Anita Writes...Pages of a Soloist

Friday Happy Hour

2012-01-27T19:49:00.000-08:00

After several, and I mean several Friday Happy hour attempts, I am happy to report it is not a single friendly event.

There's something about it that is so...cold. It's most often always a hit or miss. More of a miss than a hit so much so I can count the instances I have actually had a good time. And when I mean hit I don't necessarily mean, "Hey, let's meet a bunch of guys, have fun, exchange numbers." Nope, even though that would be nice too. I am speaking more of something that seems serendipitous, great conversation with anyone (male or female), intelligent conversation. At the happy hours it's none at all, bland or otherwise. It's filled with groups arriving straight from work, so normally they don't have time to chat with a new friend. And this goes for guys and girls. They come straight from work in their suits, just want to sit by and down the drinks and talk about their work with the same people they just spent that work week with. Isn't that repetitive? And we complain about how lonely our lives are? Why can't I make new friends, boo hoo me? Yep, that's exactly why, because we stick with what we know. More so at the Friday Happy Hour.

If you've hit jackpot at any of these Happy hours, preferably one on a Friday night, I would love to hear your opinion. Where did you go? How did you break into the working class crowd? What was your secret? After all my years of hobnobbing, I can't seem to conquer that particular subset. Until then, I would be here in Atlanta, wishing I didn't give another Friday Happy Hour a chance. :-(

Now, the Friday evening crowd that's a win, all the time. Knowing this you're probably wondering why do I still attempt to go to Friday Happy hour. I don't know, I'm a sucker, I guess.

And a Merry New Year to You Too!

2012-01-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

Since I didn't really have much time to update over the holidays (which came and went so quickly) I decided to fill this post with some of the pictures from this last year, most of them taken during the course of the year, from my unwritten trip to Coronado in June. Also want to use this time to bid you all (all 3 of my readers) a Merry New Year as well. I always use the word "Merry" instead of "Happy" as it not only combines the merriness of Christmas with the New Year, but it makes the New Year not only a happy one but one that is joyful and merry, and we could all use some merriness in our lives.

Here's to me, to you, to us singles, and to us having a Merry New Year in 2012.

Welcome to the Winter White Party

2011-12-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

White Partyesque.

If you ever saw that movie White Chicks you would remember that the movie culminates at this White Party where everyone is dressed in white and the White Chicks get to walk on the runway. There’s some type of altercation and then, Terry Crews says at the unveiling of the true identity of a black chick as a white chick, “Didn’t they tell you it was an all-white party?”

I often thought, White party. Very interesting. A party where you ask your attendees to dress in all-white. How awesome! I know Diddy used to throw one every summer in the Hampton and now, Atlanta was having one. A Winter White Party. Just a couple of blocks from my home at the beautiful Historic Georgian Terrace Hotel. I thought, why not? It’s almost Christmas, haven’t really been to any Christmas Parties lately, so why not this one? I paid the price of admission which did not include food or drinks but a strong mandate to dress in all-white, and I was psyched to go.

Mind you, my hair was in a funk. Yes, it was during one of my nappy interludes. And knowing Atlanta, even though it claims to love the nappy chicks, it is not polite to them at social events. So I did what I really shouldn’t have - I wigged it up - with a safe wig! I have my crazy Afro wig, my crazy Afro curly wig all which I have worn when the mood hits me, possibly on a Saturday afternoon when I am bored out of my mind, but this time, not wanting to attract undue attention (what as I thinking it’s an all white party, all you want is attention) I chose my safe, go-to-work-if-your-hair-looks-bad wig. Not good. My outfit too, didn’t help because it was a summer long dress that just seemed to blend in. I keep saying this in this post, because as soon as I got there, I quickly realized that this is not the place to just blend in with the crowd, If everyone is dressed in the same color palette surely you want to stand out from the “sameness” the monotony if you will. I didn’t know that - this is my first White party and as I gathered from the looks of the attendees, not their first.

To say people were dressed to the nines is an understatement. It was a delightfully colorful event with frosted hair, frosted lips and frosted jugs, people on stilts, masks, and big hair made multiple appearances. Who knew there were that many shades of white, so many versions and takes of how you can wear white? You know that bridesmaid outfit that you have in your closet that is not so white, just a little off-white, somewhat stylish and you’ve often wondered so where else can I wear this to, well, this is the event. People broke out the white ball gowns and the big hair and the white wigs (much to my dismay) and hey, just became somebody else for just one evening. One evening with Santa close by, they all dressed in white (or off-white) and just let it all hang out. It was a “colorful” eye candy event. I had a great time on the dance floor and otherwise, just watching all the awesome eye candy. It was bumper to bumper people, like human traffic but it was bumper to bumper extravaganza, so worth the price of admission. I would so go again in a heartbeat with my white wig (or frosty wig in stow).

So until next year I can check it off on my to-do list that I have been to an all-white party. They told me it was and I came in white, a subdued white but it was white. I want to thank the organizers for doing such an awesome job of this, apparently this is their 4th year, I keep wondering, we should have more of these in Atlanta, like Underground white parties, underground Holiday parties (maybe they ave them and I am just not cool enough to get invited), but we should have more of them. Judging from the crowd you can tell people of all ages want to get their white freak on at Xmas, so break out the cool DJs, and hopefully some complimentary drink sponsors and let’s party. Things like these make me wish I lived in NY. But hey, you make your bed where you lay. Now, this is my solo observation from my first white party - if you’ve never been to one, please just GO. It’s a must-see. And if you’re fortunate enough to live in one of those cities that throws one at the drop of a hat, you should be a pro at this. You won’t feel lonely or left out, comon, look at everyone dressed in their wedding white, even the guys is enough, plenty, beaucoup to entertain you. It did me. Shoo, it was the highlight of my Xmas.

Me - attempting to snap a pic with this puppet bird man on stilts. He was rather popular.

They made it rain faux snow on us - see the go-go dancers in the window.

Awesome looking spread on her wedding dress. Notice the frosted eye-lashes.

Quick Jaunt to Albuquerque

2011-12-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

During the first week of December, I travelled to Albuquerque to visit the family unit. As this was not characteristically a solo trip I don’t want to say too much about it. I travelled alone so I had the opportunity to make my usual solo observations of the trip. Before the trip I was somewhat excited as I have never been to the Southwest (unless you count Vegas) so I was looking forward to it until I checked the weather. Snow, snow and lots of snow, days of continuous snow and -1 degree weather which I have never encountered. I instantly thought I am screwed. How will I do some sightseeing?

But no offense to Albuquerque, I found out soon enough when I got there that there’s really nothing to see. It’s just boring. There are acres and acres of rolling hills and flat land covered with red dust, though during my trip it was masked by the snow. Then, the short clay covered houses, as they call them homes built southwest style. I asked to see the downtown area expecting to see high-rises but instead was met with a couple of mid-rises and some more Southwest themed restaurants and bars. Don’t get me wrong, the rolling hills were serene and tranquil, but then, it gets old after a while, at least for me, sometimes you just want that vibe that comes with living in a city, the hustle and bustle New York style vibe. But this was non-existent. Some cities have their own vibes I guess.

The part that puzzled me the most out of everything was the undue attention me and my lengthy braids seemed to garner everywhere. It started from the grocery stores to the restaurants, then the TSA agent couldn’t get enough of it as he compared it to the picture on my ID and then of course their body check scanner had to pick up on it, and ask for a manual body scan. I kept thinking, “Is it really that deep that you’re going to have a lady riff through my hair for objects, okay then.” And as she did the male TSA asked again, “So how long did it take you to get your hair done?” Not like it matters, but 6 hours...that was the 2nd time in a 5 minute span someone had looked at it with “awe” I guess. My summary of this is simply that there are not that many black braid wearing people in Albuquerque. The Southwest with its crude immigration laws and very poor economy must have shooed them away. Otherwise, why would they be looking at my hair as if it’s some type of anomaly. At some point, even though I love attention it just got annoying. One of the few times I’ve actually truly missed Atlanta.

Winter Wine Highway - 2011

2011-12-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

I went once again as my Christmas treat to Dahlonega for the winter wine highway weekend. Since I've been twice already this year, there really wasn't much to see, just the usual stumping ground - Montaluce Winery for Brunch (and to taste their god-awful wine), Wolf Mountain Winery to take in their picturesque sights and taste some of their so-so wine (they do better at sparkling wine by the way) and then, town center which as a special treat this year, it just happened to be their Christmas Parade.

That was my nice summary of events - captured even better in pictures.

Few Highlights

1. I bumped into these older ladies (grandma demographic) at Wolf Mountain with Barbie Doll doppelgängers to represent each of them. According to them, they travel everywhere, and they take their Barbie's with them. And wherever they go, they set the Barbie's down to chill, relax and take in the view, just as you would a pet per se, not a toy. The Barbie's have been everywhere, Egypt, Paris, Morocco, with them on everyone of their adventures. Weird, you think? Probably not...at least I didn't think so at the time.

2. Dahlonega, unbeknownst to me after all these trips, is not a very diverse environment. It's just one population, and it's white. So me with my shoulder length braids was quite an attraction, sometimes I feel not in a good way. Some bothered to compliment the braids and others, were so nice to assist me with my wine selection - and the others, well, they just stared, befuddled. I kept thinking, "Where are all the black people?" In the words of Kanye West paraphrased of course, "Dahlonega, don't like black people."

The Scene from my rooftop view at Wolf Mountain Winery - a wedding party was setting it up. Quite the scene.

Caught a glimpse of Santa at the Christmas parade in the town center. Notice how shocked he looks at the sight of an actual black person. Like, "Who Dat?"

Montaluce Winery - quite the holiday tradition. This place is 9 parts ambiance, 1 part food. The lobby is one of the 9 parts.

The scene at Brunch. Love the hardwood table and the mini jug of creamer. Cuute!!

What's with long face, Anita? After all that food and wine, comon, let's put a smile on that face?

Solo Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T13:16:00.001-08:00

As suspected, I ended up spending Thanksgiving alone.

Somewhat by choice. I was hit with a terrible flu on the Monday of Thanksgiving Week, and I thought that would be a good time to go get a flu shot. Then, the flu shot just exerted the flu and it got worse, filled my lungs, uurggh! So I couldn't travel and I couldn't go visit anyone, for fear that I would give their entire family my flu/sinus infection. I just had to stay home and nurse myself to health. Good thing CVS was open otherwise I would have been shit out of luck.

How was it staying home alone on Thanksgiving? Not bad at all. I watched so much TV on the Wednesday that I had all the Black Friday ads completely memorized. It was intense, my couch and me, sitting still watching non-stop TV and my favorite foreign movies. I did a lot of soul searching, reflecting on the single life, questioning some of my personal decisions, wondering, when this solo trip would end. The world was suddenly very quiet on Thanksgiving Day, you could hear a pin drop all morning. Good day to just grab a cup of coffee and sit out on the balcony and commiserate - which I did. Inasmuch as I love my peace and quiet and solitude - I don't get to argue with anyone about anything trivial or otherwise - I don't know if the reverse would be so bad. It would have been nice to have someone nurse me back to health. But what can I say, the peace and quiet becomes so addictive at some point that when I visit family I feel like I am cheating on my alone time.

Since this is not a pity party blog but one that celebrates the single status, I would say this, if you by chance find yourself alone on Thanksgiving or any holiday of some sort, take that time to reflect, meditate and become one with yourself. Like the painting said below, "Sit with yourself." In that you'll find a peace that would fill you more than any Thanksgiving meal. And by all means treat yourself to your favorite thing ever. I think in all the hustle of Black Friday shopping frenzy we neglect the most important person of all, ourselves, knowing ourselves and what we want out of the holidays. I've always wanted to have peace in my home and I guess this is my way of having it, double doses of it.

I, thankfully, have a couple of trips planned.

Raise The Maccallan Event on December 1.

Dahlonega for Winter Wine Highway Weekend this Saturday, December 2nd.

I'll let you know how they all work out. Until then, by all means, do "YOU" this Xmas, because if you don't, no one else will. :-)

Yelp's Stylin' Shindig

2011-11-17T13:40:00.001-08:00

I keep meaning to blog about Yelp's Stylin' Shindig event that I attended on November 13, 2011, but it's just skipped my mind.

There's really nothing much to say. I had an awesome time. Was having a crappy day via uncomfortable evil ex drama (some evil exes just do not want to go away) and I needed the boost to lift my spirits. The sign in this picture I took in the OMG Booth and the pout explains it all - Help Me - screaming, "Dear Life, save me from relationship drama."

However the event did it's job. I didn't drink quite as much of the free beer and rum as I should have considering (I don't know why I must be loosing my touch) but I danced my ass off on the dance floor as DJ DiBiasie controlled the 1's and 2's (and my mindset) for a full hour.

The thing I love about Yelp events is simply this: when you attend them you just have to bring your childish fun loving self with you, leave the responsible (otherwise heartbroken) adult at home and just let it all hang out. That way you are guaranteed a wickedly awesome time.

Definitely recommended for singles in need of a good time.

Thanks to Yelp and OMG Booth for these wonderful pictures!

Bill Lowe Gallery - Irascible Muse Opening

2011-11-14T15:43:00.001-08:00

I spent the evening of 11-11-11 at the opening of the Irascible Muse at the Bill Lowe Gallery. This is the second time I've been to one of their openings in the last quarter, and some things are pretty more the same from my last visit. But I won't bore you with the details since this is a repeat location for an event that is somewhat the same. You'd think it'd be somewhat of the same observations from the last visit, and more or less it was, same swanky Buckhead art elitist crowd, except for the following:

1. Those same swanky Buckhead art elitist crowds can actually be very rude and obnoxious when there's a buffet on a Friday night. My oh my, was there a scramble for the buffet line, the only thing ignored was the wine, (which sadly was still Trader Joe's), but everything else was devoured with reckless abandon, with no courtesy to other less-hungry guests. People saw food on a Friday night and their manners were quickly thrown out the window, jumping in front of me in line, reaching for the mini sandwiches by hand without using the pitchfork, double dipping in the dip with the crackers...this last one just blew my mind. It was a food frenzy art event. One time I stood still and watched from the 2nd floor as a new tray of mini sandwiches and party crackers were laid out and in less than 15 minutes, the tray was all gone. Phew! I guess everyone had nothing better to do on the sanctimonious 11-11-11.

2. In between my observation of the food fetish (mildly-interested-in-art) crowd, during that 15 minutes of respite that I mentioned above, I happened to have a conversation with a nice British chap who was here on vacation on a stopover from his trip around America. He was couch-surfing his way across America. He had quit his nice cushy job as a Risk Management executive to, I guess, "find himself". His trip had taken him through New York, where he lived on a couch for 6 weeks, Knoxville TN and now Atlanta, from where he'd head to Florida, Coral Gables or something. For that 15 minutes where we stopped to talk it was quite illuminating, like a breath of fresh air, amidst the food frenzy at an art event. We talked about feminism (his sister is a feminist), the war and how the Newspapers try to make us "pro-war" as he termed it, and how his ambition as a wartime blogger may be fun and fulfilling but not financially rewarding. I agreed with that one. Wouldn't I love to leave the 9 - 5 to do this blogging schtick full-time? I feel bad I never got his number or his blog address just so I can observe his blog musings of his trip across the US. I didn't even take a picture with him. I found him really intriguing...wish I had requested that information. Don't be like me, when you meet intriguing people, ask for their information. Please. It's so funny the people you meet at these things, you might want to meet them again.

3. Then, there was this piece. I had been thinking of this all through the week of 11-11-11. I had been thinking of sitting still, being one with thine self and just observing the quiet of one's life, taking a breather from it all to just exhale. Then, I attend this opening and bump into this...it just made everything stop for a second just so I could exhale. If we could only tear ourselves from the food long enough to appreciate the art...:-).

Of course, it won't be an art event without THE FAVORITE PIECE OF THE EVENING. There she is below...so perfect, so sublime, so bourgeoisie, so breathtaking! Oh, how I just love her breasts :-P

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

So Halloween 2011 does not quite compare to Halloween 2010 but it came somewhat close. Face it, Halloween 2010 had a pleasurable trip to New York, change of scenery, shopping, breakfast in Pershing Square...it will be hard to top that.

Okay, so current year. Bummed that I was not taking an exciting trip this year, I stayed home on Friday night, watched the tube and reacquainted myself with my couch, you know how that goes. Received several texts from friends that were out and about wondering why I was home. What can I say, I've lost my edge?

I did not want Saturday's fate to meet Fridays so I was dressed and out of the house with no known destination except to drive out of my home. It took everything in me to get out of the house, in fact it took me two hours to get dressed and I wasn't even in costume! I just got really comfy with my home digs, not good. I decided to go to P'cheen and have a "quiet" drink. It was early, the bar doesn't get really busy until about 10pm, so I thought just sit at the bar have a nice drink, nice dinner, and just chill in an atmosphere that is not my living room.

However as I arrived at P'cheen all hopes of having a "quiet" drink were out the window. I got there at about 7:15 just in time for their Hell on Highland Halloween party. Yep, you heard me right, Halloween party. They went all out too, free buffet for a couple of hours, free beer for an hour, ghouly decorations, silly string, bar staff in costume, and 10 DJs rotating spins all night. They took it really seriously and apparently they do this every year. I had no idea. Well, I should have had some type of idea...it's Halloween weekend, tons of parties, tons of people dressed in costume, everyone, perhaps except me and about 7 other people (I counted!).

So I chilled and had a pretty decent time at the gig. Amidst all the funny costumes, men dressed in drag, disco glam outfits, pimps, angels and the ever popular Village People, I ended up having some intellectual conversations with some people. One who works as an international contractor in Africa (and has been to West Africa several times) and a lady (with a pink wig and pink tights nonetheless) who goes to law school part-time. Day jobs from people in drag, who knew!

Sometimes you bump into events that fate has destined for you to enjoy, and you just have to be open to possibilities for experiences, to say, "So this wasn't what I planned but I am open to where the night takes me." That's one of the advantages of being single: being spontaneous. To tell you the truth, I've never been to an actual Halloween party. I've been clubbing on Halloween weekend and most of the people were dressed in costume but not an out and out Halloween party. To attend one without ever planning to go one, was pretty spectacular, this one's for the record books. It was a fun night filled with many oddly dressed people...I particularly enjoyed the gentleman in the Gaddhafi outfit, I thought that was a nice touch. And the bishop with the incense chalice...seriously dude, that was a trip!

I thank the fate gods for putting together a fun evening and I didn't even have to get dressed for it. I wish I had pictures of all the funny costumes but some things are better recorded in your memory.

To everyone...Happy Halloween.

All in a nights work

2011-10-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

I did a "three-fer" on Thursday night, commonly known as the act of visiting 3 places in one evening. Yes, me, and on a school night nonetheless. Gosh, I can't believe I did all that and made it into work this morning no questions asked. Not even hungover one bit.

I have been home since returning from my trip to Miami. You know I often or not suffer from vacation blues, otherwise known as once I taste the sweetness of life outside Atlanta, I feel oh-so-sad to come back to my routine ATL life. It is a sickness, also known as "vacation withdrawal."

I decided to shake that off this Thursday and took in a three-fer, would have been a "four-peat" but, the last place has issues with their parking and I didn't feel like dealing with all that - on a school night - nonetheless.

First location.

I attended the opening of Derek J (of RHOA fame) salon in Buckhead, The J Spot Salon. This had been advertised as having an open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, hair demonstrations and a DJ. They had me at open bar regardless. The event itself, of course, being a hair event was filled with all the best looking African American gay men Atlanta has to offer, clad in their funky supposedly "fashion forward" outfits. The women were fashion forward too, a bit too much for a week night for me, but I am old so, anything short and baring in the Fall (weather was rainy and clocking in at 60 degrees) is a bit much for me. But I must commend the good hair that was on display. The open bar was sponsored by The Perfect Bartender providing all the Remy Martin variations they could think of. Using one bartender for a thirsty crowd is quite a stretch, it was hard for her to meet all our thirsty demands so the line for drinks was always quite lengthy.

The event itself was not a whole lot of fun but it was eye candy worthy. The fun factor was strained by the nicely dressed people standing at corners, pouting like Derek Zoolander, not being friendly just because they wore their Sunday best. Comon people, when you dress up you don't have to accessorize it with an attitude, seriously, it is really not that deep! I said Hi to a couple of people and instead of responding, they moved away from their tables causing me to think, oh well. Derek J walked in and hugged everyone in attendance, including me. I thought that was so sweet. I don't know him at all, and he came up to me and said "Hi Sweetie" with a hug. That made me feel good. Upon leaving they handed me a goodie bag, a choice between Phyto products or natural hair care products from Miss Jessie's. My nappy haired self chose Miss Jessie's. The goodie bag was packed with a punch, lots of hair goodies thanking me for just stopping by...that made me feel good too. I promised I would give his salon a shoutout for such an awesome well planned event. Asides from the surly folks in attendance, it was not a bad time at all.

Second Location

Live at Loews. Some unknown band playing covers. They covered Jason Mraz, I'm Yours and it sounded bad. How can you mess up that easy song, how hard is it? This was a bust. Ended up chatting with some guy on a work trip from Oregon who just absolutely adored our wonderful city. It always amazes me when people rant and rave about how awesome Atlanta is...is it really? But I digress.

Third Location

Kat's Cafe. Open Mic set at Kat's Cafe on Thursday nights is usually a riotous time. It's always a lot of fun. With or without a crowd. This night there was no crowd and I still had an amazing time, dancing to amazing renditions from a quality band, everything from Chaka Khan to Michael Jackson and of course, John Legend. You dance, drink, laugh hysterically at some foolishness, it's a good time. I also had the pleasure of meeting Tony Terry (which I had never heard of until I googled him) on his way out. Embarassed him by asking him who he was since everyone seemed to be coming up to him to introduce themselves to him. How could I not remember him...it's age I tell you you loose your marbles.

So, suffice it to say that my three-fer night went well. I have the goodie bag from Miss Jessie's and signed autograph from Tony Terry to prove it.

Miami Recap

2011-10-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a 5 day visit to Miami.

