Welcome to the Sugary Scoop, my free biweekly 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.

Let’s get to this week’s Scoop!

Monday 🍬 4.21

6:30 PM (Tribeca) - Write to Read Salon Vol VIII by Unsent Letter Mailbox - We will be hosting our next interactive anonymous letter writing and reading salon with an intimate group of people. Together, will navigate the strangely dark, loving and whimsical cultural underbelly of New York City. RSVP HERE

_{(Social Battery Level: Low Ambivert - Crowd Size 20-40)}

Thursday 🍬 4.24

5:00 PM (Tribeca) - THE EXCHANGE: Men's Fashion Clothing Interchange - ​Clean out your closet, upgrade your style, enjoy some drinks, and hang with fellow gentlemen. Bring your premium, barely-worn gear and leave with curated threads. Professional stylists on-site to help you nail your spring and summer looks. RSVP HERE

_{(Social Battery Level: Medium Ambivert - Crowd Size 30-50)}

Wednesday 🍬 4.30

6:00 PM (Gramercy) - In Good Company - Join us for an special evening of connection. Our celebrated cocktail series In Good Company is back and the name of the game is to bring the most fascinating diverse group of fascinating people into the same room and allow some pure magic to happen.. RSVP HERE

_{(Social Battery Level: High Extrovert - Crowd Size 40-50)}

NOTABLE NYC EVENTS FROM FRIENDS

Monday 🍬 4.14

6:00pm (Flatiron): Sam McKinniss with Jarrett Earnest by Rizzoli Bookstore - ​​Rizzoli welcomes the artist Sam McKinniss for a conversation with Jarrett Earnest and a signing to celebrate his debut monograph. RSVP HERE

6:30pm (Gowanus): NYC June Primary Bootcamp Launch Party by Sachi Takahashi-Rial - ​​Ready to level up your political influence—and have fun doing it? Join to build community, find new conspirators, and lock down an accountabilibuddy to help you reach your Bootcamp goals. RSVP HERE

Tuesday 🍬 4.15

6:00pm (Midtown East): Invisible Doctrine Screening + Community Gathering by Protagoniste Network - ​​Join us for an informal gathering to view this impactful documentary as it sheds light on how the world, over time, by design, has shifted from communitarianism to individualism, and our self-image from citizen to consumer. RSVP HERE

6:00pm (Noho): Elizabeth Colomba Opening Reception by Venus Over Manhattan Gallery - ​​The artist’s debut solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition provides a comprehensive look at Colomba’s distinctive approach to figurative painting, featuring a selection of new and recent paintings and works on paper—most of which have never been shown publicly. INFO HERE (NO RSVP REQUIRED)

6:30pm (Gramercy): NYC Mixer & Panel: Talking Creator Tools by Creator Economy NYC - ​​Join NYC’s largest community of creators, marketers, and builders for an evening of networking, learning, and inspiration. ​This month, we're teaming up with our friends at Notion for a special night celebrating the launch of their first-ever creator program RSVP HERE

7:30pm + Select Matinee Performances (Chelsea) ***MULTIPLE DATES 15th-20th***: BODY TRAFFIC by The Joyce - With a compelling style that reflects the “invention, attitude, and urban edge” (The Boston Globe) of its Los Angeles home, BODYTRAFFIC dives into the power of memory sparked by unexpected reminders. RSVP HERE

Use Code “BTBlast” for Preferred Pricing (Limited to only 50 Uses)

8:00pm (Williamsburg): Animation Nights New York by ANNY - Animation Nights New York is a monthly screening event and annual festival based in NYC. We show the very best animated short films, virtual reality animation experiences, and interactive games from all around the world. RSVP HERE

Wednesday 🍬 4.16

10:00am (Tribeca): Built By Builders (David Nabinski) by Fabrik - Built by Builders is Fabrik’s signature event series designed to celebrate and spotlight the inspiring individuals building and nurturing communities. Each session features an intimate, interview-style fireside chat with a leading community builder, offering insights into their journey, successes, and challenges. RSVP HERE

