Feasts and Fetes

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Mike Wallace and Barbara Saltzman

Gayfryd Steinberg and Louise Grunwald

Dr. Tara Cortes and Liz Smith

Two weeks ago Wednesday, Lighthouse International held its Henry A. Grunwald Award for Public Service Luncheon chaired by Louise Grunwald, named in honor of her late husband Henry A. Grunwald, who was the first recipient of the award. The Grunwalds’ longtime friend Liz Smith emceed, and another friend Ted Sorenson was keynote speaker. The honorees included Peter G. Peterson, Ellen Ratner and Jeffrey E. Mittman, a soldier partially blinded in the Iraqi War.

Mr. Peterson is Senior Chairman and Co-founder of The Blackstone Group. Ellen Ratner is Bureau Chief Talk Radio News Service, Political Editor, TALKERS Magazine, and Fox News Contributor; and Jeffrey E. Mittman is a soldier who was partially blinded in the Iraqi War. The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs introduced Sergeant Mittman. The Henry A. Grunwald Award for Public Service recognizes individuals who are committed to advancing public awareness of vision impairment and vision rehabilitation

Mr. Grunwald was the former US Ambassador to Austria and former Editor-in-Chief of Time Inc. He authored Twilight: Losing Sight, Gaining Insight, a groundbreaking personal account of his experience with the onset of vision loss due to macular degeneration.

Vice Chairmen and guests included more Grunwald friends: Felix and Liz Rohatyn, Henry Kissinger, Holly Peterson, Barbara Walters, Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis, Alice and Tom Tisch, Gayfryd Steinberg, Mike Wallace, Amy Fine Collins, Mike Wallace, Mica Ertegun, Bruce Ratner.

Founded in 1905, Lighthouse International is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to preserving vision and to providing critically needed health care services to help people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss. Through services, education, research and advocacy, the Lighthouse enables people with low vision and blindness to enjoy safe, independent and productive lives. For more information about vision loss, its causes and what you can do about it, contact Lighthouse International at 1-800-829-0500 or visit www.lighthouse.org.

Peggy Noonan, Ted Sorensen, and Joan Ganz Cooney

The Honorable R. James Nicholson, Jeffrey E. Mittman, and Dr. Tara Cortes

Chris Meigher and Jamee Gregory

Henry Kissinger and Barbara Walters

Jane Poole Bendheim and Enid Nemy

Dr. Tara Cortes and Barbara Walters

Fernanda Niven and Mica Ertegun

Gayfryd Steinberg, Liz Smith, and Louise Grunwald

Joan Ganz Cooney and Holly Peterson

Anne Sitrick, Jonathan Wainwright, and Mariana Kaufman

Amy Cappellazzo, Holly Peterson, and Joe Armstong

Jay Paul and Mady Schuman

Pete Peterson and Ted Sorensen

Ellen Ratner and Ari Fleischer

Michelle Russell with Jonathan and Somers Farkas

Bruce Ratner, Michael Ratner, and Roger O. Goldman

Having their cake. I’m the only man invited to this annual Autumn luncheon. In years past there were a couple others. For some reason they were not present this year. About a hundred women. The guestlist reflects a wide variety of interests and personalities (and ages), although besides all being mutual friends and acquaintances through the hostesses, Jessie Araskog and Somers Farkas, most of these women know each other and seek out each other (at least socially) very often. In a world of six degrees of separation, I’d say this group is 1 or 2 degrees of separation. That is the nature of the focus of New York.

I could say I don’t know why I’m invited. I can be a bore especially if what I’m after is the material – the pictures and the atmosphere. I always accept because I see it as an opportunity, which I am grateful for, to mark it for whatever it’s worth to the mosaic of history and lore. I also accept because the food’s good. Let’s keep it in the here and now. This year it was held at Le Cirque and I wouldn’t turn down a meal at Le Cirque. The Branzino was excellent. Furthermore, it should be noted that the company’s good.

I don’t know what they were talking about at the tables because my hearing’s so bad I can barely hear whoever’s sitting next to me. I’m not sure what anybody’s talking about these days as the news grows more and more anxious.