What can I say? Miami, as exciting as it sounds is like a deep dark (or sunny) hole that just sucks your money, gives you a little fun and lots of sunshine in compensation, but it sucks you dry nonetheless. I came back with an empty purse, this is even after I begged myself to keep my money very close during the trip. The last time I went to Miami was 2 years ago, and even then I vowed to not come back until I've lost 50 pounds and can comfortably wear a bikini. You would think, why go back so soon after, with the pounds still in existence. Well, my sister was on a business trip with the hotel paid for until Friday so I thought, why not, I deserve a break from the Atlanta social scene (which is getting rather tired by the way), and I could use some sunshine.

So I guess writing about my trip would not really work for this site as it was not an entirely solo trip per se. At times I was accompanied by my very married (oddly conservative) sister. During the day I was by myself, but at night we roamed the streets of Collins Avenue, Lincoln Road and of course, Ocean Drive. Ocean Drive, oh how I've missed thee. This was a much quieter version of Ocean Drive if I may so. So quiet that I could walk comfortably on the narrow paths of the street without bumping into people, without being propositioned by drunken men, without being shoved by women trying to find a spot to barf! Not sure I like this version that's devoid of theatrics. Maybe, this is Miami in the off-season, with as much sun but not as much color, no frills, just derelicts. Perhaps, this would be a good time for me to unleash my non-bikini ready bod at the beach. Hold on, not so fast.

This trip also afforded me the occasion to visit with other sides of Miami. The down town area, Biscayne Boulevard and Coconut Grove. All of which were all artistic driven - or artsy-fartsy as they say. The downtown area with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Arts, also took in the random Mona Lisa Exhibit, then Coconut Grove and the Coco Walk Art Walk that very conveniently occurs on the first Saturday of the month. Now, I can place the crazy side of Miami with the artistic side, which is an unknown side to Miami.

All these people gathered for a free HIV test. Nah, just kidding...it was Oktoberfest.

Downtown Biscayne Boulevard and 2nd Ave.

Adrienne Arsht Center Downtown.

The View from my downtown hotel room at the Hilton.

The intersection of Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive.

My last glimpse of Coco Walk.

Me after one too many. There's a theme in there somewhere.

Coconut Grove...Boats on the Bay. How tranquil.

A few observations as I spent my days roaming the streets.

1. Coconut Grove I suppose is the Buckhead/Ikoyi end of Miami. Very quiet and withdrawn with yuppies on their bikes or their boats along the bay. Interesting turn. You always think everyone would want to live close to the beach because that's where the action is...after experiencing this place and it's welcome quiet, I would take this over the beach chaos. It was a refreshing pace to Miami.

2. Biscayne Boulevard - Whilst on a a leisurely stroll through Biscayne Boulevard, I bumped into Lil Wayne's official tattoo artist - Dow Hokoana (a big very tatted up, long dreaded up blonde lady on a Harley, yep, screams do not mess with me). That was unexpected.

3. Coco Walk - Art Walk - Unlike the art walks in Atlanta where the wine flows freely because there are hardly people in attendance. Miami's Art Walk is packed. 30 minutes after start time and the wine has run out and the food was following closely behind. Either people came just to eat and drink or they really do love the art. Can't decide?

4. Miami folk are not very chatty. The Bartenders probably don't even know what it means to be personable, maybe cause they force feed you with the gratuity charge every where you go, or the fact that for most of their wait staff English just may be their 2nd language.

5. I was surprisingly the only Nappy haired chic within a 100 mile radius. Folks even stared at my Nappy Do as if I had lost my mind. I guess, the Nappy haired movement hasn't made its way to Miami. Or, the black chicks have to stay trendy and on point to compete with all the bodacious Latinas, beats me. But seriously until I got to Atlanta, I still hadn't seen a sista with Nappy hair throughout my 5 day stay.

6. The gentleman at dinner at Lulu's who just happened to be celebrating his birthday that night. We were talking about looking your age and getting older and he just casually mentioned that that day, Saturday, October 1st was his birthday. It just caused me to look twice at him and think, this is no different from what I would normally do on my birthday. I would sit at the bar of a restaurant and order some very good food (he had steak tips) to enjoy with some wine while people watching and taking in the day and the long year ahead. He didn't as much as want to tell the bartender that it was his birthday, which I would do to score some free booze. He just wanted to sit there and drink rum and cokes, and rest and commiserate about the year ahead all by his lonesome self. It got me wondering that if men can sit alone on their birthday, why is it such a big deal for women to do the same.

7. Finally, another gentleman at dinner (yes, I had dinner twice on the same night) who mentioned something rather memorable. He said, when you take pictures, even if it's just a hobby, it should have a theme. He said he has a friend who takes pictures of strong women, and another who takes pictures of homeless people...all such valid themes. I take pictures but I don't have a theme. I just take them to match the mood I am in, at that moment, especially if the scene is something I want to replay forever. I guess, I probably should think about a recurring theme.

So that's Miami in a wrap. Fun times. This time I promised that if I ever go back (along with loosing 50 pounds) I would stay close to Coconut Grove to take in the tranquil palm tree lined streets but also close enough to feel the heat and excitement of South Beach.

Michael Habachy and...me

2011-09-14T15:41:00.000-07:00

Had an awesome time at the Michael Habachy Event on Friday, September 9th. I came across this invite by chance - a co-worker forwarded me a very busy email filled with events in the Midtown area, and after sifting through all the crap on the email I picked this one out. It was titled Fashion's Night Out with Midtown Pop Up Shops, featuring The Collective by Michael Habachy. The little section (in the busy email) on Michael Habachy intrigued me so much to want to attend, and I am glad I did. Plus, this was at the 999 Peachtree Gallery that I have been looking for an excuse to visit.

Swanky and fashionable people made the rounds along with aspiring artists/models, jewelry designers and of course, us Midtown folks. There was free food (which was good Turkish food but cold as ice) and wine from Cakebread cellars. There was also vodka but I didn't really notice that until later. I had a blast mingling, chatting, interacting, however you choose to term the art of chatting while enjoying quirky art, that's what I did. I had so much wine that I fear I must have made a fool of myself in front of the fashionably elite. Plus, I was not prepared to be in their company.

Word of advice to all those who dare to venture out alone - be prepared.

Dress like there's a party going on and you are the host to this exclusive event. Because being alone you are apt to be stared at for having a "Negative One" when everyone else has a "Plus One" and more. So if they are going to stare and make you the center of attention, my goodness then, you must look good, you must look very good. You must look so good that it causes them to compliment something about your look, perhaps your dress, your nails, your hair, by all means your shoes, and of course your posture, anything and from there, that begins the conversation. That's your opener, the icebreaker, the key to ignite their interest in you and much more...and once you get their interest, there you have it, make the best of it...and hopefully if you are (unlike) me you will not be too wasted to make good on that conversation.

There's the Solo Tip I should probably remember for myself, pretty obvious from this picture.

Labor Day Weekend 2011

2011-09-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

I went once again to Dahlonega to spend (a lazy) Saturday afternoon. I'm sure you're thinking, Dahlonega again, isn't this the third time in a year? Yep. This is also the 3rd season there; I've been there in the Winter, then Spring and now Summer, albeit late Summer. The last remaining season - Fall, which my cohorts and I promised to conquer once Falls rolls around.

There's something about the Georgia Wine Country that can't be beat that keeps me coming back and leaves it as the sure filler to my "don't-have-plan's-weekend." It's not just the view, the ambiance, but the tranquility of the place, coupled with the alcohol and the enjoyable intelligent company of like minded wine enthusiasts, all that infused into my thoughts always confirms that this is a much better way to spend my afternoon than say, catching up on shows on Hulu. So armed with that, I willingly take the hike, all 50 plus miles of it to Dahlonega and let me just tell you it is never cheap. It's a treat that can only be done between seasons, not too soon.

This time around I made the hike with a couple of people (strangers to me) but members of my wine meet up group. They wanted to carpool so I joined them. I thought it would be a different take on my last 2 trips, at least this time I get to do it in a car full of people I may not know now but will get to know as we make the journey together. It's all part of the exploration expedition.

In the end, it was fun, an immensely fun afternoon riding in a car with strangers and talking about how we want to live our lives and what brought us to love wine (or not), and, at least want to dedicate the afternoon to exploring wine. With wine lovers asides from the wine, there's always another hobby you share - be it love of good food, good company, music, art, travel, etc. With these folks it was the love of travel and adventure. Thus we spent it talking about places we've been, would like to go, and plan to go (when life throws us a bone). Fun stuff. So with talk like that and feeling uninhibited from the alcohol, quality yet humorous conversation was not lacking at all. I spent a good part of the afternoon laughing in between ahem...sips of wine.

In the end it was a good day. I, and my travel mates, concurred. It was a perfect day spent exploring Georgia wine country (again) in good company. We went home feeling accomplished. Me a little broke, but accomplished. I spent the rest of the weekend trying to balance my checkbook, but that's just me, I love doing my own accounting.

A little this and that

2011-08-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

There is no real reason to explain why I've been away for so long. But here are some reasons to tie you over until the next update:

1. It's not because I've been having a wickedly awesome summer. I have not. In fact, if I were to rate my summer fun, this one ranks in the bottom two. The Summer of 2009 is a close tie.

2. It's not because I have been sitting at home, cuddled in front of the TV. Not so much. This is the summertime, of course, I'll be out and about soaking in the rays and all the summer fun.

3. It's not because the events were so great I forgot to write about them. On the contrary, the events have been lackluster. And the great events have not been exactly experienced solo, so hmmm....

4. It's not because I've been experiencing the summer as...a couple. Gosh, No. In my time away, I've had a chance to experience the other side of going out, accompanied with people, girlfriends to be exact. And let's just say, at times it's been great and most times, not so great. It's made me miss (and appreciate) me so much more that I cannot wait to get back in the swing of things.

So to summarize, I've been away for the following reasons (not like anyone cares!):

1. Not so great events

2. Not solo but accompanied.

3. Not so inspired to seek adventure.

4. Experimenting with my hair.

Posts are coming, I promise. Plus, possibly an official launch as soon as I can get someone to assist me with this template...it's been 2 years I need to get this blog off the ground.

Thanks for playing!

10 Cane Rum Launch at W Atlanta

2011-08-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

I was invited (along with several others) to the W Atlanta Downtown WETBAR launch of the redesigned 10 Cane Rum Packaging & Formula. This would involve cooling off for 2 hours with complimentary craft cocktails by the Mixologists at DRINKSHOP, Kill Cliff Refreshments & complimentary hand & arm massages by BLISS Spa.

I even had a chance to view videos from the previous events on their website. This is a monthly event that occurs the first Monday of the month lasting through the summer, that is, while we can still enjoy the pool. I think the last one occurs in November. I had missed the June and July events for some reason so I was really looking forward to this one.

The event:

It was just OK. Nicely dressed people, men in business suits, women in their party gear, and then of course, me. Something didn't quite work out alright during this event. First, there were only 2 bartenders serving all these people that had been invited to complimentary cocktails for just TWO HOURS. Trying to make the best of the complimentary feature people had to grab on to as many drinks as possible, sometimes even 2 at a time. It took me at least 30 minutes to get just one drink and when I did, it tasted awful. I had choices and wanted to switch to another choice, but then, that would mean having to wait another 30 minutes. Awful start.

Then, the men in suits proceeded to turn this into some type of networking event. What is it about 10 Cane Rum and Pool Deck and WETBAR that really screams come here and network, or "let me tell you about this great financial venture" or "how you can save money on your auto insurance." Please take your business peddling elsewhere, we are here to have fun, relax, chill, take in the view and possibly dip in the pool.

Unfortunately, neither of those "fun" things happened. The stage was set for it to happen but to my dismay, no fun was had at this event. I managed to get one more drink before the complimentary portion closed down and then, as I proceeded outside to take in the breathtaking view...the rain, with huge gusts of wind that blew the pool pillows into the water, happened. I guess it had had enough of this piss poor evening as well.

So, stage set but no activity. Oh, Atlanta, get it together.

Aspiration and Artifice: The Constructed Visage | Opening Reception: Fri, July 8, 6-9pm | www.lowegallery.com

2011-07-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to attend the Opening Reception to Greg Lotus, Aspiration and Artifice: The Constructed Visage show at the Bill Lowe Gallery. This also marked Bill Lowe's 22nd anniversary, and the opening reception to an exhibition of pieces from Thornton Dial.

I don't know how I got on their mailing list but I am glad I did. The event, the exhibits, the pieces were nothing short of amazing. It attracted some of the Atlanta artsy who's who's and everyone was fashionably dressed just as meticulously and fabulously as the art pieces that were on display. And the food, it flowed. A nice assortment of hors d'oeuvres to accompany the wine which sadly at Trader Joes did not match the opulence of the evening, but this is a recession after all.

Either way, I had a great time. I spent hours maneuvring through the gallery making sure to catch all the pieces, talk to my friends, meet new friends, enjoy the wine and just take in the magnificence. Even when you think you've covered a certain area and you go round it the second time you find that you missed something the first time, something always causes you to stop, stare and be amazed. I particularly loved the pieces from Greg Lotus, pictured above. They were avant garde with a certain quirkiness to them, and the colors were so rich, they bounced off the prints. I'm just sad that I didn't get to meet him, as the man of the hour his attention was very limited.

Great event. Awesome fashion elite crowd, very well organized, and great choice of pieces on display. Don't you hate it when you attend an art opening and the pieces just seem like some mediocre abstract crap that you can get at Target, you wonder, is this an exhibition? Not so here. The pieces here deserved to be on display along with the perfectly styled coifs of those in attendance. If I had any suggestion for them it would be to step up on the choice of wine, apart from that, I am glad I am on their mailing list, and if you love art, you should be too.

July 4th Weekend 2011

2011-07-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I was very apprehensive going into this long weekend. My first holiday weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, was not so great - personal issues, female weaknesses, etc. So with the personal issues still in existence, somewhat escalated at this point, I was hesitant of having to spend another weekend by myself, caught up with thinking about my personal issues. However, the God of all things solo was looking out for me and in His infinite mercy He brought out some fun, fun, fun in the sun and out of it.

Here's a quick recap:

Friday, July 1st.

No one at work. Left work early even though I had nothing to do. Went home and popped open a bottle of sparking wine to celebrate the start of (what I hope to be) a good month and freedom from the personal issues. With a slight buzz, (only slightly) I went over to the video store to rent some more movies to keep me company as I finish off the bottle of wine. Driving home I thought, "This is pathetic!" It's a holiday weekend and I am driving home to watch some foreign movies on my couch. Truly, heart wrenching. So I went over to one of my favorite bars, P'Cheen to see what was up. They usually have a DJ play a cool set by 10pm that never disappoints. I hate that they still allow smoking but the crowd is always fun, it's laid back, not too dressy or stuffy, just casual drinks with nice music. I met some really nice people there, joined them for some more drinks and had a rowdy ole' time. Mind you, I don't know these people, it was just luck of the draw that I happened to meet some really cool people (in a cool bar, it's hard not to) to hang with for the rest of the evening. My night ended close to 2AM.

Saturday July 2nd.

Hungover central. No headache, just exhaustion. Woke up close to Noon, famished. Bought some Thai Food at my local neighborhood restaurant and settled in to finally watch the movies I had rented the day before. Finished the movies at 8pm, and stepped out to Park Tavern. Why? There was supposed to be a free concert at the Park with a rap/funk band called HeavyMojo. Band was great (actually pretty awesome for a band I've never heard of), went on stage closer to 10, played a tight energetic one hour set, wished they had played for longer. They ended right at 11, no encore because according to them, Park Tavern rules to end right at 11pm. Went home, went to bed.

Sunday July 3rd.

This was a toss up. For some strange reason I wanted to see Transformers 3, I don't know why. I had a sparkling wine meet-up event to attend at 2pm but instead I wanted to blow them off and go to the movies. I don't know why. I went to the wine event, hesitant. If you've been reading this, you probably know that I am a bit of a wine enthusiast, fine food and wine is actually on my "perfect things to do" list. I also like movies a lot. But then I thought, I haven't shared fine food and wine in a long time so this may be a perfect time as any to do so with fellow enthusiasts (nothing like that to get you out of your funk, aye!). It was just what the doctor ordered. Educated, mature crowd and some of the finest sparkling wines around. I just had a smorgasbord of sparkling to imbibe in and little nibbles here and there to fend off the buzz. The conversation was light and enjoyable, nothing too heavy just enough to get my mind off things.

Absolutely stuffed, I drove to a friend's house. My new friend from Friday night was having a barbecue later in the day. On my way there, I remembered that the local tattoo parlor had invited me to their grand opening party on that same day. I got there and the entire block was closed off for a big party, one at the tattoo parlor and another at the corner pub, The Bookhouse Pub. One had free booze and the other had barbecued delicately spiced food, corn on the cob, sausages and prawns. And of course, all the tattooed people that Midtown Atlanta has to offer. I haven't seen that much ink in one setting since Austin.

I proceeded to my final stop of the evening - my friend's barbecue. More food - steak, wings, chicken, corn on the cob. Everywhere I looked there was food. The conversation here started off light and slowly moved into the R rated territory, as we drank we let our hair down and eased into the evening. It was fun, perfect way to close out a very unassuming day.

Went home, went to bed, sans hangover, but with slight heart tremors from all the heart clogging food.

Monday, July 4th.

Decided to take myself up on spending the day at the movies. Planned on seeing Transformers 3, and anything else that happened to be playing right after it. Hopefully by the time all this is done, it would be time for fireworks. Catch the fireworks display, go home, go to bed early - that was the plan. Caught 30 minutes of Super 8 (good, but it seemed like a PG movie and I can't really handle PG movies), Transformers 3 (What can I say, I love Shia to bits...very engaging actor) and then Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds...what a waste of a hunk in a movie..who's idea was that?).

On my way home I remembered that one of the ladies from the previous night had mentioned a pool party over at Melia Hotel. Since this was close to home, I decided to stop by and see what was up. Don't know how much of a pool party we can engage in, it had rained while I was at the movies and there was more rain expected. As I walked in there was a crowd, I suppose everyone wanted to have a little roof top pool party fun in their lives. But there were also a lot of (flaming) gay people, then it hit me, this was a gay party. The lady had mentioned it yesterday but in between my movies, I just conveniently forgot. Oh well! Since I didn't really have plans for the evening, this didn't make that much of a difference to me but yikes! I crashed a gay party on July 4th. Quite unexpected.

All in all, it was a fun evening. DJ was intense, disco and house music jamming from the speakers. Danced and sang at the top of my lungs. Had to tear myself away from there because I had to work the next day. Missed the fireworks due to the rain, but danced my ass off and scored free booze and dinner instead.

Went home, absolutely and positively stuffed, then went to bed.

Anita Writes Celebrates Her Birthday in 2011

2011-06-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm in San Diego, cannot complain. Will happily turn another age if I had to be in a different environment preferably with sunny sandy beaches (and ahem! hot guys).

The view from my hotel room window at the Harbor View Inn and Suites on West Grape Street. I insisted on a good room by continually reminding the lady that it was my birthday the following day saying, "Lady, you don't understand, it's my birthday tomorrow and I just flew in from Atlanta and I'm checking in by myself, does that make sense?" See how you score a good room.

My good friends at The Local understood what I was talking about when I said, "I know it's only 11am but it's my birthday today so if you don't mind I would like to start Happy Hour way early." That scored me a beer on the house. Things were looking good.

Saw a sign pointing visitors to the Heavenly Cup Cake and decided it was worthy of a stop, after all, need a cake to wish my sad self a Happy Birthday after all. However, they were lacking of two essential items - no cupcakes without icing (who does that?) and a Happy Birthday cupcake. In fact, she was none too pleased when I told her it was my birthday, never neglecting to charge me full price, she didn't even have the decency to toss in a mini-cupcake. That's just bad customer service, if you ask me.

This restaurant is my spot in Atlanta so I thought it deserved a picture of its own upon sighting it in the San Diego Gaslamp District. You travel all these miles (several planes later) and bump into the same watering holes you frequent in Atlanta. Interesting!

By my next stop to partake of "Happy Hour" drinks at the Whiskey Girl Bar, I was now taking pictures of my foot. What $3 dollar shots would do to you? This was another place that was not too enthused about the fact that it was my birthday. They didn't even throw a free shot my way - San Diego, how stingy. I'm not kidding, you can look at my license for verification, it is my birthday and I flew all the way from Atlanta!!! Oh well.

The scene at the Gaslamp district of all the fine bars and restaurants just at the start of lunch hour. Empty! That's what they get for not being hospitable, hmm...

Took my ass to the mall since I was so done with trying to score free (birthday) drinks from the empty bars, I decided to do some shopping, shoe shopping most especially. The mall was enormous, very nicely laid out, could have quite easily spent the day there but really, nice days in California are rare and I decided to capitalize on this one before I lost it.

Pacific Beach. What can I say....the beach makes everything all good! It took me about an hour plus to get here, was momentarily diverted by the sign that led to a church, thought I could squeeze a quick prayer into my day (amidst all the drinking) but lo and behold, it was closed, much like Santa Barbara last year. So I headed on down to the beach, walked to Pacific Beach Shore Club and the view was just phenomenal.

This is my first drink at Pacific Beach Club, I promise! Yes, I took this picture of myself, amidst the couples that were taking in the sunset together. File this under: Things you do when you vacation by yourself. Also, they did not extend any birthday shots my way. They told everyone in the restaurant I was vacationing by myself on my birthday so they stopped by to hug (and secretly ridicule) me but no free shots. :-( Is it the economy, San Diego or just me? I daresay, San Diego was less hospitable than Santa Barbara.

Hung around and waited for the sunset at Pacific Beach Club. It's everything like I imagined, serene, peaceful and just heavenly. It's worth the several planes (and rude US Airways hostesses) and bus trips. It's worth leaving Atlanta in a heartbeat (but for the crummy economy!).

It's all a blur from Pacific Beach to the next day (so I claim) but the next day, the walk from my hotel to Little Italy seemed sun shinier than usual, plus there was a little ole' Catholic Church round the corner (Who knew!).

So that's Anita's 2011 Birthday in a nutshell in the sunshiny Southern California beauty known as San Diego. It may not look like it but it cost a whole lot of money though and looking through the pictures, it was so worth it.

San Diego, I guess I will have to see you some other time.

