39. Lotos Club

Chuck asks to meet Lawrence Boyd at a place of his choosing, so they meet at the Lotos Club, a private literary club. The Lotos Club is one of the city’s oldest private clubs and counts as a member Mark Twain, who called it “The Ace of Clubs,” a member. It has traditionally had a more inclusive outlook, including Ladies Days starting in 1872 before women were allowed. Its “State Dinners” have played host to U.S. Presidents, explorers like Amelia Earhart, artists like Leonard Bernstein and Roy Lichtenstein and even athletes like Joe DiMaggio. The current building on East 66th Street was a mansion built for the daughter of William H. Vanderbilt. The Lotos Club was originally located on Irving Place and moved several times.