Cookies and Chemo
Posted on 13. Aug, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community
This is the quick story of why Cookies and Chemo has been started. Thank you to those of you that have supported me so far – I look forward, with your help, to making many new friends and being able to make a difference in the lives of others.
~Cookies and Chemo~
I am a thirty year veteran of the hospitality industry. Three months after moving to NYC as a Food and Beverage Manager at The Plaza Hotel, I was diagnosed with thirteen tumors on my spine. They ranged from golf ball to grapefruit sized. My life was changed forever – I believe for the better. I now have a renewed passion for life, friends and the importance of helping others in need.
In a conversation with my girlfriend about volunteering she suggested I start my own ‘thing’. I woke up the next day trying to think of something from my treatment days that made me smile… I wrote the word cookie. Cookies and Chemo followed minutes later and here I am.
As a recent cancer survivor, and the son of a breast cancer survivor, I have a clear understanding and unfortunate memories of how devastating going through Chemotherapy is.
My goal is to bring together survivors, supporters and anyone great that wants to share cookies and conversation. My hope is to eventually bring comfort to those that are going through chemotherapy. I cannot cure cancer, I can give comfort, with money, by purchasing new chairs, iPods, computers, books and other items that make sitting for six hours a day more tolerable. Not just for the patients, also the nurses and staff, for example sending in lunch once a week. Moving forward I would like to raise money for improving chemo-suites and making the best of the worst.
Mission:
Making people smile at a time when they need it most.
Follow Friday ~ Close To Home Edition
Posted on 11. Jun, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community, Hotel, Lily's Restaurant
Here at the Roger Smith Hotel, social media is less about being a ‘department’ and more about building a culture. People and stories have always been a part of the hotel and now with the reach of social networks more people can participate, connect and enjoy our community. We have an amazing staff here at the hotel and some have taken the initiative to make social networking a part of their jobs on a daily basis. If you have ever been to the hotel you have probably met them and hopefully agree with me when I say these three individuals are worth the follow on this wonderful June Friday!
Yamile Diaz:
Yamile is the face, heart and soul of Lily’s restaurant here at the Roger Smith Hotel. He takes customer service seriously and it shows. He speaks multiple languages ( great for our visitors from overseas ), he is willing to do whatever it takes to make a guest happy and most of all he cares. If you have the stomach to handle one of the most energized people you could meet please stop by and say hello to Yamile…Or you can find him on Twitter as @RSYamilio
John Knowles:
John is the President and CEO of Panman Production and has produced numerous films, live broadcasts and content for the Roger Smith Hotel.Most recently John and his team produced a series of six short films called “The Roger Smith Shorts” which were screened last night at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. His creative juices and passion for new innovative ways of sharing visual arts on and off line have taught me about a whole new way of creating and sharing stories.
John can easily be found -> On Twitter @PanmanProd @Pancity or see his YouTube channel Roger Smith News.
Melissa Rodriguez:
Melissa is one of our friendliest bartenders, although she is so much more. Aside from entertaining, serving and being a creative mixologist, Melissa is in culinary school and has started a food blog FoodVixenNYC. Melissa is a text book example of what it means to be a Roger Smith employee.
Many of you know Melissa in real life… until now you may not have known how to find her when not sitting at her bar…now you can 
On twitter @FoodVixenNYC
Have a great weekend and enjoy the World Cup!
GO USA!
RS POP & Fashion Art Gallery presents: Studio 2020
Posted on 04. Jun, 2010 by DanielKalmar in fashion
A Virtual Closet Selling Fashion in the Future
An original fashion concept, Studio 2020 is an exhibition showcasing a virtual closet that links technology to the ultimate design in the year 2020.
In partnership with RS POP the exhibit duals as a pop up shop allowing the entire closet for sale to guests and visitors.
Short film clips directed by Gabriel Barcia- Colombo will, illustrate in comic form, NYC’s character and style in the yr 2020.
In lieu of Sex and the City and the Brooklyn International Film Festival design brands s like Bang and Olufsen, TELFAR, Melissa Shoes and LaQuan Smith compliment this seasons biggest event with style and luxury.
Studio 2020: Fashion Art Gallery @ RS Pop up Shop from Panman Productions on Vimeo.
Chef Daniel Mowles introduces…
Posted on 03. Jun, 2010 by DanielKalmar in Lily's Restaurant
Daniel Mowles has developed a brand new Lunch Menu for the summer season at Lily’s Restaurant! Here’s a sneak peak at what’s waiting for all the hungry New Yorkers strolling down Lexington Avenue.
Drop by Lily’s to taste these fantastic dishes and the rest of the Lunch Menu!
