Adventures In Crossdressing The Detroit Invasion Vol 2

My friend Samantha Rogers from Detroit always keeps me ( and you) up to date with all of her adventures and outings. Seems Michigan is slowly turning into a destination on the cd/tg bucket list of things to do and places to see.  Samantha is now hosting her own events and they are GROWING in reputation. Growing so much that she is already planning the NEXT big invasion and is here now to tell us all how her April event went...so Samantha ...how was the INVASION??

Hello, girls! Time for another report from the Motor City, TG capitol of the Midwest!

As some will recall, last January we hosted a mob of out of town girls for what was dubbed the Detroit Tgirl Invasion. See That HERE About a dozen girls rolled into the D for a visit, coming from several nearby states. And, as a result, a large number of our local girls turned out to welcome them in true Detroit style with a wild party that Saturday night. Roughly a hundred girls had such an awesome time that weekend that, of course, we had to do it again! 

Last April we hosted our second Detroit Invasion and our sophomore turnout was delightful! Crazy Kavina rolled in from central Ohio, along with amazing Ally from Cleveland along with delightful Danielle, tantalizing Tasha from Wheeling and a host of other girls from all over the Midwest. Some of our friends from the Erie sisters group arrived from Pennsylvania and New York. And our awesome sister Chell made the trek from PA as well bringing her zany humor with her to the delight of everyone! In all, about two or three dozen girls made the trek, coming from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. It was awesome. And, of course, they were joined both Friday and Saturday night by many members of our local South East Michigan scene. And let me tell you, kittens, Detroit and the surrounding area has no shortage of girls. From crossdressers to transexuals, the local TG scene is large and thriving, both in support groups, resources and in places to just have fun!

So, as everyone began to arrive Friday night, we gathered the early arrivals for a quick bite at a Red Robin. This particular restaurant has an added “wrinkle” (pun intended) since it also offers a delightfully distinguished older gentleman who performs magic tricks for your entertainment table side. So much fun! Though I'm not sure how common it is for him to be entertaining a group of ladies such as he did that night...haha. But he was a great sport and quite charming and everyone had a good time.

After dinner, it was time to visit Detroit's own TG version of Cheers. The Adams Apple is a small and lovely, welcoming bar owned and operated by Sammie's good friend the awesome Jaye Marie. Jaye is a gorgeous and sexy transwoman who bought the bar a few years back and has made it a welcoming home for all TG girls. Drinks are cheap, conversation is relaxed and easy, and Jaye usually sets out some food in the back, knowing full well that many of us have skipped dinner in the mad rush to get made up for a big night. A stop at Adams Apple is absolutely mandatory on the itinerary of anyone visiting the D.

But soon enough, it was time to dance! So the group piled into cars and made their way to our newest awesome dance club and cabaret, Inferno! Inferno occupies the same space as the old Stilettos which closed its doors earlier this year. But the resemblance ends there. New owner John Brisson, coming from a background in New York clubs, spent an extraordinary amount of money completely refurbishing and glamorizing the joint and what a job has been done! The site now sports two large rooms, one an awesome dance floor complete with dry ice fog, and state of the art sound and lighting, and the other a cabaret format for nightly drag shows fronted often by the amazing and beautiful Bentley James. One last word about Inferno....the staff are out of this world awesome! From the person watching the parking lot to the friendly and “willing to take requests” Djs to the bartenders and waitstaff (look for Michael behind the bar...such a handsome young guy and with a killer smile) to the owner himself. The staff of Inferno are dedicated to making sure everyone has an awesome time! And I am pretty sure everyone did, though the end of the night is a bit of a blur for this girl...lol...I think I had a good time...at least I made it home in one piece...haha

Friday night is a slower night here for local turnout, Saturday being the big night, but even so, Inferno saw a large turnout that night and everyone had a great time dancing the night away.

