![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Screen-Shot-2023-07-17-at-11.52.32-AM-e1689620931408.png\")
<\/a>Yankees great David Justice and Karen Salkin. Photo by Laura Saul, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
This one was to honor the ESPY Awards, which celebrates achievements in sports. It was held once again at what appears to be GBK\u2019s fave venue, the rooftop of the LaPeer Hotel in West Hollywood. Laura noted, \u201cThere is nothing that says swanky event more than being on the rooftop of a West Hollywood boutique hotel!\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of the occasion, many of the guests were popular athletes. As a decades-long Yankees fan, I was absolutely thrilled to meet the adorable former Yankee, David Justice<\/strong>, who\u2019s even better-looking than when he was playing! We actually had a \u201cmeet cute\u201d\u2014I was talking to one of the sponsors who asked me about being from Brooklyn because he\u2019s from the Bronx. And then I heard someone behind me say, \u201cThe Bronx? I spent a lot of time there myself.\u201d The sponsor then asked him, \u201cAre you from there?\u201d And the new voice answered, \u201cI played at Yankee Stadium for a long time, and\u00a0that\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0in the Bronx!\u201d I turned around and saw that it was David Justice! And he was darling to me. When I told him that a picture of me with current Yankee Giancarlo Stanton had popped-up somewhere that morning, he gallantly said, \u201cCome on, we<\/em> can do better than that!,\u201d and put his arm around me. And the rest is history. (Well, only the history of meeting another Yankee great, so no worries for Mr. X!)<\/p>\n But guest list aside, Laura and I were excited to see our favorite food purveyor there, and to learn about many new products, mostly geared to athletes. So you can see why\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0was invited! (Joking aside, it’s because I\u00a0admire<\/em>\u00a0them, not because I\u00a0am<\/em>\u00a0one.) Here are our highlights:<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Ike\u2019s Sandwiches<\/strong>\u2014We were over the moon to see Ike\u2019s Sandwiches there again!\u00a0 Just the night before, Mr. X was begging me to stop by an Ike\u2019s Sandwich place for him, and then here Ike’s was, like an oasis! Besides that Laura and I both adore Ike himself, (yes, he’s a real person,) Laura says, \u201cHe makes the best sandwiches! And when you create such high-quality and tasty products as Ike does, you get to expand your empire, which he is steadily doing.\u00a0 If your own travels don\u2019t show you the evidence of this, just do a quick Google search of Ike’s locations; he’s everywhere now, and for good reason!\u201d She\u2019s just hoping that they\u2019ll expand to the Palm Springs area where she spends a lot of time, saying that area \u201cdesperately needs Ike\u2019s superior sandwich shop.\u201d They were serving four different varieties at the lounge, including the Steph Curry, which was new to me, and I loved it! But they were all<\/em> delish, of course. When Laura asked Ike what his personal favorite is, he chose the\u00a0Madison Bumgarner and the\u00a0Paul Reubens. (All of them are named for famous people, often sports peeps, which was perfect for this pre-ESPYs event.) Now she can’t wait to try both of those. www.ikessandwich.com<\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n LA Smile Specialists<\/strong>\u2014Since teeth should be of the utmost importance to everyone<\/em>, we loved discovering this Beverly Hills dental group right in our own backyard! They were gifting generous certificates for an assortment of services. Laura’s father is a retired dentist, and she told me that he’s amazed at \u201chow dentistry has changed through the years, for the better.\u201d And that LA Smile\u2019s \u201ccutting-edge technologies sound fabulous.\u201d One of the things that really intrigues her about this<\/em> office is that they don\u2019t use \u201cthose uncomfortable dental molds to take impressions of your teeth; they now digitally scan them!\u201d She further explains, \u201cThey also use GPS-guided implant placement, and AI technology and lasers to achieve the best and most precise results. It’s really exciting to see how dentistry has evolved. Is it too late for me to go back to school and get my DDS degree?\u201d I can assure her that it is<\/em>, so we’re glad to now know about LA Smile Specialists! www.lasmilespecialists.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Signal Relief<\/strong>\u2014As, sadly, someone whose knees and back are in just about\u00a0constant<\/em>\u00a0pain, you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn about this pain relief patch company! The patches work with a whole new technology that I\u2019ve never seen\u2014you put the (hundred times or so) reusable<\/em> patch\u00a0near<\/em>\u00a0the pain, not right\u00a0on<\/em>\u00a0it. (Between the pain and the brain, to be exact.) The very pleasant rep is from Utah, which appears to me to be the ballroom dance capital of the country, and he was a dancer himself, so\u00a0he understands what pain relief means to all of us. I can\u2019t wait to show it to my new knee doc, so he can see how pro-active I am. www.signalrelief.