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New Year’s Eve Events & Adventures San Franscico Bay Area
San Francisco, Santa Clara

A Night to Remember for Bay Area Members

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This New Year’s Eve Bay Area Events & Adventures members truly experienced a night to remember. As San Francisco’s and Santa Clara’s newest Event Managers, we didn’t know what to expect from our first New Year’s Eve with Events & Adventures, but we can honestly say that it was one of the greatest parties we’ve ever had the pleasure to coordinate and attend!

The theme this year was Wicked Winter Masquerade. Picture a room filled with black lace, elegant frost-bitten centerpieces and a little chill in the air (mainly because dancing got HOT…crank up the AC, baby!). As people started to arrive, the ballroom was filled with beautifully ornate masks and even more beautiful faces behind them. Red lipstick left lasting impressions against champagne glasses and as the night went on, you’d find those same impressions left upon unmasked cheeks.

The closer it got to midnight, the more energy seemed to fill the air. The lines between celebration and relief began to blur as 2016 came to a close. All of us had different stories to tell, lessons learned, and hopes for what the new year would bring. But what truly unified us all was the fact that we were going to live this night to the fullest. This was our time.

This New Year’s Eve Bay Area Members were Simply Wicked

11:59pm. Here we are, counting down the last few seconds of 2016, trying to imagine what happens after the clock strikes midnight. The build-up to both a beginning and an erupts as the halls echo with “three..two..one…!”

And there it was. The most perfect moment frozen in time. Everyone is cheering, hugging, kissing and celebrating with each other. Not a single thing could take this moment away from us.  Events & Adventures is all about fun and great experiences, but we’re not above a little sentimentality once a year!  We danced our way well into 2017 and demanded that it knew that this was our year.  We look forward to reporting back on even more upcoming events!

~ Alex & Brittany, Events & Adventures Event Managers for the Bay Area

Events & Adventures Seattle
Seattle

Events & Adventures Seattle Welcomes 2017

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It’s already been a week since the huge New Year’s Eve bash for Events & Adventures Seattle, and as the old expression goes, time sure flies when you’re having fun and our NYE party was definitely that!  We sailed into 2017 on our private Argosy Cruise Ship, the Goodtime III, where our members danced the night away, enjoyed catered cuisine, and sipped free champagne (and doesn’t it always taste better when it’s free?)!  Our cruise took us around Lake Washington, where we passed houseboats and a variety of other seafaring vessels all decked out in holiday cheer.  And because we were out on the lake, our unobstructed view of the Space Needle fireworks was amazing!

The Party is Just Getting Started for Events & Adventures Seattle!

Now that we’ve begun our journey into 2017, we are so excited for another wonderful year filled with new experiences and new adventures!  Already this year we’ve had members “shred the gnar” up on Mt. Stevens, sip wine while painting beautiful artwork, and enjoy a fun Sunday morning on a coffee-crawl!  While there are plenty of exciting events to come, we are especially excited for our next big party, which is already only a month away—our annual Valentine’s Day bash!

Members of Events & Adventures Seattle are looking forward to their very own private club, equipped with DJ, dancing, an amazing light show, and stellar drink options.  In the spirit of promoting “being adventurous!” we will have a mystery drink list, printed on strips of paper which will be drawn from inside a giant mason jar.  Should you be daring enough to try a mysterious adult beverage, you slip the paper to the bartender, who will then concoct the mystery drink and dazzle your taste buds!  For an added element of fun, we request that all attendees will wear white, as well!  This will enhance the psychedelic light show that will be projected and promote a sense of unity and fun.

If you’re an Events & Adventures member but haven’t already checked out our upcoming Seattle events, be sure to do so soon and snag a seat while you can!  And if you’re not, there’s no better time to join Events & Adventures, just in time for our upcoming Valentine’s Day party.  We can’t wait to see you there!

indoor skydiving with Events & Adventures
Dallas

Get Outside Your Comfort Zone with E&A

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One of the many things I love about Events & Adventures is the chance to go outside my comfort zone without having to put in too much effort to accomplish it.  We just went indoor skydiving. I don’t think I’d ever do that on my own. It sounded cool, but would I really do it? Would it be too hard?  With so many other members of Events & Adventures Dallas taking part in the event, I got up the courage to try it. Everyone was excited; some of us were nervous but others were super-pumped to give it a shot!

