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Surf Club NYC

Surf Club was an iconic Nightclub on the Upper East-side. Then as now, lets have fun!

As a co-owner, I created this page so patrons, team members, and the Surf Club Family could post thoughts, memories, and images -- as well as reconnect.

04/26/2026

Billy Porter was one of our longest lasting and most popular doormen. Sadly he struggled with depression and took his life in Paris before the ‘80’s ended. I saw this musician on CBS Sunday Morning last week. I think it is Billy Porter’s doplleganger! Almost identical no?

04/17/2026

Nick Beavers... Promoter at Surf Club. Some time promoter at Studio 54. Co-Owner of Zulu Lounge, NYC and Kangaroo Club, NYC.

Owner of Rogue Bar, Minneapolis. June 10, 1964 - April 16, 1995.

Rest in Peace Nicky... and hope you are already back for another round!

04/13/2026

FUNNY STORY about getting "Touched by the MOB": (Maybe some of youse guys know who I'm talkin' about...)

When we started Surf Club in December 1983, we were told to expect a visit from the Mob. Frankly we were surprised what with the crowds and the limos and taxis backed up on East 91st Street, that when they did show up, they had not come earlier. I'm guessing the first night we were paid a vist it was almost a year in -- maybe December 1984. Fortunately, I was not there, but Toby was... and thank God for that!

So a bunch of Guys showed up and pushed their way through the crowd waiting outside. They went up to Colter Rule, Terry McManus, Scotty O'Donnell, Billy Porter and the other doormen and said something to the effect of, "You know who we's is?" They were not big but they wore tracksuits and psychedelic puke sweaters -- the kind popular at the time on the Bill Cosby Show. They also had slick back hair and powerful demeanors.

Immediately Colter let them in and brought them up to the private room where Toby was holding forth. (I think Colter's attitude is, "I'm not paid enough to deal with these guys, these Wise Guys!")

Kindly recall: we were the ONLY nightclub that made it mandatory to wear a coat and tie. If you called and asked about our dress code, it was "Coat and Tie for guys. Anything or nothing for ladies." We were strict about that for a variety of reasons but mostly to keep out guys like the gang at the door. Still, they got into the back room.

Toby was dressed in a Paul Stuart or Brooks Brothers suit as were most men in the club. The Good Fellas -- led by a guy we will call Socks -- approached Toby who swung around a bottle of Moet. Well served.

They again said, "Do you know who we's is?"

Toby lowered his glance up and down and -- as the room went silent -- he was heard to say, "Oh my God! LOOK at you! I do not care who youse is... nor how many briges and tunnels it took for you to fu***ng get here... but never come into my club dressed like this again!"

Socks' face dropped. His Guys looked real threatening... then a little sheepish. Then Toby Continued, "Do you see that girl over there -- she is Lord Rothermere's daughter. And him in the corner. That's Mike Miliken(It wasn't). And this here is Sebastian Dupont Rockefeller Rothschild the turd! They all could buy and sell youse three times over. So next time you come in here you wear a suit and a tie from Brooks Brothers or Ralph Lauren or do not come at all! Disgusting!"

The Mob crowd started to glower. Violence was imminent. You could here a spoon drop. They looked around. They saw a few ladies straight out of Gatsby. Socks said threateningly, "We will be back!" And they left.

The very next night they came back. I was there and so was Toby. Socks and his crew came into the back room. SURPRISE! They all were wearing Suits!

Socks became a great friend. Some of his pals are friends of Toby's to this day. Funny thing... at some point that night one of them whipered into my ear: "Hey you like my suit. It's Calvin Klein. I can get you a whole boat load at 90% off."

"Where'd you get em? " I asked.

"Hey. They fell off a truck!"

And so we became pals with Pal Joey and never got touched by the mob!

But we got great deals on suits!

04/12/2026

This Mademoiselle Article identifying Surf Club denizens as "shallow" was emblematic of the negative attitude most press -- except Town & Country Magazine... thanks to Editor-in-chief Anne Hearst -- held for The Surf Club. I find it wrong since we hosted soooo many charity events and were the free after-party location for innumerable fund-raisers for colleges, schools, and non-profits like The Junior League, SAVE THE CHILDREN, The Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House, The Central Park Conservancy, Triangle Theater, and The Explorers Club.

I'd even argue our Surf crowd was -- then as now -- major benefactors amongst any peer groups. Today, former Surf regulars include such HUGE contemporary philanthropists as John Paulsen (donated $100m to The Central Park Conservancy), Paul Tudor Jones(Founder of The Robin Hood Foundation), Nelson Rockefeller Jr, and Robert Soros to name but a few.

At some point I will relate a funny story about meeting at a cocktail party in 2017 and what he said about his times at the Surf. Suffice to say, Paul told his son, Jack, it was "The BEST nightclub ever!" (Being a southerner, I bet he liked our Beach Music!)

Shown in this article are a few fellow Surfers and southerners: Tom and , , .

