I started the evening with after work drinks with my partner in crime, The Ladybug Files. I was initially shocked at how quickly the weather had turned cloudy and rainy but we still made our way to Flat Water. This was my first time visiting Flat Water and though I had heard many great things, I was turned off at the fact that the hostess told us the entire bar was reserved, as well as all the dinner tables and other empty seats in there.
*crickets*
You mean to tell me that there are 20 people TOPS in here yet you can't seat us?
I felt as if we had drifted back into the 1930s and were getting played.
We shook it off and continued our night at Crimson Lounge. Thursday they feature their $3 glasses of champagne, beer and house chardonnay and merlot. 12 glasses of champagne, 2 cheese/meat appetizer plates, and 5 hours later, we were ready to venture out into the wonderful city.
I was definitely taken aback by the large amount of bums roaming the streets. It was unnerving the number of sketchtastic people we saw sleeping on benches, on the ground, at the bus stop, in front of restaurants.
State St. bum - he was actually shaking and looked like he was about to levitate
Lake St. bum - he was getting GREAT sleep
After the clusterfuck of bums on the street, we ventured onto the red line to whisk us away to the South Loop. I'm not a fan of the train... at least not the subway. I like being above ground and not feeling like I'm trapped. I've officially deemed the Red Line a death trap.
I heard about Tantrum having a re-opening so we headed there. I never knew of this club before but it was a nice blend of part loft, part lounge. We threw back a few drinks, I attempted to learn how to step, and when the clock struck 2a it was time to head home. We walked the short distance to Jewel and stocked up on goodies and then made our way home. I ended the night eating ramen, downing ginger ale, and watching a Paul Mooney comedy special from 2007. It was a fun night.
Anyone that knows me can attest to the fact that I'm obsessed with taking pictures. From a young age, my Aunt had me cheesing for the camera (she's a photographer) so capturing life's many memories has always been second nature to me. Last year my bff, K. Dot, came to Scottsdale to celebrate her 24th bday (as well as be fly during Superbowl Weekend). In honor of that I put together this video montage (my first and last time creating a video - - it was a lot of fun to do but I seriously had no clue what I was getting myself into) This video always makes me smile and I wanted to share it with my blog family. I hope you enjoy...
Last night I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with 2 girlfriends and a pitcher of strawberry mango margarita @ La Cantina Grill in the South Loop. I had never been to this restaurant before but thought it was a cute, neighborhood spot and would definitely come back. In addition to the drinks that were freely flowing, they had a band keeping the crowd entertained. I liked the feel of the live music and took a quick video. Please ignore me towards the end as I zoom in on the Margarita prices. lol... Tequila gets me distracted!
For those of you familiar with my "CTA Adventures" you've come accustomed to hearing some outlandish stories of what I encounter while riding the Chicago public transportation. After a long day at work I was thrilled to head home and get some stuff done before heading out to First Fridays event @ The Hotel Sax. Well, little did I know I was about to endure the ride from hell. There were 3 little girls on the bus that began to wreak havoc. I searched for their parents only to realize that the older man sitting in front of me was trying his best to not claim the kids.
"I can't wait to get yall to yo mama" he said as the girls began to get out of control.
Moments like this make you cling to the "it takes a village to raise a child" theory and want to personally kick all of their asses.
So, I was able to grab my phone and video tape this girl spazzing out. Yes, she screamed non-stop for over 1 min... in addition to all the other nonsense her and her sisters were doing on the bus. This is just a little taste of what my life is like having to ride the #3 bus... so for all of you out there that think I'm exaggerating with the stories I write about... please know that this is all very true (unfortunately).
