A 'Standard' evening

Last Wednesday, I strolled over to the Standard Hotel in Downtown for their Silverlake Wine tasting. My Standard experience has only been with the Hollywood property, so I expected it to be about the same in terms of style and atmosphere - cool, lounge-y, with a bit of that Hollywood competition and attitude. When I arrived, I discovered it was something more up my alley. Still had that cool, lounge-y feel, along with my kind of sense of humor. Sure, the Rooftop with its beautiful view of the city can become a bit of a scene on the weekends, but during the week, it's a perfect spot for unwinding after a long day without feeling like you need to impress anyone. An eclectic mix of young Downtowners and business folk can be seen hanging out with some music in the lounge, on the rooftop on the "Grassy Knoll" and Orange area, or out front in a "Paley Park"(Manhattan) homage.

While each property in the Standard family has an artistic angle, what I appreciated about the Downtown property was the quirky, and sometimes inappropriate sense of humor in the displays and pieces. It creates an interesting juxtaposition if you know the history of the space. Once an office building for Superior Oil, now a stylish hotel that pokes fun at corporate life: hotel rooms have "Hello, my name is" name tags outside of the doors, and meeting rooms are named "Blonde" and "Brunette." The floors are original, as are some of the fixtures in the building, such as the door handles and a global clock that, at one time, was state of the art.

I'm looking forward to coming back, if not to take delight in discovering more of the hotel's jokes. The Standard is definitely not a standard hotel experience. Oh, and yes, the wine and appetizers were delicious. It's a shame my husband had his fantasy football draft on this night. Fortunately for him, the Standard has several weekly events, and he's got a wife who likes to share her fun excursions!


-Julie