Old 97's at Terranea's Music on the Meadows

Located cliffside in the Pacific Palisades, the stunning Terranea Resort was an unusual venue for my favorite band, the Old 97's. It's definitely the fanciest place that I've seen a concert for any type of band.

We bought the VIP tickets for 75.00 each, which gave us access to a rope off section with alcohol and hors d'oeuvres. After drinking mimosas and eating lots of artisan cheese, pizza on skewers and brownie bites, we met the band.

I'm terrible at meet and greets. I freeze and it's awkward. Really awkward. I babble. It's not pretty.

If the band happens to come across this little blog of mine, I apologize, especially to Phil. Yes, I know, that you know, that I know your name, but I didn't need to make it uncomfortable. Sorry Phil.

Awkward aside, it was a wonderful moment to shake the hands of the guys in my fav band and get a picture. We asked fellow fans to take our picture and the best shot wasn't very straight. I'm just going to chalk it up to an awkward picture to match the moment.

After the VIP area, we had general admission for the concert, which took place on the meadows, a giant lawn overlooking the ocean. The June gloom cleared by the early afternoon and it was perfect. The sun was shining and a flock of pelicans kept flying over the stage. Unfortunately, we didn't bring lawn chairs or even blankets for the grass. We grabbed a good spot on the back of the hill and watched the opening bands.

Tyler Hilton was fantastic. His music is very Americana, right up my alley.

We were so impressed with Tyler Hilton, that we went to his merch booth and bought his album. Next, we have to buy a record player. Not kidding.

The other openers were Dustbowl Revival. Wow. Loved them! As their name replies, they do a modern twist on music from or inspired by the 1930's. A great live band. Apparently they have been named "Best LA Live Band" two years running.

We did our part for Terranea's social media and took some concert selfies.

Old 97's finally took the stage just after 4pm.

We abandoned our spot on the hill and went straight up to the stage, standing near Murry.

They played many of my favorites, like Roller Skate Skinny, Barrier Reef and Big Brown Eyes. Also my two favorite girls, Doreen and Victoria were in the set. There is no better "Scream at the Top of My Lungs in LA Traffic" song than Victoria. Love it! Murray did several numbers, including a cover of Mama Tried. A truly great set list, as always. The only missed opportunity is they didn't do The One. Maybe it was a bit too obvious for the venue.

After the concert, went to the hotel bar for a cheese plate and drinks. Killing two birds with one stone, we ate dinner and avoided the valet traffic. Plus, we had an amazing view of the ocean during sunset. Did I mention that this is a stunning hotel?

It was the perfect spring day in Southern California.

Las Vegas March 2014- Silverton Casino

Our Las Vegas must-do list always includes a stop to the Bass Pro Shop. In a city where everything is large than life, nothing is quite as spectacular as the Bass Pro Shop. It's a spectacle. The store is located adjacent to the Silverton Casino and on our Christmas trip, we spent a little time gambling in the hotel. When I say little, I mean little. It didn't take a whole lot to have the offers of free rooms, slot tournaments and dining credit come our way. We decided to take them up on an offer during a weekend in March.

Silverton has a nature/lodge theme, with wood beams and wildlife art. The theming of the Bass Pro Shop spills over into the theme of the hotel. It's cozy. We liked the decor of the casino and anticipated that it would carry over to the rooms.

This is a small hotel and we were given a room on the top floor with a partially obstructed pool view. Our room was basic, but it met all of our needs. Did I mention that it was free?

The bath tub was too small and shallow for a proper bath. I loved that they featured Bath and Body Works products. Rainkissed leaves smelled wonderful.

My favorite part of the room was the reading material. What other hotel are you going to get this?

Our room had a funky smell when we arrived, but it was late and we didn't call to complain. The next day, we noticed the smell when we came back from the pool. It was awful. We called and within ten minutes a nice woman from housekeeping came to the rescue. We were moved to an identical room, minus the smell and she gave us a handful of vouchers for our trouble.

Every single staff member that we encountered at Silverton was super friendly and helpful. Seriously, they were giving Disney a run for their money in the customer service department.

This was first really warm weekend of the year and I was very excited to use the pool. We practically had the pool to ourselves. It was too early in their season to have staff working the pool area, so no cocktail service. The pool is tiny and a concrete jungle. It wasn't very nice and I can't even imagine it on a busy day. The pool complex desperately needs an upgrade.

We had food credit and coupons, so we tried several of the restaurants. I was most impressed with the cafe, which has good quality food with a wide selection. It's inexpensive and the restaurant is pretty with a continued nature theme. I was less than impressed with the buffet, especially steer clear of "Polynesian Night." Ick.

The best spot in the hotel is at the Mermaid Bar, which has chairs facing a giant aquarium. It's mesmerizing. Several times during the day, the aquarium has shows with women dressed as mermaids, who swim with the fish, sharks and stingrays. They have a smaller aquarium with beautiful jellyfish.

We enjoyed our stay at Silverton, but it doesn't compare to staying on the strip. Silverton is a much quieter casino that attracts both an older crowd and large families with young children. We fit in neither category. Since the pool is a disappointment, it's not really a warm weather hotel. We found ourselves leaving the Silverton frequently to get to the strip for entertainment and better food options. The hotel is clean and safe, but very basic. You can't beat staying for free, but I wouldn't pay more than fifty-sixty a night for a room here. That said, if you have a car, it's probably cleaner and nicer than comparable hotels on the strip. Plus, it has the best staff in Vegas!

1st Anniversary Trip- Lake Tahoe (Part Two)

As we continued to make our way around the lake, it started to snow. I can count the times that I've experienced falling snow on one hand, so it's still a very magical experience for me. We saw signs for the Rubicon Trail and got very excited. One day, we hope to do the Jeep Jamboree Rubicon event. Our little rental car wouldn't have gotten far!

We found a pretty beach with loads of rocks.

The next morning, we checked out of the Hyatt Regency and drove towards the ski resorts behind Incline Village. The slopes were not open for skiers, but there were plenty of families playing in the snow. The views were stunning.

This is my favorite picture of the entire trip. Too bad that we didn't see any real bears, crossing or otherwise.

We continued to drive around the lake, in the same loop that we had taken the previous day. The sun was out and it was beautiful. The sun made the entire landscape look different, especially the shade of blue in the lake.