Plug in to the Big Apple electric
By
Matt Mathrani
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Click on the link for a handy PDF version of our May 2008 New York City travel feature!
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Gay life in the Big Apple is electric, offering pleasures catering to most kinks, eateries that'll stump even the cognoscenti, and myriad nooks for encounters -- fleshly and cultural
So infinite is the variety of this city that it's impossible to include here all the gay establishments. What follows are some of the best-known gay spots and those most currently "happening."
Both first-time and veteran visitors to New York will find the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (208 West 13th Street) a good place to get oriented. There are frequent lectures and discussions by
noted New Yorkers in the arts, academia, and politics. Check here for visitors' welcome packages and recommendations by an amiable staff.
A number of New York publications cater to queer fancies. The weekly NEXT contains a detailed roster of daily specials and is a reliable resource for not just bars and parties, but the thriving escort scene in the
city. Edge New York is another great resource of what's currently what.
Going by concentration, the Chelsea area -- especially along Eighth Avenue -- is ultra queer. The Hell's Kitchen area (especially in the mid-40s between Eighth and 10th Avenues) is not far behind in its lavender-ness.
But note that New York's gaiety is not limited to "Chelsea Heights"; be it the East Village, Midtown, or Uptown, there are tricks and treats galore.
Out and about
Out-of-towners almost always get their feet wet at Splash (50 West 17th Street). This is not just a premier bar and lounge, but a dance club worth reckoning. Highlights include Faggot Feud
Wednesdays, Full Frontal Fridays, and John Blair parties on Saturdays. Their snazzy site shows off all their events.
G Lounge (223 West 19th Street), a
delightful lounge/bar, continues to predominate Chelsea before the late nightclubs beckon. At this shrine of the original frozen cosmos, upscale libations proffered include
exotic wines, freshly squeezed juices, and flavored coffees. Stylish interiors and Broadway-style lighting complete the experience.
The festive Barracuda (275 West 22nd Street) continues to hold its own, with high-pitched drag drama in a funky space.
Rawhide (212 Eighth Avenue) is a Chelsea original going back over 30 years. It's cruisy, dark, and touchy-feely. Plus go-go gods make it rock seven nights a week. A truly happy hour during the week till 10 p.m.
keeps the place well trod. A truly accommodating staff at this Levi/leather hangout makes this more than just a neighborhood bar; Rawhide draws punters from the world over.
Rollicking at Monster Bar (80 Grove Street) includes biweekly drag shows with a versatile crowd that belts tunes upstairs and dances downstairs. This Sheridan Square institution has cut it for over 35 years.
Right across the street, the Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher Street) is a landmark establishment and the very bedrock of gay history in the U.S. This entertainment complex comprises a ground-level bar and dimly
lit lounge area in the rear. An upper-level dance bar and entertainment stage complete the venue.
Ty's (114 Christopher Street), a Western-style bar, has been chocker with locals for over 35 years. The no-attitude mood gets outright friendly at 4 p.m. thanks to drink specials. Every other Tuesday evening
gay firefighters congregate here in true fraternal spirit. Softball Wednesdays give way to a Bear Night on Thursdays and beer blasts on Saturdays and Sundays.
Across the street from Ty's, Hangar (115 Christopher Street) is a no-frills hangout. Nearby Chi Chiz (135 Christopher Street) offers a predominantly African-American brew, with both adding to the festivity
in the West Village. B&SNY (76 Christopher Street), formerly known as Boots and Saddles, is reinventing itself daily (look for go-go boys) but the internet jukebox rages on.
Piano bars that might hit the right note include: Eighty Eight's (228 West 10th Street),
Duplex (61 Christopher Street), and Marie's Crisis (59 Grove Street) in the Village.
Gym Sports Bar (167 Eighth Avenue) tags itself as "the first and only gay sports bar in New York City." Big-screen TVs predominate and you'll find boys from Gotham Volleyball plus other gay leagues cooling off
here. There are pool tables and good drink values, especially on Mondays, with two-for-one drinks all night long.
