Set in various corners of the expansive Ballroom, the pushcarts featured different kinds of Absolut drinks. Eben Freeman, Don Lee, TJ Lynch, and Martim Ake Smith-Mattsson were all hard at work plying their concoctions—one even offered snow cones infused with Absolut Acai, the flavor of the evening. It was a bit like a Slushee, but with booze – a Lushee, as it were.
The band was against the far wall: a bassist, keyboardist and singer sandwiched by two laptops. Their sets included an interesting mix of samba and synth—depending on the song, you could imagine this band playing in a hotel lounge uptown or a club on the Lower East Side.
The entire evening was a reminder that winter is losing its grip on the city, and people are more ready than ever to shed their coats and cares. As I left, a chilled rain was falling on Union Square West—but I smiled knowing that it wouldn’t last much longer.
