Thoughts and prayers go out to Guru….Classic Gang Starr - my favorite track…

Photos: Louis Vuitton

Meet Cosmic Blossom, the new collection featuring Murakami’s superflat artwork printed on Louis Vuitton pieces. The campaign features Daisy Lowe shot in Miami. “Louis Vuitton is an amazingly well made, classic, chic and beautiful brand…I have been a huge fan of Takashi Murakami work for a long time, his work with Louis Vuitton is so playful and exciting,” says Daisy.

Leather goods pieces in this collection includes a pochette measuring 8.3″ x 5.1″ x 1.6″ priced at US$550 and a tote in two sizes, a PM (19.3″ x 11.4″ x 5.1″) and GM (22.8″ x 13.7″ x 7.1″), US$1240 and US$1480 for the PM and GM respectively. The collection will be available at Louis Vuitton stores on April 15, 2010.

Great montage….

Where to eat: More of a “gastro-pub” then your typical restaurant, the “Pig” is a very hipster type spot…Since they don’t take reservations, I tend to drop by this here for lunch or late-night for drinks and snacks. I personally love the atmosphere, a very “London-type” feel - plenty of celebrities spotted here as well:
Jay-Z (who is also an investor), Beyonce, Rihanna, Lindsay Lohan, and Kate Hudson to name a few…

What to eat: Gnudi, Shoestring Fries, Deviled Eggs, Chargrilled Burger.

314 W. 11th St. at Greenwich St. - Manhattan

LORICK

KATIE GALLAGHER

CASERTANO

Amazing installation at S.L.A.T.E./MAGIC Las Vegas last week…Known Gallery and The Seventh Letter displayed original artwork from multiple artists in their collective including: Phil Frost, Retna, Push, Sever, Estevan Oriol, Revok, el Mac and Pose (to name a few)…I’ve already made my inquiry about purchasing a piece I have my eye on - although I may have to put it on “layaway” lol. Come on guys, don’t we have any “friends and family” pricing here???

Where to eat: The traditional “last supper” during Kenny Mac’s latest visit to the apple was held
at L’artusi this past Thursday. If I just had to choose one word to describe the entire experience, it would have to be: IMPRESSIVE. L’Artusi is the sister restaurant of Dell’anima, run by two talented graduates of the Bastianich-Batali empire named Gabe Thompson and Joe Campanele. We were seated in the private dining room, which is generally reserved for private events and a pre-fixe menu is served, so we were fortunate to be able to try multiple dishes!!

What to eat: Roasted Mushrooms (fried egg/ricotta salata), Pici (lamb ragu/pecorino), Spaghetti, the Hanger Steak (crispy potatoes/salsa bianco)…the Pici is my favorite - honestly craved it so badly that I went back for dinner last night!!

228 W. 10th St. at Bleecker - Manhattan

Stopped by the NBA Jam Session with my good friends over at BDA Sports…Ilana Nunn hooked me up with a media pass, thank goodness!! It was a madhouse inside. Press was everywhere trying to get interviews from Shaq, Kobe, etc. Milwaukee Bucks Rookie Brandon Jennings had a full day of autograph signings for various companies including: T-Mobile and Panini…what a life lol.

The traffic was a nightmare getting to any events that night…I ended up at back at the Jordan
Experience to see Wale perform then over to the 944 Magazine event where Snoop literally
“killed it”. He is just so OG…did an hour set without even breaking a sweat.

After dealing with a massive headache from consuming way too many shots the night before, I motivated enough to make it over to the Sheraton for a quick lunch. Ran into Chingy plus a few other people before heading back over to the Jordan Brand 23/25 Experience. The technology was insane inside: Mosaic 23/25, an online experience that allowed fans of the brand to share their photos and become a digital part of the 25th anniversary of AIR JORDAN and the brand’s iconic game day shoes. Thousands of submitted photos were compiled together to form an interactive image of a milestone moment in Michael Jordan’s career. Other highlights of the digital space include an interactive wall featuring a touch screen experience that walks the consumer through the history of the franchise.

I started the night with a great dinner at Nobu located in the Crescent Hotel - spotted Kobe and a few other players…then stopped by the ESPN party which was at Ghostbar (again)…thanks to my DGI fam for hooking me up with tickets, DJ Rashida was amazing as always. The event itself was a “bit corporate” so I didn’t stay long, but headed over to MJ’s private event next to the Hotel Joule. With major “names” in attendance, too many to name, drinks were flowing…it was unbelievably fun.

Where to stay: The Joule Hotel, a part of Starwood’s Luxury Collection, is simply fabulous…great ambience, the rooms are chic and the staff is extremely friendly. If I ever find myself back in Dallas, I would definitely stay here.