D AV I D PAT R I C K C O L U M B I A next generation!” You can help too. Visit on the Web: newyorkersforchildren.org. The Michael’s Lunch. Over the course of a month, the list of prominent individuals who take lunch at Michael’s reads like a page out of Who’s Who or People magazine, or Quest. An unusual spotting at a Wednesday lunch was none other than The Donald, lunching with Richard and Harrison LeFrak, Steve Ross (owner of The Dolphins), and CNBC’s Joe Kernan. Because it is well known that Donald Trump rarely lunches or dines out, he was on everyone’s radar: Donald Trump is here, Donald Trump is here... people were repeating
sotto voce to each other as if they were finally seeing a real celebrity. You could see The Donald had something to say and his listeners were having some laughs with him. Coincidentally, a few tables away at Table 7 Nikki Haskell was lunching with Rikki Kleiman (the Rikki and Nikki table?) and another friend. Nikki and the Trumps go way back to the late ’70s when Donald and his then wife Ivana were new faces on the New York scene, and Nikki had a popular cable talk show when cable was in its infancy and everything was a hope and a prayer, including the sets. The Donald and Ivana first became known
to New Yorkers from their appearances on Nikki’s show. It’s almost 40 years later and, like the troupers they are, they’re still out there working it. Rachel Roy and Desiree Rogers were lunching together. You know Ms. Rogers as an early star in the Obama White House as social secretary. There was a moment there when people thought she was going to revive social life in Washington around the White House after the two-term Bush dormancy. That was not to be and before long she departed for reasons unknown. Ellen Levine and Joan Hamburg were next door to me: Star Jones was lunching
with Wendy Williams who was intense and all in blue. Joe Armstrong, the Mayor of Michael’s, with George Farias; Da Wenzdy Boyz: Imber, Della Femina, Greenfield, Kramer, Bergman; Bobby Friedman with Jeff Sagansky; Peter Brown and guests; Paul Wilmot at Table One with what looked like a confab of ideas hatching for a new venture (this is all my imagination—I know nothing). In the corner, William Lauder with Lida Burpee; Stephen Swid and guests; Michael Kassan; Aryeh Bourkoff; Debra Shriver; Fern Mallis with Elise Kroll; Steven Greenberg with Jeff Toobin; Judy Price; Charlie Scheips; Alice Mayhew; Ellen
T H E A R T O F PAC K A G I N G AT T H E P R AT T I N ST I T U T E I N N E W YO R K
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