It’s nearly BEA — which must mean that party season is on us again. What to do, where to go? While the fashion and film pack are given free nights galore at breathtakingly trendy Park with its planted tree in the middle of the floor and psychedelic fish-tank in the VIP bar upstairs, we publishing types must grit our teeth a little and hope that in a couple of years, once Gwyneth et al have quit it for the last time and we’re finally allowed past the hallowed ropes, the windows will still be cleaned regularly before the reading or book launch.
Actually, that’s a little unfair. Bridget Harrison at Nadine Johnson, superhip PR for all places new and hot (including Park) does do some book events. For instance, the boxy backroom APT (not, fyi, referred to as “apartment” but just by the letters as all people in the know will know), the new cool lounge in the meat-packing district, was launched with a book party for Anna Johnson’s Three Black Skirts. The room was given at cost as the demographic of the attendees seemed right, and it’s a formula that’s worth discussing. If you can prove that your guests are going to be young, groovy, gorgeous, and rich, you’re likely to get a freebie. If, however, the suits on publishing salaries are going to turn up, you may find that somehow, there won’t be an available room for months in advance.
Elsewhere, DKNY harbors a few literary enthusiasts looking for good ways to extend the sense of “lifestyle” over “trend” that Donna Karan has always promoted. They launched their own literary series at the flagship store on 60th and Madison last autumn with Candace Bushnell’s Four Blondes party, followed soon after by Brit-lit chick India Knight. The books, says PR chief Patti Cohen, definitely don’t have to be fashion related, though they would of course be looking for appropriate cross-over with the store, focusing on potential customers for them, as well as building the international DKNY brand. Prices are negotiable. By the way, Ralph Lauren is another fashion name open to exploring industry cross-promotion; contact Brooke Livingston at corporate HQ.
Thirty blocks down Madison, on the corner of 41st, with appropriately spectacular views of the Public Library sits the small but elegant Library Hotel. Designed so that each floor corresponds to categories of the Dewey Decimal system, you’ll find that accordingly your room will be filled with anything from science texts to erotica. Some $80,000 was spent at the Strand Bookstore to finish off the décor properly. On the top floor, with a terrace folding out at either end is the writer’s den and poetry garden where parties for up to 135 (as long as the weather is good enough to allow you to spill outside) would be enthusiastically hosted. Contact “honorary librarian” Adele Gutman for more information. All writers will be welcomed, and it’s worth negotiating in case management has a soft spot for the writer in question (writers will also get better rates on rooms there). Check out sister Hotel Giraffe, which also has a great party room.
Way over west at 505 West 23rd is the nearly new Half King. The bar/pub is particularly sensitive to writer’s needs as its founder is Sebastian Junger. Inspired by the wooden simplicity and cosiness of Europe, there’s a long central bar and different rooms at different prices, which can start as low as $300, but you’ll have to buy your own.
Heading on downtown, Housing Works Used Book Café still hosts some of the best parties in town, from the annual New Yorker bash to the irrepressible McSweeney’s open party. The bookstore helps by promoting open events with its own (reasonably extensive) mailing list. If you want to rent the whole space for a private party, rates are $500 per hour after hours, or $750 if you want them to close shop early.
Contacts: Nadine Johnson, 212 228-5555; see Bridget Harrington. The Park 118 10th Avenue bet. 17th & 18th Streets, 212 352-3313; see Nadine Johnson. APT West 13th between 7th & 8th Avenues; contact Nadine Johnson. DKNY HQ 550 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10018, 212 768-5800; see Erin Hawker. Ralph Lauren HQ 650 Madison Avenue, NY 10022, 212 318- 7000; see Brooke Livingston. Library Hotel 299 Madison Ave. at 41st St., 212 938-4500; see Adele Gutman. Hotel Giraffe 365 Park Avenue South at 26th St., 212 685-7700; see Rose Revicki. Half King 505 West 23rd St., 212 462-4300; see Anthony Tousi.
