Friends Archives - My Inner Shakti

Naples, FL – Food, Pool, Fun

A couple of weeks ago, Vishnu and I, along with 18 other people, headed down to Naples, FL to celebrate a bunch of people in the group turning 40 this year. This trip was like a year in the making and the celebration definitely exceeded any expectations any of us had.

Here’s a snapshot of where we stayed, what we did, and where we ate!

P.S. This may look like a really simple vacay, but that was by design. The goal was to spend time together and just have fun. Our good friend Naveen planned the entire thing…down to the beautiful personalized menus at every dinner. If you need a party planner, I know an amazing one!

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. Everything about this property was on point. From the clean and spacious rooms, to the breakfast restaurant, to the accommodating staff. It was truly a luxurious three nights!

And if you’re a beach person, there’s a shuttle that departs every hour on the hour that takes people to the Ritz beach resort.

What we did

For two out of the three mornings we were there, my best friend Roshni and I got up and worked out. The gym was nice and included everything we needed to do a couple of sweaty workouts.

Then, after a leisurely breakfast the hotel restaurant with a larger group of people, we would all head to our rooms to get ready for the pool. We literally spent 5-6 hours at the pool on both Friday and Saturday. There are plenty of pool chairs for guests, but we had a couple of cabanas, so it worked out well.

Then, we would go back to relax, shower, and get ready for dinner.

On our second night (dinner was at the Beach resort), we had a dance party that lasted until 2 am! It was THE best. One of our friends was the DJ, and we danced to everything from pop, R&B, rap, hip hop to garba and Bollywood. IT WAS A BLAST!

And on our last night, we played Empire in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours. SO fun!

Where we ate

Ria – delicious Latin American food; restaurant located on property

Lemonia – where we started every morning…with a delicious breakfast. You can order a la carte or opt for the buffet.

We had dinner at the beach resort, but it was more of a special event than a restaurant. If you’re going with a large party, I highly recommend contacting the hotel to see if they can arrange a special meal just for your party. It was quite the dining experience with multiple courses and wine pairings too. And as delicious as everything was, the dessert was the MOST delicious. A small trio of chocolate desserts – right up my alley!

Sails – our last dinner was at Sails. Naveen organized the menu ahead of time, and all of the options were delicious. The food had a blended European vibe, and the ambiance was very elegant. A lovely way to end our trip

And that is our trip to Naples in a nutshell. An amazing celebration of turning 40 and lifelong friendships!

Girls Weekend in Asheville

written by Parita 2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Asheville with six of my girlfriends, and it was an absolute blast! We laughed, we talked, we ate, and we slept. Glorious!

In addition to it being a girls’ weekend, we were also celebrating two of our friends 40th birthdays! So this was an extra special trip!

We chose Asheville because it’s a short (ish) drive from Atlanta. There’s great food. And if you’re into it, the hikes and natural beauty of the city and surrounding area are majestic!

Also, and maybe most importantly, the spa at The Omni Grove Park Inn is quite spectacular. We thoroughly enjoyed our half day of hanging out and getting massages.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at The Omni Grove Park Inn because that’s the only way to access the spa right now. The property itself was beautiful and definitely had a lodge feel to it. The grounds are also well kept and really pretty. The rooms were just ok in my opinion. They felt a little outdated, but they were clean and sometimes that’s all you can ask for! I will also say that this hotel has quite a lot of original features – paintings, memorabilia, and even elevators that are manned by someone. It was a fun experience overall!

What We Did

Biltmore Estate – As soon as we arrived in Asheville we had lunch and then. headed straight to the Biltmore Estate for a wine tasting. Priorities! We then drove over to the Biltmore House and walked around the gardens before dinner.

A quick note – if you want to see more of the Estate, plan to spend 6-8 hours on the property. We didn’t have that kind of time, so we chose a couple of things and stuck to those.

A hike – There are so many beautiful hikes of all levels in and around Asheville. We wanted something low key and chill that got us out of the hotel and moving. We hiked Richmond Hill Park and enjoyed it. It’s not the most scenic hike but it was enjoyable. Definitely do your research and get out there if you can.

The Omni Grove Park Inn Spa – This spa experience is what our whole trip revolved around. We checked in around noon on Saturday and left at 5:30-6pm. It was just the medicine each of us need to feel pampered and relaxed. We indulged in most of the spa’s pools and rooms (re: sauna, etc.). We also each got an amazing massage, that if I do say so myself, was the highlight of the trip (well, the whole spa experience)! If you’re staying at the OGPI, definitely don’t skip the spa!

