Events – lifeofacitygal

An Evening Celebrating Just Mercy

BE@WB (Black Employees at Warner Bros) started the year with an impactful event for the highly-anticipated film ‘Just Mercy’. The night began with a cocktail reception and was followed by an advanced screening for WB employees and industry partners across a number of other studios including Amazon, Sony, Netflix and Paramount. I heard of the work of Bryan Stevenson but to see this film and how it brought his story to life was very touching, educating and more importantly, much needed. After watching this film, you cannot leave more inspired and yearning for change. Inspired to do better, to have a voice, to make a difference in some form or fashion, to lend a helping hand. Change can come in many forms as well so whatever you desire to see change or be apart of a form of change is what I meant in the preceding statement. The cast delivered an outstanding, strong performance and helped to paint only a portion of the undeniably great work of Bryan Stevenson. The formation of EJI (Equal Justice Initiative) was built on the premise of seeking truth, justice and providing legal assistance for the poor and condemned. Not to forget, this was all done without monetary gain since legal counsel was provided free of charge. The amount of perseverance and strength to just keep going in spite of any hurdle or obstacle presented, portrayed in Stevenson’s character throughout the film, was inspiring in itself.

After the screening, the cast of the film joined us for a moderated panel. Talent included Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, Jamie Foxx, Karan Kendrick and the real-life hero, Bryan Stevenson. There were quite a few things that stuck with me from this panel discussion but here are a few key points I would like to share. The first being words from Karan Kendrick who plays the wife of Walter McMillian. She stated it was pretty much impossible to see this film and not leave moved in some way and wanting to contribute back to the community. The best words of advice from her were the following. ” We cannot do everything, but we can do something. Figure out what your something is and how you can make an impact with what you have where you are now”. Definitely something to think about and figure out what your something is. As stated, we cannot do it all but we most definitely can do something.

Bryan Stevenson shared so many gems, I could literally go on for pages sharing them all. However, I want to share what stuck out to me the most. I’ll start with “holding up the strength that diversity brings”. Stevenson spoke quite a bit about his Harvard experience and wanting to blend in at first but then quickly realizing there was more power in his own story and path on how he even made it to study law at Harvard. Subsequently, this leads to another key point taken from him “affirm the power in what makes you different”. Often times, we all may of been in a space where it seemed easier to just to try to blend in but the real power comes from what makes you YOU. Stevenson also spoke a lot about having your own narrative in the spaces you occupy and how the narrative should be based on your worth and values once in these spaces; not letting your narrative be shaped and formed by others. There is power in creating your own narrative and changing the perception of what people may presume you are based on subjective views or what society has deemed you are before even walking in a room. Stevenson elaborated heavily on maximizing every opportunity for any space you are in or platform, given or created, to embrace diversity and the strength given from it. I left in awe from what Stevenson shared. I desire nothing more than to continue to be the best version of myself at all times and embrace what makes me different. Every accomplishment made is big and should be celebrated, no matter how small it may seem to you at the time. Huge kudos to BE@WB for pulling off such a successful event! Looking forward to many more impactful events in the future.

**These views and opinions are my own and in no way reflect those of Warner Bros or its affiliates**

All-Star Weekend LA

As we all know, all-star weekend took place in Los Angeles, CA this past weekend. This is the biggest event for the NBA organization and I was elated to participate in some of the festivities. My first all-star experience happened to be in New York and I thought to myself, now what’s going to be able to top when I met Paul George. There were a number of events going on that weekend so you had to make yourself an itinerary and stick with it; discipline is key people. Trust me on this 😊

To kick off the all-star weekend, I went to see Black Panther. Although this has nothing to do with the actual all-star event whatsoever, the fact that it was released during this weekend meant I had to go and see this. I mean, I think everyone put this on their agenda for opening weekend. Now back to the NBA. I had the pleasure of meeting both Andre Drummond and Lou Will at the Kia Loft space. Their setup was cool as you could take on a match of NBA 2K, try to beat the escape room within the 10 minutes allotted or post to your social using their hashtag and get an instant Polaroid printout of that picture. Pretty cool stuff, right? I also was able to check out the American Express event in partnership with Shaquille O’Neal. It was cool to see the converted bank safe that stored a few of the Lakers prized possessions including and autographed Shaq’s jersey, a replica of the championship trophy and the king’s chair with the crown made perfect photo ops. Not to forget the infamous slam dunk gif that I had way too much fun with.

