This International Members’ Club Is Opening Its First American Address Within the Year
Plus: the G-Wagon’s unlikely origin story, billionaire wilderness clubs in Jackson Hole, Manhattan’s feral private-school admissions, bathhouse mania, and more
Good afternoon, everyone. I’m once again on a plane, this time flying back to New York from Palm Springs. Some of you know about my obsession with tennis, which is slightly ridiculous for someone whose serve has deteriorated rather dramatically over the past decade. That situation has been fueled by the many ways I’ve gotten to work with Racquet magazine over the past couple of years, and by my friendships with its founder Caitlin Thompson and managing partner Steph Chung. Because of them, I found myself at Sensei Porcupine Creek, starting this newsletter (though not quite finishing it) at Larry Ellison’s former private estate and talking through more story and project ideas with them than I can keep straight. We have a lot on the docket, ladies, including improving my tennis game.
A note about some of the emails and messages I’ve been receiving: a lot of you have been asking for more of me in these newsletters. More photos of me, more personal anecdotes, more opinions from me. I’m not sure if that’s just because of the platform this is on (Substack has a plethora of first-person writing and is very personality-driven), but I’ve never been that type of writer. I struggle even with the small amount of first person I use here, because I’m a capital-J journalist, a hard-R reporter, and I tend to hide behind that.
While I love looking at all the photos of you on here and clicking through your mood boards and links to products that I (quickly) buy, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel comfortable enough to send out a letter full of selfies and sponsored links. But who knows. I also once said I would never start a newsletter. I just wanted to address it because every week the requests for more information about me get louder, when this really has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with RPS. And isn’t that what we’re all here for collectively? Rich People Shit?
Speaking of, today’s letter is full of it. One of the most recognizable clubhouses in the world is now preparing its first American outpost within the year, people tell me on both sides of the pond, and while this is something that has circulated quietly in hospitality circles for some time, it is now beginning to look very real. And since Monday’s most popular item was about the Shah’s Audemars Piguet, I thought we’d go down a similar rabbit hole: the unlikely origin story of the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon. It began in the early 1970s as a rugged military vehicle proposed by the Shah of Iran for his army before eventually evolving into one of the most recognizable luxury SUVs on earth (and, unofficially, the dream car of sugar babies everywhere).
There’s also a strong round-up of stories, podcasts, and other media and tidbits to take you into the weekend and hold you over until the next letter on Saturday, which includes an interview worth waiting for.
