Yesterday was a day that I knew would end with some much needed R&R.
Regardless, it was a very exciting opportunity and a great chance for us at City Hunt to hone a rapid-fire pitch for our product that gets results.
Next stop - the Spark Plug PR office (job 3 or 4) where I need to finish compiling my guest list for the opening of the new hot spot in the Meatpacking District, R&R (as in "rock and roll".. not relaxing vacation). Unbeknownst to me the subway has a heightened terror alert because Rove is about to go under questioning and I guess Bush needed to create another distraction.
R&R (416 West 14th Street between 9th and Washington) is a new rock and roll bar in the middle of the uber-trendy Meatpacking District. In the days before refrigerated semi-trucks, this was once a neighborhood of insulated warehouses that were used to chop up the cow or other barnyard animal carcasses and refrigerate or salt them before they went on sale across the city in the local delis and restaurants.
Over the last 15 years, starting just before 1990, this neighborhood has been transforming into one of the most chic destinations for shopping, dining and nightlife. The thick, insulated walls mean that clubs can play their music as loud as they want with no complaints from the local community board. The cobblestone streets, some of the few remaining places in New York City you can still find this, adds a little bit of charm. And the lofty ceiling heights and raw, expansive, industrial warehouse buildings lent themselves to be whatever the interior designers could dream up for them.
But now, in 2005, the area is just a bit TOO trendy. If you are not planning on buying a bottle of vodka (starting around $250) for table service, or if you don't know the door person, do even think about getting into one of these places. Even if you do get in, it doesn't guarantee that you'll be treated warmly.
So here is this raw rock and roll club opening up in an area where people are STARVING for something real. Needless to say, the response was sensational.
Almost all of my VIPs made it in (most of them showed up by 8:30, thank god). Though I did have one fashion designer call me from the line trying to get in saying that next time he will have his agent at William Morris call to make the reservation for him because he doesn't wait in lines any more. Listen honey, last night it wouldn't have helped.
Who showed up:
Needless to say.. there were already calls that came in from William Morris booking these people.. and after 9pm if you weren't A-List, it would have been hard to get in at all. One of my guests went outside to make a phone call (R&R is actually underground so no cell reception) and then was not allowed to re-enter the club.
My heroic moment of the night was breaking into the nightclub office (its good to know that Barnes & Knoble membership cards are good for something besides that 10% discount) so that everyone could get there bags and go home when our event was done.
At the same time I was practicing my Oceans 11 burglery skills, Adrienne Grenier walks up behind me looking a little vexed. He needed paper. It looked like he was running out of time before the thoughts in his head would escape and he needed to write them down quickly. So I emptied the office printer of 1/4 ream of white peper, which was sure to be enough for his musings and it was the least I could do for the star of the evening.
The prospect of huge marketing contracts with interntaional corporations like Coke and P&G, celebrity parties, free drinks and yet another opportunity to invite my friends to a fun night out of historic proportions.
Yesterday, New York really DIDN'T suck.
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