New York Local and Regional News

As executive engagement manager at Microsoft’s New York office, Rosalind Murphy is something of a social liaison between her account managers and the Fortune 500 clientele they serve. She produces activities and meetings to develop brand relationships, with guest lists often limited to C.I.O.s and other I.T. executives—not surprising in the tech sector. But Microsoft desires to deepen its business ties, and part of Murphy’s job is to increase her company’s contacts within its client base. Used to working with male-dominated technology departments, Murphy expanded her brand’s network with a series of quarterly events just for women. In the two years since she introduced the Women’s Executive Forum, she has already established it as a popular event series, buoyed diversity at other Microsoft functions, and increased contacts within clients such as Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Sony. What sparked Microsoft’s push to seek out more female clients? We just wanted to reach out to women. The staff at Microsoft is about 75 percent male, and one of the things we found in our accounts was that when you get to the customer base, the chief information officers are also typically men. We wanted to develop other executives, so we made this a push to find people beyond the normal I.T. roles in different areas like marketing and finance. We wanted to seek out the developing female executives, women who might be in director or vice president roles now but are up-and-coming in our client base.

THE WALKTHROUGH: Hell’s Kitchen Eatery Debuts With Semiprivate Nooks, Room for Groups
Agua Dulce, a Latin restaurant on Ninth Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, opened quietly three weeks ago. A few blocks from Piers 92 and 94 as well as the diverse array of hotels, offices, and museums surrounding Columbus Circle, the eatery is a convenient spot for business groups as well as those attending or hosting trade shows at the nearby piers. With a total of 3,750 square feet spread across two levels, Agua Dulce seats approximately 200 and can fit an additional 20 on the sidewalk during the warmer months.

Critical Shopper | Hollister: A Long, Lusty Walk on a Short Pier
This huge new flagship an ominously dark, discombobulating ghost world of unobtainable beauty and unreachable aspiration also sells surf-inspired clothing.

A Night Out With | Matthew Settle: Peter Pan on Wheels
Hanging out with the actor Matthew Settle, who plays an ex-rocker father on Gossip Girl, skateboarding in Manhattan with his friend Justin Hall.

EVENT REPORT: City Museum Boosts Membership With Second Summer Bash
Events for younger museum patrons have typically taken place during the city’s busy months in the fall, spring, and winter seasons. The Whitney Contemporaries host the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Art Party every May, the Frick Collection has its Young Fellows Ball in late February/early March, and the Guggenheim previously held its annual Young Collectors Council gala in December. But the Museum of the City of New York’s Young Members Circle chose to throw its gathering last Thursday, the second time the nonprofit organization has targeted a younger demographic with a mid-week summer reception. In fact, the event—dubbed the Big Apple Bash—serves more than one purpose. In addition to taking advantage of the slow season when guests are less likely to have busy calendars, the party is also designed to boost membership among twentysomethings and provide an incentive to get more people in to see the institution’s new spaces. Currently under renovation, the Museum of the City of New York remains open and last May completed its first phase, which includes the 4,700-square-foot terrace where the event was held.

EVENT REPORT: Southwest Airlines Teams Up With Bryant Park, Tom Colicchio for Summer Lounge
Just a few days before Southwest Airlines launched service into LaGuardia Airport on June 28, a small outdoor cafe and patio opened in Byrant Park. A collaboration between Southwest, Bryant Park Corporation, and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, the pop-up venue—dubbed the Southwest Porch—has since hosted packed crowds on a nightly basis, while subtly informing guests about the airline’s new flights—at least that’s what Southwest hopes. “We were looking for a creative way to let people know about our new service and to take the opportunity to refresh the brand in one of the biggest media markets in the country,” said Southwest vice president of communications and strategic outreach Linda Rutherford. “Buying advertising in this town is typically expensive, so with a relatively modest budget, we wanted to make the money work harder for us.”

TED KRUCKEL: Wacky Watermill Center Still Draws Dress-to-Impressers
The gardens and grounds surrounding the Watermill Center were positively crawling with photographers, camera crews, and commentators during the cocktails preceding the annual summer benefit held on Saturday. But unlike most other Hamptons gangbangs, they weren’t all packed together, clamoring for Kelly Ripa’s attention. In fact, while I asked Rufus Wainwright about his second annual concert here (“Last Song of Summer” with Norah Jones on August 29), I sensed photogs whizzing behind me, unawares. That’s because there were tons of crazy and (mostly) interesting art performances and installations to shoot. This year’s theme, “Inferno,” was especially fruitful, yielding:

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