Just caught the screening of Planet Bboy presented by the San Diego Asian Film Festival. www.sdaff.org and www.myspace.com/sdaff at the Ken Cinema Theater http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/SanDiego/KenCinema.htm
The screening was kicked off by a live performance of local breakers which was a nice surprise. I'm not much of a film critic just more of a supporter of SDAFF (because they never failed to have fun events) but I can tell you that Planet Bboy was like a Disney film, packed with all these personal stories of struggle, culture, and bonding... but the dancing doesn't suck.
Enjoy the vids until I'm able to update the past outings of the last two weekends!
Picked up 2 more consulting gigs
www.myspace.com/53atosetra
I'm helping with their online marketing
and
http://www.marketingmelodie.com
Helped my dear friend Melodie start her online presence! Go Melodie!
I'll be back on this in the coming week! Promise! <3
Jbar
www.jsixsandiego.com
616 J St
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 531-8744
Approaching the bar the purple lighting is eye catching for a few blocks out.
This is left of the elevator next to the front entrance.
Here's the view from the right.
Further back of the ground level resturant.
You come out of that elevator to Jbar.
Main bar.
Outside deck.
And of course the hotel pool.
I've been at the downstairs bar for a birthday and recently at the pool bar for the TNT after party. Downstairs is welcoming and pleasant to hang around. There's no Dj or loud music so its a good place for a drink and a chat. Upstairs the new plastic tents they put in cheapened the place a bit. However, I'm sure it's to keep the place warmer. The purple gazebo is a lot less special looking up close. While the place was spacious there didn't seem to be anything special about this roof top bar. I suppose you can call it the most casual rooftop bar. I can never imagine a line outside for this place, only because there's no dance floor or loud music. I'd say this venue is good to keep on your list for a good sit and chat bar. My favorite place to do that is the top of the Hyatt but it feels a lot more formal in there.
I feel like this post is way too short. Maybe because I feel pretty meh about this place?
Thursday Night Thing @ Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
MCASD Downtown—Jacobs & Copley Buildings and 1001 Kettner
1100 & 1001 Kettner Blvd. (between Broadway and B Street)
858 454 3541
San Diego, CA 92101
http://www.mcasd.org
As taken from their website TNT is:
http://www.mcasd.org/events/lectures.asp#TNT
"The first Thursday of every month, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego hosts TNT (Thursday Night Thing), an ongoing program of intriguing events in MCASD's Downtown galleries. Beginning at 7 pm, something different and interesting will be happening downtown— from slide jams, DJ lessons, and poetry readings to live bands, artists' talks, and video projections— TNT's eclectic events will be occasions to interact with the arts and artists in the San Diego region."
Tonight's Thing was Sara Wookey's "Walking L.A. / (Sur)facing the city. I missed out on the discussion looking for friends, and then missed the live performance while socializing. What I could gleam from what I saw Sara wanted to and wants everyone one to walk in the city where no one walks. Walking just to explore? That's something I'm down with. There were free pin reflectors for night time walking and cheap tequila.
This has nothing to do with the nights event, it's just how they light the stair case and it kicks ass. The whole place is just wonderful. Sadly they're still installing some works so not everything was open.
This was the discussion room that afterward had these bean bags to chill on while watching breaking videos.
Outside of the 2nd floor room.
Outside patio from another angle.
View of downtown from 2nd floor.
First room when you enter.
I liked the expressions on the trolley passengers faces wondering what's going on. This outside area is straight through from the above picture.
Always thank the sponsors!
A large crowd starts to form for...
BRAAIINS! http://braaiins.com
You can't beat a band that sings about the undead!
More photos here on my myspace!
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.editAlbumPhotos&albumID=2520190&MyToken=7217e423-62c9-4b64-b1b7-283c7c53d22c
Is there any reason for drinks to cost more than $10 on a weekday night? I may be using an unfair measuring stick as my two normal drinks are Grateful Dead and Tokyo Tea.
These are far far from just being a well drink as Grateful Dead's are Vodka, Rum, Gin, Triple sec, Chambord raspberry liqueur, Sour mix, Sprite and Tokyo Teas are Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Melon liqueur. (Yeah I know, alcoholic drinks. Well at least it's not like everyone else's adios and long islands!)
Well on one hand I'll let a restaurant charge me more for one of their signature drinks during dinner but on the other hand if I'm at an event and I"m going to the bar I always scoff at paying that much.
Ok something positive. Banana Cream pie at Dave and Buster's is freaking amazing.
My photos suck.
On purpose.
Nothing is posed or taken in optimal settings because there's enough of that on a venue / club/ restaurant's own website and every other review site.
Not that I'm trying to go for the absolute opposite of everyone else, I'm first a natural fan of candids. With candids you can catch how people interact within the event. I also try to shoot in a way so people can visualize the layout in their head.
Bar Basic
410 10th St
www.barbasic.com
(619) 531-8869
http://www.myspace.com/barbasic
The first time I approached this place I was seriously underwhelmed. Check out the dirt patch next to the sidewalk. And this is a downtown establishment! crazy!
This place also continues the semi annoying trend of not having a front sign. I say semi because it's hard the first time you find the place or when you're trying to give directions but sometimes a place can pull it off. The place is called Basic so it does work in this case.
The first reaction walking in sets the Basic theme in a very positive way.
Brick and metal make up 90% of Basic but in a chic lounge way that doesn't feel cheap. The place looks as if a small group of friends who owned a private hanger for small airplanes decided to turn it into a bar. You know that someone who owns airplanes must have some cash so the interior may be simple but not cheap.
