Traveling Suits Me « Coolgrrrls

Traveling Suits Me

Posted 01 July 2004 LA@nite

Summer is the time for travel and I had the opportunity to be quite a jet setter when I zoomed up to Toronto for a quick weekend to attend the Much Music Awards. As Canada’s version of MTV, they don’t skimp on fan fair in celebrating the bands that make the channel happen. Set up in a canopied parking lot outside the station’s headquarters, it was absolute mayhem with the streets flooded with eager music lovers hoping to get a glimpse of their favorite star. Inside, the set up was more party than show with no seating and crush of people so tight it was a good thing everybody was fashionably thin!

As we wandered through the crowd sipping on free cocktails and nibbling on finger foods, acts such as the Beastie Boys, Hilary Duff and Hoobastank rocked the stage. We did manage to spot a few notables in the crowd, namely Shaun Morgan from the band Seether whose girlfriend Amy Lee (pictured) was performing with her band Evanescence. Also one of my faves, Justin Hawkins of the Darkness turned up sporting a headful of waist-long hair extensions – and he seemed to be behind me every time I turned around. Hmmmm.

You can read more about the Much Music show and the winners HERE

Afterwards, we cooled down from the madness by sneaking out for a quiet nightcap at the Roof Lounge of Toronto’s Park Hyatt Hotel, where the 18th floor view of the city was enough to sweep me off my feet and I ordered what must be the yummiest concoction on earth – the Chocolate Cake Martini. I was on top of the world for sure while drinking this! It’s so good I had to write it down to share with you:

Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur
Dark Crème de Cacao
Kahlua
Top with a couple of raspberries
Serve in one very large martini glass and dig in!

During the day, I did get a chance to do a little sightseeing Canada-style and strolled through charming Yorkville where the streets are lined with quaint eateries and designer boutiques and I discovered the people of Toronto are ever so stylish, from well-groomed lasses and metrosexuals to Avril Lavigne wanna-bes and neo-punks with mohawks.

That must be why they decided to open the Bata Shoe Museum in the area. As a Grrrl, it is my duty to be drawn to the well-heeled, so I stopped in to discover the history of the shoe, get a glance at designers from Ferragamo to Fluevog, examine the soles of stars such as Pablo Picasso’s zebra-striped booties, Elvis’ two-tone patent leathers, Madonna’s beaded burgundy platforms (pictured) and Shaquille O’Neil’s GIGANTIC sneakers. Plus, an entire floor dedicated to the art of the moccasin for the Paths Across the Plains exhibit. Who knew!

You can find out more about the Bata Shoe Museum HERE.

And from Canada to Italy, I got an eyeful with a screening of “La Dolce Vita” for the Fellini Film Festival at the Egyptian Theater. The classic three-hour epic from Fellini’s circus eye view gave a good dose of life in fabulous 1960′s Rome. Though I have to respect this classic filmmaker, the movie itself proved a bit exhausting – enough to need a pick-me-up at the adjacent Pig N Whistle Restaurant afterward to discuss, “what the hell did we just watch?”

You can challenge your own love of movie art with regular film festivals courtesy of the American Cinematheque, a non-profit, viewer-supported cultural organization dedicated to moving pictures. Visit their web site: egyptiantheatre.com for this month’s features including: “Elementary, My Dear Watson” Sherlock Holmes on film, July 2 – 4, with four nights of some of the best adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous novels and legendary characters. Also running through August 3rd is “Can’t Stop the Musicals” featuring musicals from the 1970s & ’80s with such classics as “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Lisztomania” starring The Who’s Roger Daltrey.

I dropped into the Key Club on the Sunset Strip for er, a little stripping with the Bollywood Follies. The show features a tantalizing mix of songs from the ’60s and ’70s Bollywood films of India, exotic burlesque dance from local fave Kitten DeVille, wacky standup from comedian Blaine Capatch, DJ extraordinaire Senor Amor and mind-blowing male dancer Karis, all backed by the 13-piece Bombay Rhythm Connection and co-starring founder and Lucha VaVoom hottie Rita D’Albert.

Things got a little more sophisticated downtown when I was finally able to see the inside of the awe-inspiring Disney Hall for a performance by the LA Philharmonic led by famed conductor Robert Spano. With its soaring vaulted ceilings, smooth blonde wood, and supreme acoustics, you can hear every note of LA’s renowned orchestra and I have to say the Disney Hall must be the sexiest venue in the world, as beautiful inside as out. Make an evening of it – and get some culture in ya!