Good Morning America hosted another hot summer concert this morning in Central Park featuring Enrique Inglesias & Sean Paul! I LOVE GMA! Thank you for the free summer concerts in the park!

Fans from all over the world came to enjoy this concert–including Egypt, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Brazil! The crowd was massive and super upbeat!
And let me just tell you, the posters were pretty outstanding! Tons of super creative posters, signs, dolls, and even 3D microphones all professing their undying love for Enrique! One girl simply wrote her phone number on a massive banner!

Onto the performances! These boys were raring to go! 6:30 AM sound check? No problem! The entire concert was one of the most energetic performances I’ve seen! Enrique was in a jovial mood and he was very interactive with the crowd! I was particularly impressed with him being very cognizant of making sure everyone in the crowd could see him. He moved equally to each part of the stage and even came towards the back field near the bleachers to ensure everyone got a glimpse!

Enrique and Sean Paul sang their new hit ‘Bailando’ and had the crowd going wild! Next up, GMA host Lara Spencer interviewed Enrique about his new album. Interesting fact? Enrique Inglesias has more #1 Billboard dance hits than any other male artist including Michael Jackson and Prince! Say what? Dang man! That’s an impressive feat!

Enrique sang ‘Hero’ and then finished up the concert singing ‘I’m a Freak’ complete with enormous EI balloons and stage steam bursts!

Enrique is currently touring with Pitbull and tickets are available now at www.ticketmaster.com. Also, check out the entire GMA concert series schedule here!

Hello Hello!

Is today really the last day of July? Sweet Summertime is flying by and I’m determined to make the most of the remaining days of summer. Today, I spent the afternoon soaking up the sun at Broadway in Bryant Park.

This year marks the 14th annual series of the Broadway in Bryant Park production which is hosted by 106.7 LITE FM. Every Thursday (during the summer months) you can enjoy lunchtime broadway performances for free at Bryant Park! Cast members from Rock of Ages, Once, Holler if Ya Hear Me, and Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder all performed today. Each performance was equally entertaining and the singing was incredible! If you live in NYC–grab a blanket, pack a picnic and enjoy an amazing afternoon at Broadway in Bryant Park before the series ends on August 14th.

Visit www.bryantpark.org to see full calendar of events at Bryant Park!

Cast of Rock the Ages

A spontaneous stroll around the city after dinner turned into sweet serendipity, after stumbling into Cafe Lalo. The magical Cafe Lalo was featured in the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’ with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It’s one of my favorite movies (the sweetest little bookshop, big bad Fox books, opposites attract, and filmed in New York City) and I’ve been dying to visit all the ‘You’ve Got Mail’ movie locations, especially Cafe Lalo!

Outside the trees are  covered in twinkling lights and the large windows illuminate the colorfully cozy cafe. The place was was packed when we arrived but somehow we got lucky! The hostess seated us at the exact same table where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan sat in the movie! Unbelievably Kismet!!

The atmosphere and decor reminded me of a European cafe and for a moment, I forgot I was in Manhattan. The dessert menu is fantastic and there is something yummy for everyone! We ordered coffee and chocolate covered strawberries…absolutely delicious!

Irish Coffee & Cappuccino

Hello Hello! Happy Monday to you!

She was glamorous, alluring, charming, and mysterious…Even years after her untimely death, the world is still captivated by Marilyn Monroe.

Pierre Vudrag of Limited Runs recently held an exhibition of Marilyn: The Lost Photographs of a Hollywood Star in NYC at the Sumo Gallery. Twenty six previously unseen photographs of Marilyn in the beginning stages of her rising stardom. Mostly photographed on set of her early movies, five photographers (Allan “Whitney” Synder, Thomas Kaminski, Milton Greene, Lani Carlson, and Mischa Pelz) captured Marilyn Monroe appearing genuinely and blissfully happy. Unlike the latter part of her career, she appears giddy in the limelight in these photographs.

I was lucky enough to meet Pierre Vudrag (Limited Runs, CEO and Founder) and speak with him further about the collection. He seemed to light up talking about Marilyn and he told me many interesting facts about the photographs and the photographers. Marilyn clutching a guard rail in one photo due to a sprained ankle. Her strict rule of only taking photos if she was wearing make-up. Photo taken by sound engineer posing as a photographer for the Chicago Tribune.  Fascinating stories!