Thursday 🍬 4.17

6:00pm (Chelsea): Claes Oldenberg & Peter Moore New York Streets & Signs by Paula Cooper Gallery - Oldenburg made drawings and sculptures of storefronts, street objects and text-based posters, while Moore produced a historical record of city signage through documentary photographs. The exhibition will display key examples from these bodies of work. INFO HERE (NO RSVP REQUIRED)

8:00pm (Brooklyn, NY): Jester Jamboree by Joust - In honor of our ancestors, we are combining the lost art of 'the dance party' with the unique revelry of game night.. Joust is hosting its quarterly dance-party-game-night. RSVP HERE

Friday 🍬 4.18

1:00pm (Soho): Finding Ferdinand x Credo Beauty by Finding Ferdinand - Celebrate Our Launch at Credo Beauty SoHo! Join Finding Ferdinand for an exclusive event celebrating clean color, thoughtful formulas, and feel-good beauty. RSVP HERE

Saturday 🍬 4.19

9:30am (Soho): Alo Runners Club by Alo Yoga - ​Step up your pace with the ALO RUNNERs CLUB—join us for a high-energy run that’ll keep you moving all month long!​​Lace up for an invigorating 5K run led by Ceren Kalyon. RSVP HERE

3:00pm (Central Park): The Great Spring Picnic by Richard Ye - ​The Great Picnic Series is SO BACK—we’re celebrating by running back our signature 1,000+ person picnic this spring (this is picnic #7). RSVP HERE

Sunday 🍬 4.20

1:00pm (Astoria): Easter Potluck Brunch by Food Joy Club - ​Regardless of whether or not you celebrate the holiday, bring a tasty dish and/or beverage to share, socialise, and enjoy a bit of holiday-themed fun! RSVP HERE

4:00pm (LES): 420 Rooftop Party by Conbud - ​Join us at CONBUD for a night of fun under the stars. Get ready to dance, mingle, and enjoy the cool rooftop vibes of the Lower East Side. This in-person event is the perfect opportunity to connect with friends and make new ones. Don't miss out on the hottest party in town! RSVP HERE

Monday 🍬 4.21

6:00pm (Chelsea): Sip & Support: Myanmar / Burma Earthquake Relief by Colleen Wong - ​In times of crisis, community solidarity saves lives. Join us for an evening of food, drinks, and impact—because Myanmar needs us, now more than ever. RSVP HERE

Tuesday 🍬 4.22

9:00am (Midtown West): "Identity in the Age of AI" Panel by Empire Startups & Mat Kaliski - ​Join us during NYC Fintech Week for a breakfast and panel discussion on Identity in the Age of AI. RSVP HERE

Wednesday 🍬 4.23

6:00pm (New York, NY): Attention in the Age of AI with Gary Vaynerchuk by South Park Commons - ​Join South Park Commons & Gary Vaynerchuk for discussion and Q&A on marketing yourself in the age of artificial intelligence. RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Brooklyn, NY): "The Motherload" with Sarah Hoover by Spark Society Book Club - ​Join us for The Spark Society's very first book club!​ We'll be reading Sarah Hoover's "The Motherload" which is her candid memoir that challenges traditional narratives of motherhood.​ RSVP HERE

7:00pm (Downtown BK): Spring Mixer by Writer’s Club - ​Whether you're an old friend to the writers club or a new one, you can expect a super chill evening filled with friendly faces, playful banter, and yummy cocktails.​ RSVP HERE

Thursday 🍬 4.24

7:00pm (UES): The Road to City Hall: The NYC Mayoral Race of 2025 by Museum of the City of New York - Join veteran political reporters Errol Louis (Spectrum News NY1); Dana Rubinstein (The New York Times); and Brigid Bergin (WNYC Radio) for an in-depth discussion of this year’s mayoral election, including the candidates, policies, and topics that are shaping our city over the next four years. RSVP HERE

Saturday 🍬 4.26

8:00am (East Village): Mindful Parenthood: Earth Day Secondhand Shopping by Sundays x BabyMint - ​​Celebrate Earth Day with a fun and sustainable shopping experience! Babymint, the dedicated secondhand marketplace for baby & kids’ products, is partnering with sundays Nontoxic Nail Studio to bring parents a community-driven event that’s good for the planet - and for you! RSVP HERE

Sugary NYC Online Community Platform & more

So behind the scenes DK and I have been working on quite a few things that we are going to start implementing that I think will improve the overall experience for all of you that are our members. 

