Tapas at La Bodega
Posted on September 3, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Here are some pictures of our pre-concert tapas at La Bodega.
The albondigas were much better than the first time I had them. I’m not sure if they just made them better this time, or if it’s because I finally figured out that the flavor is in the sauce. The meatballs are somewhat bland and flavorless by themselves, but the sauce is super delicious. So good that we asked for some bread to sop the rest up.
We liked the patatas bravas from when Hideki ordered it the last time we were at the restaurant, so we got it this time. We had just enough food to be satisfied and not have to take any home (or back to the hotel).
Since we just had tapas instead of full entrees, I figured that we could splurge on dessert. We got a slice of La Bodega’s chocolate tort (a flour-less cake). It was super yummy. Brian had a few bites, but I ate every bit of it. Check out the aftermath.
La Bodega is one of my favorite restaurants in Leawood. What I love most about it is that you can get tapas, which is great if you don’t feel like eating a heavy meal. Also, they have great happy hour specials until 6 PM (half-priced tapas and half-priced pitchers of sangria). We missed it this time because we had to stop by Dick’s Sporting Goods to pick up ponchos for the concert. Brian didn’t want to drink anyway because the weather was making him feel uncomfortable. He doesn’t like driving in unfamiliar cities anyway, and he didn’t want to be impaired driving around that night. I’m glad I have such a responsible hubby.
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Labor Day Weekend 2012
Posted on September 3, 2012 by Ching under Travel.
The last couple of years we’ve spent Labor Day weekend in Texas. In 2010 we went to visit the Orbases. They had just moved to Dallas. I think we were their very first visitors. Last year we went to Lake Worth to visit Cousin Tracy and Jeff. It’s close enough to Dallas that we were able to swing by and have lunch with the Orbases on the way home. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that this year.
I would blame the fact that we’re busy packing for the big move but, even before that happened, we bought tickets to see Journey at the Livestrong Sporting Park. We bought the tickets almost as soon as they went on sale, before we even found a house and made an offer. I think had the events occurred in reverse, we probably would have just skipped the concert altogether. So anyway, a trip to Texas was not in the cards for us this year either way.
I had started to get overwhelmed at the hectic days ahead of us. It was raining in the Kansas City area this weekend and it wouldn’t stop. I was so worried that I had second thoughts about going to the concert. Me and my brilliance (or short-sightedness) didn’t figure it would be raining on Labor Day weekend so I bought floor seats. I wanted to be as close to the stage/band as possible. Had I been smart and planned better, I would have gotten stadium seats which are at least covered by the awning.
Not to be daunted by the weather, Brian and I scoped out the parking situation after checking out Nebraska Furniture Mart. The arena is directly across from it. I had actually thought about just parking at the NFM parking lot, but there were “No Event Parking” signs everywhere. So we were like, “Where do we park?” We found some people directing traffic and parking and asked them. Now that we knew where to park, our next question was, “How much?” We wanted to make sure we got cash out of the ATM if we needed to because we never carry around any cash. We asked two people, one of them looked like a security guard, and were told both times that parking would be free. That’s not usually the case, so I thought that’s nice. It’s a little farther away than the NFM parking lot, but we’re not ones to break rules so we were okay with having to walk a little ways.
We proceeded to drive to Leawood (all of the hotels in the area were sold out due to Midwest Nationals which was also going on during the same weekend) to check in at our hotel and take a nap. I was hopeful that the rain would be over by the time we woke up. No such luck. It was raining harder than ever. Brian and I agreed that we would just get there late. If we’re going to get rained on, we’d rather be rained on for half the time than the full four to five hours. As a precaution, we went to Dick’s Sporting Goods and bought ourselves some rain gear ($5 ponchos – FTW). We were not about to let the weather, gloomy as it was, dampen our spirits.
We took our time having dinner at La Bodega before heading to the arena. It was around 8 PM or so. I told Brian I wanted to be late, but I didn’t want to be that late. While I didn’t care about Loverboy (I actually have no idea who they are), I very much wanted to see Pat Benatar. I listened to her music growing up. We could hear her music playing (we figured that she’d already started performing) as we drove by the arena to go over to the parking lot. It was still raining fiercely, mind you. There was no waiting out the rain as it continued to rain on and off all night. We finally got to the designated parking area and were mortified to see $20 and $10 signs. We had absolutely no cash on us.
We had several options: find an ATM and come back and pay for parking, park at the NFM parking lot and face the consequences, or skip the concert altogether (something that I refused to consider). I was a little upset at this point though, because I was missing Pat Benatar. I told Brian to just park at NFM. They close at 9 PM. No one in their right mind would be shopping for furniture this late in the evening, in this weather. When we got there, the “No Event Parking” signs were still up. There were a couple of guys at the end of one of the aisles. Brian, never one to break the rules, asked them for permission to park in the lot. They said it was fine. We were both so relieved. It was almost 9 PM at this point. It actually worked out better because this lot was closer to the East stadium entrance and we didn’t have to pay.
