Lynmar Estate Madmen Ball

 

[Update August 23: Lynmar has posted a photo gallery of the Madmen Ball.]

We are long-time members of Lynmar Estate’s Advocates wine club.  When we got the invitation to the Lynmar Estate Madmen Ball, we accepted eagerly.  The event lived up to our expectations.  No, that’s wrong.  Our expectations were wildly exceeded.  At our age (well, my age), we’re usually not allowed to have that much fun.

The party was held in the 32nd floor ballroom of the venerable St. Francis Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco.  Now owned by the Westin chain, this hotel has been a destination for, well, longer than we’ve been in California.  Luckily, Westin hasn’t screwed up the franchise.  We got a room in the old wing, with smaller rooms but there is a definite air of luxury and privacy.

We arrived around 6:30 and were greeted with the warmth we have come to expect.  Proprietor Lynn Fritz and his lovely wife Anisya came over to greet us personally.  As always, the two circulated around the rooms, chatting with their guests and making occasional announcements.

With the band playing music from the fifties and sixties and the wine flowing freely, the dance floor was soon packed.

Some people went all-out with period costumes:

Then there’s the food.  The smoked salmon first course and the deconstructed apple pie dessert surrounded an excellent meal.

The party wouldn’t have been as much fun without our table companions:

And some crowd scenes:

[portfolio_slideshow include=”2770,2749,2748,2747″  autoplay=true navpos=bottom click=advance nowrap=false]