Chatter
Yes, we have a podcast now. No, we’re not “influencers” yet!
At the start of Clubland USA, Ishaan Jajodia bemoaned the idea of a podcast as a perpetual slide towards us being on the path to becoming influencers. Ben Kahn was the podcast’s biggest cheerleader. And yours truly was more worried about what would appear in next week’s issue.
Chatter is the first step to expanding to audio content—without becoming another cog in your Instagram algorithm (yet?). Our first episode features Anthony Bolognese, founder of Capitol Hill Clothiers in Washington, D.C. who was featured in a previous issue of Clubland USA.
Ishaan Jajodia begs for clubs to stop with the online application forms. Yours truly brings this week’s Dispatches from Clubland USA.
And, as always, please be sure to forward this Clubland USA issue, brought to subscribers by Double Dot Squash, with everyone who will love it. You’ll be our favorites if they subscribe here, or by using your unique referral link below.—LR
Stop with the Online Application Forms
It shouldn’t be too easy to gain a passport to Clubland
By: Ishaan Jajodia
I remember as a kid that I wanted nothing more than to have my own membership card, on my own account. It was something we all looked forward to. You would go to the office and get your photo taken—always looking anything but your best—and you would be ceremoniously handed a card. I’m terribly afraid that the pomp and circumstance has all but died out.
Now, someone from membership writes you an e-mail, and then you whip out your phone, log-in to an application you must download for the purpose, and then are compelled to reset your password. That’s what happened when I recently joined the ranks of a New York club, though, credit where credit’s due: they printed and mailed me a physical ID card.
The club app competes with all sorts of things. Those darned notifications blur into a sea of endless tech firms and people trying to reach you. And then you open your phone, and the floodgates of distraction are open. You’re no longer there; your mind belongs elsewhere.
My frustrations with app-ification of everything stem from the consequences of the digital revolution. When clubs started putting things online, suddenly, you could book a squash court or reserve a lane in the lap pool without needing to do very much at all. You could even reserve a table at the Grill Room! No more hoping that the receptionist wasn’t away from her desk or that they had no more space for the evening: you knew what was what.
But this promise of unlimited access has turned sour. You begin with the app, and you land up with poorer service across the board. Want to make a reservation for the event? You must use the app. Want to know what’s coming up? App. Want to know if there’s a court available? App. But god forbid you don’t want to make a reservation using the app. Why can’t you call? Why can’t you e-mail? Why must you sign up on the app?
Call me cranky, even curmudgeonly, but this woo-woo has gone on for too long. The world outside might be going the way of impersonal AI chatbots and IVR menus, but in clubland, that’s a strong no. The allure of clublife stems from the deep personal bonds you make, not just with fellow members, but also with everyone else around you. For every time some app will tell you there’s no seating or reservations available, I’ll raise you the seat and the reservation I was able to make in spite of the app, simply by asking.
Don’t surrender to the app. Reclaim your personhood. After all, you are a club rat, and this is Clubland.
To read this on the Clubland USA site, please click here.
Chatter with Anthony Bolognese
Anthony Bolognese is fresh off the boat; when we sat down to record this conversation in early May, he was just beginning to dip his toes into the waters of Clubland. Though he has only just become a card carrying club rat, Anthony does most of his business in one of the clubbiest cities in America: Washington, D.C..
As a high-end clothier dressing D.C.’s elite, Anthony has been adjacent to Clubland for some time. So, we asked him to sit down with us and offer some insight into D.C. fashion (or lack thereof), his early thoughts on clubs and what these institutions can do to remain appealing to younger members without compromising on their values.
To listen to the first episode, please click here.
Dispatches from Clubland
SPOTTED: Clubby Birthday Party. This past weekend, Clubland USA’s senior writer and chief squash correspondent (and whatever other title he wants!) Ishaan Jajodia had what perhaps might’ve been the clubbiest birthday party in all of New England. Hosted at his home in New Haven, seersucker and madras was in good company along with club rats from Washington, D.C. to Western Massachusetts. Rumor has it that membership cards weren't checked at the door.
DC’s club tiff. The New York Times has discovered what Clubland USA has known all along: not all clubs are created equal. It’s Sunday edition featured an article that essentially boiled down the difference between the city’s Gold Standard clubs (such as Metropolitan and Cosmos) and the newer upstarts, most notably the Executive Branch “Club” where membership requires $500,000 and Trump sycophancy or The Ned, which has become a hotbed of journalists who, for some reason, remain uninterested in the National Press Club.
Miami will Miami. It seems that the Miami club scene is growing, but only if you’re willing to shell out a $50,000 initiation fee. That’s according to Bloomberg too. Too bad so few of them are Gold Standard clubs. By the way, does anyone else remember when Michael Bloomberg did a purge of his club memberships for being too white? We do.
Ten Weeks of Clubland USA. Clubland USA quietly marked its tenth issue last week. Part of that is because, like most clubs, we’re still figuring out a social media and marketing strategy. The other reason is that, like most club rats, we’re rather modest about our achievements and rather just have a good time. Nonetheless, a special thanks to our earliest readers. We couldn’t do this without you.