Slumming with high societyBy Paula Connelly and Deborah Giattina
We arrived at the Clift hotel fashionably late in the hopes of fast forwarding to Gavin and Jennifer’s grand appearance. Last night was the Redwood Room’s 75th anniversary, and a staff member told us that picking the mayor and first lady to host the fete would guarantee its Social(ite) Event of the Year title.
Rolling with high society is not our usual modus operandi, but we snapped at the chance to indulge in the open bar and up-close look at 7x7 back pages fodder -- only problem was, we didn't know who's who. The place was crawling with club promoters, local restaurateurs, random hobnobbers, and partying PR reps. But we lucked out and met a few cool people to crown royalty of our own.
The Redwood Room is exactly that, supposedly made entirely from a single Redwood tree.
These vintage ornate mirrored glass cocktail tables set the stage for elegant vanity.
Don Neely’s Royal Society jazz band was playing some incredibly appropriate speakeasy jazz when we walked in, and everyone was dressed in their trendiest cocktail wear, coyly looking for the next nightlife photog to come their way.
We scoured the room and managed to find some people who stood out in the crowd:
A PR rep forbid we take this guy's picture but that didn't stop him from mugging for the lens:
The open bar included shots of Alameda’s very own St.George Distillery Absinthe, which goes for over $70 a bottle:
A few absinthe and drink soiled refinements later, still no Gavin:
Ah well. We'll just bide our time with this adorable Italian sailor who will be competing in this weekend's Rolex Big Boat Series 2008:
It wasn’t until about 11 pm, when half the crowd had already gone, that Gavin and Jennifer finally showed up. Jennifer looked like she just stepped out of a Disney movie. Gavin was slightly more casual, sans tie and a few open buttons to grease the imagination.
They walked into the main room, posed for a few pictures with former mayor Willie Brown and other members of the ruling class, walked into the front entrance room, posed for a few couples only shots, and were gone before you could say "governor."
Well that was fun. Cue dance party:
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Comments (1)
YOU GUYS ARE SO COOL! And wasted.
Posted by lila | September 12, 2008 05:12 PM