On My Nano

Next time someone interviews me maybe they'll ask me what's on my iPod. It was an xmas gift, but I only just started loading it now. I decided that the first five songs I listen to on this should be ones that fire me up.

1. All These Things That I've Done, The Killers
2. The Rising, Bruce Springsteen
3. Start Me Up, Rolling Stones
4. Run Like Hell, Pink Floyd
5. 8 Mile, Eminem

I've been living in a cave....

Tomorrow I'll load it up with podcasts.

I'm home in Burbank

Just a quick note to say I made it home just fine. I was even looking forward to coming home. My bags, however, weren't. They liked New York so much, they must've stayed a little longer. But Delta will deliver them later today.

As life goes, I have more memories to recount than I have time to write up. Right now, work is more important as I have super fun projects lined up behind dull and boring ones. So, I'm getting through the dredge so I can get back to making Jenopolis a reality.

I can't believe the Oscars are already here. We're going to a movie tonight. THAT will be nice. Most likely, Brokeback Mountain. We still aren't up for Munich, and even though Firewall is the easiest compromise between both our tastes, we HAVE to see Brokeback Mountain because of the upcoming awards.

Wed I have lunch with the Dublin Tourist Board, Thurs night is poker night (I hope), and this weekend is Lebowskifest!!!!!!!!

Life is good. Spirits are way up, so no need to send any more comments about that temporary funk last week. I have so many exciting projects, there's no time to look up.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: Maybe just maybe, Las Vegas...

Everybody Looks Cooler In New York

Forget that the natives are restless, the natives ARE gorgeous. New York has the best looking men I've ever seen in my life. Sure, the whole dark hair, glasses, preppy dressed and hurried look does it for me, but wow, they're everywhere. When people come to California, do they say all the surfer boys look a like, because I feel like I keep seeing the same guy on the street, in the restaurant, etc. Michelle told me that when she first got here she thought all the women looked like models, only they really were models. It's interesting. From my vantage point, even us conventioneers look cooler on the streets of New York. Must be the between-the-buildings lighting.

This is my fourth trip to NYC, and definitely the best.

I love the neighborhood Michelle and Kris are in, West Village. The NYT Travel Show is going well, though we're not selling as many books as hoped. The travel writing workshop that David Farley and I taught had a great turn out yesterday. More than 100 people filled the room and seemed to enjoy themselves. Others have been coming to us with enthusiastic feedback.

Kent St John, travel editor for GoNomad.com already wrote up the class on his blog and was too kind with his compliments. Check out "Best Young Travel Writers," if you want his take.

Last night a group of us met for drinks, and that was great fun. I'll have to do a proper write up about it on Written Road, but for now I'll just throw out some names. Don George, Tony Perrottet, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Ayun Halliday, Michael Luongo with Frommers, Andrew Evans with Bradt, Alex from Jaunted.com, and our great organizers David Farley and Jessie Sholl, among others.

So, will the real Jen Leo please stand up? Poker, travel??

I feel like I've gotten some solid job leads for Jenopolis Viral Marketing, but then whenever I get in front of a group and speak, everyone tells me I need to be doing that. Last night Stephanie urged me to get into motivational speaking for the Asian women's community, not the first time I've heard that, or thought about it. Apparently it's really good money.

Ahhh, what to do with my last 2-3 years of freedom. I don't know, I don't know, I want to do it all. If I could do anything right now it'd be stay in bed, but I have to go back to the convention for the last day.

Current: New York City
Next: Burbank, CA (late late tomorrow night)

In NYC with Michelle and Kris

I made it to NYC fine. Kris even met me near the airport and took the subway back with me which was nice. We got to catch up while Michelle was still at work, and then we all went out for a late dinner. They live in the West Village so we stayed close to home. They took me to the Blue Mill Tavern. It had an awesome decor in way that art deco collided with old American beach scene murals, pre-Gidget. I loved it. Michelle and Kris were sad to see that they changed their menu from American comfort food to Italian. Still, it was a good night out and I just love that you can start dinner at 10pm.

The highlight of the day was Kris telling me about the Chelsea art scene, and then showing me web tricks on Photoshop. I can't wait to do my first website.

Now I have to rush to get ready for the convention now. Today is set up day. Then we're going to a restaurant called August, also in their hood.

Current: NYC
Next: Burbank, CA

WPT Invitational, now that's a party!