Second Sundays Guitar Series: Dieter Hennings 6/13
Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by DanielKalmar in Art at Roger Smith, Arts
Sunday June 13th, 4pm Dieter Hennings, a native of Mexico, was awarded the Aaron Brock Prize in 2008. A graduate of the University of Arizona School of Music, where he received the Outstanding Senior Award, in Guitar Performance in 2004, Mr. Hennings is currently pursuing a double Doctoral degree in Early Plucked Instruments and Guitar Performance and Literature with Paul O’Dette at the Eastman School. Mr. Hennings has won many prestigious competitions including the 2005 Eastman Guitar Concerto Competition, the 2002 Villa de Petrer (Spain) International Competition Ralph Stevens Guitar Competition, the 2001 Portland Guitar Competition the 1999 and 2000 Claire Schaeffer Guitar Competition.
In the field of guitar performance Dieter is deeply committed to the diffusion of new music, specially of Latin America, having recently performed works by Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez and Mario Davidovsky.
co-presented by the NYCCGS and Roger Smith Arts
The Solarium, 16th floor at The Roger Smith Hotel
Tickets $15, includes wine and cheese
pay at the door, cash only
For reservations, email rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
or call 212.339.2092
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Dieter Hennings plays The Second Sundays Classical Guitar Concert
Roger Smith Arts & The New York City Classical Guitar Society
The Solarium at The Roger Smith Hotel
501 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017, 47th and Lexington
Subway: E, 6, V to 53rd and Lexington or 4, 5, 6, 7 to Grand Central
June 13th, 2010 at 4pm
$15 includes wine and cheese
212-339-2092
http://secondsundays.tumblr.com
Internet Week is coming to town!
Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by DanielKalmar in Events
Starting June 7th and ending the 14th, Internet Week New York is about to fill all of our systems with excitement! New York City is about to be invaded by many different types of events, as a part of this festival, to celebrate the thriving internet industry and community of the city.
Apart from giving you guys all the info about this week-long festival, we’d also like to hear what YOU think about Internet Week and what you think would (or could) be a hot topic during the week, for example the #Promise or the Don’t Believe The Hype Day?
For additional info and the full schedule of events, visit www.internetweekny.com!
The Festival – Internet Week New York (IWNY)
Since 2008, Internet Week has taken place all over the city, thanks to our many partners hosting diverse events in different locations.The result is a critical mass of web-focused events that raises the profile of NYC’s industry as a whole as well as the partners who participate.
We still love crowdsourcing, but now we’re adding something new: a central Internet Week Headquarters.
Located at Metropolitan Pavilion, Internet Week HQ will feature two main areas: Interactive Playground of 12,000 square feet of exposition space. This space will be both a place for attendees to meet, greet, and get a little work done, as well as hosting arts, technology, media and entertainment exhibitions and social events.
The Expo space will be open to the general public during the day Monday June 7 – Thursday June 10. Tickets to the expo space can be purchased online or onsite at the HQ.
The theater space will accommodate up to 450 people for special announcements and presentations.
In 2009 over 100 events, ranging from parties and meetups to executive breakfasts and conferences were hosted throughout NYC thanks to our Official Event Partners. We’re encouraging this kind of crowdsourced participation again in 2010. See the full list of participating Citywide events.
For our part of this fantastic week, please stay tuned for more coverage, news and recaps as the Internet Week progresses. Also, this post by Hotel Chatter might be worth looking at.
The Traders’ Ball: An Installation, June 11 – July 2, 2010
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by DanielKalmar in Arts, LAB Gallery
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is pleased to announce ‘The Trader’s Ball’, an installation by French artist Fred Forest. With his trademark over the top irony, Forest rubs salt in the wounds of the free market banking industry , mocking their response to the financial crisis that has shaken the world. The installation will include corporate mannequins dancing the night away in The LAB and parallel scenes of jovial ignorance taking place via Second Life on large screens in the gallery. The action will take place to music by New York rapper Jamalski, who will orchestrate the movements of the dancers to a syncopated beat based on the real time fluctuation of the financial markets. To see the project’s website go to: www.thetradersball.com/
This piece will be in conjunction with a piece based around Forest’s Second Life avatar, Ego Cyberstar, that will be showing at The Science Fair at Flux Factory, June 5th- 13th.
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Photos: Adam Wallace
Fred Forest is a French new media artist. He is the holder of a state doctorate in the humanities from the Sorbonne and has also taught on the faculty of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Art, Cergy-Pontoise and University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Forest has taken part in the Biennale of Venice (1976) and the Documenta of Kassel (1977, 1987) and his work has won awards at the Bienal do São Paulo (1973) and the Festival of Electronic Arts of Locarno (1995). In 2004, Forest’s archives, including his video works, were added to the collection of the Institut National de l’Audiovisuel of France and a retrospective of his work was held at the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia in 2007. Beginning in 2008, Forest launched a new series of performances in the environment of Second Life.
