I’ve backpacked through South and Central America. I’ve worked at an orphanage in Russia. I’ve even climbed in remote places like Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat. But in preparing for my Polar Bear Expedition with Andy Biggs, I came to a realization. I am a city slicker.
As I began packing my “cold weather” gear, I read a sentence that called cotton the “fabric of death,” as it stays wet, zapping valuable energy and dropping your core temperature. My wife immediately concluded that if the Polar Bears didn’t get me, frostbite would.
I immediately headed to my new favorite store Moosejaw. Layering is the way to go. Today’s high tech materials offer a plethora of light-weight highly compressible water/wind proof, and temperature regulating fabric options to fit the outdoor enthusiast needs such as polar fleece, primaloft, polarguard. I bought some capilene wicking under-garments, warm socks, hats, gloves, hand and feet warmers, etc.
I am expecting it to be cold, as it can get to minus 10 or even minus 20 degrees F. The upside is it could be 35F as a high and only a low of 20F at night. We will be staying at the Northern Lights Lodge. It certainly isn’t The Hotel Sax, but I am sure it will be fun. I’m excited that it has WiFi, so I can keep updating everyone about this adventure.
Each year, thousands of photographers travel to New York City for PhotoPlus Expo, the industry’s cutting-edge tradeshow for all things photography-related. Ranked one of the top shows by Crain’s and Exhibitor Magazine, PhotoPlus draws attention from thousands of professionals, novices and students, alike. Zapwater was on hand at the show - which took place Oct. 23-25 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the city’s West side - representing clients Moab by Legion Paper and photographer Andy Biggs.
Featured at Moab’s booth this year were prints from photographers Bill Fortney and Mark Kettenhofen’s upcoming book, America from 500 Feet II. Printed on Moab’s award-winning Entrada Rag fine art paper, the photos received a lot of attention from attendees at the show.
America from 500 Feet II is a unique book of aerial photographs that capture breathtaking American landscapes from a motorized parachute 500ft in the air. As a proud sponsor of the book, Moab capped-off its experience at PhotoPlus by hosting a private meet-and-greet with the book’s photographers at its booth.
On October 25th, the first Airbus 380 passenger flight departed from Singapore to Sydney. My client, Jason Speer, was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to board the jumbo jet capable of holding 853 passengers. Jason, the only non-media passenger from Illinois, knew the flight would go down in aviation history! An aviation enthusiast, he didn’t think twice about partaking in the trip that would have him in the air for 60 hours, in airports for 18 hours and participating in countless interviews over a period of only six days.
Due to production problems, the first passenger departure of the Airbus 380 had been postponed for two years. The double-decker jet has a tail that rises almost eight stories and a wingspan and fuselage that are each almost as long as a football field! Jason is the Vice President of a Schaumburg-based metal float manufacturing company, Quality Float Works. By the end of the media blitz known as the Airbus 380 flight, he might as well have been a celebrity!
On Thursday, October 25th, Jason and 470 other travelers boarded the Airbus 380 giddy with anticipation of what the trip would hold. “This is an opportunity to experience once and be part of history,” Jason explained of the extravagant flight. The jumbo jet has twelve private suites and 23-inch LCD TVs for the enjoyment of its passengers. Business class seats measured 34 inches across and each converted into a lie-flat beds.
Development costs for the Airbus 380 are looming at $18 billion. Now the world’s largest commercial airplane, its first flight garnered expected mass media attention. Now resting at home after days in the air, Jason describes the frenzy of reporters and photographers aboard the flight seeking out the perfect passenger interview. Media from countries around the world inquired about Jason’s interest in aviation, his predictions for the Airbus and overall thoughts of the flight. In all, he was interviewed by dozens of reporters and graced the front page of the business section in the suburban Chicago daily newspaper, the Daily Herald.
Even USA Today, one of the nation’s most read newspapers, began and ended their Airbus 380 story with mentions of Jason Speer. The jet, which aimed to bring luxury back to international travel, created a tremendous buzz among aviation enthusiasts and airline experts. The flight itself was described as a giant party with many bells and whistles. Of the overall journey, Jason reflects, “it was the trip of a lifetime but I’m glad to be home.”
This past Friday, Hotel Sax hosted the launch event for The Kanye West Foundation. I was lucky enough to attend the Foundation’s benefit, which was held in the hotel’s Crimson Lounge. A sold-out concert in the nearby House of Blues concert venue followed. The night raised more than $500,000.00 for educational programs such as West’s Loop Dreams Teacher Training Institute, an initiative that will assist Chicago Public School teachers in using hip-hop in their curriculum.