We've been to a quite a few poker parties in the last year, and this was the best yet. When we got there, we saw the tented red carpet with the WPT/Travel Channel back drop. They were filming a bit, and these tv/movie stars just happened to walk through. I saw BJ for the first time in a long while, and that was really nice. He's working at Poker Pages now. Not as cool of a gig now that Amy's gone, but BJ has integrity and when he gave them his word, he meant it. I found Mark, the owner, in the bar line and told him he was lucky to have BJ.

John found Tony G right away who was talking with Allen Cunningham. I asked Tony to introduce me in a kind of do-it-myself way, and boy was I glad. I've been wanting to meet him for a long time. I think Allen is great and if I ever play any Fantasy Poker lists for the WSOP, he'd be on it. There's something about him, I just want to hang out with him. John said he's my type of guy, and I guess he is since I just can't help liking the quiet ones.

I mostly talked with Pauly and BJ. Pauly is tired from the whole week but still cranking. BJ was focused on work, which is good, but someday I'll get to party with these guys when we're off a work sitch. And, man, does the WPT know how to throw a party. There was a tented area of hot food like shrimp, scallps, and beef tenderloin. Inside was your typical cold apps table. And then they also had a shrimp and crab, sushi, etc table which I didn't see till we were leaving. There was also an outside patio with heater lamps. But what made it was that there were so many people there.

But we can't say everybody was there. Of those to note, Phil Ivey was back at the Wynn playing Andy Beal.

Like an idiot I went up to talk to Jon Favreau about how great Dinner for Five is and how badly I wanted to be on it. But like the smarter girl I really am, I drooled about N o r m M a c D o n a l d from a far. I was also drooling over the star from That Thing You Do, and there's a picture of him down here covering his mouth. We didn't stay, but Pauly caught all the action for Day 1 and Day 2. Check it out, he has TONS of pics.

Snapped Out of It - Lets Move On

It's all good and thank you for your support yesterday.

Love Letter + a night of playing Sit N Go's + some time teaching myself how to build my own website and we're all back to norm. For now. John said we could talk about moving, but I don't think that's the answer. We wouldn't want to give our someday crying kid everything he wants the minute he starts throwing a tantrum, so no need to do that with me, either. I'm definitely already spoiled, and I really don't want to be a brat about it. There's plenty to help balance me out within our grasp. We're going to move the furniture around and put my desk in, and John worked a deal with his trainer that I can get in there too for practically a two-fer.

What else? Even though I would love a break from the poker, it's not happening. There's a cocktail reception for the WPT Invitational at the Commerce Casino today around 5:30pm. I need to write up the cover story for Woman Poker Player, and repack the bag that is still half full and head out to NYC tomorrow morning for the New York Times Travel Show where I'm selling books for Travelers' Tales and then teaching a travel writing class with David Farley, another TT editor.

Back to what helped change the mood last night - since I don't have the money for a web designer for all my projects, I'm having a go at figuring it out myself with Word Press. When I get back I'm going to take some classes on Lynda.com, too. CSS is supposedly where it's at. I only know a little HTML, so I might have to take that first. Meanwhile, my list of websites that I need is growing and growing.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: New York City, (Feb 23-27)
After that: Burbank, CA
What's Next: San Francisco (end of March)

Side Effects

Well, it's clear that nobody likes a grouchy Leo. I've been requested to snap out of it, but that's easier said than done. I think I'm mildly depressed. Which is so non-Leo. I'm not quite sure why, and I can't afford therapy at the moment, but I already know a few things that would help.

1. Excercise would help
2. Writing more often would help
3. Having my own space would help.
4. Finding smart people to hang out with would help

It's hard to get motivated to excercise. Really hard. But so simple at the same time. That's all me, I'll either do it or I won't. Writing, I'm working on that. I worked on the Girlfriend book yesterday and enjoyed that. Having my own space, we're trying. John bought me a wooden desk off Craigslist for $100. It's cool, but we can't rearrange the bedroom furniture until he's better from being sick and has his strength back. Years ago I swore to myself that I would NEVER have my computer in the same room as my bed, but we're making do with what we have and this will free up my current desk to become a dining room table. And that sounds great. As far as finding smart people to hang out with, that doesn't mean that my current friends are not smart. I'm not saying that. But I'm a dinner party kind of girl who hasn't done that in a long while. I'm craving conversation that doesn't involve Kings being beat by Aces.

I miss going to Mexico for lunch with Jim and Leslie and Rolf, my travel writing friends.
I miss going to Sunday coffee with Sean and Chris, my Bootsnall friends.

