My Summer with the Nokia Lumina Part One

My Summer with the Nokia Lumina Part One

Nokia Lumina

Nokia Lumina

The cool people over at Verizon Wireless has graciously loaned me the Nokia Lumina 2520 with 4G LTE for the summer and in return I get to give you the scoop on it.

At the end of each month, I will let you know what cool features I have found it has, what I used it for, why it was helpful and anything else I feel like you might need to know.

I have only had the tablet for a little over a week and have not had too much time to explore it so my June report will be rather short. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer with this tablet. I am used to an iPad and the Nokia Lumina is Windows based so it will be an adventure on learning how to operate it and compare the two.

Cool Features: Mix Radio. Similar to Pandora this is a music app that pre-loaded on the device and allows you to pick your favorite artists.  The app then plays that artist along with similar other ones. It is also has Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook which makes it a portable PC. Other apps are Skype, Xbox, daily news, stocks and few more I need to explore.

What I used it for: Well, like I said I have only had it a few days so for the most part I have been using it as entertainment. Watching Netflix on it, listening to the Mix Radio and checking email now and then.  I am looking forward to hooking up the compatible keyboard so I can blog on the go!

Nokia Lumina

Nokia Lumina

Why it was helpful: The headphone jack made it easy to plug into out speaker system so I could listen to music throughout the house. I know this may sound a bit too personal, but I really hate laundry. When I find myself with piles to fold, I pass the time by watching Netflix. This handy portable tablet made it easy to take to the laundry room where I could finish my folding chores.

I know this is a pretty brief account for such an intricate tablet.  Good thing I have the rest of the summer to dive into it more!

Looking forward to checking in with you at the end of July!

Sharm

 

Chipotle Cultivate Festival Coming to Kansas City

Chipotle Cultivate Festival Coming to Kansas City

Chipotle Cultivate

Chipotle Cultivate

On Saturday, July 18, Chipotle the will bring their Cultivate Festival to Kansas City.

So what is the Cultivate Festival you ask?

Well it is a family friendly day at Penn Valley Park where you can enjoy listening to bands (Max Frost, St. Lucia, Betty Who, Small Pools and Portugal The Man), watch celebrity chef demonstrations (Graham Elliot, Amanda Freitag, KC’s own Colby Garrelts as well as others), sample products from local food artisans (Rye, Little Freshie, Shatto, Poppy’s Ice Cream and more), enjoy beer and wine tastings, and learn how to make Chipotle’s addictive guacamole!

Special cultivate exhibits include short films on sustainability, why Chipotle will not use any GMO foods, factory vs farm, guac from scratch and fresh vs processed. Collect stamps from each of the exhibits and earn a free Chipotle reward!

Chipotle’s amazing food will be available including dishes from their Shophouse Rice Bowl Restaurants which is Chipotle’s Southeast Asian Kitchen concept and Pizza Locale a new pizza concept coming to KC from Denver! All dishes will cost around $6.00.

Chipotle Taco

Chipotle Taco

 

For beverages KC’s own Boulevard Brewing Company has created a Cultivate Farmhouse Ale for the festival. I happened to get a sneak taste of it and it is pretty darn good and well worth the $6.00 that the festival will be charging for beer and wine. Other beer vendors include Schlafly, Stone Brewing Co., Free State, KC Bier Co and more. Wine will be available from KC’s own Somerset Ridge.

Boulevard's Cultivate Farmhouse Ale

Boulevard’s Cultivate Farmhouse Ale

The event is free to attend and runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check out the Chipotle Cultivate website for information on music line-up, celebrity chefs, artisans, vendors, times, directions and more.

The Chipotle App

The Chipotle App

You can also download the Chipotle Cultivate App to get updates, news and information about the festival.

See you there!

In Good Taste,

Sharm

If you have a great food find or even it KC I should know about please email me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIP Trip for 4 to the MLS All Star Week in Denver from Chipotle

VIP Trip for 4 to the MLS All Star Week in Denver from Chipotle

Below is the official press release for the VIP Giveaway from Chipotle for a trip for four to the MLS All Star Week.

Chipotle All Star week hat

Chipotle All Star week hat

CHIPOTLE CELEBRATES MLS PARTNERSHIP WITH SWEEPSTAKES OFFERING VIP GETAWAY TO 2015 AT&T MLS ALL-STAR WEEK

Text-To-Win Sweepstakes Will Provide Trip To The 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game And 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Games In Denver
DENVER, June 4, 2015 – As an extension of its official partnership with Major League Soccer, Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) is offering a trip for four to Denver for AT&T MLS All-Star Week. The VIP trip will include airfare, hotel and meal expenses, as well as special invitations and passes to 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Week events – including the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game and 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game.

