I wasn’t planning on eating two burgers in one day, but you are allowed to break the rules when you are on vacation. And forget about the previous weeks of dieting.

The first stop, completely unplanned, was at Le Parker Meridian Burger Joint. This is the burger joint for the people in “the know”. We did visit this place before and what better time than a mid afternoon to visit again.

The line up was short but the wait was long. We managed to share a table with another couple.

Dinner

For dinner we went to DB Bistro Moderne, a mid to upscale restaurant.

I have included some pictures of all our food but in particular I had:

1. ORGANIC BEETS
   Baby Bibb Lettuce, Crispy Shallots, Candied Pecans Fromage Blanc Dressing
   Really tasty. I thought it was a good choice.
2. THE ORIGINAL db BURGER
   Sirloin Burger Filled with Braised Short Ribs & Foie Gras
   Served on a Parmesan Bun
   Pommes Soufflées
   The Pommes Souflees are really great. Hollow pillows of thin potato. Sort of a like a potato chip but with a french fry flavour.
3. DESSERT (we shared)
   1. Cookies – Small little fancy cookies
   2. Lemon Bar – Swiss Meringue, Candied Lemon Buddhas Hand
      Huckleberry Ice Cream
   3. Apple Tart Tatin – Caramel-Apple Light Mousse, Cinnamon Puff Pastry
      Mascarpone Ice Cream

To make sure we included our West Coast family we had a second wedding in Vancouver. This affair was completely planned by my parents and catered by Dan Close. I didn’t take many pictures, but the ones I did take were of the food… which was amazing.

This past weekend we headed to Atlantic City. The last time we were there was about 5 years ago for our first date anniversary. 5 years later and quite possibly the last time we go in the fall/winter. I’m sure it is quite charming in the summer with the beach and boardwalk. But like the first trip, it was cold and one day rainy.

Arrival

• Thank god it wasn’t too cold. We had to wait 30 minutes for a cab since it seems only 5 cabs service the airport. We ended up having the rental car place call a cab company for us.
• They make you leave the airport and walk through a rotating security door that shuts you in, then lets you out. Brad got stuck, so did the lady in the wheel chair… but for different reasons.

Hotel – Bally’s Park Place

• We at first got put into a room in an older tower… the room was equivalent to Motel 6. Actually, Motel 6 is probably a little more up to date.
• We moved to a different tower and it was renovated and a lot nicer for the second night.
• It was conveniently located, and we can’t complain since one of the nights was free.

The People

• Don’t get me started… mainly obnoxious. Quite unattractive.
• From the couple at a restaurant beside us who were going to phone their daughter because she was 1 minute late to the guy in the plane that was yawning quite loudly.
• Definitely a different class of visitors to AC vs. Vegas.

Gambling

• I lost $20 dollars.

Shopping

• The day we were to go shopping was the day it rained.
• We first hit the indoor Pier at Caesars. A nice mall, 3 floors with some good to crappy stores. It is a strange mix, Gucci on one end and on the opposite end Bijou Terner (Accessories for $10 or less).
• The water show is kind of neat, it is at the far end of the pier (slideshow below).
• The picture above is Brad sitting on the restaurant level, they have sand and Muskoka chairs looking out into the Atlantic. Nice touch. Nicer if it was sunny.
• We went to the outdoor Outlet shops… if it was raining it would have been more pleasant. As a result I had to buy a cheap and crappy umbrella from the Gap Generations store, I left it for the maid.

Eating

• The Tropicana is a nice hotel (unlike Vegas) but the buffet is not. Luckily we had enough comp so that we didn’t have to pay. Even more lucky was that I only felt like salad and I they had fresh bacon bits (even though they belonged to the baked potato section complete with melted Cheez Whiz).

izakaya at the Borgata

• Borgata is a Steve Wynn creation that is new, classy and pretty. So along with that comes some great restaurants. We selected izakaya. izakaya is a Japanese restaurant that is smaller portioned tapas style eats. We told the waitress to select for us, and we went along with it.
• First off, the portions were a lot bigger than we expected for most dishes.
• All the food was really great but the highlights were definitely the Crispy Rock Shrimp and the Grilled King Crab.
• Robatayaki is a special grill that the King Crab, Scallop and Kobe Steak skewers were done on.

