Smithson Gala 2004
April 24, 2004
at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center
What a night!
Here we are, ready to go!
I don't think I've ever had so much hairspray in my hair... but the effort was worth it!
To get to the Udvar-Hazy center, we had to cross the Potomac. Rather than take the beltway, we opted for the scenic route, which means going across White's Ferry.
The museum is a cavernous building!
That's the SR-71 Blackbird in the middle. It was the backdrop for the dinner. It's quite impressive!
An overhead view of the dinner, as we were getting up to go visit the dessert buffet.
All in all, it was a wonderful evening. The dress got lots of oohs and aahs, as did Bob's vest. (And no, no one commented on the constellations, darn it, and I kept my promise not to mention them!) There were a few other women in sparkly dresses, but no one else dressed for the venue. There were a few truly awful outfits, but all in all the outfits were pretty unremarkable. Lots of black dresses!
It is the tradition at these dinners that couples are seated at separate tables. I really like this, as it forces you to chat with people you probably don't know very well. And every table has a "ringer" -- a Smithsonian staff member of some reasonably high level. I was seated next to Carey Winfrey, the editor of the Smithsonian Magazine. Other people at my table included the owner of a local chain of book stores (Second Story Books -- my absolute favorite haunt when I lived in D.C.), an engineer with Northrop, and a senior Amtrak official.
Bob and I actually did make it onto the dance floor (a Glen Miller-style swing band played in the shadow of the Concorde).
We got home at around midnight, and on the way home we were already talking about what I should wear at next year's gala, which will be held at the brand-new National Museum of the American Indian.
So thanks for visiting, and stay tuned for next year's saga!
See the details of the design and construction of this year's gown
Back to the Main Sewingroom Page