"I make legs and throw parties," says Will Maschmeier. We're in a bar just below the top floor of the Columbia Center, having a few drinks and looking down at the city below. Seventy-five floors above downtown, the nighttime view is gorgeous and exhilarating, as is the lightning-fast elevator ride. Maschmeier, who manufactures prosthetic limbs, holds social events up here every month or two. Tonight, he's invited about 100 friends and colleagues to sip cocktails and take in the panorama. The plush bar and adjacent tables are dimly lit. It's an appropriate setting for the kind of crowd that likes to win friends and influence people. Business cards are exchanged while girls in nice dresses fend off cheesy pickup lines from guys in suits ("Do you come here often?" "I haven't seen you before").

Maschmeier seems amused by my girlfriend, who jokingly introduces herself as my "assistant," as I ask him a few questions. He's easygoing and likable, easy to talk to, the best kind of party host. My assistant and I order a couple of vodka tonics and try to mingle with the guests, some of whom are approachable, others not. The bartenders are professional; the drinks are strong but expensive (and apparently come with 20 percent gratuity included). We take the elevator back down. I forget to have my girlfriend check out the women's restroom, which I've heard is pretty badass. It'll have to wait until next time.

Want to tell The Stranger to "check out the view" at your house party? E-mail the date, place, and party details to partycrasher@thestranger.com.