Anyway, we made it to our seats just in time to hear Pat Benatar perform “We Belong” one of my most favorite songs of hers.
We got there just in time because she performed a few more songs before her set was over. And, you know, they always save the best songs for last. So all my favorites like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Love is a Battlefield,” and “Heartbreaker” were played at the end. Alright, it’s time for me to get ready for Zumba so I’ll save the rest of this story for later. Come back!
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Aloft Leawood
Posted on September 2, 2012 by Ching under Travel.
Our travel agent friends Jay and Becca booked us a night at Aloft Hotel in Leawood for Friday night. Brian and I didn’t want to drive home after the concert, but we couldn’t find any hotels in the Kansas City, Kansas area because of Midwest Nationals. All of the hotels nearby were completely booked. Either that or the rates were really high. Becca found us a great rate at Aloft. Plus, it’s in the Park Place/Town Center Plaza area, which Brian and I both really like. Here are some photos of our room.
The rooms are on the small side, but they make good use of the space through the minimalist design. Brian said that it reminds him of the hotels that he stays at when he’s in Germany.
I liked it overall. There were only a few things I didn’t like. The walls were too thin so you could hear everything going on outside, specially when people were being noisy in the hallway or by the elevator or in the bar/lobby down below. We had the misfortune of staying in room 320, which is right by the elevators and above the lobby. If we stay there again, I’m definitely asking for a room on the 4th floor or higher.
The higher floor will help keep the road noise at a minimum also. Although, no matter what floor you’re in, you’re probably not going to be able to avoid the noisy AC. I’m pretty sure it’s not just the one in our room because I saw some comments about this very thing on FourSquare. Might as well plan ahead. Pack some earplugs to ensure a good night’s rest.
Now for some pros…
Aloft has a great fitness room.
And an indoor heated saltwater pool.
The first floor lobby is sleek and modern.
The second floor lobby/lounge area is really hip.
The outdoor patio on the 2nd floor is amazing and even has an outdoor fireplace.
We would have really enjoyed it if it weren’t raining. That was pretty much the story for the entire weekend. It never stopped raining. It made for an interesting time at the concert, which I will tell you more about later.
The biggest advantage of this hotel is definitely the location. It’s located in Park Place and is nestled amidst several restaurants. There isn’t a shortage of food options. That’s for sure. I would likely stay here again but, as I mentioned earlier, I’m definitely asking to be on a higher floor next time. That and maybe packing some ear plugs.
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Nebraska Furniture Mart
Posted on September 2, 2012 by Ching under Shopping.
We finally got to check out Nebraska Furniture Mart.
Holy cow! That store is huge! We could have wandered around the store for days! Every time a store salesperson greet us, Brian’s favorite line was, “What are you talking about? I’ve been here for a week.” It wasn’t as funny after the second or third time he said it. Just like well-trained sales reps, they all laughed like it was the first time they’d ever heard anyone say it. Although, I’m sure they get that a lot.
Mainly we just wanted to see if it would have been cheaper to purchase our appliances from there because everyone has been telling us to go to NFM rather than shopping locally. We found our Whirlpool fridge for about $100 less, but with delivery it would have been the same. So Brian and I felt pretty good about that purchase. We couldn’t find our washer and dryer at NFM but, if you’re familiar with that story, then you know we got a really good deal on it.
Brian and I liked the upholstery fabric of this couch, but not so much the style. Will probably go with NFM when we furnish our basement a few years from now.
Brian had a lot of fun playing with this recliner, but we are not getting it. Not next week. Not next month. Not next year. Not five years from now. Not ever. Sorry, baby. Just calling it like it is. =P
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Bob Evans at Legends
Posted on September 1, 2012 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Brian’s mom and dad told us about Bob Evans a long time ago, but we never had the opportunity to check it out until now.
I had the farmer’s breakfast with a couple of eggs fried hard, two sausage patties, country potatoes, and a crepe filled with cream cheese and topped with blueberry topping and whipped cream. I eat a lot.
Brian had the sausage and egg biscuit bowl with gravy. It doesn’t look very appetizing, but it was actually good. Brian liked it.
The food at Bob Evans isn’t spectacular, but I think they serve the best breakfast you can find at the Legends/Village West area. I really don’t know of any other restaurants serving breakfast. It’s either Bob Evans or IHOP. LOL.
Ya’ll will need to check it out and let me know what you think.
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