Vintage Irving
118 E. 15th Street.
Moment in time:
5/15/2010 8:00 PM
Gorgeous Guests:
Jamie Conniff
Sandy Placido
Melanie Russell
Jeremy Bloom
Esme von Hoffman
Josh Schulteis
and ME
*There were a shocking number of people who were already linked to each other, unbeknownst to ME. Jamie and Esme were in the same secret society at Yale and had run into each other in the park directly before dinner, but didn't tell each other where they were going; Josh and Tony (who unfortunately couldn't make it at the last minute) performed in the international tour of "West Side Story" together; and Jeremy works for the mom of one of Ethan's students!
Exquisite Edibles:
Sangria flights -- tempting tasting of all four featured sangrias -- AMAZING. (Triple berry and citrus/mango were our faves.)
Crispy Oriental Calamari
Mesclun greens with white balsamic
Meat & cheese features
Pre-dinner query:
If you were given unlimited capital to start a company tomorrow, what would you name it?
Answers:
"One Earth Now" (Ethan)
Imagine if we were all on the same page about climate change and the environment.
"Envision" (Sandy)
Ethical, sustainable, and overall respectable documentary film making.
"85-89 Jane" (Jeremy)
Would buy two garages on Jane Street (currently actually for sale - $35 million!) and make it the ultimate theatrical venue.
"C. C. Thomson" (Josh)
Preserving the art of the American mix tape.
"Syncopated Media" (Esme)
Independent, nontraditional film making.
"Mantini" (Meg)
Hooters for women. Where there was beer and wings, there's now martinis and manicures.
"Growly Inc." (Jamie)
Paying homage to Jamie's grandfather and the charming stories he told about bouncing melons.
"Stella's Attic" (Melanie)
Melanie would concoct a crazy character names Stella who's been everywhere, seen everything, and is the everywoman. Under the auspices of Stella's Attic, you could find everything: vintage clothing, publishing, charity work, and beyond.
Questions at Dinner:
-If you could pick a fictional romance to live out, what would it be?
"Lady and the Tramp" (Josh), Pride and Prejudice (Jamie), Kavalier and Clay, Sam & the actor (Ethan. It's a book.)
-If you could commission a new piece of art from any artist for any occasion, what would you commission?
Mark Morris: choreograph my wedding (Ethan), Stephen Sondheim: new custom-built musical (Meg)
-Would you rather be permanently expelled from the US and required to move every 3 months
OR
be forced to move to Dodge City, Kansas and only be allowed to leave for three weesk once a year ?
This was fascinating. First, everyone was gung HO about the gypsy life. Then people realized that that shit would be stressful and started leaning towards Dodge. Josh was strictly on the side of travel. We also brought up the question of money and lifestyle: several people felt that if they were rich, they would choose Dodge because they could bring friends to visit; and if they were poor, they'd travel and stay in hostels. But then the opposite would also work -- wouldn't it be great if you had tons of money to travel with? And couldn't you make due with less if you were just living the simple life in Kansas?
-What is your favorite NYC secret?
"Earth" --an art installation in Soho that's been there for 40 years. You simply show up, buzz in, and experience the dirt. (Jeremy)
Calle Ocho -- Drunk brunch. Free buckets of sangria. (Josh)
Sunset Park -- the perfect summer picnic spot with a great view of lower Manhattan. (Esme)
Elevated Acre -- the perfect summer picnic spot IN lower Manhattan. (Meg)
-What new product of invention would change your life?
Vitamix. (Josh) Check it out! http://www.vitamix.com/index.asp
Middle Schooler Silence Whistle. (Ethan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfl-marPekc
Hair hat. (Sandy) http://www.jamaica-star.com/thestar/20051006/news/news1.html
-If you could remove any word from the English language, what would it be?
Robitussin (Melanie)
Wheelbarrow (Meg)
No (Jeremy)
Retarded (Ethan)
Quite (Esme)
Yer (as opposed to your -- it's a pronunciation thing) (Josh)
-If you had $2 million to spend on a party that you must throw within the next 12 months, what would you celebrate, where and how?
Jamie would spend $1 million on paying for his wedding. And $1 million on paying for his husband.
Meg would throw a $2 million scavenger hunt, where $1 million is the prize money.
Ethan would have a Halloween masquerade at The Pierre penthouse ballroom where everyone is given $1,000 to spend on their costume.
Jeremy would have some sort of party with some sort of social responsibility.
Esme would have a stimulus party to benefit the NY economy.
-What is your best "only in New York" story?
Esme's story:
Esme moved to the city in the midst of the housing bubble, when it was nearly impossible to find an affordable place to live. She landed in this woman's place, whose husband, unbeknownst to Esme, had just committed suicide three weeks before. The woman was also in the middle of a legal battle with her sister. Not surprisingly, after a short while, the woman underwent a "personality change," and Esme had to move out with only a couple weeks notice. So she moved into her friends' storage closet. And has been there for the past three and half years. (She's moving soon!)
Meg & Ethan's story:
Our house seats to "Sondheim on Sondheim" came with Patron Lounge passes. As we descended the stairs during intermission, we realized we were following Elaine Stritch and Michael Feinstein. We were amused by their antics, especially when Elaine yelled "Bravo!" after Barbara Cook's lovely rendition of "Send in the Clowns." Elaine, did you mean "Brava?" Or do you know something we don't know...?
Bathroom blog moment:
Just passable. But we are a fan of single bathrooms.
The winner of tonight's dessert-time diversion: Melanie with a score of 3! The prize? Amazing imported almond toffee chocolates.
Thanks for making our sixth a smash!
Yours,
ME