Vacation Withdrawal

2011-06-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Suffering from vacation withdrawal. Just completed a trip to San Diego and San Francisco (with the family unit) for my birthday. Haven't had time to update you with the play by play on my San Diego trip but hopefully will soon enough. I also just delved right into the Atlanta nightlife as soon as I got back to try to shake away the vacation blues (nothing better than that) and have some information I can possibly share on that, even though I was not such a good girl on those trips.

San Diego was okay. Not as awesome as San Fran but worthy of a second shot. I had heard loads of good stuff about it so I had larger than life expectations. Watching the sunset at the several bars along Pacific Beach I would have to say for me was the highlight, plus eating all the scrumptious food in Little Italy. It had its moments and I will share the fine details along with pictures as soon as I get my head around it all.

So if you're reading this, I wish myself a Happy (now belated) Birthday (and I hope you wish me one too).

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

2011-05-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, as I am still recovering from my emotional roller coaster, I tried to liven things up by going out this weekend. It was a hit and miss holiday weekend of sorts. I knew it would be somewhat as I searched effortlessly for things to do before I left work on Friday. Only one thing showed up and these are the pictures from my very eventful Saturday night. I wish I could say the rest of the weekend was A-Okay, but sadly it wasn't, thus I lost the battle and made a "call" - things you shouldn't do when you're bored.

Pictures from Ice T and Coco's appearance in Atlanta at the Launch of the Original Gangsta. Coco was very gracious as some guy fooled around with my camera trying to get the flash to work. She never complained at all, even ready to pose for more photographs. I thought that was super nice of her. Of course, it would not be a Coco appearance without a picture of her derriere. I had to go there. It makes you want to go home and do squats all day.

Single Ladies Launch Party at Jeffrey's

2011-05-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

You know the best type of events? The events that really don't have any huge expectations but end up knocking you off your feet. The VH1 show Single Ladies held its launch party at Jeffrey's in Phipps Plaza on Saturday, May 21st (doomsday to some).

I did my usual evening window shopping stint through the mall on Wednesday and passed by the huge sign, tagged Champagne Shopping event. Two words every lady loves to hear. Champagne. Shopping. On a Saturday evening! Oh my gosh, how can I contain myself. I invited my girlfriend to come along and she agreed mainly for the opportunity to meet Lisa Raye, going as far as calling the store to confirm. Me, just so I could window shop but this time with alcohol.

If you don't know Jeffrey's know this, their window displays are always superb. They make you wish upon a lucky star for the day when you can afford to dress like that and more. It's my day dream window. On some nights, especially Sunday nights, with the long week ahead of me, I stroll through the mall and stare at certain window displays while I commiserate with my thoughts. Some windows are just okay. Nothing to sneeze over, but Jeffrey's, superb. Always Fabulous!

So back to the event. It was so cool (excuse me while I use a lame word to describe a well-planned social event). From the professional greeting upon entry to the servers, to the hors d'oeuvres, to the very fashionable crowd, to the free flowing champagne which they kept flowing, to the grande entrance of our lady of honor, Lisa Raye, who had no airs about her. Stopping to take pictures and videos with everyone who stood by her. I did not see her with any "people" to deter her from the adoring fans, my friend inclusive. She was just gracious and charming. Made me a fan. And if I only had VH1, I would watch the premiere of her show on May 30th. Here's hoping the show is as good as the event.

This wasn't a Me, solo event but it was a darn good one.

Launch of Do (dough) at the View

2011-04-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Was fortunate enough to attend the launch of Do (dough) at the View on Saturday. Fortunate being used loosely here because it exceeded my expectations. Well, there were more people than anticipated, well dressed black people (which is not often a good thing), celebrities in the like of Frank Ski making speeches and all, plus my personal favorite...free booze.

I would like to say I had fun but it was only just. Events like these are not good solo adventures because they turn out to be so stuffy. The invite on Yelp was not as enthusiastic as the event turned out to be. Only 5 people RSVP'd to the event, then, there was no mention of a dress code or red carpet entrance, most importantly, it gave us a different start time than was initially planned. By the time I got there the celebrities and their friends had finished all the free food samples they passed around. We were thus left to the T-shirts and (my personal favorite) free booze. This last part saved the evening. Only just!

I must also mention two other extreme highlights - the use of iPads by the servers and an iPad in the restroom just so Photobooth can capture you in your private moment. Classy stuff!

Yelp at Kai Lin

2011-04-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't reviewed a Yelp event in so long. I also haven't reviewed an event that was so much fun, almost two weeks later. What can I say, I've been having so much fun that I forgot to write!!

Culture week at Yelp featured various events: a play at the Alliance (which I missed), a comedy show (which I also missed), a Simon and Garfunkel cover band at Eddie's Attic (which I caught just barely on Easter Sunday) and an art viewing accompanied by some cocktails and light nibbles at Kai Lin Art Gallery in Midtown (which I am about to review).

What can I say, it was so much fun. I was happy that I could catch this one for several reasons. It's close to home, it occurred on a Thursday night (which was a memorable one of sorts as my ahem "friend" was off celebrating his birthday in New York, I needed some distraction), plus, it involved art. You know how much I love art. It was the perfect occasion that turned out to be a wonderful night.

As you know from reading this, sometimes the perfect recipe for a wonderful evening may or may not result in such, some things might end up missing from the cake leaving the taste a lot to be desired. But this one, I have to give it to the folks at Yelp, the fun friendly people I met and the organizers, the recipe resulted in a fine delicately balanced yummy cake. The bartender was a fine personable lady provided by The Perfect Bartender. A bartending outfit that lets you book your own personal bartender for an event. You know how I am about Personable Bartenders, I had to take note of that service. We had cupcakes and meatballs, odd combination of sweets and starch that were just enough to keep the alcohol at bay so we don't land on any of the paintings. Then, the art, abstract and colorful, interesting mish-mash of modern pastels, certainly fun for viewing; nothing earth-shattering or memorable. The space, lovely and expansive, lots of room and light for mingling, viewing possibly "better" art, and partaking of the quite tasty hors d'oeuvres as you schmooze with fellow art enthusiasts.

We spent the better part of the evening posing for silly photographs at the Smilebooth, which I had never heard of until that night. I must have taken about 40 photos, some that didn't quite look so nice, some which I looked wasted out of my mind and some which I will look upon some day and smile proudly, reminiscing all the fun I had. My friend David K, local Atlanta celebrity, gave me some candid reviews of my blog as we exchanged notes on the blog hemisphere. It's always fun to catch up with a fellow blogger about the advantages (and uncertain disadvantages of blogging). At the end of the evening, we relocated to Cypress Pint and Plate (a rather noisy neighborhood bar) to continue the imbibe of all sorts. We talked, laughed, verbally reviewed restaurants and laughed some more. Recipe for a fun Thursday evening. Thank You Yelp.

Manning the DJ Booth

2011-04-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

My DJ friend, Greg (pictured below) visited Atlanta over the weekend and played a couple of DJ gigs. I was fortunate to go to one of them at The Real Chow Baby on Ponce. It was a very nice mellow set that he played, much to enojoying one's food and chatting between spoonfuls. I don't know if his set ever really gets intense, to the dance hall version of it, because I've only ever heard him play at restaurants. Restaurants are continually trying to introduce DJs into their program. At first it was some guy on an acoustic guitar, and that has slowly phased out to the aspiring DJ with the apple keyboard doing a mish-mash of mellow tunes. If you ask me, I much prefer the live music set to the DJ, regardless of how aspiring or dire the singer may turn out to be.

On Thursday night, I did a double whammy. Feeling a little down in the dumps as I explained below, I decided to treat myself to the Thursday night music set at Live at Loews followed by the open mic band at Kat's Cafe. Both very good, thorough enjoyment masterpieces. Unknown Lyric played at Loews - an acoustic guitar accompanied by a violin, weird but melodious combination. The talent that flows through Loews Hotel on their Thursday night sets is just phenomenal. Unfortunately, Thursday is such a busy night for events, apparently the W Atlanta Downtown also has a live music set on Thursday that I am yet to experience, that it gets hard to narrow down where to go and for the artists, once it's empty they feel disheartened.

But definitely, support the artists when you can. I love live music. Whatever mood I am in, it just has a way of getting there and making the hurt go away. It's so refreshing and uplifting and when it comes without a cover, it's so much better.

Why I've been away

2011-04-17T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am back and hopefully for good.

Once in awhile as a single person, you meet the occasional person that you enjoy spending time with and it becomes a "we" event. Inasmuch as I love coupling up, and believe me I do, nothing feels quite as good as waking up to a man right beside you. I love coupling up, but it causes you to lose track of who you are, the single person, your wants and needs gets lost, your smile gets muffled with someone else's, and you dare not get used to becoming that "we" for it causes you to lose sight and focus from the you....the you that you set out to be, the ever charming, quite wonderful, independent you that you've worked so hard to build.

So that's why I've been away. But I don't want to loose sight of who I am. I have these past few weeks and it troubled me greatly. I am supposed to be this pillar of strength for all the singles out there and I was crumbling, into shreds. Forgive me for not being that sisterhood of strength and inspiration for all singles. As you can see we are all very vulnerable and fragile and susceptible to heartache, even me with all my "You can Go It Alone" talk. I was still a victim.

Now, that we've gotten that out of the way, let us slowly try to make our way back. Maybe you guys can help me this time.

Spring Wine Highway Weekend

2011-03-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Went once again to North Georgia for the Spring Wine Highway Weekend, or what one fellow wine enthusiast chose to call it...heaven! The weather was just heavenly, superb for wine tasting with some light bread crackers and I chose Rose and sparkling wine as my wine of choice, and it was a perfect accent to the day. I couldn't ask for a better day, a better finish to a tumultuous week. Fabulous darling, just fabulous. Sitting out on that porch overlooking the mountains, the cascading greenery with the grapes and luscious landscaping, with the sun just warm enough to lightly kiss my skin not burn it, and then take the edge off the alcohol but make me feel good enough, light enough to float with the intermittent breeze. It was fabulous. A scene I would always remember, wish I could share with that special someone but I'm thus glad to have experienced. One of the best Saturdays I've had in Georgia...bar none.

Makes doing you not that bad after all.

March 17th - St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

This year I decided to celebrate St. Patrick's Day the way I want to and not rely on someone or something to be put in place for me to enjoy my day.

Last year, a friend of mine decided to set me up on St. Patrick's Day which I thought would be a good idea...I mean St. Paddy's would never do me wrong, not on his day. I thought we'd all go out, drink some green beer and just have a heck of a good time. Not so fast. The date was a disaster. We ddn't go anywhere that had anything remotely resembling green beer and we didn't dance with any leprechauns, wear green outfits or just generally let our St. Paddy's hair down. We sat in a normal restaurant, that was dead empty, if I remember correctly, I think we were the only diners, and we had flatbread pizza. We also ended up, in some way, talking about religion. You know that never goes well especially with someone you hardly know.

So this year, with no dates lined up, blind or otherwise, I just did my own thing. Unfortunately for me, the bars, mainly the Irish pubs had chosen this year, out of all the years to scale back on their St. Patrick's Day fun. There was no Irish band playing folk music, no green beer, no sponsorship by the reputable beer companies or radio stations, and worse, no special Irish menu. It was a recession clad St. Patrick's Day. You would think the mix of green would encourage it to be recession proof. Not so much.

In that space, I just decided to make the best of it. I sat down with some eager drinkers, and chatted about life, love and parties, and all the things we wish we could be doing with our lives but cannot because of this damn economy. The beer helped us ease into the intensity of the conversation. We carefully avoided the topic of religion! In the end it was not earth shattering fun. It's not the best St. Patrick's Day I've had. The best was seeing Nickelback in concert followed by seeing Adele in concert. I haven't been able to top those 2 in terms of fun level again. It's just been ho-hum celebrations. I'd say the worst was last years, which I will generally not like to repeat.

I suppose the moral of this story is to do what you love and not get suckered into making plans with strangers (or in my case a blind date) on a day that you should and are required to have fun.

Spa Day with Food

2011-03-05T11:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, so now it's March. The month that boasts of all things, St. Patrick's Day.

As the month of February ended, a couple of thoughts went through my mind. One of them being, one of the essential reasons why I choose to go solo. The peace of mind that comes from dictating where to go and what happens where you are.

Patti Stanger, the millionaire matchmaker said, "Women if they really want to meet someone, need to learn to go out on their own - do not take your "ammunition" with you. Men are afraid to approach a woman if she's surrounded by a whole bunch of people." Truer words have never been spoken. When I heard that I thought, she must have read my blog. More power to the solo traveler.

However, on occasion I find myself asking a girlfriend, who's probably sad or getting over her breakup, to accompany me when I go out. Because I am used to dictating where I go and what happens (good or bad), immediately I am on edge and I stay on edge all evening, unable to thoroughly enjoy myself. I keep wondering, is she having fun? No one's buying her a drink, is that bad? She's not enjoying the play, will she blame me? This place might be too low key (uppity, quiet, bourgeoisie or expensive) for her. The place might be any of those things, and I immediately think she is not having fun, thanks to me. So that mars my evening and I end up not having fun. I don't meet anyone because I spend the better part of my evening talking to her, trying to cheer her up, keeping her company. And no one really talks to us. It's just not a scene I like.

So that makes reason number 5 (I guess?) on why I choose to go solo. To take away the hassle of having to entertain and fuss over someone else's enjoyment level at said place. You already have so much to think about in life, why add someone else's fun factor to it.

Then, back to the expense.

Most times, I like to treat myself. I go out to a nice high-brow "fancy-schmancy" place and pay for dinner in a five star restaurant. Most of the men I date cannot afford to give me that, and that's fine, it's a bad economy, wouldn't want to give them the wrong impression. Some of us are spoiled and like to spoil ourselves, I am one of those people. I often think couples have their own companionship to keep them company, me, I have my solo dinner treats. I don't do this regularly either, I do it when the mood and the budget allows. But when I do get to do it, I go solo because really, not many women want to pay out of pocket to take themselves out to a nice dinner (seriously, if you meet that lady, let me know) and I don't want that promising young man to have to break the bank wining and dining me. So it ends up being a solo journey.

The dinner itself is usually a quiet, utterly enjoyable meal. The food is superb, the company of strangers is interesting and comforting, and the ambiance just makes you feel so special. It's like a mini vacation from the routine of dive bars and chain restaurants. In the end, it's a spa day but with food. You meditate (feel ultra special) while you sip and dine on some of the best food and wine. It's one of those treats we all should afford ourselves and most especially, we should try to do it solo because you wouldn't want anyone to interrupt your thoughts while indulging.

Once again, reason number 6 on why I choose to go solo. To spoil myself at my own expense and not feel guilty about it.

A beatnik party

2011-02-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

I went to this here, swanky bob Marley birthday celebration on Saturday night. I was so excited about it, for no utter reason. Well, maybe a couple of reasons. I was excited that I finally had something exciting to do on a Saturday night, you know how Saturdays always start off really high but just dissipate into nothingness, also known as date night for some.

I was also excited for this event because it gave me a chance to finally visit the DrinkShop inside the new W Hotel downtown. This place is brand spanking new, so new, you can smell the mint as you pull into the driveway.

So did all the hype and pre-event excitement meet with my expectations? Half and half. The place was just as gorgeous and minty as I thought it would be. It just oozed class even as I drove to it on Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. Even the little paper napkins they gave as coasters were made of pure cotton, gentle and soft to the touch not the recycled coarse paper kind. It was Atlanta upscale stepped up a notch. For a wee moment in there, looking out the window onto the Atlanta skyline, for a wee moment, I felt like I was in LA (or some other better city). But just for a wee second. I digress.

The event was hosted by a bunch of DJ's who took turns spinning Bob Marley songs, reggaeton and dubs for an hour per DJ. They all looked like well-dressed, music obsessed beatniks that I would have gladly taken any one of them home with me. Watching them set up and spin their art was the high point of my evening I can tell you that.

After a lot of drinking, courtesy of the 1 hour open bar invite, I danced to some good ole Bob Marley - which reminded me of my childhood - oogled the DJ booth longer than I really should have and, tore myself away from there. In the grand scheme of things, I had fun, while rating my Saturdays this one would rate high, higher than some dull ones. Higher than staying at home and overheating my DVD player.

There were a whole bunch of people at the event who, though they came by themselves to, I'm assuming, to have some fun, they spent the better part of the evening cradling their iPhones and looking at God knows what. Misplaced attention. I wonder is our generation just shy, introverted or just spaced out. They know they can do that at home. I even tried to talk one person out of it, as I caught him scrolling through some baby pictures on his phone, but he was not having it. The rude child just told me to mind my business. And I thought, maybe I should. Why teach etiquette to people who don't want to accept it. I classify him under the spaced out ones.

There was a time going out meant a lot to me. It does but it doesn't hold as much fun. It's so much preparation mentally to face the outside world and their somewhat cold exterior, it's not so much of the "How good do I look, or can I really pull this off?" It's more of, "Will be in the mood to interact with people, even though they may not be in the mood to interact with me." It's just too much to take at times.

On Thursday night, I went to listen to jazz at the lovely Loews Hotel. The Thursday night Live at Loews events have a very nice setup, calm atmosphere filled with soothing music. It's a great idea by any standards to have people relax in your lobby, lounge, converse and drink all while taking in your charming ambiance. But when people get into such upscale environments, they turn into something else, they often or not feel superior to the rest of the world. It's like "Look at me, I'm superior because I get to listen to jazz at Loews, can you?" "You can't because you're not superior." Tried to talk to a couple of people and their noses were still stuck mid-flight somewhere in the cumulus clouds, they could barely even lift up their faces from their phones. How is that a night out when you spend the entire evening looking at your phone?

So one week, two hotel lobby's...pretty much the same summary, except this one lacked the scrumptious beatniks. People need to get the sticks out of their asses and take time to enjoy life and look at the person next to them.

January 2011 ---Here's looking at you, Joan Wilder?

2011-02-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

I have been gone a long time.

There is no excuse. One good one could be the fact that I haven't had Internet Service at home for about 10 days. How have I survived? I don't know. Thank goodness for my iPhone. Add to that the fact that I have just basic cable, you can tell I am screwed. I thought maybe I would do some writing on my laptop to post them when I do get Internet Service. But I have just been taken over by life and its attendant difficulties to coordinate some thoughts on paper.

The month of January was full and fast. Filled with events. One of them being holed up at home due to the winter storm. It snowed ever so casually on a Sunday night and for the next week, we were holed up indoors, unable to drive out. They termed it... Snowpocalypse 2011. I called it Peace of Mind, 2011. What a better way to start the year. Inasmuch as I like to go out, I love to stay home and enjoy the comforts and peace of mind of my own space and not having to deal with once again, life and its attendant circumstances.

In that time, I travelled to Raleigh, North Carolina, had the pleasure of dining with the North Carolinians - who by the way, filled a few restaurants heavily for a Thursday night in January. I guess they take dining out pretty seriously over there. RSVP'd for a couple of events but couldn't make it, either due to weather, despair or just sheer laziness. Some that I did end up going to were pretty much filled with the same Atlanta crowd - self-absorbed, self-conscious folks. It kinda made me wonder, why did I bother? Then, I got reacquainted with my DVD player. What a thrill that one was.

On the 16th, I attended 42 Below Vodka Cocktail World Cup 2011 hosted by 944 Magazine on a night that also happened to be Golden Globe night. This was basically a mixologist competition with free nibbles and open bar vodka cocktails. Such a nice set up you'd think it'd be filled with people. Not so much. As you can see from the gallery, I was not actually pictured anywhere. Once I had my fill of the Vodkas that I could handle for a Sunday night, I went home. I chatted with one older lady who thought the event was a dud as well then asked me to stop being such a wuss and to please go out more. Despite the lackluster thrill of the event, I don't regret attending, there's only so much you can do on a Sunday night to pep you up for the week. This was a fine one.

Then, on the 25th, I joined a couple of ladies from my Girls Night Out meetup for the 5 year anniversary of Mood Lounge. Considering how close Mood Lounge is to my home, I really have never actually been there. It's located in between a somewhat of a residential district. The actual building looks like it used to be someone's home, converted into a lounge/nightclub. I kept thinking perhaps, they got tired of paying the exorbitant mortgage and just decided to party it up in here. Who knows? This event also had free food and booze. I guess, in this economy, it's my way of partying on a budget. When you think about it, if I really spent money all the times I've been out, I would run myself to the ground.

My rating for this event was a Meeh!! I ran into the same faces from several places ago, and I ate some pretty horrible hors d'oeuvres. The drinks were strong but held not much variety, there's only so much you can do with Vodka and Rum and loads of ice, thanks to the bartenders. If not for the advice of a fellow patron, I would never have been able to think up the most amazing concoction. See, you should talk to people, ask them what they're drinking, you can get some ideas from them. As the night wore on, we had go-go dancers, a very unimaginative DJ, and a bongo player who actually went well with the music. And the place, for a Tuesday night, suddenly got so packed. As I left there was a crowd of people just begging to come in....begging. I kept thinking, It's Tuesday night, isn't it? I know the economy is bad, but seriously it's still Tuesday, what are we celebrating, the fact that it's a Tuesday.

To close the month off, I used my Groupon to liven up my Saturday by going to this ever popular Latin nightclub/restaurant, some place Atlantans like to call Loca Luna. This was awesome. Just exactly what I've been missing. There was good food and cheap wine, thanks to my half off Groupon, and when it wore off, in came friendly people to buy me some more cheap wine, plus there was so much dancing. I have to tell you this about Latin people, they don't hold back. They are not pretentious, not egotistical, not self-absorbed. They just like to let it all hang out and have fun, salsa till the sun comes up. And after the week/month I've had that was just the perfect way to close it out. It made me feel alive, free like Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone (one of my all time favorite movies) and happy. This time, no one batted an eye that I came alone, in fact there was a whole crew of single people and we all danced and drank together. As the night wore on, I said, thank you Groupon and thank you to me for having the gumption to come here on this lowly Saturday night. I needed that.

So that's where I've been for the past month. I regret that I don't have any pictures but I hardly ever really break out my cellphone at these sort of events, don't want to seem like too much of a newbie. It's been sad, it's been lonely, it's been depressing, but in all that, it's been trying to make the most of the me time life has dealt me and I would say even though it's been all about me, it's been fun. What can I say?

