What: Dubbed “The Secretary’s Reception for Donors to the Diplomatic Reception Rooms,” this two-hour cocktail party honored more than 200 donors who contributed more than $850,000 to conserving and maintaining the rooms where Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney meet with foreign officials.
Where: The Department of State
When: Friday, April 25, 6 to 8 PM
Who: Rice was the main attraction, hosting a receiving line on the way in to shake hands (and score us a great new Facebook profile picture). We were one table away from Attorney General Michael Mukasey and wife Susan, who looked sharp in a pinstripe suit and black-and-white patterned dress. Marcee Craighill, director of the diplomatic reception rooms, also joined the donors.
Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page. Food: Waiters passed hors d’oeuvres—our favorite: tuna tartare served in mini ice cream cones—while hungrier guests served themselves tender beef and lamb, shrimp glistening with butter, yellow-pepper topped quiche, surprisingly bland penne, and too many tiny desserts to try them all (except oh, we did). But food always tastes better when eaten off plates stamped with a gold Presidential seal, right?
Drink: No red wine meant no risk of staining something antique and/or super expensive. Besides Chardonnay, bartenders poured beer (Sierra Nevada was a popular choice) and mixed drinks.
Scene: After a run-in with a Secret Service agent (despite the X-ray machine at the door and pack of guards in the lobby, she was worried we had somehow slipped security), we took it all in: antique couches and tables, cabinets of 18th-century china, a ballroom with eight glistening chandeliers and a balcony overlooking the Mall, and the nicest bathrooms we’ve ever been in. We sat through a ten-minute thank-you speech from Condi and mingled with guests wearing drab suits and skirts. On the elevator ride down, we caught a glimpse of one of the other floors—so business-like! so sterile!—and realized we truly had been in another world. Ratings: Boldface names: 4 (out of 5) Swankiness: 3 (out of 5) Food and drink: 3 (out of 5) Exclusivity: 5 (out of 5)
Total score: 15 (out of 20)
For more posts on DC media and politics, click here.
A Night Out: A Reception at the State Department
What: Dubbed “The Secretary’s Reception for Donors to the Diplomatic Reception Rooms,” this two-hour cocktail party honored more than 200 donors who contributed more than $850,000 to conserving and maintaining the rooms where Condoleezza Rice and Dick Cheney meet with foreign officials.
Where: The Department of State
When: Friday, April 25, 6 to 8 PM
Who: Rice was the main attraction, hosting a receiving line on the way in to shake hands (and score us a great new Facebook profile picture). We were one table away from Attorney General Michael Mukasey and wife Susan, who looked sharp in a pinstripe suit and black-and-white patterned dress. Marcee Craighill, director of the diplomatic reception rooms, also joined the donors.
Want to see more photos from Washington events and parties? Click here for Washingtonian.com's photo slideshow page.
Food: Waiters passed hors d’oeuvres—our favorite: tuna tartare served in mini ice cream cones—while hungrier guests served themselves tender beef and lamb, shrimp glistening with butter, yellow-pepper topped quiche, surprisingly bland penne, and too many tiny desserts to try them all (except oh, we did). But food always tastes better when eaten off plates stamped with a gold Presidential seal, right?
Drink: No red wine meant no risk of staining something antique and/or super expensive. Besides Chardonnay, bartenders poured beer (Sierra Nevada was a popular choice) and mixed drinks.
Scene: After a run-in with a Secret Service agent (despite the X-ray machine at the door and pack of guards in the lobby, she was worried we had somehow slipped security), we took it all in: antique couches and tables, cabinets of 18th-century china, a ballroom with eight glistening chandeliers and a balcony overlooking the Mall, and the nicest bathrooms we’ve ever been in. We sat through a ten-minute thank-you speech from Condi and mingled with guests wearing drab suits and skirts. On the elevator ride down, we caught a glimpse of one of the other floors—so business-like! so sterile!—and realized we truly had been in another world.
Ratings:
Boldface names: 4 (out of 5)
Swankiness: 3 (out of 5)
Food and drink: 3 (out of 5)
Exclusivity: 5 (out of 5)
Total score: 15 (out of 20)
For more posts on DC media and politics, click here.
Most Popular in News & Politics
A DNC Official Will Run for Eleanor Holmes Norton’s Seat
Want to Search Donald Trump’s Truth Social Posts? A New Site Is Here to Help.
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
FBI Building Now on Track to Leave DC After All, Whistleblower Leaks Texts Suggesting Justice Department Planned to Blow Off Federal Court Orders, and NPS Cuts Leave Assateague Island Without Lifeguards
The Washington Nationals Just Fired the Manager and GM Who Led Them to a Championship. Why Has the Team Been so Bad Since?
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Arlington Unleashes Robots on Its Sidewalks
Gayle King on Giving Her First Commencement Speech at UMD
Trump Denies He Doodled Naked Lady for Epstein, Youngkin Visits Iowa, and Dan Snyder’s Old House Got Even Cheaper
Senate to Big Bird: Drop Dead; Trump Orders Coca-Cola to Use Sugar; and We Found Great Taiwanese Lunch at a Gas Station
No, You’re Not the Only One Dealing With DCA Flight Anxiety
“Christ or Chaos”: A Conservative Church With Political Ties Comes to Washington
A Look Inside the Spy Museum’s Long-Awaited Vault Collection
Trayon White Wins Election to Replace Trayon White, Trump Claimed His Uncle Taught the Unabomber, and We Tried Some Canadian Snacks