The grass is green and the flowers are blooming. Spring has officially sprung! To celebrate, I’ve decided to share my five favorite New York springtime activities.  Let’s jump right in:

5. Walking the High Line: Running from West 30^th down to Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, the High Line is a great place for a late afternoon stroll on a nice spring day. Take in the great views of the Hudson River as you work up an appetite for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

4. Visiting Biergartens: Whether you prefer The Standard Biergarten in the Meatpacking District or Beekman Beer Garden next to the South Street Seaport, there are few things more relaxing than grabbing a group of friends and heading to one of these outdoor watering holes.

3. Walking Museum Mile: If you’re looking to mix in a bit of culture with beautiful scenery, Museum Mile may be the place for you. With some of the best museums in the world, this stretch form 104^th to 82^nd Street on the Upper East Side combines a wide range of art with the natural beauty of Central Park.

2. Laying out in Sheep Meadow: If you enjoy people watching as much as I do, there are few places in the city better than Sheep Meadow. All you need is a book and your iPod and you’ll be set for a great afternoon with a thousand of your closest friends.

1. Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to visit Grimaldi’s Pizzeria: The Brooklyn Bridge provides spectacular views of the city, and Grimaldi’s offers the best (in my opinion) pizza in America. If you don’t mind crowds, this WILL BE worth the trip down to lower Manhattan.

These are some of my favorites; what are some of yours?

It’s been 2 years since I packed my bags and moved from LA to NY to pursue a career in PR. Do I miss it? Of course! Who wouldn’t? Traffic aside, imagine an afternoon drive down PCH, heading to the beach and topping it off with the best burger and shake around…In-N-Out.  Ok, in a perfect East Coast world, there would be an In-N-Out however that is not the case. Recently, while I was walking down Park Avenue after a long day at work, I perked up at the sight of the next best West Coast establishment “Wahoo’s.” If you like Mexican mixed in with Brazilian and Asian flavors, this is your place. I’ve gotten pretty much the whole media department hooked! Just this week, the entire group had a team lunch at Wahoo’s. In addition to its great tasting dishes such as the Maui Bowl, Shrimp lettuce wrapped tacos and Cajun style beans, I also love the So Cal vibe. I find comfort knowing if I ever crave a little Cali, it’s right around the corner from the office on Park Avenue

It’s been 2 years since I packed my bags and moved from LA to NY to pursue a career in PR. Do I miss it? Of course! Who wouldn’t? Traffic aside, imagine an afternoon drive down PCH, heading to the beach and topping it off with the best burger and shake around…In-N-Out.  Ok, in a perfect East Coast world, there would be an In-N-Out however that is not the case. Recently, while I was walking down Park Avenue after a long day at work, I perked up at the sight of the next best West Coast establishment “Wahoo’s.” If you like Mexican mixed in with Brazilian and Asian flavors, this is your place. I’ve gotten pretty much the whole media department hooked! Just this week, the entire group had a team lunch at Wahoo’s. In addition to its great tasting dishes such as the Maui Bowl, Shrimp lettuce wrapped tacos and Cajun style beans, I also love the So Cal vibe. I find comfort knowing if I ever crave a little Cali, it’s right around the corner from the office on Park Avenue.

I recently spent a long weekend in LA for a mini college reunion. On Saturday (our first full day together) one of my friends suggested we spend the afternoon hiking in Malibu under the welcoming – and oh so warm - southern Californian sun.

The drive down the Pacific Coast Highway (or as the locals call it, the PCH) was picture perfect. Windows down, good jams, and great conversation filled our hour and a half drive through lush canyons and along the Pacific Ocean. Once we reached our destination we laced our shoes up and started our ascent.

The first two hours were exactly as I had envisioned. Green plants, a little physical challenge and lots of laughs as we all made our way up the Escondido Canyon Trail. The terrain quickly went from about a 40°, to a sharp 80°, but we were up for the challenge. After making it to the top to enjoy the wonderful views of the ocean and sprawling mansions below, we quickly realized that now we had to get down the mountain…and quickly, the sun was beginning to set.

One by one, scooting on our behinds, we made it down the very steep mountain; having to stop every five feet or so to avoid the falling avalanche of loose rocks. Tears were shed. Blood was definitely drawn. But after some very tense moments, we all made it down safely. A post climb/celebration-of-life dinner took place at Paradise Cove in Malibu, and as we sipped on our much-deserved cocktails, we all couldn’t help but think, we were really just happy to be alive.

