work travel Archives - My Inner Shakti

What I Ate in London

You guys, I’m on my way back from London as I type! What a whirlwind of a trip. It would’ve been absolutely fine, except for the fact that we took a redeye flight in and didn’t get a chance to rest at all. Upon arriving to my hotel room, I took a shower, got ready, and went to the office. The sleep factor didn’t get any better over the next couple of days. Phew! I’m really looking forward to some relaxing, quality, family time this weekend!

With that being said, I have a few fun London updates (all food related…big surprise).

Firstly, I ate my beloved Pret’s porridge twice, and it was glorious. My boss tried (and loved) it too! Her exact words were, “You mentioned this stuff a few times now. I should probably try it.” Haha!

Second, we had dinner at a restaurant called Granger and Co. on Tuesday evening. I’m telling you, every London restaurant I try is amazing and often better than the last. This place had quite a few vegetarian options. I decided to try the lentil, tomato, and burrata dish – so much texture, flavor, and earthiness. I need to recreate this one soon!

Finally, we had dinner at The Cinnamon Club on Wednesday night. The restaurant itself was super unique – located in the old Westminster Library. And the food! Unique twists on Indian food presented in the most beautiful and clean way. I shared beetroot vegetarian cakes and the malai kofta (paneer dumplings in a creamy tomato sauce) with my boss. So much yum! I also ordered the plain lassi – it had hints of vanilla and sesame oil. #strangebutsogood

Other than that, the trip was all about that work, work, work, work, work life.

I plan to rest as much as possible before landing in Chicago because this weekend is full of activity and good food. More on that next week!

Happy Friday eve!

Weekend Recap – Three Days Three Places!

written by Parita 14 Comments

I’M HOME! And it feels sooo good!

While Panama was amazing and a lot of fun, I was so ready to come home. I missed my husband, I missed my bed, I missed my routine!

In true weekend recap style, here’s a little breakdown of my Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

FRIDAY (still in Panama)

I woke up around 6:45, changed into my workout gear, and headed to the gym. After not exercising for four days, I was ready to move!

My team met at 9 am to debrief, discuss next steps, etc. It was great to hear everyone’s perspectives. Debriefs should really be baked into everything – work events, life events, everything!

We had a little bit of time between the meeting and dinner, so I hung out with a few of my colleagues in the open air. We were in conference rooms all week, so it was nice to sit outside!

Around 6 pm, a small group of us met at Ruth’s Chris for drinks and dinner. It always amazes me that steak houses have delicious vegetarian options. I had a chopped salad, the asparagus and leek soup, and a few bites of broccoli gratin. Oh and a Moscow Mule. Oh and a few bites of the banana cream pie. YUM!

A couple of people on the team gifted me and my colleague Toni these little elephant piggy banks to say thanks for all of our work during the week

I pretty much crashed the second my head hit the pillow (the hotel beds were SO comfy!).

SATURDAY (airports)

My flight wasn’t scheduled to depart until 4:45 pm, so a colleague and I decided to explore the rainforest in the city (Parque Natural Metropolitano). Well, our plan didn’t go quite the way we anticipated. Apparently, Panama City was shutting down the water supply between 8 am – 5 pm. We didn’t want to go hiking, get all sweaty, and not be able to shower before our flights. So instead we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and some time by the pool.

Even though my flight wasn’t until later, I headed to the airport with my colleague…at 11:30! This was early, even for me! But I (eventually) made it to Miami in one piece. After clearing customs and all that, I still had another two hours until my next flight to Tampa. SUCH A LONG DAY!

But I made it to Tampa just fine and eventually made it home. It was so good to see Vishnu (who was half asleep by the time I made it back)!

And yet again, I crashed hard.

SUNDAY (home!)

Vishnu and I were in no hurry to start our day. In fact, we stayed in bed and talked for a good hour before even attempting to be productive. And productive in this case meant making a light breakfast, unpacking, and going to a late brunch/lunch. Ha!

