STAY COMM

On Thursday, December 3, six teams of six in five cities throughout the world participated in the Smartbox Hunt and had the pleasure of trying out several of their "experience" offerings during a competitive scavenger hunt.  Those of us in New York were fortunate to do the New York Skyride, learn how to arrange flowers at Arison Floral Boutique, take salsa lessons at Zamora School of Dance, and even explore Ripley's Believe it or Not in Times Square!  The good people at Smartbox fed us well at each stop, with delicious treats like breakfast pastries, gourmet sandwiches, and (my personal favorite) cheese, wine, and champagne to close out the event.  Smartbox invited bloggers, media professionals, and frequent users of social networks like Facebook and Twitter to participate in the Smartbox Hunt.

After spending a day enjoying Manhattan with Smartbox employees, who were enthusiastic participants and team leaders, I can say with confidence that this group of people knows how to have a good time and deliver an Unforgettable Experience.

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Yes, it's true. Launched in 2005, Myopenbar.com is one of the few sites whose weekly emails I feverishly look forward to. Some Wednesdays I even find myself refreshing my Blackberry GMail app, anxiously anticipating where I might find my next free round. Williamsburg? Harlem? SoHo?

In these leaner economic times, many people are finding themselves working less, leaving more room for one of my favorite pastimes.  Unfortunately, boozing (especially in this fine metropolis of ours) can put a nice dent in the wallet, making the whole drinking-because-I'm-underemployed-and-have-nothing-better-to-do thing quite a conundrum.

Fear not, devoted lush.  If you're savvy with planning, you may never have to pay for drinks again! Myopenbar.com is dedicated to featuring listings of 100% free drinking events in NYC (they also feature Chicago). The absofreakinglutely amazing website lists several places at which you can get your drink on - gratis - any day of the week!

For example, Monday June 29: head over to Blue Owl on the LES tomorrow for complimentary Mekhong Cocktails from 5pm-9pm (no, baby, that is not a typo)! Or if you're hungry for hors d'oeuvres and want to suck down sangria for a quick hour, it's on the house at Vintage Irving from 5pm-6pm.

Myopenbar.com was originally conceived and developed, respectively, by Rob Hitt and Seva Granik of Williamsburg (gasp), Brooklyn. Having realized the dire need for a centralized and coherent source of worthy open bar listings in New York, they took it upon themselves to scour the field and provide this free service to you, esteemed readers, at the expense of their own livers, sleep, and spare change jars. (http://nyc.myopenbar.com/index.php?section=about)

You can also follow @myopenbar_nyc on Twitter for real-time listing updates.

SALUTE!

Artists in New York City can look forward to having a new space and community to call their own. Located on 81 White Street, Space on White is a 4,500sq ft. haven for performing artists and creative professionals.

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I was lucky enough to score an interview with Roger Delacruz of Space on White ( www.spaceonwhite.com ) today.

Check out their website to learn about TriBeCa's newest studio for performing artists and creative professionals, and come back to Stay Comm tomorrow afternoon for the story.