The Birthday Curse of the US Open.

Dear Fellow Blog Readers,

Sorry for the brief hiatus. I thought it would be good for me to regroup my thoughts and memories to bring some fun reading material for your enjoyment. As today is actually my brother's birthday, I would like to first congratulate him on his special day. He has truly provided me plenty of life lessons from his own experiences. As much as we had our sibling rivalries at younger ages, we have grown to be a very close family and nothing can change that, even with the addition of his amazing wife! (You know who you are.)
With all the cute "lovey dovey" portion of the blog taken care of, let's get down to the "nitty gritty" of it. Today I will be sharing snips of the past two years and what has gone down during my birthdays. I love my birthday and I embrace getting older (even if it comes with aches and joint pains from my workouts). I love to share my birthday with all my friends and acquaintances. It just so happens, that my birthday, which is on August 24th (Don't forget it!), always falls during the US Open tennis tournament.

Being an avid tennis player in my youth, I always love having a chance to go watch the matches. In my teens, I used to work for Wilson Sporting Goods every US Open tournament. It was a great time to have access to the grounds and watch matches during my breaks. I actually met my first crush/fling while working there. Young romance, you know how that goes, always ends in heartbreak. Well, this guy and I had kept in touch through the years. From time to time, he would reach out and check up on me. And me, being naive, I would always play surprised and would gladly go out with him to reconnect and see if that spark still existed. (Low and behold, it did.) Two years ago, we reconnected after a few years of hiatus. Being older and more mature, I thought I would let my guard down and just let things happen. I was finally coming to terms with just letting destiny take its course which, being a Virgo, is not in our normal nature. If it was meant to be, than let's give it a shot. All I asked from him was honesty and trust and the same went for me. We managed to grab some tickets to the US Open on my birthday. I thought it was a sweet gesture. We went together reminiscing of the fun times working together at Wilson and sitting court side to some of the best matches in history. As the evening progressed, it was getting late. We both had work in the morning. In the middle of Serena Williams match (which she was clearly dominating her opponent towards victory), we decided to head out a bit before it ended to beat traffic. As we are walking out of the stadium, he drops a line saying, "I really need to talk to you and say something, but I am not going to." WHOA WHOA WHOA. WHO SAYS THAT AND DOES NOT SAY WHAT'S ON THEIR MIND? I obviously became defensive and was now super curious to what he could possibly tell me that I may or may not know. I pushed it out of my mind and was for sure going to hope he brings it up in the next few days. We continued walking towards the car and then he goes on to say, "You know what, I am going to take the train home. I'll talk to you later." At this point, I was at a loss for words. I was powerless. We kissed goodnight and I walked to my car and headed home. Days, weeks, and months went by with not a single word from either one of us. I reached out one evening and never heard back. I knew what this meant as it did every time before that. He met someone else and moved on.

Last year, I had reconnected with another old tennis buddy of mine. It had been about 13 years since we last truly saw each other. It was so interesting to see him all grown up and a man, not a boy. He set the ground rules early saying we should just stay friends. I have had plenty of male friends and kept it platonic so why not hold to that this time. I was okay with that just on the surface, but the more we hung out, the more I realized there was something in me that stirred each time, wanting more. I am most confident that he knew that, but we both managed to subside any idea of moving anything further. We decided around my birthday to go to the qualifying rounds/practice sessions of the US Open. (FYI: For all you tennis fans, a good way to go to the US Open on a budget is to attend the practice sessions/qualifying rounds the week before the tournament kicks off. It is FREE to enter. Not all the stores/kiosks/food stands will be open, but there will be some great tennis to watch more, so than during the actual tournament. Also, another recommendation, the first week of the tournament has better matches than the second week. The side courts during the first week are flooded with amazing players. They all can't play in the major stadiums, so you get a more intimate match as you are closer to the action.) A good day to see the rising stars, we stood around the side courts to see some great tennis, commenting on their strokes and serves. At the end of the day, he drove me back to Brooklyn to where my car was and we said our good byes on a pleasant note. That was the last I ever heard from him.

