ACL 2017 has come and gone so quickly, but it was one that will not be forgotten.
Picture this: a 3 day festival in the beautiful city of Austin, TX with headliners including The Killers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jay-Z and so many more. Not to mention the beautiful weather that came through on day 3.
First on the agenda was DREAMERS. I recently became familiar with them after having one of their songs ("DRUGS") show up in a workout playlist. It's an extremely catchy tune that definitely gets stuck in your head. DREAMERS are an American rock trio from Manhattan, New York. They played the BMI stage which was one of the smaller stages, but they did not disappoint. They definitely have a loyal fan base who made sure to show up for their performance.
Considering I work for a country station, I made it my mission to see every country band I could catch at ACL. Cody Jinks was first on that list. He was actually in College Station a few months ago and I hear it was amazing so I couldn't pass this up.
I'm not going to lie and say I know a lot about Cody Jinks because I don't. In fact, I may have only know a song or two. I left his performance a fan. The best way I can describe Cody Jinks is modern day outlaw country.
I'm a people watcher so as Cody Jinks was on stage I was watching the crowd of people surrounding me. The amount of maroon in that crowd was crazy. SO. MANY. AGGIES.
I know I shouldn't be surprised by that, but I was. I figured ACL wasn't much of a scene for the people in BCS. Aggies rag on Austin a lot, but the great thing about ACL is it's accepting and welcoming for all. There's nothing but good vibes there. As you walk through Zilker Park, you won't find a single person upset. There's just something about that ACL atmosphere that automatically puts you in a good mood. It's a place for those who enjoy music and art to come together and be one. I feel like The Tree represents that.
Ice Cube was probably the performance that surprised me the most. He showed up and told a story. There are times you watch an artist perform and want them to stick to what they're good at. He knew how to keep the crowd going. Hell, he even joked about how kids in the crowd probably had no idea he was a rapper.
Ice Cube made sure to let everyone know he was once a part of "the most dangerous rap gang of all time...NWA" and went directly in to "Staight Outta Compton" among many others. He then discussed how he left the group due to money issues. Once he found out NWA was talking smack about him, it led him to write "the best diss track of all time," No Vaseline.
When it comes to music festivals, it can be hard to catch all the acts you want to see. Sometimes acts will be playing at the same time on opposite ends of the park. That was the case for me when it came to Ice Cube and Glass Animals.
So it's not impossible to catch both of them at all. The advice I'd give you is to go and see the artist you know you'll enjoy more first. In my case I am a fan of Ice Cube and his music. I knew one or two Glass Animals tracks that they were going to close out with. I caught most of Ice Cube and then ran to catch the ending of Glass Animals. It was a lot of foot work, but it worked out perfectly. My favorite part about festivals of any kind is the food! There are always so many choices! This year was no different. I opted to be just like The Killers and Jay-Z and eat some Mighty Cones. Ultimately a "Mighty Cone" is a cone cup with a tortilla filled with coleslaw, fried chicken/shrimp/avocado or all of the above with some spicy sauce. Y'all this was so good, I had it twice. Tiff's Treats has recently become a house hold name in College Station and I looked no where else for my desserts of choice ACL Weekend. You just can't go wrong with some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Burro Grilled Cheese was a new try for me. I had the Burning Mac which includes macaroni and cheese, cheddar, and yellowbird sauce all on Sourdough bread. This sandwich was wayyyyy too big for me, but boy was it tasty. I also hear eating it with a side of watermelon is the way to go! I finished the night by seeing one of my favorite bands: Red Hot Chili Peppers. This was something I've had on my bucket list, and never thought I'd be able to cross off. I heard they weren't going to go on tour after this current tour and figured I'd lost my chance. I'm telling you, ACL is a place where dreams come true. Throughout their set, Flea kept talking about how their is currently so much hatred in the world, and we need to remind each other that "the strongest people are the kindest people." He kept expressing his gratitude for every fan in the crowd as Anthony sang hit after hit. There was a huge takeaway in seeing them perform and it's something we should all know "love everybody."
Overall, Saturday was an amazing day. I was exhausted, but I learned a lot. I was also ready to do it all over again on Sunday.
Sunday The weather could not had been more perfect on Sunday for an outdoor music festival. First on the agenda was the country-trio, Midland. These guys are the real deal! If you're a fan of traditional country and a 70s look, Midland is for you. They recently had a #1 single, "Drinkin' Problem." The guys of Midland also discussed how their isn't enough love in the world which lead them to release "Make a Little." They performed at 12:15 on the Tito's Stage. I showed up early for their set and good thing I did too. Yes, it was an early show but country fans show up to support these artists. That tent was full and even the guys of Midland were surprised by that.
