“It’s not about where you are but rather the company you keep that determines your experience. However, it doesn’t hurt if the place you’re headed is cool to begin with.”

-M.R.

 A slight chill filled the springtime air as we arrived at Austin’s pad. Ornate glasses lined the shelves of his mini bar, displaying a decorative array of alcoholic beverages. Tonight, we went for the Gin. We casually catch up, enjoying ourselves as we meticulously sip our grapefruit x gin cocktails in sync to the deep house softly playing in the background.

We had little to no direction as to where we were headed for the night and I enjoyed every moment of this uncertainty. I knew for a fact, wherever the night brought us we would bring our good vibes and tear up the scene. If there’s one attitude I’ve cultivated over the years about having a good time, it’s never to have a “Plan B,” for you’re already setting into motion the need for one. As our Uber arrives, we make our move; tonight we’re cruising over to THE LASH, a conceptual pop-up bar x club located in DTLA.

We enter from the front door and ascend small yet steep stairs into a room illuminated by red fluorescent lights. I admire the artistic choices in decor as we make our way to the bar. I notice this attention to detail extend even further as I observe a blackberry which dances and gather bubbles in my champagne flute. This little touch brought a smile to my face as I now had something to look forward to despite the inevitable loom of a last sip. I start towards this reward as I lap up my first sip and we make our way to the dance floor.

Making our way through a white brick tunnel, we exit the bar and emerge into the dance room. Party goers and an engaging DJ set the tone of the environment as their high energy welcomes us. We stay for a few moments to shake our tail feathers then continue to explore the rest of the place. We come across a secluded back room that I assume has been overlooked due it’s placement in the corner. Most would see this empty and alienated room and walk in the opposite direction. However, with positive eyes I’m instantly drawn to it as I look to my crew to see if they’re thinking what I’m thinking. Their smiles match mine and it clues me in that they saw the same perfection I did…our own private VIP.

We breathe life into the room as we take full advantage of the space. The wooden tables are accented with broken glass tops, which one might assume is the result of rowdy partying or the shattering bass of 90’s/00’s dance music. Regardless of how they came to be, we found a creative purpose for them as we turned the place into our own private set as we dance and sing between shots.

| MAV MANTRA |

Dance like everyone’s watching 

(Lets face it they’re watching, that’s what people do. If you’re cool, they’re definitely watching. However if you’re cool enough to be watched why should it matter how you’re dancing, you’re a cool cat remember?)

When asked earlier that night about destiny, I said “It’s k n o w i n g you’re in the right place at the right time.” Ironically this notion of destiny set the tone for the night as we drifted towards a destination merely guided by the flow. By the end of the night I realized we ended up right where we were meant to be as we remained at LASH the entirety of the night. In all honestly, all you truly need is in this life is the company of a few great friends with whom you can share solid laughs with, a few photos, and a funky beat to groove to. And on that note…this sums up the night