Smartbox Hunt around Midtown Manhattan
It seems to be the season for scavenger hunts (like the Indie Bookstore Photo Hunt) and I love to see what designers come up with especially when there are prizes! Yesterday I took part in the Smartbox Scavenger Hunt around midtown. I found out about this hunt through a posting on Craigslist and I really had no idea what to expect but it turned out to be a really interesting day.
I had seen the Smartbox product in Borders Bookstore before, but to be honest I never really understood the concept. It is a thin square box with various themes such as Serenity and Adventure. The box contains a booklet with a list of different activities in the area according to the theme. Smartbox is launching a big US project so they planned a hunt in NYC and various other cities in order to promote the product.
The hunt was amazingly planned. I showed up at 9 am at the NY Skyride (a simulated ride in the Empire State Building) with many other competitors. We had already been divided into teams and each team had a captain that worked for Smartbox and that held the clues. We all rode the Skyride and then the teams split up to complete tasks. The team captain paid for taxis around the city and there was delicious food and drink at all of the stops.
The first stop was Ariston Floral Boutique on Lexington Avenue. There we were given a short lesson in flower design (because they have a floral design school at the shop) and then each team was asked to make the image of a flag in pave style floral arrangement. This was a lot of fun and very interesting since I know next to nothing about floral design. We were each given a dozen roses as we left. The next stop was Zamora School of Dance where we took a salsa lesson with Carmen. This is something else I had never done before. Carmen was great, but I don’t think I am destined to be the next big Salsa Dancing star. Finally, we went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Times Square. I had never visited Ripley’s before. We raced around Ripley’s trying to answer a series of questions about exhibits in the museum. I am not sure I would return to Ripley’s, it seemed disappointing compared to its next door neighbor Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, but I had fun searching for the answers.
Once answers were submitted we were given more food and champagne. The winners were announced, but really everyone won something, which was great! I won the Serenity Smartbox. This was the one I was most excited about so I was happy. With the card I can choose a spa treatment (like a massage with a manicure and pedicure) from various spas in NYC or throughout the Northeast. I can’t wait to use it before the holidays! The Smartbox people did a great job organizing the hunt and I can’t wait to use my prize!
