NYC

You can live it up even in the brutal winter. 

Drink it up!
Have you seen the famous Mud Coffee Truck in the heart of Astor Place? The orange truck resembles a boom box and is hard to miss. The long line can be intimidating but you will soon taste what all the fuss is about. Enjoy a cup while you walk and battle the cold winter air. Whether it’s part of your daily routine or another NYC gem you happen to stumble upon, the orange Mud coffee truck should not to be missed this winter.

Bundle it up!
You may already know this but it is almost impossible to use your phone while wearing gloves. You don’t have to sacrifice feeling in your fingers for a text message. This winter, wear “convertible gloves.” The style gives you the option to wear mittens or fingerless gloves. Problem solved! Convertible gloves are available at Urban Outfitters and The Gap.

Laugh it up!
Humor can warm up the heart and soul. A warm dose of humor on a cold day can be found at the Comedy Cellar.  According to the New York Post, “The Comedy Cellar has it all- the edgiest acts, the widest variety and an atmosphere second to none.”

Craft it up!
Embrace your inner child with arts and crafts.  The projects will keep you busy and inside during the winter months. Whether you’re 10 or 100 years old, there is something for everyone. Check out the Little Shop of Crafts for a list of classes and workshops.

This AM I was in my 42nd floor apartment looking out at an early morning NYC vista and dancing to Lime. That's a group that was popular in the early 80s when I lived in Miami. I started thinking about the somewhat odd trajectory of my life - there have been quite a few phases...

Back when I was in high school there were the rocker years. Then, there was the helicopter, Porsche, Cigarette boat years. That's when the Saudis came to town and my girlfriend was seeing Don Johnson (oh gosh!). Then, I was redeemed by art and I moved to EARLY South Beach (lived in the apartment building Gianni Versace made into a private home) and co-founded an art "movement" ahem... Next, I moved to NYC and started all over again. When I was working as a receptionist at a PR agency, one of the VPs came back from a trip to Miami and said, “Val, you're a little well known down there.” Who knew? Hey, I needed a re-invention.

And now here I am, in the WORKING phase. That phase in which you seem to WORK all the time. I missed the baby producing years, sigh. Oh, and I rediscovered my faith, something I guess I had all along and got me through all the SCARY years...

Well, we're about to launch a new business, so I'm thinking about my past. Honestly, if I could do it over again there are DEFINITELY things I would do differently. But you can't go back, just forward. So, I'm looking forward to my future and getting ready for a new phase that's looking pretty darn good from where I'm sitting (on the exercise bicycle in my gym). LOL!

Nowadays it seems like Mondays turn into Fridays in a New York minute. Remember “Me” time? It’s probably been awhile since you’ve been able to pencil it into your busy schedule. Treating yourself to a spa treatment doesn’t have to be booked weeks in advance, break the bank or be saved up for a special occasion. It can simply be because it’s Tuesday and you deserve it!
 
Treat yourself every Tuesday to $25 spa treatments. SpaSally.com, a New York City spa search engine has teamed up with the best spas to offer popular services.
 
Welcome in the holiday season looking your best. SpaSally.com is hosting a Free Spa Party on December 9th at Le Salon Chinois. The party will be from 2pm-7pm. You will be able to choose from a free hairstyling consultation, makeup consultation, bang trim or chair massage.
 
Sign up at 25tuesdays.com and schedule your “Me” Time. 

I remember when I first starting looking at Vogue in the 1970’s. I was in junior high school, living in Miami (which was super sleepy, almost a hick town, honestly) and living on my mother’s seamstress salary. Obviously, I wasn’t shopping for anything in Vogue, but I was dreaming. And here’s the thing, it wasn’t all about the clothes. The 70’s was a pretty dismal time economically, gas lines, etc. Vogue was an escape, especially for a young girl who had a desire to “get to the big city.” And that big city would be New York, of course. Oh, and throw Paris in while you’re at it. There were plenty of sexy, cool images (think Helmut Newton) and there were exotic locations and SUPER skinny models and everyone seemed to be dating a glam rocker (like Bryan Ferry). It was cool, and far away and UNDERGROUND. Because there was an underground then. Word of mouth was it, back then. If you weren’t connected you were out.

True, we often look back on our life and think it was better back then... Everyone does it, and ultimately it was never much better and often it was worse. But if I was a fashion magazine I’d work toward making things a bit more surreal, a lot more out of reach and as underground as possible. This concept may fly in the face of current thinking — we are all citizen reporters, aren’t we? Everything is accessible, right? BUT, that’s what made those books interesting in the bad old days. Or, I guess fashion can just accept that their bibles are on the way out. I sure do hope not, ‘cause there are still a lot of dreamers out there. Little girls, and big girls.

If you are a young working professional in New York City, the lure of the HBO hit show, Sex & The City had something to do with it. It was the fabulous lives of the four characters that captured young hearts and inspired our venture to The Big Apple. Carrie said it best, “Women come to New York for the two L's: Labels and Love.”
 
For most of us, we didn’t live in the city during the taping of the actual show. It is safe to say that we were in high school or college attempting to make our own version of a “cosmo.” Finally, our time has come to experience the thrill of the Sex & The City 2 taping in the city that we love dearly.
 
There are countless restaurants, hotels, street corners, stores, & lounges, known for Sex & The City scenes.  Admit it! We love to visit these places.
 
Please share a post about your experiences at a famous Sex & The City venue or where you have spotted a taping of Sex & The City 2.
 