Immediately after Midland's performance I ran to the BMI Stage where I caught a bit of Tucker Beathard's set. Tucker Beathard recently had a #2 single by the name of "Rock On" about a guy regretting the fact that he didn't propose to the girl of his dreams. Tucker Beathard has a very rock sound for a country singer. He recently released his latest single "Momma and Jesus" which was the first song I caught him sing.
Midway through Tucker Beathard's set I received a text from my coworker who was waiting to take a picture at the ACL frame. The line is always super long, but she caught it at the perfect moment and was near the front. I took off running so I could finally get a photo in it.
Showing up early for performances quickly became our thing. We realized that showing up 45 minutes prior to a performance would almost guarantee us front row view. While we were waiting on the Brothers Osborne we decided to be typical millennials and take a selfie. A kind stranger offered to take our photo on both our phones and her own since she had the new portrait feature. Let me tell you, if you have the latest iPhone take advantage of that feature. It looks like a professional took it.
Again we are millennials so we posted it all over social media using the official ACL hashtag and guess what. WE MADE THE ACL SCREEN. We honestly had no idea until the girl sitting next to us totally freaked out when she realized she was waiting right by us. Of course we started a trend and everyone attempted to make the screen. haha.
After about 45 minutes of waiting, the Brothers Osborne took the stage! I LOVE THEM. I've seen them in concert 4 times and each time gets better. This was no different. TJ and John never disappoint. Y'all, they have some really loyal fans too. The girl standing next to us was belting at the top of her lungs...and so was I. Most of their shows are jam sessions, and those guys can shred on guitar. John even brought out his wife Lucie Silvas to sing on "Loving Me Back." Of course, they closed out with their most recent single "It Ain't My Fault," which is such a great party song. The crowd was jumping and jamming out like no other.
At this point. Audrey and I separated for a bit. She went to catch DRAM while I sat down and soaked up the Sun. I was so entertained watching those dancing as they listened to DRAM say "if you love your momma say yeah, though."
I quickly realized music moves people in different ways, whether it's love or dance or something else. Sometimes people watching helps you learn things about yourself and others. This was one of those moments. It was an absolutely beautiful thing. Audrey and I reconvened in the press tent where we ate, drank and attempted to get work done. Shout out to ACL for treating us so well especially in the press tent. Without it I would not have been able to post on our station social media, etc. As it got closer to 6pm, Portugal. The Man was calling our name. That crowd started to build up quick! CHR stations are finally starting to play Portugal. The Man's latest single "Feel It Still" so it only made sense that the crowd would be huge. It didn't matter whether you were young or wise (I don't want to call anyone "old" LOL), Portugal. The Man had everyone jumping!
Up next and finally was The Killers. You never really know how much you know a band until you see them live. I KNEW EVERY SONG. Brandon Flowers got on stage in a sparkly silver jacket and I immediately felt pure happiness as he sang "The Man."
The Killers just had some energy that flowed through everyone in the crowd. They were just on a different level than I've ever seen from any band. Hands down, The Killers were the BEST performance of ACL 2017. I can't even say they fed off crowd energy. The crowd fed off their energy. Their stage presence, light show and live video were all amazing. I can't even describe how amazing their performance was. It left me in awe. Of course, they finished with "Mr. Brightside" which had everyone going INSANE.
Leaving ACL is always so hard. There are just so many good vibes and things always tend to go smoothly. Thousands of hours were volunteered by thousands of volunteers.
Money was raised to benefit those who were affected by Hurricane Harvey among many other charities. ACL is always a great experience and money goes back to help the community. If you've never been, try and make an effort to join me at ACL 2018. Until next year, ACL. Peace & Love.
0 Comments
So you were probably wondering "where the hell is Karina?!" or not because let's be real here...well in case you did wonder why I was missing, I spent the last week in Nashville for Country Radio Seminar.
CRS is an annual conference held in Nashville where radio, record label, and artists all come out to play...and by play I mean learn how to make our jobs easier. Day 1:
Opening ceremonies began with the one and only Trisha Yearwood singing the National Anthem. Followed by Lady Antebellum announcing the class of 2017 Country Radio Hall of Fame winners, Keith Urban talking about the Artist Humanitarian Award, and Zac Brown receiving the 2017 Artist Humanitarian Award.
Later on in the evening we were treated to the Grand Ole Opry at CRS. SO MANY PERFORMANCES. Zac Brown Band. Chris Lane. Michael Ray. Chris Janson. Crystal Gayle. Lady Antebellum. LOCASH. Trace Adkins. Just to name a few. In case you were wondering Chris Janson is a hell of a harmonica player and killed it on stage.
Day 2:
I started Day 2 by being a total nerd with my buddy/mentor Chris Huff from CBS Houston (he's kinda cool -- don't tell him I told you that though). Edison Research and my good friend Megan Lazovick presented a study called "Country Radio Goes Mobile." Now I'm not gonna get into some crazy details here other than "41% of smart phone users would stick their hand in a Porta-Potty to save their phone." GROSS!
