Guests were encouraged to come in their fanciest apparel, all in the grand, Southern tradition of the Kentucky Derby, and on the menu popped up special Derby bites like barbecue ribs.
If one expected to simply dress up and sit in front of a TV, one knows too little about Harlem.
Late afternoon people sat outside the establishment, sipped cocktails in the sun, and listened to the fine band playing old blue grass classics. Later they would move inside to enjoy the 2-minute excitement of the horse race, and then the band would start the evening session, raising folks from chairs to dance.
Soon enough the dance floor was packed with gentlemen in seersucker suits and ladies in floral dresses showing off their best moves. No worries if you came without a partner as there were enough around to shake a leg with in the contagious atmosphere of cheerful acceptance.
A good band, good food, good crowd into the night—and that’s how you party Harlem style.
Friends Read Free