I haven't quite decided if it's having grown up in Maine, surrounded by wilderness, or whether it's the brief moment of warm escape from our oh-so-air-conditioned office, but there's just something about Madison Square Park that draws me in, day after day.

For those of you who have been to the park (or now have looked it up on a map), you know that it is really quite small – it only takes me about two minutes to walk diagonally across, even in heels.  But the park’s twisting pathways, flowing fountains and numerous spots to stop, sit and soak it all in, allow you to become truly immersed in nature, and are reason enough to actually take your lunch break during the busy work week.

Of course, you eventually realize that you are in the midst of a famous metropolis, and with the best of both worlds, there is no shortage of things to do, places to go, or people to see…

Surrounding the park you can find almost anything you might want to eat, whether it’s a gourmet meal, a sub from a chain restaurant, supplies for a picnic, or fresh fruit from one of the many outdoor vendors.  If you're willing to wait in the ever-present line (or know enough to check the live video feed to see any breaks in the crowd) the juicy burgers and heavenly concretes at the Shake Shack are honestly worth your wait.  Just make sure to B-line it if you’re only filling your frozen dessert fix.

 But, what really draws the crowds in to Mad.Sq.Pk. is the summer concert series that takes place at 7 p.m. every Wednesday until 8/4.  With "acts ranging from jazz, soul and R&B to folk, bluegrass and pop…” there's sure to be something for everyone!  

Whether it's your type of jam or not, the concerts make for great people watching sessions, and can be the perfect outdoor alternative to typical happy hours (the Shake Shack serves beer and wine).  Definitely worth a trip, but hurry, concerts end soon!

Other attractions at the park include:

·      Seasonal Art Exhibits

·      A dog park

·      A children's play area

·      Grassy sections for lounging

·      Plentiful chairs, benches and small patio tables

* For a list of all the things going on make sure to check out the park's event calendar.

Weather permitting, you know where to find me this summer: in my small city escape!  I hope someday you check it out, too.

Abby

Before I entered the world of public relations, I was a manager at a busy and popular restaurant in New York City. During the three years I spent in the restaurant business, there was one question that was always asked of me: “HOW THE HECK DO I GET A RESERVATION?!” Well folks, I’m about to share with you my tips to scoring a great reservation.

1. If you want an 8pm reservation and the restaurant offers you 9 pm, take it! Let the reservationist know that you prefer something closer to 8 pm. If that 8 pm reservation opens up, the reservationist is going to call people with existing reservations before s/he starts calling off the wait list.

2. If you can’t get a reservation over the phone, try walking in if you’re in the neighborhood. Restaurants often reserve several tables for walk-ins only—these tables do not appear on OpenTable.com.

3. If you walk in to a restaurant and you’re told that it will be an hour wait and you’re thinking of slipping the maitre d’ dolla dolla bills…THINK AGAIN! You are wasting your money and let’s face it, you’re not at a club in Vegas. A tip is not going to get you fed faster. If the maitre d’ makes magic happen and seats you quickly, express your appreciation after your meal. Only then should you tip, if you so choose.

4. Become a manager’s BFF. Strike up a conversation with a manager and exchange business cards. The next time you want to come in you can skip calling and not bother with Open Table. You can e-mail the manager directly and ask for reservation help.

5. Calling far in advance to make a reservation is always advised. Many restaurants accept reservations 28 days in advance. However, if you’re unable to score a table in advance, call the day before and even the day of your desired reservation. During this time restaurants receive cancellations and release un-booked reservation slots that it held for regulars and friends of managers/owners of the restaurant.

6. Lastly, if you see this man, alert someone in the restaurant immediately. They will owe you forever .

Maya

Through the years, American Idol has provided the country with countless hours of entertainment. We were moved watching Kelly Clarkson’s tearful victory in season one. We laughed (and some of us cried) watching the tone-deaf stylings of William Hung. From the train wreck beginning auditions to the now-famous confetti showers on finale night, Idol offered something for everyone in its first eight seasons. And then season nine rolled around.

From the moment it began, season nine felt different. A few too many crazies in the beginning episodes? Nah, that’s normal Idol fodder. The real problems began when the folks that were supposed to be the actual talent started singing during the live voting rounds. Sure, Tim Urban’s pearly whites and delicately quaffed hair made millions of geometry students cheer, but nice features does not an Idol make.

Then there was Andrew Garcia, the early frontrunner who wowed the judges with his acoustic rendition of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” It wasn’t long before the other shoe dropped for (or on) Mr. Garcia, and viewers realized that he straight up stunk.

The weeks went by and more and more viewers slipped away. Sad. I still watched, though. It’s a fact I’m not particularly proud of, but what can you do? We all have our things.

Finally, the season of sadness came to a close last week, as Lee Dewyze was named the ninth American Idol. I actually quite like Lee, but his victory alone is not enough to salvage a season of poo poo platter after poo poo platter, disguised as a singing competition.