It was also Jessie Araskog’s birthday and so everyone sang “Happy Birthday” and then the waiters brought out a cupcake with a candle on it. During the courses, I made it my business to photograph as many as possible, including a couple of women who were not pleased to having their pictures taken. Oh come, come girls, it’s just a party; and beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Ann Rapp and Judy Price

Eleanora Kennedy, Muriel Siebert, and Sharon Sondes

Grace Meigher and Hilary Geary Ross

Gail Hilson and Josie Robertson

Krista Krieger and Tina Addison

Lisa McCarthy and Heather Leeds

Tracy Snyder, Amy Fine Collins, and Cynthia Lufkin

Mary Davidson and Melinda Hassen

Polly Espy and Candy Hamm

Stephanie Krieger and Anne Ames

Karen Clarke and Pat Patterson

Suzette de Marigny Smith, June Schorr, and Sava Thomas

Grace Hightower and Gayle Perkins Atkins

Ellen Graham and Margo Langenberg

Sharon Handler, Catherine Cahill, and Nancy O'Sullivan

Muffy Miller and Maggie Norris

Alex Lind Rose and Elizabeth Asch

Cynthia Lufkin and friend

Joanne de Guardiola

Somers Farkas, Jessie Araskog, and Dana Hammond Stubgen

Jamee Gregory

Sandra Whitney and Charlene Nederlander

Dana Hammond Stubgen and Ghislaine Maxwell

Virginia Melhado and Peggy Mejia

Amy Fine Collins, Beth DeWoody, and Francine LeFrak

Mariana Kaufman, Jill Gilmour, and Lis Waterman

Pam Pantzer and Eleanora Kennedy

Denise Rich and Alex Kuczynski

Andrea Stark and Darcie Gould

Debbie Bancroft and Lisa McCarthy

Patricia Duff, Nicole Miller, and friend

Patty Raynes and Blair Clarke

Kathy Thomas and Blair Clarke

Peggy Siegal

Jackie Weld Drake

Patricia Duff

JIll Brooke and Beth DeWoody

Bettina Zilkha and Susan Dunleavy

Marcia Mishaan and Tiffany Dubin

Audrey Gruss and Gail Hilson

Ann Rapp and Cece Black

Lyn Paulsin and Cornelia Bregman

Barbara de Portago and Margo Langenberg

Mai Harrison, Virginia Melhado, and Peggy Mejia

Leila Heller and Patty Raynes

Carole Guest and Anne Eisenhower Flöttl

Paola Rosenshein and friend

The book party for Patrick McMullan’s newest volume “Glamour Girls” exceeded all others and maybe all other book parties we’ve seen around New York in these times.

There was one other – I think it was for his first book about the club scene – held on the main floor of Bergdorf Goodman one weeknight a few years ago. That was a scene (and it is recorded somewhere here on these pages), and a feast for those of us with a camera.

Because Patrick brings out possibly the most eclectic crowd on the contemporary New York social scene; viz., the Upper East Side and the uber-downtown. The Beautiful People and the gritty-gliterateri, all pipped up, hipped up and too cool for cute. So it’s a good party. There were mobs around the table for his booksigning at the Whitney. There are swarms who know each other and hordes who don’t know the swarms and friends till the bitter end, all mixed together. Afterwards at Bergdorf’s where Gilles Mendel was throwing a dinner for him, there was a big crowd. Furthermore, Patrick who used to be photographer and is now a social force himself (always with a camera in hand or closeby) is one of those rara avis who’s nice to everybody. So they (we) all love Patrick.

The new book will have to be dealt with on another Diary because it’s too much to talk about here. You will have a very good time looking at it. Many things will pass before your eyes and believe me, many thoughts will pass through your mind including some you might not want to repeat, for a variety of reasons. It’s a feast, like I said. And you know with feasts you have to pace yourself or you’ll eventually pass out.

Cornelia and Marissa Bregman

Alex Lind Rose and Ann Caruso

Francisco Martinrao and Andreas Barbscrum

Olivia Palermo and Brad Leinhardt

Rufus Albemarle and Eva Lorenzotti

Maer Roshan and ???

Debbie Bancroft and Geoffrey Bradfield

Louis and Alexandra Lind Rose with Douglas Hannant

Alexandra Lind Rose and Ann Caruso

Andrew Saffir, Bettina Zilkha, and Daniel Benedict

Lesley Stevens, Dan Ragone, and Scott Currie

Debbie Bancroft and Geoffrey Bradfield

Matt Dickinson

Amy Fine Collins and Richard Turley

James Tully

Susan Magrino and friend

Maer Roshan and Doug Dechart

Damon Johson with Doug Dechert

Malik Sterling

Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict

Last Tuesday, Mariska Hargitay hosted a party on behalf of Safe Horizon, the nation's leading victims assistance organization, at MOMA in New York, to celebrate the national launch of SafeWork and the premiere of the film(Un) Safe.

Jane Randel, Pam Hootkin, Jose Alvarez, Mariska Hargitay, Brook McMurray, and Jane Rivkin

SafeWork is a national movement to challenge corporate leaders to recognize domestic violence in the workplace and take action to address it. The film (Un) Safe is directed by noted, award-winning indie filmmaker James Ponsoldt. It portrays the impact of domestic violence on an executive, her children, her colleagues and her company when abuse invades the workplace. Mariska Hargitay is a dedicated advocate of Safe Horizon.