OPM, which their friend Patrick happened to be one of the performers - a juggler!
    The show very raunchy and a lot of fun! The show was a raunchy variety show with a space theme.

  • Drinks at the Chandelier
    After the show, we wen to drinks at the Chandelier and were joined by Patrick, who also happens to be one of the top jugglers in the world! It turns out he peaked as #2 in the world the same year I peaked as Miss NY 😅
    Imen also tried an interactive drink, which involved eating a berry that will alter the taste of the drink (and make your tongue tingly)

  • Clubbing at the Jewel
    Next, I took Imen to her first club in Vegas, Jewel. Thank you to our new promoter friend Regan for hooking us up! (Message me if you want his contact information)

Day 4

  • Day trip to the Valley of Fire
    Vegas is a desert, so we decided to take a day trip to the Valley of Fire. We figured we should probably check out what else Vegas has to offer aside from shows, food and gambling, and you can only spend so much time on the strip as a tourist…
    The Valley of Fire was GORGEOUS! There were all different colored mountains and formations, there were even hieroglyphics on one of the old rocks!

  • Lunch at Eataly
    When we returned we took a little break and went to Eataly and met up my friend Antonio, who is the head pizza chef and an international pizza award winner!

  • Dinner at China Poblano by José Andrés
    We checked out China Poblano a Mexican and Chinese fusion restaurant. The food was OK, not sure I would recommend or go again. However, I will say the terra cotta soldier chocolate mousse dessert was fun to eat - you needed to break him open (like a chocolate bunny), to get to his insides and eat him!

  • Drinks at Toca Moderna
    This was Diana’s last night in town, so we had to do it big - we went to Toca Moderna, which may be my favorite spot for drinks in Vegas. In addition to an awesome cocktail menu, while we were sitting at the bar, we saw a fire eater aka a woman on the bar just eating and playing with fire. But back to the drinks, Diana and I both got some really cool and tasty drinks that were lit on FIRE! 🔥🔥🔥 I am by no means a pyromaniac, but they were pretty cool! We topped off the night with good vibes, good music (that DJ was on fire, metaphorically speaking this time) and a churro ice cream sandwich!

Day 5

  • Hello Kitty Cafe Truck
    Diana did not make it to the brick and mortar Hello Kitty Cafe, but our hotel was very close to the truck version, so we headed there for breakfast! Crazy enough, there was a long line for this cafe and barely one at the actual cafe.

  • Drag Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s
    We had brunch at Hamburger Mary’s off the strip. Sadly, I was disappointed by the caliber here, I think coming from NYC and the Vegas Strip to this local show, it just did not compare and the food was subpar and gave me a stomach ache.

  • Playing Tourist on the Strip

  • Dinner at SOL Mexican Cocina
    We couldn’t decide where to get dinner and ended up SOL, which was actually a great choice! We all loved our entrees and had happy bellies!

  • Absinthe
    Absinthe, what can I say about Absinthe… before even leaving NY, 3 of my friends from differ parts of my life all recommended to see Absinthe, in addition to a guy from Vegas on my dating apps. With all these recommendations we decided we had to see it. My boss described it as Magic Mike meets Cirque Soleil - after seeing it I would say it is more of a Magic Mike meets a raunchy variety show.
    The show was even MORE raunchy than OPM and had a lot of wonderful acts from acrobats to sword eaters. I came to learn from our new friend Patrick that they are owned by the same group and that he had actually developed and sold the rights for the juggling act in the show!
    If you go to Vegas and have done the typical shows, I would highly recommend seeing Absinthe

  • Clubbing at XS

Day 6 - Final Day

  • Knights Hockey Game at the T-Mobile Arena
    This was my first EVER hockey game, it was so much fun! The Knights and their fans really make the game and ambiance so much fun! I was sad they did not win their home game, but was so much fun!

  • Dinner at Superfrico
    Superfrico is a speakeasy Italian restaurant next to where the OPM theater is in the Cosmopolitan. I just love Italian food, but little did I know, they would also have performers to the style of OPM performing little acts throughout our meal!

  • Flight home LAS > JFK

Birthday Week Celebrations!

Birthday Girl!

