New York's new private club craze is a cancer on the city
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
September 3, 2022 10:12am Updated September 3, 2022 10:12am Casa Cipriani is among a wave of exclusive new private members clubs popping up across New York, a city where accomplishment usually trumps elitism. Darian DiCianno/BFA.com
Some things in life should be experienced in private. Sex, for example. Colonoscopies. But eating in fancy restaurants and hanging out in beautiful spaces should not be private affairs. Sadly, New York is becoming a place where such pleasures are reserved for the privileged few.
The Big Apple historically is the most public of great cities. Except for a handful of clubs for alumni of Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League institutions, almost everything is open to those who can afford a night out — even if it means waiting at the velvet rope.
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But suddenly, members-only places catering to global carpetbaggers are clogging the pages of Page Six. As a lifelong New Yorker, this offends me. No, it infuriates me. Pretentious, exclusionary establishments are exactly what our brave, embattled city does not need.
Public Offender No. 1 is Casa Cipriani, a mammoth, members-only hotel, restaurant and lounge atop the Battery Maritime Building downtown. Its numerous, Art Deco-inspired dining rooms, bars and terrace lounges are magnificent to behold, both indoors and out. Guests enjoy stupendous East River and skyline views. The Venetian-themed menu whips the arugula off those at lesser Ciprianis.
Behind Casa Cipriani's elegantly restored facade is a club, restaurant, spa and hotel off-limits to all but the deepest-pocketed swells.Courtesy of Casa Cipriani
But it's off-limits unless you're a club member, or you pay upwards of $800 a night for one of 47 guest rooms. This, even though the property is owned by the city, which put up tens of millions in taxpayer funds to restore the old ferry terminal to support the new structure on top of it.
What a slap in the face of New Yorkers who were led to expect a normal, open-to-all hotel and party venue at the site.
"Casa," which means "house" in Spanish and Italian, won't be open to normal New Yorkers at Casa Cruz either.
Mayor Eric Adams is a regular at Zero Bond, a private club where entry fees and annual dues can reach close to $10,000.Getty Images for Haute Living
Last week, two curious, fashionably-dressed young women who weren't members were let into the invitingly-lit club on East 61st Street by a friendly doorman (who's likely been fired since). Led to believe they were welcome, the women took seats at the bar upstairs — only to be icily booted because they didn't belong.
Mayor Eric Adams' favorite after-hours haunt is Zero Bond. An initiation fee of up to $4,000 plus annual dues up to $4,000 won't guarantee entrance to "two floors of plush lounges, private dining rooms, omakase restaurant, screening room and library," The New York Times reported.
The blessing of a membership committee is also required to enjoy what founder Scott Sartiano calls "a New York version of a London club."
The expansive pool at the new Aman hotel in New York, where an entry-level guest room will set you back $3,200 — not including breakfast. You can also stay if you join the private club for $200,000. Aman New York
Bloody ridiculous, if you ask me.
That's not all. Nightlife mogul Robin Birley, whose face was once scarred by a tiger, wants to launch a glamorous members-only club at 828 Madison Ave., modeled on his impenetrable 5 Hertford Street in London. And Carbone, where it's already impossible to snag a reservation, is planning to open a members-only Carbone at Hudson Yards along with a Japanese restaurant. Dubbed ZiZi's Club, it will be an offshoot of the owners' private club in Miami.
The bar at 5 Hertford Street, a notoriously exclusive private club in London whose owner, Robin Birley, hopes to open a similarly styled hideaway on the Upper East Side. Getty Images for Pace London
Meanwhile, don't even think about checking out the new Aman hotel in the Crown Building on Fifth Avenue. Unlike at any other hotel in the city, Aman's restaurant, jazz club, lounges and even the lobby are accessible only to room guests who pay $3,200-and-up a night or buy a $200,000 club membership. The hotel's doormen are dressed like Secret Service agents and guard the velvet rope on East 57th Street like Fort Knox, chasing would-be explorers away with a sneer.
It's easy to joke about the "private" metastasis. But it's a cancer on New York City's DNA. It exploits a deranged wistfulness for what New York City never had but titillates elitists: a class system. From the first Dutch settlements to today's 200-language metropolis, we are about inclusion, not exclusion.
