When is a street party better held indoors than out? When the temps are falling faster than newspaper circulation numbers.

So it was that CultureMap's rocking launch party Wednesday night was moved from the streetscape of the hip, new mixed-use development Gables West Ave to an interior space at the site — 18,000 square feet of cocktail party paradise overlooking Kirby Drive.

Two-thousand eager CultureMappers packed the sleek scene to graze through a field of restaurant food stations, imbibe at 14 watering holes, groove to the sounds of three DJs and mix and mingle with the city's hippest cultural entities. Bonus fun — test drives of Cadillac 's new generation SUVs. Santa baby, put one in my green Christmas stocking!

...read the rest of the story on CultureMap

...read the followup story here

...read the after-party story here