What a great week full of birthday celebrations, expected and unexpected celebrations!

At our holiday team lunch at Locanda Verde, my very sweet boss celebrated my birthday early with yummy chocolate cake and a birthday candle for dessert!

I was shocked!

At work the following week, my team surprised me with a birthday party in the office - they really got me! My colleague Joe and I were going to get coffee to catch up on some topics, but he had forgot his phone in one of the rooms. There were some of our teammates in the room, so I did not want to go and interrupt their meeting, eventually he got me to go in and it turns out it was for me! They really had me surprised - well played team!

Lunch at Tim Ho Wan

As for the actual day - I started off the day with lunch at Tim Ho Wan with my friend Michelle, it was nice to catch up and celebrate with some yummy dim sum! Michelle was one of the first people and friends I made on the Kabbage team!

I was taking it easy and decided to pamper myself and got my nails done at local nail salon a few blocks over. I decided to do glittery pink nails for the occasion! When I went to pay they gave me a holiday gift card for $10 off my next visit, what a nice surprise!

I also arrived home to find the rose quartz I ordered, hoping it brings me some love this year!

Every year I stress over what to do for my birthday and end up planning something last minute. Surprise, surprise, this year was no different.

This year I planned a at Salinas in Chelsea with a few friends. The food at Salinas was delicious (mmm steak!) and the cheesecake at the end was a perfect way to end the meal!

For those of you who know me, you MUST have some form of cake or something for your birthday!

Afterward we headed to Jungle Bird, where a few more friends met up with us for drinks, including some from holiday cocktails!

I feel truly loved and grateful for all the amazing people in my life and can’t wait to see what this year will bring.

Thanks for everyone who came out to celebrate with me!

Diner en Blanc NYC 2022

Last night I attended Diner en Blanc NYC right on the Hudson River outside of Brookfield Place. This year marked the 10th anniversary of Diner en Blanc in NYC!

Diner en Blanc NYC

At Diner en Blanc, thousands of attendees dress up in white, head to toe, and gather together for a large dinner celebration. What is unique and fun about this event, aside from everything being in all white, is:

  • you need to bring your own table, seats and picnic for dinner, however you can order a gourmet picnic basket

  • the location is a secret until just a few hours before the event

  • at the start of the event everyone waives their white napkins

Chef Todd English Elizabeth Tam Diner en Blanc NYC

Chef Todd English & I

The highlights of the night included delicious bites made by none other than Chef Todd English and featured champagne from Baron de Rothschild Champagne. I was lucky enough to had the opportunity to meet and chat with Todd in the media lounge, he was so down to earth and friendly!

Fun facts I learned about Todd English, despite using caviar for his high end clientele he is NOT a fan of caviar, but IS a fan of anchovies, in fact he likes to eat them straight!

Can’t wait to see where the Diner en Blanc will be held next year!

 
Diner en Blanc NYC Media Lounge

Cheers

Champagne Baron de Rothschild Diner en Blanc NYC

Baron de Rothschild Champagne

US Open Kickoff

What a whirl wind it has been — I’ve been out at events leading up to the start of the US Open all week. This was my week in a nutshell

  • Wednesday: IHG US Open Kickoff Party

  • Thursday: Taste of Tennis

  • Friday: Fan Week at the US Open & Chase Sound Stage featuring DNCE

  • Saturday: Fan Week at the US Open

While it was a bit exhausting, I wouldn’t change any of it and happy I took it all in. I’m so happy that the US OPEN is BACK and NY is taking it all in!

Taste of Tennis 2022

This year I had the pleasure of attending Taste of Tennis at Cipriani 42nd Street, which is a fun event for the tennis pros to come and eat a lot of delicious foods from restaurants throughout the city.

If you’re a tennis fan AND a foodie, this is definitely the event for you!

The event was a lot of fun and had a variety of food and drinks and even featured a cook-off between Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka! Some of the restaurants feature included: Portale, The Lambs Club, Amrina & La Newyorkina.

On the red carpet with Style Music TV, I interviewed a few of the pros playing at the US Open. A fan favorite amongst the players was pasta and sushi!

Taste of Tennis is a lot of fun, if you get the chance to go, I would definitely go!