Notes from the Night: A Life After Dark

by Taylor Plimpton

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.

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2010

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am glad I read Notes from the Night. It offered a fantastic peek into a subculture of NY nightlife otherwise foreign to me. Taylor Plimpton's in-depth analysis actually gives meaning to what may seem like an otherwise shallow or irresponsible existence. And he acknowledges this throughout his discussion and, in the end, recognizes a change in himself and his interaction with the night -- in other words, he's grown up.

The story offers a loose plot that he comes back to as he analyzes each timeframe of a night out. He begins with how and why people go clubbing on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday night. He discusses the concept of pre-gaming -- where you go and why. Then the getting in, what him and his guys spend most of their nights doing, and who they meet. Then the dancing, the women... -- as I write this I realize how boring it sounds.

There is a loose plot of one night in particular -- or many written out to feel as one -- that he references to support his analysis. I think I'd have personally enjoyed the story more if the plot was more consistent. I tend to like books for their abstract view, this included, but a little less would have helped balance it. There is only so many ways you can talk about how the dancing crowd taking on a life of its own, or the impact of a beautiful women passing by.

His analysis also ends inconclusive. He never offers an opinion on whether his affair with nightlife was worthwhile, enlightening, prohibitive, etc. I like that it allows you to develop your own opinion, but not being familiar with the lifestyle, I want to hear a stronger opinion.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves to analyze the reasons people do the things they do. I've never given much thought to the motivating factors for clubbing; it's brilliantly intriguing in that sense. But if you are looking for a funny story about nightlife antics then you are looking in the wrong place.

[Marta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got through 38 pages of this book and couldn't go any further. Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker and have done the things written in this book so I don't find it magical or mysterious. If you're an out-of-towner you might find this more enjoyable. But I just feel like this book is a farce.

This book was an easy way for Plimpton to make some cash. The formula was there New York + Clubs + Drinking + Hot Girls = Wild Nights and Good Stories. And there's nothing wrong with that. This just won't be interesting to any New Yorker who has been to the clubs and parties written about in this book.

I don't know Plimpton but judging from this book I can't help but feel like he's just another alcholic bachelor about to reach 30 who is unwilling to grow up.

[Ilyssa Wesche · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed his writing and thought this would make a great series in, say, the NewYorker. His analysis of hangovers was spot on, and one paragraph about dancing was hilarious. However, this kind of nightlife is the opposite of what I look for in the night, so that colored my perception. And like so many memoirs, it may have been a tad naval gazing at times...but that's the point.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a complete surprise. I have no interest in the New York City club scene, and yet this book was fascinating, about a young man in search of life but especially in search of himself. It's a wonderful coming-of-age memoir -- touching and genuine and authentic.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick, insightful, laugh-out-loud read. I look forward to more from Taylor Plimpton.

[Jessica Spears · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessie's Books - Review #1:

“And sure, there might be something enticing about flirting with disaster, dancing on the edge of destruction - akin to the sickeningly wonderful feeling of having unprotected sex with someone you just met - but I don’t want to die, I really don’t”

This was a solid 3.5 * read! Plimpton tactfully takes readers through a self-aware and thought provoking night out in New York City. Describing the bars of yesterday and tomorrow, the dancing, and the multitude of feelings that can be swayed during The Night. The personification of the night or the darkness in this book is fascinating. Plimpton describes it almost as if The Night takes over you while you’re out, swaying you to feelings and thoughts you may (or may not) have in your day-to-day. Not all of these thoughts are bad, not all of them are good. It’s almost as if The Night brings out a side of you that was always there, lurking in the shadows.

While I have no ties to the New York City nightlife, and could not relate personally to a lot of this book, I really enjoyed reading about how people in this scene think and behave. It gave me a new perspective into a life I do not have the confidence to live. Especially the chapter about dancing, I’ve always believed that if you’re not good at dancing you shouldn’t partake in it. Plimpton offered a great viewpoint to legitimately dance like no one is watching, it was refreshing. The character Zoo really stuck out to me, he reminds me so much of Jessie (who this review is dedicated to). They are both connectors of everyone and everything, actively seek new and exciting adventures, and most importantly, bring their loved ones along for the ride.

However, I did not enjoy the way Plimpton describes women and their behaviors. Maybe I’m the friend that’s “too woke” but something just didn’t feel right there. Maybe it’s because he was writing what most men think (but rarely say) when they see beautiful women on nights out on the town.

This book made me think, which I appreciate! It has encouraged me to live in the moment, and get out of my head when faced with situations where I can go out on the town. My favorite, and final quote from the book: “Life is very short, and so are these nights. There is really only just enough time for one more dance.”

Jessie's books are a collection of approximately 30 books that were bestowed to me after my beautiful cousin Jessie passed away in September 2024. This book is one of those within the collection. I feel so grateful and lucky to get even a glimpse into the extraordinary life she lived by reading the same books she loved.

[C. A. Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I'm working on my own book about similar themes and settings, so I have been trying to see what else has been done to make sure I'm not treading familiar ground.

