Recap: Art Strut 2015 Brought Together Soho Galleries and I Won Art!

I don't really need an excuse to wander around SoHo looking at art and drinking wine, but Art Strut 2015 gave me a reason to do just that last week.

Sponsored by lifestyle website Soho Strut, Art Strut reminded me of the once-upon-a-time community event Fashion's Night Out, but swapping fine arts for fashion and in a smaller sect of the city. My friend and I began at LUMAS (362 West Broadway), where we were greeted with refreshingly chilled white wine and a rocking performance by La La Lush. I loved the art at LUMAS because it was seemingly affordable and all pieces required no framing and were ready to hang.

LUMAS Gallery

La La Lush

Next stop was LIK Gallery (419 West Broadway) where we were enthralled with the travel and landscape photography of Peter Lik. I seriously wanted to head straight home, pack my bag, and grab a passport after being inspired by some of Lik's pieces. We also enjoyed the musical stylings of Jana Pelle and sipped on oaky chardonnay.

LIK Gallery

Jana Pelle

Stop number three was Martin-Lawrence Galleries (457 West Broadway) where we closed down the show--gallery hopping ended at 8--and listened to Benny Oyama sing some tunes.

Martin Lawrence Galleries

Benny Oyama

Then it was time to pick up our tickets in the form of limited-edition Moleskine notebooks...don't mind if I do!

Limited-edition Art Strut Moleskine Notebook

The party continued over at the pop-up gallery featuring local artists Barbara Thomas, Zuzanna Kozlowska, Linda Mason, Zigi Ben Haim and Laura Kaplan and live music by Cat, Cat, Cat, KT Mulholland and Lily Lane. Wine and whiskey was provided by The Handy Liquor Bar (where we also hung out at the after party).

Pop-up Art Gallery

Pop-up Art Gallery

There was also a silent auction benefitting ACE Programs for the Homeless, and I absolutely LOVE silent auctions--something about the rush, winning, and benefitting a good cause I guess.

Silent Auction (I loved the rose!)

I got in a bit of a bidding war over Rüdiger J. Vogel's Jetty, but ended up winning! I can't wait to hang it up at home and have a fun reminder of an "Awesome in New York" night.

Rüdiger J. Vogel's Jetty

I won the silent auction!

Stay tuned for more Soho Strut events--on Thursday, May 14th from 7-9pm, they are hosting 'Cocktails & Conversations' at The Handy Liquor Bar. Tickets are $20 are and include a cocktail.

Turn Up for Tone House

If you've ever worked out at Tone House, you know they mean business! So one can only expect that their 1-year anniversary party will also unleash your inner party beast.

Join them on Thursday May 14th for an open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, and an awesome raffle at the Ainsworth Chelsea (122 W. 26th Street) to celebrate 1 full year of unleashing inner athletes on the turf! Tickets are $25/person, and will be available for purchase at the door, with proceeds benefitting Memorial Sloan Kettering. RSVP to rsvp@tonehousenyc.com by Saturday May 9.

Sip for St. Jude

The Frying Pan is one of my favorite local drinking spots for spring and summer evenings. It's positioned perfectly on the Hudson to watch the sun set and take in a good beer and perhaps some pre-dinner snacks.

On Tuesday June 9, you can join the friends of the St. Jude Steering Committee for their annual young professionals event benefitting cancer research exclusively on the Frying Pan.

Tickets are $75 until 3pm on the day of the event, when they go up to $85, and are available here. You'll be served beer, wine, and light apps, and if you arrive by 8pm, you'll be entered to win free admission to the organizations annual winter gala.

When: Tuesday June 9, 7-9pm

Where: The Frying Pan, Pier 66 @ West 26th Street

Why: To raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Tickets: $75 in advance

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 5 Classes to Exceed Physical Culture

Remember how I held a contest with lots of cool prizes to raise money for the National MS Society? Well, the winners have been picked and notified. But SURPRISE! There's one more prize to win!

I've got a 5-class pack up for grabs (valued at $160!)! The classes at Exceed are amazing, small and full of personal attention. What's more, the facilities are squeaky clean and up-to-date. 

Every $5 donation made to my Walk MS page from today through midnight on 4/18 will be entered to win--so if you donate $20, you'll receive 4 entries! Whether or not you were a big winner in the overall raffle (or if you forgot to enter, I won't judge!), here's your second chance!

I'm fast approaching my $3,000 goal and the walk is this Sunday! So spread the word and best of luck!

AWESOME DEAL: Pay What You Wish at Just Salad Today

Wallet feeling kind of light? (Or even kind of heavy?) Just Salad, a fast casual restaurant concept serving healthy food--including, yes, salad--at 315 Park Ave South is allowing customers to pay what they wish for any salad or wrap at both lunch (12-1:30pm) and dinner (6-7:30pm) today 4/9.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Food Bank For NYC. Limit 1 wrap or salad (valued up to $10) per person and in-store only.

CancerCare 70th Anniversary Gala Recap

It's not often I go into a giant party and leave with not only a giddy buzz, but also a renewed feeling of hope and confidence in humankind. After attending CancerCare's 70th anniversary gala last week at Cipriani 42nd Street, I was able to observe first-hand the power of community and effective fundraising.

Waiting for my friend outside of the venue, I had a grand old time watching the fancy shoes click clack on the feet of philanthropists and cancer survivors as they arrived at the Spring gala. It was like a shoe fashion show! Upon entering ourselves, we were greeted with Cipriani's signature Bellini. We also sampled truffle mushroom tartlets and veal with marinara sauce. Yum!

