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In an age of gentrification and tourist traps, it sometimes takes a brave act to secure New York's cultural legacy. This week's stand for dignity comes from Mediterranean-inspired restaurant Gardënia, which will be hosting a beach party tomorrow at its West Village location. Guests are invited to nibble on free vittles and happy hour drinks in bikinis and speedos, and are required to check their shoes in favor of complimentary flip-flops. You'll also get a complimentary watermelon cocktail served out of a watermelon. It's all in line with Gardënia's creed of “elegance, understated sophistication, freshness, purity.”
The dinner spot will be decked out with beach chairs, umbrellas and buoys, along with sand allegedly brought in from the Mediterranean. The dining experiment is in celebration of the Italian summer holiday of Ferragosto. I'm sure this is what Emperor Augustus dreamed of when he instated the harvest festival in 18 BCE.
The happy hour event goes down tomorrow from 4–10pm. In celebration of Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give, I will be wearing a crisp white turtleneck and accommodating denims.