Saturday, January 01, 2000
Glitter, music, gourmet feasts and champagne
Downtown is revel central for countdown
BY JIM KNIPPENBERG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Carrie Brewer of Ludlow reacts after Kyle Holoway of Erlanger proposed to her at midnight at Music Hall.
(Saed Hindash photos)
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The next time somebody tries to tell you Cincinnati isn't a good party town, tell them about New Year's Eve, 1999.
Tell them about The Cincinnatian Hotel, where the party started at 5 p.m. Guests, who checked in to find two Tiffany's gift boxes (crystal champagne flutes and scented soap), were in the Cricket Lounge, hitting the champagne and listening to lounge singer Mickey Esposito belt out standards.
Later, about 9 p.m., they'd dance to the original Drifters.
The hotel was equipped for some major reveling. How major? Turndown service, when room atten dants turn down blankets, fluff pillows and leave chocolates on them, was altered — attendants left two Alka Seltzer and a bottle of Evian.
Alastair Willis of Hyde Park dances with Emma Sponaugel of Houston, Texas, at Music Hall.
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Or you could tell them about old, old Cincinnati traditions. Like the five-star Maisonette, where the bar was elbow-to-elbow and the dining room was sold out with 285 diners in two seatings.
Want to go? “There's a four-to-five-year waiting list for New Year's Eve,” according to managing partner Nat Comisar. “Some of these people have been coming here every year for 25 years.”
Former Ohio state Senate president Stan Aronoff, for example. He, wife, Vickie; Judge Mark Painter and wife, Sue, have been celebrating the New Year there every year since 1978.
“That's 21 years with these two,” Mr. Aronoff said. “Vickie and I have been doing it since 1960. You know why? This place is my good luck charm. The only time I ever lost an election was the year we didn't come here on election night for dinner.”
Or you could tell them about a new Cincinnati tradition: Jeff Ruby's downtown steakhouse, where 375 guests had reservations and there's no telling how many crowded the bar for a pre-party cocktail.
Stan Chesley and wife, Judge Susan Dlott, were there for champagne and dinner. For the past 25 years, Mr. Chesley has been going to another restaurant, but this year the couple “thought we'd start a new tradition.”
Down the street a ways at the Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center, glittery stars and moons hung from the ceiling as 700 people crammed in for a concert and dance thrown by WIZF-FM.
This one was glitter central, with ladies in long, slinky beaded gowns and men in tuxes with brightly colored shirts and bow ties. Whatever the dress code, this was a partying crowd — there to dance, table hop and say hello to 2000.
That's also why they were at Music Hall ballroom — to say hello in a major way. More than 900 guests in tuxes and beaded gowns dined on filet mignon and prawns, danced to the music of Jerry Conrad and at midnight raised glasses for the year 2000.
Among the 900 guests were Bill and Jonie Lotts, who led dancers in a tango. Mrs. Lotts table hopped from one table with the entire Neyer clan — parents, Chris and Tom; son Tom Jr.; and daughter Betsy — to another with Jack and Barbara Hahn, to another with Barbara and Larry Kellar.
All of this building up to the grand hello to 2000, which was accompanied by champagne toast and a multicolored light show.
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