Hobbled Jay McInerney Turns Out for Townhouse Showing

The mood was festive at last night's townhouse showing/wine tasting/book signing at 310 East 53rd Street.

"Welcome to our home," a woman joked as partygoers sauntered around the 4,000-square-foot property.

Four floors above the midtown after-work happy hour scene, brokers and media types munched on figs with blue cheese and downed wine as they waited for the evening's main attraction, gad-about-town Jay McInerney.

For those interested, Mr. McInerney would be signing copies of A Hedonist in the Cellar, his latest collection of essays about the world of wine.

"I am all about the parties where you can stand on a terrace above everyone," a woman said as she looked down at the street "Look at those poor people down there."

Aside from the snobbish attitudes, the only downside to the roof terrace was the lack of privacy.

"I wouldn't want to have all those people looking in on my party," a broker said, pointing to adjacent apartments with a bird's eye view of the festivities.

An announcement came at around 6:45 p.m. that, due to a broken foot, Mr. McInerney would be signing books in the living room rather than the terrace.

Decked out in a gray suit and surrounded by three blonde women, Mr. McInerney's perspective on the New York real estate world fit in well with his surroundings.

"I particularly like the ratio of men to women in this business," he told one woman. "There are like three men in this whole place."

Aside from questions about his new book, many partygoers wanted to know what happened to the author's foot.

"There are a number of explanations, but the truth is I was leaving the Waverly Inn and hurt it trying to hail a cab for a friend," he explained.

Well, that $55 macaroni and cheese does do a number on a person's depth perception.