Eagle (554 West 28th Street), voted best leather bar by New York magazine, is a two-tiered hangout that packs in a mob, especially on weekends. The beer bust is a blast on Sundays at this den
of masculinity, open as of 10 p.m. on Monday through Saturday, and as of 5 p.m. on Sundays. "The Code," a dress code strongly enforced on Thursdays (on the second floor and roof deck), is a sure bet for leather
intensity. This venue believes in community outreach through sports and sponsors several pool, softball, volleyball, and rugby teams. Their website is frequently updated with news on what's what.
Escuelita (301 West 39th Street), open Thursday through Sunday, is a Latin (mainly Puerto Rican) dance club and show palace. Female illusionists render amazing revues in dazzling costumes with pageantry peculiar
to this "little school."
Ritz (369 West 46th Street) has become the muscle behind the scene in Hell's Kitchen. Polished, plush, and comfortable, this is a multi-level bar with an intimate lounge -- think chaise
lounge, king-size bed, pillows. The upstairs bar/lounge may be booked for private to-dos and parties. There are two outdoor patios open during clement weather. Well-received (note the lines to get in on weekends), The
Ritz resonates well with the in crowd.
Barrage (401 West 47th Street, at 9th Avenue), just around the corner, is intimate and friendly, and the crowd never seems to intimidate even the new kid just off the bus! Stop by, settle into one of the couches,
and see what happens next.
Therapy (348 W 52nd Street between 8th and 9th Avenue), one of Hell's Kitchen's originals, fills its two floors with neighborhood cuties and their friends. Choose from their selection of signature drinks including
the Freudian Sip, Daddy Complex, Anorexic, or even a Gender Bender. It all helps wash down a heaping platter of nachos or a burger from their kitchen. There are drink specials, DJs nightly, and often stage acts.
Posh (405 West 51st Street) is a neighborhood cornerstone. Often referred to as the "Gay Cheers," this bar is the anchor of Hell's Kitchen and offers a comfortable, friendly, and safe environment for gay and
straight patrons alike. Posh is host to many social and gay sport team events and sponsors several gay softball, football, and tennis teams.
Vlada Lounge (331 West 51st Street) is a swanky bi-level lounge that contributes to the queerness of Hell's Kitchen. Serving many infused vodkas, some are potent with secret ingredients known only to the KGB.
View (232 Eighth Avenue) is well DJed every night of the week, and is perched right next to Big Cup in Chelsea.
XES (157 West 24th Street), a cozy lounge, offers the pleasures of a smoking patio and a crowd that's un-blasé.
Rush (579 Sixth Avenue) tends to draw a collegiate bar crowd, and offers lots of go-go dancers.
Secret Lounge (525 West 29th Street) is a sleek boudoir of a lounge that's open Tuesday through Saturday.
9th Avenue Saloon (656 Ninth Avenue) is Chelsea's long-running old-style bar sans attitude. Their sister venue 9th Avenue Bistro (963 Ninth Avenue) is more of a gin and tonic place than a bistro, drawing
a mature crowd.
The Upper East Side boasts Web (40 East Eighth Street), a subterranean hideaway with an international, largely Asian following. Several bars plus a dance floor constitute this establishment. Much preparation goes
into their entertainment all during the week.
Townhouse Bar (236 East Eighth Street), a swanky gentleman's three-in-one bar, is worth a visit. Regents (317 East 53rd Street), also part of the same group, offers live piano entertainment and an upscale
feel. OW Bar (221 East 58th Street) has the longest gay bar in the city as well as a VIP lounge and outdoor patio. Located close to Grand Central Station, Uncle Charlie’s (139 East 45th Street) caters to an older,
more flush crowd.
Eastern Bloc (505 East Sixth Street) is the brainchild of three compelling bartenders. A funky bar with stark red and black walls, Soviet-inspired artwork, and a vintage TV set, it is chockablock on weekends when
go-go boys strut their stuff. During the week, it's quite the neighborhood place.
Fewer faux tans, much less attitude, and a delightful funkiness are the hallmarks of the East Village crowd. Phoenix (447 East 13th Street) thrives on such a clientele. This is a decidedly attitude-free hangout, with
a large, low-decibel lounge for spooning in addition to the main bar area. An outdoor patio in summer is unique in this space, a true New York getaway.
