Hello everyone! I hope you all had wonderful 4th of July holiday weekends! I ended up heading to Panama for the 4th of July weekend (random, I know) with a few coworkers/friends... our firm gave us the Thursday and Friday after the 4th off, so we figured we might as well take advantage of the time off and travel in style...
Purvi, Amogh, Rahima and I used to work on the same team a few months ago. Since that time, a lot has changed and the four of us, sadly, are not on the same team any longer. But you better believe we still keep in touch! God bless the Internet- it's ability to keep people connected is such a Godsend in my mind. So, with Amogh in Boston, Rahima in New York and Purvi and myself in Chicago... we decided what better spot to reunite than... of all places, Panama? Sure, why not- just go with it.
And what a reunion it was! From hugfests to gossip galore to stalker cab drivers to police encounters to tour guides named Sharkie to... well, I am getting way ahead of myself. As such, I present to you... our 2012 Panama adventures- in a nutshell.
Day One: The Reunion
Day Two: The Panama Canal and a Run In with the "Policia"
Day Three: Adventures with Sharkie
Days Four and Five: The Adventure Wraps Up...
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
Showing posts with label reunion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reunion. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Day One: The Reunion
Day One involved actually getting to Panama and actually finding the people that were flying in from New York. Trust me, given how little planning had been involved with this trip (all we really had booked at this point was our hotel), these two activities were going to be feats in and of themselves.
Purvi and I were flying together since we both live in Chicago and were able to get on the same direct flight to Panama City. Amogh and Rahima were flying down together from New York. We were just going to meet them at our hotel, since our flights were only a couple of hours off from each other.
As Purvi and I were trying to figure out carpooling situations to the airport, we quickly started realizing just how different our travel styles are. Although our flight was only at 9 AM, I wanted to make sure we allowed ample time for traffic, security lines, etc. So, I proposed we leave our apartments at 6:00 AM... well, just in CASE! We were flying international after all- who knows what we could expect? Purvi, however, was all set to just head to the airport around 7:30 AM or so... when she shared THAT with me, I just stared blankly at her and was like "Okay, well I guess I can just meet you at the airport then."
I mean, 7:30?!?! It was 4th of July! How can anyone be sure that we weren't going to hit traffic or encounter some unexpected lines at the airport, given the holiday?
In any event, we ended up leaving around 6:30 AM... and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Thank goodness- I'm a freak about being on time for things... early is more preferable. After hitting no traffic and no security lines (well, what?! Better safe than sorry!), we ended up being ready and set for our flight with a couple of hours to spare before boarding began.
So I overestimated the amount of time all of this would take. Sue me. No fret though- thanks to Purvi's status, we were able to make ourselves nice and at home in the airport lounge!
You better believe we stocked up! We had a couple of hours to spare!
Finally, though, the time came to board our flight... although there were a few fairly disheveled characters sitting around us, it turned out to be a fairly uneventful flight overall. Once we landed in Panama (!), we grabbed a cab from the airport cab stand and began our trip to Panama City... the reunion was imminent!!
Upon our arrival at the Toscana Inn (seriously one of the nicest little hotels ever), we headed up to our hotel room and were IMMEDIATELY accosted by... Rahima and Amogh!!! It has been quite some time since the four of us have been together (when we used to work together everyday) so you can only imagine the hug attacks, squeals, giggles and CHATTER that the Toscana Inn was immediately subject to.
It was seriously one of the happiest of reunions. The next couple of hours just involved some SERIOUS catching up (we couldn't stop talking and laughing... and sharing way too much information!) in our hotel room...
Before we finally decided we might as well begin exploring the city a bit. Keep in mind, we had no plan and/or idea of what to expect from Panama City. Good luck us, I guess.
Thankfully, the receptionists at the Toscana Inn are the most accommodating things ever (we became total BFFs by the end of the trip), and had some suggestions of things to do for our first night. So... off we went to Casco Antigua (aka "Old Town"). It was absolutely beautiful there... we quickly found out that the colors of Panama are so vibrant and the city has such a unique "character" to it... we had so much fun just wandering the streets...
