Thursday, January 14, 2010

Manhattan's Gay Bar Graveyard



Next Magazine did a piece this week on all the Manhattan gay hotspots (and not-so-hotspots) which closed during the past 10 years.  Many of these shuttered bars/clubs were places I hung out - especially when I first moved to NYC in the 90's (Limelight, Roxy, Tunnel, etc.).  If those walls could talk...

But the one name which really hit home was Stella's (circled in red).  I have mentioned that bar many times, because it was simply a great place to hang out.  Not only was I friends with the owner, the staff, and half the customers - I became very "close" to some of the dancers as well.  EXTREMELY close.    :)

Good times...

Thanks to Kayce.

7 comments:

Miss Ginger Grant said...

I used to have a "Defunct Gay Bars of the World" matchbook collection!

I'm telling you, the era of the gay bar is over! Since yuppies now think it's uber cool to have gay friends, they no longer serve a purpose! Sad, really.

Marker said...

What about Champs . . . on 17th across from Splash? Or was that one big hallucination?

David Dust said...

You didn't hallucinate it. Champs was on 19th (a couple of blocks from Splash) - and I think it closed in the late 90's. This map is supposed only the bar/clubs that closed between 2000-2009.

I had many good times at that place.

Wonder Man said...

The Dugout... I miss it

nitrox11 said...

Aww, Two Potato is closed :-( On a trip over to NYC from London in 2002 I was showing and my dyke friend round - it was our first day of her first trip to the city. A huge thunderstorm was about to break and we saw a rainbow flag pressed our noses on the window and the bartender let us in just before they opened at 2pm so we could shelter fromthe torrential rain. At 11pm we were still there, knew everyone in the bar and had drunk most of it. Fabulous, fabulous day and LOVELY crowd.

mrs.missalaineus said...

i feel sorta the same way about the small clubs that used to have hardcore/ punk rock shows...they just don't exist anymore like they did when i was a kid and living for the music.


xxalainaxx

Mark in DE said...

Like it or not, time marches on with or without us.

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