The event started at 8 so we decided to grab a bite to eat beforehand at one of our favorite spots in the West Village, Ino. It’s a really good panini restaurant a few blocks from our office. After eating we weren’t really sure how far away the W hotel was and we had time to kill so we decided to walk down West Street and find the place. Little did we know that the venue was actually right by Ground Zero and it took a little under an hour to get there. Since a lot of the road was blocked off we had to constantly cross back and forth over the street until we finally arrived at the W.
We walked in and I was instantly taken aback by how small the bar was. It was eloquently decorated and very chic. The decorations were very modern. There were two big couches when you walked in and then a bar to the back. Bombay Sapphire was the liquor sponsor and they had a slew of different fun cocktails featuring the gin. There was even a drink named after the guest of honor.
We grabbed a drink and then walked around and checked out the rest of the place. Surprisingly the venue was quite small. There were a few couches with a white wall. On the other side of the wall there was a globe in the center of the room identifying all the W hotels in the world.
We grabbed a couch and waited for Ashanti to arrive. The music they played hip hop and rap both old and new tunes. It was good but people were mostly standing around mingling. We were sitting for a while when it seemed like forever before Ashanti would arrive.
Finally, when she did get there she looked stunning wearing a orange Versace dress. She came in and danced on the red couches while everyone snapped pictures. There was constant flashing lights. I felt like it must be annoying to be a celebrity and constantly have your picture taken. Unless you like it then its totally fun.
I was reading online that there were cupcakes with her face on them. I did not see these and I’m kind of upset. I would have liked to have one lol. The party was fun aside from the fact that they didn’t actually play the CD. At least at the time we were there. We stayed until about 10 and then decided to call it a night. I’ll have to check out the new CD sometime this week.