This summer, I was lucky enough to spend 10 full days and nights traveling throughout Israel on a Birthright program. For those of you who don’t know, Birthright is a free trip to Israel for Jewish people ages 18-26. Though I went with a friend from home, we were part of a North Jersey trip, with 38 other Jewish 18-21 year olds.

One of my favorite places we visited on the trip was on the first full day. After a hike in the morning, we traveled to the holy city of Tzfat. We visited the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Holy Temples there, and shopped for souvenirs in their artists’ village.

I also had my first taste of falafel in Israel in Tzfat, and it definitely lived up to my expectations—it’s ruined me for falafel anywhere else!

A definite favorite part of the trip for me was staying in a Bedouin village for a night—we slept in a familial tent with our entire group, and rode camels (some of us less gracefully than others…) before eating a huge, delicious dinner.

Another unforgettable part of Israel was hiking Mount Masada. Aside from being a major historical landmark in Israel, it was gorgeous! We hiked the mountain at 5 a.m., so that we were able to watch sunrise from the peak!

The trip was definitely one of the best experiences of my life, and I can’t wait to travel back to Israel. Until then, I’ll have to keep in touch with friends from the trip and keep meeting in the city to reminisce on our amazing time in the Holy Land!

Samantha

If you are looking to take a trip overseas, I highly recommend sitting through the 15-hour flight to Asia it will be well worth your time and money. I recently visited the “Pearl of the Orient,” the place where East meets West – the cosmopolitan city of Hong Kong. This bustling city will be liked by anyone who is adventurous when it comes to food, interested in experiencing a new culture and likes to shop.

A few quick tidbits about Hong Kong – the official languages are English and Cantonese; the currency is the Hong Kong Dollar; Hong Kong spans approximately 420 square miles and consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, and more than 200 offshore islands, which are separated by Victoria Harbor; Hong Kong was originally settled by Britain and has many British influences as a result.

If you find yourself in Hong Kong...

Try authentic Cantonese food!

Like fish? Visit any of the local fishing villages, including Lei Yue Mun. Here you can choose any fish or crustacean from the individual fish vendor stalls, and your fish will be hand-delivered to your restaurant for the chef to prepare to your liking.

For a fancy night on the town, try The Four Season’s Lung King Heen, the only Chinese restaurant with a three star Michelin rating. I suggest splurging for the chef’s tasting menu where you can try everything from shark’s fin to abalone to wagyu beef. The menu changes seasonally, so make a reservation and look at the recent menu before your visit.

Bring your sneakers, and pick up an Octopus card!

Like many big cities, Hong Kong is a place best explored on foot. You can walk to most places or enjoy the efficient train system called the MTR. Pick up an Octopus card and save yourself the hassle of buying train tickets each day by prepaying the fare. The train system is easy to navigate and you can use your cell phone underground – just be sure to keep to the right on the escalators.

Visit the Central area for an extensive array of shopping at the IFC Mall. As you make your way to the shops, you will see many of the towering skyscrapers that dot the city skyline. 

Next, set your bags down and head up to The Peak. For a good work out, walk up the windy path to the top in about 30 minutes or take a tram to the summit.  From The Peak you will see views of Hong Kong that are unmatched anywhere else!

After your day of walking, relax pier-side in Kowloon, located directly across from Hong Kong Island, for the best view of the city skyline. The laser light show was named the "World's Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" by Guinness World Records. This attraction is free and runs on the hour.

The tourist hotspots are endless!

Depending on your length of stay, additional activities and locations to visit while in Hong Kong include:

- Happy Valley horse racing

- Lantau Island cable car ride to a giant Buddha

- Shek-O Beach for surfing

- Mongkok Hong Kong markets

- Lan Kwai Fong for nightlife that stretches far into early morning

- Museums in Tsim Sha Tsui including Museum of Art and Museum of History, Space Museum and Science Museum

There is so much to do in Hong Kong that I recommend you stay for at least 5 days. Find out more from the Hong Kong visitors center.

路順風 (Have a safe journey!)

Rebecca

This year was a harsh winter for New Yorkers and the cold weather keeps lingering, but we’re starting to see the first glimpse of spring and warm weather. As to be expected, New Yorkers are out and about enjoying the rays as soon as the sunshine hits.  Just a few weeks ago it was the first official warm day and it feels like everyone flocked to Central Park or Prospect Park to lay out, toss a Frisbee or picnic with friends.

There are so many fun and free events that go on in the spring and summer that it’s hard to keep up and I thought I would share some of my most reliable sources on how to keep my finger on the pulse and make sure I don’t miss out on any of the fun.

Flavorpill is one of my favorite weekly newsletters so find out what’s going on in the cultural scene.  Another favorite is Tasting Table and the weekend guide because I’m a huge foodie and will never pass up a good meal deal, pairing dinner or tasting event.  I love music and outdoor concerts so I check OhmyRockness religiously to find out what bands are playing and where.

A great way to share these fun events with friends and plan your outings together is to create a social Gmail calendar and invite your friends to also post fun things to do that all of you can access, view and add to.

