Club sandwich
One Clinton, Sappe, University Club, old guard clubs, Tile Bar, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, On Air Fest, MORE
CULTURE & LEISURE • Clubs
With honors
Walk along the west side of Fifth Avenue between 54th and 55th Streets, and you’ll smell the scent of chlorine through the steam grate on the sidewalk. Just 20 feet below, captains of industry are swimming naked below you.
They belong to one of New York City’s exclusive private clubs, the University Club. The rules are clear, and essential — no pictures, no digital devices, no white tennis shoes, no business papers, and no selfies.
The iconic 125-year-old club sports one of the most extensive private libraries in the U.S. (above), with jaw-dropping reading spaces that house the mountainous stacks, including a full-time library staff and a backgammon and bridge room. The large painting of Winston Churchill at one end of this bookscape perfectly captures the mood.
If you dine, bring a jacket and a tie. A drink at the minimalist Tap Room only requires a coat. Service is impeccable, but no one will chat you up, tell you their name, or bother you unless you initiate a conversation. If you break a rule, someone — maybe a member — will come over and discreetly whisper in your ear: no drama, no bouncers, and no receptionists on iPads.
A quiet respite, historic architecture, tradition, and the members' pedigree are the draw — plus hearty food, straightforward cocktails, and hot hors d'oeuvres in the Tap Room. Wednesday is lobster night, a shellfish buffet extravaganza. It's bountiful, but it screams old school, like everything else in this under-affected landmark club. –FOUND correspondent X
→ The University Club (Midtown) • 1 West 54th St • Members and their guests only.
CULTURE & LEISURE • The Nines
Clubs, old guard
The Brook (Midtown, 111 East 54th St), est. 1903, storied space with conversationalist bent, and Mike Bloomberg