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Jim Magay |
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What a week it was (March 16th to 21st). I’m sure none of us will forget watching the tragedy in Japan unfold. It almost made the events in Libya and across the Middle East seem trivial by comparison.
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As I begin this article, we are getting ready to drive to New York for an early Vision Expo. Going to be chilly – I like it when it is held later in April when the magnolia trees are in bloom around town. Oh well, all the more reason to hunker down in the beautiful Barclay Bar and Lounge with a classic Manhattan.
This is certainly the year of the web and social media in the optical world, many articles in other optical journals (yes, there are two or three) have been referring minute by minute to Facebook and Twitter updates about everything from hot cocktail parties, the Empire State Building lit up green for St. Patrick’s Day, to notes from buyers rushing down to spend their budgets and attempting to win the premium of the year – an iPad!
We are going to get an early start Saturday AM (good intentions…). Hope to be walking into the show around 10:00 AM to spend a good, productive day on the floor,
More later…
So I get to the Show at 12:30 – not quite as early a start as I would have liked – totally disoriented with the new arrangement but with the able assistance of cheerful guides stationed around the place, it wasn’t difficult to figure it out. (My favorite shoeshine guy was nowhere to be found – always like to get a show update – he usually knows what really is going on.) I visited the Galleria and underground for several hours before venturing upstairs – next year I’m going to bring a Segway or roller blades to get around!
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Hilco's Bill D'Angelo
fitting Jeff Smith
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The great thing about Vision Expo is bumping into old friends around every corner like the gang from Aspex, the folks at Tura, the Hilco guys, (Rich White from Zeiss seemed to be everywhere). Innovations abound at Vision Expo – did you try emPower! at Pixel Optics? Just about every European frame designer worth his salt had a version of screwless hinges on display, we looked at Eco-Lite LED lighting, (bright, cool running and lower electric bills), great new progressive lens designs, lens coatings, everything electronic, and – oh yes, walked around with our publisher Jeff Smith looking for new nose pads (his frame was killing him, a pit stop at the Hilco booth took care of that). |
A nice visit with Jeff and VP Dennis Davis over at Charmant – 5 year warranty on all products – and really spiffy new frames!
Well – on the social side that evening (after swearing I was going to relax at my hotel), I found a terrific little Bistro called Matisse (two guys formerly from Les Halles own it) over at 924 2nd Avenue. Good music, food, and friendly ambience, a nice neighborhood feel to it.
Looking forward to my next trip to the big city!
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