Next up was "Inside Studio G" an hour with Garth Brooks. Yes...THE GARTH BROOKS. I learned more in that hour with Garth than I did in any classroom. Garth reminded us to never stop being students and learn as much as we possibly can. "Slow down" was the big takeaway. In today's world we are rushing to be the best we can be and get to the top. What happens once we reach the top? Will we be satisfied? Sit back and enjoy the ride you're on.
Lunch at the Ryman is always one of the big CRS highlights. This year's UMG at the Ryman consisted of performances by Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Lauren Alaina, Billy Currington, Sam Hunt, Kip Moore, Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, Vince Gill, Lady Antebellum, Jon Padri, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban. Hands down the best part of it all was the guitar jam session provided by Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, and Vince Gill.
Lunch was a huge success and left us all in a great mood, but it was time to get some learning going again. I sat in on a session that you may find boring but I found quite intriguing. I won't bore you with the details but let's just say it really made me think about the way I program music.
We ended the night at Sony Music Nashville where we got to network with other professionals in the industry and take a tour of Sony's new place. Oh and we also ran into a few people you may know: Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Jake Owen, Cam, Kane Brown, and Chris Young. Day 3:
The last day of CRS began with a panel focused on bringing up new radio talent which just so happened to include boss man, Big Daddy Downs. He may have called me out when I got up to get water, but hey "timing is everything."
Photo credit: Billy McKim
Next up was a social media based session including three panelists that rotated between rooms. The big take away from those were: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.
The Big Machine Label Group luncheon consisted of performances from: A Thousand Horses, Trent Harmon, Delta Rae, Midland, Carly Pearce and Maddie & Tae. Trent Harmon blew the entire room away with his performance of his song "Her." Midland is a band from Austin that was another huge hit with their song "Drinkin' Problem." Their harmonies gave the room chills.
Toby Keith had his own session where he discussed how he does things his own way and remains unapologetic for things he does. He continued to tell his story of struggles he faced when first moving to Nashville. I gained a new amount of respect for him after hearing what he's been through.
Shout out to Billy McKim for the hookup to New Faces. I was planning on an early night at my friend's apartment. I totally did not expect to go to New Faces until I received a friendly text from Dr. McKim saying he got me a ticket soooo that made me real happy. Luckily, I brought a dress incase I got off of the wait list. A fancy dinner, cocktails, and performances from Drake White, William Michael Morgan, Granger Smith/Earl Dibbles Jr. (YES, Earl made an appearance!), Jon Pardi, and Maren Morris made up my Friday night. I couldn't have asked for a better night.
CRS is always a great time. It's an amazing opportunity for anyone in the country music industry. You learn a lot, meet lots of people, and take away so much from the conference. I'm so grateful for the opportunities given to me and can't wait to attend again.
Peace & Love, Kari #KariTakesOnACLACL. Austin City Limits Music Festival. I've always dreamed of attending this festival and this year I made it happen. I've attended SXSW numerous times, but ACL was something I've always wanted to attend. Friday Lucky for me, my job is kind of cool. I got to do my show live from ACL! I mean I wasn't as legit as some of the other people doing their show live from there but I did call ins and had awesome music playing in the background! The first band I watched was Asleep at the Wheel. I showed up a tad bit late for Asleep at the Wheel’s performance but got a few songs in and it was all I ever wanted in life. IT WAS SO ENTERTAINING. Lately, I’ve been very skeptical of seeing older artists perform their new music. I shouldn’t have worried with Asleep at the Wheel. They had so much energy on stage for a noon show! Mind you, I only caught the last two songs so I can only imagine how energized their whole set was. I have a thing for horns so when I heard some horns playin’ I had to run over there and boy was I not disappointed. Next on my agenda was seeing one of my favorite bands, Bad Suns. I was lucky enough to get to interview them as well! I'll provide a link to that later. Bad Suns, if you're unaware, are a 4-part alternative rock band from Los Angeles, CA. The song that made them who they are today is "Cardiac Arrest." Go check it out. It's my alarm. haha! They recently released their sophomore album "Disappear Here" and you can tell they've definitely grown with their music. Something pretty cool about ACL is they give you the opportunity to meet some of your favorite artists. As I was in line to meet Bad Suns, I realized I was interviewing them the following day so I jumped in line to meet AWOLNATION. You know? "SAIL!" Excuse me while I fan girl but they totally signed and loved my Marvel backpack. I had some down time for a bit before I had to make a decision on who was next on my agenda. There was also this really awesome wall where you could leave your mark on ACL 2016. You totes know I did that! LANco vs. AWOLNATION vs. Foals All of these are bands that I genuinely like. The struggle in choosing was so real. I ran over to see LANco first. This was actually a performance that I was very surprised by. They have a Top 