Well, talk about Matches made in hell... haha... literally. Two years in a row, I was dumped on my birthday through ghosting even if it was just friendship. Luckily, my friend who works for Head Sporting Goods in the tennis division and is on the Board of the USTA was in town and invited me to join her for an evening during the tournament. That surely made up for the sour note from the week earlier. A few drinks and some Roger Federer makes any day better.

With age comes wisdom, maturity, and intuition.To not have the "cojones" to just say what you have to say, is a d*ck move. I believe the worst way to end anything is by "Ghosting". It happens far too much nowadays. People think they can just get away by sliding under the radar and not confronting the situation. Well it is not acceptable. Best to lay it out, be honest. This gives everyone the closure and understanding for future similar situations that may come up. Karma is a true bitch and so I don't wish it upon anyone. Maybe just some uncontrollable explosive diarrhea for a day. You'll recover, but that day will surely be shitty.

Besos,

Ilana

Eye contact is more intimate than words will ever be.

Dear Readers,

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas; Said No One Ever!!!! Haha, I know many of us have ventured out to Sin City at some point of our young adult lives. Some come for the gambling. Some come for the food and drinks. Some come for the nitelife. With all those combined, I'm sure most of us have been to Sin city for a bachelor/bachelorette party. What is it about Vegas that let's you put down your guard and let things be what they should be, easy and fun?

My most recent trip to Vegas was as you guessed it, a bachelorette party. One of my best friends was getting married and what better way to send her off to life long bliss and happiness than a weekend getaway in Las Vegas. Now, as what most of my memory allows me to remember  (which is crazy enough everything), this bachelorette party was one of the most epic in history.

Train insane or remain the same, even
 after a nite out with Calvin Harris

We were a group of six ladies, consisting of only two of us that were actually single (me being one of them). The bride mandated that I (in particular) leave my conservative clothing at home, and bring out my wild and sexy outfits. (I had to step foot into Forever 21 for the first and only time to find at least one outfit that suited the brides request.) We were staying at the Wynn Hotel. This hotel is phenomenal in amenities and luxuries. With floor to ceiling windows in our connecting rooms, along with massive jacuzzi tubs and glass showers, we were rolling in the deep. Between flashing the strip from our hotel windows to roaming around the rooms in robes and bottles of champagne we surely felt high class. (I mean, who wouldn't?!) Each night out was an adventure. We had originally made a pact to always go back to the hotel all together, but that seemed to almost never happen since someone would get tired and decide to head up to the room earlier. My only sole motivation to keep me in check was that every morning I still made sure to wake up early to work out and get a good spot for everyone by the pool. (One morning, I worked out with the husband of the Long Island medium. Sadly, his wife was still asleep, so I couldn't get an impromptu reading.)

Poolside at the Wynn

Since I was one of the only true single ladies of the crowd, I was always set to take the lead and find some lovely men to take care of us for the evenings. As we were laying by the pool at the Wynn, a young fellow comes up to my friends and leans down to try to start a conversation. They brush him to the side without a care for what he is trying to say. As I made eye contact with him, I called for him to approach me instead. I apologized for their hungover NYC behavior, and began a lite conversation. He begins to tell me how beautiful all of us ladies are and if we needed any assistance to getting into any clubs in Vegas on our trip. He was a promoter for many of the large high profile venues. (Cha-Ching!) I told him what our go to places were for our trip and with a snap of a finger, every evening we were escorted without any line into our venues of choice. The girls to this day are forever grateful to me for setting us all up.

That evening was spent at Tao niteclub. The second evening we went to Hakkasan at the MGM Grand. We got to see Calvin Harris perform all evening. What an experience that was. We managed to set ourselves up with a table of guys drinking Dom Perrignon that night. We had such a great time that some of us had the stamina to do cartwheels down our hotel hallway to the room. (I'm sure hotel security had a field day reviewing that footage on tape.) The following morning, as I was sitting at the roulette table, the gentlemen from the previous evening walked by and placed some bets along our table. (And I thought I would never see them again, HaHa.) We all did pretty well the several rounds of the wheel and then parted ways.

Calvin Harris at Hakkasan

Our final evening, we wanted to stay at the Wynn/Encore residence and jump between Surrender and XS niteclubs. Performing those evenings were Frances Dillon and Zedd. As we entered Surrender first, we all tried to stay together, but slowly our eyes were drawn to various men around the club. Eye contact is more intimate than words will ever be in such places. We were all pulled in different corners of the vast pool area and club. We were each being courted by various gentlemen. Eventually, we all congregated with our men in tow in one cabana and were enjoying the beginning of the evening. A few drinks and a few giggles, we decided to leave the men behind and head over to XS niteclub. We all thought we could find some additional eye candy as the night was young. 

Our evening at XS niteclub 

We hopped over to XS. I remember quite vividly, the moment I walked into the club, there was this immediate eye contact made with a light hazel color eyed gentlemen by the bar. He was a young caucasian lad of eastern european descent, wearing a dark suit with his top two white shirt buttons unbuttoned. There was that instant draw that was unexplainable. We both felt it and were sent on a course to meet half way across the room. (I think it could be the air they are pumping into the rooms of the casino grounds. Maybe it was the drinks. Yes, the drinks. They are laced with aphrodisiacs. Who knows and who cares at that moment.) Next thing I know, I had deviated from the group. He whisked me away to the dance floor for a bit. He certainly was quite the tiny dancer. After needing a break to hydrate, we walked back to the bar area where we could have just enough ability to hear each other talk. Turns out, like everyone else, he was from out of town. He lives in the Connecticut area, and has Hungarian-Jewish roots, so I was even more intrigued with continuing to get to know him. At the wee hours of the early morning around 5 AM, we tried to find our respective friends from our groups, but had no luck with the size of the place. He asked if I would like to come back up to his room at the Caesar's Hotel. I kindly declined because I had no desire to leave my hotel (which we were already at) and do any walk of shame in the morning. He giggled and then said, he had no problem doing any walk instead and asked to come back to my room. I told him that unfortunately I am pretty sure someone had probably made their way up to the room and that it would not be empty. He laughed at the idea and placed a bet with me. He said that if people are back in the rooms than I get to pick anywhere to have breakfast with him. But, if there is no one in the rooms, than all is fair in love and war. Now, if you don't know me, I try to never turn down a challenge. And, particularly since we were in Las Vegas, how do you turn down such a bet when the odds are in your favor. So, I excepted the bet and we made our way to the elevator. I tried desperately to text anyone from the group to get a response, but no one seemed to be checking their cellphones. As we walked to my room, the anticipation was building even more. I slid the card key in, and low and behold the rooms were all empty! I was shocked! I never was the first person to arrive back to the rooms all trip and the one time, I was hoping for the girls to be passed out and asleep, they were all somewhere but the room! Well, let's just say after some amazing make out session and nothing more, I told him that I did not want to take it any further but would love to stay in touch when we both get back to the East Coast. He begrudgingly accepted my request, exchanged numbers and parted ways around 7 AM. As I walked him out of the room and turned my back to the door, no more than 2 minutes later, I get a knock at the door. Sort of hoping it would be Mr. Hungarian, it was one of my girlfriends coming back to the room alone carrying her heels in one hand. As she begins to order room service for herself, we begin to exchange stories, but still very curious where the rest of the ladies are. Before the food even arrives, I was out for the count. My batteries were completely depleted and needed a few hours of snooze. 

As I woke up 3 hours later, I was relieved to see all the ladies back in the rooms. The stories from that particular evening were surely epic. I wish I could share all the "mansa" (a.k.a. gossip) but those are not mine to share. The one thing I surely learned from this trip was mastering the eye contact. It was key, particularly in the club scenario where saying the word "Hi" can barely be heard above all the music blasting. The law of attraction will just fall into place. Sometimes its about being in the right place at the right time and just letting the cards play out. 

I somehow have more success in finding a nice guy outside of NYC and wonder how is that so? It's because I feel more comfortable in letting go, being myself, and just letting things take its course when I am outside of NYC. I care less of what the other people think or how the situation will play out than when I am home. I have a fear of more likely running into this stranger again back in my hometown. But I shouldn't. All of us single folks need to have no reservations. You see someone across the room that fancies your pickle, go ahead and make eye contact. It is perfectly okay to approach another person at a bar if you feel compelled to get to know them. Take a chance and let the good times roll. 

Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend!

Besos, 

Ilana 

Sometimes, You Just Have to Wing It! (Part 3 of 3)

Happy Hump Day!

Sorry for the recent delay, but the day to day hustle of my real job got in the way of having the chance for you all to read the finale to the past weekend adventures all about winging it. To recap, the beginning to my weekend was as follows:

• Thursday, March 31st, 2016: UJA Russian Division Signature Event at the The Bowery Hotel, NY, NY (Drive Home post event and sleep at home)
• Friday, April 1st, 2016: Pop Up Mob's Tropicana Black Tie Party at the Diamond Horseshoe, NY, NY (Sleep over at a friend's apartment in the city)

The UJA event and the Tropicana Black Tie Party were fantastic. With two big events back to back, I had planned for Saturday to be a day of rest (as G-d had always planned), before heading out Sunday with the entire family for my brother's wedding anniversary. After only a few hours of sleep, I went to sweat out all the toxins and had a great workout with my trainer. An hour of weights, cardio, and stretching always wakes me up and puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. After that, what I thought would be a quiet day, turned into another escapade out. I got a phone call from a few girl friends saying they are out for brunch in the city and wanted me to join. It sounded like an innocent afternoon catching up with some of the best girls I know. So, I quickly changed at the gym and hopped in the car. (Thank goodness I always carry spare clothing with me. You should always be prepared for the unexpected.) 

It was a nice afternoon spent reminiscing about previous bachelorette parties to upcoming wedding festivities for some in the group. As some of the ladies had other plans later with their fiances and other friends, one of the ladies wanted to continue on with the fun. Who am I to deny one of my friends who doesn't have the opportunity to come out all the time for some good ole fashioned city escapes. I can relate to her as she is also in the healthcare career. It can be demanding hours different from the corporate lifestyle.

So my friend and I traveled over to Williamsburg for some gin and juice (a.k.a vino for me) at a local French bistro called Juliette. (SHOUTOUT: Juliette is a fantastic Williamsburg, Brooklyn institution for some yummy french bistro classics. The decor and vibe transports you to Paris in the Montmartre neighborhood near Sacre-Coeur. In one room, you have vines hanging from the ceiling making you feel like you are in a secret garden. The bar area has a great Parisian feel from the tiled floor to the red leather upholstered bar chairs. They also have rooftop seating for the warmer summer months. The waitstaff is attentive and you can always count on a good time there.)

My friend's husband was out as well with my brother and his wife in the city. So, we decided that at some point of the evening we would meet up with them. We assumed that they would tell us to meet them at a local bar in the UES where my brother lives, but instead I received a text message from my brother stating,

"Guy in my building having a penthouse party. Come by. His name is Tim."

We had no intention of crashing a house party. But in the end, we both came to an agreement, if the party is "no bueno", we can easily sneak out and go back out on our own and take my brother's wife with us. When we showed up to my brother's apartment building, the doormen already knew we were heading up to Tim's apartment. As I always joke around with the doormen, I invited them to come up with us, to which they said, once they are done with their shift, they may come up.

Panorama shot from Tim's Balcony

Now, I don't know about you, but, the last time I attended a house party was in my college days. I expected Tom to be a fresh out of college male who is sharing an apartment with his "Bro's" and decided to relive the beer pong days. Well, I was not too far from the truth. We took the elevator up to the 42nd floor. As we stepped out of the elevator I could hear the liveliness down the hall that was coming from Tim's place. I was sure to be walking into a Frat party now. I was curious how the neighbors were ok with this. We knocked on the door to which there was no response due to the noise level. (Typical.) Finally, after a text to my brother, the door swings open. We were greeted by the host, Tim, who was a fit, salt and pepper male, in his early 50's. (Not what I was expecting, but then again, who else could afford a penthouse apartment in this building. I should have known better.) He had just finished renovating his apartment and invited people to come and see his latest digs. The apartment had floor to ceiling windows running through the entire place with a wrap around balcony with views stretching from the Onasis reservoir in Central Park (and beyond to New Jersey) all the way down to the Empire State Building and Freedom tower. The new marble kitchen (which had plastic wrap still on the entire marble counter top) was anointed with every liquor you can imagine to have his guests imbibe all night. Apparently, there was also a stripper pole built in his bedroom. (I avoided that part of the tour.) As I looked through the crowd, the age range varied from the 30's all the way up to 60's. It was interesting to meet the eclectic crowd and how they each knew Tim. Everyone only had high praises for Tim and I could see why. He was surely a great friend to all. He was genuine and just wanted everyone to have a good time.

I met the equivalent of the "Bro's" in one corner of the living room. They were all in their 40's and enjoying the single life still. They spoke about their previous summers of renting homes in the Hampton's and invited me to this summer's festivities. (Score!) Eventually, I was snatched up by an Eastern European fellow who lived in the Sheepshead Bay area followed by a West coast transplant living downtown. We spoke a good portion of the evening about our respective careers in healthcare and how Coney Island Hospital is need of additional funding on top of the recent funding and renovations already put in. (I should know from last years unexpected visit I had in the ER.)

Nothing ever developed from that evening of chats and laughter besides a need for some Advil and coconut water to hydrate myself before bedtime in the wee hours of the morning. When you look up the term "Winging It" in the Urban Dictionary, you get the definition, "to improvise with little preparation". That particular Saturday was truly about winging it. It went from a day arranged to be set with no plans besides relaxation, to just going with the flow and enjoying where life takes me. I think an evening like this helps me work on networking and my social skills. My brother used to call me a "Socio-phobe" My brother has been (and still is) the life of a party. He is always charismatic and can start a conversation with anyone. (And I truly mean anyone!) I would always hide behind his shadows, but with his confidence and his pep talks, I am now able to stand on my own two feet.

So, to those individuals who find excuses to avoid a social gathering out and about, I say, F*&k it! In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take. So next time you get that last minute text from a friend saying come and hang out, do it. Don't revert back to being tired or lazy to commute out. Just go out and have fun. Sleep is for the afterlife.

Besos,

Ilana

Sometimes, You Just Have to Wing it! (Part 2 of 3)

Welcome to Tropicana NYC at the Diamond Horseshoe

Hello Blog Followers, 

Happy Hump Day! As you read on Monday, my past weekend was jam packed with adventures. It started with a Thursday evening event filled with social interaction and being my friend's Wing Woman. Now onto the next evening. 

The following day was Friday. WooHoo! It was what my friend and I had been eagerly anticipating for the past month. It was the Pop Up Mob Tropicana Black Tie Party at the Diamond Horseshoe. We were invited to attend by one of the creators of the event. He had been hyping this party up for some time and knew it was up our alley. He told us that there would be plenty of "cute boys" for our picking. (And not to speed right into that, but he was true to his word!) Outfit planning was key. I had a lovely Badgley Mischka black and white dress that was perfect for this Latin inspired black tie ball. 

I arrived to my friend's apartment to get ready and pre-game. After the previous night, we actually decided that one glass of wine would suffice to get our blood flowing for the rest of the evening. We glamified and headed out via Lyft to the Diamond Horseshoe. (SHOUTOUT: The Diamond Horseshoe venue space at the Paramount Hotel located in Times Square area is a treat in and of itself to get a chance to visit. I am sure many of you had attended the Queen of the Night show at this place. I heard amazing things about that show. Currently it is being utilized as a venue space available for rent. Rumor is that a new production may take over the space in the near future, so stay tuned.)

As we descended into the Diamond Horseshoe, each level down was adorned with various decorations from the Queen of the Night show such as oversized candelabras dripping in wax and door knobs in replica of hands You begin to immerse yourself in a dark and seductive world. When you finally enter the main space, you get overtaken by the sheer size and intangible beauty it has. The stage was lit in a neon tropical flavor all night. There were blow up palm trees, flamingos, and lei’s added for fun and props by the photo booth. There were actors dressed in flamboyant, Latin inspired dresses handing out tropical boozy injected popsicles to get your palettes wet. Not a bad way to get the party going.

