There’s a new luxury resort coming to the Hudson Valley.
Saunas, a wedding space, and two restaurants.
Today’s newsletter is free for all readers because it’s sponsored by Eventbrite.
Today’s newsletter includes: The writer who compared buying back her IP from Morning Brew to Taylor Swift acquiring her masters, a new luxury hotel in the Hudson Valley, one of rhode’s co-founders is starting a sports media company, and the Broadway show I’m seeing next week.
There’s a party concept I’ve been thinking about for a few months and I want to get your thoughts on it.
The idea is that I invite all my friends to Midtown, and we meet on the second floor of Radio City Music Hall. We’re guided into the women’s bathroom, where we’re each seated on the stools lining the mirrored powder room. In front of us: a perfectly color-matched set of cosmetics, fluffy makeup brushes, an eyelash curler, tissues, Q-tips, and a glass of champagne. Behind us, an Oz-like projection of a makeup artist appears and takes us through a thorough, no-shortcuts makeup lesson, so we never again have to question how to wing eyeliner or overline our lips. At the end, we all take selfies in the mirror and never have to watch a makeup tutorial again.
The most interesting events I’ve been to lately all share one thing: they’re doing more than putting people in a private dining room and hoping everyone sticks around until dessert.
Launching a new purse shape? Host a magic show where the magician pulls rabbits and doves out of the bag. Expanding your fragrance collection this spring? Take a group of writers on a tour of The Frick’s Flora Yukhnovich Four Seasons exhibition with Jerry Saltz. Not sure where to host your next book club? Consider Forty Carrots at your local Bloomingdale’s. God knows they need the business. And I’m sure one of you can come up with an idea for how to turn the first day of Lent into a Substack reader event.
A few weeks ago, I wrote that 2026 would be the year of the party reporter. My inbox has been transformed into a bag of all kinds of party tricks – mentalists at fashion parties, day-of invitations to New York City saunas, a book club for every type of reader, and holiday parties on an aircraft carrier have made the world outside of our phones sound so much more exciting than endless scrolling.
Eventbrite’s new Social Study trends report calls this overall shift the “Reset to Real,” and while the term is new, the behavior is already familiar. The study breaks this down into five specific trends that you’ve probably already noticed start to take form on your calendar:
OFF-SCRIPT ENERGY: 79% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents say events should feel spontaneous or unpredictable (or in the case of BURNTORANGEHONEY’s dinners, without phones), and nearly half say that spontaneity is what helps them feel present. In other words: people don’t want to hold the date for your dinner party a month ahead of time – they’re looking for relief from over planning, and finding joy in surprise.
SOFT SOCIALIZING: Nearly 60% of respondents say socializing matters, but they’d rather it not be the focus (which is probably why Eataly’s cooking classes sell out so early). Almost half of respondents said they want control over when and how they interact. Seating arrangements, name tags, and icebreakers often lead to people dipping out of the party early. In its place: what the report calls “Soft Socializing” or experiences where connection happens as a side effect, not an obligation. Per the study’s data, flower-arranging events are up 282% in the UK. There are 66 days until spring, plan wisely.
SHOW UP TO SHAPE IT: Partygoers feel good when they contribute. 50% of respondents said they’re more likely to attend cause-based events for purposes beyond fun. A great example of this was the 2,000+ guests at The Great Community Bake Sale earlier this year, or Rachel Antonoff and Susan Alexandra’s Best in Show-themed fashion show which was also a fundraiser for New York-based animal nonprofits.
NEIGHBORHOOD REVIVAL: The most excited I’ve seen my readers this month was when I tipped them off to the existence of Boerum Bulletin. If you want to get even more local, you can read newsletters dedicated to the four walls of restaurants like Smithereens Zine. According to Eventbrite, “After so much life online, there’s a shift to rediscover the faces, places, and rhythms close to home.” 89% of respondents say it’s important that an event helps them feel connected to their local community, and 40% like discovering
local hidden gems.
