The Second Annual Yelpy Awards Elite Event @ The Big Top

I’m“m so far behind now on reviews, that I really had a hard time deciding on my 100 review Milestone. It does seem appropriately fitting to review this years Unilocaly’s. So… here goes nothing…
I have enjoyed every Elite event I have ever attended. I take great pride in shunning responsibilities to carve out that one day a month to celebrate Unilocal.
It starts days before the event and requires endless texts needed to coordinate the outfits with my two guests, Angelique and Melia. Killing two birds with one stone seemed the only option. I’ll admit I was sort of confused by the dress code and so we opted for a fancy dress underneath our lab coats. Then Melia was late getting to my house, which instantly turned Angelique and myself into Mad Scientists.
We were finally under way (I do speak fluent Pirate you know) and to my dismay, so was the entire bayou, who were making their way to the Superdome for the Monster Truck Jam… ughhhhhhhhhhhhh TRAFFIC of epic proportions. Tick tick tick tick and Angelique begins to grumble about missing out on the yummy cupcakes… let’s take the side streets!!! aaaaaaaaahhhhhh, three women trying to navigate, bahahahaha and we complain that men never ask for directions… Ha! we had three different ways to get there.
We hit the parking jackpot and found a spot just steps from Big Top. The Unilocaly’s, hosted by the folks at Big Top was in full swing. Unilocalers in fancy dress and a smattering of Scientists and Michelle in her lab mouse getup. Melia promised to buy us drinks so we ran straight to the bar. I just got a beer, so I wasn’t sure about the snarky barman that everyone talked about. I saw all the usual suspects and I am sooooo pleased see them. It always feels as if I have just gotten of a large vessel that has crossed many seas to arrive and all my friends are waiting at the dock. Love me some Unilocaler love.
One of the highlights of the event was meeting, the ever elusive, Andy S. from Thibodaux. One of my first friends on Unilocal and closely missed by minutes and sometimes hours in the city where we both Unilocal.I am proud to say that 5 Unilocalers from Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes were at the Unilocaly’s.
As an artist, I loved the space and I will say that it could have used a bit of seating. All in all, it was fine for me. I was pretty excited to score an Absinthe spoon from the green fairy ladies, gotta love the swags. I managed to nibble on pot stickers and veggies, small sandwiches and I noticed pizza was beginning to arrive. There were plenty of cupcakes for Angelique…
As the award ceremony began, I was surprised to find myself nominated in a few categories… my fav «Life of the Party» went to a well deserved friend Joshua, my Pharaoh husband from the Mardi Gras world event (we met that night because I was wearing a Cleopatra outfit). I was floored when I won the Rookie of the year award… getting up to the mic and blathering on and on about the free stuff and all the wonderful people I have met over the year. Fellow Unilocaler’s that I am proud to call friend… Thank you Unilocal from this out of place Girl from California, whom found people that make her feel welcomed and at home in their city… I thank you all from the bottom of my heart… and thank you Unilocal for making it all possible.

Another fun Unilocaly awards! As always the best thing about this event were the people. Love my Unilocal friends!
I was very honored to be nominated and receive an award AND my fabu lunchbox. Check it out:
The food was fine; the drinks good (and I must have been having a princess night since I never actually went to the bar for my own drink so didn’t have to deal with the surly bartender). The space was cool, but could have benefited from better climate control and some seating.
So much fun! Thanks, Joi!

Smoke and mirrors, sculptures and cement, the second incarnation of our award ceremony brought friends old and new to enjoy and celebrate each other.
Can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

Oh, Joi…
It was SO fabulous to be able to see my friend and make new ones! Joi throws the greatest parties, and I knew this one wouldn’t disappoint. The Elites weren’t at ALL «elitist», and were very friendly. I’m so glad I happened to be in town for this weekend by complete chance. While the absinthe didn’t tickle my tongue, the champagne was great. Even though I was there only a short while, I still had a great time, and NOLA Elites are amazing and friendly… and I’m not just saying that because y’all give me a round of applause just for being there! I so want to come to another! Nice little venue, too.
The bartender? A bit more sour than the absinthe from across the room, but the crowd made up for it. And cupcakes are always winners! Thanks for the southern hospitality and recommendations! And I didn’t even have to get a cab back to my hotel… thanks Rene and Laila! And John didn’t spot me when we crossed paths on I-​10 (I wasn’t speeding… much!).

