Cinco De Yelpo @ Fuego at the Maya

YES! Another smashing party in the LBC :) LOVED IT!
I’m from LB. I even worked on the Queen Mary for a while, and I NEVER knew this diamond in the rough existed. Way to go on the location yet again, Hazel! It was ‘take your breath away’ beautiful when we arrived just before sunset, and the live guitar trio playing in the background was a super nice touch.
I got to meet lotsa Unilocal buddies, which I always love! There was this amazing chips n salsa served. I could dip a boot in that salsa and eat it mmmm Also, HOLY COW were those margaritas stiff as boards! Well played, Can’t wait for the next one :)

It’s getting hot in here…
Ay Mami, es muy fuego!
Another great CMYE hosted by our very own Hazel Q.
Great location, fabulous views, good people and stiff drinks. Win!

Long Beach represent!!!
Hazel Q, you’re awesome for putting LB on the map within the Unilocal community. LB doesn’t get as much love as it deserves.
I was so excited to finally be able to go to an event and say «Oh yeah, I don’t live far from here…» vs. «Oh, that’s far…»
The views here from this vantage point clearly makes me fall in love with LB even more than I already do. I’ve been to the Reef for my brother’s wedding and I remembered how awesome the view was back then. This evening it was the Queen Mary.
Thank you for the schwag and margaritas, that shot I took with the group clearly had my number. I was almost down and out. Key word «almost» because I didn’t go around hair kissing people, instead I gathered most of the ladies for a shot. Nope, not that kind. The priceless kind– photo op.
So glad to have met new Unilocalers. You guys are pretty chill.
It was also nice to see Katie B and Gabi M.
*note to self: tequila is not your friend masking it in grenadine and simple sugar is not going to really change your strong aversion to te-​kill-​ya, it’s Cinco de Unilocalo, so I had to suck it up and do as the Romans do– they party!

The general consensus is tequila makes me even more obnoxious than I already am.
Thanks Hazel!

My share of the event pics can be found here:
I’ll have to apologize to my fellow Unilocalers, but this is the first time that the Venue outshone all your pretty little faces.
I am absolutely infatuated with this venue.
For someone as visual as I am, this place was literally an all you can eat buffet of incredible views.
it’s not the most visually appealing in broad daylight, but once the sun sets … Ho-​ly hell… Absolutely stunning.

Had a blast!!! Invited two friends and they want more!
Thanks for everything Hazel!!!
Also met Noi!!! Hey Noi!

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican militia’s unlikely victory over French forces at The Battle of Puebla in 1862.
Cinco de Unilocalo saluted the LA & OC Unilocaler militia’s unlikely victory over bottles, bottles, and more bottles of Corazon Tequila at The Battle of Fuego at the Maya’s Patio in 2010.

Thanks Hazel Q for hosting a great event! My first CMYE and had a real good time… fun meeting a lot of new Unilocalers… you guys were such a fun crowd! I really dont know what to say other then… GOOOOOD TIIMMMEESSS… =)

This venue was beautiful, like whoa!
The bartender was awesome, like whoa!
It was super spacious, like whoa!
Met a lot of new peeps, like whoa!
Tequila makes me look like I have googly eyes in photos, like whoa!
Tequila also makes me sing in the car on the way home, like whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

I’ve been looking for reasons to come out to the LBC and this was definitely a good one because everything about this event was awesome. The venue was absolutely stunning, the drinks were delish (or in my case shots), and last but not least the people could not have been cooler.
A big ol’ thank you to Hazel for putting this awesome event together. You’re straight up awesome with a splash of badassnessl, and if you weren’t married to the most interesting man in the world then I would probably be harassing you more than I already do.
Last but not least a shot out to two of the coolest CM’s on the WESTSIDE (said like a gangsta) the oh so beautiful Katie B. and the lovely Miss Gabi, you know I got love for you two! Thanks for «accidentally» giving me 4 drink tickets…
PS. I love Unilocal

Kick@$$ !!
The Maya was a perfect venue for Cinco de Mayo! What a gorgeous view! Heat lamps, fire places, good company and great bar tender!
Thanks to all who put this shindig together! You can count on Unilocal to make it happen.

