VIP

I will finish my birthday wrap up another day. It was not a part of my birthday, but I got to get all gussied up so I considered it a little celebration in itself.

My friend who I went out with on my birthday is the architect for a mall expansion at carousel mall called destiny USA. It’s turning Syracuse’s main mall into an entertainment headquarters. We have been hearing about this since I was in middle school, but until now, it’s been a lot of talk. My friend invited me to the VIP party of the first store opening in the “destiny USA” section. It was Saks 5^th Avenue. You could tell by the awesome invite, it was a big deal. I was pretty giddy.

It came in a shiny pink envelope!

It was an awesome cocktail party in the store, it was funny we walked in and saw a few people with drinks and we wanted some. One girl told us there are waiters circling but you have to grab them quick. So we went drink hunting. As we strolled through the store, I saw some names that will never be a part of my clothing/accessories collection including Prada, Carolina Herrara, Kate Spade and tons more that made my fashion dreams explode.  The prices quickly shot those dreams down, but a few items landed at the very high end of my budget. Though I really didn’t shop. They had Tory Burch accessories which prompted me to look for her coveted flats, but Tory Burch was not among the shoe designers. Plus it was so much more fun to people watch. It was a private, invitation only, semi-formal cocktail party, but since the mall was still open, a few shoppers got into the store. Sticking out like sore thumbs in jean shorts, gym clothes and graphic tees among a mass of dresses, suits and high heels! Yes, shame on us but we pointed out every under dressed person we saw, in our defense we did it quietly and I did not take pictures!

Finally, we saw where the waiters were coming out from and we stalked that area to grab a drink. It was air-conditioned but it was a crowded store, we were in semi-formal attire and it was over 90 degrees outside. I was thirsty for almost anything!

They were serving this fruity drink in a martini glass garnished with fresh flowers. We joked about ingesting pollen. I later found out it was cran-apple juice, simple syrup and vodka. I could not taste the vodka but it was the only beverage they were serving, we saw a few people with water but we didn’t get the BYOW tidbit.

Me & the architect 

I met many of my friend’s coworkers, made small talk and complained about the humidity we have been having. It was fun. I even met some real big wigs of Saks 5^th Avenue, Pyramid Management Group, Carousel and Destiny USA plus a few local big wigs. 

They were walking around with awesome appetizers. I was starving and I definitely ate a few people’s share. Mushroom Risotto balls, Red Pepper Goat Cheese tarts, Basil with grape tomato, fresh mozzarella topped with a balsamic glaze skewers, Lobster puffs, and Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto. They were all really good.

It was funny, everyone dive bombed the waiters when they had drink trays, one even said he couldn’t get past the shoe section without all the drinks being taken but the food trays were not as popular. I made them popular in my own world! Yes, I failed to mention these lovely appetizers on my fitness pal. Oops!

We made the necessary appearances, enjoyed the atmosphere, helped a few husbands decide on shirts, stayed for the new conference and a few drinks, then I got my private tour!

Then I got a private tour of what’s to come in destiny USA. My friend took me passed the barricades and showed me everything that was in the works. We had to step over boxes of tiles, piles of card board, tons of construction materials and be careful not to bump into anything and get covered in construction dust.

I was told a few things were still wet and put up less than an hour before the party started! It was really cool walking through the parts still in construction. It was just the bones of what’s to come and my friend explained it all! It was really awesome to hear and see how all his work and company’s work have created this entertainment mecca I had been hearing about for the last fifteenish years. My friend and his company designed the core of the mall and the outlines of the storefronts known as Phase I- the groundwork.