Stumbling upon a market...
Doing some shopping...
After going a little crazy at the hat stand (can you tell?), we ended up finding this restaurant that came recommended by one of our cab drivers - Diabolicos.
Here... well, we ended up just sitting around and catching up for another couple of hours. Can you tell this was going to be a general theme of this trip?
After dinner, we decided to head to this rooftop bar that came recommended to us by... well, by this random Panamanian guy that we'd run into on the street just prior to dinner. (It's not as shady as it sounds- trust me.) I mean, sure he works there, so he was all about selling it to us but... well, what can we say? He was nice and clearly a good salesperson. For four girls with no real plan... we were sold!
And we had absolutely NO regrets. This place was le-git. It was pretty posh when you enter the first floor restaurant, but you take that elevator up to the 4th floor rooftop bar and... you are in for a TREAT. It had the most spectacular views of the Panama City skyline- such an impressive start to our first night in Panama City. And let's be honest, the drinks at this place were DI-VINE. I couldn't believe how tasty and delicious they were! Mojitos all around!
All in all, I can safely say that Day One of our trip was one sweet success... we ended up heading back to the hotel and being in bed by like 11 PM (this is my kinda vacation!), but in all fairness, we HAD agreed we'd go out the next night... I mean, our trip was just beginning!
Purvi and I were flying together since we both live in Chicago and were able to get on the same direct flight to Panama City. Amogh and Rahima were flying down together from New York. We were just going to meet them at our hotel, since our flights were only a couple of hours off from each other.
As Purvi and I were trying to figure out carpooling situations to the airport, we quickly started realizing just how different our travel styles are. Although our flight was only at 9 AM, I wanted to make sure we allowed ample time for traffic, security lines, etc. So, I proposed we leave our apartments at 6:00 AM... well, just in CASE! We were flying international after all- who knows what we could expect? Purvi, however, was all set to just head to the airport around 7:30 AM or so... when she shared THAT with me, I just stared blankly at her and was like "Okay, well I guess I can just meet you at the airport then."
I mean, 7:30?!?! It was 4th of July! How can anyone be sure that we weren't going to hit traffic or encounter some unexpected lines at the airport, given the holiday?
In any event, we ended up leaving around 6:30 AM... and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Thank goodness- I'm a freak about being on time for things... early is more preferable. After hitting no traffic and no security lines (well, what?! Better safe than sorry!), we ended up being ready and set for our flight with a couple of hours to spare before boarding began.
So I overestimated the amount of time all of this would take. Sue me. No fret though- thanks to Purvi's status, we were able to make ourselves nice and at home in the airport lounge!
You better believe we stocked up! We had a couple of hours to spare!
Finally, though, the time came to board our flight... although there were a few fairly disheveled characters sitting around us, it turned out to be a fairly uneventful flight overall. Once we landed in Panama (!), we grabbed a cab from the airport cab stand and began our trip to Panama City... the reunion was imminent!!
Upon our arrival at the Toscana Inn (seriously one of the nicest little hotels ever), we headed up to our hotel room and were IMMEDIATELY accosted by... Rahima and Amogh!!! It has been quite some time since the four of us have been together (when we used to work together everyday) so you can only imagine the hug attacks, squeals, giggles and CHATTER that the Toscana Inn was immediately subject to.
It was seriously one of the happiest of reunions. The next couple of hours just involved some SERIOUS catching up (we couldn't stop talking and laughing... and sharing way too much information!) in our hotel room...
Before we finally decided we might as well begin exploring the city a bit. Keep in mind, we had no plan and/or idea of what to expect from Panama City. Good luck us, I guess.
Thankfully, the receptionists at the Toscana Inn are the most accommodating things ever (we became total BFFs by the end of the trip), and had some suggestions of things to do for our first night. So... off we went to Casco Antigua (aka "Old Town"). It was absolutely beautiful there... we quickly found out that the colors of Panama are so vibrant and the city has such a unique "character" to it... we had so much fun just wandering the streets...
Stumbling upon a market...
Doing some shopping...
