THE NEW YORKER FESTIVAL 2014

For a few days every year The New Yorker Magazine throws a festival to celebrate ideas and the arts in New York City. Throughout the city they cater celebrity-driven events, art expos, literary conferences, and many a party. 

One such gathering took place October 10 of this year. This event was held in a theater in New York City called The Cell. 

The private event was sponsored by Elit Vodka by Stoli. They described the event as "an exhibit celebrating influential people, places, and books at the intersection of New York literature and cocktail culture." Basically, they wanted to represent certain individuals, places, and books from the prohibition and post-prohibition era. One of the three places they picked at their event was Tony's Speakeasy.  A couple of the individuals they picked were writers Truman Capote and Dorothy Parker. One of the books featured was The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. Ironically, what all three individuals had in common besides being world renowned writers, they were all loyal patrons of Tony's. As a side note, Tony's speakeasy, was the place where The New Yorker magazine was born. Founder Harold Ross, a fixture at the speakeasy, spent many days and nights brainstorming ideas for his new venture. Trying to come up with ideas for a name, fellow Algonquin Round Table alum Robert Benchley came up with the name while conversing with Ross; this all happened at Tony's.   

The exhibit was a great success. The posterized photograph of Tony's speakeasy captured the interest of the VIP crowd; referring to Tony Soma as The Speakeasy King.

Thanks to Dorothy Parker Society's President and author Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, who consulted the marketing team at Stoli regarding this event; coming up with the idea of including Tony Soma's speakeasy. 

My pleasure to lend the photograph of Tony's for the event.