Update 9-19-06

Hi,

Washington social notes from Stu Borman.  Stu sent several notes during the week, which included notes from other D.C.-area people.  What follows is mainly his reconstruction:
   
    From Stu:  Responses I got to the message I sent a few days ago (slightly edited to protect the innocent) are appended below.  Irene wins the prize for most enthusiastic respondent. (I'm hoping those x's at the end of her message are kisses.)  We currently have only a small group.
        I love the Red Sage small room suggestion of Robert Fiveson's, and Ira Mitzner okayed it as well.  Can we make a reservation specifically for Red Sage's small upstairs room, or do we have to request that when we get there (as the web page in Robert's message suggests).
        Another place that might be good and is in the same general location and price range is Clyde's of Gallery Place, assuming there's a potentially quiet area somewhere in there. Clyde's of Gallery Place got The Washington Post readers' highest rating and is also a Washington Post editors' pick.
        If you don't agree with the Clyde's option, let me know, and I'll drop it.  Otherwise, I'll look into these two possibilities, and I'll be back in touch.
        Ira's request that we meet during the week suggests that a Friday night might be good -- assuming that Ira considers Friday a weeknight.  It's kind of on the edge of being a weekend night, and it's also a time when restaurants are most busy.
        Would a Friday evening be OK?  If not, what other days of the week would be good for you?
        More informal meetings of the type Irene suggests sound like fun as well.  They would require less coordinating and may therefore be more practical, but I realize that even fewer of us are likely to attend.  So I'll see you at the Peking Gourmet Inn tomorrow, Irene, OK? (Only kidding, for now.)
        Thanks to everybody, and I'll be back in touch.
   
    From Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer:  Sure, a lunch or evening is a good idea.  A restaurant with a private room would work, or we could have a dinner at someone's home.

        The next few weeks are very busy for me, but I would be willing to help plan something after the end of September.  What do you think?

        Tavira on Connecticut Avenue (near the beltway) is a small, Portuguese restaurant that has really good food, lots of fish and variety, and I have been to many work-related luncheons there for large groups. La Ferme on Brookville Road is a great French restaurant that does large groups, and there is a Greek Restaurant The Parthenon (good, but not fancy) on Connecticut near the Avalon theater that has a private room downstairs.

        Maybe we should just pick a date in October and see who comes?

    From Ira Mitzner and Rachael Robinson Mitzner:  Robert Fiveson's suggestion about The Red Sage Restaurant sounds fine.  I would prefer during the week, dinner.

    From Irene Saunders Goldstein:  Hi, Stu!  I'm so glad you've made the move to get us together.  I'll attend wherever and whenever, as long as I'm in town.
        I'd like to see it happen before winter arrives preferably, if we're counting on out-of-towners, or after winter's gone.  If we locals would also like to get together more informally or in anticipation of a later bigger event, we could have it anytime or many times.  I'd like a meal to be part of the equation.
        My favorite restaurant is the Peking Gourmet Inn on Route 7, east a bit from Tysons Corner near Bailey's Crossroads.  They accommodate groups of all sizes, and they can screen off our party from the rest of the restaurant.  It's too crowded on weekends to think of having our get-together there, however.  Parking is complimentary.
                But I'm up for anything.
                xxx

    From Stu again:  Thanks to all for making things so easy.  I was mistaken in directing things toward the weekend.  People generally prefer weekdays, and Red Sage's upstairs Border Cafe wins hands down as a venue.  Peggy Cooper Schwartz wrote from Florida to say that she would like to hook up with us (metaphorically speaking and not necessarily at Red Sage) when she comes to Bethesda to visit her daughter.  Some of the exchanges among ourselves are appended below.  October looks good.  More later.
   
    From Peggy Cooper Schwartz:  Although I live in Juno Beach, Florida, my daughter lives in Bethesda.  So a local D.C. reunion would be a nice excuse to visit Sarah and to see some delightful former classmates.  Maybe having everyone show up at The National Gallery -- or the Smithsonian -- would be fun.  I think a weekend might be more accommodating.

    From Ira again:  For a guy with your credentials, your days of the week need some work.  I consider Friday part of the weekend; however, that would be OK with me if the consensus is Friday.

    From Robin Seader Cottmeyer:  What a wonderful idea!  Count me in.

    From Irene again:  My preference would be to go to Red Sage, but Clyde's is fine, too.  I'd prefer Monday through Thursday.
        xxx  (Of course, they're kisses.)