After that bus ride from hell, I made it home and proceeded to get ready for the rest of my night. My BFF's sister was in town visiting so we headed to First Fridays at Hotel Sax to show her a good time. I must say that Hotel Sax is lovely. I had only been to Crimson and never explored the rest of the hotel so I was extremely pleased with what I saw. On top of that, Don Julio tequila made a special appearance in my life that night as I kicked back a few tequila sunrises... and the way into any girl's heart - - free drinks - - were provided by Ciroc, whom sponsored a VIP lounge, that contributed a few tasty beverages (lol) to my night's festivities.
Ladies, if you were not there I must tell you that the men were out!!! And I mean that every man must have called up his 4 best friends because they were in packs of 5. The ratio truly was 5:1 and I had a smile on my face the entire night. What's better than a night of great music, wonderful drinks, your friends and tons of eye candy!!! I can think of no better way to spend my Friday night.
After the event ended we were still in party mode and headed over to a spot relatively new to me (but a favorite for the group I was with) called Betty's Blue Star lounge. I loved the mixed crowd and the bar/lounge feel of the place... though it was definitely more bar.
After we closed that club down it was time to head home.
Sidebar: Can I just say that I'm very proud of myself for realizing my limit and cutting myself off. I actually turned down 2 shots of patron and instead drank a bottle of water while we were at Betty's. Looks like I'm finally starting to grow up! Saturday
I started my day with 2 packs of ramen noodles! Mmmm... they were so good and definitely hit the spot. I was off to a baby shower for my boyfriend's sister and it was really lovely. His mother did an amazing job setting everything up and definitely set the bar high for the next baby shower I go to.
After, it was time to watch the game. Though I was exhausted from the night before we made our way to 10Pin and sat at the bar as we watched the Bulls get smashed by the Celtics. Now, nobody really expected for the Bulls to win. I mean, even if they played at 100% it still wouldn't have been enough to clinch a win.. but I think they put on a great show this series and gained a few new fans, won some fans back over and made people believe in them. They should be a great time within the next few years. I'm keeping my eye on them.
There were a few other things going on Saturday night but I chose to head home and get some sleep. My hair was looking a mess (3 too many bobby pins than should be allowed), my nails were a disaster (only 6 nails had polish) and you know, there are just certain times when you need to not step out looking below standards. lol.
Sunday
I woke up Sunday morning feeling revived from my night's rest and very happy that I chose to stay in. I headed to LA Fitness and got in a good run and did some intense weight training. After it was time for brunch. Sexy and the Chi and I headed to Nookie's in Lincoln Park for some great food and then continued on for a day of shopping!!! I discovered the MAC pro store (the only pro store in the midwest) and fell in love with Michael, the amazing artist that helped us. I was ecstatic to find my favorite product, Select Tint with SPF 15, was still in stock. **it was actually discontinued a few months ago and they still have some in stock** I ended up buying 2 bottles. They last about a year and have a shelf life of 2 years so I feel like my makeup game will not suffer for the next 730 days. I enjoyed the rest of the day just running errands and taking in the spring weather. I'm excited about the summer (not the humidity) but the city in the spring/summer is absolutely gorgeous!!!
View of the South Loop from Lake Shore Dr.
I love the Gold Coast area
The most adorable t-shirts for kids that I saw in Lincoln Park
We didn't eat here but they had a lovely patio
I love the greenery
Weekend Haunts
Hotel Sax 333 N. Dearborn Chicago, IL 60654
Betty's Blue Star Lounge 1600 W. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60622
10Pin 330 N. State St. Chicago, IL 60654
Nookie's Restaurant 1746 N. Wells St. Chicago, IL 60614
Last night after we finished up at Carnivale we headed to Griffin Lounge for the Al B Sure album preview party hosted by Uptown Magazine, Chicago Defender newspaper and Hidden Beach Recording.