The best pictures from Panama City

2011-01-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

The very last picture is surprisingly one of my favorites. It's their "main" street, downtown Panama City Beach on New Years Day, at about 11.30 am. It's so deserted, I walked quite a bit without a car in sight. It's probably busy on a normal Saturday morning but on that morning, it felt like walking through one of those old movie Westerns, where there's about to be a shootout on the street any minute now and everyone sort of just disappears, literally evaporate from the street, peeking at the action from windows in their houses, somewhat of a real life John Wayne movie set. That's what I love about the picture.

Happy New Year...2011

2011-01-02T15:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Singles...it's another year!

I apologize but I have been sort of out of it. I took 10 days off work from Christmas to New Year. Spent Christmas in front of the TV, watching Hung, drinking and "shopping" in copious amounts. When I felt that may be too much for me, I decided to take a trip somewhere. The closest place with a beach was Panama City Beach. That became the destination of choice.

It's so great to go to the beach in the off-season, everything is so reasonably priced and hopefully, rid of families. So to Panama City Beach I went, all 6 hours of it. This is my first road trip by myself so you can understand I was a little apprehensive. I actually didn't discuss this with anyone on this earth because I didn't want to live through the moments of ridicule and fear. You know how people tell you about the worst even though deep down inside you may already be telling yourself about it. Why are you telling me this, just shut the fuck up! I know what I am doing, I know what I am getting myself into, I don't need someone else to instill more fear and doubt into me.

In the end, the drive was not that bad, but because I had told myself to expect the worst I had to obey the speed limit, in turn angering every driver behind me. I possibly could have made it in shorter time if I hadn't obeyed the speed limits, just floored it all the way through, but as they say, it's better safe than sorry.

All in all it was nice, clean fun - the beach was a little too family friendly for my taste. It was not blow out fun like Myrtle Beach and Austin but I am quite sure, 100% sure that it was much more fun than Atlanta would have been if I had stayed home. Plus they are an hour behind Atlanta so I added one hour to my New Years' celebrations. Go me! If I had known what I know now, I probably would have gone to Destin instead. It looked like more fun (better shopping experience, younger crowd, nicer beaches) when I drove to it on New Years eve, if not that it was 40 miles away it was popping a lot more than Panama City was on New Years eve. I could have gone to Baytowne Wharf with the rest of the singles and listened to all the cover bands play in the village as we counted down the New Year. I still did that, but on a much smaller Panama City scale. I have to tell you though, nothing beats the beach any time of the year. Yeah, in the winter it's not as much fun, the closer you get to the water the colder it is, and the horrid wind...but nothing beats the magnificence of the beach, just looking over that ocean, feeling the sand, and looking over miles and miles of blue nothingness. It's breathtaking and relaxing, and surprisingly, never gets old. At least, not for me.

I made it home safe today. I made it safely there, fielded the multiple questions from people about "why are you here alone, who are you here to visit, why are you vacationing alone," etc, all the ignorant bystander questions, even from men who are doing the same thing, I fielded, baited and survived all their ridicule and made it home to my quiet, monotonous abode.

And I would do it again. Maybe not to Panama City but somewhere else. It's always good to spike your life a bit, like adding some brandy to your coffee. It keeps you alive, keeps you breathing and hoping for more. If people think I'm crazy so be it. I keep wondering where are all the women who travel by themselves, not just locally but internationally, where are they to save me from these inquisitive ignorant people, from the people who live in the shadows of others and fear experiencing life on their own? Where are those people to stand up for me? If only there were more of us, it would save me from the debate, murmured commentary and stares I face. But it is a New Year and I can't hate them for having people in their lives to share life's pleasures with. This is just my path and I shall walk it with pride.

All I can say to those who just may happen to be alone...go out there and be, even if it is by yourself, no one knows you better than you, so be the best friend to you, the best, most adventurous person to you...you deserve to laugh, even if it is by yourself. One day they'll understand.

Georgia Wine Highway Weekend

2010-12-05T19:03:00.000-08:00

My weekend was lovely. Absolutely fabulous.

Why, you ask? Well...I went up to Dahlonega for the Winter wine highway weekend tour with some fellow wine enthusiasts. It was a lot of fun, a lot of drinking (a heck of a whole lot of drinking), food and laughter (possibly brought on by the drinking), but good clean fun. Whenever you have good wine (well, so so wine but still copious amounts of it) fellow wine lovers, you're sure to find people who love food and share good company. Even if it means just sitting around discussing the wine you had. It was awesome. I stayed over in Dahlonega for the night, slept in this morning, continued the wine tasting adventure today, explored a little bit of Dahlonega. Totally rad. Couldn't have asked for a better time.

I also bumped into a few singletons, ladies who drove up for the wine tour themselves. I felt encouraged. I thought, very soon, us singletons will take over.

You'll see.

New York Tat Adventure ...Part 2

2010-11-20T20:52:00.000-08:00

Got off plane. What to do? Go to JFK to drop off bag or go to the city. Undecided. Wasted about an hour trying to decide. How do I log this bag all the way to the Lower East Side? Finally decided. Going into the city, with bag, don't care, I'll deal with it when I get there.

Took a bus to Grand Central Terminal. Good. Breakfast place. Starved. Can you believe I haven't had breakfast? Had breakfast at Pershing Square. They serve coffee in this cute little teacups. Makes me want to go home and dig up mine. So cute. Makes the coffee taste better. True story. After 4 cups. Felt so much better. Wheeled bag around and ready to start adventure. Oh, look, there's Grand Central Terminal. Must take a picture. Pictures not very good, but they will do. Bag is heavy. Very heavy. Security guard smiles at me in office building. Why not ask him to take care of my bag. It's crazy I know, but it's worth a shot. What are you going to do, lug this all the way to LES?

Hey, there can you watch my bag. Thanks. Here's my number. I will be back this evening to pick it up. Thank you. And there it was... that simple. People can actually be nice. I am so shocked.

The walk begins.

My New York trip in pictures. Union Square. Lower East Side. Pimps and Pinups. Corner of Ludlow and Orchard. The Bisous Ciao shop. An entire store dedicated to Macaroons. Me sitting on a stoop waiting on my appointment. Shoes hurt. Rested. Wait, why is there a bench in front of a store, on the street? Is it weird that I'm sitting here? People pass. No one seems to think so. Ohh, listened to the street. Very earthy neighborhood. This is what America feels like. Breathtaking Times Square. No matter how many times I see it, never gets old.

Then, the Setai. I remember walking past this place and thinking, one day I am going to afford to stay in a nice place like this here. So I took a picture to remind myself of when I sent that wish into the world.

Travelling puts you in touch with yourself, with how you feel, with what it's like to listen to the rest of the world around you, helps you connect with your other self. It's an amazing indescribable feeling.

New York Tat Adventure ...Part 1

2010-11-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

What say ye about Bucket Lists?

I never thought I’d make it but by jove I did. On time as well! Months later, I am finally here.

Sometimes, when life gets boring, you gotta do something to give it a little jolt, that little vigor that lets you know you are still alive and well, you still have some more fire in you. And here I am and that brings me to today’s story.

Back in February, March or some awkward month, I booked an appointment to get tatted by the “Amanda Wachob.” She is so good that she gets booked so far in advance. When she told me how far ahead my appointment would be, I thought, that’s fine, it will give me time to plan a trip to New York, make an adventure out of it - a little solo trip. I'll go see a Broadway play, enjoy some fine dining, do a little shopping, it would be great. During the course of the year, other trips came up and got me sidetracked. The impromptu trip to San Fran in April, then the LA trip in June. I just knew I wouldn’t be able to get up and go again in July. So I moved it from July and this time she was down to October appointments. An October appointment in June? Seems like an impossible task. Who plans that far ahead? How does she get so good that she is booked for months in advance? Regardless of the answers to these questions, I still made the appointment. Why not?

Sometime in July, I seriously doubted the possibility of meeting that appointment. I even tried to give it away just so long as I could get my deposit back. But there were no takers; the only taker actually didn’t want to pay me the deposit money. So what, I’ll just give you the appointment that took me time and money to make?

Then, August rolled around and I was pissed off at work. Go figure for the second time this year, I’ve booked a trip around the fact that I was pissed with work. Being pissed caused me to just say, okay then, it’s time to make good on this plan to go spend Halloween in New York. Besides, who wouldn’t want to spend Halloween night in the Big Apple? And with two clicks of a button, the tickets were booked.

I had considered coming in with the first flight that morning into New York, go in for my appointment and then, take the last flight back to Atlanta. But then, I thought I would miss out on the whole change of environment thing. How can you resist spending at least one night in an amazing place as New York? Who does that? This is not Milwaukee, it’s the Big Apple. Just imagine how amazing it would be with all the crazies in costume?

As time rolled around I just thought: Will I actually do this? I just might.

Finding suitable accommodation was a hassle. It’s New York after all and housing is such an exhaustible commodity. I almost got swindled by some accommodation ads on Craigslist – stay in my Upper West Side Apartment for $60 a night but pay me in advance via Western Union. Cute. Do I really sound that naïve?

In the end (due to serious budgetary constraints), I chose some airport hotel in Jamaica. A part of town I have often heard of but never been. Who says New York always has to be about Manhattan, there’s the “other” New York that everyone ignores?

The time was slowly approaching and then I started to have those little nervous butterflies. I thought something would come take this from me, that work issues would stick a fork in it, that I would forget something, that something would go wrong. I was actually kind of nervous. I kept telling myself, why are you nervous? You’ve done so many trips by yourself, about 4 this year alone, I can do this.

The stage was set ready for me to make it there. The final touches to my plan had been laid, made arrangements for my car, cleaned my house, everything was slowly in place for me to leave Saturday morning.

By the time I went through airport security and got to the gate at the airport, the passengers had already boarded. There I was sipping coffee thinking, "Okay, there’s no one here. I made it here with time to chill." Little did I know that there was no one there because they had all boarded the plane. Silly me. Flight was a breeze. I packed light so I could wheel my bag with ease. With no delays, we were ready to go, I had the entire 3 seats to myself, I stretched out and cuddled up to sleep and by the time I woke up... we were in the Big Apple. Not a bad way to start the weekend, aye?

It is an indescribable feeling to say, yes, I am going to spend the weekend in New York. You have a sense of power, not a lot, but just a little to make you smirk inside. You are just elated. Maybe I am exaggerating because this is my first time embarking on such an adventure. Or my first time prompted by such a silly thing as a tattoo. I did it 4 years ago in December to see New York Christmas lights; I went up with my sister to spend the weekend. We left very late on Friday and came in Monday afternoon. It was a nice trip that was marred by poor planning and exceptionally cold weather. The city lights at Christmas are great but I don’t know, something was off. That trip was bittersweet. This time around I was solo and quite prepared to do the adventuring by myself. It was an indescribable sense of freedom, like dumping the boyfriend you should never have had for so long and just releasing yourself into the wild. It was like saying goodbye to all those boring weekends holed up in my apartment and finally doing something, experiencing something during my weekend.

New York state of mind

2010-11-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

And so it is, where have I been?

I've been in New York. I spent Halloween weekend in New York. Feels so so good to say that and I had a pretty nice experience. Could have been better if I didn't have to pretend work, but what can I say, they pay the bills.

More to come.

Me arriving...what do I do, where do I keep my bags?

Oh ye vey, me arriving in the Big Apple, Grand Central Terminal, my very first time seeing this, can you believe I've never been to Grand Central?....had breakfast at Pershing Square! I had Saturday breakfast at Pershing Square...that is just too awesome I had to say it twice. Last week Saturday I had leftovers for Brunch, this Saturday I'm eating with some New Yorker tourists. Like some high fancy rich girl, "weekending" in New York? How wickedly awesome is that?

I'll tell you how this transpired later.

On the last day of summer, my true love said...meet the day.

2010-10-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

On the last sunny day in Atlanta, the last sunshiny day, I decided to leave the comfort of my home and take a long walk to enjoy the last of the 90 degree days. And I had a great time. Midtown was having one of those festivals, midtown market days, the very first of its kind where they closed off the Peachtree Street and let vendors, artists, food vendors and whatnot peddle their wares and invite us all to partake of the day in their wonderful company. It was one of those days that make you happy that you live in the city. It was good just to stop and look around, and not have to avoid cars running over you, blaring horns, city noise and just take in the sun and the scenery. There was good art, bad art, creative art, art so much in favor of Atlanta you'd think it was "Atlanta-commissioned," and then, food especially of the greasy kind, along with some beer and wine.

It was so well-organized, so structured that you could tell it was a hard thing for them to do - to just let go and let the crowd feel the day out. There wasn't that much music, not much food going on except for the neighboring restaurants, and not much in the way of entertainment. No spontaneity, no hair out of place, no organized chaos. In other words, this was no New York festival. Hopefully, by the time they get to the 3rd year, they would get the hang of it, Atlanta would get the hang of it and become a more pedestrian friendly city with cultural activities strewn on the streets, giving people an opportunity to express themselves openly. But judging from that festival, it's coming along slowly.

I didn't write about it because there was nothing really to write about. It was so structured that it felt like a nice, neat bun on your head. Well, here are the items to write about, itemized.

1. It felt good to do a walk through a street market in the same city I live in as opposed to doing it on vacation, in maybe New York, or San Fran, etc.

2. The weather was warm and crisp. Last of the warm and crispy days.

3. Stopped for fish tacos and margaritas at Tin Lizzy's and guess who walks in, Robin Givens, to partake in some fish tacos and margaritas as well. Hmmm....eventful.

4. My server at Tin Lizzy's ...Jess(?)...had so much zest, very high up there with personality. She actually stopped, sat down to chat, asked me what my plans were for the evening. Did not act weird at all that I was there by myself. I had so much fun with her. I would go there again just to see her. If you go there, ask for Jess with the glasses.

5. Ended up joining a couple of guys seated across from my table and we talked about the "dating scene." And I generally explained to them my theory on what is wrong with Atlanta men. Long story. The type of chat you can only engage in when you've had one too many.

6. Stopped in front of the Arts Center and sat on the stairs taking in the sights of the evening. It was nice to sit there and just meet the evening, breathe in the night air, all the buzz, the excited people, the lights, and the hum of the city. Some teenagers asked me to join them and then we talked about ...nothing.

7. Joined the people at the Arts Center having a rave in their courtyard, as part of the Midtown celebration. Danced till the wee hours with this crazy punk-rock band. It felt like some type of Woodstock fest. Brightly painted people, artists on stilts, trapeze dancers, randomly thrown confetti balls. I kept asking myself, "Is this Atlanta?" Didn't know they had it in them.

Went home with a smile on my face. The next day it rained horrendously. The summer was over.

Street Fashion and its admirers...

2010-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

I spent an interesting evening at an Art Exhibit Opening on Friday Night- The Sartorialist.

Apparently, this artist/photographer is quite popular, more so among the Savannah College of Art (SCAD) students where he had accumulated quite a following. I only just heard about it briefly on some events site and I thought, it would make a nice change of pace from the usual Friday night out to go to an art exhibit, especially of photographs and not abstract art which I despise. I was slightly looking forward to it more after I looked at some of the photos on his web blog.

The enthusiasm didn't die when I got there. The place was packed, with guests spilling out everywhere. It was a fabulous event. There was everything you could ask for in a superbly planned event. The exhibit opened at the Hagedorn Gallery which is in a nice end of the Peachtree Hills area. It has ample parking space and a parking lot that's just calling for a block party. There were more people in there than could actually fit into the gallery so people just spilled out onto the parking lot. I guess the artist had no idea how much of a following he had garnered as well. There were two tables set up for my favorite part - free drinks, white wine and white wine, as the hostess jokingly remarked.

Being that this was an art opening of a noted fashion photographer attended by every art student in Atlanta, people were dressed ready to be photographed. This wasn't your average, let's look nice just because, it was more like, let's look as quirky and as high fashion fabulous as possible. Everyone had a little kink to them. It was more of the beatnik crowd, pierced, multi-colored hair, big hair, visible tattoos and high fashion thrifty clothes. I was thoroughly amused by it all. I was normal. So normal because I came straight from work.

There was the longest ass line ever to get photographed with the artist, and when I walked past him he was the smallest amazing looking man. His photos, which were no different from the ones posted online, were the same in person as they were online. Great personality but not so much. I can see the fascination, and I appreciate it but I am not fascinated by it. I wouldn't immediately think, Oh I have to add this to my collection. I kept wondering, "Did he get these people to dress this good or was it a fluke?" Was he just walking by the streets of Paris or New York with his camera in his hand and oops, all of a sudden, there goes some person with a high fashion outfit, an "outfit with attitude" that's just begging to be photographed and good photo op just came about. Did he get them to sign waivers to use their images for commercial purposes? Or did he actually pay them? I wondered how that worked. He'd be hard pressed if he was located in Atlanta, he'd be in a dire situation looking for muses. Just saying.

See the thoughts that go through your head when you ride solo. Just marvelous thoughts.

All in all, it was a good time.

2010-09-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Why we travel?

I think for me it's a few things. The sense of adventure that always seems to occur every time you travel, from the airport to arrival at the hotel. It's a steady stream of hapless events. The discovery of a new place and a new type of life. The people, and how eager they are to answer your questions, to show you around, let you discover their wonderful city, the innocence and sincerity with which they answer your questions. Most importantly, the peace of mind I feel once I arrive and explore the new environs. It always reassures me that I made a good decision, that all the money, time spent planning and sacrifices were worth it, that the reward was worth the headache. And for weeks after I return I nurse this permanent smile on my face and feel like nothing else can compare, and to be perfectly honest with you nothing else has.

Solo Dinners and everything else

2010-09-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

I've been away. Though, it's not intentional. I have been going out, in small groups, or accompanied by friends so I really had nothing to report on the solo front.

I've also been doing a lot of solo dinners. Every Saturday, out of a dearth of what to do to occupy my evening, I think what else can I do? I don't feel like going clubbing, and I would hate to stay home yet again - my DVD player is overheated - the only thought that immediately comes to mind is, "Let's go to dinner in a nice restaurant." After that anything else can happen. I also got a few restaurant coupons in the mail (why wouldn't I when I patronize them so much?) which I aim to use to cut down costs. A girl has to stay cost-savvy in some way.

These dinners have been okay. There haven't been too many of them that have yielded accurate results for me to advice my other singles that this is the perfect thing to do on a Saturday night. It's a hit or miss thing. Dinners mainly work for me because I am a foodie. If the company is not great, at least the food will be and hopefully, make up for my horrid cooking. So I am very careful in choosing the restaurant. I also choose the restaurant based on the type of events that occur there, do they have live music, do they have attentive wait staff, do they have ample seating at the bar, is it a "hot" place for singles, i.e., busy bar scene? All very important questions that should be tackled. Or mainly, is the food just so amazing that the absence or presence of any of these factors doesn't really matter.

Most nights, if you're lucky you get to sit with another single (of the friendly kind) and you chat up a conversation about the food, types of food you enjoy, places you enjoy eating, being seen, etc. This is on a good night. You end up not eating alone but inevitably eating with company which beats sitting in front of the TV and mumbling to yourself (or is that just me).

This used to be the case before the economy happened and the rest of the population decided to either indulge in take-home dinners or get coupled up as a cost-effective means of dating. Because this has become a rare occurrence, eating alone takes a whole lot of gumption. A whole lot. It's almost near impossible and gives you a very uncomfortable feeling. I find it hard to do sometimes and I am supposed to be the solo savvy one. People stare at you and wonder, "Why is she eating by herself?" The servers carefully avoid you, just offer you more food or drink and walk away. You can virtually hear other diners talking about you. The stage is set and you're the solo performer. Very uncomfortable.

At this point, you wish anyone would come in and chat you up just so it shifts the focus away from you. My advice to counteract this is simply talk to anyone. Anyone, any fly that just brushes past you, talk to them, about anything on this earth. If they stare at your food, ask them a question, "Have you ordered?" "Your drink looks yummy, what is that?" The couple next to you, speak to them, "Oh, wow, the music is so loud." Say Anything At All. Otherwise, you're in for a very long evening.

And after you've survived the dinner, (thank God) then, you can decide what to do next because face it you just endured a meal alone, anything else can be easily conquered. It will. For me, I usually go dancing, to work off some of the food. Somewhere that lets me walk around, move around and does not put me on center stage. Whatever I decide I know that it cannot be as bad (or as good depending on how dinner went) as dinner alone. Dinner alone just gave me wings that I plan to use.

Spam filters or Life Filters

2010-08-09T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am regularly besieged with spam comments and spam emails on this site. Because I have a comment approval button luckily, you don't get to read it. But I cannot understand why they would choose to send in their spam on a regular basis. I am beginning to think no one else reads this site, except for the Asian spammers.

But this just got me thinking about Life Filters too. Don't we wish we could filter all the places that are not welcoming of single people, like put them on one list and when we feel the urge to go out, we double-check that list to make sure our intended destination is not featured on the No-Solo's Allowed List.

I went to a couple of these places over the weekend. It wasn't so much the place as the theme of the place, and I am sure I've mentioned this place on here. Lounges. Their very name means all you do is Lounge. Who does that in public? Well, the people that do happen to do this with people, in groups more like it, talking, drinking, having deep comversation over loud music, or they just stand around and admire the people that do. Lounges are not a good idea at all.

The only time I've had fun in one it involved forcing my way into some conversation with people; tired of being ignored I just forced my way into their discussion. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. So please don't try this at home! I cannot attest to its success especially in a lounge environment. Sometimes the people are nice enough to invite you to join them, like the Brazilian head-banging lady I bumped into this weekend who invited me to join her and her boyfriend, which I thought was sweet. This was a rare welcome occasion. So rare that I can mention the few instances it's happened. In Lounges, it's just not often that parties want to break away from their group discussion to make a new friend. It's also not often that they get visited by fellow singles, I mean if one single meets another single we can pretend we arrived together and thus begin our long interesting conversation like the other "Loungers". This is also not common.

In summary, Lounges fall into the category of places that a good "Life Filter" would block.

Do we dare to speak, of course we should.

2010-08-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

You never really appreciate the weekend you've had until you get back into the swing of things on Monday, and sit at your desk all stiff, and just a whiff memory of the weekend is enough to put a smile on your face, add some jolt to your terse Monday Morning.

My weekend was pretty much a little bit of the same with little bits here and there of something different for good measure. I got to try out some new places, got to chat with some interesting people.