The other day one of John's friends asked if I was going to make any girlfriends in LA. I told her quite confidently—No—and she sweetly replied that she'd be my girlfriend. That was really nice, but I'm not sure if it's what I need. I don't know what I need. But I do need to snap out of this ugliness, it's not conducive to being productive and creating Jenopolis.

But don't call me. I don't want to talk to anyone. Maybe I'll be better when I get back from the travel show.

Current: Burbank, California
Next: New York City, NY (Feb 23-27)

I Have to Get Dressed Up

Getting dressed is the worst part of my day. I hate all my clothes, 93% of which don't fit. I don't think the clothes that I do wear reflect my personality, and in this frigging town, your clothes are almost as important as the car you drive. Or in my case, don't drive.

I have a birthday party to go to this afternoon, and typical Leo, just looked up the details. It's a posh afternoon tea at the Hotel Bel Air in Beverly Hills. Susan, please come take my place. So, here I go, digging for a skirt to wear, because I can guarrantee you I don't have a dress. My one black dress, I'm wearing tomorrow night for the Cindy Margolis nightclub party.

But the afternoon will be nice, and I like the woman who's birthday it is. I just have to get past the grooming part. At least I have a present to bring. And it's not one of my books.

And really, all is good. I've just been in a bad mood all week. Maybe next week will be different.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: New York City (Feb 23-27)

Funkeriffic

When I was in college, my friend made up this saying. "Get out of my way I'm grumpy today, I'm Leo, I'm Leo, I'm Leo." It was one of those kind of days yesterday. But, I only remembered the song today.

I just thought I'd check in and let everyone know I'm fine. I'm here, I'm alive. I'm busy finishing the guide book, being grumpy, and doing a cover story for Woman Poker Player. That assignment will take me to a big party this Sunday night at Guy's North. The party is hosted by Cindy Margolis in regards to her new poker website, and word has it that Paris Hilton will be there, too. Most other poker folk will be at the LA Classic.

So, have a good weekend everyone.

Current: Burbank, CA
Next: New York City for the New York Times Travel Show (Feb 23-27)

Time for a Media Tournament at the LA Poker Classic

So, I'm feeling slightly better today, John is not. That said, we're going to muster all our strength and get ourselves down to the Commerce Casino for the LA Poker Classic. We're signed up for the media tourney at 3pm. I'm looking forward to seeing Pauly, and I just spoke with Gavin yesterday and he's already there. But the question is, who else will be there? Amy Calistri is officially not the editor of Poker Pages, and that leaves me wondering where BJ is. He left Card Player and was to join Amy at PP, but who knows now. BJ, if you're out there reading, check in. I hope I'll be seeing either of both of you today.

In other news, I got my first cover feature story assignment for Woman Poker Player. And that will take me to a party this Sunday sponsored by Cindy Margolis's new poker site. I'll have more info on that for you later.

And with a few days off, I'll be ready to turn to WR and VivaLasVegasBlog tomorrow. Both of those are going to get big injections of newness in the not too distant future.

Home Safe - What Day Is It?

Happy Valentines Day everybody! And a special Happy Birthday to my Grandma Marylin if she's following along. We got back last night around 1am after taking three trains and three planes to get back to LA from Deauville, France.

The three Valentine's Day plan got thrown out the window early in the game. I had so much work to do, I didn't have time to go out and do anything in Deauville. But John got mega points for making reservatinos at a romantic restaurant on the water, even if we had to cancel. The same thing happened in Amsterdam. I couldn't take him to my fave restaurant. But the good thing is that I crunched out the last bits of the Vegas guidebook, so we are nearing the end with that project. But I can't quite say finally, yet.

Anyway, I'm sick as a dog, have about 70% of my hearing, and John is a bit better but headed in the same direction. The real Valentine's Day is going to be spent on the couch catching up on House and Medium. And I'm thrilled. I'm lucky to have a boyfriend at all, let alone a super great one. We'll go to the movies when we're feeling better, and that will be just what I wanted anyway.

I've got a few more deadlines to meet from my post between kleenex, tea, and blankets, but after that I'll show you a few more pics from the hotel. Who needs Valentine's Day when you get to stay in a 5-star French hotel for free for five days?

Current: Burbank, Ca
Next: New York City (Feb 23-27)

Final Table of the PokerStars.com EPT

This is our final day and night in Deauville. We had our last "Omelette Complete" and cafe at the Cafe du Paris, followed by a few hours of internet as soon as the casino opened. After a big work session, we went for a walk along the beach boardwalk, and into town for some lunch. I have a chocolate eclair and pain aux raisins waiting for me in the room. Thanks to Gutshot.com , here are the final table seatings of the French Open.