Later in the evening, we got ready and headed to a friend’s place to watch the Super Bowl. The game wasn’t particularly exciting until the 4^th quarter, but it was still fun to watch (mainly because of Fantasy Football and knowing what the heck was going on).

Vishnu made his “Doc Guac” for a little guac off with our friend Cara. There was no conclusive winner but I thought both of them did a great job!

We were exhausted by the time we got home and crashed pretty hard (big surprise)!

Now that I’m back and not travelling again for another six weeks, I’m ready to get back into my routine – regular exercise, healthier foods, and more time with Vishnu!

Happy Monday!

Pictures from Panama

written by Parita 19 Comments

Before I share pictures from my week in Panama, I have a few things to update you all on-

I have yet to be bitten by a mosquito. This may be because there really aren’t any in Panama City or it could be because of my amazing bug spray. I’ll share more about this magical spray soon!
Panamanian food is amazing…even the vegetarian stuff. I love all the fresh flavors!
The conference was a success. At the end of these kinds of events, we share a slide show of pictures from the week. I’m not even going to lie. I was thisclose to tearing up!
Being in Panama and communicating in the little Spanish that I know has made me want to [re]learn the language (I took up to AP Spanish in high school and never took another class again). Rosetta Stone, here I come!
I miss Vishnu! And I feel bad that he won’t be able to experience this amazing country.

Weekend Recap – Preparing For and Getting to Panama

written by Parita 5 Comments

When travelling internationally for work, I usually leave on a Saturday. Undoubtedly, this means that Friday is full of chaos, no matter how prepared I think I am.

And this trip to Panama was no exception. Thankfully, the chaos subsided once I got to the hotel, unpacked, and ate lunch! Although I’m pretty sure this week is going to be one of those “on from the minute you get up to the minute your head hits the pillow” kind of weeks. Wish me luck!

FRIDAY

I worked a full day on Friday, preparing last minute things for the conference and ensuring my own travel plans were set.

In the evening, after Vishnu left for work, I headed to the salon to get my nails done. I usually don’t splurge on manicures, never mind gel ones, unless a work related event calls for it.

I wish my nails always looked like this!

By the time I got home, I realized that I had just under three hours to do a load of laundry, clean the apartment, and pack. My flight was at 7 am the next morning, which meant I had to be out of the apartment by 5:30, which meant I had to be up at 4.

It took me a while, but it all got done. And I’m pretty sure I was asleep exactly five seconds after my head hit my pillow!

SATURDAY

I naively thought that I’d be up for a quick 30 minute Barre3 online workout before my flight, so I set my alarm for 4 am. I even set up my mat, dumbbells, ball and towel in the living room. Ummm…so yeah…I didn’t work out! It’s the thought that counts, right?!

Even though I had an extra 30 minutes in the morning, I still ran around like a chicken with its head cut off. Somehow I managed to get out the door by 5:30.

Now, you guys know that I’m a little weird about airports and travelling. The one thing I’m usually adamant about is giving myself plenty of time. I’d rather sit and wait an hour than risk being late.

Well, I definitely wasn’t thinking straight for this trip because I didn’t give myself much time at all. By the time I got to the airport and paid my driver, it was 5:50. This would be 100% fine if the line to drop your bag off wasn’t so long (totally unexpected!).

By the time it was my turn, the agent said that my bag may not make it on to the plane. I asked her if there was anything she could do because my bag needed to make it with me to Panama. After what seemed like forever, she confirmed that we were ok!

Next came security. As I’ve mentioned before, I have TSA pre check, and this definitely makes the process easier. What I didn’t realize is that the speed at which you get through security depends tremendously on who’s in front of you in line. In my case, I had two older gentlemen who took about five minutes each emptying their pockets! Geez Louise!

I made it to my gate with a few minutes to spare!

My layover was in Miami, where I met up with a colleague who was on the same flight as me. We chatted for an hour or so before it was time to get on the next plane.

Aside from the morning rush, it was a pretty easy travel day. Thank goodness!

Once we got to the hotel and settled in, it was time for lunch. Thank goodness because I was starving! My colleague Ros and I went down to the hotel café and shared a pizza. It was very delicious by the way!

