Parks and Recreation (Not the TV Show!): NYC Gets Greener

Did you realize that New York City has more miles of waterfront than Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland combined?

It also has the highest percentage of land used for parks - 19.5% than any other high-density in the US. If you want the great outdoors as a important component of your corporate meeting, things are about to get even better in the Big Apple.

Mayor Bloomberg just announced 20-year, $700 million capital funding project that will help acquire 50 acres of new waterfront parks, expand and improve 10 existing parks and develop 14 new greenways and esplanades. New boat launches are under consideration as well as integrating city heliports into parks for showing weekly movies during the summer.

One of the most unusual outdoor marvels in New York - High Line Park – will open Phase II this Spring. Built on an elevated platform and running 1.54 miles through Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea section, High Line is a sustainable-living success story because it replaced rotting rail tracks that were once an eye-sore and potentially, a long-term environmental hazard.

Want to learn exactly how green New York is? Check this out:

Lights, Not Dark, Briefly Turned Off for Spider Man - Consumers Remain Turned On

One of the most technically elaborate and controversial Broadway musicals of all time, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark is ironically turning off the lights for a brief hiatus.  We expect demand to continue and will facilitate meeting planner requests as production resumes. 

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark brings the Manhattan skyline to life on stage and features incredible aerial stunts as Spider-Man flies over the audience to fight his foes.  The musical features a rock score penned by famed U2 musicians Bono and the Edge.

Current cancellation dates are as follows:

All performances from April 19, 2011 to May 11, 2011 have been cancelled. Preview performances will resume on May 12, 2011.



Photo courtesy of http://www.broadway.com/

Additionally, performances on June 12, 14 and 15 have been cancelled. 

Spice up Your Meeting with Dancing Desserts, Cult Wines and Seductive Lambs

Remember when the typical choice for meeting food was “the chicken” or “the beef”?

Menus have become more interesting. Much more interesting! New York City is home to some of the world’s most unique venues for usual food and beverage pairings. Here are three we recommend for your next business trip or corporate meeting:

1. The Priscilla, Queen of Broadway Cupcakes – We’ve been known to score exclusive backstage passes at Broadway shows for meeting groups and now they can be paired with the city’s first-ever Broadway-inspired cupcake! The Rockefeller Center’s Magnolia Bakery recently teamed up with Academy Award-winning designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner's to develop a pistachio cupcake based on the stage musical’s trademark dancing cupcake costumes. Pistachio meringue butter cream is topped with a meringue kiss, bright edible confetti and iridescent "disco dust!"

Courtesy of http://www.broadway.com/
2. Suds and Seduction at Jimmy’s 43 – If you have visited the Delirium Café in Belguim, Jimmy’s is its US brother without the overwhelming feeling of having to pick from one of 2,000 beers. Jimmy’s also has perhaps the best slow-roasted lamb riblets on either continent. They are “Marvin Gaye of meats” the wait staff will tell you! Jimmy's selection of lamb plates comes from 3-Corner Field Farm, a renowned producer of grass-fed lamb. For meeting groups, we recommend pairing the riblets, rich lamb tongue, creamy fried brains and veal cheeks with a tasting of the venue's renowned foamy IPA's.

3. Chambers Street Wines – The owners describe their selections as “cult wines” partially because every item in the store is made from low-sulfur US wineries and bottled without pesticides or herbicides. Chambers Street works with groups to organize wine tastings at the store or on location at your meeting.