The contest supports Chipotle’s partnership as the official fast-casual Mexican restaurant of MLS, as well as the creation and sponsorship of the second-annual Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game, which recognizes and features Major League Soccer’s top Homegrown players. This year’s game will be held Tuesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. MDT at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – home of the Colorado Rapids – as a prelude to the 2015 AT&T All-Star Game the following night. This year the MLS Homegrown Team will face Club América’s U-20 squad, the official youth squad of Club América, Mexico’s most successful club.

Starting June 4, customers can enter by texting the word “Homegrown” to 888222 for a chance to win. The sweepstakes will run through July 5, 2015, and the winner will be selected on or around July 6, 2015. Full details of the sweepstakes will be posted in Chipotle restaurants across the U.S. starting today and continuing for the duration of the sweepstakes, and can also be found by visiting: http://www.chipotlehomegrown.com/#win.

The full prize package will include:

• Business-class round-trip airfare for four (4)
• Four-night hotel stay in Denver (July 27-31, 2015)
• (4) premium tickets to the 2015 Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game (Tuesday, July 28), and (4) premium tickets and pre-game field passes to the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game
• $650 allowance for full-size rental car for length of stay; ground transportation to and from destination airport and hotel
• $5,000 spending money to be awarded in the form of a check to the grand prizewinner

Tickets and more details about the sweepstakes are available at http://www.chipotlehomegrown.com.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast-food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food from using ingredients that are not only fresh, but that – where possible – are sustainably grown and raised responsibly with respect for the animals, the land and the farmers who produce the food. In order to achieve this vision, we focus on building a special people culture that is centered on creating teams of top performers empowered to achieve high standards. This people culture not only leads to a better dining experience for our customers, it also allows us to develop future leaders from within. Chipotle opened with a single restaurant in 1993 and operates more than 1,800 restaurants, including 17 Chipotle restaurants outside the U.S. and 10 ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen restaurants, and is an investor in an entity that owns and operates two Pizzeria Locale restaurants. For more information, visit Chipotle.com.

ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER

Major League Soccer kicks off its 20th season tonight, featuring 20 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. The 2015 season will feature the most comprehensive U.S. media rights partnership in the history of the league, as eight-year agreements with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes will commence. The 2015 regular season schedule can be viewed here. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.

~Giveaway~ Pocket Beer Guide 2015

~Giveaway~ Pocket Beer Guide 2015

IMG_1926In honor of Kansas City Craft Beer Week and the KC Craft Beer Week Dinner at the Flying Saucer hosted by Stephen Beaumont on June 14, I am giving away The Pocket Beer Guide 2015 courtesy of FireFly Books.

The Pocket Beet Guide 2015 by Stephen Beaumont and Tim Webb covers 3,500 of the world’s best craft and traditional beers.

This is a great book for any beer lover and with Father’s Day coming up it’s perfect for any beer loving dad!

To enter, I could make you jump through all sorts of hoops of liking social media pages and sharing this or any post on WYMKC to your social media pages and if you would like to do that, by all means please do.

To enter all I ask is to simply comment as to what your what your favorite beer is.  It’s that easy!

Winner will be drawn using random.org and be notified via email, so be sure to leave a valid email contact with your entry!

Giveaway ends midnight June 15th.

You can check out Stephen’s Bio below as well as information on the KC Craft Beer Week Dinner.

Once described as “beerdom’s Brillat-Savarin,” Stephen Beaumont is today one of the world’s most authoritative voices on beer, as well as a widely recognized writer on spirits, food and travel.

As co-author of both The World Atlas of Beer (2012), published in ten international editions, and two editions of The Pocket Beer Guide (2013 & 2014), Stephen has amassed an unparalleled understanding of what’s going on in the fast-paced and expanding world of beer today. If there is good lager or ale to be had, whether in San Francisco or Singapore, Montreal or Milan, Stephen knows about it, and has most likely sampled it!

In addition to The World Atlas of Beer and The Pocket Beer Guide, Stephen has authored or co-authored eight other books, including two editions of The Great Canadian Beer Guide and his forthcoming Beer & Food Companion, as well as contributing to nine others, including the immense 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die; the literary tribute to legendary drinks writer Michael Jackson, Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser; and the just-released Handbook of Porters & Stouts.

