Dana Does Dallas (2010 All Star Weekend)

Ladies and Gents, let me start by saying this was one of the better All Star Weekends I have ever been to. I am not sure if it was the City of Dallas per se, the people in town for the weekend, or just the wiser selection of events to attend. 

I landed promptly 8PM Friday, with attempts to hurry quick fast to the Adidas event for 9PM which DMC's manager, Erik Blam (who just happened to be on my flight), invited me to. I am always late, and therefore needless to say I never made it. All good I thought, because I was on the list for the Kenny Smith party. Checked in, dined, bathed and got dolled up. . . but still waited another 45 minutes before I left the hotel (waiting on your peeps, does it to ya every time). Midnight strikes, we all pile up in the cab to Deux to see what Dallas had to offer. We get there fashionably late, door/line is crazy - nothing less than what's expected for All Star Weekend. After playing the waiting game and calling for "life lines" to pull us from the door, we get in and the party was poppin'. Kenny Smith & Ed Lover were hosting, DJ S&S was spinning, the crowd and venue was sexy; a great way to start the weekend. Somewhere in between "Doin' the Butt" and "Poison" my puppies started to bark - no growl on some 'what you think this is' (in a DMX tone lol). I immediately took a bee line to VIP and bopped the night away in a seat. We considered hopping over to Diddy's party as we left the party, but with an event to host the next day we called it a night. 

Next morning (or all day for that matter) it was set up and final planning for the NBA Player's Association Annual All Star Gala. For the past two years, The Source was the official media partner for this event, which included designing and writing their event Journal, a pop up gaming suite/vip area, and an exclusive media section for in-depth interviews with athletes, celebrities and executives. Held at the Hytatt Regency Downtown, Doug E. Fresh hosted the party with its East vs. West decor (courtesy of A La Carte Events) and theme, DJ Battle between DJ Cassidy vs. DJ Ruckus, sexy dancers on pedestals, a gaming suite hosted by The Source & World Gaming, and a 45 minute performance by the Queen herself Ms. Mary J. Blige. . . what can beat that! Here are a few pics from the night as well as a video clip . . . .

"Help me sing it, Help me sing it " Ms. Mary J. Blige

  

JD & Snoop competing in the Gaming VIP suite @ NBPA Gala

Another great evening and event, and puppies still aching, again I called it a night and passed on the Dwayne Wade party.  Once Sunday came around, all I could think of doing was sleeping in and partaking in a great brunch, oh and of course attending the actual All Star Game. I went with a friend to Dragonfly, a cute restaurant in the Hotel Zaza. Brunch was delightful as was the ambiance, but the mood killer for me was Lebron dining at the same establishment with his uncombed hair. Sidebar, am I the only one offended with how unkempt he is ??? Moving on, the highlight of brunch for me was the bottomless mimosas . . .that's right, never ending! Apparently this hotel is a new hot spot and frequented by Mr. & Mrs. Carter. . . must add contact info to the berry for sure.

 

Dragonfly Restaurant at Hotel Zaza

Eager to see what else Dallas had to offer, from a lifestyle standpoint, I then took a quick tour of The Crescent Spa, and Baileys Restaurant. I tell you, one thing I noticed as I was shown around town, Dallas is big on decor and dining. I truly want a reason to have an event in Dallas to utilize these great venues that I saw. To die for was the Coco Chanel cocktail served at Baileys. . .just exquisite. Dessert in a cup with a Bailey's branded chocolate disc to sweeten the deal. Greatest thing of all, they made a great French Martini (hand clap for Dallas, because Miami totally missed the mark on that one).

Coco Chanel @ Bailey's Restaurant     hhmmmmmmm good!

Relaxed and a little high off of afternoon cocktails, off to the All Star Game I went with DMC, Erik Blam, and Shake a/k/a "I got an app for that" (long story). Grateful to be a guest of theirs, we were en route to see this highly anticipated new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Well let me tell you, it was a sight to behold. A huge, clean, modern stadium totally transparent. This stadium has a plasma screen every 10 feet throughout the entire stadium, in addition to the largest screen in the world (Mitsubishi 1080p HDTV).              

      Hi Melo, yea that screen is crazy!

 Shout out to DMC . . . a pleasure to have had him as a client

After taking in the scenery of the stadium or shall I say architecture, we went to the NBA suite where we ate, drank, pollied with NBA folks and enjoyed the game. No seat was a bad seat in the arena, regardless of location because of that grandiose screen. Even the performances by Usher, Shakira and Alicia Keys felt like front row seats. Good job Jerry Jones. Once again I am truly grateful for a great weekend and event. Another moment cherished . . . 

Bubbly Yours,
Dana Storm a/k/a Elmo's World The Remix