Elaine’s Piano Bar – Elaine’s is located in the OGPI, so it was an easy after dinner activity…and fun too! There was plenty of space, and the two pianists were a blast to watch as they dueled their way through different songs. And while you can put in requests, I will say that most of the music fell on the country side of the spectrum, so don’t expect anything too wild and crazy!

Where We Ate

White Duck Taco Shop – Tacos of all kinds (vegetarian options were plentiful), delicious and refreshing drinks, and lots of fun sides to indulge in too. I especially liked the low-key, fun vibe of this place. 100% felt like we were in Austin (one of my favorite foodie cities!). Definitely time your visit right because the lines can get long at peak times.

Plant – This was one of my favorite meals of the trip. Plant is a vegan restaurant that serves delicious, fresh, and unique dishes that anyone and everyone will love. HIGHLY recommend checking this place out. Oh and don’t skimp on the dessert – it was DELICIOUS!

Curate – I wanted to love Curate but honestly found it mediocre. The menu includes a good number of vegetarian tapas, however, the food was nothing to write home about. It was good but not great. One positive thing – you can’t beat the location – right in the heart of DT Asheville.

RosaBees – Rosa Bees was one of my favorite brunch experiences EVER! It’s a Polynesian restaurant so definitely didn’t know what to expect, but everything we ordered was scrumptious! The egg dishes were perfectly balanced, the biscuits were buttery and so soft, the banana French toast was sweet, dense and dessert like, and the drinks were super refreshing. HIGHLY recommend making a reservation here.

And now I miss my friends and our fun weekend in Asheville! I hope this is helpful if you ever visit the city and need help planning.

Home for the 2019 Holidays

written by Parita Leave a Comment

It’s not too late to talk about our time in Atlanta, right? I hope not because I’m doing it!

So, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, we spent the days leading up to Christmas and a few days after in Atlanta. And if I’m being honest, this was one of my favorite trips home since Kaiden was born. HE was just the best – fun, playful, and just so damn cute! Even my mom agreed that this trip was fun because he was in a good mood 99% of the time.

So K and I flew down to Atlanta the Friday before Christmas. The flight was ok, as in Kaiden didn’t nap but he was fine (just a little seat kicking, but I’ll take that over a meltdown/tantrum). My parents picked us up from the airport. It took us almost 2 hours to get home! Atlanta traffic is no joke!

Our days at my parents’ house were filled with no real schedule but lots of good food, lots of playtime, and lots of fun! I was also able to squeeze in a couple of friend dates – dinner with some of my close college girlfriends and coffee with one of my besties!

We also squeezed in a visit with Santa at the mall. Get this, it was the same Santa as last year! Also, when asked what he wanted for Christmas this year, Kaiden said ‘yogurt.’ HAHA! Where do they come up with this stuff?!

We left my parents’ house on Christmas Eve and made our way over to Vishnu’s parents’ house. He actually arrived late in the evening that day, so Kaiden and I got a few hours with his parents until then.

We celebrated Christmas at Vishnu’s brother’s and fiance’s place, Niel and Neelam, with my parents, my in laws, and the majority of Neelam’s family. We ate some delicious home cooked food and sang karaoke. It was a blast!

The rest of our days were spent hanging out around the house and eating more yummy food!

I attended a cookie exchange party at my best friend Roshni’s house one night. So much fun! I made The Table of Spice’s eggless chocolate chip cookies. This is what dreams are made out of, people!

The next morning, we headed back out with K in tow to visit with Alina, Roshni’s baby girl! She was born back in September, but I hadn’t had the chance to hang with her yet! She’s just THE cutest!

And that pretty much wraps up our trip home at a high level! I’m so glad I had another week before work started back up because I definitely needed a vacation from our vacation!

And now we’re days into 2020! How did that happen? Let’s make it a great one!

How did you spend your holidays?

The 6 Words I Whisper to My Baby Every Day

written by Parita 2 Comments

Before I divulge the 6 words I whisper to my baby every day (a little cliffhanger…!), I have to share a little bit about my friend Sweeti’s baby shower I attended in Fort Lauderdale this past weekend.

I flew down to Florida on Saturday morning and flew back to Chicago on Sunday morning, so it was a super short trip. But I’m so glad I was able to be there to celebrate Sweeti and her husband Sunay’s baby girl. Everything about the shower exuded love and fun. My favorite parts involved sitting back and relaxing with friends and the game night Sunay planned. If you follow me on Instagram Stories, you probably saw a few clips of the shenanigans. So. Much. Fun.

