A few weeks ago, my friend Sion and I were vacationing in Los Angelas. It was part business and part pleasure. But, really, it was a pastiche of random events occurring. We expected to stay in the area for a week but happenstance, Frankenstorm, and a vicissitude of moments altered our original course of action.
It was our third day in Los Angelas, and we were staying at the Garden Suite Hotel and Resort in Koreatown. I am so in love with K-town. All you can drink Bubbletea, the Wiltern concert venue was right by our hotel, and I ate so much Bulgogi that it’s not even funny. K-town totally rocked my socks off!
Aside from staying in “The Perfect” room and eating spicy squid, bulgogi and miso soup every day, Sion and I wanted to pick out the perfect outfit for her friend’s wedding. The upcoming nuptials were less than a week away and we figured donning a pair of jeans and a concert shirt would hamper the happy occasion.
Harold and Kumar decided to take the 720 bus from Western and Wilshire up to Beverly Hills. The bus ride was replete with questionable people, yet the bus was nuanced with technological advancements such as having a flat screen t.v. As we both got off, we walked a labyrinthine route unto the Beverly Connection, an affordable mall that had haute-couture trimmings.
The first store we walked into was White House Black Market and I was starting to feel a bit intimidated. Though we ensconced ourselves firmly into the store due to the high quality, prestige and its proximity to us, my fashion sense is temperate at best. I’ve never been a trendsetter before and i’m a frugal person. Good deals and bargains satiate me.
I never had a stylist style me before. I was super honored and Sion was having a great time too. That day, I broke free from my frugal thinking pattern and embarked on a new voyage. I splurged $$$ on my red dress lined with tiger stripes and on the golden belt plus matching shoes. Sion bought the cutest little outfit ever, and I named her the Princess of Koryo! Diego is an aspiring actor and we both sense that he will make it big one day. He’s, like, born with a sixth sense. His sixth sense, obviously, is killing it in fashion.
Harold and I dined at L’ermitage but sadly didn’t have enough time to eat everything. We wanted to salsa dance at Dakota in Santa Monica that night and dashed as soon as we got the check. At the hotel, we got ready fast and caught a cab all the way down to the beach area. I decided to wear what I bought at White House Black Market since I wanted to dress ‘Hollywood’ that night.
Despite the fact that we mistakenly stuck our food into a freezer and being bad on time, we finally made it to Dakota Lounge. We were resolute in making things happen. Dakota Lounge was known for their salsa nights every Thursday! I guess Hollywood and the D.C area have something in common, an ardent love for Salsa.
Lo and behold, there was Walter Emanuel Jones (Original Black Power Ranger) by the bar area. Jones is a highly coveted salsa dancer who won the Salsa World Championship in 2004. Harold and Kumar were super star-strucked that night. He was super nice and welcomed us both warmly into the area. I was even lucky enough to get a free Salsa dance lesson that night.
I wish I wasn’t born with two left feet ( figuratively speaking) but I am. Jones was trying to give me a few pointers but I felt like I was botching them up, each step of the way. Regardless of being a novice, I was swung, twirled and dipped. There was this respite that made me feel like I was floating above the ground yet feeling like this must be a dream.
Here I was dancing with an important figure from my childhood. Wow! Jones is the best Salsa dancer I have ever seen. He moves with pure ease and dazzles the crowd with his incisive moves. Hot Damn! What a gifted dancer! Just watching him dance was a pure treat.
After Sion and I danced for a few hours, we decided to head to West Hollywood. Diego, our stylist extraordinaire, told us to check out these hotspots.
The clubs we went to either had long lines or were barren. It was close to 2 a.m ( everything fun closes by then) so we poised ourselves into whatever club seemed fun. Thanks to Diego, we were dressed resplendently and later on we concluded our wild day at a quarter to 2.
Alas, this was just one day that I am blogging about from my our trip to Cali. You wouldn’t believe the insane shenanigans that went down other days..
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