Crystal’s View

Last week I mentioned I was going to Denver. I had a great time, but Denver left a bad taste in my mouth.

I went to Colorado for work. My job includes PR duties in the tourism biz. Each year, Las Vegas celebrates National Tourism Week by thanking the tens of thousands of people who work in the industry locally. We also thank the millions of people who travel to Las Vegas annually. In 2007, 39.2 million people visited Vegas. 

National Tourism Week will be celebrated May 10, but Las Vegas decided to blow it out big with an early promotion. This year’s theme is “Discover Great American Traditions.” In recognition, we traveled to five major cities across the country with showgirls, a true Las Vegas icon! We visited several attractions in Chicago, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Think Pike’s Market, Balboa Park, Golden Gate Bridge, Wrigley Field and Coors Field. We celebrated each city by bringing a little Las Vegas flair to it.

The mission was to visit various attractions in each city and sign locals up for a chance to win two round-trip tickets to Las Vegas with a two night hotel stay, courtesy of Southwest Airlines. To make it fun, we took polaroid snapshots of people standing with the showgirls and gave them the photos as a souvenir.

Now, I know it’s normal to see half-naked women wearing sparkling costumes, feather boas and elaborate head-pieces just about anywhere in Las Vegas, but it was a completely different story in Denver. The people there seemed utterly disgusted at the sight of the showgirls. More people than not were rude and many ignored us completely as we offered a free photo with the girls! I was totally shocked. I thought people would have fun seeing a LV showgirl hanging around popular parts of Denver. Furthermore, they had a chance to win a free trip to Vegas, but the excitement just wasn’t there. 

Throughout the day we went to the state capitol, Coors Field, Union Station and the 16th Street Mall. I thought we would have the most fun outside Coors Field in the LoDo District since there was a ballgame in the afternoon. But, the people there were not so friendly either. What’s crazy about this whole thing is that Denver is one of our key markets, which means Denverites do travel to Vegas. So what was their deal? Ugh, annoying! What made it even more disappointing was reading emails all day from my colleagues saying the showgirls were a hit in the other cities!

Anyway, we kept our spirits high and made the best of our trip. We did have several great people who played along! And, despite the people of Denver, I truly loved Downtown. It was very cool, and I would like to go back to hang out for a day or two and see the sights. But, as far as I’m concerned, Denverites can stay at home!

Enjoy some of the pics below from our day in Denver!

I’m off to Denver, Colorado today for a trip to promote travel to Las Vegas. With me will be a photographer and two showgirls!

We will make stops at some key attractions in the city tomorrow, April 24, to give away two free airline tickets to Las Vegas, in partnership with Southwest Airlines. This exciting adventure is in recognition of National Tourism Week’s theme, “Discover Great American Traditions.” NTW is in May, but we’re kicking off the celebration early by sending Vegas’ very own icon, the showgirl!

I’ll be tired… but watch for a forthcoming blog with some photos of the trip!

I’m back from Cabo, and it feels like it has been forever since I blogged!

Kyle and I had a blast on our trip. We traveled with one of our favorite couples, Brendan and Dayna, and met up with two more of our favorite friends, Adrian and Jennifer. It was great to be on vacation with good friends!

We flew on Mexicana Airlines, and I must say I was impressed. The liquor was complimentary, and they served us breakfast! Not many airlines bother with that anymore! And, Kyle and I were ready to drink, so we took advantage of the free cocktails.

Once we landed, we were bombarded with people trying to sell us timeshares. We waded through the chaos and found our shuttle driver. And, that was quite a ride! He drove like 85 mph!!! Needless to say, we made it to our destination safely.

Our resort was beautiful. The Riu Santa Fe is an all-inclusive resort. It opened last November, so it is fairly new and very clean. The landscape is beautiful, and there are multiple pools on property, plus three infinity pools that overlook the beach. As soon as we dropped the bags in our rooms, which were also very nice, we headed straight to the pool!

Several drinks in, I did something superbly stupid. Say that three times fast. Anyway, I was enjoying a moment with my husband where the infinity pool pushes water over the edge when I lost my Coach sunglasses! I freaked out, obviously, because they are expensive sunglasses. Kyle and I looked over the edge and saw them floating in the water about 8 feet below. I had the bright idea of telling Kyle to hang me over the edge and drop me so I can get them. He agreed. Before I continue with what happens next… remember… we were drunk. Hence what happened next would never have happened if either of us were sober.