Much props to our incredible CM Joi for putting so much hard work into each event! This was another great event with lots of cool awards for the Unilocaly winners. I enjoyed seeing lots of new people there (or at least new to me) and had a good time at this event. This year, though, didn’t seem to have the same formality as last year’s Unilocaly Awards Event but it was still fun nonetheless. Not as many people dressed formal this year as the inaugural Unilocaly Awards. Also, the Big Top Gallery was a unique place to hold our Awards event. It was a cool place to mingle with fellow Unilocalers amongst the artwork there.

OMFG! I had such a blast at my first time at the Unilocaly’s! I perused all the pictures from last year’s first Unilocaly’s and kept bugging My buddies about what it was like past year so I could prepare for this year’s event!
Disclaimer: this is a totally biased review because I was pretty stoked since this was my first Unilocaly’s and only my second Unilocal elite event! Plus I won a Unilocaly for Best Compliment which was so amazing! I probably sounded like a rambling fool thanking everyone for my Unilocaly but I was so happy (and maybe a tiny bit tipsy from my mimosa!)! Hehe… feels like I found my tribe of people who love food as much as I do! :)
Thanks again to Joi for arranging such a fun event! I enjoyed the laid back and artsy atmosphere of the Big Top Gallery! It was great meeting other elite Unilocalers like Marielle, Teneha, Laila, and Dorothy! I even ran into co-​workers who I didn’t even know were on Unilocal!Plus there was free champagne, absinthe (which I stayed away from since I’m such a lightweight), Rotolo’s pizza, cheese and fruit plate, chips and fish shaped dip, sandwiches, and my personal favorite-​mini cupcakes! Woohoo!
It was fun perusing the silent auction although I couldn’t figure out what to bid on. Fortunately my friend and I stayed for the Mad Scientist Ball (thanks to Unilocal for free admission) and won prizes for best sexy lab mouse (yours truly), and best green fairy! By the way, it was so much fun being part of the Mixology class at the Mad Scientist Ball! Makes me want to get a bartender set!
Oh, and of course I’m enamored with all the Unilocal swag and walked away with awesome Unilocal cut off gloves that say « Unilocal life.» Oh yeah, look out world because here I come! Unilocal Life! As the kids would say, «that’s wassup!» Or as I would say, «that is what is up!» Ok, I only say that to make my student workers laugh! Hehe
Such a fun evening and congratulations to Unilocaly winners! Such a lovely evening with my fellow Unilocalers!
Happy Unilocaling!

I will say that the venue for this year’s Unilocaly Awards was better than last year’s… mostly because of the horrible never-​ending winding parking garage last year at Canal Place. That thing still gives me nightmares. The Big Top was much more laid back, with lots of interesting things to look at.
Loved the little cupcakes. Didn’t see any pizza (did that ever show up?)… the fruit & cheese platter was fun, though. The champagne was good. I didn’t go near the absinthe, although the absinthe bartenders looked much more friendly than the actual bartender. Obviously I’m not the only one who had issues with that guy.
Overall, a great event hosted by Joi. Congrats to the winners, too!

Hurah hurah for the second annual Unilocaly awards!
Absinthe, champagne, cupcakes, and the collection of coolest Unilocalers in the city, how could you say no? I even dragged Louis S. and Rena F. to the party, and this was a great event for bringing friends since it had the perfect amount of people for the non-​intimidation factor.
To highlight the quirky/​cool attitude of the venue… they had «watch your head» signs on the beams. Not sure if this was for laughs or in all seriousness for stilt walkers. Also, the Big Top Gallery had some great art on display, and I wanted to win some from the silent auction (from the Mad Scientist Party), but alas my bet wasn’t big enough.
Overall a great evening and I look forward to seeing everyone again at the ¾ birthday party!

This was a really fun event. As always, Joi did a great job with planning everything. I really liked the munchies that were provided. The cupcakes were amazing and you can’t beat a cheese platter. It was great getting all dressed up and seeing everyone. I loved meeting Unilocalers that I hadn’t yet met and everyone was super nice and friendly. Looking forward to the next one!