The ceiling and the very over sized fan inspired the above analogy.
The front entrance opens to a hallway that connects the two main rooms the one pictured above and the bar pictured earlier.
Here's the other half of Basic from the outside. When things get particularly crowded the windows can be opened for circulation. Speaking of circulation, why is that an afterthought in most clubs?
Basic but it's not like you're in a shanty town bar.
The wall near the bathrooms are used for the projector. There's also a lone pool table back there.
The place is low key but not PB, it's tucked away near the ball park so you can successfully avoid club bitches and douches, and chill out like cheers. And there's pizza to boot. There's loud music on the weekends but I haven't been inside to see if there's any dancing going on. There's no dedicated dance floor but some empty space where it can happen.
I like the place and won't groan about it if people want to go there. I have an art show review to post that was held in this space and that worked out fine. It's nothing I'll urge people to try unless they ask me for something chill in downtown.
Update: $14 for a Grateful Dead on a Tuesday night! Minus points for Bar Basic !
I've been struggling with how to exactly form an opinion for the publics consumption here on my blog. I want to establish myself as far away from the competition as possible, as well be a place for people to decide if a place is for them or not.
I started out with this page as just a club review section but when you read reviews from other people on yelp or editorials by publications sometimes a venue is judged by the promoter who was in charge of the night.
This section is now about clubs and events. I'll write about a venue first describing the merits it has conducive to having an event there. Then I will write about events that happen there separately.
While that is just heaps of more work for me, it should allow my visitors to have the information they need before making a night life entertainment choice.
Did it "Rock My World"?
Yeah, I know that's cliche but that's what the ad copy promises off the Hard Rock website www.hardrockhotelsd.com
More specifically http://www.hardrockhotelsd.com/accommodations/hard-rock-suites?phpMyAdmin=qBGylAVBrRB4jV8gpwORv3z6qW5
Le'ts break down what the hotel promises:
"With bold colors and materials, custom-designed furniture and integrated media centers, Hard Rock Suites' three connecting spaces — bedroom, bathroom and living room — create a significant sense of space and openness, and give guests separate and distinct areas for plugging in or chilling out."
Let's start with the living room:
I was greeted by this as I walked in. This is THE nicest couch I ever had in a hotel room. Comfy and stylish. Smaller than pictured but without arm rests you can fit more bodies on it during a party. One of my friends thought it was a little too stiff for their comfort as it's not like most couches that sink in when you sit on it. Pillows look like snake skin... maybe it is?
Oh and I asked the hotel for 4x pillows because I'm a pillow fiend. Bonus points for delivering on that promise!
Adjacent from the couch is the "Mbar" (you can see the pillows and couch in the mirror) I'm not sure what the M stands for but it does look stylish. Chairs don't look as uncomfortable as they look. I set up my laptop on this counter.
Again from the website:
"The green-room inspired m-Bar refreshment center includes generously sized bottles of boutique spirits, make-your-own margarita kits, gourmet market munchies, intimate apparel and choice music. State-of-the art lighting allows you to set the mood."
They give you what you need for in room margaritas but that small bottle of Patron will set you back $60!
The price list just in case you were wondering.
They really do give you everything you need for "Patron Margarita Party Package"
Overpriced goodies. They do give you a free newspaper, magazine,CD, piece of rock candy, and a mini Voss water though.
If I was a rock star I would totally raid this mini bar. Prices here actually aren't as inflated as most hotels and about a dollar cheaper than downtown prices. Oh and WAY cheaper than the bars in the hotel haha.
Next paragraph:
"The entertainment area is a party waiting to happen. Crank up your music through the 42" LG flatscreen HDTV with integrated video and sound systems with plug-and-play technology that connects your personal audio player (iPod or MP3), video camera or notebook computer to the media hub.
Actually this is the TV that is next to the bed and not the one that can take inputs. Both tv's can be linked however and at half volume are quite nice for a party. I didn't get any complaints so I'm assuming that the room is at least somewhat sound proofed. From the hall way you can barely hear that I was playing any music. They really give you every audio input standard so I plan to get a larger suite and get myself a DJ next party.
Let's see what's next:
"The unpredictable floor plan splits the bedroom and lounge with a sensually-styled bathroom that features a separate shower and water closet. The shower's frosted glass walls lend a voyeuristic hint; the ceiling mounted rain shower washes away the day's — or evening's — stresses."
The toilet looks all lonely =( I thought it was strange having the sink shower and bathroom split up. Well I just felt sorry for the toilet the other two pieces were cool as they were.
I couldn't fit the 2nd shower head into the shot. The window there shows through to the couch. You can make out a silhouette which is either creepy or sexy haha. There's also a ledge there at the bottom and you could angle both shower heads on to it. The shower is built right behind the sink, with a door to the left of the sink to get in.
Here's me in front of the sink. Behind me is the entrance to the toilet and in front of me is the shower. This sort of acts as the hall to the bedroom.
And last
"Bedrooms are sensual and lush. Vibrant colors beckon, textured materials energize and luxurious amenities provide the ultimate in comfort. Halo-illuminated beds with Hard Rock's custom Sleep Like a Rock bedding and 300-thread-count cotton linens beckon. Close the sheers that separate the bedroom from the rest of the suite for privacy and comfort."
I must say I had a great time on this bed. One of my friends said it was too stiff though.
Here are the curtains as explained above.
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