Stephen also authors regular columns for publications as diverse as the spirits quarterly Whisky Advocate and Canada’s beer magazine, Taps, the U.S. hospitality industry standard Nation’s Restaurant News and the foodie favourite City Bites. Additionally, he serves on the editorial tasting panels of both Taps and All About Beer magazines, and contributes to a variety of other publications, including Fine Cooking, Saveur and DRAFT Magazine.

When he is not writing about or tasting beer and spirits, Stephen travels the world talking about them, at a beer dinner in Toronto, a seminar in São Paulo or a competition in Brussels. He has worked on the beer and beverage programs of a large number of corporations, including Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the Walt Disney Company and Crystal Cruises among many others, and appears regularly at conferences such as VIBE and the International Wine, Spirits and Beer Event. In 2009, his influence was recognized with the Cheers Magazine “Raising the Bar” award for his “noteworthy and sustained contribution to the world of beverage alcohol.”

Stephen is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, the British Guild of Beer Writers and the North American Guild of Beer Writers.

Craft Beer week dinner with Stephen Beaumont

Craft Beer week dinner with Stephen Beaumont

If you decide to like and follow What You’re Missing KC here are links to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

Kansas City Craft Week Beer Dinner:

This 5-course dinner will include 5 beers paired with an incredible meal chosen by Chef Matt Arnold from The Webster House. There will also be a pre-dinner tasting with Stephen beforehand.
Order tickets by calling (816) 221-1900 or purchase at Flying Saucer. There are different options for tickets. There is a pre-tasting with Stephen Beaumont that is $20 and tickets for the dinner are $55 for UFO members/$65 for non-members. If you want both, it is $65 for UFO members/$75 for non-members.
Beer Dinner with Stephen Beaumont at the Flying Saucer
Sunday, June 14, 2015 at 6:00 pm
Flying Saucer
101 East 13th St
Kansas City, MO 64106

Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa

Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Due to my husbands job we travel to Las Vegas every couple of years for a construction convention that is held somewhere on the strip.

This year we decided to go out early and enjoy a relaxing weekend before the meetings.

Knowing we would be on the strip for the convention, we chose the Hilton Lake Las Vegas as our getaway which is about 30 minutes from the strip in Henderson, Nevada.

 

There were a few things I liked about the hotel and few things that could have been better.

My first impression was not great as the entrance from the parking garage takes you go through a dated walkway to the hotel entrance. The carpets looked as if they had just been shampooed which is good, but left a musty smell in the hallway. (Could have been better)

Once inside the lobby, the space is bright with large windows, decorative crown molding and fantastic lighting. (I liked it)

 

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Check in was easy and thanks to hubby’s Hilton Diamond Member Status (due to his Hilton Honors account), we received a lovely king suite upgrade overlooking the courtyard. The room also included free wifi and breakfast. (I liked it)

The breakfast buffet had plenty of choices for my taste and cook to order omelets. (I liked it)

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

The room was quite spacious although I thought some of the fixtures and decor were slightly dated. (Could have been better) The view was absolutely lovely. (I liked it)

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

I say check in was easy as it felt like we were the only guests there. The space is known to host large corporate events and retreats during the week but seemed to be a bit of a ghost town the weekend we were there in early February 2015. This was a toss up for me as it was serine, quaint and quiet which we enjoyed but not seeing very many people made it feel a little deserted.

There is a little village attached to the property that includes a variety of shops and restaurants but not much was going on and most shops were empty. I could see when the property was first opened what a hot spot it was and have a feeling this area was a victim of the economic downturn we had a few years ago. It was very quiet and lovely to walk around. The Italian restaurant Luna Rossa we ate at was very good. (I liked it)

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

There is a large empty space on the property which once housed a casino and in my opinion, I am actually ok that it was closed. One of the reasons we chose to stay at Lake Las Vegas was to get away from the casinos. (I liked it)

The surrounding grounds are absolutely lovely and feel like a bit of mirage with the reflection of the hotel off of the lake and surrounding palm trees. The courtyard area has a nice fire pit where we sat in the evenings and enjoyed a glass of wine. (I liked it)

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

Hilton Lake Las Vegas

To sum things up I would stay there again. It is a lovely property that just needs a little updating and maybe some good marketing to get things rolling again.

Although, we do like to play a hand of blackjack now and then and will take in a show while in Vegas, it was nice to get away from the strip for a couple of days and enjoy the serine surroundings of Lake Las Vegas.

Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa

1610 Lake Las Vegas Parkway, Henderson, Nevada 89011
702-567-4700