Mainly, we wanted to focus on a few key things:

1. New Online Community Platform: Sugary NYC

Thanks to our brothers over at 57x we're excited to introduce our dedicated online community platform creating a digital space that nurtures authentic IRL connections, celebrates curiosity, and transforms how members experience NYC through insider knowledge, meaningful relationships, and cultural immersion.

Our success will be measured not by volume metrics, but by the quality and depth of the in-person experiences that emerge from these digital touchpoints.

2. Application-Based Membership

Sugary is now going to be an application-based community where authentic connections thrive through curated experiences. We believe the magic is in the mix, and our application process ensures we're creating the right conditions for meaningful connections to flourish.

In truth, this was always the plan for the Sugary community based on the Fine Folk values I had created many years ago. However there were certain practical considerations to how we would go about launching an initial community and so we had to put this one on the back burner until now.

3. Sugary's Warm Intro Service (coming soon and working title)

So, almost every day I get people reaching out to me to ask for this or that introduction.

In an effort to make this more efficient, members can now tap into my network of 30,000+ connections using this new service. Whether you're looking for career opportunities, creative collaborations, professional services, we'll help identify relevant matches and try and facilitate warm introductions.

As you can see we have a lot going on behind the scenes. I hope you’re as excited as we are about these new developments.

If you want to join our community, please fill out this short 3-min application form below:

THE SUGARY EFFECT

The Lonely GOAT 🐐 

On a random weekday not too long ago I got word from my amazingly gifted friend, visual artist Alana Tsui, that she had booked her largest corporate mural commission to date with Lexus automobiles.

The mural was to be part of an ambitious pop-up space that would last for a few months in the heart of the meatpacking district.

Obviously, this was such a huge professional milestone and kudos were most certainly in order.

But it really got me reflecting about people’s perception of success and greatness versus the reality of the  path towards actually achieving it…especially one specific trait that seems to be recurring no matter where I looked:

It’s a lonely road.

Jimmy Carr once said, everyone is jealous of what you’ve got, no one is jealous of how you got it.

To put this in perspective, Alana got this project through her own pure hustle with no one‘s help. She went out there by herself and found this opportunity.

Then there’s the work itself…

She would have just under a week and a half to complete this massive project.

But she didn’t flinch at all, she was ready to do whatever it took to meet the moment.

When I asked her how long it took for her to complete the mural her response made my spine shiver:

About 100 hours.

That averages to about 10+ hours a day non-stop for just under a week and a half!  It was just such a staggering figure and testament to the intense commitment that began only AFTER she worked hard to get the opportunity in the first place.

And she would have to do it alone…by herself. 

In that time there would be parties to decline, celebrations to miss, other moments of gratification to put on hold all in service to one goal.  

But no one really sees that part of it. It’s the perennial notion of the “overnight success” that took a decade to achieve kind of thing.

I thought about what it must have been like to go through this process especially late at night when everyone had gone home and it’s so quiet you can hear the silence and perhaps the errant grumble of your own stomach over the meal she chose to skip so that she could push through that final outline.  It was just her facing a wall, making something out of nothing.  No one to call on for help, no one to do what only she could do.

In a week and a half the space would be filled with people celebrating over canapés and cocktails, patrons congratulating themselves on being invited to commemorate the finished product…but until then, it was nothing but the work itself and the singular focus and dedication to the task that would give life to her dream.

There are so many parallels with all the countless artists and professionals I know personally and what their own version of the lonely journey was like. I’d love to hear yours if you’d like to share.

In that moment, I couldn’t help but also think back to aspects of my own journey and how there’s a lot that resonates with my own experience.

The fact is no one’s ever gonna fight for what you want harder than you, and if there is then you’re probably doing the wrong thing.

DK has been a pillar of support for the last two years and helped me launch the newsletter…but I alone still have to write it and there are days when writer’s block is so agonizing that it can be utterly paralyzing and stresses the hell out of me. 