The Final Table lines up as follows...
1. Ram Vaswani (England) 1,191,500
2. Isabelle Mercier (Canada) 428,000
3. Mark Boudewijn (Holland) 911,500
4. Kiril Garasimov (Russia) 215,000
5. Patrick Martensson (Sweden) 291,000
6. Stuart Nash (England) 125,500 (first out)
7. Theo Jorgensen (Denmark) 809,500
8. Mats Iremark (Sweden) 397,000

Today's Payouts
1 - €480.000 (plus €10,000 buy-in into EPT Grand final in Monte Carlo)
2 - €259.000
3 - €155.300
4 - €118.500
5 - €97.700
6 - €76.800
7 - €60.800
8 - €43.500

Current: Deauville, Paris
Next: Amsterdam (Sunday night)
Then: Burbank, CA (Mon night)

Three Valentines Days

Well, I'm chuffed. John just told me we get to have three Valentine's Days. Of course, he didn't say it like that, but you know how my brain works.

What he did say, is that we're going to celebrate V-day at a nice dinner out here in Deauville tomorrow night. Then, we'll go to Amsterdam as planned on Sunday. We'll travel home Monday instead of Wednesday, and have another Vday on the real day, in LA. The big bonus of coming home early means that we'll get to play in the Media Tournament at the LA Poker Classic on the 15th! Most of my poker media friends should be there, like Pauly and BJ, so it's very exciting for me. Euro Poker Scenester to LA Poker Scenester.

We're staying at the Sheraton right at the Amsterdam airport, but will train up into Central Amsterdam for a night out. (Hence the third, V-day in my book).

At present, I'm at my station between the two Gutshot boys, trying to finish up the Vegas book.

Current: Deauville, France
Next: Amsterdam, Holland (Sunday Feb 12)
After that: Los Angeles (Monday night Feb 13)

Hi from Deauville

It felt a bit weird to not blog today since I did so much of it yesterday. I've got my head down trying to finish this Vegas book. John was off dealing with the train station in an effort to get us out of here. No such luck. We'll be here, and then Amsterdam till the 15th as planned.

We had a lovely breakfast sith the Gutshot crew at Cafe de Paris this morning. I got better at ordering coffee, but my omelette wasn't as nice as John's. We'll try again tomorrow. In regards to dinner, that was the treat of the day. We shared a delicious pizza and Caprese salad.

On the BBE scorecard, he brought me a chocolate creme puff this afternoon. I've saved the biggest half for tonight. :-)

On the poker front, I had a chat with Marcel Luske today. I introduced myself, and he was pleasantly surprised to meet me and said he'd recognized my name so it was more like a "finally." Nice, eh? I was fishing for goods for my BLUFF column, but no such luck. He's still trying to get permission for his song on his new DVD. And yes, I got serenaded...just a little bit. He's working on putting together a poker seminar, I suggested the MGM as a good spot for him.

What else? the riffle of the chips beneath the glow of the chandeliers is intoxicating. I want to play so bad....just waiting for a 50 Euro sit and go. But I don't think I can stay awake that long. There is 5 Euro Blackjack in the other room. Tempting...but the poker pals around here would never let me live it down.

Apparently ALL IN Media is looking for some on-air poker reporters. I'll have to figure out if it's TV or radio before I send in a resume. Should I? I don't know. Maybe...

Current: Deauville, France
Next: Amsterdam, Holland

The Schecky-coaster is over

Thanks for following along everyone. John just left the room after his Jacks lost to Aces. It was the best hand he'd seen since dinner. There are 99 people left, and they're in the 8th level with blinds at 300-600. It's now 11:00 p.m.. Marcel Luske, Carlos Mortensen, and Tiffany Williamsen are also out.

Howard, who is the kind gent writing the PokerStarsBlog, wrote up a bit about John in his post, "Making the News."

Chip Counts

They are on another break. For those watching John, he lost about 8k or so right before dinner. Another level and he's down to 7.8k. The average chip stack is 17,863k. It's quite the roller coaster again. He says we're near going home. I'm trying to get him to think positive, but it's no easy task. Now, he's off taking a meeting.

LEVEL 7, blinds 200-400. Time is 10:00 p.m.

