Downtown Cinderella

On television, living in LA usually looks very glamorous. In reality, it's not; I spend most of my days working 8 hours to make a modest living, hanging out with friends, and generally just trying to keep things interesting. But every once in a while, the LA stars align and I get to do something really cool.

This past weekend, I got to go to the Spinster's Ball and explore the finer side of Downtown LA living.

Now before you say it, I know you're thinking, "Why on God's green earth would you want to be associated with anything called Spinsters?!?!" Trust me, I was thinking the same thing. It turns out, the Spinsters are a very old-money, elite social/charity organization that puts on these grand events every year, and in spite of bringing to mind the image of an unmarried smelly-old cat lady, they are actually a very exclusive, well- respected group of young ladies. Granted, I'm only friends with one person who's in Spinsters, but she's incredibly friendly and fun, so I'm giving the entire the organization the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, to make a long story short, due to some scheduling magic and a very generous invitation, I got to attend the ball with several girlfriends.

Similar to Cinderella, I had a few obstacles to overcome before the ball. The chief one being, that the ball was black tie, and I needed to procure a gown. Luckily for me, my parents live about an two hours away, and my Mom has graciously not thrown away all of my junk from teenage years, so I took a trip home, and brought back all of my formal gowns from high school. Let me tell you, if you are feeling a little to cocky and self-assured, try on some of your clothes from junior year of high school. It's like a swift kick in the face. Luckily for me, 1 out of the 4 formal ball gowns that I own still fit, so although there was no fairy godmother involved, I got my dress.

So last saturday, ball gown in tow, I arrived at the Downtown Los Angeles Biltmore hotel, where my friends, Marisa, Lauren, Brittany and I were staying. Biltmore is absolutely gorgeous. Downtown can be a seedy, hodge-podge of noise, traffic, smog and people, but the Biltmore and the area surrounding it can only be described as old-hollywood glamour. Everything is gilded, and has ornate frames, and there are about 9 different people you're supposed to tip during a 48-hour stay. That's how you know it's classy.

After we absorbed the shock of how nice everything was, we went up to our room to get ready, and then met up with some friends before walking about half a block to the Cicada which was where the ball was held.

After seeing how beautiful and historic the Biltmore was, I couldn't imagine that the Cicada could be any more stately and beautiful, but once again, my expectations were exceeded. We entered a sprawling ballroom with old fashioned fixtures, and chandeliers, dimly-lit, with tables covered in black linens and delicate white hydrangeas. There was a live band, a winding staircase, and lots, and lots, (and lots) of champagne. It was swanky.

Did I mention there was champagne?

Some important things to note about this ball: It did not contain prince charmings, a waltz, or chaperones. It did contain a four-course steak dinner, men in kilts, and a very interesting assortment of lawyers, investment bankers and people who didn't actually know how to articulate what they did for a living, but were liberal in talking about the excess of wealth they possessed (It takes all kinds to make a high society event).

Anyhow, we met lots of interesting people, ate until we were stuffed and danced the night away... and then when that was over, we went back to our hotel and danced some more.

That's right. We party hard. and then we promptly fell asleep exactly 10 minutes later.

The next day, I was expecting my carriage to turn back into a honda civic pumpkin, but we woke up and decided to prolong our Los Angeles staycation by going to brunch and exploring downtown. A short walk led us to one of the most beautiful bakeries I have ever seen: Bottega Louie. The food and atmosphere at Louie are phenomenal and the service was impeccable. Words don't even do it justice, so I'll resist the urge to try to describe it, and just show you:

Photos courtesy of the Bottega Louie blog: http://www.bottegalouie.blogspot.com/

You would think that by this time, we would have had enough of Downtown LA, but no, we decided to make one more stop on our Los Angeles Staycation. The Standard Hotel. Now, to preface, I've been to the rooftop pool at The Standard many times, but this was the first time I've been during the day. In my several visits, I've noticed several trends: It's always crowded and the bouncers are always unfriendly (even though you pay to get in, whether you are a girl, a boy, or Cindy Crawford herself). In their defense, The Standard hotel is a very modern, chic establishment, and I'm sure they have to regulate who they let in, but I've got to say, for all of their posh and sleek exterior, they have terrible guest relations.

That said, It's a really cool pool. There are water bed pods, and a giant pool that's level with the surface of the ground, and topiary unicorns, and it goes without saying they've cornered the market on afternoon pool parties in the middle of LA's concrete jungle (note: the Biltmore should build a pool). All in all, once you weigh the snobbery against the beauty and charm, I guess you break even, which pretty accurately sums up Los Angeles as well. 

 My downtown vacation was very fun and glamorous, but I can't picture myself living like that every day. For one thing, it costs $40 a day to park your car, and there are hipsters with knee tattoos who say things like "Oh my gaaaaawd. We drove all the way from Silverlake to go to this pool party, and it's $20.00!". I'm not sure I could ever adjust to that.  Even without that though, I think I'm content with spending my weekends riding my bike, going to farmers markets and being a beach city girl, and just playing dress up every now and then.

Cheers to Summer Stay-cays!