The Agony and the Ecstasy, Pt. 6

Tom and I met my mother this afternoon to check out the Asia Society. It's definitely in the top two, but has quirks that we will need to work around. The space rental runs for 6 hours and includes two floors, the first floor garden/atrium, and the eighth floor.


West-facing view of the garden. The room is a giant L. Note the plexi panels on the back wall - those can be frost-lit at night. Also, you can hire a lighting designer to up-light the trees. The tables and chairs are included in the price.


View in the other direction. Behind the screen is a beautiful wood-paneled room. The screen can obviously be removed, and the area can serve as a second bar, ever popular fad candy bar, or resting spot for weary feet.


The eighth floor is a series of three rooms connected to each other with a sliding door. They face West, so the view is along Park Avenue.


I didn't get the best photos, but this is a picture of the middle room, looking from the North to the South. The elevators are on picture left. The wood floor can be used as a dance floor, but Tom pointed out how pretty the blue rug in the center is. I agree that it would be a shame to roll up the rug.


The Southernmost room. The tables and chairs are including in the venue price.


The Northern room, with a beautiful arched view of Park Avenue. Chairs are also included.

There are some real benefits to using the Asia Society, most of it to do with ease of use - the caterer is an acquaintance (Gracious Thyme, whom we met with in March), tables and chairs are included, the blue walls would harmonize well with our color scheme, there are professional AV and lighting outputs (and really, the garden floor would be magical at night all lit up), and the location with guests easily walking from All Souls' Church (see below). The space is quite fragmented, however, so it would be a puzzle to figure out what goes where. For instance, cocktails could be in the garden, and dinner and dancing on the eight floor. Except, the dance floor would have to be in the middle room/entrance hall, bisecting the party. Guests in the "smaller" room might feel like "those relatives." Also, to avoid removing the rug, we'd have to rent a dance floor, which would add cost to an already expensive venue. Alternatively, we could have dinner on the eighth floor and dancing on the ground floor. But the party would be split in two, and it would be hard to corral guests on two different floors for toasts, dessert, etc...Finally, cocktails could be on the eighth floor with food and dancing on the garden floor - my preference - but the garden floor is a bit too small for a sit-down dinner. Then you run into the problem of asking guests to pay exorbitant fees to attend a gussied-up cocktail party.

Tom was generous with his time today, so he and I walked up to see All Souls'. It's only about a half-mile walk from the Asia Society, along some of the poshest addresses in New York.


View from the outside. The ivy growth in the Fall is always beautiful.


Inside of the sanctuary. This is a very plain church, in the manner of the Congregationalists. But it is beautiful and serene (and big). The altar piece looks like a cross, but is technically not. I got in major trouble when I was 10 for calling it a cross, which Unitarians do not believe in. Mom and I refer to it instead as the "holy football." I wonder how to communicate that to guests...

A view of the back of the sanctuary.


View of the pipes. My mother dedicated one in my great-grandmother's name.

In the end, it was a good day, and I hope Tom didn't mind missing so much work. His input is always valuable. I have lots more "visuals" to post tomorrow...Stay tuned.