I went to happy hour on Friday to celebrate my brother's birthday at Ri Ra, one of my favorite bars. The bar is so vibrant and creates great ambiance, but the people there not quite as vibrant as the alcohol selection. Talked to a couple of people, it didn't go so well. Met up with some friends later at another bar for a Happy Hour meetup. This was just okay. I think I am getting used to being by myself now that outings in a group are beginning to bore me. Quickly left the group to go listen to some music by myself, ended up chatting with this newly married man about what men want in a woman, very interesting take on the evening, quite different from my exchange at Ri Ra. So the night quickly went from sad to glad.

There are usually two things that happen when I go out, asides from the impersonal bartenders, the cold stares and puzzled looks from people when they realize you arrived alone, asides from the women who immediately feel the need to clutch their significant others once you walk by, asides from all of these very amazing events. One of these two events always seems to happen: I either start a wonderful conversation with the person beside me, wonderful, riveting conversation or I initiate conversation with the person besides me and it doesn't go so well and they either misconstrue my niceness for something else or just sound condescending when they respond. The outcome of this conversation or exchange is what defines my weekend, my general outing. How was the conversation, was it stimulating, was it thought-provoking, how much did I say, how much did they say, was it amusing, was it factual, was it honest, did it make me think about it days later, was it memorable?

Isn't it surprising how a simple conversation with a total stranger can make or mar the weekend? People don't know that, the ones that fall into the latter and misconstrue my niceness or friendliness for something else, they don't know that some of the best conversations, most truthful conversations you may have in life, occur with total strangers. Because think about it, this people don't know you, there is a possibility that they may never see you again, but if for a brief moment you tap into their school of thought you can obtain some of the most uninhibited ideas about you, life, everything, in this brief time. Face it, they have nothing to lose, they can be as honest with you about you much more than people who know you, and that honesty may be just what you need to steer you to any direction.

Even if you spend the whole evening shooting shit, it still livens up the mood and that's what a weekend away from the apartment is meant to do, isn't it? It's meant to stir the mood and give you a taste out of the ordinary.

One of the main reasons why I started this blog was because I kept meeting all these interesting people while I was out and tapping into their life stories for however long we would talk, and I wanted place to capture all that. Our brains not being able to retain all this information, I would remember it for a brief period, maybe a week at the most and then, I would forget it. How would I ever write my novel if I don't remember this raw material I am being fed. I would besiege my co-worker with these stories and she just got tired of listening and said, "Just put it in a blog, that way you'll always remember." The idea of this blog just sort of progressed from that into my solo adventures and trying to encourage people to go out alone a lot more (just so I am not the only one solo). With that excursion, there really doesn't seem to be that much room to discuss these private conversations with people on this blog, plus I don't want them to have to bide their tongue every time they see me, for fear that I would expose their information on the world wide web.

That notwithstanding, I still encourage the occasional talk. I think people have built up this wall, this impenetrable wall that is comforted by having their companions with them when they step out into the world. And the few of us that don't have a wall, that try to speak to others through their fences occasionally get shot down by those that live behind the wall. At first it gets discouraging, for me it does anyway, I think to myself, why bother...but you go to another place and someone speaks to you and you end up having a mind-blowing conversation with someone and you think, that's why I bother, because you never know. I don't let it discourage me and you shouldn't too.

Here's to hoping more people let down their guards and just talk...you never know who's listening on the other end.

new solo converts

2010-07-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've created a monster!

I actually have a convert - a recent solo adventurer. My brother, who's birthday is today, (Happy Birthday Bro!) is currently vacationing by himself in Accra, Ghana. His wife happened to be out of town on business for his birthday and instead of spending it alone, holding up the enjoyment until she returns after his birthday, he decided to take a cue from me and enjoy a solo vacation by himself. He is now in Accra having fun, shopping, taking in the sights, watching movies, having dinner and just being him. Isn't it fun? I ask him via texts, and with each text response he seems ever so elated that he took on this journey. Even my mum is elated that I somehow convinced him to do it. He said, I influenced him. I am glad I did. I told him once he vacations by himself, it would be hard to adjust with a group. But only time will tell if this is a one-time venture. Hopefully, not.

Live Viewing Reviews

2010-07-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hey!
Just wanted to take a moment to remind you about our event tomorrow night that you have rsvp’d for. Brianna Jenkins and I will be there and will be doing a live cooking demo and live viewing of Episode 6!

There will be free appetizers and Karma Tequila will be our drink sponsor and I created “The Herbilicious” which you are going to love for only $5!
Also, we are kicking off a school supplies drive benefitting The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta so please visit their Wish List and see what you can do to help the local children of Atlanta. Bring the school supplies with you tomorrow night!

Episode 6 Live Viewing Party
Location: ROOM at Twelve Centennial Park
Address: 400 West Peachtree St, Atlanta, GA 30308

This seemed like the perfect remedy to my vacation slump. When the invite arrived, I was sorta looking forward to it, even though I don't watch the show, don't watch Food Network at all, and I don't know who either of these contestants are. However, this offered me a chance to leave the house and to dine at Room at Twelve. I've dined at Lobby at Twelve and I like it a lot, very vibrant bar scene, great wine list, occasional sighting of the Atlanta celebrity. Love it! So I thought, Room at Twelve, here I come.

I didn't invite any of my friends to come with me, because let's face it this was to happen on a Sunday night, in downtown Atlanta with no offer of free drinks, food or anything (ignore the free hors d'oeuvres note, because that didn't happen) so there was really nothing in it to entice them to come. If someone else had invited me I probably would have shrugged it off as well. There has to be something more to make people go out on a Sunday night. So I RSVP'd as a one-r, what else is new?

This invite was actually misleading because this did not happen anywhere as close to what was described above. It was more like Dinner with Herb Mesa. We were asked to come have dinner at this restaurant, then Herb will do a mini cooking demonstration, followed by a live viewing of the show. I thought it would be more like a cocktail party that offered the opportunity to mingle, to interact or do anything unless you were one of the lucky few who Herb greeted but more on that later. There were a whole bunch of us seated at dinner tables in the restaurant encouraged to have dinner there. That was it.

If you don't know anything about Atlanta events, at least know this. Well, these four points I will bring to your attention.

1. The event organizers actually don't know how to handle people who attend events on their own. There's a total lack of enthusiasm on their part when you say, hey, look for my name on the list and it's just me no, plus one. Their face completely drops and they start scrambling for what to do. Immediately, you are seated at the "kids table" or what I choose to term as "as far away from the rest of the group as possible" which is a sad reality. For all you know I am a writer, a critic, an event critic who has come to critique your show and if I was, why would I show up with someone, I would show up alone so it would give me more time to work on my review.

2. Not only are you seated at the "kids table", there is no service at this table because they instantly forget that you are with the rest of the group. How can they remember, that's the table for the people they are not sure how they got there. Why don't you sit me with the other singles or some place where I can mingle, let's try that. Why put me here where you can forget about me? So all the goodies that are passed around never get to my table? It's like I don't even exist.

3. Because you are in the non-existent table, the event hosts, in this case Herb and Brianna, don't stop by to greet you. They greet everyone else in the coupled up table but they don't stop by to greet you. Why would they, you dared to show up here by yourself?

4. This next point holds true for any event, last night's was no exception. The event photographers are trained to take pictures of groups, couples etc. There is this unknown rule of photographing events that has a two person minimum. I've noticed this but I didn't know it would be so apparent considering I take pictures myself. It almost makes you want to bring your own camera and document them as they skip you. At first I thought maybe there's something in my teeth or I'm wearing a color that does not look good on camera. Nope, none of these things. There's a 2 person minimum etched in their brain and one person just won't photograph as good.

This was my Sunday night. Disappointing a bit. Even more disappointing because the food at Room at Twelve was awful. The Calamari was comprised of batter and oil, nothing else. Worse than what you would get at a fast food joint, not a "fine dining" restaurant. The service was hazy, one minute they were there and next minute...poof!. It was horrid. My rating of the evening was a 5 out of ten. But I am not discouraged. I just think that with a little practice people will get used to seeing people on their own. We need to force feed them a dose of the singles. Now, they don't quite know how to deal so I forgive them.

With all that being said, I would still go out again. Part of being a writer is experiencing life, part of living is taking a bite out of life, good or bad. Sometimes I have good times, sometimes I don't. But at least I have something to write about that more than makes up for it.

Breaking the funk

2010-07-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

I finally got out of my funk and went out a bit this weekend.

I went to one of my favorite hotel bars - The St. Regis Hotel for a night cap. I treated myself first to dinner at One Midtown Kitchen, but trust me that was not memorable. I was blessed with one of those non-personable bartenders (as described below) that if not for the food I would have sworn off coming back there. It's the type of place you go to and invite everyone you know, I mean everyone, your neighbor that you hardly talk to, your co-worker that you sorta despise, come one come all, just call everyone together because it's time to go to One Midtown Kitchen. I don't think they've experienced any single diners there on their own in years. There was too much shock registered on their faces and it was evident in the strength of the other diners. So after a very unsatisfactory dining experience, I went over to the St. Regis for a drink.

Don't get me wrong the food was great. They had one of the most imaginative Calamari dishes I've had in a long time. It surpassed the one I had at Bottega in Yountville, Napa. And the wine list was very ambitious. They had Gewurtzraminer, very sweet delicate wine that you hardly get on any menu. The ambiance was also very inviting; it will make you want to spend quite a bit of time drinking and eating and taking it all in. However, that was it. There needed to be something more and that something more was sorta lacking for me so I moved to another location, determined not to let this deter me from enjoying my evening out.

Aaah, the St. Regis, how I love thee. The hotel is so pretty, so close to home and yet I hardly go there. I don't know why. It's so gorgeous, the top notch interior design is excellent from the lobby, to the bathrooms. Like the lady beside me said, she always feels like she's been transported to another place whenever she comes there, like she's gone on a mini-holiday somewhere else. It just made me think, that's it, that's what I like so much about this place, the escapism factor. Everything else is also very exquisite, from the valet who greets you like you're there only customer to the bar staff who explain the wine to you. Sharp contrast to the first restaurant I had visited that evening. After the funk I had put myself in upon returning from vacation, when I thought nothing else could quite compare to California, not the service, not the weather, nothing can compare. After falling into that slump for about a month, the St. Regis was just the best place to roll me out of that funk.

I guess for me what I take away from this experience is that you always have to go to that happy place, where the people treat you like they see you, even though you're by yourself, they see you, they greet you with a smile and there are people that just might be there on their own, you're not sticking out like a sore thumb. And with that place you instantly erase the bitter aftertaste of all the places that occurred before it.

Personable Bartenders

2010-07-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

I don't want you to think I've abandoned the cause of this blog.

It's been a few weeks, I know. And since then, I have still been partaking of the single life, albeit in smaller doses as I recover financially. But I must say that I am a tad discouraged. There is not that much encouragement out there for single people, especially in the summertime, or even in the winter, that's why we drink a lot. In drinking, you always think you'd be consoled by the company of the bartenders, or the awesome restaurant staff, that it would make you not feel so "single" after all. However, if your drinking is occurring in Atlanta, trust me that will not happen.

I find that Atlanta is lacking (one of the many things it is lacking in) in what I choose to call "personable bartenders," wait staff in general but that's a whole other story. You go to these places, hoping to strike up a chat with the bartender about anything, sports, the weather, current events, anything remotely interesting as you down your drink but that is not the case. Especially for me being a woman. It's always so... cold. There's a little bit of shock in their demeanor first of all as they try to digest my presence - what's a nice looking lady like you doing here in a bar by herself. They never quite get over this before I hit them with another mystery, I ask for a beer. Then it's - what's a nice looking lady like you doing here in a bar by herself, drinking a beer. It all doesn't add up. They trouble themselves by thinking I am there to meet someone, that I will soon be joined by a nice lad. No, that is not the case. They wait and wait and no one joins me. Then, I pay for myself, or use my own credit card to open my own tab. This is just not adding up. So they immediately think I must hate people, this causes them to shrink to a corner and NOT EVEN MAKE CONVERSATION WITH ME.

In between that time, other people join me at the bar, single men, single women, everyone's paired up. They instantly start conversing with the single men, about sports, the weather, some nonsense, and before you know it, they are offering them drinks on the house, shots on the house, taste of new wines that they have, on the house. While I am just sitting there watching all this "bromance" take place. Then, the single women are teased and heckled and generally given a good time. They treat them like the Sex and the City ladies just stopped by, play with them, offer them drinks they didn't order, while I am still sitting there in my corner watching all this flirting take place.

The only other time I hear from them is when my glass is almost drained and they bother to ask if I want another one and once I refuse (on account of my diet and the lack of company) they immediately present the check. What makes you think that I may not want another drink later, not right now, but later? But why would I after the lacklustre reception you've given me? I would have been better off drinking this at home in front of the TV, not sweating the small talk. And I could and lately I have. The fact that I have chosen not to means I want to talk to someone asides from myself when I drink. I want to see what the outside world looks like. What restaurants and bars don't understand is, the fact that I've chosen not to stay indoors means, I am here to be entertained by you and if you can't entertain me with a simple chat then, you don't deserve to have me here, drinking your overpriced alcohol and you bloody well don't deserve a tip.

So this is the cross we bear as single women no less in a town filled with coupled up (some of them because society has forced them to) people.

If you are one of those lacklustre bartenders, it's time to set yourself apart from the pack, embrace the single woman and bring some strut to your work. Make some damn conversation with her. That could be you someday.

My Trip to Solvang via Santa Ynez

2010-06-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write about my trip to Solvang the day after my birthday, but I've been overwhelmed by life and its stupidities.

On June 7th, I had planned to spend one night in Solvang, at the Wine Valley Inn and Spa, as my personal treat to myself following a couple of nights in Santa Barbara. I was super excited about this for reasons I don't really remember right now. One, I heard the movie Sideways was shot there and I thought, so that's where they screened that wine awareness movie. Being a lover of wine and good food I thought it'd be a good experience. However, I didn't book the same hotel where they stayed though, I heard they stayed somewhere in Buellton, which is a few miles up from Santa Ynez and Solvang, but Solvang was good enough. Another reason was just a chance to visit some more of the area, tour some more wineries, have a different version of Napa, which I had strived to go earlier in the year but ended up only visiting.

Solvang is a Danish inspired little town. It's very little, more like a strip mall actually, covered in hotels, little antique shops and restaurants. It's really quaint. If you look over the small shops and cobbled stone streets, you would see mountains, gorgeous acres of it, spread infinitely. I had never seen anything like it. No trees, just mountains, or rolling hills as they term them.

I departed SB unceremoniously. For some reason I was in a hurry to leave SB. I kept asking myself, why but I couldn't understand why. I just felt like I had seen everything there was to see, and when I tried to do one last look at the Pier, it was bloody cold. Maybe in warmer weather, I could warm up to this place, but it was cold and misty. Worse off, my SB hotel room was small and ugly, just meant for sleeping and even sleeping in it was difficult because of the noisy AC...so if you were me, wouldn't you leave early? I just wanted to get to the Wine Valley Inn, check in and then have a good night's rest, currently missing 2 days worth of sleep, so I was partially exhausted.

It was on my way to Solvang that I encountered one of the reasons why I love to travel: the sense of adventure and discovery.

Mapquest had shown me the direction to Solvang, using an alternate route from US 101 hwy. I cannot remember the name of the highway but it was the crookedest, narrowest 2 lane "do not pass" highway I have ever driven in. It was made worse by the fact that I was driving a rental car which I was not used to driving. I was not sure of its speed, it's brakes, it's ability to tip over, to stop at will, if at all. I was just scared shitless. And beyond the lanes were these rocks, rocky valleys lay underneath the roads so if you miss your way, just the slightest tilt of the wheel you could do a nose dive into these rocks and that would be that, no one would even dare to go down there to retrieve your bones. For us single travelers, no one would even remember my last location. I couldn't wait for it to end. I kept looking out for the signs to Santa Ynez but nothing came up.

At this point, traveling alone and renting a car to drive through the Southern California wine region didn't seem like such a good idea. I kept saying to myself, "What were you thinking, Anita?"

Several cars braved the "do not pass" lanes and whisked past me as I did about 40 miles an hour. I was surprised that I could even press on the gas at all considering how scared I was. Forgetting how freaky the road was and the death dip down, it was beautiful scenery. To look over you and see mountains that have been partially carved to make way for the paved roads, it's as if you're actually cutting through the mountains, to do all that so early in the day, is quite a rush. A rush you can appreciate after encountering boring days in Atlanta...but I digress.

To cut a long story short, after a couple of stops, I finally made it to Santa Ynez.

Nothing much to see. Stopped by a grocery store, so much wine, didn't know where to start. Made it to Solvang. Oh, how quaint! It's like a mini-Europe in Southern California. Do people actually live here? I passed a couple of bars and watering holes on my way...they probably do then.

Checked in. Room is nice, very nice. Wine bottles, reasonably priced liquor, cute fridge, no microwave though, fluffy pillows, soft bedding. Wish I had booked this for my birthday instead, but I couldn't have made that drive from SB to here that time of night. But still next time, something this nice, no hole in the wall hotels anymore. Please...

Took a walk, stepped into the first wine tasting store I could find -- Presidio Winery. Their wine was good but not memorable, until I tasted their Viognier which was superb, crisp to the tongue and refreshingly cold. I told the tasting room attendant of my trip debacle and he seemed really sympathetic. He advised me to take the US 101 Hwy on my home (as I was now dreading the trip home). The trip is longer but the highway is a much better (and hopefully safer) ride. From there I moved over to the Lucas and Lewellen Wine store. They had a bigger group of people, more couples tasting, stuffy wine attendants but the quality of their wine made up for it. I particularly enjoyed their sparkling wine - Brut.

Had dinner at Cafe Angelica using a 2-for 1 coupon. Geez, 2-for-1, when you're alone, how does that work? Well, it's easy, I actually saved them money on this. I used it for 2 meals, which is starter and entree as opposed to 2 entrees. Being famished out of my mind, I quickly gobbled up the food. Their chicken piccata was battered and fried, so it was tough to chew. I didn't enjoy it at all. The crab cakes appetizer was much tastier comprised of big, juicy crab cakes on a salad bed.

Walked back to my hotel for an early night viewing of the Bachelorette.

Long day, don't you think?

Birthday Plans

2010-06-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of spending my birthday in Santa Barbara. That's where I've been for the last week. It took over a month to plan and a week to execute. Before it I went silent as I treated myself to several outings to commemorate the birthday. Then, I got to travel which was super. The day came and went ceremoniously. Of course I got to experience the joy and conversation of strangers as I rang in the day. Most importantly, there was me, in a new place, in a happy place, selfishly enjoying time with me.

Santa Barbara was great. Beautiful, foggy and cold but picturesque. Once the sun came out the day was set and things got into gear. Spent the morning having a nice brunch at Union Ale Brewing Company which was very hospitable except none of my drinks were comped on account of my birthday. I just thought that was a little heavy-handed. At least give me one drink on the house, I choose your restaurant out of all the restaurants on State Street to have the first meal on my birthday. Not to worry. The bartender at least recommended some great places to spend the evening. He mentioned Wildcat Lounge which was a short walking distance from their restaurant so I decided to check it out. I had a nice conversation with a girl who had come into town from Orange County to spend the day with her friend. She had spent last fall pursuing her dream of becoming a photographer but could no longer afford the tuition so had to move to LA to work in an Orange County beauty salon, dealing with snooty OC women. We ended the morning by toasting with Patron and soda water drink.

I ended the evening by partying at WildCat. The day seemed to be dragging as I had exhausted myself by getting up early, walking the length and breadth of State Street. I stopped by a couple of places and they all seemed to be lounges and bars where people sit around with people they know or arrived there with and discuss how to end the evening. All the other places I had googled that were supposed to be "It" bars didn't seem welcoming to a stranger. I didn't want to be the sixth toe sitting at a bar listening in on some people discussing and drinking, how impersonal and cold. So at 8 I walked over to the Wildcat Lounge. There were 3 people at the bar plus the female bartender. Get this, Sunday nights is gay night when all the gay, drag queens come to party. Only me would choose to party in a club on their gay night. Why not, their single hunky guys night. I proceeded towards the door but they begged me to stay. Begged. I told them I needed somewhere I could have some fun, after all it was my birthday. That was all they needed to know. The tables immediately turned and they sat me down, bought me drinks and we toasted to me being bold and ballsy to travel halfway across the country to come celebrate my birthday in some bar in Santa Barbara.

There I was on the evening of my birthday, screaming and shouting as I listened to some drag queens do a hyped up performance of Pink. I am sure there are pictures in some Santa Barbara weekly of me loosing my mind and screaming at the top of my lungs. Funny enough I didn't loose my voice. I partied until it was no longer my birthday it was safely the next day but I still kept on screaming. My guide for the evening told everyone it was my birthday and how I had come to SB to party on my own. That instantly earned me shots along with hearty congratulations. It was one of the best times I've had in a long time. I've been to clubs in Atlanta, partied with the best of them. This was by far the best time. Who knew gay people could kick it up a notch, clearly not I? I would always remember this year, the year that I spent my birthday partying with some drag queens, hooting and hollering at go-go dancers. You cannot make this stuff up!

After all the money spent, the intricate planning, plotting and intensive googling over a 4-6 week period, the late night trip to SB (my plane arrived at 10pm), after all that, it came and went with so much fanfare and the perfect icing to cap the day was brought on by an unplanned visit to a bar. So some things you plan for your safety you plan them, but some you leave up to chance, the God of all single people will look out for you and guarantee you a good time, even though you might be solo.

Something that can't be done solo

2010-06-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there is one thing you cannot do solo. I just found that little tidbit out this week.

I was trying to schedule a wine-tasting tour for myself on my birthday on Sunday, the 6th in Santa Barbara with Captain Jack's Tours. Unfortunately, they have a 2 person minimum. At first I didn't understand what that meant, minimums mean nothing to me, but it actually means that one person is a No and two people is a Go. So they put me on a waiting list. Yes, waiting list for the couples to schedule the tour and when they do they would have room for the singles.

