Out in the streets, they call it Art-ura
I was chauffeured to my room in a golf cart. As we zigzagged through grapevines and hotel rooms perched up on the hills, I noticed the swimming pool and knew exactly where I’d be for the remainder of the afternoon. I got to my room, threw my bags down, put on a two piece and went for a dip. Of course, I couldn’t say no to the 60-minute massage that came afterward, which set me up for an anxiety free evening ahead. I truly felt like royalty, and as I got ready for dinner, I couldn’t believe that Sarah Gargano invited me to spend the next two days with McLaren Automotive in the first place.
I knew I wanted to make a good first impression but with only 10 minutes until dinner, I ran back to my room, threw on a fresh wife pleaser and a $6 blazer from L Train Vintage and called it a day. Perhaps I made a slight error in judgment when I “subconsciously” chose to overlook the “smart/chic” dress code but I thought to myself, “Fuck it, these people are about to let me drive a half a million dollar car they can’t be that concerned with what I’m wearing to dinner.” During the dinner, we were introduced to the McLaren team and filled in on what the brand is all about. I was excited for what the next day had in store.
The next morning, sitting in the driveway of the hotel was a brand new McLaren Artura with my name on it. I wonder if this is how Kris Jenner feels on an ordinary Tuesday morning. The Artura is the brand’s first-ever hybrid supercar built on all-new McLaren carbon lightweight architecture. It is built with a twin turbocharged V6 engine combined with an electric motor that allows you to switch between electric, comfort, sport and track mode in a matter of seconds. As I sped off from the hotel blasting “Welcome To Jamrock” on the built-in subwoofers I felt like I was sixteen years old again, only this time I wasn't driving around in my busted-up 1998 Toyota Camry. With all of the different features I was able to customize my driving experience and pull over to take pictures of the scenery during my three hour drive through Sonoma County.
The Artura had a way of making me feel like I was the only girl in the world and all of my worries disappeared. An hour into the drive I had completely forgotten what I was ever intimidated by and grateful to have tried something outside of my comfort zone. Not only driving a car I had only heard about in rap songs, but spending quality time with people I didn’t know. We ended the trip with a ten course meal at SingleThread. Surrounded by people who were strangers only 24 hours prior suddenly felt like friends I had known my entire life, I laughed so hard throughout the dinner I almost peed myself.