Of all the events I have had the pleasure and privilege to attend since becoming an Elite this one was missing the vibe and energy that I have come to expect… which was a bit weird since it was held on a Saturday night… I would have thought this one would’ve been amped due to the weekend night and people would’ve been hankering for the after party with their hair on fire but it was oddly, strangely sedate…
Possibly the venue had something to do with the tone of the evening… Look I have education but would never claim to be cultured but in all my time one truth about art galleries, no matter where located, stands out… no place to sit and the general air is reminiscent of a library… Also I must agree with John L. H. and his mention of the bartender…
Now, as to the awards themselves, that was an enjoyable time and am very happy for the winners… Unilocal does it right for their Elites, whether it be the typical party freebies or the awards for the winners on this night… Jen L. that lunchbox was the BOMB!
I was happy to see all of the Elites that have made me feel welcome into this group and it was a real pleasure to meet some other Elites for the first time… I will end this review as I have my others… I am grateful for the opportunity to be Elite and to be part of the NOLA Unilocal community!!!
P. S. I was mightily remiss in not throwing props to Joi B. for securing those cool ass Winner prizes for the Elites that won categories at this years event and for that oversight, sincerest apologies.

This was fun! I’m trying to attend more Elite events, and so far all have been great. The Big Top is a wonderful venue for an event like this — big enough to move around, but small enough to feel intimate. Refreshments were awesome, especially the absinthe and cupcakes. Appreciated getting to know more of y’all… I’d love to see some ice breaker Unilocal event for newer Elites so I can meet more of you (sometimes it’s a little intimidating to be the one to initiate conversations)

As usual, Joi did an incredible job of securing a unique and creative venue. I enjoyed the cupcakes and the champagne, although the bartender was one surly young man. The company was delightful and we got to meet a Unilocaler visiting from Kansas City. Thanks for a great evening!

The second Annual Unilocaly Awards was a fun event. I met new people, chatted with old friends, and even won a couple of awards.
This year’s event was our second awards event. Last year was a lot of fun and this year continued that pattern.
The Big Top Gallery was a unique venue. It was closed to the public for our event which is always a nice touch. The complimentary beverages for this event were champagne and absinthe. I had hoped for a wine or beer offering, but I realize the difficulty in securing free beverages. Since I didn’t particularly care for the free drinks, I opted for the cash bar’s Black Box wine offering. At $ 5 a glass I would have expected a heavier pour than the half filled plastic cup, but that’s what I got. Later in the evening they ran out of wine altogether so I ordered a mixed drink. When I joked that the drink was mostly OJ, the bartender made a very snide remark as if he were disgusted that I was even ordering from him.
The awards part of the event was great. I may be slightly biased since I won in two categories (Ambassador and Best UYE), but I thoroughly enjoyed Joi’s reviews of the winners. While I may not agree with everyone who won, it was nice to see the results of the democratic process. Congratulations to all the winners! I would like to offer a special congratulations to Jen L for her lifetime achievement award. She is an example to all Unilocalers of what they should strive to be.
It was great meeting new Unilocalers and catching up with many of my Unilocal friends. It was particularly cool to get to meet Andy who is an elite Unilocaler from Thibodaux. I wish more people in the areas outside of New Orleans would get involved.
I had a great time at this event. If you weren’t there, you missed out.

The event was fantastic while the main bar was run by anti-​alcohol teetotalers who held firm beliefs in micro-​pours. The lovely ladies dosing out the absinthe were completely awesome and, as the polar opposites of the main bar heretics, they were some of my favorite people of the night. I consumed a fair amount of absinthe mixed with champagne for a full dose of devil juice to keep my soul in purgatory awhile longer. I’ve never consumed that particular combination before and then I chased it with some shots of plain olé absinthe so I made friends with quite a few green fairies that night. Joi did her usual fantastic job and MC’ed the event with appropriate demeanor and décor with all traditions and ceremonies being strictly adhered to :)
Congrats to all the award winning folks and also to all the other Unilocal folk that showed up for the event as they put the «p» and «y» in both «party» and « Unilocal» and without those what fun would we have (you dirty minded perverts thought I was gonna say something else didn’t ya)?
Extra special mention of Jen cause she got that super bad-​ass lunch box!!!
Tip: The FP = Winning

Oooooh so sweet!!! Loved loved loved it!!! A chance to meet alllllll the top NOLA UnilocalERS!!! Fun fun fun food & pizza!!!