At first, I thought, that's okay. But then, I thought that is so mean. So if a couple schedules the tour I would end up being the third wheel to their "romantic" wine tour. Isn't that sad? I already play that role in life why would I want to do that on all days, my birthday for that matter. They called today and I turned them down. I decided to rent a car and drive or even walk around the local wineries and do the tour they way I intended. When I scheduled this same tour of Napa, it was much easier, they were quite a few people that were doing it solo and we all hauled into a tour bus and made our way through the wine country. Maybe it's different for Santa Barbara, smaller wineries to visit, fewer wineries, I don't know, but nothing should ever have a 2 person minimum. Most of us showed up into this world alone. You either go on the tour as scheduled with one person or 10 people that's how most businesses are run. At least I thought so.

Selfish planning

2010-06-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

Coupled up people don't know how easy they have it. They don't have to constantly plan their days, nights, weekends and holidays. When you're single a lot of thinking and plotting goes into planning your life to make it full. The simple part of my plans is that I only have me to consider, my safety, comfort and happiness. With coupled people, they have to consider the other party. They don't get to be as selfish as I do. But then they get the joy of sharing it with someone else. So it's a win-win for both parties. I enjoy the selfishness and spontaneity of my solo plans and they get the company and conversation of their partners. Not that I don't enjoy the company and conversation of strangers. The only problem with spontaneous conversation with strangers is that it is momentary, brought upon by spur of the moment events. It starts, sparks and fizzles. Sometimes stirred by alcohol. It does not last. I never see (or hear from) them again. However, we continue our lives knowing that we had that one fantastic moment. And sometimes, that makes all the difference.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish you had a weekend as exciting as mine?

Well, to tell you the truth it wasn't that exciting so the coupled up people can rejoice that they won this weekend from the single gals. From the Sex and the City 2 movie being underwhelming to the crummy weather being a deterrent to my exploration to losing power at home thanks to the stormy weather. It was just bad. For a wee moment I wish I had planned to leave town with a group of friends, gone to some cabin somewhere and had a good time. It was one of those weekends that seemed better enjoyed with a partner(s), or group of people, just sit at the pool or beach with your friends and wait out the rain, or go to the Atlanta Jazz Festival with your friends and sit on the lawn chairs and listen to some crummy (or good) jazz. All around me I could see the coupled up people having fun and I was not. This is one of the few times you'll hear me praise partying with a group.

I also experienced it for myself sometime on Saturday so I am somewhat speaking from experience. On Saturday I woke up somewhat early to make the matinee showing of the new Sex and the City movie. Matinees, are not only cheaper but less crowded. I didn't want to have to deal with the millions of "girlfriends" grouped together to go watch the movie. In between the movie, which was god-awfully predictable by the way, I felt like a good old fashioned cocktail. Not because of the movie just because I had had to sit through that drivel so early on a Saturday, I needed a reward per se. I did what I had to do in the city which was packed by the way with people everywhere (holiday weekend what do you expect) and left the city to the more quiet section of the city to have dinner.

The first restaurant was dull and expensive. Made me spend money that I really had no business spending. It was another round of drivel courtesy of the good folks from Sex and the City 2. I must have brought that drivel with me. I needed to shake that off, that plus it had started to pour again. So I went into the adjourning restaurant which offered the same item that I had just had at the other place but for $5 less. How does that happen? Why didn't anyone tell me this earlier? I even had a 10% coupon thingy I could have used too to make it even less expensive. How stupid was I?

From there I met this 2 ladies who drove all the way from Destin, Florida to come celebrate her birthday in Atlanta. They were so excited to meet me. We talked for a good while, drank, tested the multiple shots that they received courtesy of it being her birthday. It was hilarious. At this point I knew that drivel Saturday was over. They ate (the same meal I ate at the other place and tons cheaper no less) and then we moved over to ...The W.

If you are reading closely you would remember how much I hate the W, for being expensive and having no parking. But this time I parked at the mall and drove with them to the W. They were staying at the W so it was a no-brainer. They were staying there but were too intimidated to go to Whiskey Blue. They thought they'd be run out because they weren't trendy enough, etc. They forgot that this is a recession, everyone wants anyone's business no matter how you're dressed and Whiskey Blue was no exception.

It was an unpredictable evening. The lounge was packed with loads of people. Loads. We joined several groups. Once again, the group effect being the theme here and danced, talked, drank and laughed the night away. One of the groups was a gay guy celebrating his birthday, his group was hilarious. We had an awesome time with them. He even tried to help me meet some guys but everyone that I liked was taken. The other group was this British expatriate couple. Conversation with them will forever remain anonymous. Me, being the only single wheel started to wear off at some point so I had to say my adieu.

The point of this is that, I experienced the day earlier on my own and it was filled with drivel. I experienced it with a group of strangers and it was fantastic fun. It was just that kind of weekend, with people being in town for the holidays, it was not a good time to be solo. It was a good time to be solo and open to joining any group at all, but to initiate solo activities, not so much. I am just glad I bumped into the perfect fun-loving groups who invited me to join their group activities. Face it, it could have been worse.

White Russian or is Russian Standard Party

2010-05-17T18:50:00.001-07:00

In summary, it was a pretty awesome weekend.

It was one of those weekends that you can only truly have in your 20's. Except that I am not in my 20's, far from it.

I am not in my 20's and I am very slightly beginning to feel like I stick out like a sore thumb at these things. Atlanta is not as big as people think. There are lots of people, yes, but the same set of people end up attending the same events. And since we all get to see each other all the time, I am beginning to (1) get tired of seeing the same ole' faces (which must be reciprocal) and (2) feel like I am sticking out like a sore thumb because the only constant in my attendance at these things is that I show up alone. I don't know what that says about me.

I had the distinct pleasure of attending the launch party for Russian Standard Vodka at this super secret mansion where we had to be shuttled in buses from a general location. Apparently, the mansion, titled Lions Gate is on display, sort of like a museum where you buy tickets to tour it in support of the Save a Smile Foundation. The invite read: 7 million dollar mansion with over 20 million dollar in furnishings. I thought, okay then, this should be fun for a Friday evening.

The first point of contact took forever to locate. Who knew having an address with slight differences of NW and NE would make a huge difference of about 3 miles. I didn't. I thought it didn't matter at all. So several miles later, I made it to the pick up location, signed the waiver form (of course, without reading it) and boarded the bus. I didn't see anyone I recognized so I thought, so far so good. As soon as we made touchdown at the mansion, which resembled a ski lodge in Aspen, Colorado, you walk into these tents that wrap around the back garden revealing lush gardens, a very deep pool set off with a platform diving board and a waterfall highlighted with lights. Yes, the house took palatial mansion term that seriously. There were various booths spread across the grounds set up to serve variations of cocktails made with our sponsoring drink.

The event itself was amazing. The set up was exquisite and effortlessly planned from top to bottom. From the drop off to the pick up. There were several open bars set up so we didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes to get a drink. Nothing I hate more than standing in line to get a drink. It just ruins the whole experience for me especially when you have to pay for the drinks. The bartenders were superbly professional, seemed like they were having fun, not afraid to experiment with the different permutations of the vodka. We also had specific tables set up for the "Russian experience", that is, doing shots in Russian, several ice sculptures and of course, the painted dancing ladies that we've all come to know, gawk at and love at these events. Then, an interesting mixed crowd of fun loving people. There were married people, single people, people that hardly go out but decided to just this once, older people, distinguished looking people, and of course me.

However, it won't be an Atlanta event if you don't run into the same nameless faces that often grace these events. We don't as much as acknowledge each other but there is an inherent recognition in our smirks. I've come to make friends with some of them and the evening is usually spent catching up on our past activities. On this night, I bumped into one of my male friends who I last saw at one of these events about a year ago and we spent the whole evening catching up, so much so that even though I stopped to chat with a few new faces here and there, and got to shoot the shit with some newcomers to the fold, I didn't really make any new connections per se. That to me was the only downer. I should really learn to break away from old acquaintances in order to meet new ones. It gets so hard at times and everyone has their guard up once you arrive, either they're texting away on their phones or clutching on to their significant others for dear life, that I feel like talking to them would cause an intrusion. Then, as the alcohol sets in they learn to disentangle and get to mingle with others. It's always fun at this point. But by this time I've already found someone to get tangled up with so in essence I am working in reverse.

Apart from that the night was superb. Exceptional evening. I have the pictures to prove it.

Party at the W.

2010-05-12T13:34:00.001-07:00

Part of my weekend involved a lot of outings that didn't really make sense together.

"So what places do you go to?" she asked me, obviously observing that I seemed a lot more worldly than she did.

This was my second stop on Saturday. I had attended this Cocktails and Couture event held at the (in)famous Whiskey Blue in the W Hotel in Buckhead. This is one of my least favorite venues. It is nestled in the Lenox area hotel hub; tight and snug between several hotels. The other hotels flanked to the right and left of it offer parking for their guests, some at more reasonable rates for periods of 2 hours or less. But not the W. I found this out the hard way and had to pay $12 to park my car for 1 hour. They must have thought this was New York.

Saturdays are those days where you really should concentrate on your housework or the gym and dash all hopes of going out or doing something substantial, because nothing substantial really exists. People expend too much energy and time scheduling all the events on Friday, when they really should give Saturday a try. I mean, you can still sleep in the following day even better because you slept in the day of (quite unlike Friday). Fridays, I am pooped after waking up so early to tackle work and its attendant craziness, that all I really want to do is crash at home after it's all over. And I have been known to do this, just to be all gung-ho, rearing for adventure on Saturday, then saddened by a lacking of activity.

So on this Saturday there actually was something that seemed reasonable except it was at the W, my least favorite place. What was a girl to do except attend. It was a fashion cocktail event with the special guest as the Project Runway contestant from Atlanta. Hit or miss? I thought miss. He is no celebrity. Plus, it's at the freaking W. Let me premise this by saying that the W does have a great rooftop lounge with amazing panoramic views of the Buckhead/Midtown area. It's breathtaking. Very shabby, chic spot to hang out on a hot day, perfect setting to have a cocktail or throw a party - bachelor or bachelorette style. It's not all bad, once you get through the parking snafu, the cloak and dagger at the door with the henchman looking security and the mediocre decor of the lounge chairs (I won't mention the outrageous drink prices because hotel bars are notorious for their prices, not everyone is on an expense account), you're fine. But in contemplating these hiccups, you instantly talk yourself out of going, another place with fewer hiccups suddenly seems more promising. On a night with no plans, no other place immediately comes to mind. So there I was, determined to make something of this Saturday.

I chose to park at the mall. Dress somewhat casual so I could make the walk unnoticed from the mall a couple of blacks over to the W. Wearing comfortable shoes, no less. I did. It was breezy but it worked. I went through security, the elevator with some other ladies who were so dressed up I assumed they must have more serious plans after this is all over, and got in.

There were a lot of people here. A lot. All nicely dressed thus fulfilling the couture portion of the event, and all snooty. What is it about snooty atmospheres that beget snooty people? If we were in some ramshackle dive bar, listening to blues/rock, downing cheap beers, would they be snooty, nope. But this is the W, where the beers cost $7, we have to be snooty. I made my way through the crowd trying to find one less snooty person among them, this was not an easy task. People dressed in their Sunday best do not necessarily feel the need to want to break the ice with total strangers. Besides I was not as dressed up as they were. The only nice lady was a girl from Germany who was cornered by some guy who was seriously trying to get his mack on with her, while all she wanted to do was socialize. She asked me to join them but I declined. I did not want to mess up this guy's mojo. He looked determined. I downed a couple of very expensive beers and left, making the walk back to the car.

Right in the mall lies a restaurant that I've never been to that always seems busy with happy people. I decided to try them on for size just because I was famished and needed a change of pace from that pretentious atmosphere I had just immersed myself in. It was empty and the food was blah! My only companion was this young lady, another "Charlotte" who wanted to find out about my adventures. I obliged her. Had a few more drinks and rushed home to see Betty White on SNL. Which I dare say, was the highlight of my evening. The people watching at the W was not that bad either.

Night better spent alone

2010-05-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

We interrupt this to provide you with a (somewhat) brief review of my weekend.

High and dry as usual.

I was supposed to go to the club - Tongue and Groove -- with one of my meetup groups. I made the mistake of inviting a couple of my girlfriends. Everytime I meet girlfriends out and about, they always want to hang out with me, they think I am adventurous, ballsy, fun-loving, all the things they would like to be too. It's great, I love to make new friends but they always end up being, how can I say this - demure, fish out of water women. Like I am Carrie in Sex and the City and they are Charlotte. I never meet the Samantha or even Miranda. It's always a Charlotte-type persona who wants me to be her fun chaperone, the one that convinces her to leave the couch, drop the icecream, turn off the TV, urges her to go out of her way and do something as dangerous as "go to the club".

After getting turned down repeatedly, I immediately knew that I may end up going by myself. The first couple of people had the slight pause in between texts, you know when you send someone a text saying, this is where I am going, this is the address, this is the time. Then, there's that long pause. At this point they are thinking about what exactly to tell you, what excuse can they concoct. Luckily for me, my attending an event is not dependent on you coming with me. I often or not tell them this. I am going either way so you can either come with me or you don't. But fun will be had as I am determined to go.

They eventually responded with a No. "I don't have the energy for a club. I thought you hated clubs." Yes, I do. But it's not like I go every weekend. Nevertheless, I got dressed and left my house. On my way out I bumped into one of my neighbors, a lady who commented on how nice I looked. I thought that was nice. Women are rarely flattering of other women. However, I digress.

Being that I arrived tonight solo I thought it would give me a chance to be bad and not have to live up to anyone's expectations of how I am supposed to act. This was not the case. I bumped into another lady I had met before when I went to a comedy show. She had arrived there with a guy friend of hers, who she claimed "is not trying to get with her," just trying to be her friend. I should have known something was up by the way she was dressed, even though she claimed she didn't expect there to be an event of any sort in here. She didn't have her "club gear" on; earrings, shoes everything was simple. If she had been a guy they would have turned her away at the door. Then, she didn't drink. She drank soda all evening. I am always weary of the fun level of people who don't drink. At least have one drink. To not drink at all, instantly puts me on notice.

As the night wore on she insisted that we hang out together - I be her wingman and she'd be mine. This is fine with me if you are ready to have fun. Since I do not do this very often I would at least like to let loose now that I am here. This was not the case with this girl. She didn't dance, she didn't flirt, she didn't even move. We did a lot of walking around to peruse the guys that were there but after countless circles around the perimeter, nothing would result. There were only a couple of them that looked promising to me and one of them had been staring at me all night so I took the opportunity to talk to him a bit. But the second I stopped to flirt with him she would drag my hand to keep on moving. At this point I knew the only way I could get her off my tail is to get her talking to someone she's interested in. Many guys walked her way but she didn't fancy them. The only one she fancied was some Middle-Eastern guy who stood at the corner with a distinct unibrow and a brooding look on his face. After much tugging and resistance from her, I finally went to talk to him for her sake (and mine as well). Just like I thought, he couldn't speak English. He was from Dubai, hanging out in the VIP lounge (yes, because they have the money like that) with his friends and could barely put a sentence together. I told her this and she was bummed. She immediately thought he made it up and spent the rest of the evening, sullen telling every other guy who walked up to her that some guy had made up some story about not speaking English just so he wouldn't have to talk to her. Yes, it got worse.

There you have it, Reason No. 2 why I choose to go solo. Women are rarely good wingmen. It's not really their role. They lean towards Debbie Downers more than Wingmen and have the tendency to wreck your outing. So if you really want to let loose without any inhibitions, go it alone I promise you, you'll have more fun that way.

Blog Ado About Nothing

2010-04-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to blog about my vacation trip since it's usually the epitome of my solo adventures but I was immediately immersed in some work stuff when I returned and some other computer issues that I really had no time to crank up my old PC and start to write. Plus, I knew that anything I wrote at that time in a hurry would not do the trip justice but if I didn't do it sooner rather than later my recollection of all the wonderful, amazing scenery food, people, and stuff would be soiled by all the awful bland Atlanta stuff and I would hate for that to happen.

Whenever I return from vacation, because I am on this high while out there in appreciation of a life outside Georgia, I immediately fall into this funk once I return made even more deplorable by my realization of my single state (this rarely occurs to me while vacationing, I wonder why). So in an effort to pull myself out of this funk I shall document my adventures and in order to make sure I don't lob it into one long wordy boring entry, I shall take it in bits, each day shall be a different entry of its own, and I shall try not to leave anything out. I hope I don't forget anything. This would be easier if I had my laptop with me during my sojourns but I am old skool - I only just got a digital camera. Hah!

EDIT: Vacation Update added and back-dated. So go back to older entries so you don't miss a beat.

San Fran and L.A. later

2010-04-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

So I am back.

Now suffering from vacation withdrawal. Everything in Atlanta pales in comparison with everything elsewhere, especially in California. It's like two different countries. I had a few ups and downs but it was a good, fun trip. So much good food, good wine, good looking people, people without Southern accents, hippie styled people, happy people, free people, people that may not be free but seem to look free, outgoing and outlandish people, celebrity people, beautiful scenery, breathtaking scenery, landscaping so amazing I am in awe. I would do it over in a heartbeat and this time I would do certain parts of it even better, louder and freer. I will take what I have for now and relish it immensely. Eat, explore and love.

A better update is coming...I am still making the blatant comparisons in my head.

Day Five, San Francisco (Napa) Spring 2010

2010-04-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday April 10th.

Hungover. Tired. Trip to Napa and Sonoma County planned. Doing the wine tour with the bus. Cheesy, I know, but it's a start. I thought we'll test the waters with a crew to see how the wine country looks and if it looks good enough then I'll probably do it again. One my own in my own vehicle.

The day didn't start off as planned. The bus arrived on time and I was somewhat ready. Except I was hungover from last night's debauchery plus I had allergy eye, also known as Pink Eye. Pink Eye and hungover headaches really don't mix. Worse was the fact that I was going to do some more drinking today, a more sophisticated kind, but alcohol nonetheless. I couldn't let it get me down, This was a once in a lifetime opportunity that had cost me a pretty penny so pink eye be damned if it'd let me sulk.

We left at a little after 9 am. As we drove, the scenery was not like I imagined. It was comprised of fields and mountains filled with grape fields. The first stop was to Madonna Estates with their organic grapes.We were told that this would be the only place that would give us a lecture about the wine-making experience. The other 2 stops would just let us have the wine without taking us through all their rigmarole. That's what I want. I really was in no mood to hear how the grapes were plucked and all that shit, not today with my eyes throbbing.

Madonna Estates quickly handed us a glass of wine as we walked through the door, instructing us not to drink it yet. I soon learned that this was as far as their generosity would go. The wine tasted smooth and sweet, with no tangy after taste. I don't know if that had anything to do with the fact that it was all organically grown. Because it was still morning, the weather was rather cold, something in the low 50's. The tour guide lady kept us outside in the field beside the grapes so we can observe (and not touch as she kindly pointed out as if we were kids) the grapes on their stems. I didn't really care for this. I was freezing. Even though I was dressed for the drop in temperature I really would rather just stay inside. Also, there was this condescending tone of the people at Madonna Estates, for one, their pours were smidgens, guaranteed it was still morning, but none of us was driving; two, they kept telling us how superior their wine was because it was organic, and then, 3, she kept instructing us on how to sip the wine, how to swirl it in a glass, how to "safely" uncork the bottle. Who doesn't know this? We are here because we are wine connoisseurs of some kind not just a couple of vacationers dedicating our precious vacation time to listen to you babble.

We left soon after and headed to our next stop.

I forgot to mention the interesting group of people that happened to be travelling with me. There were young couples here and there and older ladies here and there. There was a family from France, with their 2 small children about 5 and 7. The children were so well-behaved. The older ladies turned out to be a group of childhood friends vacationing together. A couple of students from the university and then, an engineer from Germany on a seminar who had nothing better to do after the seminar was over. There was me of course, a single young lady and then, there was this particular group of girls, young girls all foreigners from Brazil and Hungary, who now live and work in SF. Not surprising is they had the same motives I had. Lets get on this bus and drink as much wine as possible and have as much fun as possible. That early in the morning when you encounter people that are that pumped to party it's a little off-putting, so the entire bus spent the first couple of hours, staring and whispering about them as we drove to our destination. As the day wore on, I was the first person to appreciate their motive (plus my eye didn't seem to be bothering anybody so hey, I relaxed a little) so I clung onto them and we gossiped about the Madonna Estate "Principal" as I termed her. By the end of the day with everyone reasonably inebriated, we all joined them to sing along to Beatles tunes and just generally cause a racket at the back of the bus.

The next stop was to Sutter Home winery. Sutter Home, unlike most wineries in Napa and Sonoma County, offers complimentary wine tastings. Most wineries in the region charge for it. I just thought to myself, when I paid for this wine tour I thought we would explore rare wine, wines that I'd never heard of, that charge for their wine tastings; "not complimentary and can be bought at Wal-Mart" type wines. At this point I was beginning to see how much of a rip off this whole thing was. Yes, and my eye was still throbbing.

The good thing about Sutter Home was that even though they had a little lecture on how they were at the forefront of the whole "White Zinfandel" movement, they didn't pinch on their samples. Generous pours along with an assortment of hors' d'oeuvre's in their store, chips and salsa, bread bits and black pepper vinegar, and cheese based olive oil, etc. Not the regular cheese charcuterie but an assortment of nibbles that helped to soak up the wine. This made up for my slight disappointment at the other winery. I ended up enjoying their winery completely.

Next stop was lunch at the town center in Yountville where we had about 2 hours to eat lunch and return to the bus. The nicest restaurant I could find at the town center (which didn't really have much) was Bottega. I know I have such high taste. A couple of my fellow wine tourists picked this restaurant as well so I wasn't the only picky eater. The engineer from Germany (who was on an expense account I am sure) and the family from France.

Bottega was strictly fine dining Napa style. I couldn't understand half of the menu items, in fact almost all of them. And the bartender was in too much of a hurry or just didn't give a shit enough to want to explain them to me. I thought if I am going to pay upwards of $20 for a meal, I need to know what it is and I need to know if I will enjoy it. He really didn't care. So I stuck to what I know, the calamari, which comprised of about 10 pieces and cost $10, at a cost of $1 a piece. The wine list was extensive being that this is Napa where the wine is grown, I would expect nothing less. However, I stuck with beer. The two gentlemen diners beside me who were out celebrating one's birthday reprimanded me for my drink selection. "You don't come to Napa and drink beer," they said with a chuckle, fearing that I was unenlightened. I coughed up that I was on the wine tour so I had already had my fill of wine with plenty more to come. I thought the beer would serve as a good change of pace (plus it was a lot cheaper) They gave me some pointers on what wineries to visit. I explained that this was not up to me, the tour company decided this. If it were up to me I wouldn't have chosen any of the wineries we visited so far.

