Hamptons Retreat!

Hooray for the Hamptons! I officially kicked off the summer season by spending the long weekend in one of my favorites destinations. While heading back to the city on Monday I thought of my seven things from my weekend away:

1. What better way to kick off Memorial Day weekend and perhaps a great date (I'm not saying that I had one, but maybe I did and maybe it was great), than with a wonderful bottle of wine? Stags Leap 2005 Napa Valley Merlot is smoky, rich and begs for another sip.

2. The opening of my good friend Shawn Bell’s, Bellhaus was an incredible event. My company planned and catered the event, and my other company, Michael Rogers PR, did the PR for it. The store is beautifully styled and Shawn did a wonderful job curating it. Celebrities including Kelly Ripa and Michael Clinton turned out to celebrate the opening with Shawn. The highlight was when Kelly Ripa gave me a kiss. Swoon! She is a gorgeous and amusing in person as she is on TV and Mark is so handsome, they were a pleasure to work with.

3. It was great to catch up with my friend Greg Yale. Besides being one of the most stylish people I know he is also a hugely successful landscape lighting designer based in Southampton but with clients around the world. All of his homes I have seen (four in seven years) remind me of a grand old Hollywood movie set. www.gregyale.com

4. After my hectic week of work in the city (numerous events and a lot of transition in my company, all good!), another highlight was to be ensconced in nature for the weekend. I was lucky enough to spend some time at a cottage Greg Yale designed on Shinecok Bay. Waking up amidst thick foliage and birds chirping was exactly what this businessman needed to recharge my batteries and have some time to reflect. Here are some images of geese that were swimming across from Greg's property.

5. A trip to the beach isn’t complete without sexy swim trunks! Red Carter makes my favorite trunks. I’ll post some images this summer of me and my new suits, promise!

6. One of my secret tricks of the trade is topping plants with coffee beans at events. Just spread some on top of your plants at your next soiree or even in your garden (like I did at my office) and the results are innovative and modern.

7. I was interviewed by The Daily News for a story about commitment ceremonies. It hit stands on June 2nd in the business section. Check it out!

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/06/02/2008-06-02_small_businesses_expand_to_serve_samesex.html