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<\/a>Sonneteers from way back<\/p><\/div>\n
The Purple Pride loves words so you can imagine how comfortable I feel visiting their weekly meetings.\u00a0 They spend their time together writing, reading and analyzing sonnets.\u00a0 Other folks around here, when they first hear what The Pride does, always react the same, “Only sonnets?\u00a0 Not all poetry?”\u00a0 Nope, just sonnets.\u00a0 These word lovers can parse a sentence and squeeze the sweetest juice, even from a single syllable.\u00a0 Spare, evocative, poetic: their bywords.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
<\/a>The Stubby Grass Guild - A Service Club<\/p><\/div>\n
Nicknamed Mixed Greens by the many who love them, this guild is committed to doing what needs to be done, no matter how unsung or unseen.\u00a0 Expect to see these folks getting down and dirty, helping clean up unsightly garbage, rehabilitating run-down buildings, or digging natural disaster victims out from the rubble.\u00a0\u00a0They hold their\u00a0scheduled weekly luncheons in old-folks homes and orphanages.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Haute Couture on the Avenue<\/p><\/div>\n
High fashion is what this group is all about.\u00a0 The Haute Couture Club meets every Tuesday for lunch, and daily during Fashion Week.\u00a0 Not only do they\u00a0gab\u00a0about the latest things to hit the catwalks of New York and Paris and around the world, they\u00a0wear fancy duds of their own.\u00a0 Even people who hardly care about the world of high fashion are eager for a peek at this clutch of clothes-crazy critters.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Olive oil and lemons, fish and wine: What's not to love?<\/p><\/div>\n
Clube Mediterranean is nothing but fun.\u00a0\u00a0The photo above is the raucous C.M. gang at one of their\u00a0recent weekly meetings in the Latin Terrace\u00a0Quarter just east of the Union Center.\u00a0 You can imagine how coveted an invitation to\u00a0one of these\u00a0gatherings is where they\u00a0sample the latest Spanish or Portuguese meats (the chorizo is to die for), and cheeses, fish dishes and olives, washed down with rich Iberian or Italian wines.\u00a0 They really make their mark with their block parties.\u00a0 About four times a year, this olive oil and lemon crew get permission from the municipality to close a few blocks.\u00a0 Out go the cars, in come the grills, the bands, the eating\u00a0and dancing.\u00a0 We consider ourselves lucky to have these guys around.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Dignified Denizens. Pass the cognac.<\/p><\/div>\n
In contrast to that last group, The Stately Seven gather for dignified discussions of world affairs or domestic policy, followed by refined tastings of cognac or single-malt scotch.\u00a0 You’ll find them in overstuffed leather chairs in wood-lined libraries, floor to ceiling with books, and\u00a0voicing thoughtful reflections on many a weighty matter.\u00a0 Newcomers who first meet members of this group think them shy.\u00a0 Nothing could be further from the truth.\u00a0 Get them talking about the things they care about and watch the passion flow.<\/p>\n
The Life and Times of Union Center<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One thing I love about working near Union Center is all the local groups.\u00a0 Folks around here just love to get together for everything from a good cause to a good meal, to sing in the choir or play a … Continue reading