After my calamari I was still noticeably hungry and in need of real food but not wanting to expand my wallet any further, I filled up on the starter bread and butter, plus it came with sparkling mineral water (complimentary). I eventually asked for dessert when I saw another diner eating something that looked utterly scrumptious. My selection did not turn out that way and was a teeny tiny bit of chocolate cake with little bitty ice cream. Oh, I could kill the folks at Bottega.

I talked some more with the gentlemen to pass the time. I could have sworn one of them looked like an actor. The creepy guy in that M. Night Shymalan movie - Girl from the river or something. They talked about Hollywood movies a lot too, about budgets and financing and what movies are still looking for financing. So it may very well have been an actor. Talking to them was the high point of my day at Napa and reinstated my love of fine dining. You always end up talking to the most sophisticated people and they treat you like their peer. I love it!

I forgot myself, lost track of the time and almost missed the bus. I know scary. Negative part of travelling alone. No one on the bus knew my name. I mean there was a roster but unless there was a head count at some point, no one knew who I was or how to reach me. If I was with someone at least one of us would make the bus and wait for the other. But I digress. Nothing that dramatic happened. I waved the driver down as he was reversing and gave him the stare down that said, "How dare you leave me in this expensive town?"

Onwards to Cline Cellars winery. Our last stop. Yet another winery with complimentary wine tasting. Just how cheap is the tour bus company. Yes, that cheap. Cheaper than me I see. At this point we all relaxed. They brought out a bench and let us sit there and just sample as much possible. We asked questions, drank, tasted a couple of the favorites more than once. It was very low-key. A sharp contrast to the setting at Madonna Estate where we all had to stand still and listen to that lady "lecture" us on wine at 10 in the morning.

This was the point where I sat with the raucous bunch and we ended up talking about what brought us to Napa this faithful Saturday. We even ended up hijacking the bottle that they would have thrown out and termed it, "our open Bar" concept. It was hilarious. Cline I had never heard of but their wine was good. they even had this reasonably priced Rose that I so would have bought with me if I didn't have to travel the next day. I don't think I've seen Cline wines in the grocery store. the girls bought a bottle to drink in the bus, but at this point I was pooped on alcohol I needed food and some drugs for my eye.

So we drove home. Past the rolling hills, the varied wineries, Coppola's house on the hills, the golden gate bridge and the foggy mores. This was my last full day in San Francisco as I had an early flight the next day to Los Angeles. I stopped at Fisherman's wharf and bought a couple of souvenir gifts for my family. Had dinner at the Hyatt restaurant over there. A big chicken sandwich with lots of fries which I finished and got some eye drops for my throbbing eyes. I was just so shocked no one noticed my red eye. They actually thought I was a fun, adventurous, ballsy person.

It all sort of worked itself out in the end: The food, the wine, the company, the weather, everything. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Day Four - San Francisco Spring 2010

2010-04-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 9th 2010.

Moved hotels from The Majestic to Marina Inn. Marina Inn is in upper Pacific Heights and a lot closer to Fisherman's Wharf. The original plan was to spend the weekend in Napa, but Napa is really rather expensive with little or nothing to do (so I've heard), so Marina Inn it was. I got there early and left my bags at the door and headed over to the Union Street Shops to have breakfast and do some sightseeing.

The Union Street Shops were not bad at all. It was more like a trap. I had to convince myself not to shop or stop shopping. I ended up buying some earrings and (really) resisted buying some scarfs. Had a breakfast sandwich at La Boulange de Union and it was quite possibly one of the best cold chicken sandwiches I have ever had. I don't know what it was, maybe the parley snips, or some type of sauce, but it tasted so darn good. I wish I had more. Suddenly, it made everything all better. If only all my breakfast meals had started off this good. I knew I was on to something good when I got there and it was crowded, packed. I sat outside and enjoyed my sandwich whilst browsing the pretty passers by. The men were all ripped and nicely tanned as they walked their dogs. The women were all nicely primped and exotic looking as they did nothing but chat (gossip) with other nicely primped ladies and walk their cute dogs. I was beginning to like this. Pity it was about coming to an end.

Shopping. More Shopping. Stopped for Pastries at an Irish Pastry store. Had the best shortbread cookies I've had in a long time. So much Al Fresco dining going on I was tempted to join them again even though I was not really hungry. Stopped at Perry's and had a nice beer and some fries. Unhealthy, I know but in all honesty I had been walking all day and more to come, so I needed that day time drink to boost me. Perry's was not all that great, a tad expensive and the bartender was also pissed that I didn't come to have lunch. Saw some men enjoying this drink that was made with spices, I forget the name, it's supposed to help with hangovers - (psst...it's called a Bloody Mary). He offered me a sip but I politely passed on tasting that awesome delicacy. Sat for a bit and continued with my walk. Walked until it was 3.30, sweltering and time to check into the hotel.

Checked in and just as I suspected Marina Inn was a dud. Should have really stayed where I was at The Majestic. It was considerably cheaper, bigger and less antiquidated than Marina Inn. Too late now, isn't it? Did some quick unpacking and headed out. I had planned to walk towards the curvy road on Lombard Street, take some pictures and then, head over to Fisherman's Wharf, in time for happy hour and some more sightseeing.

The famous Lombard Street. When you see the pictures you think, it's just a curvy road, all these twists and turns. Nothing fancy. But it's such an arduous task to get to this curvy road. There are no less than 3 steep hills to climb up to Lombard just before it descends right at Lombard. It was hot, sunny day and I was dressed in my day to night warm attire so I was considerably sweating. I had also been doing a lot of walking earlier on Union Street, so my energy level was not that high. Nevertheless, I had to see it for myself. As I stopped after the first bridge, I bumped into this couple who had arrived from New Jersey, stopping in SF for a couple of days to see their friend before heading out to San Diego. We made the climb to Lombard together and talking to them made it fun.

At each hill, we stopped and took pictures that would commemorate how high we'd climbed. They were also planning to head over to Fisherman's Wharf and then to Alcatraz on the nightly tour. We talked as we walked and were instantly amused at the San Franciscans that swiftly passed by us on the hilly climb. I thought, they must all have firm thighs in this city.

We made it, out of breath and hopefully several burnt calories later, there it was. Crowded is an understatement. Every type of tourist was there. Some chose to use their cars to navigate the narrow road, while some took videos and the others just stood in my way distorting me from taking a good enough picture of this infamous road that I had worked so hard to get to. It was worth the climb.

A few short less hilly steps later, I made it to Fisherman's Wharf. Walked to the closest bar I could find - Capurro's - and ordered me a good stiff one from their happy hour menu.

My thighs were throbbing at this point and the drink couldn't be consumed fast enough. I ordered a couple more, admired the lazy afternoon view of vacationers, called my mum and broke away, slightly tipsy.

Walked by the street vendors and took a caricature picture of myself. The same street artists I had experienced 3 years ago were surprisingly still in business. Walked by a couple of wine stores, and briefly considered doing some wine tasting but they were at a very steep cost. I thought wine tasting was supposed to be free. Don't they want people to test these wines and inevitably buy a bottle, how can you when you've already spent the money tasting a "wine flight"? Went into Cellar 360 and it was amazing. Like a mini wine factory complete with boxes of wine, a tasting section and of course, a tasting room. The tasting didn't cost that much and it seemed like they had a wider variety of wine than the other wine cellars I had passed. Plus they had this awesome view of the ocean from the wine tasting room, where you could catch a glimpse of some swimmers, the waves and boats going up to Alcatraz.

The wine attendant was so nice. He was this sweet old man that reminded me of my boss back home. He was tending to this tall gentleman who was standing a couple of feet from me, so we all ended up talking together. They were natives and there I was, the tourist. We swapped stories about SF, and all the places as a tourist you needed to go. The wine guy had surprisingly never been to Alcatraz after having lived there for the longest time. The tall guy was a member of the wine club and a yoga instructor during the weekend. He said the wine store was his escape from a hard day of work, he would stop by there, chat with the wine guy and stare at that awesome view. I thought that was nice to have, to even have a bartender that remembers your name and what drink you like is an awesome thing. I hardly even get that. I told them about my tales for the past 3 days. I told them how folks at Yelp had suggested I go over to the Tenderloin and they squirmed. The Tenderloin was not a good place to be. It totally made me feel so stupid to even mention it.

The wine store was getting ready to close so I had to wrap this up. We ended up finishing some of the "stale" wine. You know when wine has been opened for about 2 days they consider it bad, weak and tired, and pour it out. If you happen to be out and about when this incredible waste occurs then it is your lucky day because you get to drink some good shit. Really good shit. A couple of glasses later I thought I was done. But being that I had never experienced a nice San Francisco bar, my gentleman companion decided to indulge me.

We walked over to Black Magic Voodoo Lounge, which even though it may have had its charms was not appealing to me. A bunch of people just sitting around drinking booze with no live music (a jukebox) and not much else going on was not my idea of fun. My companion agreed. He also noted that the bartender was lacking in charm compared to the adorable sweet wine guy we had both just experienced. I swallowed my drink and concurred. A couple from Modesto, CA that was in need of fun (I could tell from the look on their faces) joined us. We took a hike, buzzed up no less, my companion was trying to take us to what he termed, the "smallest bar in San Francisco". We got there and indeed it was teeny tiny. It was more like a slice. The slice was packed so much the people spilt out onto the streets. From there, we hiked some more to Rex Cafe. I was famished at this point. The only reasonable food being the fries from earlier that day. We sat down and ordered from their late night happy hour menu. I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich.

Minutes later, the couple went outside to smoke since SF is sane they don't let people smoke in bars/clubs/restaurants. Minutes later, they were a no show. My companion soon figured it out - the couple had bailed. He went outside to look for them and no sign of them. They had paid their tab and skipped out on us without even saying goodbye. I was bummed. My companion was more than bummed, he was pissed off. I thought we had made a nice foursome. Men talking on one side, women on the other. I don't know what we said to scare them away. Maybe it was the fact that we met by chance that seemed to freak them out a little. Whatever it was, they decided to leave us without even a word of goodbye.

That's the thing about vacationing alone. You meet good people who are sweet and hospitable to tourists and will care enough to show you around, show you a good time, like my companion. Then, you meet people who just think you are weird and they would rather not have anything to do with you. It's disappointing. I hope they don't plan to go to another country anytime soon, I would love to bail on them in a foreign country.

I finished my delicious sandwich, complaining between mouthfuls. Why does food always taste so good when you are slightly (or maybe extremely) buzzed. I would go back there just to eat that food again. My companion walked me close to my hotel and then we said our goodbyes. You see he wasn't trying to get some, he was just being nice.

I walked to my room and crashed on the bed with a thud.

Food and fun rating for this extremely long day, A+.

Day Three - San Francisco Spring 2010

2010-04-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

Thursday April 8th.

Very unassuming day. I didn't really have plans for the day but I knew that I needed to get out and about. Plus, they were calling for temperatures a tad colder than we had yesterday so I was a little bummed by that news. I got dressed in an attire that could shift from warm to cold and swiftly left the hotel. I had coffee at the front desk with my blueberry scone from the day before and headed out.

I decided to walk along California street, determined to pass through Grace Cathederal, slight stop at Chinatown, thus terminating at the Ferry Marketplace. Mind you, I've seen all these places before on my first visit. But I didn't get to walk the first time. I took a cable car which, as cute and awesome as it looks does not feel safe while maneurving those hilly terrains and costs a pretty big penny (cost was $5 three years ago). This time I decided to walk. Not a very good idea still. I had my flat boots on which are comfortable but not functional. They lacked that rubber grip in their soles that you need when walking on rough terrains. This was very much needed because those hills start and end so suddenly, they are steep ascending and descending especially the Hills along California street that you fear that you will keel. The sudden descent was the worst. Without any grip to your shoes you instantly feel as if you would topple over and come sliding down. The sheer horror. So I took it one step down at a time. Several people, what I can only assume are SF natives, swiftly passed by me doing the one step at a time move and they had that scowl on their faces, where they can identify you as an amateur tourist.

After a couple of hills and valleys, I made it to Grace Cathedral Church. The church was magnificient, intricate architecture, impressive details. I stopped to light a candle and thank the good Lord for my trip and pray for safe travels all the way through. Seconds later, the clock chimed for noon. The day had already begun on a good note.

This bag lady instantly hid once she saw me pull out my camera. She hid but left her "bag of goodies."

Chinatown. Very, very briefly. Also contemplated lunch here but I couldn't decide on which one. Not wanting to make the same mistake I made the last time by deciding on a lunch location too quickly, I held out (which was very hard considering how many blocks I had walked) for lunch at the Ferry Marketplace, which has very impressive array of food options. One in particular that I had eaten in the last time I thought I could revisit this time. However, I could not find it.

Ferry Marketplace had changed considerably. A few restaurants had appeared that were not there before like, I don't remember seeing The Slanted Door. Made a big mistake and walked into this swanky environment and was greeted by the menu filled with $18 salads. Hmm...I walked around repeatedly trying to retrace my steps and when I gave up, I inevitably ate once again ate at the wrong place - Delica. I chose the Beef Curry dish. The rice was soggy and the meal had more curry than beef. It tasted so awful. At this point, an $18 salad seemed like a good deal. I decided not to dwell on this. I quickly bought tickets to take the ferry to Sausalito. Yay, hopefully things will look up there.

The Ferry ride to Sausalito was uneventful. A mad man sat in the section where I sat, a couple of rows in front of me and he instantly stank up the place. Yeah, Uneventful. The ride took all of 20 minutes and before I could pull out my camera and take pictures of myself, we were there.

Sausalito. This is one of those places that was mentioned to me during my last visit. But then, I was a little unadventurous. I thought what if it would not look as good as the person described and just generally thought it wouldd be an underwhelming tourist city.

So not the case. It was beautiful, picturesque type of beautiful. Homes facing the bay, scenic charm, blue water all around and tourist center shops lined the streets. Very tranquil holiday atmosphere. Words cannot describe it. I cannot imagine living here. Life would be so calm, you would wake up everyday and look across at the ocean and instantly feel rejuvenated and alive. Tourists cyclists paraded the wide paved road, squealing with excitement. It was beautiful.

I stopped for some icecream and a drink at Piccolo Teatro and just sat on the patio facing the tranquil scenery. The waitress asked me why I was so quiet, I simply replied that I was just taking it all in. We don't live like that in Atlanta, so to have a place where you can just sit and take in the environment and nature's beauty and soothe away the worries of the day you just have to grab that moment. Chatted with the lady in the Green T-shirt store (apparently green means they are overpriced) and the arts store (who knew oil paintings were left to dry for months, even years).

It was hard to tear me away from there but in the end I had to, I had planned on catching the second to the last ferry back to SF but apparently, so had everybody else, every cycling tourist that had probably arrived earlier that day on their bikes. Made it into the ferry and waited in line for the bathroom with a girl who had arrived from England, here to spend 4 days and then make her way to New Zealand before heading home. The British always know how to vacation well. She was obviously with a group so she scurried soon after to join her group. There I was, with enough time to take pictures of meself.

I made it back into the city with enough time to spare. Took a long walk through Market Street and stopped at Westfield Mall to experience their food court once again. This was my last stop on my trip 3 years ago. It was raining on my last day so I had to spend the entire day at the mall. I had just enough time to eat and tryto do some shopping before the stores closed at 9pm. I ate at the same Thai place - Coriander Gourmet Thai - I ate the last time only this time, because it was so close to closing, the portions weren't as fresh and tasted very stale. They also piled it on really high in a bid to try to get rid of it at the end of the day so my tw entrees and rice looked like a meal for 3 people. I was so ashamed of the mountain of food as I walked to a table to tackle it. Pity there was no refridgerator in my hotel room, because this would have made some good leftover food for tomorrow. I was barely able to go through one side before I was filled to the brim. Now, I really needed a walk.

A hop, skip and jump and a quick dash to the shoe department at Macy's in Union Square (I know repeat visit) and I was back in the hotel right around 9.30pm in time to catch a rerun of 30 Rock.

Day 2 - San Francisco Spring 2010

2010-04-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

Wednesday April 7th.

What do you know? I cannot sleep. On vacation and I cannot seem to sleep in. I also had allergy issues that woke me up rather early. Today I was excited for several reasons. I had a tattoo appointment at noon in the "sunset" area. Don't know where that is but it sounds far away. Another reason for the excitement was because this was my first full day in the city. Enough with the jet-lag, let's explore.

So quick coffee at the hotel along with some shoddy directions on how many buses I needed and I jutted off. Several buses later, I was within a couple of blocks of the shop, however, I hadn't had breakfast. I stopped at the closest deli I could find - Toasties - and ordered a chicken wrap. It was lunch-style (read: cold cuts) chicken on a crunchy (possibly toasted) wrap with some strange sauces. Needless to say it was not very good. If I had known that I would meet several other restaurants along my way I would have held out a little while longer. But before I bumped into this one every other one along my way was either a Subway or a Blimpie, or just a cafe so I thought there was no hope for decent food. I spoke or "ate" too soon. So far my choice of food on this trip has not been lucky. San Fran being a city known for its good food, you have to want to experience the good and stay away from the bad.

A couple of trailways passed me so I stopped to take some pictures. Note the cyclist in this picture was actually my tattoo artist speeding past me. I only noticed this later that day as I admired my pictures.

The appointment went very well. I would recommend this place - One Shot Tattoo to anyone. This was miles better than my appointment in New York. Tattoo turned out beautiful, very friendly staff, very laid-back atmosphere. Just what you need on a Wednesday afternoon with good weather, on vacation in a beautiful city. My tattooist - Nakona was just the best. He gave me "detailed" directions to the Golden Gate Bridge which was actually not very far from their shop and tried to convince me to walk to it, "It's a beautiful day, nice weather, freshly tatted with all that adrenalin, why don't you walk to the bride and walk along it." Okay, then I said. Not a bad idea. I'm a little adventuresome.

I stopped for a quick drink to get over the initial pain of the tattoo. Nothing better than alcohol shots after a tattoo. It's a wicked feeling. I recommend it any day so much so that I even crave it. Park Chow was a little better than my breakfast sandwich but a little on the pricekey side. After dropping some moolah for my tatt I really didn't have that much to throw around on a pasta for $15, forgive me. Any other day I would, not today. Plus the bartender was a bit short with me. She had that typical New York attitude where they are irritated for no reason whatsoever and they can't wait for you to make up your mind on what you want. I had one beer, some local unknown pilsner and was well on my way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Squee!

I passed the botanical gardens, came by this statue and took some pictures. Gorgeous day for a walk.

Then, I got lost. Walked along the beaten path of the highway but was still lost. Checked my iPhone for directions, still lost. Then, I needed to pee. What could be worse? I perceived the fresh aroma of some freshly baked goods and instantly walked into the store where it emanated - House of Bagels. Fortunately for me they had other baked goods and a bathroom. After the quick dash to the bathroom, I ordered a superb macaroon and a blueberry scone for breakfast the next day. It was yummy goodness. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I had a quick chat with the shop attendant who was distracted by a very old, indecisive lady, then continued on my journey.

Much to my tattooist chagrin, I copped out and took a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. Everyone I asked said it was much too far to walk. The bus driver vehemently said it was too far to walk and you can't argue with the bus driver now. Thus, I chickened out, I know. I was losing daylight and the winds were beginning to hurl. It was almost 5 pm by this time.

The Golden Gate bridge. This deserves an entry in and of itself. Anything I say in here will not appropriately capture all that I was feeling and all that happened in a short amount of time. At first you think, it can't be that great, it's just an orange bridge. Yes, a huge orange bridge with a sidewalk for pedestrians and the most amazing view of an already gorgeous city. It's indescribable. It's like the ocean, everytime I see it I am floored by it. This was just as exhilarating. Mind you, I am afraid of heights in a bad way. I don't do foot bridges because I am afraid of looking down. But this is the Golden Gate Bridge, how can you visit San Fran and not at least walk on it. Fear of heights be damned. We flew 5 hours to get here so why not. Words of encouragement from me to me, urging me to embark on this scary venture. With that, I began.

This is the hard part of vacationing alone. There are no pictures of me and the rusty orange bridge that highlights the bridge's awesome landscape and proves to everyone that yes, I did climb it. There's just this with me and a side of the orange pillars, looking very subdued. Inside me, I felt like screaming, letting out one of those exhilarating screams of joy, pleasure and sheer excitement. But I couldn't. There were way too many people - Loads of tourists, visitors, bikers, couples, families - it was generally crowded. Some of them almost ran me down. Halfway I turned around and didn't make it the whole way through - in all fairness it is quite a long bridge. Still, it was an amazing experience to infinity. It was the reason why I really needed to see this city again, with or without someone. It made it all worth it.

At this time, the winds were really beginning to hurl so I tore myself away from there and headed home, stopping once again to do the Fillmore District. This time I chose a seemingly nice place for dinner - 2001 Thai Stick. Nice ambiance, even nicer Manhattan. Ambiance notwithstanding, the food was blah! I've had better pad prik in Gwinnett County.

Day 2 completed. Excitement level up, food choices definitely needs improvement.

Day One - San Francisco

2010-04-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

Tuesday - April 6th.

Flight to San Francisco at 10am. Got a friend of mine to take me to the airport but she could only do it first thing in the morning, 6.30. This meant little or no sleep. Exhaustion kicked in quite early. Got to the airport at a little after 7 am. Standing around the airport with about 2 hours to kill. A little nervous but excited. Kept saying to myself, "Here we go. This is 2 months in the making." I didn't eat. Big mistake. The plane trip took forever, the air hostesses were rude and pissy and there was no food. I was utterly famished by the time we got there. I was just so relieved that we got there before Noon, California time.

Got there and stood at the airport waiting for the taxi to take me to the hotel. I kept thinking as I stood there, "Okay, so I made it." The weather was nice and cool. I felt the tingle of the sun on my stiff jet-lagged joints. It was an indescribable good feeling. The taxi ride to the hotel took awhile. Other passengers were dropped off at much nicer hotels in parts of town I only wished I could afford to vacation in someday. I asked the sole male passenger in there if he was there on business. He replied, "Yes, in town for lunch from Las Vegas. Fly back this evening." Hmm. I muttered in reply, "That's a nice lunch." I want that job!

