Cocktails in the Garden at the Merchant's House Museum - New York City - Wednesday, September 18, 2013

The Merchant's House Museum held their Cocktails in the Garden party last Wednesday, September 18, 2013.  As a former private residence, the Merchant's House Museum has a beautiful 19th century walled courtyard garden in the backyard.  It was here where young patrons mingled over wine and cheese throughout the cool breezy fall night.   

The Merchant's House was occupied by a former wealthy merchant family for over 100 years, and has been kept in tact in it's original architectural condition.  The Tredwell merchant family had 17 people living in the townhouse at the time (including 4 servants); of the 4 daughters, none married and it has been speculated that they never had to as they lived rather comfortably in their own home.  Current surviving members of the Tredwell family line currently reside in the west coast.

Tour of the residence are given to visitors and it is fascinating to not just experience the space but to see all the different styles of furniture and household items that were used during that time period, and to hear about how it's like being a member of the privileged merchant class in the 19th century.  Visitor information and details can be found here.

Now for some scenes of the cocktail party in their garden.

The private courtyard garden at the Merchant's House Museum

View of the garden from the back door of the Merchant's House

Wine and Cheese plates for the night

The back view of the Merchant's House as seen from the garden

WIE Symposium New York 2013 - September 20 & 21, 2013

Founded by Dee Poku, this year's 2013 WIE Symposium in New York City brought together prominent women leaders for inspiring discussions and workshops on finding work and personal fulfillment.  We attended this year's event at the beautiful Center 548 loft event space in Chelsea.  Going to a unique event like the WIE Symposium gives women the opportunity to hear prominent women leaders talk frankly about behavioral traits they see holding women back in the workplace, their personal lives and what women can do about them to reach their full potentials. 

The event featured dynamic panel discussions and live Q&As with celebrity guests like Katie Couric, Brooke Shields, Dee Dee Myers, Tyra Banks, and other women leaders in food, publishing, journalism, media, and philanthropy.  Lifestyle coaches like Gabrielle Bernstein and Helen Mumford Sole were also present to give uplifting and engaging workshops on finding happiness and the power of believing in positive outcomes.  Other workshops include personal branding, financial acumen, and projecting executive presence.

Breaks between sessions gave attendees opportunities to network with other ambitious women who excel at their fields.  Lunch was catered by Wichcraft and plenty of refreshments were provided by Corso coffee, T Salon fine teas, Ciara Kombucha, and Kind bars.

Tickets for this year's event run at $500 for two days, but for two full days of inspiring workshops and discussions that helps you step back from your busy schedule to reflect well on how to improve the most important work that is your life, we say it's well worth it, well deserved (and much cheaper, fun, and exciting than therapy)!

The loft event space of Center 548.  Attendees gather for a lunch break with tasty salads and sandwiches from Wichcraft.

Krystal Ball of MSNBC moderates a panel about challenges female journalists have in being taken seriously in a world that places a premium on female looks and youth.  Participants here include Katie Couric, Lee Woodruff, and Isha Sesay of CNN

Former White House Press Secretary and television commentator Dee Dee Myers moderates a frank discussion about issues holding women back in the workplace with former CEO of Time Inc, Laura Lang and Facebook Global Marketing VP Carolyn Everson.  It's never been a better time to be a women in a world full of opportunities, but women need to learn to let go of guilt from the choices they make.

Katie Ford (Katie Ford Foundation), Deborah Dugan (RED), and Anne Pasternack (Creative Time) talk about how to brand hot button social causes and engage the audience on making that initial step to embracing non-profit missions

Brooke Shields poses with Harpers Bazaar Executive Editor Laura Brown after a discussion about the importance of pursing varied interests and projects in life to open up new doors of opportunities for yourself

The Morgan Dining Room and Cafe at the Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Dining Room and Cafe is a calm gourmet oasis where the food never disappoints.  The space is well lit, modern, and invites introspection in the midst of busy Midtown Manhattan.  Whether if you're in the mood for saffron wild mushroom risotto or chilled Maine lobster salad, this is museum dining for the discerning foodie.  The executive chef here is a Jean-Georges Alum.  Museum admissions is not required to get into either the Dining Room or Cafe.

The Morgan Dining Room and Cafe is located inside the Morgan Library & Museum, right on Madison Avenue between 36tha nd 37th Street.  The Dining Room offers a formal sit down dining experience while the Cafe has a similar menu but with a more casual vibe.  The Dining Room serves brunch on weekends and lunch on weekdays, and the Cafe serves lunch and afternoon tea.  On Friday nights, the Cafe serves up a delicious seasonal tapas menu.  The full set of hours and menus can be found here.

