Tag Archives: hotels

custom clothes in hoi an

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Hoi An, Vn.

The beautiful city of Hoi An, Vn.

Wade and I getting measured for our custom clothes. What an awesome experience.

Wade and I getting measured for our custom clothes.

My custom outfit! I took a picture from a magazine, got measured, and it was ready 24 hrs later!

My custom outfit! I took a picture from a magazine, got measured, and it was ready 24 hrs later!

I had this jacket custom made for $35!!

I also had this jacket made for just $35!!

Wade had a tuxedo made for $100!

Wade had a tuxedo made for $100!

The men got suits made at Gia Hung's tailor shop. We all felt like royalty! It was such a fun experience. I would love to go back one day with $5000 and get an entire wardrobe made!

The men got suits made at Gia Hung’s tailor shop. We all felt like royalty! It was such a fun experience. I would love to go back one day with $5000 and get an entire wardrobe made!

The charming streets of Hoi An.

The charming streets of Hoi An.

Hoi An is so picturesque no matter what time of day it is.

Hoi An is so picturesque no matter what time of day it is.

We were lucky to have been there for a full moon lantern festival!

We were lucky to have been there for a full moon lantern festival!

We had a cute little old man row us around the river in his boat during the lantern festival. It was beautiful from the water.

We had a cute little old man row us around the river in his boat during the lantern festival.

There were adorable little women selling lanterns during the festival. You lit the candle, made a wish or said a prayer for someone, then let it float into the river.

There were adorable little women selling lanterns during the festival. You lit the candle, made a wish or said a prayer for someone, then let it float into the river.

I loved the charming little city of Hoi An, VN. Not only did we get custom clothes made, we caught the full moon lantern festival and we had a great hotel, Thanh Binh II, with a balcony that overlooked the main street for only $35 a night. The city was full of tourists but I didn’t mind. We were in plenty of other rural areas on the trip that were off the beaten path. Getting custom clothes made was definitely a high light for all of us. We had so much fun doing it and felt like royalty. Before we left town we found out that they also make custom shoes in 24 hrs! Shoot, that would of really been the icing on the cake. Thats one more reason to go back one day!

saigon

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As soon as we arrived in Saigon I couldn't help but notice the crazy power lines and all the scooters. The traffic was insane.

The crazy power lines and scooters were the first things I noticed when we got to Saigon.

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Look at all the stuff she is carrying on that scooter!!! Amazing!

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A typical afternoon near our hotel in District 1 in Saigon. Note the child on the scooter without a helmet. That is just the norm.

(My apologies for the “vertical videoing”! I know Carrie is cringing! What can I say? I was caught up in the moment!)

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Wade, at the rooftop bar of our hotel, The Duc Vuong. It was very scenic, a great place to have a cold beer, and the staff was super friendly!

Good Morning Vietnam!

Good Morning Vietnam!

Our first Pho of the trip at the morning market. It was relish! This noodle dish is served morning, noon and night there!

Our first Pho of the trip at the morning market. It was delish! This noodle dish is served morning, noon and night there!

It was very common to see people preparing food along the sides of the streets.

It was very common to see people preparing food along the sides of the streets. They don’t have the health department “A, B, C” ratings we have in LA. “When in Rome” was a theme on this trip!

Ice delivery!

Ice delivery!

The little kids were the cutest!

The little kids were the cutest!

Saigon also had a lot of modern, high end boutiques. I loved this ad from a shop window.

Saigon also had a lot of modern, high end boutiques. I loved this ad from a shop window.

I got these fun sunnies from a shop in Saigon!

I got these fun sunnies from a shop in Saigon!

This temple is at the top of a hill in Van's hometown of Tay Ninh. We took a sky tram up to it but when Van was little he had to climb the mountain to get there.

This temple is at the top of a hill in Van’s hometown of Tay Ninh, about 3 hours outside of Saigon. Now you can take a sky tram up to the temple, but when Van was little he had to climb the mountain to get there.

This was another beautiful, ornate temple we visited in Tay Ninh.

This was another beautiful, ornate temple in Tay Ninh.

We spent a day with Van's family for the End of Mourning Ceremony for his father who passed 3 years ago. White is the color they traditionally wear for funerals. Here, the family was praying with Buddhist Monks. There were at least 19 of them present.

We spent a day with Van’s family for the End of Mourning Ceremony for his father who passed away 3 years ago. White is the color they traditionally wear for funerals. Here, the family was praying with Buddhist Monks. There were 19 of them present.

All of the white gowns worn for the ceremonies are then burned for The End of Mourning. It was so special to be there for this with Van and his family. A day I will forever cherish.

All of the white gowns worn for the ceremonies were burned for The End of Mourning. It was so special to experience this with Van and his family. A day I will forever cherish.