We had our private flying class and learned how to do it safely while having fun. The jokes in the room made us all more comfortable.  We geared up, and journeyed into the tunnel to wait our turn. I loved that everyone cheered for each other.  Watching others cemented in my mind that I can do this! We had someone taking photos outside the tunnel and I saw everyone smiling and hamming it up for the camera. Watching was almost as fun as flying. My favorite to watch was a member with brown braided pigtails with blue in them. They looked like they had their own flight plans!

I Found a New Comfort Zone — Floating in the Air!

When it was my turn, I fell into the air and felt it catch me and hold me up before the instructor directed me to the middle of the tunnel. I was there for one minute—but it felt like 10.  He gave me directions to improve the experience: legs straighter, arms lower, legs more bent, hands together, and relax.  It was hard, but exhilarating. As I stepped out of the wind tunnel into the seating area everyone clapped and told me how great I’d done. Then, we all got to do it a SECOND time!  Some of our group had the ‘high flyer’ option and the instructor took them up towards the top of the tunnel. I chickened out, but the ones that did it loved it.

When we all exited the wind tunnel area we had a great time talking about how we felt, how each other did and how everyone wants to do it again.  The comradery was the best part. I can actually enjoy getting out of my comfort zone while having other members there to support me. It’s great to feel welcome and supported by so many people that I hardly know. I plan on getting to know them all better!  No other singles club provides that kind of feeling of community like Events & Adventures!

~ Jacque in Dallas

new resolutions group event with Events & Adventures
Vancouver

New Resolutions with Events & Adventures Vancouver

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It’s 2017, and a new year always brings new resolutions, goals, and visions to life.  But we should remember and celebrate the year that is behind us.  We had so many adventures and made so many new friends, and little by little we went out of our comfort zones to experience so many new things that we have never done before.

Even as event manager for Events & Adventures Vancouver, it was a year of many firsts.  In 2016, I experienced white water rafting, paddle boarding, and snorkeling with seals all for the first time, as well as my first salsa cruise, my first swing dance lesson, and my first camping experience in the US.  More importantly, there were many firsts for our great members.  Here are some of their favourite memories of 2016:

“My favourite activity this year was the camping trip at Concrete in May. There was a great group of people and great food. I couldn’t have asked for more—except to do that every weekend, since I’m hooked! There is not enough time to do everything, but 2017 is already off with a bang!” – JoAnne (member since May 2016)

“I can’t choose between the camping trip from the long weekend in September or the New Year’s party in Parksville. Both were amazing events. Overnights are the best because you get to socialize with people for longer periods of time and get to know them on a better level than the weekday events. I got to reconnect with people I know, as well as meet new members. The memories you create will last a life time. I’m looking forward to all the fun 2017 has to offer!” – Samantha (member since December 2015)

“One of my favourite events was Oktoberfest; I visited Munich long time ago and it has the same feel of being in Germany. I love beer and mingling with people so it’s a perfect night for me.” – Chantal (Member since August 2015)

So Let’s Welcome 2017 with New Resolutions!

It is a chapter that has yet to be written, a year full of things that yet to be experienced.  As the Event Manager in Vancouver, my new resolutions for 2017 are to create more events that you may have never heard of or done before, to create a bigger community through our Events & Adventures family, and to not look back at 2017 saying, “I wish”. I want to make everyone who walks into our home feel the sense of comfort and ease and experience a sense of adventure in their everyday lives.  Events & Adventures may be a singles club, but we are way more than that, as well.

Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a great adventure or nothing”, and I believe there is so much truth in that. My hope for you in 2017 is that you live, laugh, and experience many new things in the 12 chapters that make up 2017. Contact Events & Adventures if you want to learn how we do it!

