"Welcome to Paris in New York," declared National Arts Club president Aldon James, as he addressed a chic crowd of young patrons who gathered at the fabled Gramercy landmark last Monday night.

L'occasion pour l'amour de la France?: A "Welcome Back to New York" cocktail fete for the Young Patrons Circle of the American Friends of the Louvre. Hosts Genevieve Bahrenberg, Eleanor Banco, David Chines, Genevieve Jones and Arden Wohl welcomed their friends and fellow French enthusiasts to the club's second floor salon for a mini-reunion, some classic cocktails and conversation.

While I have always adored the NAC, as well as the Gramercy neighborhood for its Edith Wharton-esque environs, it turns out that the club has some pretty strong ties to France, as well. "A number of our board members are Parisian," James offers. In fact, he continues, it was here where Jackie Onassis was awarded the French Legion of Honor back in the 1980s. Tres impressive indeed!

As guests. the likes of Steve Zucker, Summer Rej, Molly Friedman and Tracy Stern, sipped on champagne and snacked on crudites made to resemble crinkly fries (dare I say "vegetable freedom fries?"), I asked the AFL's ever gracious and sociable Christopher Pastor of the group's plans and objectives for the upcoming season. First on the agenda, he tells me, is a Louvre "field trip" for the AFL's "older set," something that Pastor hopes to extend to the Young Patrons Circle by next year. In the meantime, us junior folk can content ourselves with a slew of other enticing offerings, including private lectures, additional salon gatherings, and a special private dinner set for November - place to be announced, bien sur. Co-host and AFL Advisory Board member David Chines is equally enthusiastic about everything this year has to offer: "Tonight's party was merely the first of many exciting events planned for the upcoming AFL season, and we look forward to seeing our members and supporters in the coming months." With the chic factor firmly in place, it is safe to say that this season will indeed be one to remember.



Sophie Pera and Genevieve Bahrenburg



Summer Rej, Alixe Laughlin, Sean Stevens and David Chines



Genevieve Bahrenburg, David Chines and Eleanor Banco



O. Aldon James