The former bank was decked out in class, with the extensive silent auction wrapped around former teller windows and other monetary memories. In addition to Soul Cycle class packs and gift certificates to Casellula and David Burke restaurants, I spied a giant bottle of 1993 Dom Perignon (can you imagine the pressure behind that bottle's cork!?).

Katie Couric was the first to present an award. She gracefully told the story of how CancerCare came to her family's aid when her husband was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. I couldn't help but think a) how amazing she looked, b) how poised she was, c) how well she kept herself together while opening up an extremely vulnerable side of herself to a roomful of strangers. I am in awe of that woman.

Katie Couric

In addition, 13-year-old Maddy Gold, CancerCare's youngest advocate, told the extremely moving story of how her mom fell victim to cancer when she was only 6 years old and how CancerCare has provided support to her family. I felt goose bumps up and down my arms while listening to her speak eloquently and beautifully (and I'm getting them again just writing about her). I kept thinking, "How can this person be only 13 years old?!"

Maddy Gold

The live auction featured Sotheby's auctioneer Hugh Hidesley, who entertained the audience with his clever methods of raising auction bets and ultimately bringing in more support for the organization. Amazing prizes included an ultimate foodie trip to Paris and a private dinner cooked in your home by the one and only David Burke. Next time I have $17K to spend, I know where I'll go...

We didn't stay for dinner, but I can definitely attest to the bartenders' martini-making abilities. Up, very dry if you must know :)

Need Saturday Night Plans?

It's raining outside and the thought of getting your act together and making plans for tomorrow night seems incredibly daunting, right? Good thing some awesome plans were already made for you! I'm hosting an open bar event tomorrow night to benefit the National MS Society at Turtle Bay in midtown (987 2nd Ave; between 52nd St. & 53rd St.), and all my awesome readers are invited!

For $40, you will get an open bar from 8-11 including beer, wine and well liquor, with $10 going to fight MS. When you get to the bar say "MS Walk" and you will be able to purchase your open bar wristband. Our group will have a reserved section in the back of the dining room and I hope to see you there! Invite all your friends -- it's going to be an awesome night for sure!

Walk Like a New Yorker and Beat MS!

Every year for the last ten years I have walked in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Walk MS to raise awareness of the debilitating disease, fundraise to bring about new research breakthroughs, and honor my mom who was diagnosed when I was in high school. Walk MS 2013, a 6-mile walk starting at South Street Seaport and heading over the Brooklyn Bridge, is coming up in exactly one month. Over the past 10 years my team has raised more than $16 thousand and I'm aiming to raise another $2,500 this year.

By viewing my personal fundraising page, you can learn more about my personal story, why I walk and the meaning behind the team name, Straight Shooters 2. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will be sunny and warm as we walk across through the gorgeous area of Brooklyn Heights with our poster held high.

Straight Shooters 2 at the 2012 Walk MS

I would love to have any and all of my awesome readers participate and join the MS movement! To do so, you can either donate on my fundraising page, join my walk team (you get a free t-shirt if you raise $125 or more!), and/or come out for an open bar at Turtle Bay on Saturday April 13 from 8-11 pm! For $40, you'll enjoy a beer, wine and well liquor open bar, with $10 going to support our team! For more details on the open bar, RSVP here.

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: $25 to Sweetery!

Traditions are great and NYC is chock full of them. An eight-year tradition that I've brought with me from LA to Boston and finally to New York is coming up this Saturday -- the MS Walk. I'll be walking with my team "Straight Shooters 2" six miles through lower Manhattan and Brooklyn to honor my mom who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was in high school. Every year I increase my fundraising goal and this year I'm aiming for $2500. The money goes to fund excellent programming and support initiatives for people with MS and to enable breakthrough research.

By viewing my personal fundraising page, you can learn more about my personal story, why I walk and the meaning behind the team name. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will be sunny and warm as we walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and through the gorgeous area of Brooklyn Heights with our poster held high.

Part of the Straight Shooters 2 in the 2010 Walk MS

Another addition to the NYC tradition roster, food trucks, more specifically Sweetery, will be featured this Saturday at the walk. They will be setting up shop at the MS Walk and will be donating 25% of their proceeds to the MS Society. Sweetery has also been generous enough to offer me a $25 gift card to give to one lucky person who donates to my team. You could use that dough to purchase delicious muffins, cookies, cupcakes or my personal favorites - macarellas!

Here's how you enter! Please include your email in any comments so I know how to contact you if you are the winner.

1) REQUIRED - Donate $5 or more on my fundraising page and comment back here to let me know you did so.

2) If you donate $10 or more, you will get an extra entry into the giveaway. Be sure to comment below with exactly how much you donated. 

I won't be doing extra entries for following me on Twitter, but I would really appreciate you telling your friends about this contest as an act of good will to help me raise $2500. Also, if you've already donated, you can still enter the contest. Just be sure to comment below with your name, email address and how much you donated. Lastly, if you're feeling like you'd like to do some fundraising of your own, I invite you to join my team! If you raise $100 by Saturday, you will get a swanky-danky T-shirt - ow, ow!

One winner will be chosen using Random.org on Saturday 4/30. You have until Saturday 4/30 at 12 p.m. EST to enter the contest. Good luck!