~ Michelle, Event Manager for Events & Adventures Vancouver

Events & Adventures New Year's in Minneapolis
Minneapolis

Events & Adventures Goes Back to the 20s

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Events & Adventures Minneapolis started off 2017 with a bang!  More members came out for our New Year’s Eve Roaring ’20s Gala than any event we’ve put on before.  And everyone was dressed to the nines from flapper dresses to zoot suits! The food was amazing and offered a little of everything, including, of course, the cocktails.  The fabulous 514 Studios hosted the party, where the night kicked off with live music from a wonderful local duo who entertained everyone while they checked in before turning it over to the DJs to make sure everyone was able to dance the night away!  Here is what our members had to say:

“I cut my trip short just to come back for the party. The 18-hour non-stop drive from Texas was so worth it! Sorry fam, but I’ve already made my plans for next year! Loved getting dressed up in theme; everyone was looking fabulous! The dance floor was hopping and the people were great. It was an amazing night! Definitely one of the best New Year’s Eves I’ve had.”  – Amanda

It was an incredible night! Met many great people, with the gems in the women’s hair to their sparkle on their dresses, the men geared to the nines with their shiny shoes!” – Preston

“My favorite part of the night would have to be dancing. Seeing people so free and living it up is contagious! It was definitely a night to remember.” – Raquel

There were so many more great members in attendance, each with their own story to tell.  New Year’s Eve should always be a night to remember, and Events & Adventures puts on a party you’ll never forget.

Events & Adventures Phoenix New Year's Event
Phoenix

Events & Adventures Phoenix Rings in 2017

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Events & Adventures Phoenix brought in the New Year with style—Great Gatsby style, that is—as we rang in 2017 at the spectacular Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel. There was no more fitting place than the Sheraton Grand Phoenix to celebrate a new year like it’s the Roaring ’20s; it’s right in the heart of Phoenix, just steps away from the convention center, restaurants, arenas and museums.

Old and new Events & Adventures friends gathered their best 1920s gear and showed us all that a little party never killed anybody. Dressed to the nines, everyone showed off a bit of their personality with their best ’20s get-ups. Flapper dresses, boas, long strands of pearls, fedoras and suspenders lined the dance floor as everyone showed off their best moves while the DJ spun away.  To keep the memories of the night alive we had a photo booth that beautifully captured the laughs, happiness, and fun of the evening.

Nobody Parties Like Events & Adventures Phoenix

And the fun didn’t stop there! As we clinked glasses and cheered to new friendships courtesy of our open bar, we also played our best hands at the blackjack table in true 1920s fashion. For all of those eager to find out what their new year had in store for them, we were also guested with a psychic who provided tarot readings and good fortune for all. Events & Adventures Phoenix couldn’t have thought of a better way to say “out with the old and in with the new” than at this event. As we all counted down those 60 seconds to a brand new year full of endless, exciting, and adventurous possibilities, everyone seemed to be ear to ear with happiness as we toasted in 2017.

Let’s just say the Great Gatsby himself had nothing on this event! There really is no better way to ring in a new year than with Events & Adventures. We are so excited for the New Year and to share in all of those adventurous New Year’s resolutions. Say hello to 2017 with new friends, new adventures, and a new you!

Events & Adventures New Year's Eve Party
Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle, Uncategorized, Vancouver

New Year’s Eve Party How-to Guide

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The Experts at Events & Adventures Share How to Throw a New Year’s Eve Party

