Welcome to the Sugary Scoop, my free weekly newsletter where we help you see and experience the magic of NYC that I love so much through curated events, experiences, artists, and community stories.

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NOTABLE NYC EVENTS FROM FRIENDS

Tuesday 🍬 6.24

4:00pm (East Williamsburg): ASTROFEST by Third Planet Studio 🎲🎟️ - ​​ASTRO FEST returns for its second year as the go-to music and culture event of NFT NYC week. RSVP HERE

6:00pm (Tribeca): The Art of emPOWERment by Sarah Pustilnik 🎲 - ​​Welcome to the second event in our series! #featuring inspirational #powertalks on the world, business, media, art, healthcare, AI, legacy, tech, and government. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Tribeca): Men's Workshop: Social Magnetism - The Art of Flirting with Brandon Dawkins and Allie Leilani by Beyond Nice 🎲🎟️ - ​Join for an evening that will transform how you connect with others and illuminate the secret sauce behind what it actually means to engage in the art of the flirt, and do so with integrity, transparency, and social magnetism. RSVP HERE

Use code “SUGARYVIP” (for standard ticket) or “SUGARYVIP2” (for 2 tickets) for preferred pricing

7:30pm (Tribeca): Calida Milonga by Krystal Wu 🎲🎟️ - Join us for live Argentine Tango music and dancing featuring the amazing Ginny Cheng and Eran Polat!! RSVP HERE

Wednesday 🍬 6.25

6:00pm (Flatiron): Fire Island Invasion: Day of Independence by Rizzoli Book Store ✨ - A tribute to the genius and magic of the annual Fire Island Invasion, a rebellious gathering of thousands of queer people and drag queens. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Hell’s Kitchen): Official Opening Night NFT NYC 2025 by Nolcha 🎲 - ​​A night of networking, good vibes, and surprise acts — spanning 25,000 square feet across three floors featuring a speakeasy lounge, nightclub, and open-air rooftop under the city lights. RSVP HERE

Thursday 🍬 6.26

2:00pm (Tribeca): The First Sip: A Community Preview by CoSee 🎲 - ​We are building something unique – an NYC space blending the charm of a secondhand bookshop, the warmth of a local cafe, and the purpose of a values-aligned marketplace – both offline and online. And we want you to be a part of it from the very start. ​Simply become a founding member – for free – just by joining our kickoff event! RSVP HERE

6:00pm (Meatpacking): Servant of Beauty: Landmarks, Secret Love, and the Unimagined Life of an Unsung New York Hero by The Village Preservation Society ✨ - Albert Sprague Bard (1866-1963) fought for cities to have the right to protect their beauty, propelling him into a David versus Goliath combat with Robert Moses and paving the way, after four decades of advocacy, for New York City’s Landmarks Law (1965). RSVP HERE

6:30pm (Gowanus): Builder Cocktail by REOWN x STELLAR x REFRACTION 🎲 - A cocktail hour for founders and product thinkers working at the edge of web3. ​This isn’t a panel. No slides, no stage, no script. Just one question, a room full of builders, and a mic passed around. ​Each guest gets two minutes to react to a tweet on screen — a hot take, a callout, a prediction. Raw, fast, and unscripted. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Downtown Brooklyn): ELEGY TO THE VOID by Pacifico Silano by Ace Artist in Residence and Powerhouse Arts 🎲 - ​Curated in partnership with collectives and institutions that inspire us, provides time to think and space to create. Every quarter, we invite artists across the globe to turn one of our hotel rooms into their studio for a month, then showcase the resulting body of work with the Ace community. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Meatpacking): Angela Nikolau // SkyWalking // Solo Show // NFT NYC 2025 by moments 🎲 - Join us on opening night to celebrate international artist Angela Nikolau at The Crypt Gallery located in Dream Downtown, NYC. ​​Kicking off a month long exhibition, we will be showcasing Angela’s latest body of work, a combination of physical paintings and extreme performance art. RSVP HERE

8:00pm (Ridgewood): Animated Film Screening by AANY 🎲 - ​Please join us for our first after hours animated film screening series at Ridgewood Library! ​We show animated short films and virtual reality animation experiences  from all around the world RSVP HERE

Friday 🍬 6.27

5:00pm (Tribeca): The Kids Are Alright by Timothy Taylor Gallery 🎲 - ​A group exhibition curated by Helen Toomer. This presentation will feature contemporary and historical works that explore cultural conceptions of childhood. NO RSVP NEEDED