Perhaps it is hard to jump to this book while I'm also reading Annie Dillard and Joan Didion, two phenomenal authors who make most comparisons to them seem like intentional maiming of the poor soul you're pitting against them.

Unfair as it may be, this is the long shadow that shades my reading of this book. The diction, the images, the milieu, the characters, each made me struggle to engage more fully with the work.

The repetition of certain words got me to a point where I wanted to play a drinking game that required sipping my beer each time a sentence started with "Yes," or the phrase "the night" is used.

The author's description of the women, the spots, the clothing, the night itself, all of it left me wanting more detail, more brush strokes. Add the small white fleck to the eye to give the image life!

I think it didn't help that the spaces were primarily nightclubs. They typically closely resemble each other and don't have a lot of distinction, which adds to the problem of building rich imagery.

Finally the cadre of bros that he's out with felt like he collected all the life size cardboard cutouts of action heroes abandoned in the stockroom of a shuttered Blockbuster, set them up around himself in a VIP lounge, and carefully taped shots of Dewar's to their flimsy fingers. Zoo gets most of the focus, but the author treats him as if his mystique is impenetrable and beyond conveying to the reader. I can infer things, but since this isn't a novel with made up characters, I would think these folks could actually be their full selves, instead of the props dancing with Kevin McCallister in Home Alone to fool the Wet Bandits.

Ultimately, while there were several passages I really enjoyed, the book seems to just barely make it through the night, and might have fared better as a feature story instead of a full book.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like his father George before him, Taylor Plimpton is an erudite voice and a commanding narrator. He writes about an activity near and dear to my heart::a night out in New York City. And it’s a glorious almost philosophical examination of what things actually happen during such a night. As a matter of fact, you could have only spent one night out in the city and this book will teach you. As someone who has been going out in NYC for over twenty years, this book made me think of old doormen from various clubs and bartenders in dives on the Lower East Side. If you ever walked out of a club or bar in NYC and relished the vision of the sun rising over this city, this book is for you.

[Chris Schaffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like and loathe these kind of books as they are at once illuminating but also annoyingly repetitive. I hit bars and not clubs and in DC, not NYC. I get the night adventure vibe, the boozing and herb fused energy, the elusive women, the nights that don’t end with scoring. But my goodness, Plimpton, especially in the early stages of the book, is likening going out and “being” in this club scene as this other worldly thing. And Zoo. My god he worships the ground Zoo walks on, does what he says, admires the hell out of him. In spite of the repetition, the endless night, the many tales told over and over again, it is somehow a brisk read, and I’m sure relatable to many.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful. "It's too damn early to be this damn late."

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to really dislike Notes from the Night, based on the facts that it's written by a(n admittedly privileged) dude, that I hate nightclubs, and that it's not and never could be Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (the best book ever about staying up all night in New York City, hands down). But Taylor Plimpton, aka Tap, our guide to The Night, completely won me over with the chapter where he discusses his awkward dancing style and dissects the various dancing attitudes of all of his friends as well as strangers in clubs. And then his story of the endless search for a girl to kiss is totally endearing and awkward and true (you never meet her at a club, or at least you never truly connect until an afterparty after the club), and he describes the early morning side in a way that's so much more appealing than his descriptions of the heading-out-into-the-night side.

But if I could, I would take a pencil and black out every Yes of his "Yes, it is a, b and c and we are like x and y" construction, which is so overused that I started keeping count (it happens up to three times in the same paragraph, and four or more times on the same page at some points) and then had to give up keeping count because there were too many occurrences where it just. doesn't. make. sense. And also sounds pretentious. Between that and the more off-putting attitude of the book's first half, I can see why many readers would give up. Sorry, Tap.

[Kasandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to give this 2.5 stars. I can imagine young teen hipsters liking this (ok, maybe even those up to their early 20s). I will say that the depiction of the city nightlife/club scene in general is so detailed and accurate that it will bring some chuckles, and it's clear that Plimpton has spent a lot of time partying and wasting money on $10 beers. Good writing wasted on a silly subject. Sure to bring tears of nostalgia to some former club kids' eyes.

[Samantha M-G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It brought me back to my youth, the early days of adulthood where you are constantly chasing that one perfect night. I could feel in myself again that restless excitement of being out and not knowing what was ahead. Through Plimpton's writing I remembered the feeling of knowing it was ridiculously late out, but being alive with energy searching for the epic night that never had to end.

[bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book simply because I like the author's style of writing. I can’t relate to the lifestyle he leads, although I did go to a smattering of New York City nightclubs back in the day. Plimpton's tales make the night come alive. Recommended, as long as you don't expect anything deep.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing but was disappointed with the content.

[Crown Publishing · Rating 5 out of 5]

A startling, enthralling journey to the heart of the New York night.

[Andrea DeAngelis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have been completely obnoxious and narcissistic but it wasn't. It was actually endearing and personal. Well done. Perhaps someday the author will pen an equally surprising fiction.

[Larry B Gray · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like it. Very sad and boring book. Enough said.