Domo Does Seattle

Domo here with his last trip report for the year! Domo hasn't blogged since his trip to Dallas a few months ago (more on Domo Does Dallas). 

Domo Loves to Travel!

Last week Domo went to Seattle with Monika for a quick 3-day trip for work. Since Domo would be getting into Seattle around 11pm on Tuesday and would be getting back to San Diego around midnight on Thursday Domo did the unthinkable .. he carried on his luggage! Domo never carries on his luggage because he is an overpacker and why carry on a bag when you can check it for free? Waiting for baggage claim usually wastes about 1/2 hour though so with these late arrival times Domo crammed as much as he could into his carry-on suitcase. Domo deserves a cookie.

Domo is a Packing Wizard! All This Fit in a Carry-on!

Domo check into the Downtown Courtyard Marriott at Pioneer Square and was really excited to see that this was one of the Courtyards that had been remodeled. It was all fancy and modern! Domo liked it. Domo quickly unpacked and then went to bed.

Remodeled Courtyard Marriott - Fancy! 

 Domo Relaxing in His Mini-Suite

The next morning Domo planned on running a few miles at the gym and then doing his Brazil Butt Lift DVD's back in his hotel room. (From the makers of P-90X.) Huh? Brazil Butt Lift you ask? Yes, Domo is currently 3 weeks into a 3 month program that is supposed to shape and lift his rear. Are you thinking Domo's rear doesn't need lifting? You're so kind. Domo likes you.

Domo Likes Staying Fit
(The yellow thing is a resistance band.)

Unfortunately Domo forgot to take his work DVD drive and grabbed one from home .. and it wasn't compatible with his laptop. D'oh! Instead of doing the DVD Domo did the enclosed workout cards in his room and hoped that it was better than nothing.

Domo Doing Moves on the Mat

After 20 minutes of lunges, squats, and leg lifts, Domo was picked up for his day out around town. In between visiting doctors offices Domo was taken by the Freemont Troll. Apparently this is an art project with a sculpture holding onto a real VW Bug. Weird!

Freemont Troll

Space Needle in the Distance

Domo's day out in Seattle was long, and by the time he returned to his hotel he was exhausted. Domo didn't even bother going up to his room to change and went straight to the hotel lobby bar/restaurant for dinner. Yes, Domo at solo. Its funny, but Domo doesn't mind doing this anymore. Domo must be growing up.

Domo Should Have Eaten at Pho Mama

The next morning Domo went to the gym to run on the treadmill again, but instead of trying to find space to do the workout cards in his hotel room he brought them to the gym and hoped that he didn't have company. No suck luck. There was one other person on a treadmill and a few people in the pool. Oh well, they got a front row seat to the Domo-Does-Lunges show.

Domo Gets His Run On

The second day out in Seattle was much shorter and ended with a fancy lunch at a restaurant in Bellevue called Seastar. Domo can't think of when he's had such a fancy lunch and made to quickly snap a picture of his elegant ahi tuna appetizer to use in his Yelp review. Yes, Domo yelps.

Ahi Tuna Appetizer

Foggy Afternoon at the Airport

After lunch Domo headed back to the airport, and two flights later he was home. Domo was dead tired but luckily had the next day off .. and the next nine off after that too! Ten days off! Domo was so excited. Domo's next trip was to Maryland on Saturday for Christmas. More about that trip later!

Domo Does Dallas

Domo here! Domo hasn't blogged in a few months since his trip to Vegas (two times - ugh) in June. Domo has actually traveled since then (SF twice in July, Maryland/Virginia in September), but hasn't had time to update his blog over the past few months. But sit down and buckle up people - Domo is back!

Domo was heading to Texas for three days for work. (Yes, Domo works. He isn't always a Domo of leisure.) Domo wished he had time to find a cowboy hat for the trip, but unfortunately the only outfit in his closet is a pink tutu. Darn those tutus...

Heading to Houston

A few days before Domo's trip to Texas Domo got an email from US Airways saying that Domo was upgraded to first class .. on both legs of the trip! Domo was VERY excited. Domo gets upgraded enough that he hopes for it and expects it, but not so much that it isn't a great treat. Domo loves First Class. Domo packed his carry-on bags for the trip because he had several tight connections. As a huge overpacker, Domo was very proud of this feat.

