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!

🍬The Scoop 🍬

• UPCOMING EVENTS

  • NOTABLE NYC EVENTS THIS WEEK FROM OUR FRIENDS

    • WHAT'S NEW

  • THE SUGARY EFFECT

  • PAST EVENTS

    • AND DON’T SAY I DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT…

• Connect IRL. Experience Fabrik.

  • EMPATHY PROJECT

October 19th (Central Park) - Pickleball Social III - Join DK as he leads a session of pickleball for our community.  Learn to play and if you’re seasoned, get your game on with some seasoned players within the Sugary community.  Just don’t challenge DK…he’s…a touch competitive. RSVP Here
_{(Social Battery Level: Medium Ambivert - Crowd Size 10-25)}

October 20th (East Village) - NFL Double Header Watch Party (49ers vs. Chiefs + Jets vs. Steelers) - NFL season is in full force and we’re setting up a viewing party for an epic doubleheader with the first match re-creating last year‘s Super Bowl matchup and the final match in support of one of our hometown heroes. Come join us for a serious good time as we all cheer for our favorite teams and enjoy 50% off entire bar!
RSVP Here
_{(Social Battery Level: Medium Extrovert - Crowd Size 30-50)}

October 26th (Chelsea) - GOALszn Workout & Coffee! - Join us for a dynamic 40-minute SWEAT440 workout—perfect for all fitness levels, from beginners to seasoned athletes. This fast-paced session combines cross-training, strength, and HIIT, all designed to energize and motivate you in a small group setting. After the workout, stick around for coffee on the house, hosted by GOALszn at Blankstreet 590 6th Ave. RSVP Here _{(Social Battery Level: Low Ambivert - Crowd Size 20-30)}

GOALszn is a game to track workouts with friends. Sign up for their newsletter HERE 
_{(Social Battery Level: Low Ambivert - Crowd Size 20-30)}

_{(Space is very limited for each of these events so if you’d like to attend to any of these events, please hit the RSVP button below sooner than later!)}

NOTABLE NYC EVENTS THIS WEEK FROM OUR FRIENDS

Fri. 10/25-26 - Art Bath Fall ‘24 Season Show 2: RSVP Here. (Use code ARTBATH10 for a discount).

Mon. 10/28 - Soul Expansion : Breath & Sound Experience - Join us for an unforgettable evening, where the night will be alive through the joy of community. As the evening unfolds, Freddy & the Band of Souls will share with you the power of breathwork accompanied by mesmerizing live music.

All attendees will also receive a FREE PASS to Othership & 1 year membership to the Othership app. Plus Kala Red Light Therapy will showcasing their skin products and giveaways!

RSVP HERE use SoundMind30 for 30% discount!

Hello from Formosa aka Taiwan!

Greetings from the other side of the world! I’m now writing to you from the quaint city of Taipei and soon to be Kaohsiung.

Since I’m 12 hours ahead, I’m technically writing to you from the future.

And while I have nothing extremely earth shattering to report with this momentary temporal advantage along the lines of election results or breakthroughs in human innovation, I can at least confirm that Asian hotels offering free breakfast now and forever is a real win, plushy versions of anything will inevitably exist here then spread out into the known universe and most importantly, that boba bubble tea is in fact a Taiwanese invented drink comprising of just tea, milk, sugar and tapioca pearls (Dragon’s Den show reference for those who might not yet be hip to the culturally appropriative controversy brewing there [respect to Simu Liu for taking a publicly visible stance on the matter]).

It’s been nearly a decade since I came here and there’s a familiarity to it with a more modern and international twist that a decade of time elapsing tends to bring.

So in any case, for the next month or so, I’ll be here and you’ll be there but the newsletters release schedule will remain the same.

Definitely appreciate all the well wishes I’ve received and look forward to staying connected with you all despite my temporary geographical relocation.

🍬🍭🍰 Sugary

THE SUGARY EFFECT

‘Twas the Months Before Christmas

So, as the summer draws to a close and nature turns its attention towards fading glory with the panoramic myriad of an autumnal sheen, I begin setting myself up towards a more holiday themed endeavor while most pack into the nearest Spirit Halloween store, hell bent on adorning some cheap plastic facade of ghoulish, parodic (or sexy) expression to liven up the month’s end.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of my holiday card writing tradition.

What began back in college as a way to keep in touch with friends on holiday break has since ballooned from a handful of cards to a full blown expository operation involving over 1000 handwritten cards…with a schedule that rivals a retail store’s holiday decor schedule…or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” seasonal massive uptick in streaming.

It’s the longest I’ve ever carried any practice and has become a crucial tether to friends both near and far.

Now as I look back at a quarter century of handwriting and hand cramps, here are a few things in 25 years I’ve come to notice with a sample size of about 1000 folks from across 6 continents mainly in their 30’s and 40’s:

• The price of a domestic postage stamp was $0.33 in 1999…today it is $0.73 (cue the “When I was your age…” line)

• Pen quality actually matters. Not all pens are created equal and if you think you can get through this large a writing project with just a basic Bic…you’d better prepare for calluses and carpal tunnel (for the record, I use Uniball Vision Elite pens).

• I started out with no more than a small handful of cards to mail out…today I carry a large sack like an Asian Santa Claus and flood my local post office with enough letters they have to clear the bin twice just to accommodate my “delivery”…the people waiting in line usually look at me in disbelief.

