Anyway, even though I knew all week, that we planned this lunch, I just never got myself to the point of trying on clothes to see what I would wear, I figured I'd find something. I've gotten into the habit of wearing jeans and t-shirts, even for most of my clients' offices, and it had been a while since I had to dress in anything but casual attire. So, Friday morning, at 11:00am, I decided I should start figuring out what to wear. I knew none of my clothes purchased in the last couple years would fit me, since I've put on about 10lbs in recent months. I started going through my older dresses from when I worked in NYC. After trying about 6 dresses, and finding them all to be a bit snugger than I would like, I was forced to wear a burgundy spaghetti strap dress with a subdued, whimsical flowery pattern. I then combed my hair and put a light hairspray on it, and applied a little bit of makeup, and was on my way by noon. We were to meet there by 12:30. While I live 10 minutes from the strip, I always give myself a half hour to get there because I never know how the traffic will be on Flamingo (or Flaming-O) as I call it, and once I get there, I have to find parking, then walk to wherever I'm going to meet friends.
One thing I love about the Cosmopolitan... and I know it's a very simple thing... is their parking garage. They make sure from the minute you get there, your experience is amazing and you feel taken care of. I wish every parking garage was like the Cosmopolitan. First, there are electronic signs telling drivers how many available parking spaces are on each parking level, so you can make a better decision about which level you want to park on. Next, each level has a light fixture above EVERY parking space. If the light is red, it is taken, if it is green, it is open. It makes it so easy to glance across the parking area to determine if there are any spots available in the area I need to be in, or if I want to go to the next level. I was quickly able to determine that B2 and B3 would not work for me so I went to B4. The signage in the garage is another wonderful feat that I wish more parking garages would follow. There are very clear signs telling drivers where the elevators are and if they are the East Elevators or West Elevators. It just makes sense to know this, so that if you know what part of the casino/hotel you want to go to, you can park close to it and not have to walk so far. Trust me, a gal in heels doesn't want to walk any farther than necessary. So, I found a spot one row away from the East Elevators, took the elevator to the third floor, walked down a hall and was at Estiatorio Milos about 5 minutes after parking.
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| Cosmo Parking Garage with green and red indicator lights |
I made it there by 12:25, and Mike texted me that he was almost there. He decided to Valet Park and walk through the casino and up the elevator. I waited til he got there, we greeted and walked in the restaurant together. The hostess was very pleasant and asked if we wanted to sit on the terrace but we agreed it was still a bit too hot for us, so we sat inside, looking out at the terrace. As we decided what to eat I noticed that one of their specialty drinks, the Cucumber Cooler, contains Chartreuse. I did not order it, but some evening I will go back and try it. I remember many years ago, my friends and I loved drinking Chartreuse, because of it's peppery flavor. For anyone who doesn't know, Chartreuse is a liqueur distilled by the Carthusian Monks since 1737 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartreuse_%28liqueur%29). It is a bright green (though a yellow version is also made) and the color is actually named after the liqueur. If you look up Chartreuse in the dictionary, the first definition talks about the liqueur, the second one talks about the color and says it was named after the liqueur. This Cucumber Cooler also contains Cucmber Vodka. It seems like a very odd combination to me, but I think I would like it, so I have a mental note to someday try this drink.
We ordered our meals and I asked Mike why he parked in valet when he advised me to park and take the east elevators to the third floor. He said it was a last minute change on his part when he saw the Valet sign, but also explained that he often loses his vehicle in parking areas. He told me the story of how he parked his big, red truck in the parking lot at Town Square and couldn't find it for hours. Finally, he decided to search further and found it in a place he didn't think he parked, so wasn't looking there. He said this happens to him frequently, so when he has the option to use valet parking, he does. He said, "I let THEM find my car for me." And we got a chuckle about that. This is one of those things that I truly don't understand because I can't think of one time where I have not been able to find my car in a parking area. However, when I run across these situations, I do my best not to judge a person. I realize they have other talents that I do not possess and if everyone was like me, it would be a very boring world. The rest of the time we talked about people who talk to much because he had an experience with a someone who talks too much on a ride and no longer sees that person because he just can't deal with it. We also talked about his trip to Italy. He will be going with a friend for two weeks, to rent and ride a motorcycle around Italy. He may stay an additional 2 weeks if he can get in on a motorcycle tour available in Austria to ride through the Alps. I'm very excited for him and also very jealous of him. Someday I hope to get to Europe and ride motorcycles around for a bit.
We chatted more and laughed more over dessert and coffee and finally about 3:00pm we decided it was time to leave. Having lunch at Estiatorio Milos was a wonderful experience, with good food, attentive staff and a good view through the glass windows out to the strip. Of course the company made it fun too... always fun and laughs with Mike.
We love those parking lots too!!!
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