2012 marks the 60^th year of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.  She took the throne on February 6, 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI.   The 60^th anniversary celebration, known as the Diamond Jubilee, will pay tribute to Her Majesty’s accomplishments with a yearlong series of events held internationally.  The Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, along with other royal family members, will visit England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and a number of Commonwealth countries where she also reigns. 

The Queen is the second longest serving monarch.   She was born on April 21, 1926, and has been married to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh for 64 years.  Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, including Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Central Weekend, held from June 2^nd to June 5^th, will be the main celebration during the Diamond Jubilee.  Events including the Epsom Derby, the Thames River Pageant and a concert at Buckingham Palace will be held in The Queen’s honor. In addition, throughout the course of the year, 2,012 beacons will be lit across the Commonwealth over which she reigns.

If you can’t visit Britain to celebrate with The Queen during her milestone year, try baking this traditional British dessert in her honor.  Queen of Puddings, which dates back to the 17^th Century, is affordable and easy to make, and is a delectable dessert fit for a queen! 

This bread-based pudding has a layer of scrumptious meringue nestled on top, just like the crown on top of the Queen’s head.  This is the perfect recipe for a Sunday afternoon - so make a pot of tea, don your finest jewels and live like a Royal!  

Our office has been buzzing about “The Hunger Games” for months. Between chatting nonstop about the books, to getting hyped up for the movie premiere, we were ready to be among the millions watching Katniss Everdeen fight for her life.

“The Hunger Games,” by best-selling author Suzanne Collins, follows Katniss as she defies the odds and stands her ground against an oppressive government in the post-apocalyptic world of Panem. While the young-adult trilogy proved to be extremely popular on their own, the movie promised to be even more.  From a marketing perspective, it became clear that this movie was going to be big. Tactics leading up to the movie premiere included an online community modeled after Panem, a magazine and OPI nail color based on Capitol fashion, and more. Far in advance of the movie, many Hunters joined these communities and entered the world Collins created. We were excited to receive email updates from President Snow and a continuous wave of new movie trailers that showed just a little piece of what we were going to see in the big screen adaptation.

These far-reaching efforts allowed fans to actively participate in the movie as a full-scale event rather than just a standard movie premiere. The New York Times reported that “Lionsgate has generated this high level of interest with a marketing staff of 21 people working with a relatively tiny budget of about $45 million. Bigger studios routinely spend $100 million marketing major releases, and have worldwide marketing and publicity staffs of over 100 people.” It’s clear that they made all the right decisions, as “The Hunger Games” raked in more than $152 million domestically in its opening weekend, ranking third in all-time opening weekends.

According to Google Maps, there are about 93 miles worth of turnpike between Philadelphia and New York City.  Sure, it’s a relatively quick trip, but you may as well be navigating a space shuttle, because they are worlds apart.

I’m a Philly guy – always have been, always will be.  I was born in the City of Brotherly Love and have lived in the area my entire life – until now.  Though my heart will always be in PA, I couldn’t pass up the chance to work in Manhattan and see what all the fuss is about for myself.  I’m pleased to report that three months in, the experience has been fascinating.

For starters, I cannot get used to the fact that no matter where I am in the city or what time it is, there is always a train, a subway, or a taxi waiting to take you wherever you want to go.  I’d be lying if I said I had this whole subway thing figured out, but I’m getting better at it (and I make sure my Hop Stop app is always ready to go).

What has really struck me is the astounding array of cultural and entertainment options.  Philadelphia certainly doesn’t lack for things to do, but Manhattan is on a whole other level.  Between the restaurants, museums and music venues, I have a rapidly growing “to do” list.  I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve never been to the top of the Empire State Building

And so, while I do occasionally find myself pining for a real soft pretzel, and I won’t be trading in my Phillies hat for a Yankee one any time soon, I can’t wait to continue to explore the city and all that it has to offer.

A two-week vacation to Costa Rica...

Normal packing list includes: sunscreen, bathing suit, flip-flops, sunglasses, shorts, book/magazines, and digital camera.

