Like prom, but pregnant (by John)

What could be more New Yorky than a black-tie event at the Waldorf Astoria hotel? To be fair it was just a dinner. People have dinner all the time - even us. So here are a few things that made it extraordinary for us:

1) dress. The event was a fund raiser for Columbia Business School. My work sponsored a table, and some of the alumni were busy that night, so I volunteered to go. There were about 1,000 people, all tuxed and gowned out. We took this picture towards the end of the evening. 2) speakers. Henry Kravis introduced the two award recipients: Ben Bernanke and Russel Carson. Ben spoke about the housing situation in the US and Russel spoke about how much the private equity industry has changed over the years and how his family helped foster his success. 3) venue. Ok so you dressed like a penguin and listened to an economist... *YAWN*. So this is the hotel where Serendipity, Coming to America, Maid in Manhattan, and the like were filmed. AND! AND! it is one of the two NYC hotels after which the two old Muppets Statler and Waldorf are named after. In fact, all around the main ballroom are velvet lined balconies - just like the ones they sit in. So in summary: it was just like prom, except it didn't cost hundreds of dollars, we went in a train, not a limo, my date was pregnant, we didn't dance, but we did listen to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the United States Federal Reserve.