Travels to Daytona Beach, FL

I have a lot of traveling to do with my job & in the beginning of November, I was able to take a journey to Daytona Beach, FL for the Certificate of Training in Childhood & Adolescent Weight Management which was probably the best conference I have ever attended.  The content was incredible, fun, and energizing.  I am sure my interns and I all walked out of there ready to battle the obesity epidemic.  And of course, since I had never been to Florida before, I wanted to take in the scenery as well to unwind from such intense training.  The training was held at The Shores Resort & Spa which I give a hearty 4.5 out of 5 stars.  The only reason why they did not get the entire 5 stars is because they have minimal privacy on the balconies.  I could see at least 9 different balconies from my balcony, which is not very romantic.  Even though I was by myself.  I would still consider taking my family here for vacation since the rooms are large, clean, and gorgeous.  The beach was wonderful and not too busy.  The on-site dining was fantastic, especially for the price.  Ask for the fish tacos and for a nightcap, ask the bartender for the hot chocolate with kahlua.  The hotel features smores kits and fire pits, which allowed for some peer bonding time.  It was lovely!

Here I am (on the right, on my knee) with my lovely LRU dietetic interns!

Some of the places we ate were the Ocean Deck Restaurant and Beach Club and Inlet Harbor Restaurant & Marina

The Ocean Deck is exactly what I wanted for a beach town.  It was well decorated, great food, and open seating.  Also, a great beer selection.  The Inlet Harbor Restaurant was fun.  I felt as though I was walking into a Jimmy Buffett tailgate when we entered the restaurant.  The waitstaff was wonderful and not too bad on the eyes...  I had their bacon-wrapped shrimp, tried alligator (yum!), and all in all thought the atmosphere, food, staff, and drinks were something to recommend!  My only complaint is that the lobby of the portion of the restaurant we ate in smelled like a dirty bathroom.  Toxic, dirty bathroom.  I'm sure they've taken care of that by now. 

Inlet Harbor Restaurant's Complimentary Hush Puppies

Passing through Daytona Beach and seeing the Daytona 500 is pretty cool.  Some of my interns drove to Disney (which apparently is only 1.5 hours away) after the conference for some international cuisine.  The airport was clean and easy to use.  And really, you can't help but love scenes like this after a long day of conferencing...

Sunset over the Atlantic Ocean