One of the hardest things about living in an apartment for me is that I like to host people and, well, there’s just not that much space in my ~600 square foot apartment filled with furniture and when you add in a group of people (even people I really like) it gets crowded fast. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve hosted my share of indoor parties in my small space during the winter months when there is no other option, but as soon as the weather warmed up I immediately moved it outside. So many new apartment buildings in DC have built-in shared spaces for hosting–huge lounge areas, designated party rooms you can reserve, rooftop grills and pools–but I live in an older (they claim historic) building so we have…. a courtyard.
I’m not at all complaining because it’s a great courtyard with grills, a fire pit, picnic tables, and lounge chairs. But it does require a little bit more set up and planning since I can’t just call the front desk and ask them to reserve the room for me. The first step is to get everything you need–just because the building provides a grill and a fire pit does not mean they have charcoal, wood, or any of the tools necessary to grill. I learned this the hard way the first time I tried to use the grill, so don’t think that this is obvious!
Then I usually move down to the courtyard about half an hour before I asked guests to arrive because the space is first-come-first-served and I gotta stake my claim. I’ll pack everything I need for the party into big reusable grocery bags and bring them down to set up. This is where a co-host comes in handy since I inevitably send Brandon back upstairs to grab more things that I forgot I needed. Then I’ll set up the food and drinks and my portable speaker and hang out until it’s time to start! (Here’s some of my party essentials if you want more on what I bring to the patio with me.)
One thing that my shared space does have is trash and recycling cans on the patio but you should check to see if you need to bring your own trash bags since you don’t want to be that person who ruins it for everyone. I try to be careful of the noise level as well as how much space my group is taking up when I throw a party in the courtyard–especially when there’s another group around. Last wine club there was another group having a BBQ on the patio as well and they were so sweet. They came over with a plate of food for us (even though we had our own snacks) so we could try it and just to be friendly. It was such a sweet gesture that it’s definitely something I’m going to try to do next time!
All in all, I think throwing a party in a shared space just requires a little bit more planning (since you can’t just open your door and let people in) and a lot more respect (since you want to be aware that others use the space and can hear you from their apartments). The end of March was warm enough that we held wine club outside in the courtyard and it was a huge hit so we’ll definitely keep that going for as long as the weather allows. As a bonus, we made s’mores for dessert so I didn’t even have to bake anything!
xoxo,
J
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