Morning Full Moon at the Airport

On Tuesday night Domo set his alarm for 4am Wednesday morning, and then caught up on some zzzs. When Domo woke up he lay in bed for a bit wondering what time it was. When Domo finally looked at the window Domo's little furry heart was in his mouth! Was that daylight Domo saw? Ohhhh nooooooo!!! Domo looked at the time. 6:15am!?!?! Domo's flight was at 6:30am. Domo immediately jumped out of bed, changed, took the dogs out, grabbed his bags, and jumped into the car. Where was the shower? Oh um yeah, missed. TMI? Domo apologizes.

Domo Waiting at the Airport

Domo's Twin Looking at Domo at the Airport on Facebook
(Domo has a twin owned by friend Megan in Arizona!)

Luckily Domo lives a few miles from the airport and by the time he drove there, parked his car, and got to the ticket counter it was 7am. Domo checked online quickly and saw that there wasn't a US Airways flight until 9:50am, but hoped there was a partner airline that could get him to Houston on time. WRONG. When Domo got to the ticket counter they said sorry, next flight is 9:50am getting in at 5pm.. Domo must have looked like he was going to cry because the ticket agent said "Why, did you really need to get there earlier?" Domo tried not to look too pathetic when saying "Yes, I needed to be there by 4pm".

And then ...

The ticket agent said "Well, you're Gold. Let me see if Continental can take you".

Domo's little heart almost burst with excitement!

BUT ... the 8am (direct!! argh!!) flight to Houston on Continental was overbooked by 10 seats. Domo sadly took his 9:50 am ticket, called the Houston rep, rented a car, and then parked by McDonald's and had breakfast and got online and did some work. Sigh.

Domo Finally Gets on the Plane

Domo finally got to Houston at 5pm, made it to the event by 6pm, worked for a few hours, had dinner with the local rep, and then hit the sheets. So tired. 

Amazing Shrimp Tower at the Doctor's Open House Event

Day in Houston

The next morning Domo dragged himself out of bed early and hit the gym! Domo loves working on his fitness. After visiting a few customers Domo found himself back at the airport getting ready to head to Dallas. 

Domo Digs the Courtyard Marriott Amenities

Day in Dallas

Domo's flight to Dallas was quick! Domo put on the outfit he was going to wear that evening. Unfortunately the fabric had metallic thread woven into it. When Domo went through the full body scanner Domo's body lit up like a Christmas tree, as if Domo had 30 bombs strapped to his body.  Domo was quickly pulled aside, touched in so many places he expected a lobster dinner afterwards, and told to NEVER wear that outfit again. Sheesh!

Sparkly Zig-Zags - BAD!

Domo headed straight to a reception at the Old Hickory Wine Store, followed by dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse, ending with some time at the sports bar.

Room View at the Gaylord Texan

Random - Barstool in the Bathroom?

Domo usually goes to bed around 10pm and can count on two furry fingers how many times he's been up past midnight this year. Domo ended up at the sports bar until about 12:30am ... meaning the 5:30am wake-up the next morning was not well received. Domo was determined to keep on track with his fitness though so Domo dragged his furry butt to the gym and ran a few miles. Man Domo was tired. 

52 Foot Tv in the Hotel Sports Bar

After running Domo barley made it to the group breakfast on time, had a packed day of meetings, and then hey, Domo was back at the airport. 

Gift Shop with a Huge Sock Monkey!!

Monika & Monkey - True Love

Heading Home

Domo normally maintains a professional appearance at work but though screw it on this trip home. Domo put on his ballet flats and leggings before sharing a car with his coworkers (in suits) back to the airport. Domo thinks he got a few raised eyebrows from his travel companions but was too tired to fret over it.

Random - Band Performing at Baggage Claim at the Airport

Domo wasn't upgraded on either flight on the way home and was resigned to his coach seat ... when on his second flight he was pulled from his seat and brought to first class. Awesome!! Domo was so happy. Up on arriving in San Diego around 10pm Domo quickly got his car, headed home, and went to bed. The three day trip was quick, but exhausting. Domo thinks he's showing his age. Next trip? DC in two weeks!

