I once attended a party thrown by an advertising executive from Chicago. He served Old Crow for which I berated him appropriately. But a few years later I discovered that William Faulkner drank OC. When I told the host this, as if to suggest that perhaps he wasn’t quite the no-class tightwad I earlier suggested, he responded “who’s William Faulkner?”
Having grown up with show business parties, I was used to hordes arriving and decimating the food table as fast as one could replenish it. The first party I gave in England was somewhat different. Showbiz, but no one went near the buffet. I finally took a guest aside and asked what the hell was going on. It was explained that no one wanted to “look greedy” and perhaps it would be better if “things were passed around”. Like I’m going to schlep an entire ham around the room. 40 years later and I’m still having to make a welcome speech reassuring everyone that nothing bad will happen if they help themselves.
Great! My philosophy too. Won't work for women to host, though-- they're too afraid of being judged on appearances. There probably is a female version that would work.
Have one bottle of good drink put way in the back, to impress the odd guest who does notice.
A variety of exotic potato chips, oriental mysteries, etc. can help for conversation material.
But the main thing is to give people a way to mix and talk, and an easy excuse to go off and get to know each other over dinner.
It is also wise to note that the reason to live in New York is to go to parties (hosting them yourself, too, in which cse you can pick the guests). I guess everybody lives close together and you don't need parking, and there's lots of interesting people, and lonely ones, and ones who want to get out of their tiny apartments. Boston (cambridge, actually) was good for this. College was good too (Yale, with everybody living on campus). LA, not so good, for me (Westwood).
I once attended a party thrown by an advertising executive from Chicago. He served Old Crow for which I berated him appropriately. But a few years later I discovered that William Faulkner drank OC. When I told the host this, as if to suggest that perhaps he wasn’t quite the no-class tightwad I earlier suggested, he responded “who’s William Faulkner?”
What time should we arrive?
Having grown up with show business parties, I was used to hordes arriving and decimating the food table as fast as one could replenish it. The first party I gave in England was somewhat different. Showbiz, but no one went near the buffet. I finally took a guest aside and asked what the hell was going on. It was explained that no one wanted to “look greedy” and perhaps it would be better if “things were passed around”. Like I’m going to schlep an entire ham around the room. 40 years later and I’m still having to make a welcome speech reassuring everyone that nothing bad will happen if they help themselves.
Oh Captain, my Captain!
Great! My philosophy too. Won't work for women to host, though-- they're too afraid of being judged on appearances. There probably is a female version that would work.
Have one bottle of good drink put way in the back, to impress the odd guest who does notice.
A variety of exotic potato chips, oriental mysteries, etc. can help for conversation material.
But the main thing is to give people a way to mix and talk, and an easy excuse to go off and get to know each other over dinner.
It is also wise to note that the reason to live in New York is to go to parties (hosting them yourself, too, in which cse you can pick the guests). I guess everybody lives close together and you don't need parking, and there's lots of interesting people, and lonely ones, and ones who want to get out of their tiny apartments. Boston (cambridge, actually) was good for this. College was good too (Yale, with everybody living on campus). LA, not so good, for me (Westwood).