The Way We Get By

The Fiancé’s parents visited from Texas this weekend. It’s their first time visiting him on the East coast since his law school graduation almost a year and a half ago. I think they skipped a Boston visit to get to see me AND the Fiancé in one stop.

Or they waited to visit D.C. so we could do a White House tour together. I encouraged the iPhone Johnson Family Calendar picture taking outside the White House north portico. Watch out 2011!

After said tour on Saturday, we walked to our wedding ceremony and reception sites. On the way we stopped by the Tabard Inn where I will be spending my last night as a single lady. Across the street is the Iron Gate Inn Restaurant where we wanted to have our rehearsal cocktail hour. I had worked really hard the last two weeks to find a place in D.C. to hold an informal get together after our rehearsal Friday night. Most places in D.C. have $1500-$2500 minimums for such events. And those are prices for cocktails, not full meals. The thought of planning and paying for a second wedding-reception-caliber event was overwhelming.

Iron Gate has a beautiful outdoor patio and bar that we were going to have appetizers and drinks at, all based on consumption. No deposit, minimum, bar fee, or site fee.

When we crossed N to take a closer look at the place, there was a banner across the iron gates (yes, it has actual iron gates) that was falling down. Something about “closing” “last chance” “October”. Surely they weren’t going out of business! They were just closing the patio for the winter, as many area restaurants do.

Ha, ha, ha.

The beautiful place I was going to sip my last single gal cocktails at, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Washington, D.C. where the manager and I confirmed my event not 7 days earlier, is closing at the end of October. And the Fiancé’s mother even took our photo in front of it!

The Fiancé slept over on Saturday night because he was afraid I would stay up all night Googling for alternatives. Bradley had the best response of all when I told the news, “That’s about right.” Because something had to go wrong! And I am counting all my blessings that it wasn’t my reception space the went defunct.

I think I should mention now that I have the penthouse suite at the Tabard Inn. Pizza and beers in my room Friday night, everyone!?