  • Location. Where you choose to throw your party is almost as important as what you do at your New Year’s Eve party!  Are you going for a destination event, like hosting it at the beautiful and historic Hotel Galvez?  If your guests are going to travel you want to make sure you make it an all-day or two-day affair.  Planning meals and cocktail hours in the area makes for a complete experience your friends will enjoy.  If you want to stay in the city, look and feel is important.  A good planner can transform any space, but why spend the extra time if you don’t have to?  Book early if you can, but if you have to book late then make sure to negotiate.  Banquet/event coordinators will be willing to negotiate because an additional, unexpected end-of-the-year sale will bump their paycheck and year-to-date totals. So we recommend going private if you can.  Separating yourself from the party people who have a carefree spirit on New Year’s is a way for your guests to relax and get into the event.  If you book a room in a restaurant or bar hire security to keep out unwelcome guests and under-age explorers.
  • Theme?  Putting pressure on your guests to dress up or do work for your event must be taken seriously.  Am I really going to have more fun if I make a mask for a masquerade ball or a western theme?  If the answer is yes, make sure your guests know exactly what to expect.  To put it bluntly—don’t half-ass it.  Expect to put in some money to make it come to life in the space you are using.  Simple color scheme themes make it easy for people to participate without having to put in a lot of effort.
  • Food?  Start later and go lighter.  If you start around 9pm, most of your guests will have eaten dinner beforehand allowing you to have more fun with your food budget.  Finger foods only with light or no sauce—you don’t want there to literally be stain on your evening! Food is important if you plan on a night of drinking so think about serving lite bites that will soak up at least a couple Manhattans.
  • Drinks.  We’re talking booze for a New Year’s Eve party, so this is where you want to focus your budget.  Don’t cheap out.  Open bar at most venues will run you about $15-25 per hour per person depending on your options.  The perfect time to host a bar is from 9:30 pm to 12:30 am.  If you are running the bar yourself, try to focus on one or two signature cocktails, two wine choices, and a mix of quality beer and domestics.  If you are hosting the party you shouldn’t feel obligated to stock an entire bar.  Choose one or two of your favorites and stock up.  A fun bourbon drink and vodka will cover most of your bases. You can still serve bourbon on the rocks and shake up a martini for those guests who just have to have it their way.
  • Entertainment.  Friends and tasty cocktails should be all you need for a fun-filled evening.  If you must add on, keep it simple.  A photo booth and casino are easy.  You don’t want your guests to separate themselves from the party vibe or have to sit and think about anything else other than socializing.  If you must spend more money, consider upgrading your drinks or investing in drivers to take guests home at the end of the evening.
  • Champagne Toast.  This is a must have, but even though it’s a New Year’s Eve party, don’t overspend on champagne.  Get the cheap stuff and rip the label off or keep it in the kitchen, then pour and serve to your guests.  You’ve already given them drinks and no one needs more than a sip of champagne after their liquor or they will regret it the next day.  If you are hosting a house party, only people trying to look cool will splurge on fancy champagne glasses they will only use once, so use the plastic.  When half of your guests drop their glass they won’t have to feel bad for breaking your stemware.

Hopefully, these tips that we’ve learned over the years at Events & Adventures will help you throw some awesome New Year’s parties of your own.  And if you’re ever in doubt, or want to skip the work, joining Events & Adventures is a great way to take part in legendary bashes and meet new people without having to buy all the booze and handle all the planning!

Events & Adventures Chicago New Year's Eve Party
Chicago

New Year’s Eve in Chicago with E&A

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New Year, New Us!

The party was on this past New Year’s Eve, but whether you believe in making resolutions or not, we can all agree that achieving any kind of self-improvement can only help us live a more fulfilling life.  This past weekend over 150 Chicago singles decided that they wanted to do just that by starting the New Year meeting other singles and expanding their social circles.  So for our 2016 New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball, Events & Adventures chose Townhouse Restaurant and Wine Bar to be the scene of the crime!

Talk was all about the party before, during, and after the event.  Members made their way into the venue wearing their carefully selected masks and formal attire.  New and familiar faces made their way around the room trying to guess who was who, making new friends, and writing their New Year’s resolutions on our resolution board.  After enjoying their favorite frosty beverage and grabbing a slider or two from one of the floating hors d’oeuvres trays, it was time to hit the dance floor!

Every year starts and ends with our New Year’s Eve Bash!

Events & Adventures makes it fun and easy for our members to meet other singles through our interactive events.  At the NYE party, members certainly didn’t shy away from making new connections.  Whether it was grabbing a crazy hat or mustache and hopping over to the photo booth with their friends, trading for their favorite colored 2017 led glasses, or dancing to the tunes of the DJ, by the time 11:59 rolled around many were ready for that New Year’s kiss.

Our New Year’s Eve bashes are only once a year, but they are each more like once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  You never know who’ll meet or what the night will have in store because no one throws a NYE party like Events & Adventures.  There is no better way to start the year than with new friends and great memories—and 2017 is only starting!

mini golf with Events & Adventures Bay Area
Uncategorized

Mini Golf is a Blast in the Bay Area

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Get to Know Urban Putt Mini Golf – Your Inner Child Will Thank Me Later!

