Postcard 030 - The Academician's Room
London loves its members clubs.
Growing up on the West Coast, I didn't really understand what purpose these served, since country clubs seemed kind of stodgy and there was a Starbucks where I could work comfortably with free WiFi on nearly every corner. Now that I'm traveling more for work and don't love the idea of risking my laptop being stolen on a regular basis, I can see the appeal, (especially when a Soho House membership costs less than WeWork and the food and ambience are much better).
One of the more interesting members clubs (or members-only rooms) I went to was at the Royal Academy of Arts, right after seeing the opening of Nokukhanya Langa's show at Saatchi Yates with a friend (I really wanted to buy "there's a ghost in every town"). That same friend took me to some back corner of the Academy that I would never have found, even with a map. We went up and down 2 flights of stairs, around a number of corners, up another elevator, and then behind a hidden door to find The Academician's Room near-deserted minutes before it was supposed to close.
After talking the bartender into letting us stay for a glass of wine, we fell into wildly plush (yet supportive) chairs and enjoyed the juxtaposition of a visually eclectic yet aurally silent room. I sat there wondering why the room was "hidden," even from members, and if you were taken there on some kind of orientation after you join or if you just have to stumble upon it on your own. I felt kind of like what Harry Potter must have after discovering Diagon Alley — a place that you never would have known existed, but at the same time could easily imagine.
Given that we both had dinner plans, we only stayed long enough to finish our glasses of wine, but the room (and the idea of hidden rooms) has stuck with me.