Packing list for a jungle-obsessed Americano loco: insect repellent, raincoat, steel-toed knee-high rubber boots, foot tape, bandages, sweater, field guides, and both digital and motion-sensing night cameras.

The equipment was for my recent two-week volunteer vacation at the Cerro Dantas Wildlife Refuge in Heredia, Costa Rica. Cerro Dantas is an ecological living compound, close to 8,000 feet above sea level, that’s located in the cloud-blanketed mountains bordering Braulio Carrillo National Park. The Refuge was built as an educational, volunteer, and biological research facility, with a focus on conservation of the unique cloud rain forest habitat it encompasses. Literally dripping in vegetation of mosses, vines, and prehistoric-looking ferns, the often rainy and cool cloud forest is home to many endemic and endangered species including the jaguar, puma, quetzal, and the danta (or tapir in English), for which the refuge is named.

My stay was accompanied by Cerro Dantas founder/director Señor Warren Calvo, his local staff, visiting biologists from the university in Heredia, and the occasional tourist group. I spent my days hiking the jungle trails spanning rocky ravines and waterfalls (with a Hunter PR umbrella in hand), snapping photos, monitoring camera traps, clearing new trails with machetes, repairing walkways and bridges, and identifying local wildlife. Nights were spent venturing into the forest with headlamps in search of mottled owls, bizarre insects, and choirs of frogs.

This “volun-tourism” vacation was the adventure of a lifetime, providing inspiration for years' worth of personal artwork, as well as a new logo for Cerro Dantas that I am excited to start designing as a contribution to the refuge. Highlights of the trip included encounters with tree frogs and vipers, as well as sightings of the “holy grail” for Neo-tropical birdwatchers, the resplendent quetzal.

For more information on visiting or contributing to the Cerro Dantas Wildlife Refuge, visit www.cerrodantas.com

For more photos of Cerro Dantas and its cloud forest wildlife, visit my page on Flikr.

Have you heard of Pinterest? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on what I think is one of the most distracting, inspiring and clever tools in our vast landscape of social media outlets. I could practically kick myself for not thinking of this genius idea. For years I’ve been tearing out my favorite recipes, workouts and designer fashions to meticulously place them in sheet protectors and house them in massive binders or cut and paste my ideas and inspirations into hefty notebooks. When I found myself in a fashion rut or wanted to whip up a new tasty treat, I’d turn to my various binders and notebooks in search of my next great fashion statement or culinary delight. But my process was flawed: it took far too much time, handy office supplies and effort.

Leave it to Pinterest to simplify things. Using the site I can “pin” images from my favorite websites, take pictures from my iPhone and “pin” them or “repin” my friends’ “pins” during commercial breaks, while I wait for the train or as I sit in a taxicab.

It’s safe to say I’m obsessed, but I’m not the only one. I have friends who are planning weddings and use the site to pin their favorite dresses, ideas for reception décor and floral arrangements. I have friends who are teachers and use the site to find new ideas for their classroom. 

If you haven’t already joined and are interested in giving it a go, all you need to get started is a little inspiration.  I’ve posted some of my favorite pinspirations below to help get you started!

Last week, I had the pleasure of taking in one of New York City’s hidden treasures. Several friends had mentioned City Grit previously, but I never knew how amazing it was until a friend and I planned to participate in one of their famed dinners.

Each of City Grit’s supper-club style meals has a particular theme, and so once I saw “Southern Comfort,” there was no need to convince me to check it out. Hidden in the back room of a furniture store, chef/Curator of City Grit, Sarah Simmons brought out her Southern roots by cooking a five-course meal.

At the beginning of the evening, Sarah went over with everyone the thought process of each item on the menu, down to the selection of drinks. She also provided a small history on the gumbo course, which was actually the original recipe that resurfaced following Hurricane Katrina. Over the years, gumbo had taken on the personality of the person making the meal, but Sarah brought the recipe back to its roots. The dishes consisted of a compilation of various traditional southern foods like okra, fried chicken, grits and marmalade.

While I’m somewhat of a picky eater, everything tasted beyond amazing. All the talk you may hear about City Grit is true. I even cleaned my entire plate during the Seafood Etouffee portion. Though that could be due to my love of grits.

So if you ever are looking for a great meal in an intimate setting, be sure to check out City Grit. You are really getting your money’s worth for a great experience and meal.

-Brittany