Young • Hip • Gay
NEW YORK CITY
by Alex Abad-Santos and Steve Arnozy
If you’re a young gay person in
New York without a disposable income at your fingertips,
it’s difficult to spend the day the way guidebooks
plan your itinerary: mornings shopping along Madison
Avenue, lunch at Masa, dinner at per se, and orchestra
tickets to an evening performance of Young Frankenstein.
New York, however, is a city with endless possibilities.
All you need to know is where to look. There’s
a bevy of young, hip, and affordable options at your
fingertips, and by keeping up with them, you’ll
be keeping yourself attuned to the pulse of this vibrant
metropolis.
While last year saw the curtain fall
on the John Blair mega dance club, The Roxy, there’s
been a surge eastward. Fueled by barely legal NYU and
New School co-eds, the East Village has become the place
to see and be seen. Not as polished and shiny as places
you’ll find in Chelsea or Hell’s Kitchen,
the scene in the “E.Vill” lends itself to
an indie vibe—think of Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson
or a scruffy Jake Gyllenhaal.
Start off your evening at Boiler Room,
the best dive bar, hand’s down. Be sure to bring
your spare change at this East Village dive, because
you’re the DJ. Boasting a jukebox with extensive
selections from the Pointer Sisters to Pantera, this
is a perfect place to meet your friends before a long
night out, or to wind down after a long day at the office.
The crowd is usually mixed, as Boiler Room draws in
the boys from every neighborhood of Manhattan and pockets
of Brooklyn, but its down-to-earth ambiance and friendly
bartenders make for a charming atmosphere.
Across the street is The Cock. Modest
is not in the vocabulary when it comes to this venue.
Although it boasts a sordid reputation on the weekends,
Wednesday night’s party, SLURP, brings out the
boys of the East Village and Lower East Side in droves.
Armed with wit and a dry sense of humor, drag queen
extraordinaire Linda Simpson hosts the raucous party.
Scantily clad go-go boys straddle your drinks at the
bar, and with theme parties that run the gamut between
the delightful and the delirious, SLURP eases you off
of hump-day and toward the weekend.
Further East finds you at one of the
best bars on the bloc. Eastern Bloc is a behind-the-iron-curtain-themed
East Village nightspot. Kitschy, while avoiding corny,
the party here starts early and never seems to stop.
The music is contemporary (pop, hip-hop, dance) and
this intimate space is packed to the gills on weekends.
Leave your belongings at the “Goat Check”
and revel in all things Eastern Europe from the red,
fist-laden wallpaper to the burly bartenders. Drink
specials and DJs bring the boys in on Wednesday nights
as well.
With a recent move to the space known
as Rapture Café, Boysroom is where the boys come
to play. Deliciously seedy and notorious for the naughtiest
go-go boys in town, Boysroom really starts going at
1 A.M. Gay nocturnal royalty, Amanda Lepore, Cazwell,
and Michael “Formika” Jones, make Boysroom
the spot to be on the weekends. Parties like “Barely
Legal” and “Go-Go Idol” are pretty self-explanatory,
while the mixed crowd loves to ogle the scantily-clad
festivities.
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If you’d rather shake it like a Polaroid picture,
Pop Rocks at Bar 13 is the party we head to when we need
a night of diva megamixes (I’m sure you’re familiar
with those nights): Ms. Ross, Ms. Knowles, and Ms. Spears
are regulars here…albeit on the DJ’s playlist.
This appears to be where the party’s at on Thursdays,
as well it should be! Featuring two generally packed dance
floors, no cover charge, $1 drink specials, and a roof
deck for a respite from the Bacchanalia, Pop Rocks is
the premier gay college-crowd party below 14th Street.
A stone’s throw from Bar 13 rests the hottest ladies’
party of the week—Wednesday nights at Union Square
Lounge is Eden. This cozy spot is ski lounge chic, equipped
with a mod elliptical fireplace. Looking like a page out
of a Frank Lloyd Wright sketchbook, the sleek space features
wall-to-wall sofas, dark leather ottomans, and a bevy
of beautiful women to fill the spaces in between. Dress
to impress here, as the clientele comes straight from
their 9-5s.
Just an L train or cross-town bus away,
the West Side of Manhattan becomes more polished the
farther you move uptown—just like the boys.
Nestled in the West Village is The Cubbyhole.
It’s that neighborhood bar where everybody knows
your name. Lesbian-owned, this easy-going spot draws
in an eclectic crowd of younger pop tarts, eccentric
lesbians, and anyone looking for some time to catch
up with friends. Fixed with a popular jukebox, its moss
green interiors and cobble-stoned floor give it a rustic
feel. While this popular dig doesn’t have a skylight,
things are always looking up for the Cubby. A pastiche
of kitsch goldfish, model planes, Japanese lanterns,
and (depending on the holiday) pumpkins, hearts, or
ornaments, cascades from the ceiling and lures people’s
eyes upward. It’s like an F.A.O. Schwarz forest.
Happy hours are great here, and if you get the sudden
craving for some sustenance, the Cubby has a collection
of local menus so you can snack on neighborhood munchies
while you socialize.
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