After going a little crazy at the hat stand (can you tell?), we ended up finding this restaurant that came recommended by one of our cab drivers - Diabolicos.
Here... well, we ended up just sitting around and catching up for another couple of hours. Can you tell this was going to be a general theme of this trip?
After dinner, we decided to head to this rooftop bar that came recommended to us by... well, by this random Panamanian guy that we'd run into on the street just prior to dinner. (It's not as shady as it sounds- trust me.) I mean, sure he works there, so he was all about selling it to us but... well, what can we say? He was nice and clearly a good salesperson. For four girls with no real plan... we were sold!
And we had absolutely NO regrets. This place was le-git. It was pretty posh when you enter the first floor restaurant, but you take that elevator up to the 4th floor rooftop bar and... you are in for a TREAT. It had the most spectacular views of the Panama City skyline- such an impressive start to our first night in Panama City. And let's be honest, the drinks at this place were DI-VINE. I couldn't believe how tasty and delicious they were! Mojitos all around!
All in all, I can safely say that Day One of our trip was one sweet success... we ended up heading back to the hotel and being in bed by like 11 PM (this is my kinda vacation!), but in all fairness, we HAD agreed we'd go out the next night... I mean, our trip was just beginning!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
High Tea at the Drake
Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
It's been a while since I've caught up with a few close co-workers, so I was quite delighted when one of them decided to arrange an afternoon of high tea at the Drake.
Fancy, right?!?! I'd heard about high tea at the Drake before but, quite frankly, it's never been something that I have really given a second thought to. I don't really know why, because it totally sounds like it would be right up my alley... a total cozy, cultural experience, if you will.
I love going to the Drake hotel. Have you ever been? It's one of Chicago's historical landmarks... one of the grandest, most majestic hotels I've ever seen. In short, it's a (highly recommended) experience. High tea at the Drake? Also a (highly recommended) experience. I couldn't believe how packed it was when the four of us headed in on Saturday, late afternoon.
I seriously could NOT stop taking it all in as we were guided to our little table- everything was just so tastefully elegant and SO not what is standard in my life, let's be honest here. I mean, how often do YOU do activities/events that involve a harpist, of all things?
Once we got settled at our table, we got right down to business. Gossip and tea. In that order. (Well, what? The waiter coming to get our tea orders was a little slow... we had to fill the time with some good old-fashioned gossip!) All of us decided to really go outside our comfort zone and order... the Bombay chai tea. It was actually quite entertaining- what else can you expect from three Indian girls and our token white friend? :)
But MAN, that TEA!
So DELICIOUS!! I was highly impressed, actually. But the tea was just the start of it... soon after our cups were filled, our waiter graced us with... well, this:
Tier after tier of, well, just plain deliciousness. Such a fine balance of savory with sweet... and all of it was just so darn tasty. From scones to tartlets to mini-sandwiches... let's just say that the four of us were Happy (yes, with a capital H).
The four of us couldn't even finish this entire thing- there was just too darn much food and, quite frankly, we were quickly getting full from the limitless tea they were offering us (I can't believe how frequently they would refill each of our little teapots with hot water)!
Overall, I would rate this experience as one big, fat A+. Thanks for organizing this, ladies! As always, a delightful reunion. Can't wait for the next one!
It's been a while since I've caught up with a few close co-workers, so I was quite delighted when one of them decided to arrange an afternoon of high tea at the Drake.
Fancy, right?!?! I'd heard about high tea at the Drake before but, quite frankly, it's never been something that I have really given a second thought to. I don't really know why, because it totally sounds like it would be right up my alley... a total cozy, cultural experience, if you will.
I love going to the Drake hotel. Have you ever been? It's one of Chicago's historical landmarks... one of the grandest, most majestic hotels I've ever seen. In short, it's a (highly recommended) experience. High tea at the Drake? Also a (highly recommended) experience. I couldn't believe how packed it was when the four of us headed in on Saturday, late afternoon.
I seriously could NOT stop taking it all in as we were guided to our little table- everything was just so tastefully elegant and SO not what is standard in my life, let's be honest here. I mean, how often do YOU do activities/events that involve a harpist, of all things?
