Hercules Restaurant- Saugatuck

Grey Goose Martini at Hercules

Hercules is my new favorite hangout in Saugatuck. You have to get past the name of the restaurant. There is nothing herculean about this garden restaurant tucked away from the bustling sidewalks of this artsy community. In fact, Hercules is cozy and intimate and a delightful setting for  drinks or dinner with friends. A group of us took the 45-minute drive from Grand Rapids to Saugatuck; finding ourselves spending a good four hours in conversation, martini's and indulging in small plates. Later on, two other friends joined us for a drink, and to our delight, they

picked up our entire four-hour tab. If that isn't a herculean task, I don't know what is. It's good to have wonderful friends.

The backyard garden

Jimmy, Sin, Marike, Elena and me

Check-In: CityFlatsHotel - Grand Rapids

Check-In: CityFlatsHotel, Grand Rapids

The Scenario: My wife and I invited a Dutch friend(from Netherlands) who works in the Caribbean to the cozy CitySen Lounge at the hotel to start off our weekend this past Friday night. My good friend Jimmy happened to be dining with another friend, Chip, so we joined them. I contacted my friend Sin, who was dining in six.one.six at the JW, to join us. Sin brought two people with him. Another friend, Bonzi, happened to call Jimmy from The BOB, so he
joined us with his girlfriend Shelly and their entourage of four friends. We were later joined by friends Nick and Ashley after they called Chip. Forget the fact that between our group, we had other friends sitting in the bar, in booths and friends who happened to just walk-by the lounge. What was meant to be a chill-night at a new establishment, turned out to be quite the get-together of friends and new acquaintances.

The Vibe: CFGR evokes a more personal charm than its sister property in Holland. The designer did a wonderful job of creating an inviting space out of a small footprint. CFGR reminds me a lot of the boutique hotels you may discover in Zurich, Amsterdam and Berlin. The lounge itself, with its illuminated bar, exposed brick walls, booth seatings and outdoor terrace, is stylized to reflect a hotel in a younger urban center. The staff in the lounge were friendly and accommodating and were gracious enough to offer our party a room tour. The rooms are smartly appointed with glass showers, flat screens, cork floors and bathroom fixtures worth photographing (as you can see below). CFGR is a very cool place and MHL highly recommends staying here.

Bonus Points: LEED certified, sidewalk terrace, original "FOX" jewelers sign behind the bar, good small plates, friendly staff, modern rooms, and nice touches with the interiors such as warm lighting, layout design and bathroom sinks.

Tweak: dim lighting in the lounge (they are working on adding dimmers), intentional music program, better task chair in guest room, scenting, flatscreens in rooms we toured were not optimal for bedside viewing.

CityFlatsHotel - Grand Rapids
83 Monroe Center NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616.608.1720
cityflatshotel.com

28 Guest Rooms; starting at $149

An Indian Buffet worth visiting in Sedona

There is no question that my favorite pig-out food is Indian Cuisine. Forget the fact that I always end up smelling like a Bombay market once I leave the restaurant. Or the sad reality that I ate a lot more than what my stomach wanted me to, Indian food is just simply incredible.

I love discovering Indian dive restaurants in every corner of the earth. One of my favorites is this restaurant in one of

the passages of Paris where the restaurant is next door to a barber shop. The food is good despite its "hairy" location.

So right smack in the middle of the Sedona, Arizona strip is India Palace. It looks the same as most Indian restaurants where the lunch buffet is the main attraction. It's tacky yet charming. The food is usually pretty good and India Palace is no different or no better than most places. Yet, it is a jewel of a find in the middle of the Red Rocks if you are craving the aromatic dishes. 

India Palace buffet included items such as Madarsi Lamb, Chicken Tikka Masala, Daal Mahrani, Aloo Mattar, Saag Paneer and of course, freshly baked naan bread. Typing the menu just makes me salivate. Indian food beats out burgers and ham sandwiches any day. Don't you agree?

Body By Vi "Vitality" 90 Day Challenge Party

I started on my Visalus Body By Vi 90 Day Challenge a month ago after topping the scales at 205 - the heaviest I have ever been. Thirty days later, weighing twelve pounds lighter and two sizes smaller around the waist, I decided to check on what this movement is all about by joining a group of my Grand Rapids friends whose lives have been transformed by the challenge.

Losing twelve pounds is not an easy feat. It's practically a heavy bowling ball wrapped around my gut that I've been supporting with my forty-something knees and out of shape body. In four short weeks, I traded in my new 36-inch
jeans for a 34. But the best is the whole new confidence I gained by simply challenging myself to replace two big meals with two shakes a day, a couple of supplements, regular boxing sessions and the simple desire to succeed in being healthier and eventually achieving my goal of getting back to my wedding weight in 90 days.

There are three ways to get involved with the challenge. The first is too simply take the challenge as a customer. The second is to be a customer and ask three friends to take the challenge with you so you could get your products for free. Lastly, is to become a Promoter by doing 1 & 2 and work hard to get your friends and family to take on the challenge with you - and make money at the same time.

At the time of Vitality in Orlando, I was just a customer who wanted to lose weight and become healthier. This health and income movement is still in its infancy. Visalus is exponentially growing in its two years since starting the 90 day challenge. What I love about the idea is that my testimony is my product. The rate of obesity in this country is out of control and the need for people to change their lifestyles is at a critical point.

The three-day conference was topped with a black and white party for the 6,000 guests in attendance. What was amazing is to hear the dozens of testimonies I heard about how people lost so much weight during their 90 day challenge. It was inspiring. Another amazing thing was the number of attendees who qualified for their BMW allowance from the company - over 1,000 of the 6,000 guests!

I dabbled on the idea on whether to take this challenge to the next level by becoming a Promoter. After much thought and consideration, I decided this weekend to be a Promoter. I cannot wait to see what I will look like once I complete my challenge. I am definitely accountable now that I have shared my plan with everyone. What have I got to lose? Pounds!

If you are up for a 90 day challenge to lose weight and become healthier, check out my Body By Vi site (TheSuiteLife.bodybyvi.com) or email me directly so I could give you some more information. In the meantime, I have also started a new blog which documents my challenge. Check it out at WeddingWeight90.

If this foodie can do it, you certainly can do the same.