Our hero John Cardwell 7.8k

Carlos Mortensen 5,000

Roy 'The Boy' Brindley 26,500

Marcel Luske 14,000

Ram Vaswami 28,000

Noah Boeken 10,000

Ross Boatman 11,000

Jeff Duvall 26,900

Patrik Antonius 35,000

Roland de Wolfe 16,000

Mark Teltcher 15,000

Chip counts are courtesy of GutShot. Thanks David and Stephen!

Pics from the EPT French Open sponsored by PokerStars.com

People are going out right and left. But, thes ones that really matter are still in.



Our guy John Cardwell sitting next to lady luck. Apparently, the guys at the table fold to her. That was before dinner. I saw her eating a lollipop since, must be to ensure it continues.

Marcel Luske doing some homework.

Great shirt.

Better shirts. Everyone needs luck when they're playing poker.

I think Carlos is terrific.

There's Ram.

John is going strong at the 2nd break

John is supposedly sitting next to one of the Poker Queens and has 17.5k in chips. The average chip stack is 12,440k. The dinner break will be in another 30 minutes.

He's ALL-IN

A few minutes ago I took a peek at John and saw that his inch of chips had doubled a bit, but he was no where in the clear. Then, my GutShot eyes came over and told me that he'd just gone all in. John's Jacks went up against the 7th seat's AK. I was told that John had stood up and everything. Luck looked his way, and he's doubled up again. An eyeball's read says he's got about 12k in chips. The blinds are 100-200, with 42 minutes on the clock.

There will be an hour+ dinner break after this level. He's passed word to me that we'll be going to the player's buffet.

Big thanks to PokerStars.com for sponsoring this event and putting us up in such a grand hotel, and continued thanks to Stephen and David who are my eyes in the field. I don't want to make him nervous by hanging out over there.

First Break

The players are on break and there are 198 players left from 209 that sat down including Marcel Luske, Carlos Mortensen, Ram Vaswani, and Tiffany Williamsen, among others. Apparently 470 players signed up for the tournament.

John has lost half his chips already and figures we'll have a free day tomorrow. I think he meant on the 10th as tomorrow will be flight two. He'll either be doubled up or out any time now after they resume. That's what he says anyway.

I am going to think double up double up double up double up. The 1,000 chips are yellow. So lets do a bit of positive thinking for him.

Come on Shchecky, you can do it!

chip stack, Chip Stack, CHIP STACK!!!

For full tourney coverage, check out GutShot.com.

EuroSchecky—John's Return to the PokerStars.com EPT French Open

We've arrived after a full day and a half of planes, trains, and taxis. Deauville is charming and quaint, you know, the two words no travel writer is ever supposed to use. Many thanks to PokerStars, who have put us up in a five star hotel connected to the casino. Our room at the Hotel Normandie normally goes for 300+ Euros/night. It has an open window that looks out over the village. Hermes, Hugo Boss, and other high end stores just around the corner.

Last night we attended a cocktial party hosted by Poker Stars. I had a lovely time chatting with the Poker Stars blogger, Howard Swains, who already has some pictures up of our hotel and the goins on. Greg Raymer was also at the party, but thought it was a drag and left early. Marcel Luske showed up after we'd left.

John will be playing today, the first of two Day ones. I'm in the media area with the GutShot crew. Isabelle Mercier is three seats to my right, in a mini skirt and her black PokerStars shirt, typing away on a mini lap top. You can read her recent article, "On the Road," on GutShot. I'll be reporting as long as John is in the tournament.

Here are the dealers, at their station. The room is grand. There are high celings with eight chandeliers. The players are lining up to take their seats. John is at table 15, seat 4. He just walked in and I was able to say good luck before he took his seat.

Quickie

Sorry for the absence. We've been on planes and trains with the internet being down at both the hotel and John's office before we left. I could wonder if it was because of the snow, but I'd rather not think it was something as little as that. I had time to get my hair done and a manicure at a spa salon for only 64LT or $25 after tip.

Then we flew from Vilnius to Amsterdam, just over night. I only had time to turn in some work, and then it was a late dinner, bed, and an early train.

The American Hotel in Amsterdam is considerably more than I'm used to, and right next to the casino. It's fine for us to stay in for V-day, especially considering it's a good deal at $130/night. I will say though, that where we're staying in Deauville is a far better room and the real treat of the week.

Now, I'll be posting poker stuff for the next few days, so John's friends can follow his play.

Current: Deauville, France
Next: Amsterdam, Holland (Feb 12-15)

Quote him, "You know, I'm not that cold."