For more information please contact Danika Druttman on 212.339.2092 or email rogersmitharts@rogersmith.com
The LAB (for installation + performance art) is a New York based, converted storefront turned fishbowl producing 30+ fast paced performance art and installation exhibitions annually. Aimed at furious midtown foot traffic, The LAB’s programming is designed to confront modern relationships between art and audience and seeks to force interaction between high energy, “outrospective” exhibitions and nearly 25,000 daily passersby. THE LAB is located on the North East corner of 47th and Lex and is a Roger Smith Collaboration in Art. www.thelabgallery.com
The Traders’ Ball Second Life Video
Three Day Weekend = Three Cool Friends !
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by BrianSimpson in Community
We are lucky here at the roger smith hotel to have an inspiring, creative and passionate group of loyal friends that support us on many levels. As a small token of our appreciation and in an attempt to repay what these people bring to our community, we will be featuring three new people every Friday as our ‘follow Friday’ list. Follow Friday, a concept born from the creative mind of Micah Baldwin, has lost some of what we believe Micah started it for, purpose. Do not get us wrong, when @RSHotel shows up in any #FF or #FollowFriday lists it is an honor. What seems to have happened though is too many people are trying too hard to pay homage to their friends without truly letting us know: who, what or why these ‘lists’ of people are worth following.
Have you ever taken a road trip? Not a day trip. What I am talking about is a multi-day excursion encompassing different states, cultures and obstacles along the way. If you do this alone it can be fun, do it with a group of people and it becomes life changing. In March I was lucky to be a part of an initiative by Chevy in which eight groups from around the country were given the opportunity to drive to SXSW in Austin, TX. There were five of us: Me, two people I knew well, one I had just met and lastly one I didn’t meet until the morning of our departure. Three of these people live in NYC and they are my Follow Friday focus this week. Khayyam Wakil, one of the five will appear in a future post… for now he gets this brief cameo (luv ya buddy)
When you are in a car for four days with people the trials and tribulations can either make you want to kill them, hug them, laugh with them, cry with them and in this case all of the above
Most importantly you get to ‘live’ with them. Not as acquaintances, not as someone you nod to at a cocktail party – you get to experience their idiosyncrasies – what really makes them click.
I was honored to travel with this group, they added value to my life and have the innate ability to be genuine, outspoken and stand behind their values. For this I applaud them, embrace them as friends and strongly encourage you to do the same.
Sarah Simmons: Hands-down the Matriarch of the Chevy Tahoe. The voice of reason, organizer of insanity and most of all – just one of the most wonderful people to have a conversation with.
Nick McGlynn: Opposite of Sarah – Creator of insanity, A.D.D. overload master and photographer extraordinaire. Nick also possessed a skill none of us could match… he, for some reason, was the ONLY person that could consistently communicate with the On-Star ‘voice’. Thank you N-I-C-K !.
Jessica Randazza: PR and networking genius. Jessica kept us laughing, kept us calm and most of all was the ‘smile’ of the group. Willing to do anything for the cause- dressing in tinfoil, arm-wrestling a diner cook and getting a Chevy tattoo (in Sharpie). Most of all a loyal friend.
As we head into this long holiday weekend remember this:
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. Memorial Day is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. I strongly believe the three people I featured this week give there all every day and I am lucky to call them friends.
Have a Safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.
B
Sarah Simmons:
Sarah is Food and Wine magazine’s Home Cook Superstar. Sarah spends her days crafting new recipes and making instructional cooking videos in the hopes of helping others to become superstars in their own kitchens.
Tell her what you want to make!
Twitter: @SarahmcSimmons
Blog: homecooksuperstar
Nick McGlynn:
Nick currently does freelance event photography for various companies including his own site Random Night Out. Most recent full time job was at Gawker Media where Nick worked in their video department editing clips and managing interns. He also throw a monthly media event called Obliterati.
Twitter: @NMcglynn
Blog: nickmcglynn.com
Jessica Randazza:
A public relations and social media strategist for a global public relations agency with an extensive focus on nonprofit and consumer and currently resides in New York City.Its Jessica’s mission and desire to stay engaged in emerging technologies that enhance the way that consumers and individuals connect online. Which means she spends a lot of time on her iPhone — in fact she never puts it down.
She’s also is co-founder of ColdPavement, an exercise in meeting and talking with people you may or may not know in the communications field.
