Tuesday, May 25, 2010

CIVILIZED

Having dinner at the Sunset Towers Hotel the other evening with JG had me thinking about another time and another place when life was more calm, drivers were not as rude, and we dined at nine not at 7:30 (at that early hour it was called "eating" not "dining").  Also, the hotel brought back memories of when it was an very upscale apartment house.  I had a friend, Lloyd Pantages, who lived there and gave wonderful parties with a mix of guests such as Doris Duke, a Roosevelt or two, musicians, artists and the likes of FT and me.  Cocktails were at 7:30 and a simple buffet dinner was served at 9:00.  Nibbles were nuts or cherry tomatoes.  No waiters running around, interrupting your conversation with a tray of strange looking unwieldy bites.  Dinner was usually prepared by the host or a friend.  Civilized!

Republicans were of a different breed than those rabble rousers of today (Sarah Palin).  Some were our friends and lovers.  The men all wore blue blazers, khaki pants and heavy brogue shoes, with their hair always perfectly parted on the right side.  The women wore cloth coats:  not fur.  Pearls, cashmere sweater sets and pleated grey flannel skirts were the style.  Hair was usually worn straight, just grazing the neck of the sweater and parted on the right side.  (Maybe just a bit boring)  Civilized!

Which brings me back to our Sunset Towers dinner.  JG and I had our cocktails at the bar before being seated, the piano was tinkling in the background, the crowd was attractive and animated, and our conversation was interesting.  A real honest to god Maitre d'Hotel showed us to our table, the waiter was attentive and the food was understandable (not some chef's culinary wet dream).   Civilized!

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