40 hit song right now, but they’re still pretty underground. If you don’t know what song I’m talking about click here. LANco (which stands for Lancaster and Company) at first reminded me of some Contemporary Christian band but once I saw them put their own country/blues twist to Poison’s “Your Momma Don’t Dance” I knew this would be a band to watch. Once I thought I'd seen all I needed to see, I ran over to catch a small bit of Foals. This was as close as I was going to get. I caught about two songs before running back to catch the end of AWOLNATION's set. Oh and of course, they closed out with "SAIL!" They're actually a lot more metal than I thought. I totally loved that. Next up was my boys THE STRUTS! They totally know how to put on a hell of a show! Hands down the best performance on Friday. They know how to keep a crowd entertained. The crowd participation and Luke's R rolls made the show all that it needed to be. The audience jumped, kneeled, and sang along for The Struts. The Struts are my current guilty pleasure. Their music is so upbeat and funky. Even heard a guy compare Luke (lead singer) to Freddy Mercury, Vince Gill and Steven Tyler in one. I can totally see that! Oh and I even saw some friends while there! Yay friends! I took on this festival alone so seeing familiar faces was fun! Next up on the agenda was Flume. Flume is an Austrailian DJ , who if you're into the EDM scene then you'd totally enjoy him. Heck if you like pop music you'll enjoy him. He had the crowd jumpin' up and down like crazy playin' hit after hit! Next up, another well known EDM artist...Major Lazer and Diplo! This show was WILD. I mean intense! There were so many people and honestly I was surprised to see the amount of older people "raving." I mean talk about goals! I left Major Lazer's show a bit early to go catch Radiohead. I didn't stay too long for their set but what I saw was all I needed. Radiohead is a very unique band and I'm pretty sure most people were there just to see them perform "Creep." No lie, that's why I was there. #NoRegrets Saturday I started off my day by interviewing Bad Suns. Getting to talk to those guys was so much fun! They were pretty fun to hang out with. You can check out their interview here. We talked new music, ACL, touring, embarrassing moments, and more! After the interview I went ahead and caught the last of Saint Motel's set. I got there just in time to hear two songs before they played my jam "My Type." It was SICK! I wish I was able to catch a few photos of them but I was way off in a corner. :( I took a quick break to get my hair done in the press tent which was awesome! Major shout out to Blo for giving me a killer rocker hairstyle for the day! Then my inner 90s kid came out and I ran to check out LL Cool J. THE LL COOL J! He drew a huge crowd; I mean why wouldn't he? Not only does he act and host "Lip Sync Battle" but he's always been an amazing rapper. At this point the Aggie game was still going on because we all know that game lasted FOREVER. I found a HUGE group of Aggies in the Beer Hall doing yells and watching the game. Cage The Elephant was next on my list and I'm just gonna flat out say the night should have just ended there. I heard their shows are extremely energetic and fun, but I did not expect this. Crowd surfing and lots of it! Lots of audience participation and of course the usual headbang. Like I mentioned Cage The Elephant's performance was one for the books. I could go on and on about how amazing it was but that'll bore you. I saw the guys who predicted us to win and got that prediction correct, next. THE CHAINSMOKERS. My only thought on their performance was I feel like the crowd for them was definitely underestimated. They performed on one of the smaller stages which was fine for Flume, but The Chainsmokers are HUGE right now especially with their current single "Closer." Overall though, seeing their performance from a far was the smarter thing for me to do, ha. #SocialAnxietyProbs Considering how far back I was for their performance, all I needed to do was turn around and there was Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick is fantastic live. No wonder he's won so many Grammy's. If I could describe his performance in one word it would be: "wow." Plus the fireworks as I was leaving for the night were a nice touch. Sunday By the time Sunday rolled around I was exhausted but ready to tackle the final day of ACL. First on my agenda was Anderson East, Miranda Lambert's new beau. I heard really good things about him so he was my first stop of the day on the final day of ACL. Anderson did not disappoint me. If you’ve never heard his music, let’s go ahead and change that. Here’s one of my favorite songs he performed that day called Devil In Me. Good stuff, right? Straight up baby makin’ music! You’re welcome for that. He has so much energy on stage. He even performed on one of the big stages and drew a pretty huge crowd for an underground guy. Not to mention, I totally spotted Miranda Lambert during his set. Anderson was moving around on stage and in the background there she was coral dress, sunglasses, blonde beautiful hair, gum in her mouth supporting her man. I spent a lot more time in the press tent on Sunday. I was starting to feel my anxiety, exhaustion, and dehydration kick in so I had to take a few steps back. I decided to reward myself with a massage. Yes, a massage. Again, #NoRegrets. Plus while I was there some of the broadcasts had artists come in and do private sets. I may have creepily watched Ra Ra Riot from my table. Around 4 I made my way out to catch two acts I'd been wanting to see: Atlas Genius and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats. I caught about half of Atlas