Spa Toccare at Borgata

• As a wedding gift from Nana, Brad and I went to the spa for hot stone massages.
• Beautiful spa, we used the gym first, then the steam and hot baths.
• The massages were great and Brad definitely felt relaxed after.
• The facility is quite beautiful and includes all the amenities including dried mango and their antioxidant powers.

Getting Home

• The flight was easy… but delayed. So we didn’t get back into Toronto until midnight.

They are up! We have received our photos from our good friend Mavreen David who also acted as our photographer. A big thank you to her! We know we had bad lighting but we couldn’t be happier with the pictures!

If you want to view in Flickr, click here. If you want to download or print any of the photos feel free to. (I’ve always wanted to see my face on a Times Square billboard.) Simply click on ALL SIZES above the image and you can download the larger version of the pictures.

Also, all the photos are tagged so if you click on a name (at the right side of the page) it will show you all the pictures that person is in.

This past weekend we took a Porter flight down to Chicago, Illinois. The weather the first two days was fantastic. It was brisk, but sunny and dry. Sunday was a little more wet, but a perfect opportunity to visit The Art Institute of Chicago and do a tour of old Chicago architecture.

We ate some great food: Home Bistro, Publican and avec. Also we had an amazing brunch at Bongo Room in Wicker Park.

Have some time? Here is a video of our ceremony and speeches. It is divided into three movies.

Just over a week ago, on Tuesday, I woke up with a sore stomach. Was it the Salad King I had eaten the night before? Was it the 1000 sit ups I did the day before? No… it was my appendix. Joy.

This stomach ache was a little different than the norm. It didn’t go away, by 4 I thought I better get my butt to the walk-in. The walk-in doctor poked away and sent me for an x-ray and some blood work and ultrasound for Wednesday. But alas, I didn’t make it.

By 11 when it was time for bed, I told Brad that it was just too painful. We called a doctor friend and we decided that we would head to the hospital. So after the short 5 minute walk to emergency we enjoyed a pleasant two hours in the waiting room wearing face masks and watching a homeless guy with a huge slash in his check try to get comfortable. At least he brought his own pillow.

It was quickly decided that I had appendicitis. And after the CT Scan I was quickly on the road to surgery. Okay, quickly, wasn’t the best choice of word… I was in the hallway of emergency most of the day with my best friend Morphine until I was moved into my own room. So by 9pm Wednesday I was quickly on my way to surgery.

The surgery was done laparoscopically through three incisions. (I had them take this shot of me before I went in so you can see where they cut.) The operation took about 1.5 hours and of course I was out cold. All I remember is waking up in recovery and I was struggling and a little confused. I think I threw up a bit too. I was down there a little longer because I kept on falling asleep to the point of snoring really loud. All I remember saying was that I needed to get back up there because Brad was waiting for me and it was 1 AM!

So the actual operation was done through three incisions. I had a little bit of rupturing but I guess they got me all cleaned up. The hole above my belly button was used for the camera. The one to the left was used to prod and poke, and the one below my tummy was used for poking and extracting my organ. In order to do this they had to pump me full of air so upon waking, I felt bloated and well, full of air.

The next day was spent in the hospital taking long walks around the floor and drinking liquids. As much as they love bowel movements after surgery, I wanted to make sure I didn’t have to use the toilet. I was still in quite a bit of discomfort, quite bloated, and I was moved from Morphine to Tylenol 3’s.

Friday morning I was discharged home since I was able to now walk and was feeling a lot better. I was still bloated and pregnant looking but it was slowing going down. The next couple of days were spent resting in bed, eating lots of comfort food, and just resting.

My energy level is slowly picking up and I’m feeling better and better every day. Thankfully I work from home so I am easily sliding back into the work routine.