The Good: The Maya hotel is a stunning building right by the ocean with an am-​maz-​ing view. We somehow (I guessing HQ’s connections) got the outside patio and plenty of tables and chairs. Having had no plans for Cinco De Mayo this last minute CMYE was perfect. I had to drive a long 2 miles from my Long Beach office to the hotel. The Fuego staff was friendly and the Unilocalers came out in full force. It seems to me that it’s like half Unilocal regulars and half new Unilocalers, at least to me. Great to meet some new Unilocalers and always great to see old Unilocalers and LA Unilocalers as well. To kick of the event Unilocal even gave us 2 free drinks, thanks: D
The Bad: Service was a bit slow last night. It did seem like a full house last night so they might not have been ready for us.
The Ben: Hazel Q, thanks for the last minute event. How the heck can you pull off something so well in 2 days? All that planning to have an event work that smoothly would take me weeks. Good to see LA CM Katie B and I heard a Phoenix CM came out too. Why? Shrug, I’m guessing she heard that the OC Unilocalers are the funniest bunch or that HQ knows how to throw a event: D

Hazel Q. and her team definitely know how to put on a last minute event. Unilocalers came from near and far (including me) to join the party.
Hotel Maya is a unique boutique hotel overlooking Rainbow Harbor and the Queen Mary. The view is spectacular and we had accommodations on the patio. The staff was patient and helpful. I had two drink coupons but the margarita from the bartender was enough for me. Be forewarned — these drinks are strong. I should have remembered that from my last trip here after the Dia De Los Unilocalos Event last year.
It was great to see friends new and old. We had a great time. And if you missed this one, shame on you. I know Long Beach isn’t technically OC but a Hazel event is worth the drive. :)

HOLY CRAP!
What a night! I don’t even have the words to describe this event at all. And instead of dropping names of who I met or missed, I will just say it was awesome to met each and every one of you!
The location was awesome, the music was chill (the band even gave me a free CD), the people were amazing, and the bartender cooked up some STRONG drinks!
Hazel — you are a doll! Your event rocked and that location was so nice to be at.
I got a ton of pics but need to upload and edit them first… stay tuned! Let’s do it again!

This was my second Cinco de Mayo party of the day and what a way to end the evening.
Cinco de Unilocalo… FUN TIMES… the Unilocal crew, Hazel Q, Katie B, and Gabi M from Arizona… Thank You!
I love seeing old Unilocal buddies and making new ones.
And a BIG WOW… I heard the restaurant ran out of tequila? To the Fuego Restaurant at the Hotel Maya, you did a great job with hosting this event too.
Once again… my review will be seen, not written.
Click on link below for the photos I took last night… ENJOY!

So I am all about catchy phrases and I enjoyed saying Happy Cinco de UnilocalO all day just as much as I enjoyed saying Kiss My Bundt after I went there for the first time.
Like the button swag said «That’s totally going in my Unilocal review», Katie B. started my night off with a catchy line of her own as I sleepily awaited to sign my name tag «You have to siesta before THE fiesta.» Thanks for THE spelling help Katie B (:
Cinco de UnilocalO was my second Unilocal event and I have to say that Hazel and LBC/​OC Unilocal crew know how to have a good time.
I wore the most embarrassing summer shorts, had two hot dates, was a victim of Mike C’s Cinco de Besos, saw some old friends and made a few new ones. The Maya was a great pick for the nights festivities. The patio at Fuego was awesome to party it up on and Manuel was rockin the margy making at the bar.
Cinco de Mayo 2010 was probably the best I have ever had! Olé!

