BARS, PARTIES, DINNERS

Despite Jonny’s deep insecurities about not meeting enough people and not going out often enough, we are doing wonderful things, even though just being on the streets is almost enough for me right now. We’ve been to dinner at the apartment of a really, really nice guy called Hylton White (he’s straight, single, seriously clever and really good-looking -- who wants to visit?), who we met at Kelly and Leigh-Anne’s wedding at the end of 2006. He grew up in South Africa and teaches at the New School here.

Douglas Rogers took us along to Tom Downey’s birthday party in Brooklyn last Saturday, and that was wall-to-wall with more nice people. I met Tom when Doug and I went out for drinks in April last year.

We sometimes hang out at a bar in Park Slope, called Union Hall, where I have befriended the doorman. We didn’t have photo ID when we went the first time (to see a stand-up comedian who never pitched, but sent a copy of Spielberg’s Jaws in his place), and when we went again, with ID, the second time, it was all hail-fellow-well-met-and-no-go-in-go-in-I-don’t-need-to-see-no-ID. I love that doorman (but he's not the one in the picture).

Union Hall is all huge, solid bar counter and dark corners and deep couches in pools of yellow light and walls lined with books and a fireplace and two bocce courts and a basement where they play great music. Bliss.

And they don't allow strollers, which is causing an outcry. As Douglas warned us: Park Slope is full of strollers and lesbians. The "no stroller" policy made the New York Times, and that's where the pic is from. Wanna move into Union Hall, Janine? Imagine: no kids