*sigh* Al B Sure ... where do I even begin! Well, first off he informed the crowd that he had lost 35lbs (he was still a little heavy), his uni-brow was in full effect (he can't get that thing threaded??) and his "thank you" speech was hilarious. I wish I could've taped it so everyone could experience it first hand (and I could submit it to YBF lol)
Al B Sure: First off, I want to thank everyone for coming out. I really appreciate the support and love from the fans and it means so much to me. Thank you George Daniels, you've supported me since I was 18 (makes me wonder how old George is because ABS isn't young) blah blah blah
Crowd: Cheers/Claps
Al B Sure: Secondly, I just want to say that it's very hard when you have family problems that you have to deal with on the internet. I don't care what anyone says, I love my kids. Please pray for my family because there are evil forces around my kids.
*crickets* *tumbleweed* *crickets* *tumbleweed*
Cue an image of Diddy and his "No Bitch Ass Ness" t-shirt. I think it's safe to say that someone has a slight issue with their child (Quincy who looks like Al B Sure cloned himself) claiming Diddy as his "real father" and crediting him with having raised him. It was sad to see this aging star reaching out to a spotty crowd of semi-fans and pouring out his soul (or at least his contempt for Diddy) I think he needed a hug... or maybe Diddy should give him a legitimate record deal.
Between the slowly forming bald spot, uni-brow, and hater ass remarks I didn't know what to think. Add into the mix George Daniels hosting the event and having the audacity to "lean wit it, rock wit it" and C-Walk... well, I was officially done. lol...
Other things that made me laugh:
- The 6'8" glamazon that was dancing in a 1-shoulder top and liquid leggings. For a sec I thought she was Biana from Top Model. lol...
- George Daniels calling Twitter, twEEter. He was like, "I see all you TWEETERS out there". *blank stare*
- The older lady that obviously missed her calling as a groupie in the late 80s and was trying to make up for lost time last night
- The man in the jean fit (ewww) acting like a male groupie.
The highlight of the night was making use of the backdrop and having a mini photo opt withThe Sassy Peach.
Last night I joined the ladies of the Red Pump Project and headed over to Carnivale to participate in Dining Out for Life. About 30 restaurants in the Chicagoland area participated in the event that was designed to raise money for AIDS organizations.
In our defense, this was the 3rd picture we were taking and the cameraman said "do something different".... therefore everyone looks like they're on something else. We were not a cohesive picture taking group. lol
The Bulls vs Celtics game had the majority of us on the edge of our seats (and in most cases standing by the bar screaming wildly at the TV). I don't understand why they have consistently gone into OT, Double OT and even Triple OT during this series. OT shouldn't be this standard... I've now come to expect them to have a seemingly never ending game. Once they went into Triple OT I chucked the deuce to the game and went to sit down and put my order in. It wasn't long before all the screams, cheers and jeers from the bar area had me feeling guilty for being a "fair weather fan" and with drink in hand, I was making my way back towards the bar. Nothing like some great basketball to torture yourself. I was thrilled when the Bulls won and finally able to take a permanent seat at the table and enjoy our meal.
Sidebar: I need to write a blog on my issues with the Bulls basketball organization as a whole. Does anyone else feel like they're watching the most random team in the history of random ass teams? It's literally like someone went into LA Fitness and grabbed the guys that were hooping, gave them some jerseys and called them "The Bulls".... and on another note, does anyone else think that Rajon Rondo looks like "Bat Boy" from the Weekly World News tabloid? Just look at the picture below and tell me they weren't separated at birth!!! I'm just saying....
Getting back to the restaurant, Carnivale had a great feel to it. The restaurant describes itself as "...Latino flavors with the spice of life... as explosive and passionate as the people themselves." I enjoyed the vibrant colors, friendly staff, and the food/drinks. One of the features I loved were the lighted wine racks, which were built into the walls many feet above the seats. Not sure if they had real bottles of wine in there but it was very nice on the eyes.
We shook it off and continued our night at Crimson Lounge. Thursday they feature their $3 glasses of champagne, beer and house chardonnay and merlot. 12 glasses of champagne, 2 cheese/meat appetizer plates, and 5 hours later, we were ready to venture out into the wonderful city.
