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

Memorial Day weekend is thought by many to be the unofficial start of summer, and if the weather cooperates common celebrations include hitting the beach or hosting a barbeque.  Three friends and I took a different approach to the long weekend, however, by embarking on a road trip that took us from Seattle to Los Angeles over the course of two weeks.

Some noteworthy stops along the way included:

- Seattle’s Pike Place, known to many as the home of the original Starbucks and site of the famous public market

- The Gorge in George, WA for the Sasquatch Festival, which is definitely the most beautiful concert venue I’ve ever been to

- Portland, OR, where we fell in love with the Ace Hotel (which became our home away from home) and took a side trip to Astoria where The Goonies was filmed 25 years ago

- Traversing the Redwood Forest, where we almost took off a side mirror in our attempt to take a Chevy Tahoe through the famous drive-through tree

- Wine tasting in Sonoma Valley, complete with a picnic lunch

- San Francisco, where we successfully fit a week’s worth of activity into two days thanks to our dedicated host/tour guide, Brant

- Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur along Route 1, which featured breathtaking scenery for miles

- Los Angeles, where we managed to visit Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Hermosa Beach when not sitting in traffic

We also used our trip as an exercise in social media by group tweeting along the way (check out our feed at http://www.twitter.com/thebrodyjenner - our account name is a long story!).  Our friends and families were able to view photos and read trip commentary instantaneously while we created a digital journal that we can return to for years to come. 

We came to a realization during our trip that eventually became our unofficial motto: it wasn’t a vacation, it was an adventure.

Kaitlin

In just a few short hours, millions of soccer (or should I say football) fans across the globe will tune in for the kickoff of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. With more than 136,000 U.S. fans in attendance, we’re sure to hear rousing chants of U-S-A circling the stadium.

To give soccer novices a little background, the World Cup is held every four years and is undoubtedly the most prestigious competition in the world of soccer. Over a one-month period, 32 teams will compete to claim the title of World Champion – not to mention, major bragging rights!

The festivities begin tonight, the eve of the opening match, with the Kick-Off Celebration Concert. The show starts at 2:00 PM (EST) and VEVO is planning to webcast all of the action, including performances by Alicia Keys, The Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Shakira and more. Don’t forget to tune in to ABC on Saturday, June 12 at 2:30 PM (EST) as Team U.S.A. squares off against England.

New Yorkers in search of places to watch the games can check out Metromix New York’s “Where to Watch” list.  

And, if you’d like to do your homework before the games begin, refer to “The top players to watch in South Africa” list on the NY Daily News website. 

Jennie Long

I had a PR professor in college that once told my class that spelling to a PR practitioner is the same as math to an accountant.  If you mess up the math, you deserve to be fired.  If you misspell a word, the same should hold true for a PR practitioner.  So, as an honorary Irishwoman on St. Patrick’s Day, I thought that I would honor my adopted brethren of Ireland and correct one of the more common spelling mistakes on this side of the Atlantic.  The correct spelling for the abbreviated name of St. Patrick’s Day is St. Paddy’s Day.  Patty is a nickname for Patricia and Paddy is short for for Padraig, the Gaelic form of Patrick.  And, if anyone tells you differently, tell them they are full of blarney.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Joanne 

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

As an all around sports fan, I love the Olympics.  I love the competition.  I love the excitement. But most of all, I love the useless sports that draw me to the television like a moth to a flame. Like curling.  Every four years, I spend two weeks routing for Team USA’s curling squad, equipped with brooms and beer guts, as they strategically place their rocks in the house. 

For those of you who don’t understand what I would like to call “The Most Exciting Sport Since Go Fish,” let me enlighten you to the basics:

- Curling is similar to a huge shuffle board game on ice.

- Two teams of four alternate sliding huge stones, called rocks, down a long stretch towards a circular target called a house.

- During each match, both teams have ten attempts to get their rock closest to the center of the house.

- The team that successfully wins the most matches out of ten is the overall victor.

Right now, you might be saying, “Curling doesn’t sound like my cup of tea.  I like contact sports like hockey.” I’m here to set the record straight and tell you that curling, in fact, is a full contact sport. For example, when your opponent has the extreme athletic ability to slide his/her rock into the center of the house perfectly, it’s time to play defense.  On the next turn, you would throw your rock straight down the lane knocking his stone and sending it flying out of the house. And I ask you, my friend, what is more contact than two 25 lb. stones hitting each other?

While this description might not convey the intensity of the greatest winter sport ever, I invite you to take the time during the next week and watch a game. I promise that after spending some quality time enjoying a curling match, this sport will “rock” your world.

Dan

With the recent Super Bowl victory of the New Orleans Saints, I am deeply reminded of a city near and dear to my heart.  I spent four years of undergraduate studies in New Orleans, and over this time I grew to understand and appreciate the many cultural traditions the legendary city has to offer, especially Mardi Gras.  Although today – Fat Tuesday – marks the end of the Carnival season, it’s no surprise that New Orleanians have been living-it-up for weeks. 

Each year, parades begin taking over the city the last week of January. At this time, the city’s generally slow pace is amped with both energy and a collective sense of celebration and pride. Families and fraternities alike line parade routes with homemade high chairs and libation stations.  From morning to night, the smells of barbeque and crawfish fill the air, and the soulful sounds of a brass band can always be heard in the distance.  As parades of varying sizes crawl throughout the city, the amount of beads dangling from the telephone wires and Oak trees lining the streets begins to grow.  And after several weeks of unmatched debauchery, the city returns to its tranquil state…until the next festival, that is.

Daniel

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