Okay, so this party planning business (not a "business" business, its just a figure of speech here) is not as easy as it looks. So, we're been calling banquet halls all over NYC, and have gotten diverse answers.
A little Hall actually just opened up the block from our house. I called, and the man I spoke to sounded like he was guessing for answers. I asked him how much it would be for 75-80 people for February of 2009 and his reply was something along the lines of "uhh, is that a Saturday? because the rates for Friday and Sunday are cheaper, like starting $1500 for just the hall without catering and about $3000 for Saturday night" and I'm thinking "Are you crazy?" It seems mean but you gotta see the outside of this place, oh, and did i mention the spot where they built it used to be a grocery store, and a deli before that. So i know it can't be that big, the grocer's didn't even have enough room when it was a grocery.
Anyway, a called a few more places and two sound promising. One is in Brooklyn but is fairly affordable. $425 for four hours, an additional $100 for each hour after that. And that's ONLY for the Hall, tables, and chairs. We bring the food, entertainment, and drinks. The other place is in Queens, in Queens Village actually on Metropolitan Ave. Its called "Metronome Cafe" and it sounds pretty nice although a bit more expensive at $800 for the hall and tables & chairs.
Oh well, I'll keep you guys updated on how everything is panning out.
Thanks for your donations!!
--janica
