The holidays are over, thankfully! Honestly, my holiday spirit has been relatively low for several years now.
Not being close (physically or otherwise) to my immediate family, I chose to spend Thanksgiving in the same place as a few years ago – Las Vegas. Rather than staying at The Venetian this time, I upped the ante (just a bit) by staying at The Palazzo. The rooms are basically the same design, although the ones at The Palazzo are slightly larger with marble separating the bedroom from the living room rather than railing. Also, check-in and check-out at The Palazzo goes more quickly because most people choose to stay at The Venetian. Honestly, for some unknown reason, my preference is for The Venetian, too, aside from that VERY handsome man who checked me in at The Palazzo! (Are you out there, Ron?) A friend from L.A. joined me in Las Vegas. Her situation is kind of the same as mine. She grew up in the Midwest and isn’t particularly close to her family. For our few days in Vegas, we spent an inordinate amount of time drinking at Table 10 in The Palazzo. I enjoyed the “Twisted Caramel Corn” shake at I Love Burgers, also in The Palazzo. It’s composed of Butterscotch Schnapps and Smirnoff Vodka, topped with caramel corn. Believe me, I paid no mind to the actual caramel corn at all! Our Thanksgiving lunch was at Zefferino, where they were offering a buffet with turkey, ham and roast beef (if I remember correctly), along with all manner of sides, smoked salmon, cheeses, salads, desserts and other things – like ravioli! We loved the super flirty Italian staff!
For Christmas I was alone here in San Francisco. Both of my male roomies had gone home to the East Coast. I made it to Midnight Mass, where we spent an hour prior to that singing all of the best Christmas carols. Once Mass ended, the cable car was no longer running, so I had to walk uphill at a fairly steep angle in the cold wind. Upon warming up in my apartment, I opened my presents, as well as a bottle of wine and some cheese. After a small snacky-poo, I was probably passed out by 2:30 a.m.
For New Year’s, I flew down to L.A. and stayed for 3 nights. In addition to my usual trek to The Jewelry Mart, I reconnected with a couple of friends that I hadn’t seen in 10+ years, as well as an ex of sorts. New Year’s Eve dinner was at Hutchinson Cocktails and Grill with the same friend who’d gone to Vegas with me. We shared the shrimp chips, nasi goreng and pistachio/chocolate panna cotta. She had filet mignon with a bone marrow sauce and roasted squash. I had filet mignon with a Szechuan peppercorn sauce and roasted cauliflower, not to mention a glass of Prosecco and a couple of Malbecs! We took a leisurely three hour dinner. At midnight, the ex planned to be kissing me, but he hadn’t quite made it over the hill from his place to where I was staying. Instead, I was sitting in the car with my friend texting back and forth with him. When midnight struck, she and I quietly wished each other a Happy New Year, after which I texted him to say “It’s too late. I was forced to kiss ______ at midnight, so I am now a lesbian.” He showed up moments later, dashed over and planted a big one on me, so I’d have to say that my New Year’s Eve wasn’t a total loss! That kiss was worth the wait! On New Year’s Day itself, I was running a little slower than usual. However, that evening, the owner of the house where I was renting a room (through AirBnB) invited me out for drinks, so we walked to an English pub over on Sunset Boulevard and spent an hour or so deep in conversation. It was an amusing one, to say the least!
Now that 2015 is here, my resolutions are (as always) to save more money, but also to reconnect with people that I’ve either lost touch with or don’t contact frequently. I’m not doing too badly thus far.
Contemplating Life from My Suite at The Palazzo
Outside The Beatles’ “Love”
Inside The Bellagio
Inside Grand Central Market in L.A.
Pershing Square
Nasi Goreng from Hutchinson Cocktails and Grill
Hollywood Walk of Fame
At The Village Idiot