Event Stories

When trying to plan a perfect Friday Morning, what do you wish for?  For me, a sunny morning, the quiet of 620 Loft & Gardens along with some wonderful friends and of course delicious food.

In each of our lives there comes a time where we are new to something, planning a party for the first time, tasting a new food or being the new recruit at work.  New experiences can be exciting, they can be fun, exhilarating, and they can be scary.  A close friend of mine often jokes that I’m a “new experience junky” – always willing to try something new. My mantra “I’ll try anything once!” at times has been worn a little thin.

It is not a Picasso or Ellsworth Kelly, but the Turkish orange eggplant is likely to fetch a good price when it goes on the auction block this fall at Sotheby’s.

That was the buzz the other night at a cocktail party at Apartment 2E, in the just-opened boutique hotel Andaz 5th Avenue. The innovative event space is like a loft apartment, designed around a large, open kitchen, which, according to its general manager, Jonathan Frolich, serves seasonal produce and “food with integrity.” It was in the kitchen, where the counters were filled with local cheeses, hot-out-of-the-oven pizzas, and bowls of roasted vegetables, that an agri-cultured crowd gathered to discuss plans for the auction.

Returning to the 69th Regiment Armory to honor the best of the fragrance industry, Thursday night's FiFi Awards struck a positive tone this year as a way to reflect the rebounding economy. Infused with brighter colors and lighting, the Fragrance Foundation's biggest yearly gathering looked to move away from the somber attitude of the recession and give executives from brands like L'Oreal, Elizabeth Arden, and Estée Lauder an opportunity to relax and have fun. Key to this idea was extending the post-award reception and adding some entertainment to entice the 800 attendees to linger.

Berlin: June 10, 2010

I am sitting in the Tiergarten, a beautiful equivalent to our Central Park, still exhilarated about the last 24 hours of life experience in what is surely the cultural capital of Europe…Berlin. I make no excuses for my partiality to this place but consider this:  an argument can be made that much of the history of the last century can draw parallels and direct correlations to Berlin, a city indelibly linked to its history of contradiction…some moments glorious in nature…other moments beyond comprehension in their horror. Modern Berlin, however, soars above its darkest times by both not hiding from the past and by placing an emphasis on celebrating the human spirit.

In 1964, the music world was introduced to the sounds of a little known duo named, Simon and Garfunkel. The album was titled Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. and was the start of a legacy. Well, last Tuesday morning, 8 A.M. I found myself standing on the field at Central Park’s Summer Stage amidst a landscape of unpacked plates, rolling bleachers, and a sea of tables and lighting crews. We were putting the final touches on the coming evening’s celebration of the duo’s music amidst the stars in Central Park. A handful of celebrities, the city’s Mayor and countless musical talent came together as part of the City Parks Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala.