I enjoyed a full weekend, starting Friday night with a 3-course meal at lovely 21 Club and getting to see The Fantasticks starring Aaron Carter. I was actually kind of excited to see Carter in it because I have listened to and liked his music. He was a nice addition to the show, and still looks super young and fresh faced with spiky hair and dark eyes. The part of the Luisa was also well cast- Pretty, sweet, and innocent with a beautiful voice.
The plot of The Fantasticks is inspired by the “The Romancers” where the the starry-eyed boy and girl next door fall in love but face challenges when their parent separate them with a wall between the two. This was an fun and interesting play with great music, leaping and effortless choreography, charismatic as well as silly characters.
Saturday turned out to be gorgeous sunny spring weather so it was perfect for an outdoor photo shoot at an idyllic lake and underneath a cool bridge with black/white checker markings and arches.
I headed to the Pamela Kay Cook 1st Annual Scholarship Fundraiser event that night. Normally, I don’t often go to fundraisers, but this one was worth it. All the proceeds go directly to the cause, which is the help the uninsured and the reason for it is a sad story: Pamela Cook passed away because she was unable to get treatment because she was not insured.
We celebrated the life and legacy of Pamela Kay Cook at a wonderful location, the New York Public Library and enjoyed an evening of fun featuring a delicious food, dessert bar, live band, DJ, and raffles with amazing prizes.
When we first came in, we got to glam it up and have our photos taken on the Red Carpet. Then I found one of my friends sitting at where all the desserts were placed, so I happily joined her there. We sampled marshmallow rice cripsy treats, red velvet cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes with lavender frosting; cheesecake in a jar. My favorite were the red velvet cupcakes- Delicious and rich frosting paired with moist red velvet cake. (All desserts from JackBill Baked Goods).
Some stand out hors d’ouevreswere waffles with fried chicken (*my absolute favorite!), lime shrimp on skewers, homemade grilled cheese with warm tomato soup- fresh basil and onion, fried pot stickers and hamburger meat dipped in melted cheese. Food was provided by Beth Morgan Catering.
There was also a live DJ playing club hits and later on, live performance by Boss Culture which was fully enjoyable- Great songs, lovely lead singer backed up with keyboard and guitar. We also got full access to the Royal Photo Booth which was a ton of fun- It took 4 poses each and the images turned out beautifully!
I also entered to win a couple of the raffles. The ones that caught my eye were Night Out on the Town with free night in W Hotel, dinner & comedy show; makeup collection complete with makeover and haircut; and a day at the spa with lunch at Red Rooster. I ended up winning the Day at the Spa, which was very exciting. I can’t wait to be pampered and relaxed.
On the way out, there were wrapped homemade chocolate chip cookies with the recipe and hand written note attached. A really sweet and personal touch and a nice way to end the evening.
Sunday also dawned sunny and warm and was a great day for the Central Park Spring History Tour with Random Events that I help host, guided by David Cervini. This was unique journey back in time where we got to see see the grandeur of the original design, seeing the updates, improvements and actual pictures taken from the 1800’s through today. We started at the old Tavern on the Green (sad that I never got to dine there), going through The mall, Navy Terrace, The Ramble, Belvedere Castle, ending at the Great Lawn.
My favorite areas were the graceful flowing Betheseda fountain, tunnel with gospel singers and gorgeous tiling, cherry blossom trees (though more will be blooming in about 2 weeks), the most photographed bridge in Manhattan, the Belvedre Castle (but of course) and at the very end of the tour where we got to see a great view of Central Park.
We had brunch at nearby Noona afterwards, and I ordered the cheeseburger with french fries. Burger was okay, but the fries were delicious- crispy and flavorful.
Then I headed to Dex Beauty for a Baubles and Garden Party- Stella & Dot jewelry trunk show; strawberries and grapes; and amazing red velvet cupcakes. I also enjoyed makeup application by John Henry (National Makeup Artist) with Dex’s gorgeous line of eye shadows with names of Manhattan/Queens locales. He used Riverside and Harlem Nights on me (purple hues). John Henry was such an expert at what he does and so fun-lovable.
I ended the night working at a cocktail party (in charge of the drinks!) at a great space, General Assembly. I got to meet some very cool people and enjoyed the conversation.
Dress, Dine & Sparkle 