Party Pictures 10/28/04 - Last night's Lunar Eclipse, Last Friday night, DPC hosted a party at Doubles,

Last night was the Lunar Eclipse which was quite visible from the streets and rooftops of New York. JH and the Digital were witness.

10:18 PM

Last Friday night, I hosted a party at Doubles, the private club in the Sherry Netherland, celebrating Autumn In New York. It was the very first party I’ve given in all the years I’ve been in New York. I chose the theme because Autumn in New York has represented the most romantic notions for me and New York all my life, including the wonderful lyrics of the great Vernon Duke song.

Autumn in New York
Why does it seem so exciting?
Autumn in New York;
It spells the thrill of first nighting

Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds
In canyons of steel
They’re making me feel – I’m home.

When I set out to make the list, since I never keep lists (at least I hadn’t until now), I wrote down the name of everyone I could think of. When I got to five hundred, that was the cut-off because the room couldn’t take anymore. Naturally, I forgot many. Furthermore I didn’t know the addresses of many. The result was many whom I would have included were left out accidentally.

Because it was a Friday night, many couldn’t come anyway because they’d left town. Others no doubt just wanted to stay home and get some much needed rest. Nevertheless, about three hundred and eighty intrepid New Yorkers came to visit and eat the mini-hamburgers and pig-in-the-blankets along with their cocktails and champagne.

The great DJ of New York society, Tom Finn made a two and a half hour tape (the party ran from 6 to 8:30) that began with "Autumn in New York" and segued into all kinds of New York songs (“I guess the Lord must be in New York City” – remember that? From “Midnight Cowboy”) to Neil Young and back to “Autumn in New York.” I spent the entire time in the club room’s vestibule greeting and bidding the guests good-bye. I was told they were packed in the reception room back to back and belly to belly although I never got far enough into the party to see it. I could hear the verbal melee, however. There was, in my mind an interesting mix and combinations. My only regrets were that I never got to see the party going on and that I forgot so many people whom I would have loved to invite but forgot. Eric Weiss photographed the entire evening and turned in 350 images of the guests. The first 78 are featured on today’s Diary.