For a limited time, brunch is 25% off through September 21 with this offer.

Perfect Midtown Workday Lunch : saffron wild mushroom risotto with grilled vegetables

Elegant Modern Dining in the formal Dining Room

The Chef of the Morgan Dining Room shares with us the recipe for the delicious Wild Mushroom Risotto below:

1 cup Arborio rice (For a faster cooking time, we recommend soaking the rice in water overnight first)

1 shallot

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup mushrooms (trumpet, shitake)

¼ cup chiffonade of basil

¼ cup parmesan cheese

2 tbsp butter

pinch of saffron

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

Mince the shallot and sweat with olive oil for 5 minutes. Add rice and completely coat with onion and olive oil. Slowly add broth and a pinch of saffron and simmer until rice is al dente. 

Sautee the mushrooms in olive oil to desired wellness. Add desired amount of rice and mix well with mushrooms. Add desired amount of broth and simmer for one minute. Add parmesan and basil then sauté before finishing with butter and salt and pepper.  Top with steamed spring vegetables or roasted fall vegetables.

Upcoming New York City Events in September 2013

New York City is where you'll find larger than life events happening every week.  For this month of September, we're looking forward to everything from Spain's Great Match of Wine, Food, & Design 2013 to the WIE Symposium to Empowering Women Leaders. We hope you'll enjoy our list of grand events in this city that never sleeps.

1. Cocktails in the Garden at the Merchant's House Museum - September 18, 2013.  From 7 -9 pm this Wednesday, the Merchant's House Museum is hosting a cocktail party in their enchanting 18th century walled courtyard garden.  Tickets are $75 and available here.  The Merchant's House Museum is the only 19th century townhouse left in the East Village that has been maintained in it's original condition - a beautiful place to visit for a trip back in time in New York City history.  This event is sponsored by Studio Sofield.

2.   Spain's Great Match: Wine, Food, & Design 2013 - Tuesday, September 24 - a celebration of Spanish culture including wines, food and design from Spain. The event is taking place at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 125 w.18^th street from 7-9:30pm.  Enjoy wine tastings from Spain’s most famous producers (this is a 21+ event), unlimited signature tapas from NYC’s premier Spanish restaurants and a design exhibition from renowned Spanish designer, Luis Eslava. The cost per person is $75. VIP tickets are available for $125, which include pre-event wine tasting and a cooking demonstration from Andreu Genestra, a famous Mallorcan chef. Enter GREATMATCH at checkout for $15 of General Admission tickets! (VIP Not included). Tickets can be purchased here.

3. 4th Annual WIE Symposium for Empowering WomenLeaders - September 20 - 21, 2013 : An line up of powerful industry leaders will be speaking at this global annual conference designed to empower the future generation of women leaders.  Acclaimed journalist and talk show host Katie Couric and celebrated Swarovski Executive Board member Nadja Swarovski will host the two-day event.  The event will begin on September 20th with WIE Enterprise Day where topics include “How To be An Authentic Leader”, “What Women Want” and “Women Shaping the News”. WIE Enterprise Day on September 21^st will feature discussions such as “Tech: The New Frontier”; “The 3-Per Centers” and “The Rise of the Idea Entrepreneur”.  The event also includes workshops on everything from Executive Presence to Negotiating Skills. The WIE Symposium is supported by a number of partners and sponsors including The Economist, UBS and Audi of America.
A complete list of speakers and moderators is available here.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday September 20th & Saturday 21st, 2013

Time: Friday - 8am-5:30pm, Saturday - 9am-6pm

Location: 548 W. 22nd Street, New York, 10011

Prices: Ticket prices $50.00 - $500.00 (Click here for details and registration.)

Tesla Style Night at the Tesla New York City Showroom - Monday, September 9, 2013

Tesla Style Night - Monday, September 9 - Zero emission electric car company Tesla will be hosting a fashion and design event in their Manhattan showroom to kick off Fashion Week 2013 with a night of local sustainable style.  Organized by the Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, this event will feature a night of fashion, design, cocktails and hor d'oeurvres.  Participating vendors at this year's include Mink Shoes (vegan couture shoes), gourmet eatery Ellary's Greens, children's fashion designer Kallio, and upcycled designer dog wear My Fabulous Puppy.  The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at Tesla's showroom on 511 West 25th Street, New York.