Stephanie and I even got to participate in a prayer and offering to the monks. We were given these blue robes. It was so special.

Stephanie and I got to participate in a prayer and offering to the monks.

These boxes were made up for the monks and included toiletries, a new robe, and cash. There were 19 of us who held the boxes on our heads and walked around the monks in a line 3 times before placing the boxes in front of them.

These boxes were made up for the monks and included toiletries, a new robe, and cash. There were 19 of us who held the boxes on our heads and walked around the monks in a line 3 times before placing the boxes in front of them.

After the ceremony Van's family had a delicious, catered, vegetarian meal for everyone. It was a beautiful day!

After the ceremony Van’s family had a delicious, catered, vegetarian meal for everyone. It was a very emotional and beautiful day.

Saturday night in Saigon. Look at how cute the girls are on the scooters in their date night dresses.

Saturday night in Saigon. Look at how cute the girls are on the scooters in their date night dresses.

Party scene in the streets of Saigon where the tourists and locals intermix.

Party scene in the streets of Saigon where the tourists and locals intermix.

I loved this couple. They were a little apprehensive to have their picture taken as they didn't understand English very well.

I loved this couple. They were a little apprehensive to have their picture taken as they didn’t understand English very well.

Van, Wade and I taking it all in. Saturday night in Saigon.

Van, Wade and I taking it all in. Saturday night in Saigon.

We have so many photos and I had such an amazing trip that it is hard to narrow it down. In this case, I feel the pictures speak louder then words. I couldn’t even begin to describe some of the things we saw, experienced, and ate. So, I will continue to share my trip through photos city by city. Stay tuned for more from Vietnam!

what i’m reading now

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In the tradition of Kitchen Confidential and Waiter Rant, a rollicking, eye-opening, fantastically indiscreet memoir of a life spent (and misspent) in the hotel industry. Jacob Tomsky never intended to go into the hotel business. As a new college graduate, armed only with a philosophy degree and a singular lack of career direction, he became a valet parker for a large luxury hotel in New Orleans. Yet, rising fast through the ranks, he ended up working in “hospitality” for more than a decade, doing everything from supervising the housekeeping department to manning the front desk at an upscale Manhattan hotel. He’s checked you in, checked you out, separated your white panties from the white bed sheets, parked your car, tasted your room-service meals, cleaned your toilet, denied you a late checkout, given you a wake-up call, eaten M&Ms out of your minibar, laughed at your jokes, and taken your money. In Heads in Beds he pulls back the curtain to expose the crazy and compelling reality of a multi-billion-dollar industry we think we know.

In the tradition of Kitchen Confidential and Waiter Rant, a rollicking, eye-opening, fantastically indiscreet memoir of a life spent (and misspent) in the hotel industry.
Jacob Tomsky never intended to go into the hotel business. As a new college graduate, armed only with a philosophy degree and a singular lack of career direction, he became a valet parker for a large luxury hotel in New Orleans. Yet, rising fast through the ranks, he ended up working in “hospitality” for more than a decade, doing everything from supervising the housekeeping department to manning the front desk at an upscale Manhattan hotel. He’s checked you in, checked you out, separated your white panties from the white bed sheets, parked your car, tasted your room-service meals, cleaned your toilet, denied you a late checkout, given you a wake-up call, eaten M&Ms out of your minibar, laughed at your jokes, and taken your money. In Heads in Beds he pulls back the curtain to expose the crazy and compelling reality of a multi-billion-dollar industry we think we know.

I love to read, especially when a book totally sucks me in and keeps me up way too late, with burning eyes, because I just can’t put the book down. That doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it makes me feel alive! The last time I felt that kind of magic from a book was when I read Jenna Jameson’s autobiography How to Make Love Like a Porn Star. It was fascinating. Heads in Beds isn’t quite as gripping but it’s close. I love travel and hotels and this book has opened my eyes to so much. Everyone should read this for a better understanding and appreciation for hotels and the people who work in them. Jacob Tomasky has a very humorous and down-to-earth writing style that makes for an easy read and keeps you laughing! What are you reading?

alt. design summit 2013 {day 2}

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swan

On day 2, I spent most of the morning sitting in on a round table discussion involving a new project hosting web videos! I made a submission video yesterday and am keeping my fingers crossed! I will keep you posted! In the afternoon, The Land of Nod took over one of the lounges and threw a tea party with a swan theme. How fun is this photo op?

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These black swan floral arrangements rocked my world, and the black and white napkins…just stop it! Too cute!

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At Alt., it is all about the business cards. The card wall is filling up! There were 650 attendees this year.

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OK, Fridays lunch and keynote speaker Stephan Sagmeister blew me away. You can imagine the rooms surprise when his naked photo appeared on the large screens next to him a few minutes into his talk. He is a world-famous graphic designer, has given TED talks and wrote a film called…The Happy Film. He was hilarious, captivating and super inspiring!

