10.21.11: In the bay | New York Social Diary

In the bay

A casualty of the rain. Photo: JH.

Friday, October 21, 2011. Fair and sunny, yesterday in New York, after all the rains, especially the night before.

I went down to Michael’s to lunch. Midtown didn’t seem as frenetic as Wednesday. Michael’s was busy.

In the bay the “Harpies” were holding their every-other-monthly lunch. About eight or nine of them. I saw Barbara Walters, Maury Pearl, Jennifer Isham, Lisa Caputo, Cynthia McFadden, Nora Ephron, Beth Kseniak, Liz Smith and Peggy Siegal. All at the same table. And all of those girls can talk up a storm; all by nature of their professions as well as personalities, full of information.


The Plaza Hotel reflected in the 58th Street facade of 9 West 57.

There was a lot of cross-table stuff going on. You know it’s interesting just from watching them talk to each other (I was trying to be subtle). No doubt some interesting tidbits were being passed around with the Cobb Salad and the Gravlax.

The difference in the atmosphere of these particular round tables, between a group of ladies meeting for a social lunch, is palpable. Even different from the male version – the Della Femina / Imbers / Bergman / Kramer / Greenfield Gang. There it looks like the guys are having a good time and maybe a few laughs. Away from the desk or the office. Of course all I am telling is from observing, not attending, so you could say I don’t know what I’m talking about anyway.

All of those girls at Table One live by deadlines and air times. They’re going round the clock, and some of them almost never sleep, or so it would seem.

They’ve been having this lunch for years. The first year they had their one and only male guest: George Clooney (he’d made a picture with J. Lo – remember that clunker?) The next one is their annual Christmas lunch on December 19th where they re-gift presents they’ve received and do not want. It’s the kind of thing you might imagine a harpie would do, no? They also bring great books to read and give them out to each other.

Yesterday I also happened to see the new Vanity Fair in which Ephron wrote about Smith. Here’s the wonderful cover shot by Annie Leibowitz, if you haven’t seen the magazine yet. Lizzie riding roughshod over little ole New York in Times Square, having the time of her life.

"The Harpies" in 2005 at Osteria del Circo. Standing (l. to r.): Liz Smith, Nora Ephron, Wendy Siegal, Bette Midler, Jeannie Williams, Maurie Perl. Seated (l. to r.): Lisa Caputo, Cynthia McFadden, Barbara Walters, and Peggy Siegal. Photo: JH.

Actually I don’t think she can even ride a horse. I’m not even sure that she was actually sitting on this one, what with Photoshop et al these days. She is from Texas though, and all us non-Texans think that Texans are riding horses everyday. Somehow it all rings true (or true hype).

The Ephron piece is very interesting although I know most of it and have written quite a bit of it here, so I leave it exclusively to Ephron’s take, which is her own and always sneaking in a good laugh. And Liz is an old friend.

Liz is an amazing character who would and could only live in New York. She is part of the fabric of city life because of her decades of Liz Smith columns. But after a certain moment, in what has now become a long career, where she volunteered to help out a couple of friends on a mission of charity, did she take on the mantle of ambassador for all of us. And to one another.


	The rootin' tootin' Broadway babe, La Liz as seen through the lens of Annie Leibowitz for Vanity Fair.

I’ve written before that because of this, as life would have it, the little Texas gal who got off the train at Penn Station (the original still standing) in 1949, has turned into a major philanthropist.

What I can now tell you is that if you want to have the Liz Smith experience, there’s no better time than the upcoming Living Landmarks annual gala which is being held on Wednesday, November 2nd in the Grand Ballroom at the Plaza.

The evening is always a great big intimate testimonial of a group of people, some famous, some virtuous, some brilliant and all creative who are related to New York like the song. “If you can make it here, etc.” People are really into that big time, kid yourself not. Living Landmarks glorifies it. It’s the opposite of “Sunset Boulevard” and poor Norma Desmond. Age fifty is still a baby with this crew at times too.

Liz is the emcee. She sings, she dances, she zings, she prances, she sidesteps and jumpkicks, tweaks the cheeks, and showers a few needles here and there. It’s fun just to watch and listen while she serves up the champagne in a Dixie cup, and nothing could be more elegant.

This year’s candidates for her sleekly brittle encomiums (I couldn’t resist) are: Louise Hirschfeld, Regis Philbin, Lewis B. Cullman, Danny Meyer, and Angela Lansbury. Mayor David Dinkins will receive the Lewis Rudin Award. As well as the distingished presenters such as Katie Couric and Rex Reed. The co-chairs of the black tie festivities are Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch whom you can be sure will provide a stellar crowd; and such stalwarts as Mica Ertegun, Marian Heiskill, Elizabeth and Felix Rohatyn, Tommy Tune, Bunny Williams, Philippe de Montebello, Ray Kelly, Barbara Goldsmith and Agnes Gund are running the committees. A good time is had by all and you’re fed and out of there before bedtime too.

As Liz herself sez: “This charity, which has Peter Duchin’s music, makes one feel good; it’s different. Call 212-995-5260. They keep New York New York."

Lesley Smith and Dr. Annette Rickel, Professor at Weill Cornell Medical Center, on the staff of NewYork-Presbyterian and president of the SMSKCC.

Juan Montoya and Urban Karlsson.

Then, last night in the city that never sleeps and won’t stop, there was the Annual Preview Party at the International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show at the Park Avenue Armory. Co-chairs for the evening (which is a major fundraiser of the SMSKCC) were Melinda Blinken, Noreen Buckfire, Elizabeth G. Miller, Daisy Soros and Michael Cox Witmer. The Associate Collector Chairs were Laura Harris and Elizabeth Pyne.

This year’s party was sponsored by David Webb, Fiduciary Trust Company International, One Kings Lane, Paola Quadretti and St. John, with additional support from ELLE DÉCOR and Remy Martin and Cointreau.

Amy Hoadley, Polly Onet, and Melanie Seymour.

Michel Witmer and Christopher Meigher.

The International Fine Art & Antique Show was founded in 1989. It was New York’s first vetted fair and is one of the world’s most prestigious art and antique fairs.

Categories represented include arms and armour, bronzes, rare books, carpets, ethnographica, furniture, garden furniture, glass, jewellery, maps, manuscripts, marine artefacts, pictures, porcelain, pottery and sculpture. All items are for sale under the strictest vetting conditions.

The show, which opens today at 11 and runs to 7:30 pm runs through Thursday October 27th. For more information, visit their website here.