Once we got settled at our table, we got right down to business. Gossip and tea. In that order. (Well, what? The waiter coming to get our tea orders was a little slow... we had to fill the time with some good old-fashioned gossip!) All of us decided to really go outside our comfort zone and order... the Bombay chai tea. It was actually quite entertaining- what else can you expect from three Indian girls and our token white friend? :)
But MAN, that TEA!
So DELICIOUS!! I was highly impressed, actually. But the tea was just the start of it... soon after our cups were filled, our waiter graced us with... well, this:
Tier after tier of, well, just plain deliciousness. Such a fine balance of savory with sweet... and all of it was just so darn tasty. From scones to tartlets to mini-sandwiches... let's just say that the four of us were Happy (yes, with a capital H).
The four of us couldn't even finish this entire thing- there was just too darn much food and, quite frankly, we were quickly getting full from the limitless tea they were offering us (I can't believe how frequently they would refill each of our little teapots with hot water)!
Overall, I would rate this experience as one big, fat A+. Thanks for organizing this, ladies! As always, a delightful reunion. Can't wait for the next one!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Evan!!!!!! (Plus or Minus an Exclamation Point)
LklAjf;ldskajflkjdsf!!! I think it is only fair to start off this post with some spirit fingers since, well, that pretty much epitomizes Evan's and my friendship. Well, so does the term "hugfest", but you can't exactly relay THAT concept via a computer keyboard... wait, can you?
Anyway! Let's back up. So, why, all of a sudden, a post about only one of my Favorite (understatement) people alive? Well, when Evan mentioned that he was stopping by Chicago en route to New York this weekend, you KNOW that my mind instantly toyed with the idea of... what else? A tribute, of course. A tribute to one of my Favorites, if you will. I don't know why I didn't think of this grand gem of an idea when he came to visit earlier in the year, but whatever. Better late than never, right? Right.
Yeah, the tribute idea was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered as soon as we reunited on Saturday. I mean, what do you get when two of the happiest people to ever grace this fine planet we call Mother Earth (deep, I know) reunite?
That's right. Pearly whites GALORE!!! (Just disregard that minor face invasion I call a godawful cold sore... darn drastic weather changes. TMI? Eh, oh well. Hahah.)
Anyway! Evan and I used to work together at my first job ever, out in San Francisco. No joke, two of the greatest highlights of my career were when:
1) I had to write Evan's project evaluation. Considering it was my first project as a senior, I knew I was supposed to be all professional and whatnot, but... well, screw it! I couldn't hold back the exclamation points!! Whatever, at least I refrained from incorporating smiley faces into that official document/permanent record. Sigh. Oh well. I tried. Kind of.
2. Evan requested that I be his mentor!!! lkjfsadlkjdsflk! lkafdsjlkj! I remember the day I got Emily's email coordinating this request as if it were yesterday. Hahahah- seriously! As a select few people know (read: Jenna), one of my FAVORITE things about my job was mentoring people... and by mentoring people, I really just mean... well, instilling the general Christie-ridiculousness (but that I like to spin as "words of wisdom", if you will) upon those lucky individuals who were my mentees. Sigh. Good times.
Sadly, I decided to peace outta Triage about a month after Evan became one of my mentees. While my adoration for dear Evan was totally OBVI from the first day I met him, I suck at keeping in touch with people so I figured that he would just be "another person that I knew at Triage". But no, no. It turns out that Evan, himself, is actually quite phenom at keeping in touch with people (and by "phenom", I just mean that he's better than me). And thank GOD! I mean, Gchat at work just wouldn't be the same without Evan on my little contact list! Hahaha. Lord, I'm divulging way too much information at this point, but I don't care! I get so excited when I pay tribute to a Favorite!!
Seriously, the few times that Evan and I actually get to reunite are such happy little hugfests, I can't stand it. (It certainly doesn't hurt that he totally has all this faith and confidence in me "making it big" with that TV show I am SO ASPIRING TO GET!!! Omg, can you imagine? He would obviously be the manager and... well, how could you NOT want to work for either of us?!!? Hahaha just kidding. Just KIDDING!) But seriously. He's just one of those genuinely good-hearted, genuinely happy people. Even when he's having a bad day, his reactions come across as more entertaining than anything else (well, at least on Gchat. And at least to me. So I find everything to be funny... so sue me).