Annette

When it comes to coupons, many people think of those inserts in the Sunday paper with discounts on everything from cleaning supplies to frozen meals.  Recently (thanks to my colleague Tracy Hom!) I discovered an entirely different kind of coupon, which I have to admit I’m slightly obsessed with.  Groupon “features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in a variety of cities across the United States.”  Recent NYC deals (which you can check out on their website or through their e-newsletter) have offered discounts for restaurant meals, spa services and dance classes.  I’ve already used Groupons for a facial (53% discount), a haircut (50% discount) and two different dinners (50% discount each).  I’m most excited to try out my Groupon for the intro class at New York Circus Arts, which sounds amazing and scary at the same time (44% discount)! 

A few other great deal sites are Lifebooker (health and beauty-related deals), Spa Sally ($25 and up spa deals) and Restaurant.com (discounts at over 13,000 restaurants nationwide). 

So when you have a chance, take a moment to sign up for all of their e-newsletters.  I promise you won’t be disappointed – and who knows what adventures you may find yourself on (trapeze lessons anyone?!).

Madhu 

I recently took a trip to the MoMA and was pleasantly surprised that there was a Claude Monet Water Liles exhibit going on. Before making the switch to Graphic Design in college, my first 2 years as a liberal arts major were filled with painting and art history classes, which both fueled my love of Claude Monet and the Impressionist movement.

Recently, I’ve been bitten by the travel bug and have been thinking about taking a trip to Europe, but have been unsure of exactly where to go. After seeing the exhibit, I was reminded of a trip I took to Europe a few years ago and how amazing it would be to experience it again. During my trip, I immersed myself in art, spending days at the Louvre and The Vincent Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. However, the highlight of my trip was visiting Claude Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny, France.

Monet’s home is a beautiful and inspiring museum in itself. It is surrounded by the lush gardens, flowers and lily ponds he so beautifully painted.  I was lucky to have visited the site on such a beautiful and sunny spring day and was amazed to see in person what I’ve seen so many times on canvas.  While many people are familiar with Monet’s brushstrokes, especially his famous water lilies, a visit to his house and garden will show the inspiration behind his paintings.  This was the most inspiring trip I’ve been on, and hopefully my travels will take there again soon.

Laura

Today, Hunter PR reaches “legal age” as the agency turns 21.  With all the great wine  and spirits brands we represent, it’s easy for us to toast the occasion.  We could even honor our heritage by serving Bloody Marys, using a splash of Tabasco pepper sauce, which was our first client when we opened the doors on March 1, 1989 and remains one of our most cherished clients today.  Of course, the Bloody Marys wouldn’t be as massive as the Millennium Mary we created on Jan. 1, 2000 in New Orleans.

Maybe we should celebrate by serving everyone a slice of America’s Grandest Flag Cake, similar to the ones we made on Flag Day in 1995, 1996 and 1997 in front of national landmarks.

Some additional memorable moments from our first 21 years:

- Annually kicking off the holiday season by staging the Scotch Brand Most Gifted Wrapper Contest, sponsored by 3M

- Getting Jell-O declared the official snack of Utah

- Making America’s beaches “barefoot-friendly” via beach clean-up parties for Gallo’s Barefoot Wine

- Carving iconic American images out of cheese for Cheez-It crackers

- Curating a “curiously strong” art collection for Altoids

- Celebrating Johnnie Walker Black Label’s 100th Anniversary with a national web cast demonstrating the subtle craft of blending the world’s number premium blended Scotch whisky

- Rolling the dice and participating as members of the game design team for a Monopoly edition based on U.S. cities and landmarks

Of course, we wouldn’t have made it 21 days as an agency if it wasn’t for the more than 200 employees who have called Hunter PR home at some point in their career.  And as we embark on our ‘adult years’, we’re grateful to our current staff of 68 members who continue to make Hunter PR such a great place to work!

Mark

I recently attended the Herb Lubalin (pronounced Lube-ah-lin; 1918-1981) exhibit at the Cooper Union School of Art & Architecture. He was a prominent American graphic designer of the 20^th century and, in my opinion, was the rock star of graphic designers! This show reminded me of how beautiful and powerful type can be. I’m amazed how Lubalin would tweak every single letter until he got the perfect positive and negative space between each letterform. He would push ascenders and descenders (top and bottom parts of a letter) together to create concrete poetry. I've always known that a simple arrangement of type can change the way you visually communicate. I had forgotten that letterform can be pushed as an art form even in commercial settings.

I went with a graphic designer friend who is as passionate about typography as I am. While looking at his body of work, my friend turned to me and mentioned that as a student she experimented with Lubalin’s signature typeface known as Avant Garde. I told her I had NEVER experimented with the font, and she looked at me as though I’d committed the worst crime a typographer could ever make. Although the font is beautiful in the right hands, in my observation, it is probably the most misused font ever made. The font was created by Lubablin specifically for his work in Avant Garde Magazine. Lubalin was so dedicated to the beauty of his typography that he would ask editors to change the titles of their stories in order to realize the most elegant logograms. Imagine saying to an editor, “excuse me Mr. Editor, will you change the title of this article so that the letter A would never have a round letter next to it?” Unbelievable right? Unbelievable but true! I was thrilled and surprised to be inspired by this exhibit.

Louisa