Evening star., 1938-12-30
Capital to Usher In New Year
With Biggest Parties in Years
Hotels and Night Spots Kiss Recession
Farewell With Flood of Reservations

Old Man 1888 was on his last legs
today as thousands of Washington
mans prepared to show him the
nearest exit tomorrow night in a
noisy, money-spending climax of
the holiday season.
CogniZant of the midnight dead
line on public consumption of bot
tied delights, restaurants, hotels and
cocktail lounges-abundantly sup
piled with beverages, foods, noise
making gadgets and confetti
planned to begin entertainments
earlier than usual to raise the spirits
OF the multitude of celebrants to a
climax before the taps must close.
The old year will be ushered out
early in the public night spots, but
hundreds who chose to toast the
arrival of 1899 with glass of some
thing stronger than water will crowd
to private parties in hotel suites.
Prices Like Last Year.
Prices at the night clubs are re-
naming almost uniformly on level
with those of last year, but reserva-
tions are coming in so abundantly
managements are about ready to
tack out the filled to capacity" signs
and declare the recession gone for
ever.
Most potential blowers who
plan to follow the mode of the hour
and wear those strange paper caps,
will find all such equipment pro-
vided in profusion by the manage
mentS.
Each celebrant, however, can look
forward to being separated from
between IS to $3.50 for a nights
lease on a chair, and the privilege
of listening to that old Scotch IA
vorite, "Auld Lang Syne," being sung
with feeling and gestures by in
Vulnerable people with marked
Southern accents.
Top price for stalking claim on
two or three cubic feet in any of
the Capitals night spots is about
$3.50 per person, and under this
grouping comes the blue room of
the Shoreham Hotel, where the
noise-making gadgets and souvenirs
are described as colossal" A crowd
of "pre-depression" proportions is
expected to partake of the dinner
and the hour-long floor show pro-
vided under the charge.
Prices Elsewhere.
On about the same economic level
is the price at the Mayflower lounge,
where for 81 per person convivial
spirits can "convive" and also eat
dinner and watch planned and spon-
taneous entertainment. Represent
ative Of the average price group is
one of Washington's newer cocktail
lounges-the Club Riviera, at Hotel
2400-where for $3.50 each client
may sit for hours. be regaled by
clever ditties from Oracle and
Charles Herbert, and finally wind
up with breakfast. Other enter
tainment spots list the following
scales:
Raleigh Hotel Pail Mall room, S.
each, with regular and special en-
tertainment; Carlton Hotel, Shar-
Zad room, $6 per person, and hula
balloo instigators limited to 200;
Pete Macias' Heigh-Ho Club, $5.5C
each, with music geared for over
time: the Russian Troika, IS pc,
person, includes supper and a long
show; Wardman Park Hotel, where
the metronome room will be closed
offers a combination supper break
fast for around 1000 people at S.
each inthe large ballroom; Bamboo
Gardens, dinner and a floor show fol
$4 per person; the Lotus, $3.50 each
for dinner and planned excitement.
A few spots plan no increase in
regular prices, and no cover charge
nor minimum expenditures. In this
classification are the Ambassador
Hotels Hi-Hat lounge and Ambassa-
dor room; the anchor room at the
Annapolis Hotel and the Willard
Hotels Willard Corner.
Maj. Browns Conference.
The turn in the calendar won't &c
unnoticed by the Police Department