We finally got to Hotel Majestic which unbeknownst to me until now is haunted. For all I know I may have even stayed in the same haunted room, come to think of it. I got there at a little after 1pm. No early check-ins here. I asked to leave my luggage and explore as much as I could around it. Luckily for me it was close to Japantown (which was underwhelming) and the Fillmore District shops. I grabbed lunch at the closest decent restaurant I could find. It was an Indian food $9.99 all you can eat lunch buffet. I thought to myself, just what I need, I could eat a horse. Food was subpar at best. No wonder it was empty. Not a good way to start. Knowing what I know now and where I was headed, Fillmore Street, I should have waited to eat at some of the better restaurants that were about to present themselves to me.

Filled up and with extra time to spare, I did some window shopping at the Fillmore Street District. Don't you just love neighborhoods like this - streets lined with unique boutiques and one-of-a kind shops. Weaved in and out of the interesting array of shops. Marc Jacobs, weird. Browser books, intense, too bad not enough time. Paolo shoes, tacky. Couple more nameless stores. Clothes seem a little too upscale and high fashion for me. Stopped by Clary Sage Organics and picked up some herbal supplements samples and a free copy of Daniel Kalish's Book, Healthy Guide to Hormones. Yay me. Love this! Nice stroll on a seemingly normal Tuesday afternoon and I score some swag. Nice. Bought a pack of Leinunkugel (I think that's what it's called) very good European beer and went back to check into the hotel.

The Hotel was not so bad. It looked like some quaint European bedroom with the pine furniture, old-fashioned TV set and a claw foot tub. I didn't mind it at all, expected worse. Plus, the staff was just the nicest. Everything I asked for they provided in a short amount of time which I thought was so sweet for such a dated place. I sat back, unpacked and finally had a chance to rest from waking up early, the long flight, the time change, hustling at the airport, the immediate window shopping I was thrust in. I was exhausted. So I just sat back, relaxed and unknowingly downed two beers.

Two hours later, I decided not to waste what I had left of the daylight and the day and headed over to Union Square to do some more window shopping. It was just like I remembered it from 3 years ago.

There was still the big ole' Macy's store in the middle of Union Square. The casual people who sit there and just take in the day in the middle of the square. Only this time there were more people than I remember. And the rest of the San Franciscans who just walk by totally unaffected by how pretty and serene everything seems to be. I did some more window shopping at Macy's, H&M (which had a very disappointing collection I must say), took some pictures of the square and began the long walk back to the hotel.

Some things never change. San Francisco still has a staggering amount off homeless people, some of them harmless, some of them totally wasted and some of them really creepy. What was I thinking that there'd be fewer of them with the recession? I lost my directions back to the hotel so it got a bit scary with the homeless, scary people as I walked back.

This is the scary part of vacationing alone - when you have to walk the long, dark, unknown streets on your own. The trick to tackling this, one, stay aware of your surroundings, if people start walking behind you let them walk past you and if they refuse to walk past you, pick up the phone and make a phone call to anyone (preferably your mother) so at least there's someone on the other line that can call for help in case anything were to happen to you. Then, most importantly before you begin your walk pick a busy street, walk on the most well-lit street you can find. Find a family friendly looking couple or group of people and walk behind them. Stay close to them and if they change direction from your destination, find anouther well-lit street and walk on it.

I followed all these tricks of the trade and thankfully made it back to my hotel safe and sound.

Day One. Accomplished.

I'm on vacation

2010-04-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow I will be on vacation in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Yep, this is the time of my life I love the most when I get to vacation, alone nonetheless and it's even better. I know that because I've vacationed with family and it's been pretty boring and then, by myself has been pretty rad. So I am hopeful and my inner self is excited. I love the time alone and away from Atlanta to explore, discover, meditate and just be me, with me and by me. It's awesome. If I could afford to do it more often I would. But alas, I can't.

I hope to blog about my experiences but my laptop is pretty old and bulky so I don't take it on trips with me. I shall try my best to detail my trip as much as possible, in some way or the other give you some blow by blow account. Until then, do not despair, go out into the world and explore, by yourself with yourself, because you are your best kind.

Reasons why I chose to go Solo

2010-03-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

People often ask me why I go to certain places by myself.

It wasn't always like this. I didn't just wake up and have the cajones to try certain places like the club, the bar or even the local movie by myself. It slowly evolved, brought upon by certain events and before I knew it I just got used to it. To a certain degree now, I sometimes prefer it, so much that when I end up attending certain events with people I feel like I would have had a better time if I had gone by myself.

I decided to do this series titled: Why I choose to go solo?

One of the main reasons why I choose to go solo sort of started from rejected invitations. I would invite my girlfriends to go out with me and it would be like playing 20 questions. Where is it, what time, what do I wear, what type of place is it, will there be men there, etc. 20 questions. It's almost like asking them out on a date; as if they're going out with me would benefit me in some way. And before you know it, you've lost your nerve or the verve to even want to go out anymore with all the inquisitive questions. Then, the worst part would be, five minutes after you've answered all these questions, they would either choose not to go, make up some lame excuse like "Oh, I have to wash my hair," or "Oh, I promised so and so, I would do this and that." This would just infuriate me. You asked me all those questions when you had other plans or did you just make up those other plans on the fly. Or worse off, they would say, "Yeah we can go," and then, five minutes to the designated time, they would say, "Oh, wow, I forgot, I have to wash my hair."

Yep, very frustrating.

I know they are ditching me for some guy or something they think is more important. So now, I don't even bother. Sometimes the occasional friend (after being dumped by said lover and in need of a "girls outing")would call and ask me where I am headed and if I am in the mood I would tell them and they can meet me there if they choose. If not, I would say nowhere. It's not like they wanted to come out with me anyway.

Occasionally, I still find myself inviting someone to come out with me. There are places I know are best experienced with company, and I've mentioned those places off and on in here, for e.g. certain lounges, unfamiliar territories. Or there have been times when I am just not in the mood to venture out alone, to be honest with you, it takes a lot of gumption. In those cases, I've been weak and persuaded a friend to come out with me. The answer and the reception with them is still the same after all this time and I always kick myself for thinking it would be any different. In the end, this often causes me not to go and spend the day on the couch. But why do that, why miss out on life just because you're afraid to take the plunge alone?

So there it is, one of the main reasons why I chose to go solo.

Midweek Musicology

2010-03-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday in need of some much needed excitement to what was already turning out to be a one-note week, I decided to go catch some local bands play at Smith's Olde Bar. I did research these bands before I left, I don't want you to think I just get up and go to see any type music. I like music but some types of music just do not transfer well live and if they don't why bother seeing them.

Tuesday at SOB is there "3 for 5" night. That means you get to see 3 artists play all for the low, low price of $5. You can't beat that at all. If you've never been to SOB, you definitely should give it a try, at least on a Tuesday. They have this very intimate set up with soft lighting, candle-lit tables and great acoustics makes for a very good show any time, almost any artist. You can listen to an artist before they get big and get all swell headed in a very comfy, non-pressure environment. I love it.

One artist I listened to online that I knew would turn out well was Zach Fowler. He was the only Southern based artist out of the 3. The other two, Silent Treatment and The Saucy Jacks are all Californians, I think. I know the Silent Treatment for a fact. They are southern California, sound like 70's inspired rock. Very good, very groovy. I was only able to catch the last bit of their set, only 2 songs I'm afraid. I wish I had come earlier I really would have liked to see them.

Zach Fowler was great. Very mellow, soothing pop-rock music. I don't know how to describe it but he defintely had that singer-songwriter vibe down and I loved it all. It was just him on an acoustic guitar with his "friend" playing the drums. Very nice. I would book them for anything. Not loud, not crassy, just soft and soothing.

The sad part about this night was that I was the only one there. There was another show playing that was more alternative, electro-pop type music and they had a lot more people. But in my show it was just little ole' me. This kinda explains the theme of my life and this here blog - solo adventures, literally and figuratively.

I commend the artists though, they gave it their best. They played like it was a room full of people and I clapped like there was ten of me.

I've seen local artists play before. I've just never had to be all about me in the room. A little daunting!

the blandness continues...

2010-03-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend was pretty much like the last one. It went high then dry, then ever so dry at some points.

Friday started off dry and then went really high and sort of peaked, but Saturday started off really dry and just sat there in its dryness affecting everything around it, right until today, Sunday. I am still working on the low point, the rut, hopefully it is not the precursor to a very boring week. One can only hope right.

Friday.

Went to a Whiskey Tasting event in Midtown. I was so particularly exhausted and had to talk myself into going. I know, when did that happen, me talk myself into going to get some very fine, very free whiskey, how did that happen? But hey, I am getting old. But I did go. I saw Michael Jordan battling Atlanta traffic with me with a cigar in his mouth in 70 degree weather. It was all good. At that point, I knew, things just might be looking up. And they did. The Macallan folks were ever so generous with their pours and their courtesy. There was just so much of it to go round and the night was still young. We ended at a little before 8pm on a hot Friday evening in Midtown, what's not to love? Bumped into some guy who was in the mood for some adventure and we spent the evening bar-hopping. We hit The Vortex, which is supposed to be some Atlanta staple (trust me you are not missing anything), and then ended the evening at Prohibition (which he was a huge fan of) where I proceeded to try some absinthe (yuck!). Wonderful. Went to bed at a little after 3 am. Exciting evening was over. Things that make you happy to be single in the city.

Saturday.

The bad news. I got a dropped call from the guy from last weekend. He had "butt-dialed" me. I wasn't furious, just curious, Do you want to talk to me or not? So I sent him a text, "You seemed to have butt-dialed" me?" Here's the kicker. He acted like he didn't know who the fuck this was. I was irked. So irked. I spent the entire day being irked. I actually kinda liked him. He was sweet and soft-spoken, and I love the soft-spoken ones. Went to a bar and ended up chatting with another singleton who had just returned from a very horrid date on e-harmony. Surely her day was not as bad as mine. So we talked about my fury and she coined the phrase, "butt-dialing" which as you can see I've proceeded to use. It was the shining light to a very dry day. I always love it when I bump into other single women drinking at the bar. It's like I respect them and I understand them. We are comrades in this dating game, in this hole that life has squeezed us into, we are the few single women who leave our homes and TVs and choose to relax with some alcohol and conversation with strangers. Some choose to accept and some choose to ignore that this is their fate. We, my brief drinking partner, and I had come to accept it and for that we exchanged numbers and promised to do this again.

I would like to say my evening got better but it didn't. Went to see a band with a group of friends and they were in a group. Groups tend to love themselves more than anyone else around them. They came in a group and left in a group. And then there was me. I was home by 1.30. Stopped by the video store to borrow some movies and bumped into this annoying lad that was reciting the movies to what I can only hope was his girlfriend. Yes, I took a picture of him. He refused to leave the place until I confronted him and asked him to buzz off, which he kindly obliged me. I bet he thought, "Girl, you need to get a life and lay off the DVDs." Oh, if you only knew.

The end.

Fun with a touch of lonesome

2010-03-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

The weekend. Very interesting and disappointing at the same time.

I must confess, there are a couple of things I wish I could do but they wouldn't go down well solo. Meaning they are not as much fun and have the tendency to look a bit weird if done solo. And no matter how much I wax lyrical about taking on life's adventures solo there are things that a solo outing would not be able to pull off. One of these things is bar hopping St. Patrick's Day style.

I wanted to go to this St. Patrick's day green beer drinking live music having pub but I couldn't go. I've done it before and I know it is not as much fun solo. It's only fun in a group with a bunch of people drinking together, talking about life, shooting the shit as they say, and just generally having a good time. So I chickened out and didn't go (things you should never do solo or not). I really shouldn't have left the house really. It was a mess. A mess of a time.

Friday.

I went clubbing to join the ladies that I went clubbing with 2 weekends ago. Only I got the dates wrong it was supposed to be on Saturday and not Friday so I drove through the traffic in that side of town, squeezed myself into something, put some make up on my face (which I hate) just to get there and the club was closed. There was a movie shoot there earlier so they were taking the equipment down. Indignant, and defiant I still went out anyway. The first couple of places needed a cover and I was not in the mood for that, so I ended up some place. I bumped into this pair of guys who were a little fresh faced and in the mood for some fun, so we ended up scouring the town looking for places to go, and as everything shuts down at 2.30, you can tell this was an arduous task. We ended up at Beluga which I've been dying to go but didn't know how I could withstand all that smoke. It was fun.

This was the fun part of the weekend. Bumping into strangers and partying with them is always fun. I do that on occasion, I never take them home and I try to keep it simple. Most of the time, they don't want to hear from you after that night. It's just a one night thing. Like a "let's live in the moment" escapism effect. In the heat of the moment the conversation is always light hearted, amazing, witty and just carefree. It's good stuff. Once in awhile it happens and when it does it always calls for an entertaining evening.

The disappointing part was Saturday. Did not go to my St. Paddy's day event. Big mistake. Went to a wine tasting of rare wines. Not much fun. The owner's wife kept looking at me like I came to seduce her husband. Once again, I didn't go for my St. Paddy's Day event. Then, I went to dinner at Atlanta Fish Market. Awful food. Awful service. Everyone was just so coupled up and happy, Urrgh! You know how we single people hate that. Nothing makes you feel more alone than sitting in a crowded restaurant watching people canoodle all around you. Wrong decision, would have been better off drinking green beer with some drunk fools.

Then, spent the next couple of hours playing phone tag with my friend from Friday night. Could the day even get worse? To top it off we went forward an hour on Sunday morning and I lost some quality sulking sleep. Things that shouldn't happen to you when you're single.

Today I've decided not to leave the house.

Dining extraordinaire...

2010-03-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon I treated myself to a five star dinner. I love fine dining. I miss fine dining. I sometimes crave fine dining. I would say a sufficient amount of my money is spent on good food and good wine. It's just the little pleasures, you know. However, due to recent budgetary cuts I've had to cut out fine dining and relegated it to "special occasions." Since those are few and far between it's been a significant long time since I've fine dined. Damn you economy!

I had stayed home all weekend with my only outing being on Saturday night and it was pretty low key and I had stayed under budget in my pub crawl with a group of friends. So after the successive pub crawls which are fun but I tell you they are no high class establishments, I needed to go eat somewhere I could be pampered with delectable food. Luckily for me, it was Buckhead Restaurant Week so I had a pick of some of the finest dining in Atlanta.

One of the pluses of being single is you don't necessarily need reservations. You can just perch up on the bar and enjoy a nice conversation with either the bartender (if he's attentive and charming) or fellow diners. And this night was an even better night for this because the Academy's were on. Nothing better than watching the Academy's with a bunch of strangers running commentary with some good food and wine. I tell you, it's superb to infinity. I watched the boring part of the Academy's and sat through that awful opening montage and the very scripted monologue (or is it dialogue) and didn't even feel it.

Once again, it's the little pleasures.

Havana - Bavana

2010-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Friday night. Went to the new Havana Club in Atlanta with one of my meetup groups.

This is a little different than my other single quests because I was not alone per se. There were supposed to be about 70 of us, but I think in the end, there were roughly about 30 women of all ages, not necessarily single, some married with kids, some hopelessly single like myself but we all came to dance our blues away with other women. You hardly get women want to go out with each other, we are always hunting for that man or waiting for that man to take us there when we should be just as happy as the men when they kick it with each other.

I almost did not go. For one, Friday night outings are hard for me. Between the hours of 7 - 9pm, I battled with exhaustion, from waking up early to go to work, dealing with the work day. I was just tired - what can I say I'm getting too old for this shish. But I was able to pull it together pick one nice outfit I could squeeze myself into and just scurry out of the house.

It was a fun evening marred only by the deplorable state of their valet car service. Whatever you do when you go there, DO NOT VALET. Waiting outside for 35 minutes in 30 degree weather dressed in barely nothing waiting for the incompetent valet to pull my car around just ruined the evening for me. I would have been better off parking at home and walking.

However back to the evening. It was generally fun. There was good music from this band called "The Ruckus" who played Top 40 covers, very lively and energetic band, quite unexpected. People usually have a DJ at nightclubs not a band, so this was different.

I don't know if it was good different because it didn't give us a chance to have that normal bump and grind that you loathe but inevitably crave from a nightclub. Everyone just sort of stood around (everyone being the single men) looking affected, drink in hand just listening to the music. Interaction was at an all time low. When I noticed that the band was not an opener for the evening but the actual act, I wrapped things up earlier than I normally would.

Will I ever go back there again. Not likely. The average age was rather young and with the lack of interaction, it would have been sad without the ladies of the meetup group. So it's a no on that one.

An afternoon at the theater

2010-02-22T16:06:00.000-08:00

What's the best way to kick off your week? Why, a trip to the theatre of course. An afternoon at the theater is one of my all-time favourite things to do. An expensive treat but still a delightful nonetheless. What's evene better, when you don't expect to spend an afternoon at the theater but it just presents itself to you, like it did to me.

Sunday morning, after spending Saturday night indoors, I got a call from a friend of mine. She was upset and distraught over the passing of a friend and would not be able to use her theater tickets for that afternoon, she asked if I'd be interested. Well, of course I'd be interested. I didn't really have any plans that did not involve food, Champagne and loads of movies (a summary of my Sundays in that order). And you know how I love spontaneity in my life - it's one of the advantages of being single. It means I am free to do anything at any time because I do not have any immediate commitments.

So with less than 2 hours to shower, I had to get to the theater to take in Alvin Ailey's American Dance Theater in their final performance for the season at the Fox Theater.

I was elated. I was to join a group of ladies who had planned to do this and then end the afternoon with a nice dinner downtown. How delightful? Can you hear me squee for joy?

I raced to the theater and got there just in time. This was one of those shows where you are not allowed to stroll in late. 3pm was the cutoff time and a moment after the doors would be shut and no admission until the intermission. So I raced to the doorway and made it. In all fairness, they actually started a little after 3pm but I'm not mad at them.

The show itself. It did not wow me. It left me wanting more and so much more. I kept comparing it to the brutal criticism I witness of the near perfect dancers on So You Think You Can Dance, and thinking these fell a little short. The dancing was not as in sync, the lines were not as straight and the choreography was not as poetic (or enthralling) as some of the Mia Michaels routines on SYTYCD. It just felt a little short to me. I loved some of the narration that occurred with the routines but as one of the guests commented during intermission, she would have preferred the dance to narrate the theme, to tell her the story instead of having it be slapped in her face.

After the show we all convened at Sweet Auburn Bistro and compared notes on the show. I had breakfast and a few drinks at 7:30 and drove home with a smile on my face. Dinner and a show with the ladies, you can't beat that.

The Monday after Valentine's...Not So Bad

2010-02-17T19:27:00.000-08:00

Please join us in celebrating Dining Out Magazine's 5th Issue Release!

Menu Tasting By Parks Edge

Wine By Antinori

Vodka Cocktails By Karlsson's Gold

Live Music

Gift Bags for the first 50 By Almanac

I had the honor of attending this here event on February 15th. A friend had forwarded me the invite, and apparently everyone on Facebook had heard about it. Hmmm...

It was a little different for me. Park's Edge is this wee bit cute, if I can use that word, romantic restaurant. It's perfect night is Saturday night when they have this acoustic band serenade you in the bar area, right by the fireplace, it creates the perfect, most cosy setting ever. Not great on your own because you can't get to share that "romance" with anyone but still a serene evening nonetheless. You end the Saturday evening on a high.

However, on the day of this event there were many people, quite a lot of people crammed into this perfect, teeny tiny cute little space I had made my own little "Saturday evening" secret. It felt invasive almost. However, I did not despair. There was free wine and hors d'oeuvres that met their unfortunate end very quickly out of the kitchen as everyone was indeed very hungry, and lots of people. Everywhere I turned there were people. The wine which they doled out was not the good kind. I've had wine here and it's top tier wine, on this day they gave us subpar wine. I went from white to red to the vodka and it was still bad. When vodka is bad you know it's serious. The food, so little of it and yet so many of us so quickly devoured. What were they thinking?

Most importantly, I want to go ahead and apologize to the lady that I was talking to before I bumped into a very old friend of mine. When you go for a lot of these things you bump into the same people and you very quickly start to make friends with them. One of them from my outings last year which I haven't seen since the premiere of "He's Not That Into You" was there and clearly we had a lot to catch up on since it's been an entire year. However, there was this sweet lady I had chatted up as I saw her standing by herself looking morose, possibly overwhelmed with the crowd squished into this tiny place. I always reach out to fellow soloists like myself when I go out. I feel like we should stick together. Men do, you can hardly tell a man is by himself at an event. But women we just alienate ourselves.

But on this day I was bad. I had started off talking to her when my eyes went to my friend and from there on we just alienated her. I couldn't remember her name to introduce her to my friend, I needed to talk to my friend alone but she was still there, so we talked around her. Bad Anita, bad. So I want to officially apologize to her now, even though I know she will never read this, but good karma, good. And I'm sorry. As the evening wore on, I saw her talking to some guy that she seemed to hit it off with, they even took pictures together. And because I was with my friend, the photographer approached us and asked to take a picture of us. You know (as reported on here) they don't take pictures of people by themselves.

I actually enjoyed talking to my friend who unbeknownst to me is a fellow soloist. She vacations abroad by herself and recently returned from a trip to Thailand. Now, that is even beyond me. I might get her to be our co-blogger on here, blog about her solo travel adventures. Plus, she made the same observations I had about the pluses of going it alone. It was a good call to talk to her.

So halfway in, tired of the cheap wine, she invited me to her Monday dinner group with a group of friends. Every Monday, a group of friends get together to break bread at a different restaurant in town, sample a different type of cuisine. She asked me to come along and how could I refuse, you know how I love to eat and after all that cheap wine I could use some good food. So I went and had a blast at this hole in the wall Vietnamese restaurant eating the freshest, tastiest Vietnamese food and laughing with her friends- who were so cool by the way for letting me crash their spot.

I loved it. I loved everything about that evening. I loved the chance meeting. I loved that life presented something I was not expecting, I loved that I got a chance to meet some new people and make new friends. Most of all, I loved that I got to eat, drink and laugh, out loud. What could be better?

So you see when you open yourself to adventures on your own, life will take you on a sweet ride.