I personally felt the most intriguing photographs were taken by her long time friend and make-up artist Allan “Whitney” Synder. Her comfort and trust level with Synder allowed him to truly capture the essence of Marilyn Monroe in real life, as she never thought any of the photographs would ever be published. Overall, the entire collection is a beautiful visual commemoration of Miss Norma Jeane.

Additional photos of Marilyn Monroe will be released in 2015 and 2016 by Limited Runs. Visit www.limitedruns.com to view and purchase the current collection.

Sumo Gallery, New York

One of my favorites

Photographed by Allen “Whitney” Synder

My Favorite

Happy Friday Loves! Wahoo! The weekend is upon us!

Last night, I went to the Lowdown Hudson Blues Festival on the water and was such a fun, relaxing way to spend the evening. Arts Brookfield hosted the Robert Cray Band (5 Grammys + 15 nominations), John Hiatt & the Combo, and James Carter Organ Trio! I loved the super chill vibe at the festival and really enjoyed watching the sun go down while listening to the bands.

All summer long, the Arts Brookfield will be hosting amazing events on the water! Check out all the events and schedules at http://www.brookfieldplaceny.com/EventsCalendar.

Diesel Doggie was asked to be in a short film

Summer nights in New York have been simply magnificent recently! Crimson colored evenings dusted with bits of magic, mystery and enchantment.

Saturday we walked down to South Seaport along the East River. We dined on amazingly delicious seafood for dinner and then watched an outdoor movie in historical Seaport beneath twinkling rows of string lights. Picture-perfect ambience!

Following the movie, we took a spontaneous stroll over the Brooklyn Bridge, brightly illuminated by the July Super Moon…I kept saying “this just can’t be real”. I literally wanted to pinch myself and make sure I wasn’t just floating in a fantastic dream. Pure bliss.

Manhattan has bewitched me and left me spell-bound. I’ll always remember this splendid New York City night…

Super Moon over Brooklyn Bridge

Good Morning Sweetheart!

Hello Bucket List! Crossed another one off the list this weekend!

Twice a year (typically around May 28th and July 12th) the NYC phenomenon called “Mahattanhenge Solstice” occurs as the setting sun aligns perfectly with the New York street grid lines. The term Manhattanhenge was coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson in 2002 and the Big Apple wonder is said to have been derived from England’s Stonehenge where to sun aligns between the stones in similar fashion during solstices. Another interesting discovery, the saying “the sun rises in the east and sets in the west” is only really true twice per year during the equinoxes of spring and fall.

New Yorkers and tourists alike flooded the streets of New York City to capture the midsummer golden sunset. For a girl that simply adores watching sunsets, the Mattanhenge Solstice was definitely a memorable Manhattan moment!

Hello Sunshine! Hope you are having a Fantastic Friday!

“It’s gonna be a long hot summer” 🙂  Good Morning America hosted a Keith Urban concert in Central Park this morning (open to the public and free admission)! Yes, I’m taking full advantage of all these free summer concerts in New York!

The concert was held at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park and I arrived just before the park opened at 6:00 A.M. I hopped in line and met the nicest couple from my home state of North Carolina! Shortly after, one of the ladies I met at the John Legend concert joined us! The four of us ended up staying together during the concert and we had a blast together! I was so thankful to share the experience with such friendly people! Genuinely good company, is hard to beat!

The entire GMA team helped create an extremely upbeat concert in the park! Once we entered the concert arena, the crowd was greeted by the Walking with Dinosaurs Tyrannosaurus Rex (beginning the North American tour)! Definitely woke me right up! No need for coffee when you have enormous dinosaurs roaming around Central Park!

We found a great spot near the stage and were able to watch Keith Urban perform his warm-up! Thomas Kelly (GMA staff member & comedian), kept the crowd entertained between tapings with lots of crowd interaction, including a sing-off between audience members! Soon enough, the GMA team (Robin Roberts, Laura Spencer, David Muir and Ginger Zee) went onstage to introduce Keith Urban!! Keith has great energy and continually showed off his skills on the guitar! He is one amazing  guitar player! Wow! Spending the morning with GMA & Keith Urban was absolutely the perfect way to start the day and kick off the weekend!

Visit here to view the entire GMA Fun in the Sun Concert Series 2014 line-up!

Walking with Dinosaurs