Lunch at the New York Yacht Club

By nature I am not a very clubby sort of person. My idea of a sailing club is one where you can wear wet wellies in the bar. That said, I recently had lunch at the New York Yacht Club. Located next to the Harvard Club on 44th St bet 5th and 6th avenue, the front of the building looks like a row of sterns of a fleet of Spanish galleons. The inside is chock full of yachting stuff. There are the prerequisite paintings of commodores, sea battles and classic yacht races but the best bit is the Model Room. Here is a 360 view of the room. This is truly an amazing place. The room is ballroom like in stature. Two stories high, very ornate in a salty sort of way. The best bits are the models. All around the outside of the room are models of every US entry in the Americas Cup. Each one intricately detailed in glass cases. I could spend hours there. Lunch was very good. Best crab cakes I've had outside of Maryland. The dining room itself is like the gun room of a 4-decker (although thankfully the ceilings are a little taller). The bar's good too.