I had a few minutes to relax before it was time to get ready and head to Casco Viejo (Old Town Panama). We walked around for an hour or so, window shopping and taking in the sights, before it was time for dinner at Manolo Carocol.

I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant and the experience we had. In a nutshell, there’s no menu, so you eat whatever the chef prepares. I had a number of delicious vegetarian tapas style dishes like yucca ceviche, yucca gnocchi and charred eggplant, sesame tacos, cabbage/rice/veggie wrap, etc. A must try restaurant if you find yourself in Panama City!

SUNDAY

Sunday morning started nice and early with a visit to the hotel gym. And then it was time to meet my team for a prep session. We worked until the late afternoon and then got ready for our welcome reception.

The reception was wonderful. I loved hearing everyone introduce themselves – I felt like I was at some sort of corporate Olympics!

And now it’s Monday and we’re full steam ahead…

*As you can imagine, the news about the Zika virus spreading in Latin America had/has me, Vishnu, and our families super worried. While I’m not pregnant, we do want to start a family sometime soon. I did a lot of research prior to my trip and felt comfortable with what I was reading about Panama City and the virus – basically, there have been no reported cases yet.

Vishnu and I were going to stay the weekend in Panama following my conference but decided to cancel our plans. While the town we were going to hasn’t had any reported cases of the virus either, we didn’t want to risk it.

Even though I’m not super concerned, I came prepared – three bottles of bug spray and Buggables bracelets/anklets. I also only packed pants/jeans and long sleeve tops (even though it’s ~85 degrees in Panama!). No bites so far…fingers crossed!

Finally, I’m trying to be good about snapping my Panama City experience, so follow along on SnapChat (@myinnershakti)!

A Full Few Days in Chicago

written by Parita 4 Comments

I’m so grateful that I got to spend a few days in Chicago this week. I caught up with friends, hung out with my sister a ton, saw, spent time with coworkers I only see a few times a year, made major progress on one of my projects, and ate some delicious food. AND the weather was absolutely perfect! What a week!

When I got in on Tuesday, I went straight to my hotel to get ready for dinner. A couple of my friends (Ankita and Rena), Aekta, and I had reservations at Gilt Bar, an unassuming restaurant with delicious food and drinks! I took zero pics of the food itself because the lighting was horrible, but trust me when I say it was delicious. My favorites of the night included the roasted garlic, the ricotta gnocci (so soft and creamy), and the brownies + ice cream + fudge. I will be back!

Aek stayed with me all week, so after dinner, we headed back to the hotel and passed out. I was exhausted!

The next morning I headed to my company’s brand new building! The space is absolutely gorgeous – open concept, airy, filled with sunshine, etc. Really looking forward to calling it home next year!

After a three hour workshop, a few of us headed downstairs to pick up lunch from Freshii. Love that there are so many healthy options nearby.

Later in the evening, my immediate team met up for a family dinner (we all brought one or more family members with us!) at Flat Top Grill. I was so excited to introduce Aek to my team. It was so fun catching up outside of the office!

Immediately after dinner, Aek and I zipped over to the Loft on Michigan Avenue for a little late night shopping. There was a 50% off the entire store sale going on, and we wanted to check it out. Let’s just say we both walked out with a few items!

We woke up a early on Thursday to work out. I needed a little treadmill time to offset all the food I was consuming!

After getting ready for the day, I headed out and met a friend (who is someone I now consider my friend!) of my coworker/friend Thea for breakfast and GREAT conversation. Bekki and I sat and talked for over an hour about all things HR and blogging! Such a great and refreshing way to start the day.

The work day was actually super packed. One of the projects I’ve been leading over the past few months is in the final stages. My entire day was consumed by this one project, but I didn’t mind because I was able to make some major progress. I did, however, break for lunch. My coworker/friend Erin and I headed to Cosi where I had the best salad!

I wanted to show my sister the new office, so she came by at the end of the day. The best part of that was introducing her to some of my other coworkers and seeing their reactions. One person in particular was absolutely blown away by how similar we look and act!

