[Fredslist] PostMortem on GANG's 9/29 Dinner Meeting

[Everest]

Hi GANG Members, Gothamites, and Guests!

Initilally, I intended to send this exclusively to GANG Members, but upon further reflection felt that all of Gotham should share in the celebration of GANG's recent successful dinner meeting.

We had 50 commitments to attend, several late cancellations and no-shows, and several showing up without reservations, for a final count of 43+1 attendees.

Let me start by complimenting GANG's Co-Chairs, Mynoon Doro and Ken Stuart, the best hosting team that a GC could ever be privileged to support.  Our resident stand-up comic, Mynoon, continues to cast her wide financial net and bring in top clients whom she introduces to GANG.  And, Ken, GANG's resident diplomat, lending constructive criticism or salient support, whichever is momentarily required, keeping the evening flowing flawlessly [er, . . . got a bit carried away with the alliteration! . . . poetic license???].

And while we're on the topic of Ken, he started off the wine ordering by purchasing a mixed case of a German varietal, lychee, and green tea wines, all with Asian bottle cozy outfits, from our wine/beer importer Sara Paleewong.  Thank you, Ken, for supporting GANG Members.  Also, a big 'thank you' to everyone else who made purchases.  The wine and Thai beer flowed from  5PM till past 8PM, lychee seemed to win hands down.  Ed Bienstock of the Barry Weiner Group, won the drawing for a free dressed bottle of wine but didn't claim it until after the wine stock was already carted away.  I promised Ed that I'd retrieve his bottle for him [but, who'll retrieve me!], caveat emptor, I'm not to be trusted in a warehouse full of green tea wine [this one's for David Stein . . . green tea is healthy, right?  You said so!].

All Meng Shen's silk shawls & scarves were sold, and I'm jubilant [i.e., jubilant for Shen, but not so jubilant for myself, as I had my eye on that lovely black&white number!], all by myself because she's still in Asia and doesn't have a clue!  If she brings back some boutiquee items for us, we'll have them for sale at our next meeting on December 1st.  Thank you shoppers for supporting GANG businesses.

An enormous thanks to the Owner of Liberty View Chinese Restaurant, Anna Lo.  Just a lovely, stylish, peppy, competent, and most gracious hostess.  Obviously, I can't gush enough.  She loves her work and it shows, energizing her most capable staff, excelling in their courteous service.  The food!, not to forget the food, the reason, I dare say, that not a few attended, and what an excellent idea! . . . scrumptuous, diverse, bounteous.   

The gentle breezes blew away the late afternoon, viewing the Lady from the terrace, a passing cruise ship . . . oh, so serene. . . .  The networking was so intense at times, that it took persistent coaxing to redirect Gothamites into the dining room to start the dinner banquet meeting . . . 

The cast of charactaers included the usual suspects . . .  the always charming Mike Millis escorted a delightful potential member, the aforementioned Ed 'the Bottle' Bienstock, David Stein was flanked by the Queens Posse, 'Queenie' sporting her royal regalia 'diamond' crown, a slew of Circuit Riders and Guests, and the backbone of GANG, our stalwart Members, of whom I can never praise enough.  They are our prized resource and I say without reservation that they outdid themselves.

Feedback from the evening has been unanimously positive.  As acknowledged above, the Co-Chairs facilitated the event, smoothing the glitches, making it look and feel easy.  But, and I know they join me in this, GANG Members are due the lion's share of the kudos.  The overwhelming comments were that the mix was diverse, energy was expansive, networking was intense, and I might add, it is because our Members are gracious, magnanimous, supportive, imaginative, and professional.  Our resident members waived the 'conflicts' and welcomed professional colleagues [Fred, you'd be so proud of us, everyone behaved themselves!!!], and benefitted from it, as attested to by the robust response.  Way to go Gotham!  I'm soooooooooooooo proud of Our GANG!   

We managed a hearty and sincere welcome to 2 of the 5 new Members who are not presently globetrotting (GANG is quite a peripatetic group!).

The food flowed, the wine & beer flowed, the networking flowed, and the time also flowed, passing 8PM, 8:30PM, 9PM.  At the bar, Anna started feeding us few stragglers all over again, when around 9:30PM, one of GANG's former meeting attendees arrived, expectantly canvassing the dining room, then disappointedly asking Anna, "Has the GothamAsianGroup gone?"  Gone . . . but not forgotten!

*Save the Date* -- December 1st, 5:30PM-8PM, YumYum3, 658 Ninth Avenue @ 46th Street, NYC, 212-956-0639

Cheers!
Lorraine

Lorraine M. Walla, GC
GothamAsianNetworkingGroup(GANG)
Tel/Fax# 212-580-1153
Lmwallaeverest at nyc.rr.com


 
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