Chicago + Las Vegas

Last week was such a great week, both professionally and personally.  It was also exhausting.  My body is definitely craving some normalcy, mostly in the form of sleep and homemade meals!  One more mini-trip to go and then we’re home for an entire month and a half before we have to fly again.

The first part of last week was spent in Chicago where I attended a workshop called Fierce Conversations.  If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may remember that I attended the same workshop while I was with my last company.  I plan to blog more about my takeaways (some of which are the same as last time) in the next couple of weeks.  Overall, I left the two days with lots to think about in terms of how I communicate.

The highlight of my stay in Chicago was eating dinner at a restaurant called RPM with two of my best friends.  The food was absolutely amazing, the ambiance was very chic, and my co-diners were pretty great too!

I wish I had better pictures to share, but trust me on this…the next time you’re in Chicago, make reservations and GO.  You won’t regret it!

We ordered a number of dishes to share.  After looking at the menu, I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the items.

Personally, we went with the…

• Burrata – OMG!  This was the creamiest, richest, silkiest, freshest burrata I have ever had.  In fact, my mouth is watering right now!
• Cremini mushroom pizzettes – The subtle truffle flavor took this seemingly simple dish to another level.
• Truffled garlic bread – Apparently, we have a thing for truffle!
• Eggplant parmesan – This was one of the best eggplant dishes I’ve ever had.  I think the eggplant was fried because there was a little crunch as you cut through the layers.
• Donuts with Nutella and mascarpone cream – These were essentially fluffy pillows dusted with sugar.  Airy, light, and the perfect ending to a delicious (and filling) meal.

And Vegas – oh what a weekend!  It was seriously one of the most fun trips I’ve ever been on, and I’m not just saying that because I helped plan it!

I’m going to oblige by the “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” mantra but will share some details in case anyone reading is planning a trip out there in the near future.

• We stayed at the Aria Resort and Casino.  I highly recommend this hotel – beautiful, great restaurants, and nice casino.  Not to mention that the beds are the comfiest things I’ve ever slept on!
• As far as nightclubs go, we went to Tao (at the Venetian) and Hyde (at the Bellagio).  Good choices for our group since everyone wanted to dance to top 40/hip hop type music.
• We gambled at the Aria, the Venetian, and Excalibur (where I won lots of $$$!!!).
• We also went to Platinum Entourage one afternoon to get blowouts.  We thought this would be a fun alternative to getting manis/pedis, which it was.  Everyone’s hair looked fabulous and sexy!
• As far as restaurants are concerned, we ate most of our meals at the Aria.  We did, however, venture 3 miles off the strip one night to eat at Firefly.  This was the perfect place for a large group because the entire menu is made up of shareable tapas.  And the sangria…so good!

If you’re planning a trip to Vegas, especially a bachelorette party, don’t hesitate to email me.  After 4 months of planning, I have lots of suggestions and ideas!

Have you been to RPM?  Thoughts?
Any fun Vegas stories out there?  Feel free to share. 🙂