by Julie Baumgardner

“Who needs more things? I think that we all want more experiences,” says David van der Leer, the director of the Van Alen Institute, the public architecture think tank, which hosts its gala benefit tonight. The accompanying online auction, which accepts bids through the end of the week on Paddle 8, features offerings that will occupy space in your memory (and Instagram feed), rather than your home: winning bidders will have the chance to take journeys with 30 noteworthy figures in the architecture and design world.