Also jumping on the members-club bandwagon are the folks behind ultra-pricey Italian eatery Carbone (above), who are planning a private space in Hudson Yards modeled after one already running in Miami. Gabi Porter
We measure success in our accomplishments, not in initiation fees and the whims of "membership committees." If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere, and we don't need private clubs to prove it.
scuozzo@nypost.com
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"I refuse to join any of these exclusive private clubs if they would have me as a member!" - Groucho
Probably illegal immigrants from Russia and Serbia...
Why would a private club...much like private clubs that have existed for centuries in other parts of the world...represent "a cancer"?
It’s still a free country ...... mostly .....
Worked the door and the room in some fancy clubs once upon a time.
Thankfully I am now way too old to ever even think about doing that for a living ever again!
Simply another one of the ways of widening the divide between the few ultra-rich and the vast majority of common indigents who covet the impossible dream of one day joining them.
Your understanding of achieving the American dream is sophomoric at best. For those willing to work smart and hard, it is still alive and well.
Big time.
Come on Sparty. Let's be real. I bet you work smart and hard. Can you afford to join a restaurant club for 10K as an opener?
On the other hand, country clubs have always been a part of our makeup. It is a free country.
But no one can pretend that this is not snobbery at it's best.
Would the feeling of being "safe" in a gated environment be a factor? If so, is that snobbery or plain old paranoia? Or do the uber wealthy need "safe" spaces for their mental and physical well-being?
I ask because it seems that the uber wealthy spend a lot of money on security. More than I'll ever find out about with a simple google search, but here are two interesting articles.
and
more info from people who work with the uber wealthy.
Sparty neglects to mention that one must also possess enough courage to take risks.
And while $10k/yr may seem exclusive literally tens of millions of people can afford that.
I agree with you that the dream is there, but dreams don't pay the rent let alone allow diamond-class club privileges. Not everyone is ABLE or in a position to work "smart and hard", and even if they can, opportunities for them may not be available. As I've said many times, the streets of America are not paved with gold.
Neither snobbery or plain old paranoia when it can just be plain old common sense. In some kind of utopia where no crime exists, then you can apply your suggestions. When I went to university there was no such thing as a "safe room", and I actually survived.
In addition to risk-taking, another critical quality is tenacity. It is the rare business whose original business plan leads to success. The typical path is filled with disappointment, stress, re-inventing, etc. and the road is full of ups and downs. It is extremely easy for entrepreneurs to get discouraged and prematurely give up when matters seem hopeless. One needs an attitude of failure (i.e. the demise of the business) is not an option and the willingness to be dynamic, work like a dog, and get out of one's comfort zone to do what must be done.
In short, the American dream exists, but it is no easy road.
Addendum: There is a profound difference if one has a healthy-capitalized business vs the typical under-capitalized business. It is much more enjoyable if one has the capital to do what is right rather than scrambling to keep the lights on while carving out time to still do what is right.
And now "quiet quitting" is happening.
I have never known anyone who was uber wealthy, so I really don't understand enough about their risk factors to judge what they need to feel safe or be safe in 2022.
C’mon Perrie, it’s still a free country right ? While you are correct, I would never be part of such a thing, that doesn’t mean I hate on people that are. Not how I roll. Whether I could afford it or not is irrelevant. The point here is freedom of choice.
And you might be surprised what some Country Club memberships cost. 10k is nothing.
Quiet quitting is nothing new, wokesters just gave it name. I had to fire numerous “quiet quitters” over the years
People can make their own opportunities in America. No so in China unless of course one knows or is a communist party member and is willing to goosestep to their tune
no party required here …..
I don't think that Jack Ma or most other Chinese billionaires HAD to join the CPC to BECOME rich, although they may have been desired by the Central Committee to become members once they were. I would venture that the Chinese billionaires (and I understand that there are more Chinese billionaires than American ones now) take pretty big goosesteps of their own. The fact that you don't live in China is why you are swayed by propaganda to think that most of the people here even THINK about the CPC as they live their lives no different than you do. You have been misled, and you can't mislead me with your conjectures about China because I happen to know different from personal experience.
Lol you better do your math again.