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n El Cristiano Tequila<\/strong>\u2014After meeting this company at a previous GBK gifting lounge, we were happy to see them again, (as I’m sure were the rest of the celebratory assemblage!) Laura sampled their Clase Reposado XR\u00a0Tequila for the first time, and deemed it to be\u00a0\u201cincredibly smooth.\u201d She appreciated that one of their reps \u201cdescribed their meticulous distillation process, and how it removes the impurities that you don’t want in an alcoholic beverage.\u201d She adds, \u201cThey clearly know what they’re doing because I thoroughly enjoyed what I sampled!\u201d I’m sure all<\/em> the guests did! \u00a0www.el-cristiano.com<\/a><\/p>\n Look at the pinkies, not the guys! Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n PNKY<\/strong>\u2014This was an interesting find, all the way around; you can guess all day, and you’ll never come up with what their product is!\u00a0 So here’s the story: We came upon two hunky guys whose company is named basically \u201cpinky!\u201d And it pertains to all of our little pinkies! What a dichotomy of visuals that was! Laura explains the product: \u201cWhat the pencil grip is to the pencil, the PNKY is to the cell phone. The way we grip our phone is not great for us, ergonomically. The PNKY redistributes the weight of your phone off your pinky. We all use our phones a lot everyday. PNKY is doing what all<\/em> businesses should do, which is to solve a problem.\u201d \u00a0www.pnkystore.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n House of Pickleball<\/strong>\u2014This company had a whole pickleball court set-up on the rooftop of the hotel! And everyone was invited to play, which many people actually took them up on, even in the heat. (Athletes, am I right?) Each guest went home with an attractive gigantic branded hoodie. www.houseofpickleball.net<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Flexpower<\/strong>\u2014As someone who’s been in constant pain for over a decade now, (from my broken back and messed-up knees,) I loved finding this special pain-relief cream that Laura learned \u201cwas at one time available to only professional athletes.\u201d I adore now being privy to this secret of the pros! Laura checked-out the package, and told me, \u201cI especially love that it\u2019s scent-free, which is difficult to find in products such as this one.\u201d www.flexpower.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Phase Activewear<\/strong>\u2014This new streetwear company was gifting branded hats and keychains. Laura deemed them to be \u201ccool,\u201d and\u00a0I<\/em>\u00a0even admired the attractive black carry box they came in!\u00a0\u00a0www.phaseofficial.com<\/a><\/p>\n You know how much I adore kindness, so I\u2019m always delighted that GBK makes sure their events benefit at least one charity. This time there were three<\/em>! They are:<\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Best Buddies<\/strong>\u2014The mission statement of this lovely nonprofit says they are \u201cdedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.\u201d They do it in several different ways, including throwing events, encouraging volunteering, and requesting that companies \u201chire a buddy.\u201d As a former teacher, and \u201ccelebrity\u201d (I hate that word) at many Special Olympics, (which is the most worthwhile experience my former TV show ever afforded me,) I also encourage everyone to do whatever you can in this area, even a small gesture; it can make someone’s day. www.bestbuddies.org<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing<\/strong>\u2014I love this association\u2019s mission statement: \u201cWorking globally to ensure that people who are deaf and hard of hearing can hear and talk. We want all families to be informed and supported, professionals to be appropriately qualified to teach and help children with hearing loss, public policy leaders to effectively address the needs of people with hearing loss, and communities to be empowered to help their neighbors with hearing loss succeed.\u201d And, of course, I especially love that the person who wrote it knows how to use commas! \u00a0www.agbell.org<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Eli A. Wolff Memorial Fund for Disability Justice in Sport<\/strong>\u2014This fund honors the very kind and popular late Paralympian, Eli A. Wolff. He was also a human rights activist, Co-Director of the Power of Sport Lab, and Founder of the ESPY Award for Best Male and Female Athlete with a Disability. To honor Eli\u2019s legacy, this fund supports scholarships and research to improve opportunities for athletes with disabilities. www.nasss.org\/awards\/eliwolff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>