After touring the office, we headed to the hotel to drop off our stuff. Next stop…Pequods for some deep dish pizza! This particular dining experience was interesting for a few different reasons, but the (now) funniest one involved my slice of pizza and the container of red pepper flakes. Let’s just say the top wasn’t screwed on super tightly which resulted in red pepper chaos. I mean, everything was covered – me, the table, and my slice! Out waitress was awesome and offered to give us a personal pan pizza for free (which we didn’t end up eating). Instead, we swung by the hospital afterwards to see Adarsh and deliver some delicious pizza. It all worked out!

My sister and I watched the latest episode of The Mindy Project before bed and called it a night. I was overcome with exhaustion!

And now I’m home and ready for the weekend (and to see my hubby)! Our friends Jenny and Jimi will be here tonight, and we can’t wait to spend time with them!

Chicago, you were great (as always)! I can’t wait to see you again in a few weeks! Try not to get all cold on me please!

Have a great weekend!

Weekend Recap…

written by Parita 6 Comments

…that includes too many things to name in the title!

Another weekend, another recap! Also, as I mentioned in my no added sugar challenge post, I’m in Chicago for work this week. I love this city in the summer. There’s truly nothing like it!

FRIDAY

I only worked until lunch on Friday since Vishnu and I had our TSA pre-check appointments in the early afternoon. The “interviews” themselves took about five minutes each. Actually getting to the airport was the real pain because of an accident and onlooker delays.

Since we were already in Tampa, we went to the mall to see if we could find any good deals. Guess what…no deals! I did get a new-to-me BB cream at Sephora though (will share more once I’ve tested it out a bit). We also stopped by Nordstrom Rack where I found a beautiful woven dress that can be dressed up or down and will transition from summer to fall quite nicely I think.

When we got home from the mall, Vishnu asked if I would be interested in going to see the new Mission Impossible movie. Since Reshma gave it two thumbs up, I was not only down but kind of excited! Mind you, Vishnu’s been anticipating this movie for quite some time now. How do I know? Because he showed me the online trailer five times in the last two months!

If you’re looking for a fun action movie to end the summer with, this is it! I may not be the biggest Tom Cruise fan, but boy can he act! AND Vishnu told me that he did most of the stunts himself. Crazy! I also loved the humor that was mixed in with all the action, particularly any scene with Benji!

SATURDAY

On Saturday morning, I went to TJs per the usual except this time I didn’t come back with tons of stuff. Since I’m gone through the end of the week, I picked up a few prepared/prepackaged foods for Vishnu. Before most longer trips, I try to make him something to eat for the week before I head out (lasagna, chili, etc.), but I didn’t prepare the way I usually do so Trader Joe’s to the rescue. Tamales, chicken lasagna, and pizza will have to do this week!

Other to dos on our Saturday agenda included cleaning, a work out, de cluttering my makeup stash (i.e. throwing away a few old products that I held on to “just in case”), and packing.

We also met up with one of Vishnu’s co-interns and his girlfriend for dinner at Stillwaters Tavern. Apparently the restaurant just opened a month or so ago. I can tell it’s going to be a go to place for a lot of people because the food and the beer selection were both on point.

I stuck with water as my drink of choice and ordered a house made vegetarian burger and fries as my main. For some reason, I was craving a veggie burger all day, and this one delivered. The patty itself was full of flavor (I think the main ingredient was black beans), and the toppings included feta, tzatziki sauce and pickled onions. I honestly could’ve ate a bowl of just those onions. They were perfectly sweet and tangy! And the ketchup that came with the fries was a little spicy and added the perfect kick. Craving quenched!

As an aside, the chicken dish Vishnu ordered came with jalapeno cheddar bread pudding. Um, how good does that sound!? Too bad it was wedged between two pieces of chicken. Sad smile I really wanted to try it! Next time I may get it as a side.