Genius' set at the BMI Stage, enough for me to be satisfied then walked over to see Nathaniel. Nathaniel's set just reminded me like I was listening to some Gospel music...but I totally wasn't, ha. You know how I know? He's got a song called S.O.B. Yes, it's exactly what you think it stands for. Next was the moment I'd waited for all weekend. Willie Nelson. First off, I need to say that I totally fangirled when Matthew McConaughey got on stage and said “Alright! Alright! Alright!” Yes, MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY introduced Willie Nelson on stage. The crowd was insane for Willie’s performance. It was one of the biggest crowd’s at ACL…ever! I got extremely emotional when Willie took the stage, not just because of the beautiful video they created to thank him for giving so much to ACL these last 15 years but because I was in the presence of a living legend. Although the sound could have been better, the crowd stood silent and still to listen to the Red Headed Stranger sing “Whiskey River” as his opener. Willie delivered hit after hit including a song for his late best friend Merle Haggard “It’s All Goin’ To Pot” and one for Waylon “Good Hearted Woman.” He was joined on stage by his little sister Bobbie who has some mad piano skills! As I looked through the crowd, everyone had the same look on their face…the look that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Men and women in Willie Nelson attire and braids all for the man, the legend, the Willie Nelson. And of course only Willie Nelson has the power to bring artists of different genres on stage with him. He was joined by Mumford & Sons, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats, Margo Price. Matthew McConaughey, and many more. It made me even more emotional. I felt like I was in a church service…the church of Willie Nelson. The entire festival was so organized. Never have I ever gone to a festival this organized. Everything seemed to have gone according to plan.
Plus ACL has so many charities that it gives back to, it made me happy knowing that a lot of this is done to give back to the community. Check out more on ACL Cares here. As I left the park, I caught a part of Young The Giant's set. Unfortunately I had to get back to College Station and miss Mumford & Sons. :( I overcame so many obstacles such as going to a festival alone and not letting my anxiety get the best of me. It was fun, ACL. Until next year. Peace & love. #KariTakesOnSanDiegoSan Diego. My home away from home.
For those of you who know me personally, you know San Diego is where I belong. It's the dream. I will live there one day. Every summer I take a trip down there and remind myself how much I need to be there. This year was a tad different. I was joined by some of my best friends. Radio Aircheck
There's been a lot of talk about this in the news lately. Not necessarily depression, but a cause that's more common than people think.
Have you ever had something remind you of something and then you realize "oh that explains a lot"? That happened to me during my trip to Las Vegas. I remembered something that I spent YEARS blocking from my mind. Upon returning home, I called my therapist and immediately set up an appointment to be seen. It was time to finally face my fear and come to terms with my past. Ke$ha is a victim. Lady Gaga is a victim. The girl at Stanford is a victim. I'm a victim. If you haven't caught on to that trend just yet, we have some things in common. Yes, we are all female but there's something more crucial. We are all victims of sexual assault. Now's the time where I expect you to stop reading. If you're still with me I know it's a very uncomfortable subject. This happened to me 6 years ago. SIX FREAKIN' YEARS AGO. At the time, I felt alone and scared. I told no one but my best friend who was there for me every step of the way. My best friend advised me to tell my parents, but I was scared. They trusted him. He was involved at church. He played in a christian band. He went to private school. He was intelligent. He was the perfect guy in their eyes. Did I really want them to feel horrible about bringing us together? No, so I lived with it. I stopped talking to him and went on with my life...or so I thought I did. Every time someone would mention his name, I'd freeze and cry. My mind was immediately taken back to the church fall festival October 10, 2009. I had a gut feeling that something wasn't right with him that night and I should have paid attention to it, but I didn't. What wrong could he do to me? He was one of my best friends. He would never hurt me. What happened next was something I never thought would. You see we hear about this on the news and think that will never happen to me...until it does. One day living with it got so bad. I was at my best friend's house (the one who knew) and his sister brought him up. I froze and cried to the point where I couldn't breathe. That was the day my best friend saved my life. He immediately drove me home, and told me if I didn't tell my parents what happened he would. So I did. Two years later. My parents wanted to call the cops and have so much done, but it was two years later. My word against his. I was already living far away from him. So we did nothing. My only fear was seeing him again. That was the first and last time my parents and I spoke about this. Life went on. My mother has asked about him and I respond with a simple I don't know nor do I care. In fact, I do know. I do care. I wanted him to be doing terrible. If you must know: He went on to graduate at the top of his class, attended a prestigious journalism university, got a job with a television news network, and is clearly doing well. How is that fair? He's living free in