The party went down at Chelsea hotspot M2 (the erstwhile Crobar) where caged go-go dancers aren’t an uncommon sight. While the dancers had the night off, the supersized nightclub was filled with Twitter Nation, a handful of club kids, and folks who just wanted to support the wonderful, watery cause. I’d say about 70 percent of the crowd had a cocktail in one hand and an active PDA/cell phone in the other (full disclosure: although I do not tweet, I did indulge in a glass of $16 chardonnay). It was so packed that my on again, off again claustrophobia made a cameo appearance. But given that the Twestival is a charity event, I was happy to be crushed by altruistic revelers that braved gusty winds to attend.

 

Aside from the fact that many ventured out in inclement weather, I was even more impressed that the crowd — decidedly not your average upper crust-y, philanthropic crew — decided to generously open their wallets (admission cost between $20 and $60 dollars with VIP access going for $100) in the face of widespread layoffs across the city. Like the optimism on display at the Green Depot opening party, the turnout at the NYC Twestival proved to me that despite hard times, interest in earth-friendly living and global relief efforts are not waning.