Life is beautiful. Enjoy it!
Day one of the 2011 Essence Music Festival has been packed full of activities and entertainment.
When I landed in New Orleans a Ford driver greeted us in baggage claim and whisked us into a brand new white 2011 Ford Explorer. Initially I thought the vehicle was the Ford Edge because of the body style and design. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was an Explorer. Ford totally changed the look of the Explorer. This Explorer had leather seats, a third seat, and power outlets for back seat passengers. I was thrilled to find a plug because of course, my cell phone needed charging.
We arrived at our hotel and was immediately greeted by Ford representatives who sent our bags up to our rooms and escorted us to a cocktail reception already taking place. There are media representatives from Concrete Loop, Global Grind, Sister 2 Sister Magazine, Rolling Out Magazine, and Hello Beautiful on this trip.
After cocktail hour the Ford team chauffeured us to THE Emeril's restaurant. There we were treated to a delicious meal and we learned more about our schedule for this weekend. We learned we will get an opportunity to actually test drive several vehicles from Ford's new 2012 fleet. I am looking forward to seeing how Ford's SYNC® technology works up close and personal.
After dinner we were escorted to the Superdome to enjoy the concerts. We stopped by the Belvedere Lounge to celebrity watch and sample the Essence/Belvedere signature drink the "Belve Peach Essence". At the Belvedere lounge I spotted Boris Kudjoe, Ford Spokesperson, and Garcelle Beauvais. Garcelle is absolutely stunning in person and here is a pic of us together.
Afterwards I enjoyed performances by Jennifer Hudson and Usher. Usher gave a pretty awesome performance. He started the concert suspended in air and he still has the energy and moves to give fans their money's worth.
Stay tuned for more updates from the Essence Music Festival.
Toodles!
