Up in the Air...minus George Clooney

This week, I had my first ever business trip. Sure, I've been flown places for interviews, but I'd say it's waaaaay less nerve-wracking to fly for work once you know you've *got* the job ;-)

Now that I'm on the 'other side' of traveling for business purposes, I have mixed feelings about it. The movie Up in the Air comes to mind for this situation - it shows both the glamorous and non-glamorous aspects of traveling a ton for a job. Granted, I'm no George Clooney and haven't racked up a gajillion frequent flyer miles or know the ins-and-outs of packing lightly (yup, still lugging around way more clothes than I could possibly hope to wear on a 3 day trip), but I can say for sure that I would never want to have traveling as a main component of a job for one main reason: I absolutely, positively, indubitably *hate* flying. It scares me. to. bits. The thought of being stuck in a tube floating in the air is simply terrifying to me. This makes my love of adventure and seeing new places especially difficult. (sad day) If you could take having to fly everywhere off the table, though, I think I could get used to life in the fast lane...here are some pictures that might show why :)

Entrance to the Hoboken office building. The reason for my inaugural trip was for training - I get to learn all aspects of production (building our enrollment and retention platforms) and write a training manual for the department (how cool is that?!)

Gotta stay hydrated if I want to keep up with all the training I have to do

Now *this* is a big reason I'd consider moving to/working from Hoboken - Manhattan is right across the Hudson River. This is a view from the office (albeit a tad cloudy).

Aaaaaaaaaaaah - my home away from home. That is one of THE most comfortable beds I've ever slept on. I'm buying the bedding set at some point - down pillows, down duvet, all white...and it shall be glorious :)

View from my room

I think I could get used to this ;-)

Bathroom (*loved* this shower - note for future dream home)

Is this really necessary???

Very comfy :)

This is 'the Path' - the train that takes you (*underground* - under A RIVER) to Manhattan

Now this is GENIUS - an electronic board that tells you what stop is next and how many stops away you are from your stop...moves up the names of the stops as you reach each one.

And this, ladies and gentleman, is the reason I ventured into they city, fighting jet lag and exhaustion...had to get my....

...myyyyyy...

...MYYYYYYYYYYYY.......

ESS-A-BAGEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Madeline, I thought of you...

...as I ate half of each.

Worth the trip folks - sooooooooo worth it

Back at the hotel - cool light fixtures

My pictures just don't do it justice

Enjoying my view before bed

The hotel was literally a 5 minute walk to work...I could get used to that too

The office came with snacks. This brought me back to college :)

Jess recommended trying Energy Kitchen for lunch - it was quite tasty and I didn't feel at all guilty for eating a burger, fries, and a milkshake (total of about 600 calories!)

Another exciting trip aspect - a female team building outing to get our nails done! The color I chose looked coral in the bottle, but turned out more orange on my nails. Still made me feel pretty 'springy,' especially when paired with my Stella and Dot Lindsay Bangle

Another shot from the office - the people here are so lucky to get to see this every day!

And more

...and another...

Yep, still another...

After work, Catherine (my manager) and I ventured out for dinner. On the way, we jumped with excitement at being in Hoboken :)

Dinner destination - Elysian Cafe

My tummy is growling just thinking about this....

I had my first taste of mussels and man were they GOOD

For dinner - Chipotle and Thyme Skirt Steak with Mushroom Risotto. I could eat that risotto every day for the rest of my life.

Another cool picture app I've discovered - Pic Stitch! It allows you to make photo collages (so here's dinner + dessert)

View from our dinner table

Very cool old building

I really liked these unique outdoor lights attached to the tree limbs

Inside the restaurant

  

I really can't get enough of this skyline

(obviously)

I wish I had had a professional camera to better capture this amazing view

One of my *favorite* shots from the trip (taken from my iPhone!)

Saying good-bye to this view was tough

I don't want to leave!

Tea I pilfered from the hotel this morning

Guess what! I got to see the actual Cake Boss bakery (a show I watch every now and then on TLC)

Team lunch at The Taco Truck (which, incidentally, just sent a truck to Boston, so I can enjoy it at home!)

Another new app I discovered - I can take panoramic shots on my phone! (click on the image for a better view)

Last image from the hotel...

...no wait, *this* is the last image :)

To combat nerves during flight - Reba, Rice Krispies Treats....oh, and a couple of glasses of pinot noir ;-)

After lunch, I headed back to the office to wrap things up and then headed home. It was so awesome to finally get to meet the people I've been working with (Rob, Roberto, and Cristin) for the past 6 months in person, to see the Hoboken office, and get some one-on-one training. While I *can* wait to fly again, I can't wait to go back - hopefully I'll get to!

**Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer.**