"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 lack 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 Hotel. Let me premise this by saying that the W Hotel does have a great rooftop lounge with amazing panoramic views of the Buckhead/Midtown area. It's breathtaking. Very posh, 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, and 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 Lenox Mall. Dress somewhat casual so I could make the walk unnoticed from the mall a couple of blocks over to the W Hotel. 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, that price tag alone demands snootiness. 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 Lenox Mall lies a restaurant that I've never been to try 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.
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