In a city like San Francisco, it can be hard to slow down to appreciate the simple things in life. When you’re constantly running around being the responsible adult that your parents are so proud of, it’s nice to grab those little moments where you can be a kid again. That’s why we were so excited to plan an event at Urban Putt, an AWESOME mini golf bar here in the city. Their venue is very modern, with a little nod towards the steampunk aesthetic that they carry out through their elaborate course.

Upon our arrival, we noticed that there was a wall of Polaroid pictures. When we moved a little closer, it became very apparent that all of the photos had one thing in common—all of the groups were holding little pink putters. Being the curious group that we are, we had to ask what this was all about. When we were told that it was a challenge to play the whole course with the smallest (and I mean, bite-sized) putter, we were IN. It became our mission right then and there to make it on the wall, and ultimately into the hearts of many. So, armed with tiny pink putters in hand, we headed onto the course.

We ended up golfing our way through San Francisco streets, underwater kingdoms, mazes, and beautiful mountains that I’m convinced were pulled from the set of “The Sound of Music”. You know what this means, right? Oh yeah. We made it on the wall. And since I’m a firm believer in “pictures or it didn’t happen,” the proof is below! I think I can speak for us all when I say that this is the proudest moment of all of our lives…but don’t quote me on that.

Urban Putt was another great opportunity to get together with the great members of Events & Adventures in the Bay Area and do the things you love to do but never get the chance to do, or to even do things you didn’t know existed!

Amazon tour with Events & Adventures
Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Seattle, Travel Events, Vancouver

Amazon Tour with Events & Adventures

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Amazing Amazon Tour with members of Events & Adventures

An Amazon tour is not something the average American gets to experience firsthand, but visiting the rainforest is something that has always been beyond my bucket list.  How awesome would it be to visit one of the most remote and spectacular places in the world?  But to actually do it…um, no thank you.  I wouldn’t say I’m a girly girl, but I really don’t like bugs.  I mean I really Don’t. Like. Bugs.  But as event manager with Events & Adventures, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel across the country and around the world with the club and its members, and I can tell you Events & Adventures does travel right.  So when I saw an Amazon tour was being planned my curiosity was immediately piqued.  We reserved the entire Amazon Clipper Premium boat, and Erik’s Adventures customized an eight day Amazon river trip just for us.  I had to ask myself, “When was I going to get this opportunity again?”

When I told my family and friends I was going on a trip to the Amazon River they either laughed or looked at me dumbfounded—but I am so glad I did it!  The Amazon Clipper was lovely. Our cabins were super clean and even had air conditioning, and the staffed visited two or three times a day to make the bed and tidy the room.  Even though I brought PB&J in case the food was weird (don’t judge), the food was amazing.  While we enjoyed all kinds of meat, fish, veggies and fruit from the area, the chefs prepared the meals with Western tastes in mind.  Sufficed to say, I never opened the peanut butter or jelly, and I ended up giving them to the head chef before we left.  I swear I’d not eaten that much the entire month before.  I definitely packed on a few pounds from the yummy and seemingly never-ending food we were so graciously served during our trip.

So now that I felt assured my creature comforts were not going to be uncomfortable, I felt safe enough to check out my surroundings. That’s when it really occurred to me—I was actually on a boat in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, and it was spectacular!  Did you know that every 100 km there is a different ecosystem?  That means there are different species of trees and plant life, as well as different inhabitants and cultures, throughout the rainforest.  We traversed the Amazon River and then explored one of its main tributaries, the Rio Negro.  We took ‘canoes’ (a 16-seat long boat with an engine) every dawn and after sunset from the boat to tour smaller tributaries and explore the shorelines.  We saw variety of birds, snakes, and reptiles (like gator relative the caiman) on every ride. We even had flying fish land in our canoes—usually after ricocheting off someone’s leg or chest!

