Big Blowout Bloomberg Party

At the invitation of my dear friend Judy and her 4-and-three-quarters-year-old son Adam, I witnessed first hand the high-end corporate extravaganza that is the Bloomberg Summer Party. A celebration for the kids of the company's employees, this Saturday business blowout catered to every conceivable childhood whim-and then some.

Arriving at Randall's Island, we were greeted by dancing trees, dragons and dinosaurs, butterflies on stilts and talking plants. Guests were offered an overwhelming assortment of kid-friendly activities, including carnival rides, puppet shows, ice skating, jewelry making and catapult water balloon fights. A wide array of sumptuous summer food was on hand to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. No surprise, the candy tent was the most popular with nearly 100 jars of sweet goodies and a make-your-own chocolate bar station. If you needed to vegetate after your sugar rush, you could nap at the hammock station, relax while getting a henna tattoo, gaze at belly dancers, listen to a live rock band, sit in a Nascar-type race car or admire one of the many human 'sculptures' that startlingly sprang to life.

Obviously, this Saturday soiree took excess to extravagant heights. I realized I wasn't at any ordinary corporate get-together when I spotted a baby black bear being led among the guests, followed closely by a kangaroo, chimpanzee, camel, yak, and few llamas thrown in for good measure. The reptile pen and petting zoo housed slightly less exotic beasties that the kids loved just as much. In fact, some of the biggest hits of the party were classics like pony rides, tree forts and carousel horses. The pièce de résistance was the glorious wooden pirate ship complete with (foam) swords, fire pole, pirate queen and a spot-on Jack Sparrow impersonator (whose doubloonin' charm was not lost on the mommies in the crowd, let me tell you!)

I overheard that this full-throttle gala was produced by R Cano Events. With thousands of attendees and hundreds of staff, performers, artisans and musicians, the company wisely took advantage of the top-notch theatrical talent residing around New York City. Truly a jaw-dropping shin dig I will not soon forget.

Bonus: Spending the afternoon with Judy and the adorable, giggly Adam, and the evening with my friend Ann, her many friends and her inspiring spit-fire of a mom Edna. My face hurt from a full day of smiling (or was that eating?)