    From Marilyn again:  Let me know what you decide.  A Friday night works sometimes.  I could meet in October on the 13th or 27th, if the dinner's on a Friday.  Weekdays also work for me, and starting in October, things are pretty open, beginning on the 9th.  But I will be out of town twice that month, so double-check with me.

    From Stu again, to me:  Rich, you probably already know this, but for security reasons, it's best not to reprint in the weekly newsletter dates when people say they are going to be traveling and therefore away from home.  Thanks.

    From me to Stu:  I guess we have to find a balance by setting a date for your party and announcing that in the newsletter to attract people, without ever announcing who's coming.  Of course, we announced who was coming to both our reunions, and none of our houses were robbed.

    From Stu again, to me:  I didn't mean to imply that it would be a problem to mention who was attending the party.  I don't think that's a problem at all.  What I was referring to were comments by some people that they would be out of town certain weeks or on certain specific dates.  I may have stripped those comments out before forwarding the messages to you, so if that's the case, then I apologize for confusing you.  But I wrote to you because I thought I might have passed some of those comments along to you in the messages I forwarded.  I just didn't want to be responsible for having something appear in the newsletter in which a specific individual mentions, for example, that he and his family will be away from home on a trip between October 10th and 25th.  Some people did give me dates like that, so I could plan the get-together for a time when they will indeed be available.  Sorry again to seem unnecessarily security-conscious.  I'll get a specific mini-reunion date to you as soon as I can.
        Also, here are a couple of messages from people that I've received since my last correspondence (after which my messages continues):

    From Jane Wolff Katz:  Hi, all.  This is a great idea, and I'd love to attend.  I'm in South Africa right now, but I think mid-October (the week of the 9th or the 16th) is good.  I'm open as far as restaurants:  the Red Sage or Border Cafe are right near my office, so this works for me.  If we have it closer to the weekend, then it would be better for those coming in from out-of-town.  Thanks for organizing this.

    From Marion Wachtel:  I think your idea of a reunion in Washington is a great idea.  During the week is better for me.  The Red Sage is a great place.  Look forward to seeing everyone.

    From Stu again:  I've pared down the addressee list for these DC-area messages a little bit so as not to burden people with potentially unwanted e-mail traffic.  But I'll be happy to add any South High School alumnus who asks to be included on the routing list.
        Last week, I thought we had a very modest size group, but it's actually not that small at all.  Right now, I think we're a group of nine for dinner in October:  Marion Wachtel, Jane Wolff Katz, Ira Mitzner and Rachael Robinson Mitzner, Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer, Irene Saunders Goldstein, Robin Seader Cottmeyer, Robert Fiveson, and me.  I'm assuming that Peggy Cooper Schwartz (of Juno Beach, Florida) will not necessarily be at this initial dinner, but please tell me if I'm wrong, Peggy.  (I hope I am wrong.)
        If any of the nine people on the list cannot attend the first dinner, if any of you would like to bring a guest, and/or if anyone not on the list would like to attend, please let me know as soon as possible, so I can get an accurate count.
        I've gone over people's knockout dates, and in my opinion the optimal dates for the dinner are Thursday, October 12th and Thursday, October 19th.  The 12th is close to a knockout date for the Mitzners, and the 19th is close to one for Marilyn Horowitz Goldhammer.  I'm tentatively choosing Thursday, October 19th for our dinner, but this can potentially be changed to the 12th, if you wish.  (If someone can attend on the 19th, but would not be able to attend on the 12th, please let me know as well.)
        I'll be back in touch again soon.  I've looked at the Legend photos of people I was a little rusty on remembering, and I'm sure none of you has changed a bit -- except perhaps for a hairdo or two (including mine).
   
    From Robert Fiveson:  I'm good for October 19th.
   
    From Irene again:  I'm looking forward to the 19th.
   
    [Rich -- And the rest of us will be there in spirit.  Unless, of course, you'd actually like to be there in person.  In which case, write Stu at:  sborman@gmail.com or call him at: 301-571-8231.
        And, yeah, there's other news, like an Alumni Association meeting at South on Thursday, September 28th at 7:15 PM, and the classes of '61 through '63's reunion on Saturday, October 28th, and the class of '66's reunion on Friday and Saturday, November 10th and 11th, but those details will follow next week.  Meanwhile, Happy New Year, for those who celebrate.]