Here’s to a season ten that isn’t run by middle school girls and the cell phones they are too young to have, anyway! In other news, this year’s winner bears a striking resemblance to one of our very own Hunters (Danny Palestine). Dontcha think?

Michael

It’s 1997.  I’m 11 years old and completely, utterly obsessed with the hottest band on the market: Hanson - their songs, their long blonde locks, their terrible choice in clothing – all of it.  If someone told me I’d be seeing them perform five, full-length albums 13 years later, I probably would have said, “see you there!” 

Flash forward to 2010.  It’s the end of April and I’ve been gearing up for a legendary event that most people will never have the chance to experience.  Yes, Hanson, the band that fell off the face of the Earth in the 90’s, was about to perform a five-night concert series at New York City’s Gramercy Theatre, playing their entire discography: one album each night. I never doubted that they would make it this far.

I’ve been on a long journey with Hanson, from obsession in 5^th grade, to embarrassment in 8^th grade and finally to empowerment and passion in high school and beyond.  They’ve inspired multiple facets of my life through both their music and experiences in the music industry.   In fact, I credit Hanson as a major player in my decision to pursue public relations and eventually become part of the staff here at Hunter Public Relations.

Here’s the back-story: While everyone else thought they disappeared after MMMBop, Hanson actually continued to work on recording music, struggling with their record label for four years.  Finally, they broke their contract and decided to start their own independent label, 3CG Records. In 2004, nearly seven years after their breakout song, they released their first independent album, Underneath.  I saw this new beginning as a huge opportunity for them to re-introduce themselves to both the media and consumers.  But did you know about their new album in 2004?  Or the one after that, The Walk, in 2007?  Probably not.  I admire Hanson for the hardships they’ve gone through and the music they’ve made as a result, but media-wise, they could have made much better decisions.  That’s why I decided to share with all of you some of Hanson’s NEW music from their forthcoming album Shout It Out, hitting stores June 8.

The band’s five-night series was brilliant – it was their way of thanking longstanding fans like me while also making a splash in the greatest city in the world, New York.  And they made their splash!  Hanson appeared on the TODAY Show, Late Night with David Letterman and had a full-page spread in this week’s New York Magazine.  A great start getting the word out!  They’re hitting the road this summer touring with Rooney and playing songs off Shout it Out – if they’re in your city go check them out!

A final thank you after a long week of music.

I invited a few Hunter’s with me to the concerts last week – some were excited, some were embarrassed and some were nervous to see what Hanson sounded like all these years later.  Take a look below!

Hope you enjoy re-discovering one of the greatest pop bands out there!

Nancy

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 wouldn’t consider myself an avid football fan; quite frankly I have never been to a professional football game in my life.  But when I was invited to attend the Super Bowl, by one of Hunter PR’s clients, Diageo, to help with events they were sponsoring, I couldn’t resist.   Needless to say, I received many bribes of shoes in exchange for my ticket, but I politely passed. 

So I packed two big bags filled with an absurd amount clothing and shoe options and I was off.  I landed in Miami and made my way through the sea of black, blue and green (yes, they were still there) jerseys to my hotel. 

I met my client to begin our evening at the Eden Roc hotel, where the jerseys disappeared and I was transported into a room of tube tops, blue blazers, button downs and ripped jeans.  The lights went down and I heard “sippin on gin and juice.”  I was about five feet away from Snoop Dogg performing, and although I haven’t listened to Snoop since 1994, it was a great start to my Super Bowl experience.

Celebrity sighting – Jessica Alba – in the ladies room.

The next day was spent organizing items for that evening’s event and enjoying a leisurely lunch at outside. Hundreds of people were walking up and down Ocean Drive, screaming “who dat” to each other and I was confused.  I asked my friend what that meant.  She laughed and told me that maybe I should have taken the shoes!

Celebrity sighting – Chris Rock – getting into a black SUV. 

On Saturday night Ciroc Vodka sponsored the Wyclef party at the Edun Roc.  Wyclef rocked out on stage and performed for three hours, with a surprise appearance by LL Cool J, singing “Mama Said Knock You Out,” another great throw back to the mid-90s.  Even though we were enjoying Wyclef from our table, which was about 20 feet away, we wanted to go backstage.  So we did – and just in time for a solid rendition of “Redemption Song,” one of my personal favorite Bob Marley tunes.  But I prefer to watch the performance, so I left my friend backstage and went back to our table, where I finally remembered that I had my camera and snapped this shot.

Celebrity Sighting – Nick Lachey – sipping Jose Cuervo Platino.

Finally game day had arrived and I was ecstatic.  My first football game and it was the Super Bowl…does it get better than that?  We left the hotel around 1pm and attended a pre-party where I saw something that still makes me laugh.  This man super-glued a mini Saints helmet to his head.  That is dedication. 