Saturday dawns slowly after a night on the town, as many of you know. Closing a bar at 2 and going to eat and then getting back home to remove the girl stuff often mens hitting the sheets around 4 AM (well, assuming one is doing so alone...tee hee) so Saturdays are a slow start haha...but by lunchtime girls are usually up and hungry and ready to get out so it was...of course, haha...off to a day at the mall, shopping and lunching and generally just having fun. Charming Charlies is always a favorite stop. If you don't have one near you, OMG, you are really missing out. This awesome little store is a chain devoted entirely to accessories – Scarves, jewelry, purses... you name it...and it is all color coded in sections of the store! Need that perfect red accent piece? Had to the red section. Need a “just right” silver clutch...head to the silver section. Prying the girls out of Charming Charlies was a chore but somehow we made it out, and hit a lot of stores. Some girls took the opportunity to have their nails done at the salon/spa while other browsed for deals at Macy's or one of the boutique stores. I can tell you THIS girl is a big fan of HM... just love those cheap euro chic styles...haha.

But as you all know, us girls like to “pretty up” for a big night, so the group dispersed for a few hours (some of us needed a nap, tee hee).

And then it was time for Saturday night, the big TG party night in the D. Everyone met up again at The Apple and quite a crowd it was. Lots of girls out that night to welcome the out of town elite.

But Saturday night is for dancing as we all know. And Saturday night in the D means only one thing...GiGis! Detroit's legendary gay dance bar that becomes a Tgirl nirvana every single Saturday night. Although somewhat run down now, the history and ambiance at GiGis makes it awesome. Oh the tales that could be told if those walls could talk...haha...maybe better they can't...tee hee. On any Saturday in the D you will find at least 30-40 girls at GiGis, but do not arrive too early... the party doesn't really start until late, usually around 1030 or 11, and things don't heat up totally till near midnight. Of course, if one is so inclined, there is, earlier in the evening, GiGi's awesome and famous drag cabaret going on in the downstairs room. And later in the evening, that crowd come upstairs and join the rest on the dance floor an the party literally explodes. On this particular night Gigi's was totally wild and packed to the gills with girls dancing, talking, partying and having an amazing, awesome time. I looked around several times and could not contain my joy at seeing so many girls just so freaking happy to be alive. In our world, with all the difficulties that so often plague our struggle to simply be ourselves, happiness is often in short supply. When you can look around a room and see 100 girls not only happy, but relaxed, content and having the time of their lives...well it is a feeling I cannot describe, but it is good...its all good...its freaking awesome.

But all things must end. The bar closed at 2 or thereabouts, and girls slowly started drifting slowly away. Some made their way to all night eateries needing to recharge their batteries or simply unwilling to see the night end. More than a few tears were shed among some sad goodbyes. Sammie? Well Sammie was beat and opted to make a tidy exit back to my room where a frozen pizza was waiting with a bottle of Bombay Sapphire to ease me into a welcome rest. I doubt I had slept but an hour or two Friday night and I was beat. But OMG what an awesome weekend it was. I was sad to see it end.

But guess what...so was everyone else. It seems the Detroit Invasion idea is such a hit girls want to make it a regular thing. And so we shall bow to popular demand!

Mark your schedules, kittens! July 23, 24 and 25 we will host our third event...Invasion Detroit MkIII...and this time we are knocking out the stops! Now starting on Thursday night we are planning a host of new activities. For the first time there will be a makeup and hair person on site at the Apple to assist, possibly a hair person as well, we are planning a photo shoot on the absolutely beautiful Belle Isle situated in the middle of the Detroit river separating our fabulous skyline on one side from that of our wonderful neighbors in Canada on the other. And ….shhh...if things work out...we may even do a party bus excursion to one of Detroit's hot casinos for an awesome night of dancing and partying there.

So listen up, girls...the party is in Detroit this July and you don't want to miss it...mark those schedules.

Detroit is in the house and the party is on. Invasion Mk III...July 23-25. More details will follow, so stay tuned!

And that's the report from Detroit. If I can get motivated, expect Sammie to put out a report next on the fabulous, over the top, TG event to top all TG events, the incredible Wildside in Las Vegas. I just returned from there and I can see why it changes lives...more on that to come...OMG it was AWESOME!!! Tee hee

Ciao, kittens!

For more information on the upcoming invasion you can check out the facebook event page here https://www.facebook.com/events/404432293069824/

Another link with more info http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?228207-Detroit-TG-Invasion-Mk-III-July-23-24-25

For more blog posts from Samantha CLICK HERE

For more Adventures In Crossdressing from my other gal pals & yours truly CLICK HERE