Pat Hurley,
VP / Creative Director,
The Sanders Group
When I was young, in the 70’s, I was in New York City. I had always romanticized New York, but out of school and on my own, I loved it out of all proportion with reality. I walked the streets that Gershwin and Fitzgerald walked, stood in front of the Brill Building where Paul Simon got his start, visited Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Village row house, and envisioned Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin. And, yeah, I wondered if I could, somehow, project my little songs or stories (or something) on that big, wild, beautiful town.
Fast forward four decades and I had become a corporate communications writer and producer-media-type guy. I had a family and an actual career in a great Midwestern city. I loved the journey and had a blast every step of the way. And I found myself doing an IPO at NASDAQ — Times Square looked like Disney World now. In my downtime, I walked. Like I did as a kid full of dreams, intoxicated with youth, and inspired by the city. This time, I time travelled.
Everyone’s journey through life is partly planned, partly luck. Some dedication, and a pinch of daydreams. I’ll confess, in the 70’s I was bold enough to envision myself playing Madison Square. But in 2013, staying at the ‘W’, having dinners at DelMonico’s, meeting people at the Plaza, and finding myself in places the 70’s version of me couldn’t get in unless I was playing in the lounge, I realized a few things: I’m one lucky guy. I still love the town like no other. And I just can’t throw out these shoes that I wore, and travelled through time in, on that bookend engagement.