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How adorable is this candy table by Kara? Just incase you needed an afternoon pick me up! The style and attention to detail at Alt. is spot on. It’s like a fantasy land.

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Jessica Alba was there talking about her brand The Honest Co. It was cool to be in the same room with her again! I just adore her and she is so sweet. I met her last year at The Lucky FABB event.

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This was a giant cork board map of the US and everyone tacked their cards to the area they were from! Look, there I am!

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Ahh…the beautiful Grand America Hotel at night, and no, that deer family isn’t real!

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Myself and the lovely Tamera Beardsley at the Friday night mini suite parties. The entire 3rd floor of the hotel gets taken over by sponsors who create themed mini parties in the suites. It is so much fun! This year Better Homes & Garden hosted the Color Pop Dessert Bash, Blurb hosted a Reunion Class of 2013 party, Flipboard’s theme was Rolling Out the Red Carpet, Go Mighty + Red Envelope had a Crush on You Party, Hayneedle hosted a Great Gatsby Lawn Party, Method + The Girls with Glasses hosted an It’s a Mod Mod World dance party, Vecco + Brita Olsen had a Tinsel & Timber party and Weathermob had a Weather With Style party. It was an amazing evening of food, fun and lots of giveaways!

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This was the photo booth at The Hayneedle party where we ran into Lia Griffith of ellinée.

So, who wants to come with me to Alt. 2014??!

alt. design summit 2013 {day 1}

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book

I just spent time in Salt Lake City, Utah at the Alt. Design Conference, which is a magical couple of days full of bloggers, networking, classes, parties, dinners and a lot of business cards, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Heck, even if I didn’t have a blog I would want to be there! It all started last Wednesday night with a kick off dinner. There were several restaurants around town hosting small groups of bloggers. This year I chose a cozy little old school spot, Lamb’s Grill. They are known for their rice pudding (which I loved) and a friend commented that her grandparents had dinner there on their wedding night, too cute. The evening was sponsored by Blurb, an awesome company that prints books, magazines, ebooks and much, much more. They gave me the opportunity to create a book from my blog (above) and it was incredible to see my photos come to life in print. I was so impressed with the quality compared to other photo books I have made. I can’t wait to get creative and maybe make a cookbook or Lipstick & Leopard Print the magazine? The possibilities are endless!

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Every year Alt. SLC is held at The beautiful Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. I was thrilled to be able to stay there this year. The rooms were gorgeous and this was our view! Wade makes this a ski vacation during the day and then comes out to party with me at night. It’s perfect!

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Alt. began on Thursday morning and I just couldn’t help myself…first stop, the HP booth. You know how I love a silly photo op!

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For my first class of the day, I chose The Reality of an Everyday Video Series with Sarah Carey from Martha Stewert. I thought this would be interesting because I have a lot of recipes on my blog but have never thought about doing a cooking video…until now. Sarah Carey was hilarious and I left the class feeling totally inspired. Later in the day, I was approached by a woman who was interested in having me host a web show. Crazy! More to come on that soon!

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On Thursday and Friday, Alt. hosts a formal lunch in the Grand Ballroom and the food is delicious considering they are feeding 650 people at the same time. The keynote speaker on Thursday was best-selling author Chris Anderson, who spoke about the power of invention. I really enjoyed his presentation, especially when he showed us what a 3-D printer can do! You can make just about anything with one of those. Now I want one!

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Thursday evening was the Clue themed party complete with taxidermy animals as you entered the event. I searched high and low for the right outfit and ended up as Professor Plum and felt fabulous! Wade looked pretty darn handsome in his suit and Professor Plum tie too!

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Wow! Look at those teeth!

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I found another Professor Plum with the same fluffy jacket!!! The lovely Lia Griffith of ellinée. It was fantastic and everyone at the party thought we had planned it!

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These ladies looked perfectly themed together. I especially loved Miss Scarlett and her matching hair! We have Lindsey of lindsey bee as Colonel Mustard, Patti of Patti Murphy Designs as Miss Peacock, Allessia of Little Lessy as Professor Plum and Laura of the lbeau room as Miss Scarlett.

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Look! It’s me and with one of my favorite LA food bloggers Kristin of The Cuisinerd.

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I just loved meeting Amber of damask love, she was so adorable and full of energy. I was also thrilled to see Rachel from Handmade Charlotte again. We met last year at Alt. Summit 2012 and she was one of my faves!

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Meet Tamera Beardsley. We bumped into each other on the elevator the first night and it was a girl crush at first sight! I am a sucker for bold jewelry and tulle and she had it all. We couldn’t get enough of each other and had Wade take our pic almost immediately! Wait until you see us the next night!

More of Alt. Summit to come this week…stay tuned!