Last night my wife and I attended the Black and White Masquerade Ball, a Yelp Elite event hosted by Yelp’s Los Angeles (East) Community Manager Katie B. and her staff, along with the the Vertigo Event Venue and other sponsors. I’ve been fortunate to have attended some great Yelp parties for the Elite members of the website and this was another spectacular soiree. I’ve talked about my love of Yelp before (here and here) and I’m happy to be a part of its amazing online community.

Speaking of Yelp, a friend just told me that my review of the Gondola Company of Newport was highlighted in the Yelp Orange County Destination: Date Night. I remember that gondola ride like it was yesterday: my wife and I were newlyweds when we rode the gondola around Newport Beach. It was one of those perfect summer evenings, mellow and relaxing, the waves lapping up against the gondola as we sipped red wine and chatted, secret conversations lost in the sea air as the sun set behind us.