I still call John the BBE, even though he won't live in Milwaukee with me because of the weather. And I pretend he's speaking ancient Egyptian when he says he doesn't ski or like going to the mountains in winter. Heck, he says himself that he won't go in any kind of weather that doesn't begin with a "7". So, you can imagine my bewilderment when he said, "You know, I'm not that cold."

Why? Because it was snowing out and he had just participated in a snowball fight!

I got hijacked yesterday. Happily so. I was struggling midday from a night of no sleep. My brain spinning with ideas for new websites to build. Nice, but it was 3:30 a.m.. I took my pillow to the bathroom and sat in the empty bathtub doodling on a legal pad, downloading pics, IM-ing with my potential TV co-host in Canada, and and and. It was a nutty night, and I paid dearly for it the next morning. I had one hand on my last Revive vitamin water, and the other hand on the keyboard, when John called. He said his workmates from the office wanted to take me to an interesting lunch, and I should come over as soon as possible.

We went to the old mill which has been turned into a thriving traditional Lithuanian restaurant. It is on a big piece of property with a river flowing through it. There was snow everywhere, and the hearth inside made for a cozy lodge feel. We had Lithuanian alcohol, beer, grub (I had zeppelins), and afterwards we walked around to the waterfall.

If you look closely in the photo of the snow fight to the right, you'll see that it's John that's getting hit by one snowball with another one coming. Trust me, that's him. In the original photo you can see the "Poker Stars" writing on his jacket.

You know—I think the reason John didn't feel the cold was because he was having fun. I was really shocked when we got back to the car and he said that he wasn't that cold. I made sure that he said it again so that his workmate could hear him. Then, I asked if we could get it in writing.

Here is a group of the guys, mostly behaving. And another one that we took after driving a little ways down the road. They took us here so we could see the mill from above. You can imagine that this is quite the party in the summer. There were picnic areas all around the river. I would say that I'd love to see Vilnius in the late Spring, or Summer—but you know that already.

And lastly, the happy traveler took a self-portrait. I was trying to get the view behind me, but I guess my arms were too short. That's ok, I like how artsy it turned out.

Current: Vilnius, Lithuania
Next: Amsterdam, Holland (Monday night, Feb. 6)
After that: Deauville, France (Tuesday night, Feb 7-12)

More Pics from Vilnius

I worked my ass off today, but still it wasn't enough. Luckily, some of my work didn't have to be online. But since I was pressed for time, I stayed close. At first I went to the Radisson SAS and thought about working in their glass patio dining, but the menu was posted in the foyer and entrees were in their 30 litas and up. That's before drinks and dessert. I had enough, but thought I could do better. So, I kept walking, and ended up in a lovely cafe with a nice view of the Philharmonic building. Something sort of like pizza, but not, a coca light, still water, and a coffee came to 18lita = $6.

The best part was trying a new route. I like walking down new streets to see what's there. It's hard to get lost because you just point yourself in the right direction, and sooner or later there's going to be a church steeple in the sky for you to guide yourself with. Here is a park I found on this semi-directed ramble towards the cafe.

And here are a few pics from yesterday. I took a 15lita cab each way to get to one of the first Lithuanian "themed" restaurants. It was loaded with Lithuanian homestead furniture, tools, and antique appliances. It also had the oldest Lithuanian bike. I took notes in my Moleskine for a future travel article, and ate my meal out of a hat. I ordered my beer in a boot in honor of my frineds at BootsnAll Travel.

The Royal Athletic Club

Last night John's workmates took us to their gym. Wow, I've never been in such a nice gym before. It's called The Royal Atheltic Club, and the pictures on the site don't do it justice. It's in a new building near a park out in the spendy area of town barely a ten minute drive from our hotel in Old Town.


You walk in and check your coat at reception, then go to your gender specific locker room. I guess the only way to describe it is that this place is half spa, and fitness. They've got top of the line cardio and weight equipment in two different rooms. I got on the eliptical for 20 minutes and watched dubbed ER. Then there was some trainer guy there that helped me, John didn't pay much attention but thought that I'd get hit with a 200lt charge afterwards for personal training. I did some ab work, arm work, and leg work, but I was itching to go to the spa side of things, so left early while the three guys were still doing weights.

First I did the dry sauna, then the cold shower misty thing, then the steam room which the workmates called a Turkish bath. You can see the area here to the left, and all of that was dark and steamy with a neat starlit structure on the ceiling. Then I went to the relaxation area (shown above) and fell asleep near the jacuzzi. The total for John and I including bottled waters and juice and the juice bar was 64lita, about $21.