Also of great significance (to me at least) was the fact that this was my very first night away from Kaiden. My strategy for how to deal? Lots of FaceTiming and reminding myself that my being away is good bonding time for Vishnu and Kaiden. And guess what…I was right. They had a blast! In fact, when I got back, K was constantly looking out for Vishnu, and every time he would appear so would a huge smile on K’s face.

The 6 words I whisper to my baby every day

After reading Brene Brown’s parenting manifesto, my views on motherhood/parenthood shifted in a big way. Above all else, my ultimate goal is to raise a kind, compassionate, well-adjusted, courageous child. A pretty tall order, I know!

For one, something Vishnu and I talk about all the time is how we need to lead by example now that we’re parents. Even now, Kaiden watches our every move. If we want him to be kind, we have to be kind. If we want him to be courageous, we have to be courageous. I think a lot of people attribute their success as parents to their kids achievements, when in fact, it’s all about our own behaviors. Are we leading the way? Do our words align with our actions?

Leading by example becomes more and more critical as kids get older. So what about the baby era? Well, I truly believe babies are intuitive beings. They know more than they let on! Even in the early days/months/years, our words carry significant weight. And that is why I whisper the following 6 words to Kaiden every day…

See, I believe in order to embody everything I mentioned earlier, one of your core beliefs has to be that you are loved, lovably and worthy. This should be your foundation. I want Kaiden to feel love and worthiness in his bones. And more than anything else, I want him to love himself deeply. I’m confident he’ll be ok if this rings true.

This is precisely why I’m working on my own feelings of love and worthiness. I need to lead by example when it comes to this notion. Like I said before, words will only go so far. This topic is probably worthy (see what I did there!) of its own post.

But until Kaiden is a tad bit older, my words will have to do…

Kaiden, my beautiful boy, you are loved, lovable and oh so worthy!

St. Patty’s Day/Weekend in Chicago

written by Parita 3 Comments

This past weekend was an absolute blast – our besties, Roshni and Samir, were here, we celebrated our first St. Patty’s Day in Chicago, and this preggo partied with the best of them!

I’m honestly not sure why Chicago celebrates this holiday a week early (if you know, please leave a comment!), but either way, this city sure knows what it’s doing. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it out to watch the river turn green (maybe next year), but everyone (but me) enjoyed lots of green beers!

But let’s back up for a second…

We started the weekend with some DELICIOUS pizza at Coalfire with Aek/Adarsh and Roshni/Samir. You guys, alongside Piece, this stuff is among my favorite when it comes to Chicago pizza. I love the thin, crispy crust and fresh toppings. At Coalfire, the whipped ricotta takes an already delicious pie and puts it over the top. So much yum and so much fun conversation. Who knew that Samir, Vishnu, and Adarsh were such fans of the Bachelor?! Ha!

The next day started bright and early with the hopes that we would make it to the river, but instead, we drank breakfast shakes and talked. Oops!

After breakfast shakes came the breakfast beers…green beers at 10 am at that. Again, I obviously didn’t partake, but it was still fun to watch everyone else enjoy themselves!

A couple of hours later, we took our party of six to a local bar. And that’s where this preggo thrived. The music was so good even I had to get up and shake my bump! We then met up with my sister and her friends and headed to another bar where we danced and ate some more before calling it a night…at 6:30 pm. #soold Of course, there was more good food involved at this point. We stopped at Magnolia Bakery for some banana pudding before heading home and eating Opart Thai and Bombay Wraps (the things that appear when Rosh is in charge of dinner!) for dinner.

Sunday came a little quicker than I would’ve liked. We had until about 4:00 with Rosh and Samir, so we got up, chatted over more breakfast shakes (sans alcohol), got ready, and eventually headed to brunch at Hutch. By the time we got home, it was almost time for them to leave for the airport. Luckily, our next reunion is only two short months away!

And that, my friends, was our first St. Patty’s day/weekend in Chicago!

*I clearly failed at taking fun pics this weekend. Oops!

Your turn – do you celebrate St. Patty’s Day? Green beers galore?!

The Halloweekend That Wasn’t

written by Parita 5 Comments

Halloweekend 2016 wasn’t very Halloweeny, but it sure was fun!

Roshni and Samir’s flight was delayed by about an hour on Friday night, so Vishnu and I watched the Cubs game until it was time to head to the airport. After picking them up and dropping their bags off at home, the four of us headed to Duck Duck Goat for a very late dinner that was worth every delicious bite. We shared six different things between the four of us, including green beans topped with crispy shallot and cashews, gyozas, veggie fried rice, spicy tofu, a pineapple dessert, and a few other things. In my opinion, the fried rice and pineapple cake stole the show!