Other favorites in the Lower East Side include Nowhere (322 East 14th Street); Cock (188 Avenue A), capitalizing on the sleaze factor; and Urge Lounge (33 Second Avenue), a lounge bar with a new ceiling; and Boiler Room (86 East 4th Street), which calls itself "a historic East Village gay alternative lounge."
Way up in upper west Manhattan, No Parking (4168 Broadway, at 177th Street), wedged between two parking garages, offers hot go-go dancers nightly on a slick bar with a 360-degree view. There's also Suite (992 Amsterdam Avenue, at 109th), a sleek cozy bar and lounge that is low on attitude.
Chowing down
Vynl (754 Ninth Avenue, at 51st Street), brought to you by the guys who own Barrage and Therapy, is one of Hell's Kitchen's hippest restaurants on the 9th Avenue strip. Find here affordable and satisfying
comfort-food staples with a few pan-Asian flourishes thrown in for variety. Designed around a music theme, there's even a Cher, Dolly, and Elvis bathroom. You may have a little wait for a table, but you can cozy up to the bar
and sip on a Carmen Miranda or a Peaches and Herb to bide your time.
HK Restaurant (523 Ninth Avenue) has a unique Mediterranean-Asian pedigree. This ultramodern, minimalist restaurant has gotten foodies talking. They offer dining indoors and out, and a private lounge serves
brunch 9 to 5 on weekends, along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner weekdays.
Dish (201 Eighth Avenue) is a Chelsea diner institution, open 7 a.m. through 1 a.m. daily, spread out on two floors. There are three distinct menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a wide array of wines is available,
all at truly un-New York prices. Whether you're looking to down some cereal or gorge on seafood and pasta (in addition to some buffed Chelsea boy-treats), you'll be quite at home here.
Part of the same group (and the following two even share the same kitchen!) are La Belle Vie (184 Eighth Avenue), a French-style restaurant, and Tello's Ristorante (263 West 19th Street), which transports you
to Italy. Mare (198 Eighth Avenue), specializes in seafood; and Cuba Cafe (200 Eighth Avenue) offers a marriage of Latin foods from Argentina, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Chile.
At Nisos (176 Eighth Avenue) you'll discover Mediterranean cuisine with a thick accent on Greek fare. Seafood is their niche.
At Philip Marie (569 Hudson Street) owner/chef John Philip Greco III redefines American cuisine, using familiar flavors and fresh regional ingredients to create a menu of new American classics. John's
home-style desserts of pumpkin fritters with wet walnuts, cranberry-pear cobbler, and banana cream pie give diners a sense of familiar comfort. Philip Marie offers two private dining rooms, and there's an outdoor cafe for people-
and celebrity-watching.
If you have more dash than cash, Mama Buddha (578 Hudson Street) will hit the right note deep down in your maw. This West Village Chinese secret offers bargain fare, such as their giant
vegetable noodle soup for under $8 -- tax inclusive!
Twenty-four hour diners with gay followings include Florent (69 Gansevoort Street) in the Meatpacking District, Manatus (340 Bleecker Street), and Tiffany Restaurant (222 West Fourth Street).
Lips (2 Bank Street), the "Planet Hollywood of Drag," offers stupendous drag dining. Zagats took kindly to the continental Italian menu and averred it a "pleasant surprise (unless you find a false eyelash in the food)."
Bamboo 52 (344 West 52nd Street) is steps from the Broadway theater district. Eastern simplicity marries contemporary design here. Guests enjoy Bamboo 52's amenities: a soft mesquite-wood bar, lush seating,
an extraordinary sound system, flat-screen TVs, award winning DJs, and an intimate private back lounge. It also offers a front smoking porch and a tranquil outdoor bamboo garden. A wide variety of fresh sushi, sashimi,
raw salads, and innovative maki roll combinations are on the menu.
Lodgings
Chelsea Pines Inn (317 West 14th Street) has reinvented itself after a recent major facelift of its lobby and rooms. Tucked in an 1850 townhouse sandwiched between Chelsea, the Meatpacking District,
and Greenwich Village you'll find such creature comforts as refrigerators, direct--dial phones (free local calls!), air conditioning, and cable TV with free HBO/Showtime movies. An expanded continental breakfast is included in
the tariff and is served in the breakfast room or the outdoor garden, weather permitting. There's free internet access.
