Algonquin Round Table

This was a group of creatives that would meet for lunch at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City during the interwar period of the 1920s. Many of them were newpaper writers and columnists, and the subjects of their conversations were often printed in the papers of the day.

Later, several actors and performers joined the group, but the “membership” was always informal.

Why I Looked It Up

I encountered the term recently in a book, though I can’t remember which one.

Also, I always remember a throwaway scene from Friends where Joey is remembering all the times he didn’t understand something his friends were talking about. In a flashback, Chandler is seen speaking to the group:

I mean, it was like the Algonquin Kids Table.

All the friends laugh knowledgably, while Joey is just confused. Here’s the scene.