As if New York isn't already filled with the most challenging social scene to break into, it's also home to some of the most exclusive private clubs in the world. From global institutions like Soho House, historical societies like the Explorer's Club, or even just upscale locales like The Metropolitan Club, there are spaces for every type of person to congregate and socialize with like-minded people in unique, often glamorous spaces.

A quick stroll up the staircase of The Players is enough to let you know what kind of members might show up for cocktails on any given night: portraits of Jimmy Fallon, Morgan Freeman, and Tommy Lee Jones hang beside scores of other actors, dramatists, and others of the thespian ilk. The membership is diverse, but is still centered around a passion for the arts and theater which is what prompted its inception by Edwin Booth in 1888. On any given night you might find a musical performance, guest speaker, or film party happening inside one of the storied rooms. But to indulge in any of that, you'll have to know a member or be one yourself; it is still the New York social scene, after all. 

[Photos courtesy Little Star Studio; Michael Gerbino]