A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, vegetarian cook extraordinaire, shoe enthusiast, struggling seamstress and yogini.
Twitter: @JessicaRandazza
Blog: jessicarandazza .com
Henry and the Breadpiece…
Posted on 26. May, 2010 by DanielKalmar in Henry's Roof Top, Hotel
In reality, there’s only one pirate in the world: Henry! For years he’s been active in the value collection business and has gained unrivaled skills in scavenging, finding and hiding all things that can be moved.
He’s finally been caught red handed, on tape, trying to hide his latest bounty, a big, juicy piece of valuable bread. His creativity and wit knows no boundaries.
ALS Gala – Live auction at Roger Smith Hotel, May 24
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by DanielKalmar in Events, Hotel
New York, NY – May 24, 2010 – Prize4Life (www.prize4life.org), a nonprofit organization founded to accelerate the discovery of treatments and a cure for ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease, will be hosting its “Art, Life, Spring” gala and charity auction at the Roger Smith Hotel on Thursday, May 27. The auction will feature works by top artists to raise funds for its mission. A companion online auction will be open through June 3, at (http://www.charitybuzz.com/ Prize4Life).
Prize4Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to treating and curing ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) using a combination of the incentive prize model and other crowd-sourcing and distributed innovation approaches. The organization currently administers the $1 million ALS Treatment Prize and the $1 million ALS Biomarker Challenge, along with a host of other scientific and clinical resources.
“Prize4Life is thrilled to be hosting this event. Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our sponsors and artists, we have an incredible selection of lots. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly to ending ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease through our innovative programs,” said Avi Kremer, co-founder and CEO of Prize4Life, and an ALS patient.
The auction includes work by sculptors Boaz Vaadia, John Bisbee, and Tim Prentice; painters Miriam Cabessa, Natan Elkanovich, Engels, and Carol Anthony; photographers Isack Kousnsky, Nancy Rudolph, Tal Shochat, and Nobel laureate Wally Gilbert, among others. The event will take place at the Roger Smith Hotel, a classy, dynamic venue in midtown Manhattan, home to The Lab gallery for performance and installation, and host of two regular music series.
A pre-auction art showing and cocktail reception was held at Sotheby’s Auction House on Thursday, May 20. Speakers included Jamie Niven, Chairman Sotheby’s North and South America, and Gabriela Shalev, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations.
Works available for online bidding in the Prize4Life live and online auctions include:
- Ruth and Gehrig by Bill Lopa
- Hanna & Shemu’el, 1988 by Boaz Vaadia
- Four Faces Inverse 2/5, 2009 by Wally Gilbert
- You Don’t Know Me, 2009 by Engels
- At the Beach II by Natan Elkanovich
- Gold Landscape, 2009 by Miriam Cabessa
- Window Box, 2002 by Tim Prentice
- Squares by Rachel von Roeschlaub
- Untitled by John Bisbee
- Igor Stravinsky by Barbara Thacher
- Pear by Carol Anthony
- Easter in Rockefeller Center by Nancy Rudolph
- Sad Teddy, 2000 by Nahum Moses
- Sharing a Cheroot. Inle Lake, Myanmar, 2000 by Diane Waller
- The Bridge, 2008 by Marian Heard
- Boy’s Head, 2007 by Itamar Jobani
- Untitled #100, 2002 by Leora Laor
- A celebrity “date” with Professor Alan Dershowitz
- Six bottles of Shoresh 2007 wine
Online Bidding in the “Art, Life, Spring” Auction is open to the global community through June 3. Go to http://www.charitybuzz.com/Prize4Life to place a bid.
The A.L.S. Gala Auction has been generously sponsored by Bloomberg LLP, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Biogen IDEC, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sotheby’s, and the Roger Smith Hotel.
For more information on the Prize4Life auction, please visit www.Prize4Life.org.
About ALS
Known in the United States as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, ALS is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that typically takes the life of patients within 2-5 years of diagnosis. It is caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. It most commonly strikes people between the ages of 40 and 70, and affects men slightly more than women. ALS is the most common motor neuron disease worldwide and as many as 30,000 Americans struggle with it at any given time. There is no known cure for ALS and only one modestly effective FDA-approved treatment for the disease.
About Prize4Life
Prize4Life was founded by a group of Harvard Business School students when one of them, Avi Kremer, was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 29. Prize4Life works to accelerate the discovery of a treatment and a cure for ALS by using powerful incentives to attract new people and ideas, and to leverage existing efforts and expertise in the ALS field. Among other program initiatives, the organization currently administers the ALS Biomarker Prize Challenge, the Avi Kremer ALS Treatment Prize, and an ALS research portal (www.ResearchALS.org).