There is never a good time for this too happen but it did happen conveniently enough that it won’t disrupt next week’s wedding! And as it is said, everything happens for a reason, well this happened for a reason. The chick at the D&G store where we bought part of our wedding outfit told me to lose 4 pounds so I can fit it for the wedding. Well… I’m at a 10 pound loss now… so rock on!

I would like to thank those that stopped by the hospital, those that sent their well wishes electronically, by phone or via snail mail, and of course Brad (through sickness and in health) who took care of me.

We made the hike up to Casinorama, about 1.5 hours outside of Toronto to see Kelly Clarkson. It was a very strange venue choice because the venue is “over 19″ so no kids could go, you would think that many of her core fans would be under 19!

The arena is plain, so I wasn’t expecting a lavish production, and it is a good thing my expectations weren’t set to high. What you got was Kelly and her amazing voice and a bunch of songs that everyone knows and can sing along to. I wasn’t complaining. I have heard she has had some disagreements with her label over songs and singles, but it is pretty ridiculous that they booked her all the way up there. Those that made the hike were loyal fans but we were far from the majority. When I looked around the stands most of the people were sitting there pretty much motionless. I’m assuming that many of the tickets were comp tickets given to frequent gamblers at the casino, those that are nearing retirement and  those that have English as a second language. (I can say that, I’m half Asian).

I really felt bad for Kelly because she deserves so much better than a bunch of losers that don’t appreciate her work. Her voice was amazing. I had seen her before so I was expecting nothing less, but the friend I went with was blown away from the notes this girl was belting out. Her voice was pretty flawless and all of the music was so enjoyable to listen to. It is rare that you go to a concert where you actually can hear the true talent. And unlike Britney, she had two screens up which worked out perfectly for seeing her close up.

Now my only criticism would be her outfit. I know she is a curvy girl, there is definitely nothing wrong with that, but she has to pick some more flattering clothes. I don’t know who her stylist is, but she definitely needs some help! And this isn’t the first time. I haven’t seen her once during this recent media tour where I have thought that she looked fabulous. It is almost like she has given up, you can be bigger and beautiful!

So if you have a chance, and you enjoy her music, go see her play. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t expect a big glitzy production but do expect some amazing vocals from a truly talented girl, and of course, the first American Idol.

In-n-Out burger isn’t a novelty for the locals, but when you are coming from Canada, what the hell? Plus we have had some tasty burgers there on past trips to Vegas. So Brad looked up the “secret menu“, which is a menu that basically simplifies how you order your burger. It is handy since the only thing that this joint sells is burgers, fries and soda.

Since we try to follow the Paleo way of eating, we ordered the Protein Style version of the burger. Well, I actually ordered two.

Instead of a bun, the meat, the toppings and sauce are wrapped in leafy green lettuce. So no bun or nasty complex carbs. And it is really tasty! I actually really enjoyed it. In the picture I ordered fries as a treat, but I didn’t eat them. I thought they didn’t taste very good.

And away we go. Okay, the boat hasn’t started moving yet but we have already had one trip to the Mexican food bar.

The ship isn’t too big, smaller than what we are used to but nice enough. Everything is on a small scale. The casino isn’t too big but that is probably for the better. And there is no Let It Ride. Good for Brad.

The decorating wouldn’t come close to Gavins standards and the ship is old tacky, not new tacky. Looks like it will be a relaxing trip though.

The people are old. I can walk backwards while drunk faster than 90% of the passengers. But of course everyone is friendly. I think a lot of the people are probably sailing on to Hawaii after we get off in San Diego.

The buffets are not self serve at most parts but I don’t mind. It is nice that most of the food is made to order. And with the size of the boat I don’t think that line ups will be a problem.

I am all ready for a nap already but we have the life jacket drill in 45 minutes. They have some “Eames” chairs which we have taken ownership of until then.

Tonight will be interesting to see who will be at our dinner table of 8. Will we be seated with fuglies? Will they be so old their food comes pre blended? Or will no one show up and we will be all alone? Time will tell.

Anyway, nap time. I’m one of the youngest but probably one of the most tired at this moment.

Bon voyage!