Exciting news! Tickets are now on sale for our Renewal Summit! Our roving photographer, Nicole Freezer Rubens recently walked the Manhattan Bridge and captured the experience. Valerie Smaldone has the scoop on a powerful theater piece to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees. Love is in the hedges at Times Square and the orchids are returning to the NY Botanical Garden. Head to Chinatown tomorrow for the Lunar Parade and then head back to wherever you’re watching the Super Bowl which kicks off at 6:30 PM. Have a great weekend!

Renewal Summit Tickets Now on Sale!

Anne Akers and Cheryl Benton welcome you to our sixth Renewal Summit, at the beautiful Scandinavia House in midtown Manhattan. It is an exciting and inspiring all day event of outstanding panels, speakers, exhibitors, and connecting with other fabulous women. This year’s theme is the perfect motivation for living your best life. Here’s what’s in store for you. PS. Sign up by March 30th and you could win a vacation on an island resort. GET THE DETAILS.

Pat Addiss to be Honored at Renewal Summit

One of the highlights of this year’s Renewal Summit will be the presentation of The Woman of Purpose Award, which will be presented To Broadway producer, Pat Addis, by Cheryl Benton (The Three Tomatoes) and Anne Akers (Glow Magazine). The award recognizes inspirational role models who are not defined by age or labels but are all about living life fully at any age. A “Woman of Purpose” projects the inner and outer glow that comes from living a fully integrated life of purpose, service, and humanity. Perfectly describes Pat Addis!

Feb. 12. The Chinese New Year Parade

Head downtown for the fantastic parade celebrate the Lunar New Year. The parade starts at 1:00 and ends at 3:30.  Here’s the parade route: Mott & Canal to Chatham Square to East Broadway towards the Manhattan Bridge, completing on Eldridge and Forsyth Streets towards Grand Street next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park. GET MORE DETAILS.

Roving Over the Manhattan Bridge

Our roving photographer, Nicole Freezer Rubens recently walked the Manhattan Bridge and captured the experience.  Here’s what she says:

I was recently in Dumbo waiting on the F train platform for far too long. I gave up and decided to make my maiden voyage walking over the Manhattan Bridge. It was a glorious sunny weekday and I had the privilege of having the pedestrian path almost to myself. I got to enjoy expansive views of Manhattan and Brooklyn, watch the light bounce and reflect on the East River, and feel the rattle beneath my feet as the subway trains sped past me.

The bridge opened in 1909 and spans 6855 feet. It was designed by Leon Moisseiff and was one of the forerunners of the modern suspension bridges. It was the third bridge installed after the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges and was almost called “Bridge No. 3”. In 1910 well known architects Carrére and Hastings added a dramatic Beaux Arts arch at the Manhattan entrance.

While today the bridge is gritty and covered in colorful graffiti, it is still a thing of beauty. By the time I was suspended smack between Brooklyn and Manhattan, taking in all the glory above and below, I was thankful that the F train was out, and greatly enjoyed the glory of NYC from a new high.

Nicole Freezer Rubens is the author of “The Long Pause and the Short Breath.” Follow her on Instagram@nfrconsult

“Love’s h|Edge” in Times Square

On Valentine’s Day, New Yorkers and visitors looking for love can find an abundance of romance at the Crossroads of the World. Real life love stories will unfold in form of surprise proposals, wedding ceremonies, and vow renewals – all framed by Love’s h|Edge by Almost Studio, the 15th annual Love and Design Competition winner. Each year, lovers surprise their partners with marriage proposals under Times Square’s iconic American Eagle sign; couples tie the knot on Duffy Square; and New Yorkers renew their vows on the Red Steps.

This public art installation from Times Square Arts, invites love, wonder and delight. Love’s h|Edge are intended to be fundamentally inclusive and embody the spirit of expansive compassion. The work also holds a multitude of opportunities for sensory engagement – from the scent of the roses, texture of the hedges, glow of illumination, and soft soundscape from hidden speakers, Love’s h|Edge mirrors the breadth of possibilities for sharing and experiencing love.

Feb. 18-April 23. The Orchid Show: Natural Heritage

We love the orchid show on the New York Botanical Garden and this year you will be enveloped in Lily Kwong’s Fantastical Vision. Acclaimed artist Lily Kwong, the designer for this year’s show, presents a meditative and captivating design inspired by her ancestral connections to the natural world. Kwong’s vibrant and fantastical vision will envelop visitors in thousands of orchids, allowing them to reconnect to nature amidst picture perfect beauty.

A former student in NYBG’s Adult Education program, Lily Kwong works at the intersection between landscape, wellness, and art, connecting people to nature through transformative projects and site-specific botanical art installations. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Vogue, Architectural Digest, Domino, Forbes, Fast Company and more, and her designs have been featured in New York City at the High Line and Grand Central Station, as well as in venues and gardens around the world. Listen to her talk about her vision.