No, but seriously. You know how you can just tell "good people" when you chat with them for a few minutes? That pretty much defines Evan. Sigh. While I do proclaim a lot of people to be my favorites, it takes a LOT to make "Favorite" (note the capital F) status. And for Evan, I can honestly say "Favorite" is a total understatement.
Lkjfdslkajfdljdslkfjlkj! TOTAL HUGFESTLKjdsflkajfdslkj! I'm already so excited for our next reunion!!
Anyway! Let's back up. So, why, all of a sudden, a post about only one of my Favorite (understatement) people alive? Well, when Evan mentioned that he was stopping by Chicago en route to New York this weekend, you KNOW that my mind instantly toyed with the idea of... what else? A tribute, of course. A tribute to one of my Favorites, if you will. I don't know why I didn't think of this grand gem of an idea when he came to visit earlier in the year, but whatever. Better late than never, right? Right.
Yeah, the tribute idea was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered as soon as we reunited on Saturday. I mean, what do you get when two of the happiest people to ever grace this fine planet we call Mother Earth (deep, I know) reunite?
That's right. Pearly whites GALORE!!! (Just disregard that minor face invasion I call a godawful cold sore... darn drastic weather changes. TMI? Eh, oh well. Hahah.)
Anyway! Evan and I used to work together at my first job ever, out in San Francisco. No joke, two of the greatest highlights of my career were when:
1) I had to write Evan's project evaluation. Considering it was my first project as a senior, I knew I was supposed to be all professional and whatnot, but... well, screw it! I couldn't hold back the exclamation points!! Whatever, at least I refrained from incorporating smiley faces into that official document/permanent record. Sigh. Oh well. I tried. Kind of.
2. Evan requested that I be his mentor!!! lkjfsadlkjdsflk! lkafdsjlkj! I remember the day I got Emily's email coordinating this request as if it were yesterday. Hahahah- seriously! As a select few people know (read: Jenna), one of my FAVORITE things about my job was mentoring people... and by mentoring people, I really just mean... well, instilling the general Christie-ridiculousness (but that I like to spin as "words of wisdom", if you will) upon those lucky individuals who were my mentees. Sigh. Good times.
Sadly, I decided to peace outta Triage about a month after Evan became one of my mentees. While my adoration for dear Evan was totally OBVI from the first day I met him, I suck at keeping in touch with people so I figured that he would just be "another person that I knew at Triage". But no, no. It turns out that Evan, himself, is actually quite phenom at keeping in touch with people (and by "phenom", I just mean that he's better than me). And thank GOD! I mean, Gchat at work just wouldn't be the same without Evan on my little contact list! Hahaha. Lord, I'm divulging way too much information at this point, but I don't care! I get so excited when I pay tribute to a Favorite!!
Seriously, the few times that Evan and I actually get to reunite are such happy little hugfests, I can't stand it. (It certainly doesn't hurt that he totally has all this faith and confidence in me "making it big" with that TV show I am SO ASPIRING TO GET!!! Omg, can you imagine? He would obviously be the manager and... well, how could you NOT want to work for either of us?!!? Hahaha just kidding. Just KIDDING!) But seriously. He's just one of those genuinely good-hearted, genuinely happy people. Even when he's having a bad day, his reactions come across as more entertaining than anything else (well, at least on Gchat. And at least to me. So I find everything to be funny... so sue me).
No, but seriously. You know how you can just tell "good people" when you chat with them for a few minutes? That pretty much defines Evan. Sigh. While I do proclaim a lot of people to be my favorites, it takes a LOT to make "Favorite" (note the capital F) status. And for Evan, I can honestly say "Favorite" is a total understatement.
Lkjfdslkajfdljdslkfjlkj! TOTAL HUGFESTLKjdsflkajfdslkj! I'm already so excited for our next reunion!!
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