New Year, Same Me: NYE at Renaissance Bronzeville

2018 was a rollercoaster year for me and essentially a defining period of my life. Being back in Chicago has taught me resilience, self sufficiency and given me an overall glass view into myself. This year I opted to spend my new year’s eve enjoying the night. After spending countless hours online scouring the internet for tickets around the city to events which wouldn’t break my pockets, I passed along the idea of attending Renaissance Bronzeville’s NYE Party to my friends. Although I had never been to the lounge, the tickets were under the $50 mark and they even had reasonably priced tables. After much discussion, it was determined that we would not only attend the party but we would buy a table as well. This option still put us under $100 apiece for the night’s festivities.

For me, preparing for the night was hard. Although I love shopping, I am a selective shopper. Shopping for heels and dresses for a night out is not at all my thing. I often shy away from anything to “fancy”, so that I won’t draw attention to myself, for fear of what other people would think or say. If I could have worn jeans to the party, I definitely would have.

In efforts to thwart my fear, I made a conscious decision to use New Year’s Eve as my moment to come out of my comfort zone. Having April by my side on NYE was especially important and special for me. As someone who I’ve always admired for being unique, opinionated and strong willed, it was the perfect energy going into 2019.

This year I didn’t make resolutions, I instead made promises to myself to carry out this year and beyond. My promises to myself include:

1. I promise to grow.

2. I promise to embrace the essence of a confident woman.

3. I promise to not let life simply happen to me, I will be an active participant.

In recent years, my NYEs were spent with a significant other or doing some homebound activity. This was my first actual year going out and grasping what the world had to offer me.

On New Year’s Eve I opted to take off from work and enjoy my day. I had gotten my hair done, because I couldn’t take the possibility of a failed twist out ruining my night. I even pampered myself a little further by getting my nails and feet done. FYI, having fake nails is an extremely rare occurrence for me. After packing my bag and doing a slight pregame, before the pregame, my night began.

New Year’s Eve

I had seen the The Renaissance lounge before but I had never been inside. I was pleasantly surprised upon entering the establishment. There is a front area with a bar and a larger back area which houses the DJ Booth, a bar and majority of the tables. Included with the ticket was a bottle of Moet, party favors and light snacks. The food included jerk chicken, meatballs and other small finger foods. On each table there was also a noisemaker and a party hat.

Unfortunately our 2 person table was in the front area of the establishment right next to the women’s restroom. Although it was not the most ideal location everybody was friendly and just looking to have a good time. As the night progressed we danced and enjoyed ourselves.

A little after midnight we were moved to the back area of the lounge where we continued to dance. We left at 1:30 after consuming multiple drinks and opting to beat the end of the night rush. Overall, I have no complaints about my experience at Renaissance Lounge. The music was good, it was not overly crowded and it provided a good vibe. The lounge was also conveniently located and we did not have to break the bank in order to get back home. The night was a success. Check out some photos below