I was thrilled that all my insect repellent purchases were rarely needed.  A little bug spray and we were fine.  Back home in Texas seemed to have more mosquitos than we encountered on our Amazon tour.  During the trip, we drank bottled water and showered in filtered river water.  We were advised to get some vaccines prior to the trip.  The hepatitis A vaccine was a good idea, but I’d probably skip the malaria, typhoid and yellow fever vaccines if I did it again.  We walked through the rainforest with a guide that carried a machete to clear the path that is covered with overgrowth in days.  The naturalists showed us how the trees release rubber, milk and sap and how the native people remove the cyanide from the plant to use the fibrous root.  They even showed us how to protect ourselves from a jaguar and how to build a fire in an area that is always wet.

One day we planned to visit the ‘ruins’.  I was very excited because I love ancient history and super old stuff in general.  Well, these ruins were from the rubber baron era of the early 1900s, so they were not quite ancient as it turns out.  But the way the jungle has consumed them you’d think these ruins were at least 500 years old.  Besides the ruins, there are national parks that are world heritage sites.  These sites have the highest level of environmental protection in the world and are rarely visited except by scientists.  Visitors on an Amazon tour must leave anything that could be hunting or fishing gear with the park rangers upon entering (which is by boat).  These rangers work a month at a time since it takes eight to nine hours by speedboat just to get there.  We kept these hard working rangers entertained by trying to make conversation, but they spoke no English and we spoke almost no Portuguese.  So we just gave them candy!

We visited areas that are almost never encountered by humans.  We couldn’t even leave our canoes in the park, it was that pristine.  The sunsets over the Rio Negro (so named because the slow moving water contained so much decomposing vegetation it is almost black) were astounding.  And the stars?  WOW. I had no idea the southern hemisphere has different constellations. They were so bright; I wish they would have come out better in our photos.  Even the occasional downpour in the rainforest was impressive.  On our first night, I watched one for a few minutes from the comfort of the partially enclosed bar.  It was just me and Mother Nature at four in the morning.  One surprising highlight was when we met the most elusive and probably ugliest water mammal ever, the fresh water pink dolphin. There is a spot they are known to frequent because they are fed fish they don’t have to hunt.  But belly rubs were out of the question—a quick touch is all they would accept. Even the amount of food and how often they are fed by humans is strictly controlled to ensure preservation.

Our Amazon tour brought us as close to a truly native people as you will ever be.  Meeting a tribe and watching some of their ceremonial dances was incredible.  They were a very private people, but they like to have visitors so they can share their heritage and customs.  If they are accepting visitors, two white flags are hung by the river bank. If not, they hang black ones. The truly live in large huts made of the trees in the area. All the furniture is handmade too; their pots and cooking tools are made of metal.  No plastic, no glass.  Our naturalists translated for us and we even got to participate in one of the dances.  We bought crafts and jewelry they hand make; the blow dart guns were a huge favorite.  They were so friendly and the kids amazed by our clothes…and our height.

For our last travel day on the Amazon tour we had one final dawn canoe ride.  We took a small tributary from the Amazon to the Rio Negro. The trees were moving—and not moving because of wind.  As we got closer we could hear a chirping, squeaking sound.  Suddenly, we saw lots of little faces!  The canoe drivers and guides opened their sacks and started pulling out dozens of overripe bananas.  A few spider monkeys make a bee line for their treats.  Once the others figure out that there really is a snack and it’s safe, they make their way onto the boats, too; over, under, across, however they can get to the fingers that are offering a sweet treat.  We were inundated with 30 or 40 friendly little monkeys sitting on our shoulders, laps, even heads where they were enjoying the snacks we had to offer.  Naturally, when the bananas were gone the spider monkeys made their way back to the trees.

I still can’t believe I went on this trip.  Going as a member instead of staff was the best decision I could’ve made!  It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, one everyone should try and I’m so glad I left my comfort zone (or at least thought I was going to) to take the chance to do something this amazing, astounding, spectacular…words really can’t do it justice.  If anyone ever has this opportunity, take it—with both hands!  I hope Events & Adventures offers this Amazon tour again so you can take advantage of it too!  The staff and members of all the clubs from around the country will make sure it’s an experience you will never forget.

~ Jacque C., Events & Adventures Dallas