I first came on the scene during the Johnson years and that crowd was out all the time enjoying themselves. Nixon wasn`t particularly social but a lot of the people in his administration were.
Funny you mention my dinner parties when I have just suggested that inviting close friends over to share a meal with candlelight and wine at your table could be a form of religious experience for some people To me it`s a form of sacrament.
Even Colin Powell who was everywhere before he became secretary of state, just stopped going out. I think part of it was he didn`t want to be viewed suspiciously by the other people in the White House who rarely go anywhere.