Swingers New YorkBYOB rules at NYC lifestyle clubs — what's the deal?
Coming from Florida where every club is BYOB with easy parking lots. How does BYOB work in NYC where you're taking the subway? Do you really carry a bottle of vodka on the train? Can you buy drinks there?
Best Answer
Welcome to the NYC lifestyle logistics puzzle! Yes, most NYC clubs are BYOB due to liquor licensing. Here's how NYC couples handle it:
- Bring it in a bag — Nobody on the subway cares if you have a bottle in a tote bag. This is New York. People carry weirder things on the train daily.
- Stop at a liquor store near the club — There are liquor stores on practically every block in Manhattan. Buy a bottle 5 minutes before you arrive.
- Minibar bottles — Some couples bring a few airplane bottles in a purse. Less to carry.
- Pre-game at dinner — Have a couple cocktails at a restaurant nearby and bring a smaller bottle for maintenance drinking at the club.
Labyrinth provides mixers, ice, and cups. Checkmate is similar. You won't go thirsty. And honestly, lighter drinking at the club is better anyway — you want to be present.
As for the no-parking thing: Uber or subway, period. Don't even think about driving to a lifestyle club in Manhattan. There's nowhere to park and you shouldn't be driving after.
1 Answer
I literally stop at the Trader Joe's wine shop near Union Square, grab a bottle of prosecco, and walk to Labyrinth. It's a 3-block detour. Nobody looks twice at you carrying a wine bottle in Manhattan — if anything, you're underdressed compared to the guy with a saxophone on the 6 train. Pro tip: bring something that doesn't need a corkscrew, or bring one. The clubs have openers but sometimes they're hard to find.