6:00pm (Downtown Brooklyn): AAPI Market by Asian Cinevision x Hana House 🎲🎟️ - ​Celebrate the 48th annual Asian American International Film Festival at our Launch Party and Market. We’re kicking off this year’s festival with an evening of delicious Asian flavors, cool new products, exciting music performances, and a sneak peek of this year's films. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Tribeca): The Canal St Show Vol. 4 by Lume Studios 🎲 - ​Come and enjoy Canal Street Show curations with this year’s theme: "THE OBSTACLES IN OUR PATH", as well as a special live art battle! The show will feature an eclectic mix of talented artists across physical and digital art. RSVP HERE

Saturday 🍬 6.28

10:30am (West Bronx): Van Gogh's Flowers Art-full Discovery Hunt + Brunch Among the Blooms by Women of Culture 🎲🎟️ - This immersive experience invites you to step into the vivid world of one of the world’s most beloved artists—not in a museum, but in full bloom. RSVP HERE

Use code “SUGARY” for preferred pricing

1:00pm (Williamsburg): Picnic Launch Party by Foxiecakes 🎲 - Come celebrate the official launch of Foxiecakes with a joyful summer picnic full of cupcakes, sunshine, and community vibes! RSVP HERE

4:00pm (Midtown East): Wine & Beats by Counterseats 🎲🎟️ - You’ve heard of wine and jazz, or wine and classical music, but have you tried our wine and EDM pairing? Join us for our rooftop summer party, with overflowing wines and a sunset set from our resident DJ. RSVP HERE

6:00pm (Midtown East): Rooftop Book Launch Party: Albert Einstein - His Life and Science by Anthony & Iris Keeney 🎲 - You’re invited to the Rooftop Book Launch Party to celebrate the publishing of Albert Einstein - His Life and Science. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Brooklyn Heights): Short Film Screening & Gallery Reception by Eleventh Hour Art 🎲 - Join us for a magical summer evening as we present a series of short documentary films about contemporary artists, created by filmmaker Jesse Brass. RSVP HERE

Sunday 🍬 6.29

4:00pm (Central Park): Park Picnic Book Swap by Lit Club NYC 🎲 - Come celebrate summer’s peak with a casual book swap in the park, surrounded by our growing reading community! ​Bring a book you’ve loved and feel is worth sharing! We’ll sip, snack, swap, and connect—with books at the center of it all. RSVP HERE

4:00pm (Central Park): A PENTHOUSE PARTY! by Cache Life 🎲 - Join us at the iconic Park Lane Hotel penthouse, at Darling Rooftop, perched above Billionaires’ Row. 
Overlooking Central Park South from the skies, this evening blends breathtaking views, world-class sound, curated art, and elevated hospitality. We’ll be opening the doors early and dancing into the sunset, so arrive on time and catch the magic from the very start. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Bushwick): Mettā Dance Party by The Love Department 🎲🎟️ - Imagine dancing your booty off with others, radiating love towards yourself, each other, and all beings everywhere with music that’s specifically created for this purpose. You can feel the room pulsing with love, and you feel happy. RSVP HERE

Wednesday 🍬 7.2

6:30pm (East Williamsburg): NYC Rabbitholes by Vicki Xu 🎲 - ​Join us for an evening of quiet rabbitholing! Dive into a topic of choice and share about it afterward. ​No requirements other than an interest in something. Treat this as a coworking session, an opportunity to dive into a topic you've always wanted to learn more about. RSVP HERE

Thursday 🍬 7.3

6:00pm (Prospect Heights): Jazz in July by Brooklyn Botanic Gardens 🎲🎟️ - ​Celebrate summer at the Garden with live jazz on Thursday evenings. Bring a blanket to stretch out and enjoy the music, presented in partnership with local arts organizations. NO RSVP NEEDED

Sunday 🍬 7.6

3:00pm (New York, NY): Field Day BBQ by Drop Your Ego 🎲 - ​It’s the 1st Annual Field Day BBQ! RSVP HERE

You've been telling us how much you love our weekly curated events list - and honestly, it makes our hearts full. There's nothing better than hearing how our recommendations helped you discover that perfect gallery opening or connected you with amazing people at a poetry reading.

But here's the thing: we believe in depth over scale. And lately, our events list has gotten so expansive that it might be overwhelming instead of helpful. The last thing we want is for you to miss our deeper writing and community stories because you're scrolling through endless event listings.