Celebrity attendees included David Alan Grier, Mos Def, Access Hollywood’s Shaun Robinson, Miami Heat Star Dwayne Wade, America’s Top Model Winner Jaslene Gonzalez.
And while the A-Listers came out in full force, so did the corporate community. Microsoft, Wrigley and Ariel Capital were all major sponsors. Attending the event, it is evident that corporate America is embracing urban marketing strategies in a way that wouldn’t have been imagined just a few years ago. Kanye West isn’t just a hip-hop icon, he’s now a pop-culture icon. His appeal transcends those who will benefit from his foundation. But Kudos to him for using his influence to tap into some hefty corporate social responsibility dollars that in turn will be distributed to the Chicago Schools.
The foundation of the Hotel Sax Chicago guest experience philosophy is to provide what is expected in a luxury hotel along with unexpected encounters and discoveries that surprise and delight the senses. When we embarked on the initial planning phases of the grand opening Crimson Lounge, located off the lobby of the hotel, we knew there was some serious brainstorming in our future. The rest of the Zapwater staff, along with hotel directors and Crimson General Manager, Steven Greaves, knew they wanted to throw an unprecedented bash to unveil the new space, which had been completely gutted and renovated to remove any trace of its former occupant, the Kaz Bar. After several months of meticulous planning, Crimson Lounge opened its doors for the first time this past Thursday, July 26th.
As they arrived, guests walked a crimson carpet and were directed through the lobby of the Hotel Sax to the doors of Crimson Lounge. If the bass vibrating through the floors was a preview of the night to come – we were in for a great party! Party-going VIPs were greeted with glasses of bubbling champagne adorned with strawberries. Cocktail waitresses and servers – donning sexy Crimson employee outfits designed by L.A. clothing label Cash Lords in conjunction with Chicago celeb stylist Lindsay McKay – bustled around the room serving bite-size appetizers and signature drinks from the Crimson menu.
Matt Roan, a favorite DJ in Chicago, kicked off the night with two straight hours of energetic dance music and classic drinking songs. Los Angeles-based celebrity DJ and paparazzi favorite, Samantha Ronson, took over the tables at 10PM for an ecstatic crowd. Samantha and Matt seemed to enjoy each others company, they mingled by the DJ booth before she started her set. The booth, at crowd level, was perfect for many Ronson fans who watched her, faces pressed against the glass, throughout the night. Even while playing an unforgettable set of music, Ronson was extremely friendly and smiled and posed for pictures throughout the night – all the while flashing her signature peace sign.
The VIP guests of the night, including R.Kelly, Smokie Robinson and George Daniels received overflowing gift bags from the Crimson Gifting Lounge. Select VIPs received special passes to the security-guarded lounge, which included swag from Microsoft Zunes, K.Amato jewelry, Bulgari, Luca Luca, Cash Lords, Chicago Social and Vosges Haut-Chocolat.
The eclectic crowd grew throughout the night and became increasingly uninhibited as the night drew on. Sporadic dance-offs and sing-alongs to Jackson 5 remixes were definitely a highlight! Who doesn’t love a little “ABC." When the last glass of champagne had been drunk (or spilled), the most hardcore partiers, Hotel Sax and Crimson staff and the Zapwater team retreated to various VIP areas to reminisce about the night. I was lucky enough to stumble upon my boss David Zapata in deep conversation with Samantha Ronson and Crimson General Manager Steven Greaves.
Being the huge celebrity blog fan that I am, I already felt like I knew Samantha and didn’t hesitate to squeeze my way into that conversation. She was totally down to earth and introduced herself with, “Love your dress – that’s awesome!” Little did she know it was borrowed. Either way I felt A-List. From the looks of the faces in Crimson that night, everyone else felt pretty VIP too. That was what we had in mind.
I’ve backpacked through South and Central America. I’ve worked at an orphanage in Russia. I’ve even climbed in remote places like Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat. But in preparing for my Polar Bear Expedition with Andy Biggs, I came to a realization. I am a city slicker.
I immediately headed to my new favorite store Moosejaw. Layering is the way to go. Today’s high tech materials offer a plethora of light-weight highly compressible water/wind proof, and temperature regulating fabric options to fit the outdoor enthusiast needs such as polar fleece, primaloft, polarguard. I bought some capilene wicking under-garments, warm socks, hats, gloves, hand and feet warmers, etc.