• Among my recipients, about 1/2 are married, of that group more than a few have since divorced, 1/3 are in relationships and the rest are single (those divorced joined the latter groups).

• By this time most folks have moved on average 4-6 times changing at least 2-3 states or countries on average.

• Most of my friends ultimately gravitated towards medium to large cities.

While these might be fun little bits to amuse yourself with, still a more pervasive question from my more practical minded friends and family over the years is,

“Why bother?”

Well…

People wonder constantly why I seem to strain Dunbar’s number theory (150 contacts marks the cognitive limit on those with whom we can maintain a stable social relationship involving trust and obligation with)

…this is definitely one of the reasons and no I’m not trying to challenge the number just to test the theory.

While by no means the only practice I engage in to help me stay connected “at scale” with so many friends, I can point to a few insights that this particular annual endeavor provided over the years:

Details Matter: Did someone move? What was the reason for the move? Do they have a significant other? Has that significant other become official or did it end up not working out? Are there additions to the family to include (fur babies included as per request)? These facts may be the basics, but they also happen to be the most important. No matter what anyone says, there’s an inescapable appreciation for someone that cares enough to know and perhaps more importantly, a willingness to put in the effort.

Timing Matters: Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t always a good time to reach out but you won’t always know that. And while I’ll always prefer an ill-timed reach-out versus none at all, around the holidays the sentiment generally leans towards people wanting to hear from folks in their lives. In reaching out during the holidays, there’s a greater chance that your outreach will be welcomed wholeheartedly since the season is specifically themed to have reconnection on everyone’s mind that supersedes the day to day burdens of life.

Hold, Please: The reality is that given life and geography, you won’t actually reconnect in a timely manner. However, putting forth this effort creates a positive placeholder for the moment in which you do reconnect.

Method of Loci: Experts in memory will tell you one of the most important tools they have for retaining vast amounts of recollection is the use of a tool called a memory palace (The technique involves envisioning a location or physical space that you are extremely familiar with). Well, in this case, my palace is a massive excel spreadsheet which represents a conceptual space where everyone has their place and revisiting it every year keeps my memory and attachment to everyone tangible and present. It’s powerful stuff.

Practice Makes Peace: While I may not be into meditation or breath work as much as some of you out there are, writing these cards puts me in a meditative space as I derive great contentment and joy from offering people grace during the holidays. The American Psychiatry Association published an article just in 2023 citing that,

“Everyday simple acts of kindness can contribute to boosting your mood, reducing stress, and possibly alleviating symptoms of depression or anxiety. In addition, what might seem like a small kind gesture could have a greater impact than you might think.”

I would only add…that it goes both ways…

If change is the only thing that’s constant in life, keeping in constant recognition of that change is tantamount to appreciating life itself.

From my unique vantage point I can say that though we all generally deal with similar themes, our processes and personalities make it a near infinite marvel to behold.

And so from my little corner in the world, I’ll continue my festive dispatch, a tiny workshop tinkering at the greatest gift one could be reminded of…

…our connection with one another.

I’m curious as to what traditions or practices you maintain over the years and how they have evolved over time if at all? 🙂 

🍬🍭🍰 Sugary

PAST EVENTS

October 4th: The Rubin: A Farewell to History - Nearly 30 of you joined us to experience this historic museum one final time before they officially closed their doors for good after 20 years of sharing the brilliance of Himalayan art with NyC. We were happy to provide this opportunity for our community as we bid farewell to one of NYC most venerated contemporary institutions.  Let’s hope the space doesn’t become ANOTHER Chase bank…

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Andrew Scott

I’ve really been excited for some time to write about this one…

Rare are artists that come along and stun you with the expert execution of simple ideas with an impact so immediate and visceral that it supersedes the bounds of the uncommon.

For Andrew Scott, this is par for the course as he draws inspiration for his work from everyday activities and breaks the 4th wall with the purest expressions of the emotions they evoke.

A few examples: 

• A kid hitting a baseball with a bat towards the viewer, cracks the glass guarding the image at the point of impact.  

• A little girl taking a leap across the bottom of the framed image quite literally has a part of the frame broken where she attempts the harrowing jump.  

• A boy holding an umbrella shields himself from a deluge of white paint raining down on him and ultimately bleeding out and out and onto the frame itself.

With a spirit of nostalgic illustration  paired with a street artist’s daring, Scott’s use of white space and muted minimal color helps you to really focus on the simplicity of the idea while being amused by the unique and unexpected way in which the artwork engages with you and makes you a participant by the very mere acknowledgment of “I see what he did there”. 

If art is meant to take life, Scott’s work is charmingly “animated”.

Not bad for an artist that got his start copywriting for local ad agencies in his home of Rochester and went on to amass over a billion views across social media delighting art enthusiasts near and far with his incredible gift.

Despite this notoriety, much of it has occurred within the last 2 years and there are still countless people yet to discover Andrew’s work…

…so I’m thrilled to help fan the flame of this incredible artist and celebrate his continued success for more people to enjoy.

Definitely do yourself a favor and check out this brilliant artistry adn if you can, even pick up a piece or two as I’m certain Andrew’s work will only become more sought after in the years to come. 

Shatter Pt. II (Sample 1)

Burn (Sample 2)

Artsy (Collection of Samples)

Connect IRL. Experience Fabrik.

Get in touch for a free week to come in 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 week at Fabrik.

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