Notes from the Night

Book excerpt: 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. From the Hardcover edition.