I love Long Beach Unilocal events! Especially a «surprise» CMYE like this one. Thank you Hazel!
A mid week celebration of a non-​holiday made for a great excuse for a Unilocaly get together. Considering that this event was posted just a little more than 24 hours before the event started, a nice sized group showed up! The patio at Fuego filled with Unilocalers from far and wide.
This was a cool place to hold another Unilocal event. The hotel lobby, bathroom and Fuego restaurant are all really hip and cool. The restaurant has a great view of the Queen Mary and harbor. We enjoyed our view while staying warm alongside the heat lamps.
Everyone got two free margaritas or shots, and I am discovering more and more that I am not a tequila person, so I gave mine away to some lucky Unilocalers. But staying sober was still fun! I got to watch everyone else drinking! Besides drinks, there was some yummy salsa to go along with some crunchy chips. The presentation of the food (for those who ordered meals) was pretty cool.
So we have drinks and food, but it wouldn’t be a Unilocal event without a little craziness. There may have been a little contest about kissing the most girls (but it’s not really a contest if you’re the only one doing it, is it M.C.?), and Erin decided to get all the girls together to take a picture to one-​up the hair kissing (thanks to Roo and Albert for being the paparazzi for the evening)!
I met lots of cool new Unilocalers and several I had been waiting to meet for a while. I won’t try to name everyone for fear of leaving that one person out…
Thanks to Hazel, Katie and Gabi for making sure this little shindig went so smoothly!

This event was definitely AWESOME. It’s great to see new and old Unilocalers alike at a beautiful location to boot. The view was amazing. We could see the Queen Mary in all her glory, as well as the rest of the harbour into DT LB.
*Thanks to our gracious OC CM, none other than Ms. Hazel Q.
*Thanks to Katie B. and Gabi M. for making it out to hang with us OC folks.
*Thanks to those who made it out to hang with us on a great drinking holiday!
*Thanks to the folks at Fuego, man those drinks were strong. Those heat lamps made my day.
*Thanks to the mystery person who gave me another drink ticket after last call. I’ve been getting a lot of extra mystery my life lately. =)

The Fuego at the Maya was «en fuego». Translation for those not fluent in Spanish — that means it was «on fire». This was my very first CMYE event, and I didn’t know what to expect.
The event locale was beautiful. Located on the waterfront, the views got more and more beautiful as night came. We were on the patio section of the restaurant/​bar, and it was funny to see people start clustering under the heat lamps as it got colder and colder. Others decided to kick off their shoes and dance to keep warm.
Food and drink — salsa and chips, and a couple of drinks from the bar. I got a bit tipsy after «downing» that Diet Coke. The salsa seemed to have a bit of chipotle flavor — it was OK, not great.
The Unilocalers — everyone I met was super cool and super friendly. It took a while to mentally match faces to their avatars that I’m used to seeing. When the pics come out, you’ll know what I mean.
Freebies — my first Unilocal branded chotzkies consisted of shot glasses stuffed with Unilocal buttons and stickers. It also had a Limon 7 and a PicaGomas — translation… Lemon 7 and ???
If all the events are this cool and fun, I will be seeing you guys a lot this year.

The Fuego at the Maya is a beautiful, spacious venue for a Cinco De Mayo, err Unilocalo CMYE event. Situated on the waterfront next to The Reef, its views of LB Harbor are spectacular.
Thank you to our beloved OC CM Hazel Q. for putting together this event with short notice and her posse for the evening… Phoenix AZ’s own CM Gabi M. and LA East region CM Katie B. for their support.
What more do I have to say for The Fuego? A chic restaurant with indoor/​outdoor seating, live entertainment and a bar with heavy pours. What do I have to say about the Unilocalers? Many old familiar faces and many new faces, too, attended. And what about that pseudo Mexican-​American holiday Cinco de Mayo? Normally, it would be like any other day for me, but since Unilocal said «margaritas» and they kicked my ass, I was there…