Put on your dancing shoes

I was a little skeptical about going out on Broadway (not really my scene), but it was a special occasion! To my surprise, this new place we checked out called Monroe was actually a very cute bar/ club. We had tons of fun and danced the night away. I miss making moments like this with the girls.

Drais Hollywood

In celebration of a friend's booming business, we headed out for a night of fun with his company at Drais Hollywood. Despite the block long lines and  #$%@#$& security guards (hello Hollywood!), we managed to have a blast. Not hard to do when they put 6 bottles on the table and tell you to drink.

Marquee

 The hottest new club on the strip is the Marquee at the Cosmopolitan. This place is gorgeous (so is the crowd) and reminiscent of a Miami club/ hotel. There are several bars throughout, a pool in the outdoor area, cabanas and more. Drinks are pricey, but you'd expect that from any Vegas club - especially a new one. $15 for a shot of Patron.

Music is great - Steve Angello was spinning in the main room when I went last weekend. What I love about the main room is that the DJ is the center of attention and the crowd really gets into the music. Bottle service is a bit steep here, I was quoted about $2k for a party of 8. Girls get in free if you're on the guestlist and there before 11pm otherwise it's $20 and for guys it's $30. Either come really early and wait in line, or do what we did and come REALLY late, know a few people and avoid the line period.

Chicken & Waffles with a Side of Bottle Service

Touching down early in LV gives you an opportunity to check out the city before the craziness starts. After dropping our bags off, we went straight to the infamous Hash House A Go Go for "twisted farm food". I was surprised to see such interesting items on the menu like the beer in a bag and bacon & beer options. Of course, I just had to get the beer in a bag for fun. The portions are enormous so make sure to share. Allison and I opted for the chicken & waffles and although it was a little on the dry side, it was still enjoyable (and nicely plated).

After strolling around the strip, resting up in our room and ordering our first sandwich at Earl of Sandwich (I'll expand on this later), we got dolled up and made it out to Eve. This club is Eva Longoria's and a lot more intimate than your standard Las Vegas nightclub which we appreciated. It helped that we knew a few people because we were able to score a few bottles at a great price (plus a free one for the ladies). After 4 bottles, we were dancing machines and had a crazy first night.

Girl Time!

As the years have passed our schedules have been overloaded with work, boyfriends, family and more - we just don't get together as frequently as we used to. We also don't reside in the same city any longer. To put things into perspective, in our "college days" we would see eachother as much as 3-4 times a week. So nowadays, when we do get together, it's always nothing but fun and laughs. Can't wait for the next one...

This night, Ariel and I head to watch Talib Kweli perform at Yoshi's Fillmore with our sig figs (i love this intimate venue). Following the show, we meet up with some of the girls at Harlot, we have a drink then head over to a place we used to go to all the time in the past, Fluid. Wow, 2 clubs in one night! It's unheard of for me these days.

Sydney the 2nd Time Around...

We're back in Sydney for one last day/night before we fly back to San Francisco and we spend our last day doing the following...

Strolling through the Botanical Garden.


Then we headed to the Opera House and stumbled upon the sound check for Australian Idol's season finale. Guess who we found!!?? Michael Buble!!! He's one of the host and got there a little early to meet & greet fans.



We stopped to take another picture in front of the Harbour Bridge.

Saw live music at the Opera Bar.

Had a few drinks & canapes in the executive lounge at our hotel (btw, an awesome perk if you have business discounts). With the extra hour we had before dinner, we took a few glasses of wine to our room and took advantage of the plush robes hanging in the closet.

Then, we got ready & went out for a group dinner at the Meat & Wine Co. in Darling Harbour.

After dinner, we had a few drinks at Zachary's with the group, then headed to Panghaus (I think that's what the bar/club we went to was called).

Made new friends.

Danced the night away at Kings Cross.


...and that was the day!

The Woolshed

This bar unites backpackers from all over the world and it was recommended by a friend (hi Caroline) who had an "unforgettable" time here so I couldn't pass it up. During our stay in Cairns, the whole city seemed to be invaded by Europeans - not a bad thing, they were actually quite entertaining (see photos below). We strolled in on a Wednesday night unaware of what was in store until we all looked at the dark stamp on our hand after we passed the entrance that read, "Wet T-shirt Wednesdays." I should also mention that after 11pm, everyone in this place starts dancing on the tables. Try it, you might like it.

P.S. In case you're wondering, I omitted the wet t-shirt contest photos for obvious reasons.

Sushi, Sneakers & Sacramento

This past weekend, a few of our closest friends headed out to Sacramento to help Craig celebrate his birthday. We started the night off with dinner at Mikuni Sushi, a favorite of the Sac locals. People filled the restaurant from top to bottom (it's 2 floors!), music was blasting at a good level (you can still have conversations) & the decor was very modern.

We had 15 guests and not one person complained about the food, instead, everyone gave their meals rave reviews which left me happy considering I helped in the planning process. The last thing an event planner wants is an unhappy guest! When I inquired about birthday extras, I was excited to find out that our special celebrant gets to spin a prize wheel in addition to free dessert. Though the wheel didn't have amazing prizes, we appreciated the comic relief when Craig landed on "glow stick". Our amazing server even snuck in a free shot glass!

After dinner, we headed to Parlare, a restaurant turned Euro lounge where the security guards aka bouncers left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Clearly, the site does not list "no sneakers" on their dresscode rules (see for yourself), but the bouncer gave my friends a hard time anyway. Mind you, we saw a few people get in just fine with sneakers on. Luckily, the owner came down, said it was no problem and let us in - plus, we promised we'd buy 2 bottles.

Luckily, we had a fantastic time. Why must some bouncers have these power trips?

Happy Birthday Craig!

Downtown Fort Lauderdale Nights

You know you're going to have a great night when the first bar you walk into has no cover charge. This was the case at the Porterhouse, but in addition to no cover it was "Ladies Night" which means, free drinks for the ladies.

You can literally get a free drink from Porterhouse, walk out the door with it and onto the next place. This is what we did. Grabbed a drink and walked to Automatic Slims (no cover charge!).
Hmm... this being my 3rd post about Florida, I almost feel like all I've done so far is drink! Well, I guess that's the MIA/FLL vibe for ya - or maybe it's just 'cause I'm on vacation.

Upon entering this club, I was flabbergasted - all of the women had perfect bodies! Granted, they all worked there as bartenders or dancers, but still! This place has two floors and it surprised me that they played such a great selection of music - a combination of mainstream radio tracks & oldschool east/westcoast tracks.

Overall, my first downtown FLL experience was a memorable one.

P.S. There are so many international travelers in Florida! Of course, I managed to make a few overseas friends again - I love my international folks.