Sunday Funday! If you know me, you know how much I love to dance and that I love good house music. Thank you mom and dad for putting me in dance and cheerleading at such a young age because dancing has remained my main form of therapy. Yesterday was my first Sunday off in a while and it just happened to be on the same day that “Deep in the Sky” was being held at the Standard in Downtown LA. Deep Los Angeles was founded by Marques Wyatt and he has been putting on music events at warehouses, hotels, bars and funky venues around LA. Did I mention he DJs at all his events too? So my best friend, Cody (the blonde guy you will see dancing in 90% of my Snapchats) and I won free tickets to a Deep Los Angeles event in Venice two weeks ago and we loved it so much we wanted to go again. Unfortunately, pre-sale tickets for Deep in the Sky were sold out by the time we decided to go and we didn’t know if would be able to purchase tickets at the door. Thankfully for us we were given free tickets again last minute (shoutout to Ashley’s mom for hooking it up). I think the fact we keep getting free tickets to these music events means the universe wants us to dance and get funky or at least I’d like to believe so.  Regardless, we were both stoked and appreciative because everything is better when it’s free, right? I had no expectations of what was yet to come but I was ready to dance on a rooftop with my best friend.

Although I have been to the Standard Hotel before, it was way easier to get in this time. There was a lot of parking available at the hotel and it was only $7. Finding cheap parking in LA is not easy so this was great start to our adventure. Usually parking in LA can be a hassle even with valet and it can range from $10-$30 so I  was happy we found it so conveniently and even saved some money. As a college student who pays for all my adventures while being on a tight budget, saving money wherever possible is always a plus. Getting into the event was a breeze. We waited in line for about 3 minutes and were pulled to the front since we were on a guest list. Took an elevator 12 floors up and we were could already hear the bass before we even stepped out the elevator door. Evan Casey was DJing first and he set the mood with some uplifting and vibey house beats. Of course we hit the dancefloor before we could even think about cocktails. The crowd’s energy was high from the moment we got there until we left and it only continued to get packed as the afternoon went on. People were dressed up in festival attire while others were dressed extremely casual, which was perfect for a Sunday afternoon dance party. The weather was hot on the rooftop so this called for a refreshing drink. As I was making my way to the bar, I noticed one of the servers carrying a lot of empty glasses. Being a typical hospitality major and restaurant employee, I automatically helped her out by picking up empty glasses and taking them up to the bar for her. Lucy thanked me and offered me free a cocktail for helping her out. I decided to try a new cocktail that caught my eye because it was so pretty. The cocktail is called the Frozen Desert Flower, which is handcrafted with vodka, lemon, elderflower, and pear purée. Wow just wow this drink did not disappoint. It tasted like a tropical fruit slushy party in my mouth, which was perfect on a hot day where I was dancing like it was a gym workout. I think the Frozen Desert Flower will be my cocktail of choice whenever I visit the Standard Rooftop from now on. Definitely recommend trying it out if you go to the Standard Hotel in Downtown.

Before Marques Wyatt went on for his set, I had the opportunity to meet and talk to him. It’s always pretty cool when I can chat with DJs at events because it creates a more intimate vibe and I get a better perspective on who the DJ is aside from their talent. I also had the opportunity to meet Evan Casey from Desert Hearts, which was great because he is such a down-to-earth guy and also extremely handsome. He even showed us where his family was chilling. Seeing that type of family love and support at music events always fills my heart because it shows how music can bring people together regardless of age. As we were coming back to the rooftop from my car, Cody and I ran into Lee Reynolds from Desert Hearts, who is the oldest DJs I know yet he is so full of life. This guy parties harder than I ever could and can mix for hours. As we rode the elevator with him, I asked him, “how do you stay so full of life all the time?”. His life advice was basically to just always have fun in life and have a positive outlook because that’s how you manifest anything in life. Just like me, he is a true believer of the law of attracting and manifestation.  As cliche as this advice was, it was refreshing to hear it from someone who I just met for the first time although I’ve danced to his house sets many times ebefore. As the sun went down, the party only got bigger. We danced for hours and the DJs curated nothing but groovy and funky music for a perfect summer vibe.

Overall Deep in the Sky was amazing. The service provided by all the Standard Hotel’s employees was spectacular. From the receptionist at the front desk to the bartenders on the rooftop, I was surprised at how genuine and professional everyone was. A big thank you to Elijah, one of the bartenders, who hooked it up with a free drink. As for Marques Wyatt and Deep Los Angeles, thank you so much for putting on a great event on a hotel rooftop. Although we were definitely some of the youngest in the crowd, the older crowd’s energy was consistently high all day and the house and techno music were great back to back. I’m grateful I had the opportunity to experience this basically for free because it was so much fun. Not only did I get to meet new people and multiple DJs but I was also able to run into old friends and people I’ve met at Lightning in A Bottle. Such a small world! I may have left the Standard Hotel tired from dancing all day but I came back with some new life advice and a new favorite cocktail. Can’t wait for the next Deep Los Angeles event for some more house music and lots of dancing.