This month we’ll hear from the founder of ManhattanSociety.com,
Chris London. We met him at a party on the west side. My boss’ daughter,
the extremely talented Stephanie
Klein, suggested I get in touch with him.
AskaNewYorker: Tell us a little about what you do, Chris.
Chris: By day, I’m a lawyer, and by night, let’s see…I’ve
been called a social artist. By night I cover the people who I think are doing
interesting things; interesting things socially, culturally and charitably in
New York City. So ManhattanSociety.com is a social resource guide more than
anything else. I am not trying to be Joonbug, not trying to be the Gothamist.
See more about me at http://manhattansociety.typepad.com/about.html
AskaNewYorker: So what’s this event about tonight?
Chris: My friend Justin Mitchell, the publisher of Social Life magazine, had
an idea a couple of years ago about a magazine which would provide guidance
on how to create, develop and maintain a social life; everything from the best
social and charity events, intimate dinner parties etc. It could be at home
here in the city or planning a weekend out at the beach with a close group of
friends. The magazine is not about chasing the night club scene in NYC or the
Hamptons but rather about showing their readers options, choices etc.
AskaNewYorker: What is “Society”?
Chris: To me, the notion of what constitutes “Society” is a lot
more comprehensive, broader and more inclusive than traditional “Society”
pages consider what constitutes “Society.” My view is that it includes
the people who affect the social and charitable undercurrent in this city. They
do not necessarily have to be from one of the 5 families that popped off the
mayflower. That being said, I do count Sidney Biddle Barrows, the “Mayflower
Madame” among my friends.
AskaNewYorker: Can you name the five families?
Chris: (laughs) The Vanderbilts, The Roosevelts, Rockefellers, etc people like
that. I could more easily name 5 families in New York and New Jersey with Italian
surnames. That is actually more of my blood line/heritage.
AskaNewYorker: So basically, this event is a launch party for Social Life magazine?
Chris: Right. I was invited by Publisher Justin Mitchell to serve as the Society
Editor for Social Life Magazine.
AskaNewYorker: Will you be writing articles for the magazine?
Chris: Yes. There will be one issue per month in the fall and winter and six
issues in the summer. The first issue will be distributed in the Hamptons over
Memorial Day weekend and the next issue is coming out on June 17, and it’s
largely distributed in the Hamptons.
AskaNewYorker: Did you grow up in New York City?
Chris: Yes, I grew up in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, so as much as any
society writers, I consider myself well equipped to write about the city. I
live the life I write about and photograph.
AskaNewYorker: So who is expected here tonight?
Chris: Vanessa Haydon, her fiancé Donald Trump, Jr. and some otherwise
beautiful people.
AskaNewYorker: Have you ever met Donald Trump? Or Donald Trump, Jr.?
Chris: Yes, actually both. I met Donald when I was working for the Trump organization
in low level positions in Brooklyn. My stepfather was employed by Donald’s
father, Fred Trump. I met Donald senior when he was a little older than Donald
Trump, Jr. is now. Donald, love him or hate him, is really the quintessential
New Yorker.
AskaNewYorker: Great! So where did you go to high school?
Chris: I went to Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn.
AskaNewYorker: Were you Mr. Social in high school? Homecoming King, President
of your class?
Chris: I was popular in high school more for athletics. I got beat for student
body president by a girl I ended up dating.
AskaNewYorker: And where did you go to college?
Chris: Undergraduate, I went to Boston University and for law school I went
to the University of Pennsylvania. I was a borderline candidate at University
of Pennsylvania. Donald Trump’s letter of recommendation certainly helped!
AskaNewYorker: What else should we know about you?
Chris: On a more serious note, and I hope I don’t sound like I’m
standing on a soap-box, I have to tell you that in some ways, a social life
kind of saved my life. Prior to 9/11 I had a very lucrative business downtown
which failed in
the post 9/11 economy. I was broken and defeated in many ways, lost everything
financially. I essentially gave up on myself as did many others who knewme who
wrote me off. Social Life and the contacts that I had made in the New York charitable
community via my web site was the one thing that kept me out there networking,
meeting new people, making new friends etc. I kind of got pulled along through
these random meetings and it enabled me to rebuild my life virtually from scratch.
Some Socialites in NYC are undoubtedly phony, for lack of a better term. But
sometimes you meet someone randomly at a social event and think nothing of it
but that can often lead to making meaningful contacts that lead to good places.
I didn’t have a strategy about where I wanted to go, what I wanted to
accomplish or who I wanted to meet but I somehow ended up where I am now. So
when someone tells me that having a social life is somewhat irrelevant, I would
argue otherwise. I might not be here if it were not for the random acts of strangers.
Ultimately that is the beauty of New York City.
AskaNewYorker: So Chris, tell me what ManhattanSociety.com is all about.
Chris: It really is a free press vehicle for New York centric charitable organizations
and the people who are supporting those organizations.
AskaNewYorker: What’s a socialite? It conjures up images of the hot,
young, rich Daddy’s girl.
Chris: The reality is that on some level, beautiful, well-to-do, successful
people being seen at certain events gives that event a
certain cache, and it helps that charitable organization sell tickets, because
people want to go see and mix among the “beautiful people”. You
can’t always get movie stars, but a lot of the people at these events
are in essence movie stars on the New York society circuit. On the other hand,
I think there are a lot of people that are overexposed who don’t necessarily
contribute a lot.
AskaNewYorker: Can you name one or two?
Chris: I’d prefer not to.
AskaNewYorker: Do you have any tattoos?
Chris: No tattoos.
AskaNewYorker: Where do you get your hair cut?
Chris: Victor’s Salon. Well, he calls it a salon. It’s Victor’s
Barber Shop on Lexington around 77th St.
AskaNewYorker: Do you have an Ipod, and if so, what are the top ten songs on
your playlist?
Chris: I have one that has no songs on it yet. I gave my brother all my CDs
when I moved so I have to go to his house in Queens to basically have him upload
them all.
AskaNewYorker: Last thoughts?
Chris: I’m just Chris London, a regular New Yorker who was born in Queens.
Why am I Manhattan Society? I’m not Manhattan Society. Everybody else
is, and I’m just covering them.