So I jumped on the edge, slid my legs over, and before Kyle even had my hands in his, I slipped. Of course. Why wouldn’t I have. Duh? 

I fell hard. And, not just in the water; on concrete. I hurt my ankle and I bumped my bum good. You should see the bruise! No, you shouldn’t. It’s pretty ugly. All I remember is a woman looking over the edge saying, “Are you okay?” I said, “Yep, I’m all good.” I got up, trudged across the sand, and walked up the stairs I should have used in the first place. As I sobered up, I kept saying how stupid that was, and I told Kyle I could have died right before his eyes, in Mexico! Well, I survived. I limped around that night, but my good husband made sure I had ice for my ankle, and I sat on my right butt cheek for the rest of the trip!

Ok, aside from that unforgettable and now laughable moment, Cabo was awesome. The weather was perfect; like 85-90 degrees. The hotel was great. The food was so-so, but good enough for breakfast and lunch. We ventured downtown for dinner and found a great place called “The Office.” The atmosphere is indescribable, but you sit outside on the beach overlooking the water and yachts, tiki torches and candles set the mood, there is great music and the food was spectacular! I would recommend anyone eat there when visiting Cabo. It is pricey, but worth every dime.

Also, we put our fear behind us and took one of those small glass bottom boat rides over to Lover’s Beach, where you can see Land’s End Arch, a natural rock arch formation. We laughed so hard just getting on and off the boat, because we literally had a ten second window to jump in and out of the waves. Yeah, you sign your rights away too, so what’s that tell ya? Anyway, thrills and chills aside, the beach was absolutely stunning, and we took most of our photos of Cabo during our short adventure there.

Enjoy the photos. I hope to go back to Cabo again, real soon!

I have been unable to dedicate much time to my blog, and it’s driving me crazy! I am working diligently at work to get my projects done by Friday. All of my quarter end projects are due at once, of course, and I’m always playing catch up the weeks before I have to complete it all! Plus, I am trying to finish producing our next show, Las Vegas 360, at the same time!

Stay tuned, I will get back to writing… and hopefully with some exciting news soon. Life is full of twists and turns and surprises around every corner

Next week, I will be enjoying a short getaway with my husband and great friends. We’re having a mini-reunion in Cabo with two other couples who attended our wedding in Maui. We’ll be staying at an all-inclusive resort; my first ever! All I want to do is lay by the pool, sip on cocktails and eat some awesome Mexican food! Hoping the short time away will allow me to come back to work refreshed!

So, I blog to keep myself writing, because it is something I love so much. It gives me a chance to still feel like I am a part of relating news, only now I can give it my own slant! ha ha

But, I also want to keep my friends and family in the loop on my personal life… so here is a snapshot to kick it off…

Kyle and I will be going to Cabo in less than two weeks and I cannot wait to get away! I am in need of a vacation, even a short one. I just want to be somewhere that I don’t have the need to get things done. At home, I always feel like I have something to do. Keeping up with life itself is a challenge. And, we don’t even have kids yet!!! 

That is something else that I spend a lot of time thinking about. Starting a family is the next focus in my life. I’m so ready and so scared at the same time. I know that it will be exciting, but what a change it will bring to our lives. It’s awesome to wait to start a family so you can accomplish other things in life first and just enjoy your time as a young person, but it also means it will be a bigger adjustment. We’re so used to it being just us and coming and going as we please! I guess it will be a wake-up call for the selfish Crystal. So, expect baby news soon. Not right away, but Kyle and I have decided it’s time!

Personally, it has been an incredible year. Last March I quit my job, married Kyle and started a new career within three weeks! All were huge changes in my life… all for the better. Soon after, Kyle and I bought our first home. We sold his condo and found renters for mine.  We saved up lots of money and put lots of upgrades into the house. We bought lots of new furniture, a new computer and most recently a new car. Sometimes I look around and I feel very spoiled. I know material things aren’t what truly matter in life, but I am amazed that Kyle and I have the life we have. At least I can say it is because we work hard and we have families that support us!

With that said, I am hoping the rest of 2008 will be just as incredible. I, no doubt, expect nothing less than the best for myself, my husband, my family and all of my fabulous friends!