Our very popular Meet and Greet Program is the brainchild of the AWNY New Members Team. The snow-fueled fury of Mother Nature was no match for the determination of our volunteers Dawn, Laura and Susie, who hosted the Meet and Greet at The Roxy Hotel.
The joys of a New York winter have been a challenge for the AWNY New Members Meet & Greet program. Our March 7 event sadly had to be rescheduled due to the snow storm that hit NYC with great force. We felt safe enough to reschedule two weeks later, believing the threat of winter storms was behind us. Now officially into spring, we were confident our new event would take place unimpeded by precipitation.
But New York had another idea! A snow storm struck on March 21. We debated whether to reschedule again, feeling that there were “unforeseen forces out there”, challenging our “tough Aussie-ness”. One of us (Susie) had mixed feelings:
“Sitting in my cosy warm apartment, looking out of my windows and seeing almost horizontal snow drifts hurling passed at great speed, I felt anxious and a bit nervous to venture out. It would’ve been easy to stay indoors! In midtown Manhattan I’m sure that the snow fall was less severe than in the outer boroughs – regular snow plows keep these streets relatively clear of snow. If I stayed in, I would’ve felt a bit like a caged animal, frustrated and unhappy that our exciting Meet & Greet event would’ve been rescheduled yet again.”
Ultimately, our unanimous decision was to go ahead and brave the storm! Having survived the previous winter storm, surely we could face this one, which didn’t seem as though it was going to be as bad.
Seven of us met at The Roxy Hotel, an iconic and stylish downtown hotel. It was a small, intimate and social evening, where we shared stories over a glass of wine (or two) and some great bar snacks. AWNY President, Belinda was spotted doing a little quiet karaoke with the fantastic pianist. Sadly, we have no video or photographic evidence of her latent talent!
For those who couldn’t make it, we missed you! But we understand your instinct to stay indoors. There will be plenty more AWNY events coming up so be sure to check our website and Facebook page. We also have other Meet and Greet networking events coming up – we’ll keep you posted.
If you’re a new Australian or New Zealand woman in NYC, sign up for our Meet and Greet program. Although we can’t promise good weather, we’re confident you’ll appreciate the lasting impact of a friendly face.
Dawn, Laura & Susie
New Members Team Volunteers
Photo credits: Susie Lang, http://www.susielangphoto.com
AWNY | Australian Women in New York 