Noche Caliente – A succesful gathering

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Warm November Night in Toronto’s ‘Hottest Neighbourhood’

Christopher Alvarado

11/23/2011

The Liberty Social Hour promoted its first event of the winter, La Noche Caliente, as an opportunity to ‘enjoy a blazing hot night in the winter’ and it proved to be quite the accurate description. La Noche Caliente, held at Locus 144, provided a very soothing and stylish ambience distinguishable by its dimmed lights and delightful live music. Located on 147 East Liberty Street, this resto-lounge caters to all demographics as owner Cassius Williams gracefully states, “our main priority is to offer fantastic service; we are very casual in our style and not pretentious or judgemental in any way.” The atmosphere was incredibly friendly as strangers became acquaintances and workers expanded their networks over a few reasonably priced drinks.

The event was organised through RPC Group and City Events and promoted “the chance to connect with the artistic, urban, professional, chic crowd at Liberty Village.” Liberty Village is widely considered the hottest new neighbourhood in Toronto, as seen through its communal growth as new condominiums, offices, and shops continue to shape its increasingly dynamic community. Events such as La Noche Caliente provided workers and residents in the area, overwhelmingly young professionals, to meet like-minded individuals and expand their respective networks. Roger Caltworth, a consultant for an innovative start-up IT firm said he moved to Liberty Village five years ago from downtown and since then has not regretted it. “I’ll probably live here for another five years and then eventually move to the suburbs. My property has already doubled in value since I purchased it and it will continue to rise,” as he said with a smile. However, Roger’s one comment was this: “I’d like to see more independent shops and local businesses in the area.”

‘’I encourage everyone, if you haven’t been, you need to come to the next one…I love meeting new people and minute I walked through the door I met somebody new and I’ve been talking to her like I’ve known her for a while. So every time I’m here, I end up with a new friend, an acquaintance, somebody I actually stay connected with. That’s what I really love about it’’ Karlyn mybeautybank.ca

‘’I think it’s a really cool event. It’s my second one. And it’s just good to get off the office, network and meet new people and expand your business’’ Peter midniteruntoronto.com

‘’I actually saw a poster across the street …. and I decided to come check it out. There’s a great vibe, the people here are really friendly. It’s good times.’’ Joshua Liberty, Village Resident

This was the only critical comment mentioned at the event. Many of the guests thoroughly enjoying the evening but also wondered why more events like this don’t happen more often in the area. Liberty Village is a thriving and vibrant community but as any young professional will tell you, the motto is ‘work hard, play hard’ and it’s simply difficult to ‘play hard’ in Liberty Village. This is why La Noche Caliente was so successful. It gave the residents an opportunity after work to enjoy a drink, hear great music, and socialize with others before heading out into the chilly November evening.

The night however belonged to the residents and businesses of this trendy community. The event showed its flair and culture with the live jazz band, the Sultan of Soul. The lead singer’s calming voice could have you imagining a resort in the Caribbean. City events and RPC Group provided the platform and their work have continuously made this community even more connected with each other. RPC Group’s objective in using social media is to ‘effectively reach, build and maintain relationships with their consumers.’ The mood reflected this perception as the evening started: quiet and formal but gradually became more casual through the vibrant soulful music and the inevitable dancing which accompanied it.

Cassius Williams hopes to see more lounges in the area as a way of bringing clientele from other neighbourhoods to Liberty Village. Many of the guests said they were already spending more of their time on the weekends in Liberty Village than before. If events like ‘La Noche Caliente’ were organized more frequently then they may no longer need to travel east for that enjoyable night out.

For pictures of the Liberty Social Hour – Noche Caliente go to:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set

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