Champagne and wine flowed in the private reception room of the landmark building.

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We sat in our stocking feet in the dim reception room.

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Smith, chef and owner of three restaurants in Washington DC and New York was guest chef in the White House Mess and an African American History Month reception in the East Room on Wednesday.

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Then the porter and his children carried every piece of furniture that was in the reception hall into the dining room.

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The victims also showed the pictures to a policewoman in a reception room at the compound entrance, where Chongqing citizens have been invited to submit any complaints about gang activity.

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Obama's swearing-in on Sunday took place in the ornate Blue Room, an oval-shaped reception space in the president's official residence, where he was joined by his wife, Michelle, and his two daughters.

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President Obama today welcomed a group of accomplished and inspiring women to a reception in the East Room of the White House.

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Apologising for the smallness of the Home Room in the Lords, he explained the reception was organised at short notice.

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Guests in a neighbouring room went to the reception area to ask staff to phone for help.

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And with that, it is my pleasure to invite you all to join us for a reception right outside in the State Room.

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The alternative, she said, was that a victim rang a bell at the reception desk of their local police station, and had to "say in an open waiting room, 'I've been raped'".

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