LAYERS, NOT LABELS: People are looking for events that mix interests and scenes instead of flattening them. 69% of respondents said they want events that blend different interests. Matt Starr’s horny Burger King reading series immediately stands out as an example of this, blending the literary world, Bravo fandom, and fast food. Eventbrite’s report said that coffee and running events attendance are up 233% in the US, and anime raves are up 82%.
I am curious to hear what you all want more from your events – whether from brands or hangs with friends. You can read Eventbrite’s full report here.
Katie Gatti Tassin wrote about buying back her personal finance brand, Money With Katie, from Morning Brew (comparing it to Taylor Swift buying back her masters). I asked her this morning about what went into the negotiation process. “When you're negotiating for something that can be hard to value, like IP, I think the best thing to remember is that your interests (owning your work, then making money, in that order) are probably different from that of your employer,” she said. “Obviously you need either a good-faith negotiating partner or a significant amount of leverage to bring them to the table in the first place. You have to know what the IP is worth to you and what you're willing to give up for it, either financially or emotionally. It won't always make sense.”
I would also like to host a news segment called Whiskey Fridays.
There’s a new luxury resort coming to the Hudson Valley. Emerson, a hospitality and real estate development firm, announced the acquisition of Black Creek Barns, a historic 153-acre estate in Esopus, New York (never heard of it but it’s 15 minutes away from the Poughkeepsie Amtrak station). They’re planning to turn it into a 70-room resort. Per my conversation with the team, the plans include a 7,000-square-foot indoor event hall (wedding bait), saunas and cold plunges, and two restaurants led by Thomas Lunsford (former GM at 11 Howard, Gramercy Park Hotel, and NoMad NYC). Emerson Hospitality’s site says that they’re also working on Black Creek Apartments – “A historic residential community well-suited to provide quality workforce housing to the underserved hospitality market in the Hudson Valley.” Incredible how with enough money, you can just build a suburb.
In other upstate bathing news, we’ve heard The Henson is adding a pool to their property, and Pocketbook is opening their bathhouse “around March.”
Amy Odell announced that she’s migrating her newsletter from Substack to beehiiv. In a newsletter she published yesterday afternoon, she cited the fact that Substack increasingly feels like social media, as well as the 10% earnings cut Substack takes. I spoke to Amy last night, who told me, “No, beehiiv did not pay me to migrate. I talked to as many people as I could find who made the move to beehiiv, and they were all growing well and happy with their decisions to do so.” She also said that she’s excited about the tools that beehiiv has in place to sell ads, and the flat monthly fee “which covers hosting but also writer support, so you can get the most out of their tools.”
Fanatics and OBB Media are launching a media studio called Fanatics Studios. According to CNBC, Fanatics Studios already has a slate of projects that include serving as a content partner for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and a multipart documentary on Tom Brady. OBB’s founder and CEO Michael Ratner is also a co-founder of Hailey Bieber’s rhode. He will also serve as the CEO of Fanatics Studios.
I just bought tickets to see Carrie Coon in Bug next week. My husband read out the description and I heard “motel room” and “conspiracy” and texted my best friend to see if she wanted to go. Alia Shawkat is also starring in a play that opens next month at Cherry Lane Theater, and someone texted the Feed Me Tip Line this morning about Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson’s upcoming Broadway debut in The Fear of 13, which means my plan to see more theater in 2026 is shaping up well.
Men’s Health asked Tucker Carlson if he’s addicted to nicotine pouches. “Am I addicted? Yeah, in the same sense I’m addicted to eating or breathing or sex. I could stop doing it, but the benefits of doing it far outweigh the downsides. I haven’t seen a downside.”
I think about the how glamorous the women’s restrooms are at Radio City often
I think I already said this here months ago but so many more people are going to be going to the Theater this year and more actors are going to be getting involved in it. The playbill IG story is going to be prominent.