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Farewell To Laguna Beach Landmarks: Boom Boom Room, Coast Inn...

Farewell To Laguna Beach Landmarks: Boom Boom Room, Coast Inn...

Old Jun 22, 2006, 1:48 am
  #1  
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Farewell To Laguna Beach Landmarks: Boom Boom Room, Coast Inn...

It's finally official...

As Laguna Beach (Calif.) continues its gentrification slide away from gay-friendly iconoclastic art colony toward more and more creep from conservative, wealthy Orange County neighbors like Newport Beach and Dana Point, the gay bar BOOM BOOM ROOM and the adjoining Coast Inn will be shutting their doors permanently on Labor Day weekend.

These institutions have been integral to countless men's lives in Southern California, and in the experiences of countless tourists from all over the country, and the world:

http://www.metrog.com/locations/lagunabeach/index.html

www.boomboomroom.com
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Old Jun 22, 2006, 7:21 am
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How Sad

That's truly sad to hear...

Having lived in South County for a number of years I remember them as fixtures in Laguna Beach.
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Old Jun 22, 2006, 11:10 pm
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Now I'm gonna have to drive to Long Beach to go out.
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Old Jun 27, 2006, 12:23 pm
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This is a shame-- I haven't been to the Boom in over ten years, but always had a good time. How many places have a gay bar that literally overlooks a gorgeous beach and the Pacific Ocean? Phenom.
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Old Jun 28, 2006, 4:03 pm
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Originally Posted by WillFlyer


Now I'm gonna have to drive to Long Beach to go out.
Oh no! All you OC-ites will be flocking to the LB now???

Seriously tho, it is a sad thing.
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Old Jun 28, 2006, 11:43 pm
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I went to UCLA and my best friend went "away" to school at UCIrvine, so Laguna and The Boom were integral to our early gay days...along with the D.O.K. and that other place in Garden Grove? What was the name? This was the early and mid-1980s...
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Old Jun 29, 2006, 12:27 am
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Originally Posted by SFOTRAVELER
I went to UCLA and my best friend went "away" to school at UCIrvine, so Laguna and The Boom were integral to our early gay days...along with the D.O.K. and that other place in Garden Grove? What was the name? This was the early and mid-1980s...
The Frat House? I worked in Garden Grove in '92 and remember popping in there a couple of times.

And we can't forget Ozz, up in Buena Park... featuring Rudy De La Mor on the piano...
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Old Jun 29, 2006, 6:25 pm
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Originally Posted by pnoeric
The Frat House? I worked in Garden Grove in '92 and remember popping in there a couple of times.

And we can't forget Ozz, up in Buena Park... featuring Rudy De La Mor on the piano...
We have a winner! It was OZZ, which I went to a few times. D.O.K. was full of young love, all the 16-22 year old boys...wow, what a blast from the past. All that great New Wave hair, madras shorts, and BAD dancing, all rolled into one!

The Frat House came along much later...only went there once and don't remember a thing. Thanks for reminding me of the name!
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Old Jun 29, 2006, 11:49 pm
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Originally Posted by pnoeric
This is a shame-- I haven't been to the Boom in over ten years, but always had a good time.
I guess it is people like you that allowed it to close...
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Old Jun 30, 2006, 12:09 am
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Perhaps those of us here in SoCal should get together and make a run down there sometime this summer before it closes?
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Old Jun 30, 2006, 12:35 pm
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I think thereis a campaign to stop this...

http://www.savetheboom.com
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Old Jul 5, 2006, 6:52 pm
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Originally Posted by boifromtroy
I think thereis a campaign to stop this...

http://www.savetheboom.com
So, I was in L.A. for the 4th of July holiday, and three friends and I went to Laguna (West St. Beach). It was wonderful...very crowded, and very hot (and I ain't talkin' about just the weather). We had a long chat with a wonderful guy (20 year old gay guy from Laguna who is in pre-law at ASU) who approached us with a petition. The organization has 3,000 signatures already, and the City of Laguna Beach says that if they get 5,000, they will work with the "Save the Boom" group to set up historic preservation measures for the developer, and perhaps allow a bit more leeway in the future hotel.

The Boom Boom Room is the oldest gay bar on the West Coast, and perhaps the 4th oldest in the U.S....started in 1929.

The holiday traffic prevented us from going into downtown to have a drink (NO parking, BAD traffic getting out on 73 or 133), but we will be back later in July and August as well to have what are hopefully NOT our last few cocktails there!
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Old Jul 5, 2006, 10:51 pm
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The problem is that no one seems to go to the Boom any more. We were there two Saturday nights ago (June 24) and it was really quiet. My BF was there the night before (Friday) and he said it was totally dead. We've seen this a lot recently.

I don't want the club to close, but I don't see how it can be avoided unless more people patronize the club. I hope OC's sizable community will back up their signatures on the petition with renewed support of the club.
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Old Jul 6, 2006, 8:58 pm
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Originally Posted by WillFlyer
The problem is that no one seems to go to the Boom any more. We were there two Saturday nights ago (June 24) and it was really quiet. My BF was there the night before (Friday) and he said it was totally dead. We've seen this a lot recently.

I don't want the club to close, but I don't see how it can be avoided unless more people patronize the club. I hope OC's sizable community will back up their signatures on the petition with renewed support of the club.
TOTALLY, DUDE. Most gay folks have either been priced out of Laguna/Irvine, would rather go up to LA or down to SD or over to PS, or are hooking up online. Or is it all of the above? Chalk this one up to "we are everywhere" influencing that we are not specifically somewhere. I hope the beach stays the way it is. It's way festive and pretty unique! I encourage everyone to go. I've been frolicking down there (yeah I said it) since I was 17 years old and it is still a great time...

And what about The Little Shrimp? Is that Laguna Beach piano bar still attracting a mostly gay crowd?
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Old Aug 19, 2006, 12:04 pm
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One-year reprieve

An agreement has been reached to keep the Boom open for at least another year.

Article from OC Register

Better article from LA Times
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