The USA has significantly more billionaires per capita than China. And the supposition that Chinese businessman get to be billionaires without having the blessings of the CCP … is ridiculous.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, etc needed no such government approvals to make their billions.
Latest data I've seen says it's close, but not quite there yet. It's like 725 in the US vs 700 in China.
But given current and impending economic conditions in both countries, that could all look very different in a few months.
Never was that good at math - got the historic lowest mark in calculus in the whole university history. I wasn't talking per capita, but as Jack just pointed out I was wrong anyway. However, it's interesting that you shifted to a per capita basis. A previous member, when challenging me on the amount of pollution caused by the USA and China refused to consider that a per-capita basis (wherein the calculation shows that the Chinese people cause considerably less pollution than Americans do) and insisted that the consideration had to be nation to nation, even though China's population is about 4.5 times greater than America's.
I'd venture to say that billionaires in China DO enjoy the blessings of the CPC, but they didn't need to to achieve that position, and in fact they also have the blessing of the peoole. I recall that one of my students considered Jack Ma to be his hero and example to follow. Isn't it amazing that a socialist country still admires and blesses billionaires among its population?
I'm sure it will look different soon.
Yep, that was me. Or at least I was one of them and I still stand by what I said in relation to global warming.
Per capita means little in that regard. Only total CO2 emissions, which are substantially higher and accelerating fast in China while USA total emissions are going down. Have been for over a decade.
Really don’t see a reasonable comparison to be made though with that and total # of billionaires.
It was the logic that was relevant. And it wasn't you who had challenged me, it was one no longer around. If there were no such thing as borders between nations and the world was one unified whole, the emissions per capita would be more meaningful.
Hardly. One has to do with the fate of our planet. The other is just a statistic of rich people. Huge difference.
Huge!
Yes I did, I recall it well. If you don’t recall, c’est la vie.
Spoken from a country that emits the most CO2 by far each year. Where each year emissions are growing significantly while USA’s is going down. China has zero room to chide any other country on CO2 emissions.
Zero!
And what I recall was your ignorant comments to me over my Movie Quiz where you originally indicated to keep you on my notification list and then told me you never did, and I then sent you the proof. So I don't put a lot of credence in ANY of your comments.
HUGE
Until the carbon footprint of US citizens are equal to or lessor than citizens in other countries, it might be prudent to quit blaming others for trying to attain the US lifestyle that we take for granted and/or as our "right" on the world stage.
Furthermore, many people in the US live better lives because of US companies exploiting cheap Chinese labor for the last two decades.
Good article below that might shed some light on why China isn't really doing anything much, if any, different than the US has done as our country became more affluent.
Prudent indeed. Unless we lead the world in reductions, we shouldn’t expect others to act.
Exactly, what’s shocking is how the CCP let their people be so exploited.
Absolutely, the world owes China a pass until they catch up with the US.
How about India?
I apologize. You cited some good research and I shouldn’t have distracted from it with my sarcasm.
Lol ..... now you’re just making shit up. I did nothing of the sort. That said, this article is not about me Buzz. Grow up.
I’m not blaming anyone. I’m only pointing out facts.
The fact remains we are reducing our total carbon footprint and China’s in going up. Significantly.
What good will our green efforts do for global warming mitigation if our reductions are simply matched or exceeded by countries like China and India?
Thank you.
At 65, I have lived far longer than I ever imagined and with a far better quality of life than most people on the planet just because I was fortunate enough to be born in the US.
I cannot begrudge the citizens of other nations the chance to live with more amenities and possibly better lives.
However, I wish that our species could find a way to live better without destroying the environment we require to exist.
Very little. But then again, I doubt that anyone in the US would be willing to swap lifestyles with the people we are asking to live with even less than they have today.
And if the US wants to make a really big difference in the emissions of other countries, then all the government has to do is move all of our manufacturing back to the US so we are held accountable for the pollution created by manufacturing everything our citizens buy.
If we can move all of our manufacturing back and reduce co2 emissions and not pollute our air and water, then isn't that the best solution to getting rid of the problem with other countries not doing their fair share?
Nor is it about me, so you get off my ass and I'll get off of yours.
I'm 68 and survived Stage 4 cancer because I was fortunate enough to be born were I was with the medical insurance that I have.
