Tuxedo Sam

Tuxedo Sam is the most dapper of penguins; he loves to don his finest attire and head out for fabulous nights on the town. This past Wednesday (a busy one) he made his way to the Washington Ballet for a party hosted by the Women’s Committee. The atmosphere was festive, complete with nutcrackers (to get everybody excited for the holiday bazaar being held the weekend before Thanksgiving), cupcakes from Frosting, and a cake inspired by the upcoming season’s Rock & Roll Ballet. Sadly Tuxedo Sam could not stay for the rehearsal, as he had to dash off to his next event, the Washingtonian’s 2010 Style Setters party at the Phillips Collection. Tuxedo Sam had a great time checking out the (in most cases) fashionable ensembles, while gossiping with friends and indulging in a cocktail or two.


After a lazy rainy Thursday (waddling around the flooded streets of DC is not his idea of fun), Tuxedo Sam was ready to get out and about. He began his weekend activities at the art filled Pink Line Project headquarters, where he enjoyed treats and bubbly, and then it was on to the Corcoran for the NOW at Night fundraiser, thrown by the museum’s Contemporaries.


The museum looked great, and there were lots of cocktails to be had (he loved the Pisco Sidecar and Basil Smash), as well as snacks being served on a moving conveyor belt (he might just have grabbed a few plantain chips as they passed by him). The fashionista that Tuxedo Sam is, he enjoyed checking out everybody’s dresses, and noted that there were many blue ones inspired by Spencer Finch’s My Business, With the Cloud, the inaugural exhibition of NOW at the Corcoran, a series that presents new and site-specific works by emerging and mid-career artists. His only complaint was the lack of dancing, but at least he was able to hit the dance floor for a song or two.


The following morning Tuxedo Sam had to pull himself together earlier than he would have liked in order to catch a train to Philadelphia for a law firm retreat (as a guest, of course; he is a man of leisure). The activities were held at the Ritz, where sadly the service was not quite as impressive as the lovely lobby bar. He donned his fine apparel once again for the formal dinner; as usual it was the standard vegetarian pastry parcel, but that did leave more room for dessert (Tuxedo Sam always loves a good dessert buffet). He also enjoyed more than his share of bubbly, but was not too impressed that the Ritz thinks it is okay to serve his drink of choice in wine glasses. That said, he is always one to look on the bright side, and it did mean he got bigger pours!


On Sunday, before heading back to Washington, Tuxedo Sam wanted to see a little bit of the city, so he waddled over from his hotel to the incredibly large Philadelphia Museum of Art. He loved Inci Eviner’s Nouveau Citoyen, and enjoyed walking around the numerous period rooms (if only he could have taken some of the furniture home with him).


Of course no Sunday is complete without treats, so after he got his dose of culture he enjoyed a not too healthy lunch at Joe’s Pizza, followed by frozen yogurt from Sweet Ending. He had what is certainly amongst the best peanut butter frozen yogurt he’s tried, and he also really liked the cream cheese and pumpkin spice flavors. While he can never get enough of frozen treats, he is very happy that it is pumpkin dessert season. Guess he’ll just have to amp up his workouts!