When I was coming of age in the 80s and had stars in my eyes (Back then money seemed to be everywhere, and everyone wanted to live the high life in NYC. High being both relative and specific.), Donald Trump was someone to watch. He seemed to epitomize all that was happening in that era—smart and swaggering, a real money maker. And his wife, that blonde with the Eastern European accent and her BIG puffy dresses, was continually featured in every society and gossip column. They were something.

Ah, then there was the tumble, and he lost his fidelity and maybe his way (but probably not, it may have looked like he was tanking but we now know this man always had a plan). Well, he's BACK and on top and these days America loves him. But for my money the true star of the family is his beautiful daughter, Ivanka.

This young woman has inherited the best of both parents. She has a softer, more refined beauty than her mother ever did, and she has the savvy of her father without any of his obnoxious behavior (don't get me wrong, I like him—and in real life he's a true gentleman). She’s smart. She's gorgeous. And she has true style.

I suggest you take a look at her book. It's a new chapter in an evolving legacy of success—whether you like it or not. I'd say she’s Trump ascending. She's really on her way!

Source: newshopper.sulekha.com
 

Now there's a new Web site that brings all the color (though done in film noir black and white, NY style) and verve that this crazy city offers to life: One in 8 Million.

This new online destination offers up snippets of people's lives, from the corner bodega to a taxidermist to a bridge cyclist. It's a pretty amazing place to spend time. Some of the people chronicled can be located in real life if you want, such as the musician that sets up shop in the subway. Mostly, it's an homage to what makes this city so special - it's special characters.

New York really is a melting pot, and though it can make you feel a little insane some days (after all, it's a grind, no matter how much money you have, although I imagine that makes it a bit easier to digest) there's no other city like it. This incredible site, so simple and yet really quite profound, is an excellent way to experience the city, whether you live here or not.

NYC: The ultimate brand experience. Come live it for yourself, just bring a healthy bit of nerve. And if you want to watch from afar, check out this site. LOL.

Source: tworque.blogspot.com
 

I am making a bold step and “exposing” a little bit of myself in this blog… so here goes.  For the last few months (!!) I have found myself involuntarily thinking and processing my life events in 140 characters or less: “Kelly often wonders why people on the streets of NYC act like people can’t see them when they are picking their nose in public.” “Kelly knows the day is going to be good when the trains on the morning commute are totally in sync.” “Kelly wishes she was outside enjoying the amazing September weather today.” This happens regardless of whether or not I actually post the information in my status.  My internal editor processes the content and then it goes through the “is this interesting enough for an actual update” phase.

I was secretly ashamed that I have been so overtaken by my social media (and a little worried that I might be going a little loopy) and thought I must be the only person that is doing this. The internal pressure to be clever, inventive and “create reaction” was almost overpowering. Then, breakthrough. In a casual conversation with friends the subject naturally came up and my friends admitted that they were doing the exact same thing. I at once let out a big sigh of relief and we all half joked about how Facebook, Twitter and the likes have changed the way we process our life experiences… what is too much to tell your network of 300+ friends? What is funny and are we really becoming “too social” when broadcasting all of our virtual dirty laundry?

It is undeniable the power of social media and for the hundreds of millions of users in the world it has created a platform for not only information sharing but for self-expression and promotion. I am not an anthropologist, philosopher or behavioral scholar, but it seems very clear to me (at least in my own head) that the “status update” mentality will forever change how we think and share information with our friends/followers.

Source: buildamovement.com
 

I recently was put on the scent of a new online shop called “Not Just Another Label” and I am HOT on the trail.  It may be the coolest e-commerce concept I’ve heard of since Net-A-Porter (Same day delivery in NYC? Brilliance!).

As of May 2009, Not Just Another Label began offering one-off designer items that cannot be found anywhere else, and (get this) notable industry people select them each month. Brillzzzzz. So far, shop curators have included Robin Schulié, head-buyer of the iconic Maria Luisa store in Paris and Diane Pernet, editor of cult-favorite blog, A Shaded View On Fashion. P.S.—I love this cream sheath rose dress by Lisa Gibson. Rumor has it that supermodel and Brigette Bardot channeler, Lara Stone, is up next. I’m not convinced of her taste-making skills, but don’t worry, I’ll be logging in to sit in judgment.
 

Every supervisor knows that it’s never a good thing when one of your employees tells you that they “need to talk.” It’s scary enough hearing these three words in a relationship, but hearing them from a coworker on a tightly knit team brings about the type of anxiety that can’t be cured over a fun night out on the town.

If you’ve ever been part of corporate America, you know that at least 90% of the time, these words signify a signed letter in an envelope and the words “two-week notice.” You wonder where you might have gone wrong as a manager, whether you missed telltale signs of things going south, whether that doctor’s appointment was actually a cross-town interview. Well, in this case, it was none of the above.

Instead of another agency across town (which would have at least made it negotiable), it was a cross-country move that would be taking a valuable team member away from Brand Building Communications and onto a new life out in California. Telltale signs of separation anxiety started to develop almost immediately as she started telling me about the sudden move, the search for an apartment with a decent carport and the insanely high estimates for moving a one-bedroom NYC apartment almost 3,000 miles west.

I almost lost my composure as we reminisced together over all that she’s helped the agency accomplish during the past year and laughed about her many adventures, which took her from a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania, to a suburban mall in Indiana and back to a muddy field in New Jersey.

In the end, I realized that her mind was made up and her letter was signed. So instead of dwelling on things that I could not change, I gave her a hug, wished her well and started to write a job posting looking for someone to fill her very large shoes.