the world without a trace of guilt in his mind. As for me, I'm living with it. Slowly coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't my fault. I didn't tease him. I was in a tank top and shorts...IN TEXAS. I didn't lead him on. I was stern with him and made it known I had no feelings for him. This wasn't my fault. I fought him. I wasn't going to let him leave me tangled in the dust. Some strength came over me and a simple kick to his groin may have saved my life. Now even though I left with some strength, I felt disgusting. Was this how all guys saw me? For a long time, I thought that was true (but that's for another time). It's taken me six years to speak up and tell my story. Yes, I'm still fighting and living with it every day but it does get better. I just have to continue to tell myself: It wasn't your fault. Las Vegas, NV. The city of sin. Trip number 2 of the year was quite a roller coaster ride. I'm not even joking. Let's get straight to the point. I went to Vegas to celebrate my best friend's "Golden birthday." Apparently that's a thing. It's the birthday where you turn the same age as the date you were born. Since I was born March 26, my golden birthday will be when I turn 26...in 3 years. Night One: My flight arrived later than everyone else's. I was up at 5 a.m (Texas time) stayed behind to work and didn't get in until around 9:30 p.m. (Vegas time). I was exhausted as hell! Trust me when I say the last thing I wanted to do was put make up on and hit the bars. Somehow, I managed to do it. I was so dang tired. I was literally falling asleep at the bar. I didn't think it was possible, but I made it possible apparently. Oh and in case you were wondering I wasn't drinking. I abstained from alcohol the entire trip. GO ME! That night I did my first round of gambling (I won...NOTHING.) and we went to two bars. Well a bar (O'sheas Irish Pub...which was my kind of place.) and a night club (Carnaval). It was an exhausting night but I'm glad I was there for my best friend's 25th. *see below* Day One: We returned to our hotel around 3 a.m. which is super late for this old lady. I was so exhausted after being up for over 24 hours. I don't know how I managed. The next day was rough. No I wasn't hungover, I abstained from alcohol, remember? So I have this little thing called S.A.D. (Social Anxiety Disorder) and depression and sometimes it decides it wants to ruin my life. That day was one of those days. I know. It sucks. Anyway I didn't end up leaving the hotel until after everyone had already left. One of my good friend's John stayed behind with me and we had a little heart to heart. I have some pretty great friends. On the real though, if John was a straight man I probably would have found my soul mate. I love you, JJ Wyatt! Anyway, after I got through my depression and anxiety we made our way to explore parts of Vegas including the Luxor Hotel and Casino. The Luxor was such a beautiful hotel. It's completely Egyptian themed and shaped in a pyramid! So beautiful. Then we made our way to Caesar's Palace somehow. I'm pretty sure we uber'd there because that's a hella long distance...anyway I was super excited to find Caesar. Can't you tell? I was mostly quoting Mean Girls while we were there and the occasional Hangover quote. Not to mention we saw a guy dressed like Alan in the hotel. Ha! After that we had some din dins at the Cheesecake Factory and managed to get a little shopping done. I couldn't stay away from Sephora and bought two Kat Von D lipsticks and a nice dress from H&M (which you'll see in a later photo). We then walked ALL the way back to World of Coke. I love coke products but I did a similar tour in Georgia so I wasn't really that impressed all though I did enjoy the coke floats. It was an interesting touch. Night Two: We had dinner at our hotel (Excalibur) at one of their Italian restaurants, Buca di Beppo. It's ultimately a restaurant that serves everything family style so portions are HUGE, but oh so good. After dinner we returned to our rooms to get dressed for the rest of the evening. *see above for the dress I purchased at H&M for only $17!* Right after that was the best part of our trip. THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER. How could I go to Vegas without seeing an Australian male strip show? I couldn't that's how! So I'm just gonna tell you one thing...OH MY GOSH. I've never attended anything like this and I enjoyed every second of it. No shame. Unfortunately no pictures or videos were allowed during the show due to the nature of it, but I managed to get one anyway...during the 5 minutes they let us. This guy was my favorite! Ugh. That beard. That body. Okay that's enough drooling for me. The only unfortunate side to this was...going to a male strip show with three men isn't good for the two females in attendance. The guys didn't want to approach us thinking that the males with us were our boyfriends...little did they know it was quite the opposite. Later that night we attended one of the hottest night clubs in Vegas...Hakkasan. We managed to be put on a guest list and found our way in there. I didn't stay for too long. I actually think I walked in and walked right out. I was just so tired. My medication makes me sleepy. I know, I'm an old lady. On the bright side John and I looked FIERCE, but mostly me because PURPLE LIPSTICK. Day Two: So I woke up extremely refreshed because I didn't stay out past midnight but everyone else was struggling. My friend, June, and I managed to wake up at a decent hour and head over to M&M World. SO MUCH CANDY. Eventually everyone managed to get out of bed and we hit up a buffet at the Mirage and then made our way to Fremont. I fell in love with that part of the city. A few of my