Domo Does Vegas X2

This past month Domo went to Vegas not one, but two times! That's a lot of Vegas for Domo, or anyone! Vegas is like bacon, its great in moderation. Two 4-day trips to Vegas withing two weeks? Bleh, too much Vegas!

Las Vegas Strip at Night

Trip #1

For the first trip Domo, David, and Monika drove out to Vegas from San Diego. The drive was surprisingly fast, and took about 4 1/2 hours. Counting the time you waste at the airport before and after a flight, driving doesn't take that much longer. Domo recently read the book "Delivering Happiness" about Zappos and had signed up for a tour of the Zappos headquarters. The tour was really neat and ended with Domo feeling like royalty! (More about the book and tour on the blog: Delivering Happiness.)

Domo is Zappos Royalty!

King David & Princess Monika

Since Monika was in Vegas for a tradeshow, Domo and David had the days to themselves to party hard! Well okay, not really. But Domo and David did have time to walk around the strip and get to see Vegas during the day. Instead of staying at the host hotel/casino for the show, Domo decided to stay at a Marriott resort down the street from the show that was about the same price. Instead of staying in a smokey casino with an average sized room Domo got a HUGE suite with a full kitchen. And like all Marriotts, the place was smoke free! (Monika's review on Yelp of the Marriott Grand Chateau here.)

Domo at the Bellagio Fountain Show

After each day of the tradeshow Domo got to go out to eat in Vegas. He tried the Italian restaurant Trevi at Caesars (Yelp review here) and the churrascaria Pampas at the Miracle Mile shops. (Yelp review here)  

Monika & David at Caesars Palace

Since this trip to Vegas fell the weekend before Monika's *cough* 23rd birthday, Domo decided to take Monika to see the Beatles Love show by Cirque du Soleil! Domo has seen several of the Cirque du Soleil shows before and has really liked them, but heard that Love is totally different and a must see. It didn't disappoint!

Monika & David at Beatles Love

After three days in Vegas it was time to head back home. Domo and friends had fun, but were happy to escape the heat and head back to San Diego.

Trip #2

Two weeks after the first trip, Domo had to head back to Vegas again. Blahhh... Monika had another tradeshow but instead of driving out Domo and Monika flew out ... First Class! Whoo hoo! Domo has been doing really well on First Class upgrades this year. The airlines must know that Domo is VIP! Very Important Pocket-doll. haha

After setting up the tradeshow booth (alone!), Domo had all afternoon and evening by himself before the rest of the crew came in that night. Let Domo tell you this ... spending the afternoon in Vegas alone is BORING. Domo thought about going to the pool but realized he only brought his lap swimming suit and not his bikini. (Yeah, Domo wears a bikini! What did you think he wore?) 

Room View of the Bellagio Pools

Domo walked the strip, window shopped, and finally ended up at the Petrossian piano bar near registration where he hung out for an hour or so until his coworker arrived. 

Shrimp Cocktail at Petrossian (3 pieces? Really?)

For dinner Domo had sushi at Yellowtail in the Bellagio. Dinner was very yummy and one of the things Domo had to eat was a sushi roll that had Pop Rocks on it! Mmmm! Domo loves sushi. And Pop Rocks!

Domo Having Cappuccino at Yellowtail

The next day the tradeshow started and Monika spent the next three days pimping her product. Domo thinks that standing in a booth talking about wrinkles for three days sounds boring, but Monika seems to really like her job. Domo is glad he's a Domo of leisure and doesn't need to work.

Domo Having Breakfast in His Room

(BTW this is what $29 buys you... omg)

Domo went to two group dinners while he was in Vegas for the second time that were pretty fancy. One was at Olives and the other was at Prime. Both restaurants were in the Bellagio which was great for Domo. Domo's poor little feet hurt on this trip! No crazy dishes of note were ordered at Olives, but Domo's socks were knocked off twice at Prime when he first saw the seafood platter, and then when he saw the tomahawk steak for two. 

