A Night At The Explorers Club
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The Explorers-In-Residence Series
Last night I was fortunate enough to be invited to one of my favorite spots in New York City, the headquarters of The Explorers Club, to attend the official announcement of Kensington Tours’ new small-group program, the Explorers-In-Residence Series. This new tour program brings together a group of accomplished travelers and explorers, who between them make up Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society and Explorers Club, renowned researchers and even travel television hosts.
Each of the guides has created a tour that focuses on their respective individual expertise, including everything from expeditions through Botswana, Zambia and South Africa with Dr. Livingstone expert Russell Gamon, to a Silk Road trek with explorer, author, indigenous mountain culture expert and tea connoisseur Jeff Fuchs. Friend of the site and occasional New York City karaoke personality, Lee Abbamonte, has been tasked with the difficult endeavor of leading groups to exclusive sporting events around the world including the World Cup, the Masters Tournament and the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Explorers Club
For those of you not familiar with The Explorers Club, it’s an organization that was founded New York City in 1904, with the stated goal of promoting “the scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences.” Some of their members have done a few impressive things, such as being the first to the North Pole, the first to the South Pole, the first to summit Mount Everest, the first to enter the deepest point in the ocean and the first to make it to the surface of the moon. Not a bad roster of members in my book.
Impressive as it is, the real highlight of the organization is their building’s headquarters, located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Walking into the lobby is like walking back into time, with furnishings and a decorative style that makes it appear as if you may run into a Victorian-era figure lounging by the fireplace discussing the latest explorations of the dark continent while he rubs the tips of his mustache and sips brandy from a crystal snifter.
For those of you lazy readers who haven’t bothered to summit Everest or explore the North Pole yet, I’m going to go ahead and share a few photos of the night’s festivities, including some exclusive snapshots of the club’s famed headquarters.
Just past the lobby you will find a glass case containing items from the the famed Kon-Tiki trek led by legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl. Heyerdahl was attempting to prove that natives of South America had sailed to and settled the Pacific islands.
Next to the lobby is the club’s “Members Lounge,” complete with very un-PC ivory tusks framing the large fireplace.
In the club’s main event room, each of the new “Explorers in Residence” introduced their respective tours. Next to each side of Lee you can see the various Explorers Club flags that have been retired after reaching the many ends of the earth.
Above the exit to the room you will find a sled used by Robert Peary (the first person to reach the North Pole).
This is what happens when there’s an open bar: things get stolen.
I got to speak to Brett Rogers for a bit last night, whose expertise in navigating some of the world’s longest and most dangerous waterways will come in handy when he leads a tour down the Ganges River. Brett has also spent quite a bit of time under the tutelage of Survivorman Les Stroud, so you should feel pretty safe when you’re out in the wild with him.
This is what you eat during events at The Explorers Club: tarantulas, scorpions and mealworms. They also have a few bowls of nuts lying around for the squeamish.
The club’s second-floor patio is a perfect place to sip a drink and listen to sitar on a crisp fall evening.
And finally, even the bathrooms are cool here. I am now seriously considering redecorating my bathroom with an Edwardian-era hunting theme.
By Matt Stabile
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Stabile is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheExpeditioner.com. You can read his writings, watch his travel videos, purchase the book he co-edited or contact him via email at any time at TheExpeditioner.com. (@TheExpeditioner)