EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY:
“MEMBERS ONLY” — MY VISIT TO AN ITALIAN-AMERICAN SOCIAL CLUB
BROOKLYN, NY (1994)
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to step into an Italian-American “social club” in Brooklyn? I tried that once. Here’s the story.
I’ve done some stupid things in my life. What I’m about to tell you might be the dumbest of all.
They’re disappearing now, and many are long gone. But there was a time and place when the “social club” was a really big deal, especially in Italian-American culture. These social clubs were “members only.” They were secretive private clubs. Outsiders simply didn’t get in. Outsiders weren’t invited in. Ever. Nobody took pictures. I need not explain what kind of people hung out during the mid-afternoon in Brooklyn at a “social club.”
The typical social club was a busy place. It was the center of the action. On warm days, some “members” even sat outside, whispering among themselves around small tables, sipping expresso. Somebody always worked the door. The door guard, more like a bouncer, was always a big and intimidating enforcer. The door guard had *one job.*
Sometime in 1994, I was in Brooklyn. I can’t remember where this happened exactly, but I was meeting someone at a neighborhood Italian restaurant. I want to say it was a block off of Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn–but don’t quote me on the location. Next door to the Italian restaurant, which didn’t serve beer or alcohol, was a private club. But, I wanted a drink. Surely, they’d let me inside the private club, right? Hey, I was a member in good standing of the Knights of Columbus. Did that qualify?
As I approached the front door and was about to open it and step inside, a big man who looked like Paulie, the scruffy brother-in-law from “Rocky” shoved the door shut. Bouncer Burt Young mumbled, “THIS IS A PRIVATE CLUB.” A few of the guys sitting at the tables outside stopped talking. Cold. Not another word was spoken. No more words needed to be spoken.
Gee, this place could really use some help in customer service. If they had Yelp, back then — one star, that’s it.
I got the message, which was loud and clear. But as I was leaving, to go look for another bar, my “friend” pulled out a camera and snapped this photo which was just outside in front door of the social club. Well, showing that camera out on the street set off a few of the guys who were sitting outside, who didn’t want their photo taken. Hmm, I guess they were just camera-shy.
They yelled something bad, and like total idiots, we just laughed it off and then went down the street and around the block to someplace else that served cocktails. But, looking back now on that scene and dangerous situation, that was a really, really dumb thing to do.