On October 8th, The Charles team took our annual company retreat, One Fine Day, to the beautiful quarters of Baker Camp on Seven Lakes in upstate New York. With the launch of several new projects, One Fine Day 2015 provided us with a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of agency life.

This year’s One Fine Day was all about connecting with the environment and with each other. While we’re big believers in team activities, we were just as much focused on disconnecting and relaxing, which made a Fall Day in Harriman State Park the perfect location to do so.

The journey kicked off at 7am when we piled into the minivan and started the traffic-free journey across the GWB. The beauty you can find just one hour outside of the city is breathtaking. Baker Camp was our destination, and it did not disappoint.

A row boat race to a scrub island (Peanut Island) was the first activity of the day (congrats to Sam W and Mandela on the win), followed swiftly by Sip n’ See — which was basically two glorious hours of the team moored on row boats, sipping rum, playing harmonica, soaking up rays, and sketching whatever came to mind.

No trip to the country is complete without a fire, s’mores, hot dogs, and excessive wood chopping and hatchet throwing. When we realized that tin foil trays are no match for blazing bonfires, improvisation was key. The day concluded with a high-stakes game of charades and hike around the lake to view sunset. A true definition of One Fine Day.

Jacob Burstein, visual design intern, was able to participate in this year’s One Fine Day as his first introduction to The Charles team.

I’ve officially been in New York for two weeks, and in that time, I’ve found an apartment, perfected my morning bagel order, and of course started working at The Charles. I knew my first day was going to be different when I got an email telling me to pack sunscreen, meet at the offices at 7am, and be sure to bring a waterproof coat. I was prepared for a day of introductions and adventure, but there was no way I could have prepared for the overwhelming warmth the team showed me as I became more and more comfortable goofing around with them.

I left Baker Camp exhausted and sore from the day, but I was ready to come into the office the and start working with the incredible people I met the day before. I truly can’t imagine a better way to be inducted into a creative team than a day like this, and I feel so humbled to be working with such a talented grouping of people.

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