Of course, there were events like the rookie game, the dunk contest and celebrity basketball match-ups. I was able to catch the celebrity game at the convention center which was cool to see people with other talents showcasing their basketball skills or lack thereof lol. Overall still something cool to catch to be a part of the festivities. In addition to that, I was also able to stop by an event sponsored by Spalding that showcased customized basketballs and featured Demar Derozan and my favorite, Damian Lillard aka Dame Dolla, in a 2K match.

As if the sporting events weren’t enough, there were also a ton of exclusive releases happening as well. From the Dame 4 Bapes that dropped at the Adidas 747 St Warehouse, to Russell Westbrook’s pop-up featuring his new fashion collection ‘Inner City’, to the Kobe Protos made available at Nike’s own ‘Makers of the Game’ and even a pop-up from the NYC-flagship store, Kith; soon to have a home in LA as well. If you’re a fan of the NBA, all-star is definitely something you would want to experience at least just once. Checkout some of the shots I was able to capture during this LA All-Star weekend.

Bloggers Who Brunch

I made a commitment to myself to be more consistent with my blog and dish out as much content as I can for you guys. The blogging community is huge in LA and I’ve been more active in terms of finding social events centered around blogging. I’m so happy to have discovered Bloggers Who Brunch. I mean it’s the best of both worlds. Nearly everyone has a blog, has a favorite blog they follow or nearing to create one in the future and EVERYONE loves brunch. So, this concept in itself is dope and will bring together a lot of like-minded individuals.

I had the pleasure of attending this event in collaboration with Bumble Bizz at the Grove in Los Angeles. Bumble Bizz is also focused on creating a space for creators and networking. Upon entry, you received 2 drink tickets which already was a good sign to me. Convos go so much better over a glass of prosecco or a cocktail right? They also had various set-ups for cute photo ops and many giveaways including a swag bag, t-shirt, mini notebooks and stickers. Oh not to mention they passed around mini chicken sandwiches and mini lobster roll hors d’oeurves. Another win for the event.

There were no formal introductions of the creators of Bloggers Who Brunch or panels with the other influencers in the blogging community so it was all up to you to get out of your comfort zone and actually talk to people; I did like that aspect. I met some cool people including those that were starting to blog as well, creators of new YouTube pages, up and coming photographers and a brand consultant/stylist. All of whom I never would have met or spoken with if it weren’t for this event. I will definitely be staying up to date with this group and upcoming events for the future.

ComplexCon 2017

I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual ComplexCon event held at the Long Beach Convention Center this past weekend. This was my first time going to this so I had no idea what to expect. I looked online to see all the brands that were listed to be there, looked at people listed to be on the different panels, researched the food trucks that were slated to be there, backed by “First We Feast”, and lastly curated a schedule in line with all the things I wanted to do that weekend.

I attended the expo on both days and neither day disappointed. I will admit on Saturday I was a bit overwhelmed. There were over 150+ brands there, a number of panels I wanted to attend but start times overlapped of course to keep the crowds regulated, food trucks near the main and back entrance towards the arena, and a ton of exclusive releases just for this event. The highlight for me on that Saturday was attending the “We in Here: Injecting the Culture into Hollywood” panel with Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler. Both spoke about their individual journey taken in the film industry, how their involvement in the industry has paved the way for other successful projects and key takeaways on following your dreams and creating your own path/way to what is that you want and are passionate about. After this panel, I saw tons of people just walking around like myself and being a part of “the culture”; whatever this means right lol. I mean celebrity sightings went on for days. G-Eazy casually walked through the crowd and stopped occasionally for pics, Andre 3000 relaxed in the center of an art exhibit and hand drew a portrait of a fan, Pharrell strolled through and admired a few art exhibitions, Jaden Smith signaled his entourage to his booth after a great live performance on the Pigeons & Planes stage, Superduper Kyle had a dance off with his dad in his booth, Big Sean walked to Puma to show off a recent sneaker collab, Gary Vee dropped free gems to people seeking advice on their own ventures and Virgil Abloh personally customized an Air Jordan 1 , instantly creating a 1 of 1 on the spot. I mean what more could you ask for.

