Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Black Tie Ball after party

Remember last week when I told you I was invited to check out the Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Black Tie Ball after party? It was an after party for a gala honoring former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that served as a fundraiser for my beloved Brooklyn Bridge Park. Well, the party was last night, and it was a ton of fun! The weather was beautiful — I was glad I had my sweater and wore tights but otherwise it was super comfortable and wonderful to be outside. And the fundraiser brought in $1,000,000 for the park — such a win for a space that hosts so many fabulous free events!

I was able to bring a friend of mine as my plus one, so we arrived a little before the party started and hung out on the pier, looking at the gorgeous sky line. I took some photos but didn’t manage to get a good one of one of my favorite moments of the night: spotting a few paper lanterns floating up into the sky and across the water toward Manhattan.

After the gala wrapped up and the after party started, we went into the tent where the party was held, got some wine from the bar, and found a table to stand by and chat while doing some serious people-watching. We tried to figure out who was there as press, who was there as a personal donor, and who was there through their work. I’ve only ever attended galas for industry events, so attending a philanthropy event that wasn’t publishing-related was a new experience for me! I spotted Mary Lane from New York Cliche (hi Mary Lane!), which was lovely as she’s one of my favorite NYC bloggers and we’d never met before.

The DJ played a lot of songs we’d danced to lately at weddings or college reunions, so we got out on the dance floor for a while and sang along when we knew the words. It was a Thursday night, though, and getting a little late, so when the music turned a little more techno we pulled a Cinderella and headed for the door — stopping by the water to take just a few more photos.

On the way out we picked up the party gift: a little “grow your own basil” jar. I’m hoping it grows better than the little basil kit I picked up last month, which has not sprouted at all…

It was so lovely to spend time outside with good music and good company in one of my favorite places! Thanks to Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy for inviting me, and here’s hoping they raised a ton of money to keep the great programming they do in the park going!

If you’re interested in getting involved, learn more here!