TDink : Fashion. Lifestyle. Technology.

by Satori Pond

A night out in Hollywood is not always filled with celebrity sightings, great music and good company but this Saturday it was enlighteningly entertaining and one for my books.

The night began by herding our group together which consisted of Shawn ( model), Candace (his girlfriend and an attorney), David (TDink Editor), Dee (one of my best friends and accountant) and me. Once together we piled into our car and head over to the newest hotspot in LA, the newly remodeled Roosevelt Hotel. Now knowing how hot spots can be, it is a miracle if you can get past the line let alone get into the sought out place of venue. So although Shawn had the hook-ups it is only natural to be skeptical of the possibility of hearing, “no”.

When we arrived to the Roosevelt, we were excited and had no clue as to what to expect yet it was the beginning of what seemed like just another night out in Los Angeles. When we got to the front of the line the girl with the clipboard guarded her position as if she was Willie Wonka picking only the lucky few to come into the factory and it was just so. She coldly looked at our group up and down to assess wither she wanted to have our image part of the scene inside and Shawn told her we were on the list. She looked down at the iron clad determining factor and stated “I was told it was only going to be you plus 3 GIRLS!”.

She was implying that David could not and would not get in no matter what. After about 10 minutes of trial and name dropping we finally got David in by him boldly stepping up and he showed her his card with an explanation of what he was doing there.. namely writing an article for a nightlife column for TDink. Needless to say we got in and honestly we all just laughed at the ridiculousness of the attitude she unnecessarily projected.

Once inside we immediately felt at peace and part of some sort of spa in Palm Springs. The layout was comfortable and spaciously placed around the pool while the lights help illuminate this vacation away from the fast paced life. The people inside were attractive and eager to be seen yet with celebrity sightings like the bachelor and Kirsten Dunst, you couldn’t help but feel fabulous at this 50ish styled poolside hotspot.   Surrounded by rooms and loungy yet hip music, Eric Benneker (the architect of the remodeled poolside) explained to us that his design was intended to make people feel relaxed yet trendily hip and we all agreed that he accomplished just that.

Shawn jumped up and said, “come on guys we are going to ROK Bar now”.   Most of us were so happy we did not want to leave but we followed along like a ducklings because it was supposed to be another hotspot and highly talked about. Once inside we were immediately thrown into a dismally lit seedy scene and to be honest, going from the Roosevelt to the ROK Bar was not only a climate change but the crowd did not help warm our perception of the place.

Between the moody bartenders who thought they were too special to be there and the terrible drinks they poured, we immediately and unanimously were highly disappointed and shocked at the lack of consistency of the ROK Bar in Los Angeles and Florida. Honestly the only three things which I liked at this place were the chosen pictures, the chosen rock and roll music and the lights David pointed out to me on the ceiling, so if you do go… look up. Yet I highly recommend that you avoid this venue, unless of coarse you are looking for a 300 pound ZZ Top biker man to slap your ass and serenade you to a blaring Guns and Roses tune.

After meeting Tommy Lee’s manager, he joined our entourage and we walked to Mood to try and salvage our night. With a huge line wrapped around the red ropes we walked right up to the front and Shawn introduced us to David Judaken (the owner) and Michael Sutton (the promoter) we were waved right in. Shawn’s charisma alone is contagious and so real that we just can’t help but be impressed with the pure goodness he possesses which explains why people just love him everywhere we go.

As we were walking in the doors opened to a tipsy Andrew Firestone who leaned into us with some very excited blonde closely following behind him. We knew it was going to be fun once seeing that and proceeded inside to a Moroccan themed room illuminated with candles and great dance music accompanied with live drum players to add to the beat. It was filled with high energy, fun and highly attractive people without all the snobbyness, which normally comes with this atmosphere. Mood was a perfect ending to a great Saturday night and I would highly recommend checking out this great venue.

Finalizing the evening with a late night pizza and salsa dancing at the after-hours pizza restaurant on 3rd street, concluded our one heck of a night. One thing is for sure, if you are with a great group of friends, it really doesn’t matter where you go out. What is important is that the venue you choose to spend your night at will become the blueprint for your evening and normally this will either surprise or disappoint your expectations.

In a city like Hollywood, you can never be bored with the endless choices it offers us. Yet I believe life is about experiences, so make sure that wherever you choose will be a place you want to go because at the end of the night you will either have a great story to tell or find yourself saying “it was just another night in Hollywood”.

Roosevelt Hotel
7000 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles CA. 90028
323 466 7000

Tommy Lee and Dave Navarro’s long awaited
ROK BAR
1710 North Las Palmas Ave, Hollywood, CA
Los Angeles CA 90028
United States

Mood
6623 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA. 90028
323 464 6663
wed -Sun 10pm - 2am

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