![\"Aaron](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/3605116736BA8E9A3A1CFE31E3CE.jpg\")
<\/a>Aaron Carter, showing us his gifts. Photo by Jerod Harris.<\/p><\/div>\n
I love that GBK holds their Grammys suites downtown, to be near the venue in which the actual show takes place. That makes it much easier for many of the guests, showing that GBK caters to the comfort of their guests.<\/p>\n
The time it was at the eatery, Tom’s Urban<\/strong>, a place whose opening I went to a couple of years ago. I hadn’t been back since then, (only because I’m rarely in that LA Live area,) so I was happy to finally make a return visit. And I had my co-writer, Alice, in tow. (Her opinions are the words in quotes.)<\/p>\n We were rewarded with some of Tom’s delicious fare. They passed easy-to-eat brunch food all day, (which was a clever touch,) and the bar housed stationary trays of fresh fruit and veggies with a hummus duo.<\/p>\n Grilled brie and bacon sandwich. Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the big one at the top of the page.<\/p><\/div>\n Alice scarfed the sausage, e-word, and cheese sandwich, and also scrambled e-words\u00a0on a tortilla, while I waited for the more lunch-y comfort food. We both loved the incredible grilled brie cheese\u00a0with bacon and jam, and the burger sliders were so inviting that I just had to sneak a few bites of it. (I’m not supposed to eat meat anymore, but this was worth the cheat!)<\/p>\n We loved sitting right at the bar to munch it all, and Alice even had a drink there. (They very generously had an open bar! At a gifting suite! Believe me, that’s rare.) She had a \u201cso delish\u201d Moscow Mule, which she said \u201chad a kick I had never tasted before!\u201d<\/p>\n Kirstie Maldonado of Pentatonix. Photo by Jerod Harris.<\/p><\/div>\n Since this fete was to celebrate the Grammys, the invited guests were mainly from the music biz. It was interesting to see Aaron Carter<\/strong> in person, and I loved chatting a bit with the talented and upbeat Kirstie Maldonado<\/strong> of the wonderful acapella group Pentatonix. If I had known that they were going to sing with the one and only Stevie Wonder the next night, we would have had even more<\/em> to talk about!<\/p>\n Once sated, we got to visit with the sponsors a bit. There were several products we were already familiar with, and we loved discovering the others. It was a really fun group. (But we never made it over to the table of BoomCase<\/strong>, the Presenting Sponsor, because it was constantly packed with music peeps who seemed to be loving them, so we’ll have to tell you more about the clever speakers-in-suitcases next time.)<\/p>\n Here are the highlights:<\/p>\n Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n Erika Walton Jewelry<\/strong>\u2014The second I spied this table of colorful, campy jewelry that’s made out of small toys, I recognized it. I had received my first piece from designer Erika Walton’s whimsical collection six years ago<\/em>! You can just imagine how much jewelry I’ve amassed since then, so that tells you just how unforgettable these pieces are. I believe she had been on hiatus for a few years, so I’m very happy to see that she’s back. And better than ever. Alice had never seen them before, but Erika’s attractive display kept beckoning her all day, until we were finally able to get past the crowd of others who were loving her designs, as well. Alice said these fun items are \u201ca real throw back,\u201d and a \u201cnostalgic touch.\u201d She added that the wearers can all \u201cchannel their inner kid, and look cool doing it.\u201d www.alteregojewelry.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n American Hat Makers<\/strong>\u2014We jumped out of our skin when we saw this popular sponsor back again. And so did the rest of the guests. From that moment on, we all walked around sporting what Alice called \u201cthe best quality hats\u201d that are \u201cso well-made\u201d from \u201cgreat materials, with beautiful stitching.\u201d She added, \u201cAnd the selection never disappoints.\u201d All shallow I cared about is that they make a blue one that matches my eyes! www.americanhatmakerscom<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n Beija-Flor Jeans<\/strong>\u2014We were both already fans of these jeans, which are made partly from recycled bottles! (I still can’t understand that technology, but as long as they look<\/em> good, which they do on their darling model, Erica, I’m down with them.) And, as Alice noted, they come in a great variety of colors and patterns. www.beijaflorjeans.com<\/a><\/p>\n Grammy Museum\u2014<\/strong>In a case of the perfect sponsor for an event, a rep from the near-by Grammys Museum was on hand, gifting passes to the very interesting gallery. There’s always something fun to see there.\u00a0www.grammymuseum.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n Lifecell<\/strong>\u2014We’re both very familiar with these skincare products, having used them for about a year now. Alice said that she \u201cdefinitely\u201d sees \u201ca difference in\u201d her \u201cfine lines.\u201d So I was so happy that now they’ve branched-out and are making a brand new lip plumper. I’ll be happy to get those fat lips without injections. I’ve had enough of getting medically poked with needles this year; no need to have it done cosmetically<\/em>, as well. So, I can’t wait to try this lip item. www.lifecellcream.com<\/a><\/p>\n Connected to Goodness<\/strong>\u2014Alice took one of these books that she said is \u201cabout how you can manifest your dreams into reality by applying certain principles.\u201d She’s reading it now, and told me that it \u201ccan help you with the rough patches along the way.\u201d\u00a0www.connectedtogoodness.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by Alice Farinas.<\/p><\/div>\n Audiopark<\/strong>\u2014As fashionistas and<\/em> phone-ies, we both already own a pair of these stylish earbuds, that double as bracelets! We love the convenience of them. And the new colors are awesome. www.audioparkco.com<\/a><\/p>\n Hale Bob<\/strong>\u2014This \u201c boho chic\u201d company was once again gifting one of their swirled-colors scarves. Alice said one can \u201cwear this pattern with everything,\u201d and that it’s a \u201cgreat accessory with any outfit.\u201d www.halebob.com<\/a><\/p>\n Ike\u2019s Place<\/strong>\u2014By the time we left, we were hungry again, so we were happy to see this sandwich shop there, hooking us up with a take-home sub sandwich. Alice said her pulled chicken one had a \u201cgreat kick to it.\u201d (And, the kind gents who run it gave each female a rose, too, since it was Valentine’s Day. That made us all leave with a smile.) www.ilikeikesplace.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GBK PRE-GRAMMY GIFT LOUNGE I love that GBK holds their Grammys suites downtown, to be near the venue in which the actual show takes place. That makes it much easier for many of the guests, showing that GBK caters to the comfort of their guests. The time it was at the eatery, Tom’s Urban,<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>