East Side Memories: The People That You Knew at Elaine's
DECEMBER 12, 2011
They were all impressed with your Halston dress and the people that you knew at Elaine’s. -Billy Joel, Big Shot (1979)
For forty years, proprietress Elaine Kaufman kept patrons entertained at Elaine’s, the iconic East Side restaurant, nightclub and celebrity hotspot that was hip in a way that only the Upper East Side can be. Kaufman passed away in September at the age of 81, after closing the club the previous May. A memorial was held in early December at the Kaufman Center in Merkin Hall near Linclon Center—originally named for Elaine Kaufman herself (NYTimes).
Many see Ms. Kaufman’s passing—and the closing of Elaine’s—as marking the end of an era. If you were a certain kind of New York City somebody, beyond today’s tabloid swamp of real housewives and Olsen twins, imbued with old money and sharp wit, the fame of a Jagger or a Joplin, you ended many an evening with a late dinner and drinks at Elaine’s.
At the memorial, which was hosted by Dick Cavett, entertainers, novelists, journos and city bigwigs—from a crowd that included actress Elaine Stritch, sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, gossip columnist Liz Smith and many more—recounted memories of good times over the years with the sassy hostess and her never-a-dull-moment salon at 1703 2nd Avenue. An auction of items from Elaine’s—including the coveted table #1—was held in September at Doyle auction house (TheGuardian), where a similar assemblage of the smart and famous was in attendance.
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