Our friend Rohit, who also stayed with us this weekend (his brother rented out their place on Airbnb for the Cubs games this weekend), met us at the restaurant. The five of us sat around and chatted for a while before heading home to talk some more and finally fall asleep around 2 am.

Needless to say, the next morning started much later than any of us anticipated. By the time we left the house, it was 3:00 pm! Our first stop was Oven Grinder for a late lunch. A late lunch that turned into dinner because of a 3.5 hour wait.

We didn’t wait around the restaurant for 3.5 hours though. We grabbed a bit at Del Seoul and then walked around Lincoln Park for a bit. Our main objective was to find Halloween costumes for me, Rosh, and Samir. Vishnu figured his out late last week. We finally settled on a Dr. Seuss theme for the three of us (Dr. Seuss himself + two cats). Not too shabby for a very last minute costume search.

So after all that, we headed back to Oven Grinder for dinner. *A word of caution to those who haven’t eaten here yet – try to go at an odd time (apparently the best time is 9 pm on a Sunday). The wait is ridiculous. Not always over 3 hours, but you’ll almost never walk in and be seated immediately. Be ready for that!

Dinner was awesome. I’m not a huge deep dish pizza fan, but I love the saucy Oven Grinder pie. With the exception of Vishnu who went for the meat sauce, the rest of us got 1/2 pounders with light cheese, veggie sauce, and a white crust. YUM!

So this is where our plans veer off track. We were supposed to go home, get ready, and meet Rohit and a few of our other friends for a fun Halloween night out. Instead, we got home, sat down [for a supposed minute], turned on the Cubs game, and passed out! OOPS!!! In a roundabout way, it all worked out because Roshni had a cold that took a turn for the worse, and it probably wasn’t a great idea for her to be out until the wee hours of the morning. In all honesty, it worked out for me too. Due to some lingering stomach cramps, I wasn’t feeling too hot either. Such is life!

The next morning started fairly early since we all got 13200948730 hours of sleep! We ate breakfast and watched football until everyone was hungry again for some Seoul Taco (not to be confused with Del Seoul!). So good!

Then, before we knew it, it was time to drop Samir and Roshni off at the airport. 🙁 But not before we took a picture (the only non-food pic of the weekend)…

Even though this Halloweekend turned out a bit differently than planned, I think we would all agree that it was pretty delicious and lots of fun!

Can’t wait until R+S come back to visit (hopefully sooner rather than later!).

Your turn – did you dress up for Halloween?

Weekend Recap – The One Where We Stayed Up Way Past Our Bedtime

written by Parita 8 Comments

You guys! This weekend was a ton of fun, but I’m exhausted. Like I probably need 12 hours of sleep exhausted.

Let me explain…

On Friday, I finished up work and cleaned our apartment because one of my best friends from college was coming down for the night AND because my sister and four of her med school friends were staying at our place over the weekend.

Once Sweeti got to our place, we chatted for a bit and then headed out to dinner at De Cero, a Mexican inspired restaurant in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago. The three of us (me, Vishnu, and Sweeti) agreed that while the food was far from authentic, it was delicious and very filling.

After dinner, we went to a bar (I can’t remember the name for the life of me) for a few beers. We sat and talked for another 1.5 hours before heading home.

Aekta and her friends were at our place when we got back. We chatted for a couple of hours before heading to bed. It was 2:00 am by the time we went to sleep!

The next morning started much later than anticipated for obvious reasons! Vishnu and I had a lunch date on the books for 12:30, so we headed out a little after 12. I won’t share too much about this meal because I want to do a more comprehensive review on the blog. But I really loved Summer House Santa Monica – the ambiance was beautiful and really reminded us of a beach house. And the food was pretty good too!

Summer House Santa Monica – Chicago, IL

Vishnu and I stopped for some after lunch coffee and ended up hanging out for another hour or so. I love it when this happens!

The rest of the day was spent lounging around doing some loose research for our trip to Hawaii.*

Later in the evening, when everyone was back from their Saturday adventures, we ordered pizza, played games, including flip cup and Cards Against Humanity, and got ready for a night out on the town! You guys, we went to not one, not two, but three different places over the course of the night. We started at a restaurant bar, made our way to another bar, and then finally ended up at a club. We got home at 3:30 am!!! Who am I? Exhausted and tired that’s who!

Anyways, because of our wild and crazy (says the girl who didn’t drink) Saturday night, our Sunday was super low-key. Aside from basic to dos (cleaning, laundry, etc.), we napped and watched TV.

And just like that, it’s Monday again! Make it a good one. 🙂

*Any and all recommendations are more than welcome for both Maui and Kauai!