Princeton alums are almost pathologically loyal to their alma mater. The school's annual reunion bacchanals and absurd alumni giving rate are proof enough of that. But the ties that bind graduates to Old Nassau even extend to New York.
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The best indication of the social lives of New York-based Princetonians lies in the school's famed eating clubs.-
The jewel of the eating club crown might be Ivy. Its members are no strangers to exclusivity, so expect them to breeze through some of the city's tougher doors at The Top of the Standard, Avenue, The Wooly and Rose Bar.
Tiger Inn is the closest The Street comes to a Beirut and beer bong-centric frat house. It's popular with the jocks who participate in Princeton's testosterone-heavy sports as opposed to the niche programs like fencing and squash that every Ivy League school somehow excels in. TI's crowd would normally hang out in Murray Hill sports bars. But those Ivy degrees allow them to avoid such downmarket venues and cheer on the Black & Orange at midtown's Princeton Club.
Princeton alum F. Scott Fitzgerald described "literary Quadrangle" in This Side of Paradise. We're going to assume not much has changed in the intervening 89 years and say that the ink-stained bookworms of the Quad flock to modern day salons like the East Village's KGB Bar and the Happy Ending Reading Series at Joe's Pub. Hello nerd farm.
Follow the chlorine-scented trail to Clois
ter, the dry land home away from home of Princeton's swim team. Cloister is also popular with the crew team, giving the club its Floaters & Boaters theme parties. And we already told you where Ivy League swimmers like to drink things other than dirty pool water.
Preppy Princeton might not overflow with bohemians, but the school's soon-to-be-starving artists probably eat up at the Terrace Club's buffet. You can find Terrace alums chains-moking at grungy/artsy venues like Glasslands, Union Pool and Galapagos or trying to catch a big break with their band at Mercury Lounge or Cake Shop.
According to Princeton's website, "Tower Club has often been considered to have the most political junkies" on The Street. New York might not appeal to this crowd quite as much as D.C., but you might try your luck at finding it by hanging out at preferred ambassador crash pad the Waldorf Astoria whenever the U.N. is in session.
Princeton engineering wonks are occasionally unchained from the library and head to Charter. We'd tell you where to find them in New York, but old habits die hard, and these folks don't make it out much.
Cottage has the most Southern feel of all the clubs. It's kind of like an Ivy for the sub-Mason Dixon line crowd. Alums who agree to put up with another few years in Yankee territory by moving to New York might seek some southern comfort with soul food at Mara's Homemade, Great Jones Cafe or, God help the Confederacy, Brother Jimmy's.
F. Scott offered a sad portrait of "anti-alcoholic, faintly religious" Cap & Gown. (Read: where the jocks hang). Things might have changed, but if not, Cap & Gown grads might want to consider seeking out the elusive company of members of Colonial, the club that one tipster "legit forgot existed."
As for students who never joined an eating club, consider the fate of Will Harsh (son of eBay billionaire and California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman). Says a source:
"He's just a tool. He was banned from at least one eating club for calling a girl a racial slur. He would pride himself on having several ‘girlfriends’ at one time, and tried unsuccessfully to be a player. He was actually independent (not in an eating club) which I always assumed was because no one wanted him or he was banned. OH and I almost forgot about the time he refused to introduce a girlfriend to his family because she was Jewish, and didn’t meet his standards of intellect. He may have thrown in fat, too. I can’t remember. Really classy."
(Photos Courtesy of Flickr)
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pton09
December 18, 2009
7:12pm
this is a terrible article that shows you know almost nothing about Princeton or the people who go there. The shot at Will was completely uncalled for as well. jackass.
another '09
December 20, 2009
8:16am
Completely agree with the above comment. Do you guys really have nothing better to do than write about undergrads?
an '11
December 21, 2009
5:15am
agreeing with both of the above.
Adams House
December 21, 2009
3:56pm
Somehow I doubt the kind of exclusivity associated with being in the so-called "elite" eating club at Princeton necessarily translates into being able to breeze into the creme de la creme of NY clubs. It's really like comparing apples and oranges.
Cap & Gown
December 23, 2009
8:34pm
Not only do you show that you know almost nothing about Princeton, you also didn't read F. Scott very closely before saying that he offered a "sad portrait" of Cap. He only mentions it 3 times in This Side of Paradise, so I don't see how you had much to go off of, but still, what he wrote doesn't seem to be enough to merit the word "sad." Excerpt 1: The upper-class clubs, concerning which he had pumped a reluctant graduate during the previous summer, excited his curiosity: ...Cap and Gown, anti-alcoholic, faintly religious and politically powerful... Excerpt 2: "Goo' boy, Tom, you got a good bunch in Cap." ... "How'd you get into Cap--you old roue?" Excerpt 3: "Fine! I swear I think it'll be most entertaining. How do they feel up at Cap and Gown?" "Wild, of course. Every one's been sitting and arguing and swearing and getting mad and getting sentimental and getting brutal. It's the same at all the clubs; I've been the rounds. They get one of the radicals in the corner and fire questions at him."
Terrace
December 24, 2009
4:18am
This article misses the mark on so many points that all I can say is, "Try again." Starving artists, indeed! Not to mention that the dig at Will has nothing to do with the purported subject of this article. Hack journalists; all of you!
p10
December 25, 2009
6:34am
if you guys would stop being so sensitive and politically correct maybe people wouldnt think princeton was full of a bunch of boneshows, which it is. and for the record, will harsh is indeed a complete tool.
p10
June 19, 2010
7:20pm
fyi, most clubs at princeton change stereotypes/feeder groups pretty regularly. they go in and out of vogue just like anything else and can experience huge changes in membership (both in quantity and in characteristics) within a short time frame, given that the max amount of time you can spend in a club is 2.5 years. anything fitzgerald said is probably inaccurate-- in fact, there are probably several clubs that have opened/closed since then.
'11
September 15, 2010
1:46am
WHO ARE YOU ALL? have you been living under a rock? have you met will harsh? few things in print about will are so accurate. if you think that there is nothing with the harsh brothers, you may need to seriously reevaluate your own person. and make new friends.
Joamiq
March 14, 2012
3:47pm
Will Harsh is a grade-A douche and deserves pretty much everything that's said about him. The article itself is kind of lazy and useless though.