friends managed to go ziplining while we were there but I was in a dress so I wasn't able to go, but what I did do was win $18 while gambling!!! That was exciting. I was only able to stay at Fremont for a few hours because I needed to head back to the hotel and change for the Criss Angel show. Night Three: I've been a Criss Angel "loyal" for as long as I can remember. No joke my childhood bedroom still has a poster of him levitating on my wall. Judge me! I told myself that if I went to Vegas during his 10 year residency at the Luxor I would go see his show so I did. My friend June is pretty awesome. She ended up getting us tickets that were over 50% off original price through her job so we paid $50 for tickets worth around $110. Granted we didn't have the best seats in the house but as long as we were there we were happy. Well we get to the Luxor and go to be seated and the usher tells us to just sit down in row DD when we had tickets for row HH. We questioned it and she just said it's okay there's only 2 people in your party, so we didn't complain. Later on she asks us if we mind moving again...guys, we were upgraded to 6TH ROW. I about lost my mind. That show was so funny, entertaining and damn magical. I definitely want to see it again. That was where my trip ended. My friends went on to see Absinthe without me, and I stayed at the hotel and binge watched Fuller House. Traveling can teach you a lot about yourself and other people. I learned I have some of the best friends ever. I had my patience tested a whole lot while on this adventure and I also learned that not every thing needs a remark of sort. You don't need alcohol to have fun and don't let your illnesses bring you down. I know I didn't have pictures of everything I did while in Vegas, but I'm learning to live in the moment and treasure memories. It's so much better than focusing on taking the perfect picture.
That's it for my February adventure. We'll see where March (my birthday month) takes me. Until then...peace! Yeah, I did it. I finally visited New York. It's such a beautiful city. I could not believe how beautiful it was, but in all honesty it just wasn't for me. I grew up in a small town in the Rio Grande Valley. I never thought I'd even visit the big apple, but I made it happen. My family never had the means to travel so all the traveling I did was through school. Big shout out to scholarships and financial aid for that! I've visited countless states and even France, this is probably the first time where I went somewhere without school yet I treated it just like a school trip. Day 1:Ground Zero. Probably the most emotional part of my visit. Many people remember exactly where they were when those planes hit, including me. I was in the 3rd Grade. Mrs. Romero's class at Doedyn's Elementary when a teacher ran in telling us to turn on the news where we saw the second plane hit. I didn't know what was happening. I couldn't comprehend what was going on but I remember being scared. What if we were next? Thankfully we weren't, but thousands of people lost their lives that day. Each and every one of their pictures were posted in the museum and I kept putting myself in their families' shoes. Chills. Chills ran through my spine as I relived that day. I left the memorial in silence. New York Public Library and Bryant Park Ice Rink I needed to print out our tickets for both Good Morning America and Live With Kelly and Michael so what better place to do that than the New York Public Library?! HOLY CRAP that place was HUGE. You really could get lost there. I don't know how I didn't. I mean I walked in there to print two sheets of paper out and walked out two hours later. Right outside the library is Bryant Park where they have an awesome ice rink I wanted to skate in if I was coordinated enough but I just settled for a picture with the HUGE tree. (See above) Time Square. What's a trip to NYC without a late night stroll through Time Square? It was everything I had ever dreamed it would be. So many lights and people causing me so much anxiety. This was where I realized I could never live in the city that never sleeps. Even though the atmosphere was great I just don't want to be in a place where I have to worry about being scammed all the time. Yes, that did happen. I was taking a picture and a Winnie the Pooh character jumped in my photo and then charged me for it. WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL? Completely rude but whatever. I'd much rather live in a place where I'm comfortable like San Diego. Day 2:Good Morning America I somehow managed to score us tickets to watch Good Morning America, but damn it was cold. We woke up bright and early waited in line for so long and had to be out in the cold for the taping, but it was totally worth it to see Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan (see below). It wasn't what I expected it to be. I kind of would have liked to have been in the warmth, but it's an experience and quite fun to say the least. We even got to meet a few of the anchors and the celebrity guests which included Roman and the Bella Twins from WWE. It's so strange actually seeing the recording live. I wanted to do TV for so long and now that I've seen two tapings I'm not too sure I could do it. Ed Sullivan Theater. If I could have toured the Ed Sullivan Theater my life would be complete. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to score tickets to see Stephen Colbert in action but passing by the studio still made me fangirl. Rockefeller Center Oh. My. Gosh. Really that's all I can say about this place. So beautiful. I mean look at that tree. The architecture and the statues are just flawless. St. Patrick's Cathedral Talk about #CatholicGoals. I've visited Notre Dame and now St. Patrick's. Literally I have Vatican City left on my list and I'll be good. Gothic architecture is just so beautiful. There's just something about the design that just makes me think I'm in a castle in the Middle Ages. We went inside and saw part of a mass and I even lit a candle for my family and bought quite a few gifts. Considering I've lived in a small town most of my life, I just can't imagine attending mass at a church like this and not knowing every parishioner. Radio City Music Hall Holy crap this place only looks small because trust me when you walk inside its HUGE. So much walking went on during this tour. This was one of the few guided tours we decided to take. This venue is gorgeous and was designed to feel like you're on a boat going toward the sunset. I never would have guessed that, to be completely honest. The art on the walls are all the original paintings just slightly restored. The carpeting was so musical...literally. They have instruments on it. Oh and did I mention I met a Rockette?! She said I had the pose down packed! Too bad I'm too short to be a Rockette. 😭 Love Sign and Lady Liberty Now I just had to be basic and take a photo with the love sign. Unfortunately, I was too broke to take a guided Statue of Liberty tour but I still wanted to see her so we took the FREE...yes, I said FREE ferry to Staten Island and caught a glimpse of her on the way there and back. Broadway: Something Rotten This has easily become my new obsession. For my first Broadway show, it did not disappoint. SO FUNNY. If you don't know, Something Rotten takes place in the Renaissance period and follows the story of two brothers who are writers living in the shadow of William Shakespeare so Nigel Bottom sets out to create the world's first musical. Now I know what you're thinking and trust me it's not that at all. It's funny. It's crude and so many sexual innuendos. Definitely a must see. Now you're probably thinking "how did you score tickets to this Tony Nominated show?" Three little words: Broadway on 8th. We got great seats to this show for $75! Originally they run to be about $200+! The guys there are so helpful and they even hooked me up to see another show for just $50! (See day 3) Day 3:Live With Kelly and Michael No joke, I'm still pinching myself about this. We stood outside in line for about 2 hours and it was FREEZING. So damn cold. We thought we weren't going to make it in, but we were some of the last people to make it in the studio audience and sat FRONT ROW. We met Tyler Perry (see above). And I even got a selfie with Kelly Ripa, who I've adored since I was a kid! (See below). Kelly and I have the same appreciation for Beyoncé. Sometimes Yoncé just comes out of us. She was such a sweetheart! Oh and Michael, my favorite Giants player EVER. (See below) Unfortunately no selfie with him but I did fangirl over him two days in a row. So if I learned anything that day it's that patience and waiting are worth it. You may just get rewarded with front row seats to things. Central Park Such a beautiful creation. I climbed a giant rock to get this photo and well later messed up my ankle but hey, I got the photo! 5th Ave. and Tiffany's Spent those few hours acting like I was rich and famous, but in reality couldn't afford anything on that street except for maybe a chocolate bar. I mean really I couldn't afford a key chain at Tiffany's. It was over $70. FOR A KEY CHAIN. But still I dreamed and stared at all the things I couldn't afford. Broadway Part 2: Matilda So speaking of Matilda and TV, I found out I made it on TV for Kelly and Michael (see above). That was totally exciting. Back to the actual point: Matilda was PHENOMENAL. If you're a classic musical lover or a fan of the movie Matilda this is the Broadway show for you. It's so dark and twisted plus the effects will have you thinking how did they do that?! Original prices for this show are also in the $200 price range but Broadway on 8th hooked it up for $50! Seriously save your money and go check these guys out. Day 4:Thrift Shops I love finding little treasures at thrift shops and popping tags, man. I found myself a Coach purse for only $10! Yeah, it's dirty but I can fix it up and wash it. No biggie. Oh and if you look closely under it is the jacket I found for $30! It's real leather and super cute. It's all about those hidden treasures. Back To Reality:I learned so much about myself on my little journey. Sometimes you just need to get away for a while and explore a place you've never been before to find yourself again.
Like I mentioned earlier I could never live in NYC but visiting again would be nice. There was still a lot I didn't get to do, but what I did do I totally enjoyed. 2016 will be the year of travel for me. Up next Vegas in February! 2015 was a pretty horrible year. I was diagnosed with a mental illness and let that stop me from accomplishing many things.
"New Year, New Me" is what everyone always says but I just don't see it. I ended 2015 with some of my best friends (see above) but inside I was still fighting my anxiety and depression. Depression is so taboo in my culture. "Estas loca" is something that's thrown around on the daily from people I know. I'm not "loca" I have an illness and I'm working on overcoming it. I didn't let my social anxiety and depression win last night. I went out and had a great time with friends. Yes, I struggled with my illness a good portion of the night but like I said I'm working on it. This year, I've decided to not let my illness win. I'm going to travel more. I'm going to explore. I'm going to take in life. Who knows what else may come from it. I'm stronger than my mental illness. It won't win. |
Archives
February 2017
Categories |