Ok, but if it entails adding to climate change, don't we all have to begrudge?
Since it is the world as a whole, should it not be "per acre?"
I've already pointed out that on a per capita basis the people in China pollute MUCH LESS THAN the people in America on a per capita basis. That's just more evidence that the Chinese people are more concerned with the good of the community as contrasted with the American creed of personal rights and freedoms being paramount.
Exactly, the Chinese people are voting their concerns, not what the CCP says.
Right. It's not because they are much poorer. It's because they care.
China's Per capita GDP is about on par with Botswana. Why do they pollute so much more per capita than the people of Botswana? Do the Chinese just not care as much about their community as the people of Botswana, who have one the highest murder rates per capita in the world?
The discussion was about China and America - but of course you can deflect from it with discussions about whatever you please notwithstanding it's entirely off topic and irrelevant. Par for the course. But as for the Chinese people being much poorer, don't make me laugh. China eradicated abject poverty, everything costs much less here than in America (which I have already established a number of times), and there aren't a half a million people sleeping under bridges or on the street like in America.
Your “reasoning” is asinine and I demonstrated why.
Why do you deny reality? Chinas per capita gdp is comparable to Botswana. That’s a fact, not ccp propaganda.
Arvo drinker...so all your cancer treatment etc you either have to have insurance or do you have to pay for it out of your own pocket???
Mine is all free and have probably clicked up half a million so far.. And I have every intention of clicking up more..😁.
Hang in there Drinker and kick cancers arse.
Yes, we can keep paying the cost to reduce our carbon footprint and I guess we are just supposed to accept that what we’ve reduced, will just be replaced and/or exceeded by countries like China and India. Giving them another economic advantage over the US and causing more global warming.
That makes little sense to me ...... but we’ll sure feel better about ourselves.
[removed]
The eternal quest to attain what few people ever attain: satisfaction and contentment with life in the present. Lives are wasted in re-living the past or planning for a future that may never happen.
I totally agree. Being content with what you have, is the secret to a happy life.
So these folk are being content by spending their money on a private club. I really don’t understand the hatred towards that. Not at all.
Seems like simple petty jealousy to me.
I don't hate them. If this is how they want to waste their money, I am fine with it.
It's just so shallow, and I am allowed to have that opinion of them.
I didn’t say “you” hated them but your dislike is pretty clear.
That statement speaks for itself.
And it’s my opinion that it’s shallow when people judge other people’s personal business like this. Petty and shallow.
Yes it does. Perrie thinks restaurant clubs are a waste of money but she is "fine" if others feel otherwise.
You judge Perrie as " petty and shallow " because you believe she did " judge other people's personal business like this ".
( You apparently do not realize the self-contradiction you penned and do not see that your comment made things personal. )
We’ll, you’re judging my judgement of Perries judgement of other people so you’ve got no high ground in the matter.
Shall we keep going?
( You apparently do not realize the self-contradiction you penned and do not see that your comment made things personal. Interesting ...... )
And having low expectations
No, Sparty, what I did was point out that your comment was both a self-contradiction and made things personal. That is not a judgement of you as a person nor does it make things personal. It is an analytical observation of the comment you made.
And I apparently was correct in my observation that you do not realize the self-contradiction and personal nature of your comment.
In direct contrast, you judged Perrie as a person. See?
Sparty,
It was YOU who made this personal:
You are talking about ME in that comment. I am talking about unknown people, unless you identify with them, then you might take that personally.
But are you happy?
No, it wasn’t intended to be personal Perrie. It’s my opinion. You took it personal.
Of course I am! I never had big dreams or expectations so the things I achieved and have are all gravy to me
Well, do they have to be low ? Could they be reasonable instead?
Good for you! Life is short. It should be spent contented and happy!
LOL!
One can strive for reasonable....
Your comment was dead-on, absolutely personal. There is no ambiguity here Sparty. When you deem someone as being "petty and shallow" you are making a personal, derogatory comment.
You were not talking in general, you were replying in direct context to Perrie.
Of course she will take that personal; anyone with basic English skills would do likewise.
More pretzel logic from the master.
Suffice it to say that once again, I disagree with you completely and absolutely.
