I scored an invite to the most exclusive party I’ve ever had the privilege to be invited to. So exclusive that I basically had to win an award (or two) to get in. Yup, it was LA Weekly‘s 2009 Web Awards party at Bardot in Hollywood. And because the VIP venue in the Avalon has limited space the invite-only list was tight. There were some Tweeps who managed to win tickets via LA Weekly‘s Twitter as well as the plus ones but mostly it was the bloggerati partying down.
Since most everyone in the blogosphere is more apt to recognize screen names and avatars than actual faces, people were mingling. I, on the other hand, being of the shy variety stuck to my booth closest to the awards table. Located in the open-air courtyard of the club that was choked with cigarette smoke we could hear the hail pelting down on the tin-sounding roof. Here, I had a great view of the awards and the slideshow displaying the winners in each category, easy access to the open bar as well as to the seemingly neverending line of servers who were passing out Thai chicken satay and mini sliders. My blogger buddies estarLA, Lindsay and Zach of Best News Blog winner LAist, FauxLAHipster and LetMeEatCake joined me.
Later when feeling adventurous and in need of a drink, I was able to run into other LA Weekly winners — Laurie Percival (Best Tech Blog lalawag), Alana Joy (Best Most Shameless Self-Promoter), and the fun dudes from The Streets Are Calling (Best Low-Brow Art Blog). It was the coolest bunch of geeks I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. Didn’t get to meet Slash (Best MySpace Music Page), even though I thought I saw him and then dismissed him with a “Nah, couldn’t be him.”
Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take our beautiful gold floppy disk plaques home this night since to remove one would apparently initiate a dominoes effect that would prove devastating to the glass-encased awards. However, the more daring among us managed to sneak their own away during the rare occasion that the table was left unguarded. Dammit! I should have done that. But you know, since I had two, that proved more difficult. Heh.
“We’re going to do it like the Oscars,” said Erin Broadley, LA Weekly‘s Web editor. “We’ll have you pose with the awards and then get them to you later.” “M’Okayyyy,” I pouted. I was kinda hoping to bring them home so that I could cuddle with them later. But then I got over it and just enjoyed the rest of the party.
On a regular night, I can see Bardot being a bit too VIP schmancy for me but on this night I actually fit in that category. Huzzah!