 We arrived at the stadium and walked through a maze to finally find where we were going.  Steve Winwood was playing as we arrived and there were people of all ages smiling and cheering and eating and drinking and spending time with their friends.

Celebrity Sighting – Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr – walking in three feet behind me.

I met my friend, who works in the sports industry for a quick bite (chicken tenders), but we had to leave him when he went to his seats in the 400 section and we had to head down to section 106…literally 20 rows behind the field. 

 But I did try to look for my friend…

By the second quarter, I found myself jumping out of my seat and cheering along with the rest of the crowd.  The energy in the stadium, the amazing game, the weather in Miami was all perfection.  But, there was one thing that was missing.  And it was something that I was looking forward to….

Where was Kim Kardashian?

Stacey

One of New York City’s biggest concerts takes place each December to kick off the holiday season – Z100’s Jingle Ball.  The concert regularly sells out Madison Square Garden in hours and attracts some of the country’s hottest artists.  This year’s roster certainly didn’t disappoint – the lineup included Taylor Swift, John Mayer, Justin Bieber, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen, The Fray, Jay Sean, Boys Like Girls, Pitbull, Owl City and Ke$ha.

While music rang through Madison Square Garden on Friday, December 11th, several of my coworkers and I were backstage in the gifting lounge on behalf of our clients, 5 Gum and Hasbro.  The lounge served as the behind-the-scenes destination for celebs and VIPs where they could pick up goodies as an added bonus for performing.  At the 5 Gum table, guests participated in a guessing game where they estimated the number of sticks of gum held in a cookie jar.  The prize at stake was a donation made on the winner’s behalf to the Food Bank for New York City, so everyone took the game very seriously!  Isaac Slade (lead singer of The Fray) opened the calculator app on his phone to work out formulas, The Twilight Saga’s Peter Facinelli stacked packs of gum on top of each other to eyeball his estimate, and Connor Paolo of Gossip Girl inquired whether the rules of the game were like those of The Price Is Right (the closest without going over wins).  In the end, Jordin Sparks was the victor with the closest guess, beating out others such as 30 Rock’s Judah Friedlander, Dancing With the Stars champ Kym Johnson and American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert.  It was definitely a fun-filled day for everyone in the lounge – Hunter PR employees included!

Kaitlin

  Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images North America

Many events that Hunter PR hosts on behalf of our clients are for media, whether to introduce a new product or to make a big splash about a new program.  Every once in a while, however, the opportunity arises to leverage our clients’ celebrity fans or to work with stars as spokespeople for various brands.  One such celeb-oriented occasion came about recently when a client served as one of the main bar sponsors at P. Diddy’s 40^th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel, and much to my delight, my colleague Annette and I were added to the guest list.

After passing through several security points, we entered the lavishly decorated ballroom filled with extravagant greenery that created an enchanted forest-like ambiance.  The décor wasn’t the main attraction, however – within minutes of arriving we spotted A-listers such as Jay-Z (sans wife Beyoncé), Bono, Martha Stewart, Denzel Washington and Jimmy Fallon.  The stars had come out in droves to celebrate P. Diddy’s milestone birthday!  Tequila Don Julio, my client, was featured in the Pom Blanco cocktail that was served throughout the evening and proved to be a hit with celebs such as Avril Lavigne, who sipped the drink while relaxing in the lounge area with a friend.

Soul legend Al Green served as the surprise musical guest of the evening, and after performing hits such as “Let’s Stay Together” (during which designer Zac Posen climbed up on a couch to get a better view and sing along), the crowd joined Green in singing “Happy Birthday” to the guest of honor.  Glittering confetti rained from the ceiling when the final note was uttered and bite-sized pieces of birthday cake were passed around the room. P. Diddy then took the stage to thank everyone for attending – I’m sure that most guests (like me) wouldn’t have missed it for the world!  All in all, P. Diddy’s party was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will not soon be forgotten.

Kaitlin

When I moved to New York City two years ago I was told that I would not be considered a “New Yorker” until I celebrated my fifth anniversary in the city. Fair enough. However, I felt like a “New Yorker” last week when the Yankees won the World Series. Decked out in Yankee blue, I celebrated with fans from all over Manhattan and beyond.  

With many famous fans in attendance, including Kate Hudson, Spike Lee and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the pinstripes-clad team ended their season in the new Yankee Stadium with a bang. Marking the 27th World Series win in Yankee history, fans are already hoping for an equally impressive season in 2010.
 
Hunter PR celebrated the big win with Yankee-themed cupcakes that were distributed to the tune of “ We Are the Champions” playing in the background.

Seven tried-and-true HPR fans even ventured down to the Victory Parade on Friday morning.

Braving the cold temperatures to show their support for the new champs, “Hunters” watched as Matsui, A-rod and crew made their way up the “Canyon of Heroes.”

I may have three years to go, but even without the “New Yorker” title, I will continue to wear my Yankee blue with pride.  

Jennie