Seafood Platter at Prime Steakhouse

Tomahawk Steak at Prime Steakhouse

 (Domo didn't eat this. He had a petite fillet)

Good thing Domo always works on his fitness when he travels! Domo ate a lot on this trip! Domo and Monika went running each morning in Vegas even though it was about 90F out by 7am. 

Running the Strip by the Bellagio

Running the Strip by Circus Circus

Running the Strip Approaching Paris

Domo ended up leaving Vegas a day before the show ended because Monika needed to be back in San Diego early since she had a triathlon on Sunday. Domo had fun while he was in Vegas but has probably had enough Vegas for the year now. Next up? San Francisco! Domo and friends are heading to San Francisco this weekend to see the NKOTB/BSB concert! YES REALLY! Domo is so excited! More on that next week.

Everyone Loves Domo

As you know, I write my travel blogs in the voice of Domo Domo blogs about his worldly travels on my blog. Domo's first blog started as a joke after Domo came with me on a trip to Chicago and I sent cell phone pictures back to David about "Domo's Trip". David and other seemed amused enough (and no one seemed to think I was *too* crazy), so Domo's blogging continued.

Domo's Travels

So far this year Domo has traveled to Phoenix, Boston, Paris, and Vegas, and still has trips planned to Vegas, San Francisco, San Francisco through the rest of the summer. (And several other trips after that.) Last year Domo traveled a lot as well. He went to Chicago, DC, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, Paris, San Francisco, and Orlando. As my love for Domo grew, I started to pick up Domo collectibles.

Domo Shirt from Disneyworld

Birthday Domo Cookies

My friends also seemed to take to my love of Domo and showed their love for Domo as well. I recently came across a blog post about Domo cookies on a blog I follow called Hawaii Kawaii. The recipe seemed like a lot of work and since I'm (1) lazy and also (2) weird and grossed out by seeing the ingredients that go into food, I thought I'd place a hint with my friends Christine and Todd to see if they would make the cookies. I really didn't think they'd actually make them, but .... they did! For my birthday!

Christine Slaving Over Domo Cookies

 

Domo Cookies!!

I've always loved having birthday BBQ's but haven't had one since I moved to San Diego. My dad was going to visit for our birthday (we have the same birthday! I love it!) and I had thought about getting a grill so we could have a small BBQ (me, Dad, David) at home, but when I found out that he wouldn't be able it come for the weekend I thought what the heck, maybe I"ll have a 'bigger' BBQ party instead! 

Ben Picked out Flowers For Me!

The Only Picture I Took - With Devika & Ben

Little did I know that when Christine and Todd accepted my invite to come over to BBQ, they'd be plotting to bring Domo cookies with them! I was amazed and thrilled! They were soooo cute, and I knew they were a ton of work. As Christine mentioned on her blog, she SLAVED over them. :o) haha

Wearing the Domo Shirt from Todd & Christine, Holding Domo + Domo Cookie

I was busy playing hostess throughout the BBQ and somehow forgot to take many pictures. Bad Asian girl!  Bad! Oh well, you can see more pictures on Christine's blog here.

Domo "Fan" Photos

Prior to posting my Paris blog, I had googled "Domo Dress" photos thinking I might find some Domo couture photos I could borrow to start telling his story of going to Paris. I came across someone's photostream on Flickr and realized that I'm not the only person who takes pictures of their Domo doll!

And then ... last week I found out about a third person! Someone emailed me last week saying:

"I loved the Domo Photos.  I am in the springs, taking a job here some 500
miles from home.  I regularly take Domo photos and send back home to my kids.


Thought you may enjoy some my Domo's adventures."

With that he included three pictures of HIS Domo that he'd taken on his many adventures. I LOVE IT! Maybe I should start a I-Travel-With-My-Domo Meetup Group? Haha.  Here are some pictures of Ed's Domo. 

Domo with Hello Kitty!

Domo and Dinosaur

Domo and Pike's Peak

This Tuesday Domo will be heading back to Vegas for another tradeshow. And yes, of course you will read about his adventures upon his return!