Real simple, if you write a comment that speaks negatively about your interlocutor rather than about the content of their comment, you are making things personal.
As an example, is the above quote part of an impersonal dialogue or does it make things personal?
Thank you! You nailed it.
Pretzel logic master?
I guess one might see it that way if they have to consult a dictionary while conversing with you, TiG
Wrong, as noted it wasn’t intended to be but was taken that way. Your opinion on the matter is meaningless.
Wrong, one can deem an action as petty and shallow and not think a person is petty and shallow. Perrie knows I respect her. If I thought she was petty and shallow I would say so. I don’t need the NT brain trust here making shit up about it
Wrong, see above.
If she does, that’s on her. Basic human psychology.
Passive aggressive mode ..... engaged .... bleep, blop, bloop .....
Lol .... stop projecting ....
Got it Perrie .... noted for future reference.
Apparently there is some actual science to support this idea.
Hah! I THOUGHT I remembered a reference to "low expectations" from the movies...
That line was spoken by Walter (Bill Pullman) to Annie (Meg Ryan) when she gave him back his mother's engagement ring because she was heading to the observation deck of the Empire State Building to meet with Sam (Tom Hanks).
TiG, give it up, I know from experience that you're wasting your time.
Some people just want to Sparty all the time, Sparty all the time... Sparty all the Tiiiiimme
LOL. Had to look that one up...
Again, Buzz, I do not write to change the mind of the individuals I address (typically, as you note, a waste of time) but rather to expose intellectual dishonesty and/or challenge trolling.
That almost sounded like cynicism.
Yes, almost. As Leo DiCaprio replied to Billy Zane who said in the movie Titanic: "You could almost pass as a gentleman", DiCaprio replied: "Almost". Ah, the movies, what a blessing.
Titanic is one of the movies I made sure I watched. I would love to watch it again.
Cameron did a great job with that movie. At least three Canadians involved - Cameron, Celine Dionne who sang the themesong, and Victor Garber who played the ship's architect is related to me as a cousin through my late sister-in-law's family.
"Destroy the ego"
attributed to the Buddha
I'm pretty sure that my ego is the only thing that keeps me alive!
My id just keeps trying to kill me!
Eastern philosophy teaches that everything in this life is transitory, what once was up will go down, and vice versa. At some point, an unknown point actually, rich people's money will no longer save them from the burdens of life, be they medical, mental, or family challenges. The ego never wants to let go of things that will change whether we like it or not.
To my knowledge, there are no religions that promote the idea of ego as a good thing.
Perhaps you should move east ...
I can think properly no matter where I am.
Debatable, very debatable.
Talking To the Buddha - Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams (the song starts at 1:50)
The excesses of the rich play both a good and a bad purpose. The bad is that the rich end up thinking they are better than everyone else, but the good is that "regular people" who hang out in sports bars and even dive bars develop more community and solidarity with themselves.
I live in a neighborhood filled with union and city workers who make a good but not extravagant living. Maybe they can take a trip with the family to Disney World or Washington DC etc once a year, and maybe they have a second house cottage on a lake in Michigan or Wisconsin. Maybe they can even afford to go to White Sox or Bears games more than once or twice a year. They have their big screen tv's and their pick up trucks. Their kids play organized sports and the parents go to most of if not all the games. People like that couldnt care less about what the rich are doing in private nightclubs and hotels. They know they are living their best life right now.
In order for that to be bad, one must care what they think.
Exactly. Why should anyone care?
Have known many of the rich and famous over the years.
They are just folk most of the time.
Many regret stardom because of the no more privacy thingy.
I have known many, too, and most of the ones I've known are down to earth, really nice people. Some with crazy reputations are totally normal in real life, but I have known a few who live up to their reputations.
The idea that New York never had a class system is idiotic. There’s a whole genre of literature based upon it.
So you also saw the Gangs of New York.
Anybody will jump jump to for the right price - anybody.
I'm pretty sure that my ego is the only thing that keeps me alive!
Anna Delvey was a visionary.
I'm currently re-watching that! I was just thinking of her when I read about these exclusive clubs, spas, and hotels. That's what she was working on
That Netflix series was great.
Finally got around to watching Dopesick on Hulu. Another great dramatization of non-fiction source material.