Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/407800
What's on Our Agenda This Month. Saturday, November 1, The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art Gala: Celebrating the Hand at The Heritage Center at Crowne Plaza. Chairs Jeff McKissack (posthumously) and John Milkovisch (who are credited with building the center with their own hands); silent auction of works by contemporary artists; entertainment The Celebrity All-Stars; media sponsor PaperCity (713.926.6368; wendy@ orangeshow.org) … Monday, November 3, Holocaust Museum Houston honors Houston greats Edith Mincberg and the late Josef Mincberg at the Guardian of the Human Spirit Luncheon at Westin Galleria Hotel. Chairs Araceli and Rigo Flores, David Mincberg, Lainie Gordon; honorary chairs Houston Holocaust survivors Michael Goldberg and Glen Rosenbaum; guest speaker Alan Dershowitz; media sponsor PaperCity (713.942.8000, ext. 112; spiritlunch@hmh.org) … Wednesday, November 5, champion literacy with Writers in the Schools at A Celebration of Story: Where Words Fly at The Junior League. Chair Bryn Larsen; honoree Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson of the Houston Public Library; media sponsor PaperCity (events@witshouston. org) … Thursday, November 6, Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation teams up with Saks Fifth Avenue for Catwalk for a Cure, with special guests Marchesa founders Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. Chairs Lindley and Jason Arnoldy, Francine and Westy Ballard; Commitment to Care Award honoree Dejka Araujo; Commitment to the Cause Award honorees Alexandra and Brady Knight; Celebration of Survivorship Award honoree Lauri Mauldin; dinner and auction; cocktail attire; media sponsor PaperCity (713.256.4250; info@sarcomacancer.org) … Friday, November 7, join DiverseWorks for Fashion Fête: Art of the Runway at DiverseWorks. Chairs Duyen Huynh, Caroline Starry LeBlanc, Gail Rubin, Kate Stukenberg; fashion show with accessories by Texas artists, which will be available for purchase; looks by Laboratoria, Leap, Settlement, Sloan/Hall; fashionably cutting-edge attire; media sponsor PaperCity (713.223.8346; jordan@diverseworks.org) … Also on November 7, Festari for Men presents Una Notte in Italia at Westin Galleria Hotel. The celebrity men's fashion show, benefitting Bo's Place, will be chaired by Jennifer Brown and Christie Sullivan; honorary chairs Debbie and Rudy Festari; dinner; entertainment DJ Gino "G"; cocktail attire; media sponsor PaperCity (713.942.8339 ext. 123; unanotte@ bosplace.org) … Saturday, November 8, pedal for a cause at Define Montrose for the Habitat for Humanity Donation Ride, which also celebrates Define founder Henry Richardson's PaperCity Momentum Award win; media sponsor PaperCity (definebody. com) … Also on November 8, The Rice Design Alliance holds its annual Gala: Draw at the Hilton Americas-Houston. Chaired by Barbara Amelio, the event honors architect William D. Kendall posthumously for his work in Houston; cocktails; seated dinner; silent auction; live music; media sponsor PaperCity (713.348.5668; allynwest@rice.edu) … Tuesday, November 11, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, holds its annual gentleman's smoker, One Great Night in November. Curators present artworks for consideration; guests vote on acquisitions for the permanent collection. Art preview and cocktail reception; seated dinner; black tie (onegreatnight@ mfah.org) … Wednesday, November 12, CancerForward: The Foundation for Cancer Survivors holds its annual We Can Go Forward Luncheon at River Oaks Country Club. Chairs Bill Hamilton, Denise Monteleone, Beth Sanders Moore, Kate Stukenberg; H. Rudy Teichman Anchor of Strength Award to Rolanette and Berdon Lawrence; guest speaker Dan Harris, ABC News anchor; media sponsor PaperCity (713.840.0988, ext. 4; ojc@cancerforward.org) … Thursday, November 13, Avenue CDC's Art on the Avenue Preview Party at Winter Street Studios. Bob Rabinowitz hosts this buy-it-now preview of the artworks featured in the main-event silent auction; media sponsor PaperCity (713.864.8099, ext. 222; karan@avenuecdc.org) … Friday, November 14, ring in the holidays at the Trees of Hope Silver Bell Ball. Chaired by Rachel and Christopher Boehler and Laura and Steve Jones; honorary chair Lynn Wyatt; celebrating the 25th anniversary of Trees of Hope, which benefits Star of Hope. Honorees Katherine and Orrien Smith (posthumous), Sherry and Jim R. Smith Sr., Jaci and Jim Smith Jr.; auction of trees and wreaths; media sponsor PaperCity (713.942.8733; gwen.koch@treesofhopehouston.org) … Saturday, November 15, Art on the Avenue holds its main event: a silent auction of works by 250 local artists at Winter Street Studios. Honorary chair Mark Montgomery; curated by Christine Jelson West; media sponsor PaperCity (karan@avenuecdc.org) … Tuesday, November 18, only girls are allowed at Another Great Night in November, benefitting