12.13.12 The Morning After

This will be more of a photo dump than a blog post.

We woke up early to do a little bit of shopping and just bask in the energy of downtown Chicago.

We spent a lot of time in Zara since we don't have it in Madison.

One thing I love about New York and Chicago is its historic and modern architecture. The intricate details of old buildings are just amazing.

And so are the new ones...

I love downtowns!

camwhoring in downtown Chicago

We didn't care that people around us were in a rush to go to work. We just wanted to take our damn pictures!

Before we left, we ate in Little Quiapo, a filipino buffet restaurant in Chicago. As expected, we stuffed ourselves with some authentic Filipino delicacies. We ate waaayyyyy more than we need to.

Pork sinigang. Pork and veggies are simmered in sour broth. Pair it with steaming hot rice and you got yourself a gastronomical orgasm.

Dinuguan. Pork meat simmered in pig's blood with vinegar and chili and some other spices. Hey i know its sounds gross but it's delish!

Me and my fresh coconut juice. Just the way I like it! =)

12.12.12 Chicago girlfriend getaway

12.12.12 is not just a historic date but also a dear friend's birthday. We decided to go all out and party the night away in Chicago. We didn't have a clear plan of what's gonna go down that night but I pretty much have a clear idea. Call it deja vu. It's the same thing that always happens when we get together. camwhoring + partying + pigging out + overspending.

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

We checked in at the Palmer House in East Monroe. The hotel is in Chicago's Loop and is in a short walking distance to literally anywhere. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

I love the hotel lobby. Elegant and timeless. 

Photo by : hilton.com

We did not waste any time. From the time got into the bedroom, we dressed up hurriedly and started celebrating KT's birthday, our girlfriend getaway and our awesomeness. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

We popped the champagne and finished the bottle before we left the hotel. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

The birthday girl was ecstatic!

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

One for the road. Or so I thought.

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

We took obscene amount of pictures that night. I kept thinking.. "Last picture then we'll leave.." But then we just kept snapping pictures one after another. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

Asian's next top supermodels. =)

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

One more in the hotel lobby. If narcissism is a crime, we should be in jail right now. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

We walked to The Gage for a round of drinks. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

Stolen shot. 

We took a cab from  The Gage to Paris Club. It was midweek but the club was still pretty packed. 

I guess one could say we're a little bit of both.

I'm in love with the club's wallpaper. 

We're supposed to go The Underground but our birthday girl had a little too much already. LOL

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

When we got out of Paris, we saw two limos parked across the street. Five minutes later, we found ourselves inside the limo being chauffeured to the nearest open restaurant. Don't ask me why. I forgot why we did what we did. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

KT and Rhiza raided the limo's bar. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

Minutes later the the driver pulled over in front of Bijan's Bistro. We camwhored some more while waiting for our food. 

Photo by: Katrina Taloza

We had a sinfully good midnight snack to cap the day off. 

Graceland Tour: Everything Elvis in Memphis Tennessee

One of the things I love about road trips are the stopovers. They're always as exciting  as the original destination. Earlier this year, I attended a Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans and stopped in Memphis, Tennessee on the way back home. 

I headed straight to the Graceland Mansion to pay my respects to the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley.

He bought this mansion for $102,500 in 1957 when he was just 22 years old. I know right?! 

The grand piano has a special spot in the living room.

My favorite part of the house is the dining room. I'm not even a big fan of chandeliers but after this, I want to have my own in my dining room. 

If I remember it right, this is his parents bedroom. Tastefully done.

The family room has a carpeted ceiling. I'm not a big fan of moss green. I thought it made the room look creepy. But then again they call it the Jungle Room so it just makes sense.

The entertainment area.

Game Room. I have to say that this is my least favorite room in the house. There's just to much colors that it hurts my eyes.

The mansion includes a trophy building. It is a huge gallery which showcases an amazing collection of album awards, movie posters, concert costumes, vinyl records and other memorabilia of Elvis Presley.

Priscilla's wedding gown and Elvis Presley's tux on their wedding day are also on display.

This is the Meditation Garden where Elvis Presley was laid to his final resting place along side his parents. This is also inside the Graceland Estate.

I also went to Elvis Presley Automobile Museum just right across the Graceland Mansion. It houses over 33 vehicles owned by Elvis.

1955 pink Cadillac Fleetwood. This is my favorite car in the collection.. for obvious reasons.

1966 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud

Mercedes 280 SL Roadster. Elvis Presley's gift to Priscilla. There's a lot more but I'm too lazy too upload everything so I'll jump into his custom jets.

Elvis owned two private aircraft. The bigger one was named Lisa Marie after his only daughter. When I saw the interior of the airplane, I suddenly want to become a rock star. Seriously! Their toys are awesome!

The interior of the plane looks like this. And just when I thought that there's nothing extraordinary about the interior, I looked closely and saw this.

Yes. Seatbelt buckle made of gold. Not too shabby!

Dining room in the Lisa Marie

The sleeping area

The sink in the bathroom is also made out of gold. What?!!!! I know! Rock stars do live a crazy life don't they?

Aside from the Lisa Marie, Elvis also owned a smaller jet named the Hound Dog II.

Since it's too small, people were just allowed up to a certain point to take photos. This is the only decent picture I have.

After reliving the crazy awesome rock star life of Elvis Presley, I just stopped to buy some souvenirs then headed to Beale Street. Oh Yeah!