After dinner, Shaz, AJ’s girlfriend, asked if we wanted to stop by the gelato place next door. No worries, I didn’t cheat on my challenge. While every got a cup of gelato, I sipped on a no sugar added latte. But you better believe we are going back to this place in 20 days! Some of the flavors looked and sounded absolutely delicious.

SUNDAY

Our Sunday started way earlier than we wanted at 4:15 am because of my crack of dawn flight. I promised myself (and Vishnu) that I won’t book early morning flights anymore unless absolutely necessary.

Anyway, we got to the airport with plenty of time for me to check my bag and get through security. Or so we thought! The security line was unbelievably long. At one point when I looked back, it had started to wrap around the back of the airport! I couldn’t help but wish that our pre-check appointment one week earlier! It was so bad that they closed the regular lanes where you go through the normal TSA process and opened up three pre-check lanes where you keep your shoes on and don’t have to take out liquids or electronics. That was the only way to get everyone through. Luckily, I made it to my gate with a few minutes to spare!

Once I arrived in Chicago, I quickly unpacked/settled in to my hotel room and got ready for the day. Unfortunately, it was drizzling, so I couldn’t go very far. Vishnu wanted me to check out potential neighborhoods since we’re going to start hunting for our next home soon! I guess the rain followed me here.

At 1:00 pm, a group of us staying at the hotel headed over to my coworker Toni’s parent’s house for dinner. Toni’s family is Italian, and her dad just so happens to have a wood burning brick oven in his backyard, so we had an Italian pizza party! So much delicious fun!

And finally, I ended the day by meeting up with a very good business school friend of mine! Mariam and I hadn’t seen each other since my wedding, so this was a long overdue reunion. I love it when one trip fits so many different purposes!

I’ll share more about this trip in Friday’s post – lots of delicious restaurants on the agenda along with a Cubs game, fireworks, and more!

Have a wonderful Monday, and as always, thanks for reading!

Have you ever been to Chicago before? Favorite US city?

London – Work, Eat, Play

written by Parita 9 Comments

Work

Nothing too interesting to report here. Lots of meetings, planning, and strategizing for the rest of 2015/early 2016. It’s going to be a busy few months!

Even though I enjoy my job, I must say, having cool coworkers makes it that much better. They all share my love for good food and adventure. There are always amazing restaurants and fun things to do on the agenda when we get together (re: Play below).

Eat

I’ve been eating Pret A Manger’s porridge for breakfast every day. You guys, it’s so so so good! I’ve blogged about it before, but for those who missed it, this stuff is creamy, hearty, and delicious. And the berry compote takes it to the next level. Tart, slightly sweet, and mmm mmm good! The combination is out of this world!

Dear Pret, never ever stop selling porridge!

Remember when my boss and I were in NYC for a conference and we ate at Kati Roll three times in one week? Well, guess what…there’s a Kati Roll in London, and we went for lunch on Monday. Luckily, it was just as good as we remembered it!

While the two restaurants listed above are not new to me, we did check out an entirely new place called Inspiral. The menu is really unique in terms of it’s offerings. As in, it’s vegan/vegetarian/raw.

We tried the raw nachos made with flax and cashews, a veggie burger that came with the most delicious vegan mayo, and the raw lasagna with zucchini noodles as the base. And of course, you can’t leave without trying some rich chocolate/avocado/coconut butter fudge cake (that went unpictured). So unexpectedly yum!

Play

Last time I came to London for similar meetings, my coworkers planned a lot in terms of sightseeing. This time around, because I’ve seen most everything, we decided to lay low and do something different. So we went to Regent’s Park and had a picnic!

Delicious food, great weather, and my goofy colleagues – the perfect combo for a fun evening in the park!

Lots of other people had the same idea!

I’m sad my trip is coming to an end, but I can’t wait to see my Vishnu! It was our 3rd wedding anniversary yesterday, and it’s our 10th dating anniversary on Saturday! So much to celebrate. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

What I Ate in London

Weekend Recap – Three Days Three Places!

Pictures from Panama

Weekend Recap – Preparing For and Getting to Panama

A Full Few Days in Chicago

Weekend Recap…

London – Work, Eat, Play

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