A cocktail bash for 1,400 guests, a three-course meal and cask upon cask of WhistlePig craft rye whiskey, was all it took for the East Side House Settlement to raise over $500,000 at its 15th Annual Gala Preview of the 2014 New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Center. It was an unlikely, Uptown-and-landed crowd for the eyesore of a convention center, which is more accustomed to frumpy salespeople from Duluth.
Shindigger sat with New York State Assembly hopeful Gus Christensen (Does he know how hideous Albany is? But thank God he’s a progressive) and his wife Courtney Christensen, a Sotheby’s auctioneer. She humorously led the battle for a bevy of exclusive items: “Just because we’ve enjoyed whiskey and cars, doesn’t mean we condone drinking and driving,” we heard her announce. “We do heavily endorse drinking and bidding,” she cracked, however, before auctioning off a package for two to the 2015 Grammy Awards, an exclusive Mille Miglia Zagato Chronograph limited edition Chopard watch, and, the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT that served as a centerpiece for the evening.
