Friends of ours invited us to a party held last night in honor of their son and future daughter in law. The wedding is to take place elsewhere and this was the celebration for their Washington friends.
The save the date card came eons ago and we marked our calendars. The invitation came about six or eight weeks ago. We looked at it and remembered it was to be held at the Chevy Chase Women's Club.
Yesterday, we looked at the invitation again to check the time, and left our house driving up Connecticut Avenue to the affair. The parking lot at the Women's Club was 100% empty.
We were not sure what happened. We knew we had the date and time and venue correctly. We knew there was to be a party because we saw a number of the attendees earlier in the day. All we could think of was that they had changed the locale and told everyone but us. It made little sense.
Driving home, we pondered. Arriving home, we looked at the invitation, and saw that the party was at the Bethesda Women's Club. Who knew that there was a Bethesda Women's Club? There is a single Chevy Chase-Bethesda High School. Neither Chevy Chase nor Bethesda is a political jurisdiction, so there are no definitive boundaries between them. Why would there be two locations? And why would they choose this one, which we were not even familiar with.
Back in the car, back out Connecticut Avenue, but this time clipping over East West Highway and Old Georgetown Road. We got to the party almost an hour late (but in time for the food).
Telling our tale to the host, he told me that he had recently been to a function at the Chevy Chase Women's Club given by a Jewish lady and how that never would have happened in the olden days because the club was restricted. I didn't know that, but perhaps that is why there was a separate Bethesda Club. Maybe that was the club that Christians could not go to. I don't know.
Neither of these clubs seem like clubs. They are white painted one storey brick buildings with what looks like a vestibule, a party room and a kitchen. Do they have members? What do they do there? Can men join? There certainly is not Chevy Chase or Bethesda Men's Club.
Is there?
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3 comments:
It's called the YMCA.
Those clubs harken back to the days of cocktail hours, garden parties and white gloves. Then, as well as now, they were used for a multitude of events from wedding receptions to political meetings. Now you're likely to find a childbirth class running there as well. They are a bit sad looking but they are part of the history of Bethesda and Chevy Chase. Please pass the crumpets...
I, of course, a newcomer to this blog, but the author does not agree
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