It wouldn’t be a complete birthday bash without a proper after party! After dinner and cake, a group of us headed over to Chinatown for Summer Nights!
I had been to the event last summer, and went again last week. The vibe is hard to describe in words. You need to experience it. The streets are alive, the people are nice, the feeling is one that encompasses that magical feeling that can be found within the City of Angels.
Since it also happened to be so close to Wurstkuche…it seemed natural to spend the last few hours of being 26 here surrounded by my friends.
We must have gotten there around 9pm so the party was totally underway. As we all texted each other in an attempt to meet up, the large white balloon seemed to be the best spot. It was there that we were able to catch a cooking demonstration hosted by Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining. As the ladies were cooking, we nudged Mariano towards the front so he would be close when they chose volunteers, but then he got shy. The guy works at the best restaurant in Bakersfield but can still be shy. Adorable!
After watching the demo for a bit, we headed back over to where the rest of the group was and were joined by Nate and Aleks! Aww!
Half of the crew went over to the Lake Street Creamery truck (which I absolutely adore). I think that after tonight, it is safe to say we are all big fans. Especially Greg. Amiright?
Next we went to the Drip Bar cart, which is serving Blue Bottle. I tried them last week at a Farmers Market and told the girls I would be back during my birthday bash so that my friends and I could indulge in some Blue Bottle goodness! They told me to come back for my birthday coffee!
This Blue Bottle New Orleans Iced Coffee was pretty fantastic! Thanks girls!
Coffee in hand, we all headed over across the street to explore some more!
We were met by the sounds of KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole! Nice!
Aleks was ready to jump on the dance floor, but Mariano and Sara needed some convincing…
Meanwhile the boys were not excited about the thought of dancing the night away…
Aleks went to go check it out for us…
We’ll come back to the dance floor portion of my birthday bash a little later…wink wink.
As we went through the streets exploring and wandering, we came across people playing Ping Pong. Random. Totally random. I had a total flashback moment when I remembered that E was really good at Ping Pong, and I mentioned this to Aleks. She said we should play…and then I realized…wow. I have never played Ping Pong! The next thing I knew, we were signed up! I’m not sure what association this was with, but I will say it was completely free and the people hosting it were really nice!
I proceeded to get a Ping Pong lesson from Mike Cruz…before getting completely PWND. However, it was just a random silly thing to do on a summer night and it was a lot of fun! The big surprise was when it was Aleks’ turn to play. She was AMAZING! She was so good in fact, the a Chinese man came over to challenge her to a game.
The boys were less than impressed at us girls playing Ping Pong and proceeded to chat in the corner. Silly boys!
After Ping Pong we proceeded to keep walking and came across a wishing well. We all took out some change and made wishes. Nate got Long Life, Mari got Love, Sara, Shawna, Aleks missed, and I got a coin in the cup but it bounced back out! Sigh. Everyone saw it bounce back out, so I can’t even make that up.
We walked over to the food trucks but most everyone was too full to eat anything else. There was a nice variety available though. Mike Cruz and Mike D. separated from the crowd and when we found them again they were eating some street tacos with Mexican coke. Yes. that is why we are friends. High Five!
Something that often gets overlooked is that most of the shops and galleries are open during Chinatown Summer Nights. My favorite gallery is 5th Floor (of course) but there are other little shops to sneak into. There was one near the dance floor that had some really nice cutesy artsy things that can’t be found just anywhere! Here is Sara posing: Nom Nom Nom.
As we left this shop, we were met with some entertainment!
Fire + Hula Hoop = Wow.
After exploring Chinatown it was time to hit up Jeremy Sole on the dancefloor! Aleks and I headed back into the crowd and got our groove on. I assumed everyone else would follow but I soon realized we were on our own…so I ventured back out and found everyone just standing around. Sara and Shawna were feeling shy, and Mariano said “I don’t dance”…
So I pulled the “but its my birthdaaaaaay!” line and the next thing you know there we were, Sara, Shawna, Mariano, and Aleks, dancing, as Nate and Jason and everyone else looked on.
And so the last few minutes of me being 26 were spent out in my beloved City of Angels, surrounded by friends, outside, dancing, laughing, smiling, under the Chinatown Summer Nights. It was magic.
Thanks to those brave enough for the after party: Jason, Mariano, Sara, Shawna, Mike Cruz, Mike D., Scott, Bree, RE, Jeffrey, Greg, Kendra, and Yeekai.
As midnight struck, and I was now officially 27…I realized how blessed and lucky I am to have spent the day surrounded by my friends and family. I realized how good life is. Although stressful, I’m really happy with my career choice, and this new philosophy of just living life and exploring is really working out for me. Not only was this my birthday celebration, but it was also my real end of summer. August is officially coming to an end…
I can’t wait to see what Fall 2010 brings…because I don’t know how Summer 2010 can be topped.
And how can I top a wonderful day like today for when I turn 28?
Yikes!
XoXo
-L
Great post. Cool pictures too! Glad I could be there with you. It was fun. Happy Birthday!!!