The 2012 Women for Women International Annual Gala

Photo Credit: Shahar Azran

I'm going to accept the fact that every time I write a new post it is usually about something that happened weeks ago and I just haven't found the time to sit down and write about it! I WILL catch up eventually. Maybe that will be a New Years resolution...

A few weeks ago our team had the privilege to work for an amazing client: Women for Women International. This nonprofit organization "provides women of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency." Every year WfWI hosts an award gala that honors and acknowledges a member of the humanitarian community who "has an unyielding commitment to promote peace, justice and human rights."

My co-workers and I at the 2012 WfWI Gala. Photo by Shahar Azran

This year actress Lucy Liu was honored as the 2012 recipient of WfWI's 2012 Champion of Peace Award following Bill Clinton as last year's award honoree. Along with Lucy Liu's attendance, "CBS This Morning" Co-Host Gayle King and Legendary Musician Roberta Flack headlined the annual Gala. The event took place at the Koch Theatre in Lincoln Center, an absolutely amazing venue for anyone looking to host an event.

The press that the event received was amazing from online blogging icons like Perez Hilton to some of the best fashion and entertainment magazines like Us Magazine. It was a complete success!

Lucy Liu wore an amazing Roberta Cavalli snow leopard print coat accompanying her stunning Roland Mouret gown. (I WILL be able to wear something similar one day and look just as amazing...a girl can wish can't she?) As a huge fan of the show "America's Next Top Model," I was ecstatic when Yaya Decosta entered the room surrounded by the crowd and photographers.

You can find pictures from the event below. All the photos are credit of Shahar Azran.

 
 

 

 
The after party 


After an amazing event I had the opportunity to not only watch infamous DJ Sky Nellor spinning discs, but I got to meet her! She is definitely one talented DJ.

The highlight of the night for me was definitely the magician who performed after the WfWI event for an eager crowd surrounding Lucy Liu. From bending forks in half with his eyes to pulling cards out of my watch, the crowd was going nuts for a great show. I think the fact that Lucy Liu applauds him in the picture to the right is testimonial enough that he was a great magician!

Birthday Surprises

One of my favorite things to hear is that someone's birthday is coming up, mainly because it somewhat justifies the absurd amount of money spent on underground bars and trendy drinks. Why drink prices automatically double in price when the bar is underground is beyond me, but hey it's an experience right?

So when my boyfriends birthday approaches I always freak out a little because he's the type of person that 1. I never know what to get for him because he's a minimalist and always content with everything he already has (I need to be more like this) 2. doesn't show any emotion when actually opening the gift and 3. always tells me not to get him anything, but he actually means it. So panic mode overcame me when I realized it was October already and hadn't even started THINKING about his gift or what to do for it, but I think it turned out pretty well.

My boyfriend is from North Carolina and since he couldn't actually be home for his birthday I tried to think of the next best thing. And what better way to celebrate than bringing NC to NYC! My roommate  (also from NC) and I literally stumbled upon this brunch spot one day while strolling in the East Village called Cardinal. The owner is from Asheville, NC and the place is completely decked out with NC stuff all over the place. From the flag on the wall to the amazing fried chicken, biscuits and gravy I thought what better place to take him than a NC brunch spot

The funny thing is I took him here to get THIS meal and I'm the only one that ends up ordering it. He got a boring eggs, bacon and toast dish. Seriously? They even have Texas Pete hot sauce here, which is literally impossible to find in this city. Mine was CLEARLY better than his so we obviously had to make another trip to Cardinal one Saturday morning so he could get this infamous fried chicken, biscuits, gravy and sausage. (I don't even want to know how many calories is in that thing) 

Next Stop on our rendezvous: The Beekman Beer Garden! I have been wanting to come to this place ever since I heard it opened. It's an awesome beer garden overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge with ping pong tables, fooze ball tables, fire pits, sand and huge beer mugs. It would obviously be a better place to go to during the summer time, but there is really never a bad time to have a beer overlooking this amazing bridge especially watching the sunset.

To top the night off along with our NYC experience we went to 230 Fifth, a rooftop bar overlooking the Empire State building where they serve some of the best hot cider and whiskey with the best view. (Definitely perfect for a fall evening) If you go at night you will probably have to wait in line for a bit (Like most NYC hot spots) but it will definitely be worth it. Drinks may be overpriced, but because they monitor the line so well at the door it never gets too crowded up there unlike a lot of other overly crowded bars in the city.

Until next time!

Trials and tribulations in the city

In the last couple of weeks I have definitely experienced some of the highs and lows that New York City has to offer. From witnessing a robbery firsthand to sitting front row at the live taping of the Colbert Report, I'm definitely experiencing the best and worst of this city.

This city has already gotten to me in a way that if I'm ever just sitting at home relaxing I feel like I'm missing out on something. I always want to be exploring different parts of the city, eating at new restaurants, meeting new people or grabbing drinks with a friend at a new bar. Especially since working for the Mets event planning department on the weekends, I never just have a moment to myself to sit and think. But than again, I probably wouldn't take it if I did.

My mom has always warned me against the con artists in NYC. People wonder why everyone in this city is so skeptical and pessimistic and after this weekend I truly understand why. You can't trust anyone here especially when it comes to letting them inside your apartment. After a great night out, my friend and I went back to their apartment. About one hour later I woke up to someone trying to buzz into the apartment. Since it wasn't my apartment I didn't feel the need to let the roommate in even after 10 minutes of constant buzzing. 10 minutes later I hear the door open, glass break and voices that are definitely not recognizable. I immediately wake my friend up and tell them to go outside and see what was going on. (Of course, the paranoid person I am, I make them go outside knife in hand. Seriously though, I was petrified!) Turns out the voice I didn't recognize was "apparently" a friend of the roommates and the roommate who was with him confirmed they were friends! (Mistake #1) This is where we should have known something was up, but instead we went back to bed. (Mistake #2) The next morning it turns out over $30,000 of electronics and valuables were stolen from the apartment and the next couple of hours were spent talking with the cops. (Definitely not the way I planned on spending my Sunday morning) You really can't trust anyone here!

Now to the highlights of my more memorable experiences in New York! One of my roommates won tickets through Twitter to the live taping of the Colbert Report and invited me. I rushed over to the studio (which for a New Yorker is in the middle of nowhere on 54th in between 10 and 11th!) to stand in an extremely long line. This was one of the best experiences I've had in New York so far! We randomly were selected to sit in the front row and got to high five Colbert as he ran across the stage! If you can get tickets to his show, I HIGHLY recommend going. Before the show starts there is a comedian and then a question and answer session between the audience and Colbert where you can ask him absolutely anything. One of the several questions from our audience was "What is your go to Karaoke song" which in return he began singing it for us. (He really does have the voice of an Angel!) The show was hilarious, as always, and it was so great being able to laugh at his jokes along with an entire audience. On our way home we spoke with one of the producers that said Colbert was his favorite show to work on and I can definitely see why. The employees, stage managers, producers and Colbert himself are hilarious. What a great work atmosphere to work in everyday!