Happy Hour

For the first time in ages, I partook in Happy Hour (at Ty's - below - on Christopher Street) with loyal companion and Blogger buddy Ivan. We had a lovely little time, but unfortunately we did not encounter the gentleman pictured above.

I have one question ... Why is it that half-priced beers always taste WAY better than full price ones???

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

I had never heard of retailer Brooklyn Industries until I saw their store in the West Village a few months ago. And the reason I noticed wasn't because of the fashions, but because of what that location USED to be.

The building at the southeast corner of Christopher and Hudson Streets in Manhattan housed the "Christopher Street Bookstore" from 1972 up until 2006. Christopher Street Books didn't sell many "books" (unless you count "Honcho" and "Black Inches"), but the upstairs store sold everything from movies to leather to "toys". Here is a hysterically cheerful and low-budget commercial which ran on local cable access in the early 90's...

Sounds better than Barnes & Noble! In addition to selling "stuff" on the 2nd floor, the location also featured a video booth arcade behind the front counter, and a "theater" in the basement. Or so I've been told [[insert side-eye here]]. For an amusing recollection of what a "normal" night at the Bookstore was like, read THIS.

So, you can imagine my surprise that a relatively hip and upscale retailer like Brooklyn Industries decided to use that particular space. I wonder how many yuppie mothers have dragged their baby strollers in to peruse floral print dresses ($128) and got a hotsweatygaysexy vibe once inside?

If they ONLY KNEW...

Prop 8 Upheld - Protests Planned

As many of you already know, Proposition 8 was upheld by the California Supreme Court (although the existing 18,000 same-sex marriages are allowed to stand). So the people at Day of Decision will be coordinating PROTESTS, not celebrations.

I walked over to Sheridan Square a few minutes ago (the site of the NYC Protest at 6:00 pm) and I noticed blue police barricades had been delivered, but not set up yet.

BTW - if you look closely at the picture above, you can see the famous George Segal sculptures - "Gay Liberation" in Christopher Park (on the right). The park is directly across the street from the Stonewall Inn, and this was where the Gays and Drag Queens held their ground and barraged the police with bricks, bottles, and even pennies on the night of the Stonewall Riots.

Greenwich Village Dust Bunny Bar Tour

One of the things I've always wanted to do is a Bar Tour (AKA "Pub Crawl") from one end of the West Village to the other. Christopher Street (and the surrounding Greenwich Village neighborhood) was the birthplace of the gay movement and the former epicenter of Gay NYC. Even though the neighborhood is no longer a trendy gay destination, there are still a bunch of fun bars to be explored.

So, one of the options that I will propose during the Dust Bunny Weekend is a Dust Bunny Bar Tour on Saturday night. The idea is to have one drink at each bar, and move on to the next one. By the time you get to the end, everyone is WASTED and at least half the group has been fondled inappropriately...

We would begin our tour at Pieces. It's always fun to "go to Pieces"...

Next, the oldest gay bar in NYC - Julius'. They make a stiff drink (and delicious hamburgers) here...

Around the corner from Julius' is where is all began, the historic Stonewall...

Then a sip and twirl at the Monster. They have a piano bar upstairs, and a dance floor downstairs...

Then we could sing a few show tunes at Marie's Crisis. This has been a tavern since colonial times (Thomas Paine lived upstairs). The bathrooms were last renovated sometime during the Civil War, but the piano players are phenomenal...

Then back to Christopher Street to Boots and Saddles (AKA "Bras and Girdles")...

Farther down Christopher we have neighborhood Bear Bar Ty's...

Then The Hangar. If we're lucky, the go-gos will be dancing...

Finally, at the far end of Christopher Street, the final destination - The Dugout ... known for Beer, Bears and their view of the Hudson River...

And, depending how your weekend goes, we could always get you to the Free Clinic in Chelsea on Monday morning...

Sounds like fun, huh?!?