Also, if I hadn’t relentlessly connected with people and attended events like an insane person for many years prior, we wouldn’t have even had a fraction of the subscriber base that we do now.

And isn’t it ironic that though my days and nights were surrounded by people, it was still a very lonely process.  

Why?

No one ever wanted to approach an event with my kind of focus.

No one ever had the patience (and tolerance) to figure out and adapt to the intricacies of diverse personalities that would inspire connection.

No one ever had the stamina to run with me on a 3-11 event bender, no one wanted to ever do the level of diligent follow up that I did to maintain my connections.

No one honestly cared that much or wanted to sacrifice their sleep and sanity for that in the way that I did.

I chose this. I did my 10,000 hours and then some.  And because I saw it through, I became masterful at the particular art of making and keeping connections.  

But make no mistake, this was and still is a truly lonely process. And while we may welcome any company that might join for a time, the path to greatness and success is a singular one.

On the day that Alana unveiled her work, I gave her a hug to congratulate her and raised a glass in her honor.

Not just for the triumph that was in the moment, but also for the triumph over herself.

She’d learned to make peace with loneliness and emerged towards greatness on her own terms. The great ones can do it over and over again. 

Such an inspirational feat…

To all you GOATs 🐐 out there scaling a lonely mountain 🏔️, stay true to your course and you’ll find your head soon above the clouds ☁️.

Cheers! 🥂 

Sugary 🍬

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

THE SWEET & SALTY

Frosty on Flakes 

For as long as I have been in the city, NYC has had a unique problem.

The flaking on events in the city is OUT OF CONTROL. 

For most events, the RSVP list almost means nothing because they are not accurate in any way, making it impossible for people putting on events to plan accordingly and that’s super frustrating. The average attrition rate for an event is 50%. In NYC it can get as high as 65-70%

Coming from a person who lives his life in hosting and organizing events, nothing grinds my gears more.

It’s inconsiderate.

It’s costly.

It’s a vibe killer.

This is such a problem that for a long time I instituted an anti-flaking policy for all of my events that almost read like a social contract.

Truth is by the time someone flakes on me, they will have unknowingly already confirmed between 2 to 3 times that they plan to attend so if in the end, they still cannot bring themselves to just let me know that they can no longer attend last minute (still technically considered flaking, but at least you weren’t a TOTAL ass about it), I’ve got the receipts and it says much more about you than it does me.

I got quite a bit of pushback initially on this verbiage with some folks chattering on about how I was being unnecessarily harsh, or on a level of disbelief that I would actually follow through on my words of never inviting them back at least for a long time.

But I meant every word and with the courage of my convictions (and an unending pool of people to draw from) saw it through with no hesitation. 

And the results were surprising and sometimes even hilarious.  I actually received real doctor notes and emails from bosses amongst other hilarious notes, justifying people‘s absences.

Now this of course DOES NOT apply to those who have legitimate work, health or personal obligatory reasons to have to cancel. No one is unreasonable and life juts happens some time, if you fall into this category I’m certainly NOT talking about you.

I have a theory as to why NYC is particularly criminal when it comes to flaking. 

I only have to look towards human nature to find my answer. We tend to take things for granted that we have abundant and easy access to.

And it is the fact that New York City’s biggest strength is simultaneously also its weakness. I mean, think about it, there is literally everything at every hour available to everyone here. 

The amount of events available means that we are in effect self-appointed Lords and Ladies RSVPing to everything and just deigning to attend whatever happens to be convenient for us at the moment.

How repulsively regal.

Yet honestly, for the events that are not meant for the masses, and you can tell generally speaking which ones are, this carryover attitude has a ravaging impact on the entire ecosystem of events in general.

That’s why I hold such a high standard for my events and will continue doing so going forward. I’ll also hold myself to the same standard and try very hard to attend what I RSVP to when it isn’t a mass marketed event.

My hope is that I’ll be able to spread this value system across communities so that we can achieve a more widespread adoption of this ideal and improve the overall health of our communities, and our respect for those that decide to put the time and effort into creating the amazing events that we are privileged to attend.

What small steps could you personally take to improve the RSVP culture in your community?

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 day pass 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