I just knew Sunday would be more chill and sightings would be few but boy was I wrong. Sunday may have been equally as eventful. The highlight of Sunday in my opinion was the iamOTHER #begreat party hosted by Pharrell. Up and coming artists opened the show and later the audience was surprised with guests such as Kap G, 2chainz, Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Uzi Vert and Migos. The schedule did say surprise guests but whoa I didn’t expect anything of this magnitude. I decided Sunday would be catered to picking up a few items since most things were designed and sold only here at this event. PUMA was celebrating their 50th anniversary and released some dope kicks; specifically, a gray suede pair with a floral design. Unfortunately, those weren’t for sale until 2018 and were only being displayed to heighten the anxiety for people like myself. I did snag a tee from Wish Atlanta that I’d been eyeing for 2 consecutive days; the shirt lists all of the zones of Atlanta. Definitely wanted to support the home team. Overall, Complexcon exceeded my expectations. I left inspired and excited to be a part of an event designed to blend people of all over with similar interests and like minds. I will definitely be back next year to partake in these festivities and I can’t wait to see how it evolves over the years. Fantastic job Complex! Checkout my gallery below.

Malibu Wine Safari

California has so many different things you can do for a celebratory occasion. For our 1-year anniversary, we stuck with what now seems like a tradition and traveled to Malibu to enjoy a day at a winery; Malibu Wines to be exact. I’ve only been to one other winery before visiting here so I was excited to see what this one had to offer. This winery gave me a very memorable experience and here’s a bit about what all happened that day.

So let’s start with my attire. Seeing that this was my 2^nd vineyard trip, I wanted to steer away from a long maxi dress or a plaid top with jeans. I don’t know why but those make me think of vineyard attire. So I went with a plain white top with huge ruffled sleeves and floral printed light denim. I purchased both pieces a while back at H&M and decided this look would be perfect for a vineyard. I paired this with camel colored open toe Steve Madden booties and went about my day. The look was multi-purposed for sure; very comfortable for the safari and winery day activities but also easily complimented a scenic ocean view dinner at Geoffrey’s for later that evening.

Okay now back to the actual winery visit. The drive to Malibu itself can be very rewarding. The canyons and mountains are very beautiful to see and often makes me forget that I am even still in California. Upon arrival, we decided to grab kettle popcorn to take on the safari which wasn’t a bad idea. Perfect snack for the road 😊. Along the safari tour we fed llamas, zebras, and even Stanley the Giraffe. Stanley is a fan favorite of the safari and let me get some great pics! There are two stops throughout the duration of the safari. On the first stop you try the white wines. The second stop is saved for the stronger red wines. A huge thank you to our driver for the day that shared the extras from each wine bottle. I think I had two extra glasses for the road. To say we enjoyed our time at Malibu Wine Safaris would be an understatement. The tour guide, driver and amenities offered were all great and I will definitely be back. Especially since I haven’t used my wristband for the 15% discount of a wine purchase. Enjoy the gallery from the safari adventure below.

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The DAMN Tour

I have been a fan of Kendrick Lamar for quite some time now. To see how much he’s grown as an artist is just simply amazing. The first time I saw him live was back in 2009 or 2010 at 1OAK in Las Vegas. The next time was at an intimate art gallery space in Brooklyn. I’ll save the story behind how I finessed my way in but it was definitely worth it seeing that it was right after the release of Good Kid Maad city. The time after that, I saw him again in Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be exact, and he did a show for like $10 or $15. This was around the time the Meek Mill beef was introduced and quickly ended once Kendrick made it clear he was not a force to be reckoned with. The next time I saw him live in concert was right after my birthday celebration in Vegas in 2015. I literally hopped off my flight and went to Terminal 5 in New York to catch Kunta’s Groove Sessions. Something about him and his performances that I never want to miss. So here we are now to speak about the DAMN Tour.

When the album first released I couldn’t wait to hear it. There was so much anticipation for it. I wanted to know the theme he would have for this one, the overall tone of the album, if any artists would be addressed, etc. After hearing the complete project, to say I was elated would be an understatement. I listened to both Element and Lust over and over again, loved the vocals from both he and Rihanna on Loyalty, reminisced about my own childhood with Fear and smiled uncontrollably on my train ride to work when I heard ‘God’. At the time when the news about the DAMN Tour was released, I stayed in New York and decided that I wanted to experience the show in Los Angeles. Fast forward a few months and I not only relocated to California but kept my wish and saw Kendrick live at the 2^nd show in Staples Center. To be able to attend the show in LA meant everything to me.

Before the show, Kendrick tweeted about a pop-up being hosted at Blends in Downtown Los Angeles. Of course I stopped by and was able to snag a tee. The wall was plastered with the iconic picture from the DAMN album and filled with merch including DAMN tees, coach jackets stamped with ‘Pray for Me’ on the front and tour dates on the back, hats and hoodies. The pop-up setup was very simple but effective. Okay now I can re-focus on the tour highlights.

