Hi everybody - Happy New Year!

With the end of the Aughts, I thought I ought to tell you about what's been going on and what's up ahead...

First of all, it has been a great start to 2010. Pop Up Lunch has received over 15,000 visitors in the last 5 days, thanks in large part to some super coverage on Lifehacker.com. My previous benchmark of awesomeness (1,000+ visitors in one day) was set back in November after MidTownLunch bloggage. Totally shattered! Thanks a bunch Lifehacker. Google Analytics, you are truly great as well.

As for next steps - here is what is going on:

Gaining employment is my #1 priority for the new year. After 2.5 years in grad school, I can't wait to get back to work! With that said, I have read through all of your comments, questions and feedback. Your responses have reinvigorated me about the potential for keeping the Pop Up Lunch dream alive.

The well has not run dry and there are a number of new adventures and opportunities that I'd like to explore, ranging from exhibits and pilot tests, to partnerships and full-on production. I will update you with new developments as they happen. In the meantime, I will continue to blog with thoughts, observations, sightings and ideas as they come.

When the weather warms up, I also plan to host another Pop Up Lunch event in NYC. I have some time to plan it out but off the bat, I am thinking there will be a DIY component, for maximum luncher involvement. We'll also see if I can't embrace Twitter by then.

That's all for now. Check back when you have a chance.

- AP

LUNCH BREAK

Heading off to Cali tomorrow for the holidays. Back in 2010. Until then, I leave you with this neat little rendering my husband did of a NYC bus stop turned "lunch stop".

Here's to happy lunching in 2010.

Hey, Everybody

Check out all the great photos to your right!

Have a great weekend.

Best, AP

photographer: Steph Mantis (stephmantis.com)

A Big Shout Out

To the Design Trust For Public Space, for blogging about Pop Up Lunch. I look forward to partnering with you in a future Public Space Potluck!

PS: Be sure to check out "A Place is Better than a Plan," by Andrew M. Manshel, which was featured on the Design Trust blog on Tuesday. This article is Pop Up Lunch approved.

Pop Up Lunch Box

Pop Up Lunch just doesn't stop and today I have a new prototype to introduce to the site. I developed it after watching all these New Yorkers hunched over on public benches with no flat surface on which to comfortably spread their food.

To make lunching a little bit easier, a little bit more beautiful, I created this lunch box, which transforms into a lovely plate when opened.

In Follow Up

After my F+ on national TV, I was thinking about other forms that could serve as "3rd hands" while also being light and compact enough for people to carry around with them. I came up with this magnetic cup-holder. It is made out of polypropylene and folds flat for easy portability. After I made this I realized that it made a lot of sense to just work with a form that we are already really comfortable with: the Coffee Cozy. Why not just embed magnets into one of those?

Love this Pic

Thank you to Steph Mantis (www.stephmantis.com) for doing an amazing job with photographing my prototypes. I particularly love this image. More to come when I get my life back in order after the (organized) chaos of finishing up my last semester at Pratt. Night.