01/03/2026

Thanks for the shout out, Kendra A. Wilcox! I was just in LA at a holiday party at Jordan Hawley's and Clare Best's lovely Holywood Hills home. Film Director Whit Stillman complimented me on the Surf Club. Back in the 1990's, Whit had reached out to me to do research on his Movie . He even mentioned that he had thought of brother Nicky to play a part in one of his films. It's lovely to be so remembered!

08/30/2025

Here is a true '80's artifact: THE ORIGINAL Invitation to the GRAND opening of The Surf Club on January 10, 1984.

Ironically, age has made its impression on me as to the identity of whomever shared this with me (just) last week; I have now forgotten. So please pipe up! I looked in Facebook, Instagram, email, Tik Tok and Snap. I cannot find from whence it came!

Ironic since in 1984, we did not even need an area code for the RSVP: before all the "new" area codes in NYC, there was only 1 and it was 212! (Who recalls saying, "My number is Lehigh 4 -8942-- aka LE4- 8942 aka 534-8942? (That was my real number at 1115 5th... Or "MUrray Hill 8 - 7852, etc")

Oh for a simpler time... And the internet was suppose to make everything SO MUCH easier!

Parties were easier too.

Back then you would send out an invite, people would call back, and you would party till dawn!

Who was there? I think I was....😎

Angus Out

07/17/2025

I just dug up this image of and model/actress from Vanity Fair Magazine -- and the article inside about the . It may have been one of our first national articles -- and Toby Beavers missed it being in Europe at the time.

TRUE STORY: The first super successful low budget Indie Movie is often cited as "S*X LIES AND VIDEOTAPE" which was a boon for Andie's acting career. It also starred then unknowns , , and . It was the first big film for Director/Writer . It was released in like 1989. But before Spader had the part my brother Nick Beavers tried out for the part -- and GOT IT!

That was several years before the release. Unfortunately, the financing fell out and the film took several more years to complete -- by which time the cast had changed. I miss Nicky every day…

Incidentally, Mickey Rourke used to often come into my club in Santa Monica (Renaissance SupperClub) but I doubt he ever darkened the door at Surf. Did Andie ever come in?

08/12/2024

Notable for its pithiness, I just found this fossil from 1989... when the "Hosts"... sent out a siren call which reverberated across Watch Hill and Westerly.

02/22/2024

Gigi Shapiro Kulick shared this phone list of Manhattan Nightclubs on her page. I am guessing the list was from 1984 given that Studio 54 was on it. Almost all did not have an outer borough area code -- all were 212. So these only were clubs located in Manhattan. How many nightclubs -- open to 4am -- does NYC have today? In all the boroughs? HA! We rocked!

07/31/2022

Responding to a recent Post by Susan Barton Murray about nights in the 1980's at Area, Surf Club etc... and how she met at the Surf Club.... There was a night when Prince Albert came to the Surf Club with a small entourage. I think my Penn classmate and first cousin to Prince Albert, Chris LeVine, and his lovely sister, Grace LeVine were in the entourage. (Grace was named for her her aunt, Actress/Princess Grace Kelly... of whom she was the spitting image.) Anyways, Albert waited politely until he got to the front of the outdoor mob, and when he gained admission, he offered to pay to get in. Class Act. Terry Terrence McManus and Colter Rule of course knew who Prince Albert was and let him in -- likely gratis. A little later, Albert's sister, Princess Stephanie showed up alone. Apparently she pushed her way through the crowd and acted like a Prima Donna. She got inside to the pay station at the bottom of the stairs. But Princess Stephanie refused to pay 10 measly bucks and kept saying, "Do you know WHO I am?" The doormen knew who she was... but she was not polite. Gotta be polite. So Princess Stephanie lay down on the stairs. For like 45 minutes, the doormen kept allowing patrons in, and hundreds of Surf Clubbers had to step over a princess. Ci******es, cocktails, sidewalk goo. Then eventually Albert heard about his little sister playing door-matt for lack of $10, and he came down and quickly forked over $10. Imagine that humiliation just for $10! Talk about stooping to conquer. Or better: "My kingdom for ten bucks!" Maybe you Susan Barton Murray were with Prince Albert that night?

02/12/2022

In the Mid '80's, I caught this image by the BandShell in Central Park of Scott O'Donnell long time Doorman and and current Violinist with the Miami Philharmonic.

At the Surf, Scott often brought his violin and serenaded the crowds waiting to get in. Despite being maybe 6' 5" and 230 lbs, Scott was incredibly fun and playful; a goofier doorman in NYC you would not find.

Terrence McManus or Donald Rozz McDowell told me a funny story. One night it was about 4:30am and the employees were trying to kick out the stragglers and close up. Most of the place was empty. Finally the staff got down stairs and there on the sidewalk was Scott playing classical violin and swigging from a full bottle of Moët & Chandon Champagne with an audience of 1.

That one guy was Jagger. As they described it, the coolest guy in the world bonded with the one of the least "cool" guys -- over music. Everyone hung out watching until they slowly drifted off into the Manhattan mists. It was beautiful!

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415 E 91 Street
New York, NY
10128

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