The tour opened with the high energy of DRAM and Travis Scott. Both did a phenomenal job live but the performance from Travis Scott on the eagle throughout his set was pretty epic. The Butterfly Effect and Goosebumps would have to be my favorites of the night from him. Now it was time for Corn Row Kenny himself to make an appearance. The moment was finally here. A brief news clipping aired while smoked filled the stage and then Kendrick appeared with a yellow tailored fit for his DNA opening performance. The crowd went wild! As the night continued, Kendrick stayed true to the Kung Fu Kenny theme with interactive film scenes and live fighting scenes to add to the theatrics of the show. Although this was a tour for DAMN, I loved how he gave the audience hits from prior albums. He comforted us with “Alright” and let us knew that no matter what even when being tested in this thing we call life, we will be alright. The momentum of the crowd continued to heighten with each song from Good Kidd Maad City including ‘Money Trees’ and ‘Swimming Pools’ and we even got to his infamous untitled album with his performance of ‘Levitate’. Everyone sang every word and we even got to show our true talent with our acapella version of ‘Humble’. I watched all of the performances of each song in pure amazement and awe. I know I actually experienced this show to the highest potential because I didn’t get a lot of video. I wanted to be in the moment and actually enjoy the show. The final song the Compton born legend performed was very fitting; the song entitled ‘GOD’. I will continue to follow him throughout his musical journey and I’m so glad he shares his life and experiences with us through his lyricism. You may not grasp the full message the first go round or second or third. But once you really listen and consume his music the way he intended, there are meaningful and powerful messages throughout each album. Kendrick Lamar I thank you! Enjoy my instastory below and a few snapshots of the pop-up.

Kendrick Lamar- The DAMN Tour, Staples Center from Lifeofacitygal

California Dreaming: A Leap of Faith

As of June 9, 2017, new beginnings were just ahead for me. That was my official last day at my current 9-5 and my final night living in NYC. My husband and I decided we’ve conquered the jungle and wanted to change the pace just a bit. Be somewhere more aligned with our lifestyle and actually be more at comfort while at it. We decided to take our talents west. All the way west to the City of Angels better known as Los Angeles. The next morning we finished packing, loaded a Caravan and started a journey towards our true dreams. When I shared this story, a lot of people could not wrap their finger around the decision to quit a full time job without having another one and the idea of abruptly leaving NYC to road trip it to California. We also didn’t have a place of our own just yet. This just added to the craziness and idea of packing up and taking it across country with pretty much ourselves, clothes and shoes.

It took 3 days to make it to California with 2 pit stops in Texas; one in Dallas and the other in El Paso. After trying to capture all of the state welcome signs, I finally saw the one I had been waiting to desperately see after over 30 hours of travel. Welcome to California!! Within 2 weeks, I landed a job and a little before 3 weeks secured an apartment. I say all this to say, never give up on your dreams and do not live a life with fear. With the faith of a mustard seed, things were able to come into fruition and just fell into place so perfectly. I’ve made a number of trips to LA and decided awhile back this would be my next home. So many things I have yet to do but I now can scratch off move to Los Angeles 🙂

Thank you for staying with me on the journey with Lifeofacitygal. This is a passion project of mine and I will continue to bring great content, food recommendations and a bit of fashion sense. That being said, this cute little number came from one of my favs, H&M, and is absolutely perfect for LA nights. I paired it with my classic neutral mule to give me a little height due to the length of the dress. Stay tuned for more greatness and again thank you for your continued support. Don’t forget to share this with a friend!

Nobody Safe Tour

If anyone knows me well, you would be sure to know I’m a huge fan of Future. The first date for the Nobody Safe Tour in Atlanta, the best city ever 🙂 , was on May 5^th. Without a question when my best friend asked me to attend, I was there! First flight out of NYC to my hometown to share this moment. Okay, so normally Cinco de Mayo consumes this day without a doubt but this May 5^th would definitely be different. Of course, we indulged in the festivities and had margaritas for a little pre-game but the hype for the evening was this concert. Unfortunately, it had to be the coldest day Atlanta had so far in 2017 and it was rainy. Never mind these circumstances, the show must go on and my excitement for it remained at its highest.

After standing in the “mist” and cold for about 15 min, we made our way to our seats and waited for the show openers. To my surprise, Young Thug graced the staged first. He sung a few songs, repped his hometown of course, and wrapped up in about 20 min or so I would say. Ok no biggie. Enough time to grab snacks and wait for the next appearances. Moments later, the man of the hour appeared. Singing hit after hit and really giving the fans a show to remember. Unfortunately, the Migos did not make our show or any other guests for that matter. Since this is Future’s hometown and he’s one of the most popular rappers in the industry, I just knew he would bring out a slew of artists as surprise guests. To our surprise the only guest was Trouble, an up and coming rapper in Atlanta. Being the huge fan that I am, I could care less but I did travel many miles to share this moment. Come on Hendrix lol.

