The Friday Five, 9/27/19: 5 things I've been up to this week

This past weekend I went to Chicago for about 15 hours—the Amtrak train was supposed to arrive around 2:45pm Saturday but arrived at 4:25pm instead—and we left at 7:20am the next day. The purpose? To see Rachel Bloom (TV's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) in a live show. I got back around 3pm Sunday, and 8:30am Monday I flew to Vegas for work.

Rachel Bloom at the Chicago Theatre

What I've been up to this week:
  1. Traveling. Chicago and Vegas. I need to remember to leave more time between trips ... I felt a little nauseous on the plane to Vegas on Monday. Thankfully there were no "woo girls" this plane ride (super excited girls/women who are all like WOOHOO, WE'RE GOING TO VEGAS!) and it was relatively quiet. 
  2. Attending PACK EXPO. This was the reason I was in Vegas—it's a packaging and equipment expo that takes place yearly. Last year it was in Chicago, at McCormick Place, and next year it will be in Chicago as well (it flip-flops between that and Vegas, I believe). 
  3. Having some good meals. Last Friday, my parents and I went to the Capital Grille, in Troy—I had gone there for Troy Restaurant Week and they served a miniscule steak dish (literally like 2 ounces), and the manager had sent me a gift card so I could try them out again, which was very nice of him. On Saturday in Chicago, my friend and I went to Girl and the Goat, which I had only been to once, but it was fantastic, and it was fantastic this time too—the head chef is Stephanie Izard, who is a Top Chef winner. We also checked out the Nutella Cafe before the show, I had been there once before as well.
  4. Watching the Emmy's. I watched the show until about 10:30pm on Sunday night, then I had to get to bed for my flight on Monday. I need to check out Fleabag now, on Amazon Prime, since it won a ton of awards. Unsurprisingly, Game of Thrones won for Best Drama ... not sure it was really the best choice but it was its last year on TV, so I understand why it won. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, one of my favorites, took home a few wins too, which I was glad to see. 
  5. Watching movies/Netflix on planes. On the way to Vegas, I watched A Dog's Journey (why must I always choose the SADDEST dog movies to watch on planes?!) and on the way back, I watched Teen Spirit. I'd give A Dog's Journey maybe 3.5/5 stars, and Teen Spirit 4/5 stars—I never knew Elle Fanning could sing. I had also downloaded the rest of the Netflix show Unbelievable to watch, and that was really good—would definitely recommend it. It's also based on a true story.
Indian Summer theme at the Bellagio Las Vegas conservatory. Everything is made out of flowers!
Indian Summer theme at the Bellagio Las Vegas conservatory. Everything is made out of flowers!


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