May, 2023 We had about 20 hours in Singapore on our way home from Bali to Chicago. I scheduled this long layover somewhat purposefully, because I’ve always wanted to see this Island City, and Noah was the only kid without a Michelin Star experience under his belt, and this was the place to do it. We arrived in Singapore around 3pm and we had to leave for the airport at 7am the next morning. It was going to be a…
July 31, 2023 I was excited to try Boqueria Restaurant, which opened relatively recently in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago. I’ve been trying to find a superb Spanish Tapas restaurant since my favorite – Salero – closed in 2018. While I found the food at Boqueria fine, there was nothing really too stand-out here. I think my favorite thing about this restaurant is the vibe here. The bar and all of the walls are decorated with canned Spanish food…
Las Vegas, July 14, 2023 Madame Tousseaud’s has been a staple on the Las Vegas strip for over 20 years. I’ve walked by this attraction probably about a hundred times, and this year, with the kids in tow, I figured it was high time we checked this place out. What an extraordinary disappointment! Tickets to this museum cost upwards of $40 per person, and for that price, I would expect an experience that would last several hours and would be…
Las Vegas, July 14, 2023 We ate at Jasmine Restaurant at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas on our last night of vacation with the kiddos. Staying on the north end of the strip, I really wanted the kids to be able to experience the free fountain show, which, to me, is mesmerizing. I can watch those fountains all night! The vibe at Jasmine is that of a fancy asian tea room, with victorian-type furnishings, and gorgeous details like embroidered…
We visited the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada in July with our kids. We picked one of the hottest weeks of the year to visit the area, so we knew we wouldn’t be doing any hiking, but, having been here before, I wanted to show off this gorgeous valley to Brian and the kids. Valley of Fire State Park often gets overlooked by visitors to Las Vegas for two reasons: First, it’s about a 45 minute drive north…
July 11-15, 2023 We stayed with our two tween/teen kids at the Venetian for a few nights in Vegas this summer. I chose the Venetian since I’d never stayed there before, they had good deals for the nights we would be in town, and I wanted to check out everything this massive resort had to offer, after all, it’s the biggest resort in Las Vegas, and the second biggest in the world! The Location The Venetian is towards the northern…
The Palazzo Resort, Las Vegas, USA July 12, 2023 Wakuda was the restaurant I chose for our fanciest night out in Las Vegas on this trip. We are all nuts for Japanese food, and this restaurant comes from Chef Tetsuya Wakuda, a two-star Michelin Chef who has collected gobs of accolades from many worldwide publications and reviewers. I knew our experience here would be top notch. The atmosphere here is super cool. It’s meant to look like Tokyo’s Golden Gai,…
July 11, 2023 Brera Osteria was the first restaurant we dined at in the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas upon arrival. We were pretty exhausted after a long day of rope-dropping the San Diego Zoo, and then a five-hour drive to Las Vegas after that, so we were looking for something, close, easy, delicious, and not too expensive. This restaurant was actually recommended to me by the social media folks at Venetian Resort after I had commented on one of…
Chicago, USA, August 10, 2023 Brian chose the new-ish restaurant Porto for my birthday extravaganza this year. Porto boasts one Michelin star, and it’s super well deserved. I always feel like one-star Michelin places can be really hit or miss, but Porto is a massive hit. The Vibe Immediately upon arrival, you can’t help but notice how incredibly designed this restaurant is. Extraordinary care went into every tiny detail of this place, from the cool wallpaper, to the massive stretch…
July 11, 2023 The San Diego Zoo is very well known to be one of the top zoos in the world, let alone the USA. This is a massive complex, and it’s really difficult to see everything they have to offer in just one day. Luckily, my family has been living in San Diego for a while, are members of the zoo, and I’ve been able to visit on a whole bunch of occasions. Here are my tips for you!…