As the night continued, I remembered thinking to myself and then telling my best friend “Future has arrived”. To see the sold-out crowd and to be in Atlanta for this was monumental for me. I often gazed the crowd to see them just as hyped as I was to hear the Atlanta classic “Itchin”, seeing them sing word for word to “March Madness” and the reaction to ‘Mask Off” was unreal. Future has definitely created a lane of his own lane and continues to deliver, especially from his latest project Hndrxx. I loved the production and melodic tunes from this one. Just might be deemed my favorite thus far. Nonetheless, I can honestly say I genuinely enjoyed this show. Didn’t get a ton of photos or videos this time around, just lived in the moment for once. I did capture a few good moments 🙂 .

Meet Tia: Whole New You

When one of your favorite girlbosses comes in town, you must be where they are right? Despite the rescheduling due to the snowstorm and the brittle cold, I made my way to see Mrs. Tia Mowry-Hardrict in support of her newest venture. She released a cooking/lifestyle book titled ‘Whole New You’ and the book signing was held at Barnes & Noble in the Tribeca area.

This wasn’t just your typical book signing. Like buy the book, hey guys I’m here, sign the book and then that’s pretty much it. Tia had an intimate conversation with us and did a brief Q&A as well. She discussed her new book of course, her battle with endometriosis which was a huge contributing factor for the book and gave helpful cooking tips. I definitely wouldn’t consider myself an executive chef over here but it was nice to hear that these recipes weren’t that intimidating or hard to make. I absolutely love Tia and everything she stands for. A successful actress, very family oriented, shows there can be true work life balance, host of her own cooking show and overall a real go getter. Tia is the epitome of a true girlboss and an inspiration to many many people, including myself. It was such a pleasure to finally meet her. I always thought I would see her randomly while in LA but New York you made it happen! Hopefully we will cross paths again soon as the journey of this citygal continues.

XIX Tour

Promptly at 8pm the lights dimmed in the Highline Ballroom and the first opening act appeared. After a few songs, the artist revealed his name. Major Myjah. Major definitely wowed the crowd with his melodic tunes and kept the energy high with a few upbeat songs as well. I absolutely loved his energy and the vibe from his song with the hook “California Living” was perfect for this crowd. Shortly thereafter, the second act, Candace Boyd, also held down her own with very relatable tracks. Some about being in love, others about the break up and indifference you feel afterwards with her track titled”What’s her name”. The ability for both of these artists to capture the crowd and keep the energy flowing throughout was very admirable for two up and coming music artists. Hats off to them!

Now it was time. The fluorescent XIX sign was lit and Ro James appeared with a bright orange jumpsuit resembling that of a car mechanic, round gold rimmed frames, a striped hat with a patterned scarf underneath. Oh so fitting for his Eldorado album. The soulfulness and R&B was heard in every song that he sang with much passion and clarity so you could hear every word that he spoke. I always immediately think of the perfect mix of Maxwell and Prince when I hear him sing. James’ vocal abilities and variation in range shown on his tracks automatically captivate you. I just sat and watched him lay it all out on the line while he sang “Everything” and knew it was very much heartfelt. I appreciated the intimacy and personal stories that James shared as well. From the naming of his album, as his first car was a 92′ Eldorado, the love he experienced with a Scorpio and his incomparable relationship with ‘Lisa’. Or the relationship he shared that allowed him to make my favorite track ‘A.D.I.D.A.S.’ and the influence from his mother to write a song not just about love or relationships but other real life factors that we all face, hence the creation of ‘Holy Water’. I’m sure I can pinpoint a couple favorites that are in fact your go to’s that you can relate to. To hear Ro explain the meanings behind the songs and share the stories with fans put his music into a different perspective for me.

As the night progressed, James performed songs from his 3-part EP Coke, Jack and Cadillacs as well as Eldorado. Some of the crowd favorites were ‘Already Knew That’, ‘Burn’ and A.D.I.D.A.S. Toward the end of the show, James did an acoustic opening of his hit ‘Permission’ and his band joined shortly after for the grand finale. To say I enjoyed this concert is definitely an understatement. I am definitely a fan of Ro James but left an even bigger one. I believe I recall James advising he had been doing music for about 10 years. Well Ro, job well done. Wishing him continued success. More pictures below and check out the live video in the video section.