My friend and I hit up the bar and started the evening, getting to know a few main bartenders to get the drinks flowing. We handed them the popsicles we received as a barter. It doesn’t hurt to flirt and get a few good tequila shots down the hatch to loosen the soul and numb the feet for dancing all night. We met a few cute gentlemen dressed in impeccably tailored tuxedos. (Mind you, 95% of the men were in tuxedos, from black jackets to white jackets to everything in between. I am just blown away by the amount of well-dressed, good looking men. I was curious all night, asking if they truly keep a white tuxedo stored in the back of their closets or was it a rental? The following day, I saw a post on the event page for a missing white Ferragamo jacket to be returned (Totally not a rental.)). Of course, the men were also good friends with our friend who invited us.  It turned out that one of the men was the founder of Pop Up Mob. Oh, and it gets better. He was a Hungarian-Moroccan Jew. (Yup. Jackpot!) We had another round of drinks and then moved onto the dance floor.

Nicolò Della Casa

April 2 at 5:40pm · 

If someone mistakenly got my suit jacket yesterday night at the Tropicana party (dark blue with thin light blue lines, size 46 EU, brand Ferragamo, name plate in the internal pocket and a white pochette) DM me please. I will be eternally grateful. Thanks

LikeShow more reactions

Comment

Share

Grupo Irék with front man, singer Chino Pons, were mixing the sounds of Cuba, Cha-Cha, Mambo, Salsa - with New York City flavor into original tunes. They were phenomenal. I danced that evening with several gentlemen, all cuter than the next. I thank my parents for making me take ballroom dance lessons when I was younger. The skills I developed surely paid off, but I must say, these Latin men sure know how to lead and take over the dance floor.

Chino Pons and Grupo Irek providing tunes for the evening

We bumped into many friends of ours and other patrons from our weekend adventures at Felix restaurant downtown in SoHo. Seeing them all dressed to the nines and out of our usual attire definitely was a sight. As the night progressed, my friend decided she needed my wing woman skills to reappear from last night and work my magic. She fell into the arms of a dapper gentlemen she had met previously at Felix. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company and conversation so I excused myself from the area and went to seek some fun in other parts of the venue space. I always had an eye on her. Luckily her blonde hair and the gentlemen’s white tuxedo was easy to spot from the distance. (Then again there were many blondes dancing with men in white jackets. Maybe, I spotted the wrong pair.)

Low and behold by 3:30am, I receive a text message from my friend stating the following: “I can’t find you. I’m going out after with the guy for another drink. You have my spare keys. Sleep in my bed.” Well, that was enough for me to know where the evening is heading. By 4am, my body was exhausted. I spotted the two of them by the bar as I quietly made my exit. I hopped into an Uber and made my way back to her place. I woke up the next morning and left her apartment for my work out with my personal trainer before she arrived back home.

It is evenings like these that I hope to be able to surprise my kids with my stories on how much fun mommy and daddy had in our prime. It is also nights like these, that will surely keep me up at night thinking my kids may be doing the exact same thing. But, that is a long ways away, so until then, let the good times keep rolling!

Stay tuned to Part 3 of the finale to the saga of my past weekend adventures!

On stage capturing the crowd

Andre the host with the most being his fabulous self all evening

Acrobatics in the air while everyone danced the night away

Sometimes, You Just Have to Wing it! (Part 1 of 3)

Happy Monday Fellow Blog Readers,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend even with all the crazy weather. Besides being out and about all weekend, those howling and gusting winds surely kept me up the other night. It's great to be in a city with all four seasons. With that said, oddly enough, all four seasons can occur at any time of the year in this part of the states. You need to be prepared for anything. That's exactly how I take on every day in life. I try to plan for any situation, but I also plan for the unexpected and just go with the flow.