Colonial House (318 West 22nd Street), in Chelsea, is a charming brownstone featuring 20 rooms, some with private baths. Rooms are equipped with TVs, air conditioning, phones, and washing facilities -- some
even have fireplaces and refrigerators. Free expanded continental breakfast is served in an art gallery, featuring works by the late Mel Cheren, owner of Colonial House. A business and internet center (for a modest fee)
makes life easier here, as does their roof deck, which swarms with glistening pecs come summer.
Hotel 17 (225 East 17th Street) is the "Ritz for the down-and-out, the inn for Hollywood types and transient chic." This former welfare palace rents by the night or by the week. Only cash or travelers checks
are accepted. For details, call for a brochure. Renovations are afoot here. Their sister Hotel 31 (120 East 31st Street), a Euro-style hotel in midtown, makes for a relatively inexpensive stay. This newly renovated
hotel features all amenities expected from grade-A accommodations including air-conditioned rooms, 24-hour concierge, daily maid service, cable TV, phone -- all at budget prices.
Other gay-friendly hotels include Chelsea Savoy Hotel (204 West 23rd Street), La Semana Hotel (25 West 24th Street), and the Gershwin Hotel (7 East 27th Street).
Getting physical
East Side Club (227 East 56th Street) is a bath offering steamy encounters. West Side Club (27 West 20th Street) tends to get a younger clientele. Les Hommes (217 West 80th Street) is the
video-booth haven uptown.
At Unicorn (277c West 22nd Street) count on magazines, toys, and videos-- not to mention video arcades with private booths.
Those into full-figured men will enjoy Girth and Mirth, a social group that gathers often at the Lesbian and Gay Community Center.
Untie your purse strings
Money can't buy love, but it sure can buy a good time.
Classified Escorts has escorts so hot they're classified! A website that offers browsing of listings by city or country allows you to store favorites in your "shopping cart." Also on hand
are thousands of DVDs and adult toys at great prices, plus online pay-per-view gay movies.
RentBoy.com, founded in New York in 1996, is the original and largest male escort site in the world, with thousands of escorts listed in hundreds of cities. Escorts and masseurs place the ads themselves,
basically running their own businesses online for a small monthly fee, "which empowers sex-workers, bodyworkers, and escorts, since they no longer have to work for agencies, pimps, or on the streets," says Rentboy's Sean
Van Sant. Online offerings include listings to find boys, events, personals, and Rentboy cinema, Rentboy cam, and more.
Rentmen.com offers what they call "the next wave of male escorts and escort videos."
Retail therapy
A slew of designer boutiques lines Chelsea between Eighth and 22nd Street. Prominent names among them include: Revision (265a West 19th), majoring in "sexy designer wear"; Camouflage (141 Eighth Avenue); DV8 (211 West 20th Street); and Universal Gear (140 Eighth Avenue).
Down in the Village, find Chanin's Loft (89 Christopher Street; Body Body Wear (117 Christopher Street), the Canadian design label, also has an outlet right across from the bar Ty's. Two doors down from it, Whittall & Shon (113 Christopher Street), the famous American label, has its New York store. New York Bodyworks (429 West 46th Street), formerly on Christopher Street, has relocated to Hell's Kitchen, or explore their inventory online.
Rainbows And Triangles (192 Eighth Avenue) not only specializes in cards and magazines, but also carries the best in club music, swell gift items, and excellent lubricants. A busy magazine rack in the rear of
the store will almost always get you into trouble.
Rainbow Station (207 Eighth Avenue) touts adult toys, DVDs, clothes, leather, and just about anything their friendly staff can sell! Blue Store (206 Eighth Avenue), right across from them, also vends DVDs
and some erotic goodies. Dip into the Pleasure Chest (156 Seventh Avenue) for erotic accouterments. The range of wares vended should add zing to anybody's sex life.
Village Apothecary (346 Bleecker Street), "catering to community needs with care," not only offers great deals on prescriptions, but is also armed with an arsenal of grooming products and many
appurtenances thereto. This landmark pharmacy ships all over the world.
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