Photo of the Day - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Photo was taken from Granville Island, looking out on False Creek during a 2010 Winter Games press trip to British Columbia.

Vancouver...Oh, how I adore thee.

My second business trip to Vancouver was just as exciting as the first. I came to the conclusion that I could truly live in this city someday. It has the perfect mix of laid-back atmosphere, health-consciousness and art and culture. Ahhh, just call me Zen Meredith.

We stayed at the new Shangri-La Vancouver, the luxury resort company's first North American property. I've never in my life experienced such service. As soon as you arrive at the hotel, an employee in reception excorts you up to your room for a unique in-room check-in experience.

Source: Shangri-La

Ever seen the moment in The Holiday (yep, just referenced that blockbuster of a movie) when Kate Winslet lays in her bed at the house she's staying at, realizes the buttons next to her head control the black-out curtains, the music, etc...and she squeals with delight??


...Yes, that was me.



The buttons by my head controlled the regular curtains, the black-out curtains, the electronic "do not disturb" message, the lights, etc. And to top it off, the room was bigger than my entire apartment in New York. It was pure bliss.



During my stay in Vancouver, I got a sneak peak of the facilities for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. And let me tell you, the Games are going to be amazing. [More to come on this]

A very busy spring...

My upcoming travels:

March: Vancouver (work meetings)
April: The Bahamas (Weather Conference)
May: San Francisco and L.A. (work events)
June: Colorado (for Cara's wedding!)
July: The Bahamas (press trip)

Dreaming of warmer weather...

This freezing cold NYC weather (and the subsequent cold that I caught from being out in it) makes me miss the warm, sun-drenched Bahamas. In going through past posts, I realized I never posted pictures from this summer's "Learn to Cook and Relax" press trip to Eleuthera and Harbour Island (or the Scrubs shoot...but those will come at a later point).

Photos below:

The pink sand beaches of Harbour Island (known as "briland" to locals):

"Queen Conch" stop on Harbour Island cooking crawl. We learned to make our own conch salad:

Cottage at The Cove Eleuthera:


Snorkeling at a pond in Eleuthera (yes, that's an octopus):


Glass Window Bridge in Eleuthera - the dark, menacing-looking Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the turquoise, clear waters of the Caribbean on the other:



Our flight back to the states:




All in a day's work (well...five days, to be exact).