the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The ladies' night, co-chaired by Blakely Griggs, Cecilia Harris and Jennifer Segal and hosted by Susanne Pritchard, will be held at a private residence and features a high-stakes trivia contest, followed by dinner; media sponsor PaperCity (713.284.8260; agn@camh.org) … Prepare for an extraordinary art adventure: Iluminación: A Bayou Bash Friday, November 21, at the Buffalo Bayou Silos, 351 North St. Charles. Co-chairs Craig and Tatiana Massey, Eduardo Garza and Jessica Crute, Travis Torrence and Heath LaPray; benefitting Houston Arts Alliance; media sponsor PaperCity (houstonartsalliance.com/iluminacion) … Saturday, November 22, Peckerwood Garden celebrates nature with the Gardens Are Beautiful Dinner, benefitting the Peckerwood Garden Conservation Foundation. Tour the gardens with manager and plantsman David Cater; guest speaker Dario Robleto; dinner under the stars (979.826.3232; info@peckerwoodgarden. org). It's a busy month, so we'll see you out there! Erin Oppenheim Social Whirl W hat does an $8 million teddy bear look like? I flew 16,000 miles in 36 hours to find out. The thought of spending that much time on a plane is … well, dreadful, no matter how good the wine selection. But when Qatar Airways delivered an invitation to experience the layover of a lifetime, and lured by a few key sound bites (Hermès and Nobu) and a keen sense of suppressed wanderlust, I took the bait and wound up in the new Hamad International Airport on a random Wednesday, for four hours. On a Boeing 777-200LR (one of the largest and fastest in the fleet), I lunched, passing over Barcelona; happy-houred in Athens; and rolled into Doha in time for a nightcap. The teddy bear, as it turns out, is the focal point of an opulent resort property in the middle of the Arabian Gulf (where apparently planes also land and take off). Completed in April to the tune of $15.5 billion, the airport is replacing Doha International (DIA) and is already host to some 10 million passengers daily — a number that will quadruple by 2022, when they host the FIFA World Cup. The airfield occupies 18 square miles — approximately one-third the size of the city itself. And though Qatar is one of the fastest growing economies in the world (and a gateway to the Middle East), Qataris are actually the minority in their own country. So, in an attempt to service their expatriate population and elite international clientele, Qatar Airways has made a sizeable investment there. A destination unto itself (and on my trip, it was), the airport is home to a luxury hotel, more than 30 bars and restaurants and some 104 retail stores. Forget Panda Express — travelers at HIA dine at Caviar House, Prunier and Le Grand Comptoir. When one tires of gorging on champagne and caviar, head upstairs for a restorative massage, a dip in the pool at the spa, or a random game of airport squash. And, pick up a souvenir from Harrods, or perhaps an IWC watch or a Jige clutch from Hermès on the way out of town. Despite the grandeur, however, the jewel of HIA is the ergonomically designed and elegantly appointed Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge, which sprawls over two floors. An infinity pool, a four-level crystal chandelier and glass staircase leads like the road to Oz, to a mezzanine floor with round-the-clock international restaurants, with a backdrop of furniture and fixtures from Vitra, B&B, Cassina and Knoll. As for getting there, the flight from Houston to Doha is just under 15 hours, one of the longest nonstop flights in the world. But if travel was ever a burden, this airline aims to change that (at least for those who can afford it). Soft-spoken attendants serve up entrees with a tantalizing Eastern bent, such as herb- crusted lamb loin with Dauphinoise potatoes. The drink side features ports, sakes and premium-aged whiskeys. The house Chardonnay? A 2011 Mersault, naturally. They had me at hello. With just three more hours until we landed in the states, my pajama party with random strangers was about to come to a close. And for the first time, I actually lamented the end of a flight. Francine Ballard HIA by the Numbers 15.5 Billions of dollars spent building the new airport 18 Approximate square miles that the property occupies 16 Lounges 1,800 Restaurant and food-service staff 1,000 Patrons that the Al Mourjan Lounge can accommodate at one time 104 Retail outlets 30 Restaurants and bars 96 Arabs that I probably offended while there Francine Ballard buckles up and puts her Hermès bag and gray sable in an upright and locked position as she flies the luxury skies of Qatar Airways. Luxury Lie-flat business-class seat aboard Qatar Airways Fly on the Swimming pool inside the main terminal of HIA Reflection pool and glass staircase at Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge in Doha Extraordinary residential real estate service and knowledge. Every time. 713.553.4255 m a r y h a l e m c l e a n . c o m River Oaks