Notes from the Night

Here in New York, a good night never ends. We will not let it. Though the hour is late, we are more awake than we have ever been in our lives, we are wild-eyed and grinning and dancing around like fools, and the music is thumping and the lights are flashing and the whole place is pulsating like a massive beating heart, and we do not want to go home, we do not want to go to sleep. Above all, we do not want to miss anything.

So begins Notes from the Night, Taylor Plimpton's account of a night out in New York City. Passionately engaged and endlessly curious, Plimpton is part participant, part observer, a student and uniquely apt chronicler of human behavior — particularly at its most absurd.

Accompanied by his best friend Zoo and a tight-knit band of other mischief-makers, and fueled by drinks, drugs and big dreams, Plimpton journeys from one Manhattan hotspot to the next with boundless energy and an eye for the dark, often comic realities of club culture. Exploring the myriad pleasures, mysteries and pitfalls of that elusive world, Notes from the Night is guide to a place — and a state of mind — that has never been mapped. With savvy advice and point-on commentary, the book ushers the reader through the velvet ropes to experience New York's most exclusive nightclubs. Surrounded by celebrities, models, and the best of friends, the reader will feel the rush of the party , the wonderful, heart-thumping panic of approaching a beautiful woman and the often forgotten joy of simply having a good time. By relentlessly pursuing the truth of his own experience, Plimpton uncovers the sexy, and seamy, lining of the city that never sleeps, and in so doing exposes what at heart is sought by all those who leave their home well after dark — the singular thrill of being young and free and full of desire in a world where anything can happen.

Plimpton is both an unlikely clubber and a likely seeker — a little bumbling and somewhat aloof, often naïve and unusually erudite. He's an insider who remembers what it was like to be an outsider, and from this unique perspective he invites you to experience the splendor, sorrow and possibility of New York after hours. Lyrically written and vividly described, this brisk, surprising and confident debut will stay with you long after the sun has risen.

"This is a rhapsodic book: light and free, the model for the memoir of the future — a future in which each moment is precious and the writer is as good as Plimpton at grabbing and showing it to us, his friends and readers." Los Angeles Times

"For Plimpton, son of George Plimpton, the velvet-roped clubs, cocktails, celeb sightings and schmoozings are ever enticing. And when even the hot spots close for the night — there's always an after-party. This slender memoir looks at one night — really a composite of nights out — at places like Lotus, Bungalow 8 and Marquee." New York Post

"What Plimpton has achieved is a rare feat: offering up a propulsive narrative full of debauched thrills that has a sober awareness of its own absurdity." San Francisco Weekly

"A love letter to N.Y.C. after dark that will leave you hung over and begging for another round." Maxim

"Notes From The Night is a veritable field guide for the young who are drawn to velvet ropes and morning hangovers. This book is also filled with beautiful sentences, comedic self-deprecation, a watchful eye, and a questioning heart." Jonathan Ames, author of Wake Up, Sir!

Taylor Plimpton is a freelance writer and editor based in New York City. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Men's Journal, Dan's Papers, the Harvard Advocate, and the Rumpus.net. He is the co-editor of The Dreaded Feast: Writers on Enduring the Holidays, an anthology of dark holiday humor. He graduated with a degree in English from Reed College.