Custom coconuts at a rooftop pool party (one of them escaped)

Some events happen in a ballroom with a carpet that has seen things. This one was a rooftop pool party at The Wayfarer San Diego, with custom coconuts hot-stamped with the hotel's name and the Pacific sitting right behind the deck like it was on the payroll.

September 27, 2023. I'm still a little smug about it.

the cart situation

Our cart showed up with its green turf front and a pile of coconuts on top. It's on wheels, which matters to exactly one person, the one pushing it. Next to it was a white podium with our round wooden sign, in case anyone wondered who the coconut people were. Nobody wondered. The coconuts were kind of a giveaway.

The coconuts came dressed with a straw and a purple orchid, plus a tiny paper umbrella with our name printed on it. The umbrella does nothing. It shades approximately one ant. It's there because it's adorable, and I will not be taking questions.

what we were up against

Let's talk about the competition, because there was a lot of it.

There were roller skaters. Actual roller skaters, in matching blue crop tops, dancing on a pool deck. I open coconuts for a living and I still think they had the more dangerous job. Wheels next to a pool is a dare.

There was a photo backdrop with pelicans on it and two surfboards, one checkerboard and one covered in flames. I respect a surfboard with flames. It's a surfboard that has decided it's also a 1987 Camaro.

There was a bar slinging canned cocktails. There were tiramisu cups on a tray, which felt like an escalation. At least one guest was walking around holding an actual surfboard, the most San Diego accessory available. Somewhere behind all of it sat striped cabanas and a blue mural big enough to have its own zip code.

So the coconut had to work for it. And it held up. Plenty of people posed in front of the flaming surfboard with a coconut in hand, which is the only endorsement I need.

the pyramid

At some point the coconuts became a pyramid. I'd love to tell you an engineer was involved. Mostly it's what happens when you need a lot of coconuts in not a lot of space and you'd like it to look on purpose.

People were reaching in from behind the stack to grab one. That's the best review a coconut can get. Nobody reaches around a pyramid for something they feel lukewarm about.

I have not checked whether anyone pulled one from the bottom row. I don't want to know.

the one that got away

My favorite moment from the whole day didn't involve a single person.

One custom coconut, orchid still on, floating alone in the pool on an inflatable lounger next to a beach ball. No owner in sight. Just out there, living.

I don't know who put it there. I've decided it put itself there. It took one look at the roller skaters and the flaming surfboard and decided it was done competing.

That coconut had a better afternoon than any of us. No job, no plans, just vibes and a beach ball.

If you've got a pool and a party coming up, the FAQ has the boring stuff. I'll bring the floats. Kidding. Bring your own floats. The coconuts will find them.