So we're doing what we always do - listening to you and evolving together.

We're creating The Sweet List - a dedicated cultural guide that goes deeper than "here's what's happening."

This isn't just more events; it's events curated specifically to help you find your people and discover experiences that match your mood, purpose, and curiosity.

Think: trust indicators that tell you who organized each event, commentary that helps you understand the vibe and crowd, and guidance icons that help you choose what's right for you on any given day.

Here's where you come in: We need your input to build this exactly right.

Fill out our quick survey [HERE] and the first 50 people get 6 months FREE as our thank you for helping shape this with us.

Existing Sugary members: You already have access to opt-in if you choose.

Our regular newsletter stays exactly as you love it - just with a more focused weekly events section so you never miss the deeper community content that matters most.

This is how community works: You tell us what you need. We listen. We build it together.

Because at the end of the day, everything we do is about helping you find authentic connection and belonging in this beautiful, overwhelming city we all call home.

Ready to help us create something special? (takes only 3-4 min to fill out)

THE SUGARY EFFECT

Defy AI (An Empathic Approach)

This past week I attended several events in which the topic was about a truly rare and uncommon topic these days…AI 🙄.

And it ended up being the latest in a long line of doomsday prognosticators that have built their recent brand on painting a bleak Terminator/Matrix-esque dystopian future that with each speaking engagement, event appearance and/or book launch iterates in a way that starts to mirror our demonic digital counterparts.

It’s not that I don’t think such a bleak future isn’t possible for us all…in fact I think it’s quite uniquely and unfortunately possible.

The thing though about all this is, while we are all too ready to point the finger at AI for our forsaken future, I have one obvious question:

“Who ultimately is making the AI?”…

Humans.

It’s always been us…and nobody but us.  In general, we have a pattern of blaming others for our problems, particularly when we feel overwhelmed by our own mistaken choices.

So I honestly think in our collective mad rush to adopt the comfort of this sensationalistic certitude, we’ve erected a theater of the absurd for us to attend, offering matinees daily of our own masochistic machinations (say that 3 times fast).

Our demise has become our spectacle and entertainment is good business.

(If you want a truly meta dystopian critique of our human race, check out  @Gossip.Goblin on Tik Tok. AI generated imagery about our own reliance on AI and tech.  ***TRIGGER WARNING*** the images and videos are graphic and can be quite disturbing for some.)

I believe our future is still very much in our hands and the solution in part is how we choose to be present and mindful of the human experience right here and right now.

Cultivating an empathetic and connected mindset for this generation and subsequent ones through IRL experiences creates the chance to draw a bonafide connection between our progress and our persons.

People need to develop an intimate connection with humanity if they are ever to understand and prioritize it.

This is why community and connection is so important and why distance and isolation is the death knell of mankind.

As more and more people enter the field of AI and apply their skills, what key experiences will they take with them as they engineer the next wave of innovation? 

Could you begrudge someone who architects only for efficiency and profit if they have no meaningful personal experience to reference that inspires other important critical considerations when it comes to our collective well being? Why should they care? 

If it’s really just about everyone caring only about themselves, then we’re cooked.

Let’s give generations to come including ours a reason to care. 

It begins with feeling more connected through shared experiences and dialogue that require a dedicated effort to affect positive change.

Are you a Sugary Member yet? Join the 175+ member community that gets you access to member-only events, special event perks, discounts and more

PAST EVENTS

Sunday, June 22nd:  SPF Super 8: A Community BBQ - About 125 of you joined us in Bushwick for a bacchanal feast as dish after dish was presented in an endless flow of delectable dining fit for a king (or queen as it were).  Despite the heat, y’all came in droves and under a canopy of trees we were at least granted a reprieve from the worst of the summer heat wave. Big shout out to Suagry Community member Irena Lasenby, her incredible boyfriend Kareem and her housemate for hosting us and putting in the extra work to make sure everything was on point for the day. Also, huge thanks to Dirty Water Hard Seltzer for hooking us up with some dope product for the event!

THE SWEET & SALTY

A Distinction Without a Difference

It’s the day of the event. Everything is already prepared and the rsvps have been holding steady with a few expected cancellations leading up to the day.

Then all of a sudden, you get a notification that someone has cancelled their RSVP. Alright, maybe there was a good reason. Then another, ok well life happens, then another…ok wtf is going on here?!

You know that saying “you give an inch and they’ll take a mile”?