For the past month, I was RSVP'ing for several events that I planned with some friends. Here was the schedule as planned:

• Thursday, March 31st, 2016: UJA Russian Division Signature Event at the The Bowery Hotel, NY, NY (Drive Home post event and sleep at home)
• Friday, April 1st, 2016: Pop Up Mob's Tropicana Black Tie Party at the Diamond Horseshoe, NY, NY (Sleep over at a friend's apartment in the city)
• Saturday, April 2nd, 2016: Day of Rest, Working Out with my trainer, and Recovery (Sleep at home)
• Sunday, April 3rd, 2016: Brunch party for my Brother and his wife's 1st Wedding Anniversary at Parlor Steakhouse, NY, NY (Drive into the city with my parents and grandfather)

 I can tell some people are reading this and thinking, "Whoa, that seems like too much." Well, I am an Energizer bunny who can pace myself and just keep going and going. I was so excited the weeks leading up to this particular weekend. It was all about outfit planning and organizing my schedule to give myself time to do everything and enjoy it. My friends offered me a place to sleep at their apartments in the city so I would not need to drive each night. Everything was accounted for. Time to just get dolled up and enjoy mingling and networking as a single entrepreneur in the city.

Thursday evening, I had went with one of my girl friends to the UJA Russian Division Signature event. It was hosted at the beautiful Bowery Hotel. (SHOUTOUT: The Bowery Hotel is a hidden gem in the city. It is away from most of the tourist trap areas like Times Square. Their 10,000 sq. foot venue space with terrace has everything you need to host a great, elegant event any time of the year. The Hotel Lobby Bar is a relaxed oasis to grab an excellent crafted drink regardless of an event. You can spot many celebrities hanging out here as I have a few times.)

Terrace venue space at The Bowery Hotel

The Bowery Hotel Lobby Bar

This event was geared towards the young professional and philanthropic people of the Russian Jewish community. It is about coming together to continue to give back to this sect of the Jewish people. With many nonprofit Jewish organizations, it's all about networking. But, there is always an underlying goal for them to have single individuals at the event to meet up. I happen to be quite involved in several Jewish organizations. I find it important to give back to organizations that you feel most tied to. If you cannot give back in monetary value, give back with your time and volunteer for things that you have a passion for.

When I attend such events, I happen to know many people since we all attend many of the same functions. My friend and I worked the crowd. I introduced her to several people I know on the UJA board as well as those in attendance from other organizations. The drinks that evening were flowing as we got to know the bartenders more so through the night. My personal evening ended up more focused on networking and connecting with various people in different fields than just mingling and being a single girl in the city. (I was hoping for that more so than the networking aspect. You have to be able to blend the business schmoozing with the single schmoozing every day in any situation.) I had several people come up to me and mention that they follow my blog and couldn't wait to read about the next story. Some connections I made were focused in the healthcare field for business opportunities, while other connections were focused on the Hotel staff for future visits. I was also able to catch up with some acquaintances and heard about their own solo travels throughout the world recently. (It's giving me the travel bug to jet set soon.)

My friend on the other hand was game for everything that evening. While we started the night with red wine, we eventually decided to change it up and began ordering their yummy Martini's. (Bowery Hotel is one of few places in NYC that make a fabulous Dry Vodka Martini). As we were ordering our next round, a gentlemen that I had seen before but could not remember from where, had approached the two of us. (I then realized I had seen him on the dating apps that I swipe on. Small world). As I saw the attraction and attention sparking more towards my friend, I had to change gears and be a great "Wing Woman" for my dear friend. This is a delicate role to play for anybody. As much as the conversation may have involved all the individuals in the circle, you have to know when best to excuse yourself from the area to give them the opportunity to chat more directly. And so, I did as I know best. (I use going to the bathroom as a means to excuse myself, because you can always freshen up in there.) I kept my distance when I returned back to the party so they didn't feel like I was hovering/"COCK-BLOCKING" because no one wants to have "THAT" friend. But, I was close enough to see if there would be a need to rescue her while I chatted away with other people. At the end of the evening, I met back up with my friend to head out. She had told me they exchanged numbers and agreed to grab dinner sometime soon. (Winning!)

The night was a great success all around. It's all about being social and conversational, so you're ready for any topic of discussion. Though fraternizing with singles wasn't in the cards for me that night, I was informed of several events coming up for the Passover holidays geared towards young professionals in the NYC community. Time to fill my calendar with more great nights.

Stayed tuned for Part 2 and 3 this week on the rest of my Weekend Winging adventures.

Besos,

Ilana