The toast heard 'round the world

About 100 people gathered in Paris to celebrate the Toast to IAP

For the past six years, every January, MIT alums around the world gather on (just about) the same day to celebrate MIT and specifically IAP: Independent Activities Period, the month of January where, on MIT campus, none of the learning takes place out of standard textbooks. It's a great excuse to gather, reminisce, and do some wine tasting of our own. (One of the classic IAP classes for those over 21 is Wine Tasting.)

We held our Toast to IAP at Wine By One, a modern wine bar near the Place Vendôme.

The year's Toast to IAP was also the start of a half-year celebration of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Institute's charter. In Paris, instead of our monthly pub night, this third Thursday Sidney and I organized the Toast to IAP at Wine By One, a modern wine bar where all the wine is displayed behind glass windows and served by machine. Sidney and I have been organizing the MIT monthly pub nights since last June. We had a great turn-out with around 75 alums and 25 guests. It still surprises me how many MIT alums there are over here. I was very happy to see some familiar (and less familiar) faces and brass rats.

Brass rats (MIT class rings) across the years