That is what it feels like for a certain subsection of people who engage in the same day cancel.

You know who you are…and it’s not the vibe.

Technically you didn’t flake, but really…you kind of did.

To those that have legitimate reasons to cancel an RSVP the day of, I’m obviously not talking about you.

I’m talking to the confederates that hide amongst you.

The ones that use the RSVP process to feign commitment but ultimately disregard its significance through their actions which can and always do speak louder than words.

Again, we don’t begrudge isolated incidents, but patterns of behavior always emerge.

So, for those of you that regularly do this…just don’t. It’s more noticeable than you think and doesn’t win you any brownie points.  People do take note.

Technically you cancelled “just in time” but in reality let’s face it…you wanted to bail because you either planned poorly or didn’t care enough to care…and that’s so not the way to be.

Besides, if you have to rely on technicalities of any sort to justify your actions for anything, do you really think you’re actually on the right side of things?

Be better.

Support for the Unsent Letter Project!

The Unsent Letter Mailbox is a grassroots storytelling movement creating anonymous spaces for vulnerability and radical honesty in New York City.

Over the past year, we’ve hosted 19 park installations, 7 sold-out salons, we've seen countless people in public, and received nearly 1000 unsent letters capturing the full spectrum of human emotion and has captured the attention of press outlets such as Secret NYC, NBC Nightly News and the Kelly Clarkson Show.

We’re thrilled to launch our pilot Curator Program, inviting like-minded folk to host anonymous gatherings in their communities. If you're keen, fill out this form!

Join The Unsent Letter Mailbox as a Social Media Intern!

The Unsent Letter Mailbox — an NYC-born art project that lives at the intersection of anonymous writing, emotional healing, and urban play — is growing FAST. We’re looking for a volunteer content collaborator who wants to grow with us.

You:

• Are emotionally fluent and creatively intuitive

• Know how to make something stop the scroll without screaming

• Love language, letters, and soft power

• Want to build something you can be proud of

We:

• Have been featured on NBC + The Kelly Clarkson Show

• Are planning scavenger hunts, secret salons, and continued urban pop-ups

• Are small, self-funded, and full of momentum

• Will give you full credit, mentorship, and future paid work if things align

This is 3-5 hours a week. Remote is cool. And vibes are everything.

If you're curious, email [email protected] or DM @unsentlettermailbox on IG! 

Call To Gather

‘Call to Gather’ champions creative play as essential for health and wellness; fostering mental, emotional, and social well-being. They believe everyone is a maker, and that its through shared creative experiences human beings build trust, collaboration, and can develop a deep sense of community.

Gather Artists are all highly experienced in their craft, providing quality creative sessions from a wide range industries for individuals to begin to explore their creative potential, heal, and connect - ultimately igniting personal and collective transformation in community.

Start your creative play HERE (use discount code: Sugary)

Connect IRL. Experience Fabrik.

Get in touch with NYC’s brightest communities and make new friends.

Fabrik is a home for communities and where everyone has a place to belong. With spaces designed to feel more like your living room than your office, Fabrik’s 'third spaces' are vibrant hubs where you can come together in real life, explore interests, forge meaningful connections, and enjoy a sense of community.

Sign-up here to experience a free trial at Fabrik.

Weekly events at Fabrik HERE

Othership offers immersive sauna and ice bath experiences that help human beings feel good now. A sanctuary for social self-care to move you from city buzz to inner calm.

Dive into the largest performance saunas in North America, experience otherworldly ice bath spaces and connect in an intimate amphitheater-style tea lounge surrounding a cozy fire place for socializing.

Expect towel-waving performances, aromatherapy, guided breathwork, visualizations, and somatic release to help you shift your state and regulate your emotions, in a world that can’t be regulated.

The founders of Othership have gifted us a New York 2 for 1 Deal. Get yours while they last!

EMPATHY PROJECT

Support the Empathy Project by purchasing any of the items from the collection. Be a part of a unique initiative that empowers seven diverse artists to create one-of-a-kind empathy-inspired t-shirts. These shirts serve as iconography tied to our identity, promoting compassion-driven societal impact. 

Each artist picked a 501(c)3 charity of their choice to donate a portion of the sales of their t-shirt design. Your purchase also empowers voices, amplifies the message of empathy, supports charities, and elevates storytelling within our communities, all while building a network for compassion-driven societal change. Join us in making a lasting impact through art and empathy.

You can check out and purchase the 7 different empathy tees HERE