ILuvParis

I don't think he's talking about Broadway Limited, which was just south of Belmont on Broadway. Cheeks was south of Diversey on Clark. And, I don't think anonplz is old enough to remember B'way Limited.

GEM

Lessee...I'm "of a certain age" to remember some of these places (moved to Chicago in 1978)...

There were several small bars a coupla blocks south of Cheeks on Clark, one was ISTR Sam's, in the early 80's there was a nice Sidetrack - ish place called Bughaus in that area too (didn't last long)...

There were other bars in the Clark/Diversey area including Big Red's on Diversey (opened at 7AM!), Piggen's Pub on Diversey (you had to go down some steps, it was in the same building that the Half Shell resto is in), the Knight Out on Clark a few blocks north of Clark/Diversey...the Clark/Diversey area was originally one of the centers of Chicago gay life starting decades earlier.

Shari's was a cozy little bar on the NE corner of Clark and Surf...it's now a hair place.

On B'way north of Diversey (at Surf) there was the Paradise, a big deal when it opened in 1980 or so, it was in the "Bistro" category...it then became a straight Western - themed place during the "Urban Cowboy" craze...that whole block was torn down and replaced by retail stores.

B'way Ltd. was the BIG deal in the 'hood in the late 70's - early 80's. 25 cent drink nights on Tuesdays and Fridays (that space is a hardware store now)! Across the way was Crystal's Blinkers, which had a nice upstairs deck that looked out on B'way - nice for summer weekend afternoons (it's now a gay boi clothing store). It later became ISTR Club Victoria...

Jeez but I feel old here :-p

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Best
Greg

ILuvParis

But you've still got your memory! And let's not forget The Bushes! Of course, that was on Halsted - where Gentry is now. Anybody know the origin of the Bushes and Bughaus names?

Evert

Nice list of bars UAkls! ;-)

Cologne: Hands
Hamburg: Black's
Berlin: Prinzknecht Absolute the best!
Amsterdam: Eagle

GEM

Okay I'll bite ;-)

Bushes - refers to the Lincoln Park "bushes" adjacent to the Lincoln Park Lagoon. Once a popular cruising spot...up until the early 80's it was a popular sunbathing place, second only to the nearby Belmont "rocks". Now all the queers hang out up at Hollywood (aka Ostermann) Beach

Bughaus - refers to Washington Square aka "Bughouse Square" on the Near North Side, this was a center of bohemianism and gay life in Chicago starting in the early 20th century...once a cruising area, too. Now totally gentrified :-(

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Best
Greg

ILuvParis

Nicely done! I wish I had some lovely parting gifts.

Solblanc

hey, can anyone point out any nice places to go in Rome and Paris? Especially since I'll finally be out of my parent's nose

UAkls

A nice place in Paris that always has a good crowd is the Open Cafe on the Rue des Archives in the Marias. There also plenty of "not nice" places that can be fun.....

Jimmy67

After having been at hundreds of gay bars..my favorite is for sure

UV

in Beirut ( its my favorite for gay travel anyway)
its close to the amusement area MONOT street, exactly: Rue Huvelin

Americans be aware... Lebanon is a HUGE smoking area, every lung doctor would immediately have dollar signs in his eyes...

Check their homepage at
www.tagevent.com

and see me in the gallery- 2005 after party - right top corner
The lebanese know how to treat their guests!!!

Domono

I can remember some hot times back in the early 80's and 90's back at those places.

aeneastwin

In my humble opinion, two recently renovated bars:

G Lounge, 225 West 19th Street: Chelsea lounge bar with good looking A list types (especially bartenders!) and generally nice, hip crowd.

The Townhouse Bar, 236 East 58th Street: classy, Sutton Place piano bar with friendly, down to earth staff. Clientele tends to be late 30s on but also young types as well.

Check out both when visiting New York. (I am a long-time patron of both, not employee!)

anonplz

But now, this is strictly a gay bar, or mixed? If gay, that's weird - I thought gayness was prohibited ( ) in Lebanon? In relatively progressive Dubai (for the Middle East), a gay bar was closed in the last couple years for too much gayness. Is Lebanon better w/r/t that?

Darren64

As I have been reading through the posts it brought back so many great memorys.

As a young sailor, going to the original Hulas and Hamburger Mary's. So much fun!

NYC - I have always had a wonderful time at G, XL and SBNY.\

Amsterdam - April and Havana

New Orleans - Bourbon Street Pub

Denver - one of the first bars I ever sneaked into, the Cherry Creek Mining Company. God what a great time that was, until they figured out I was only 16 (I was tall and mature looking for my age).

Montreal - Stock, Parking and SKY

London - G-A-Y

Manchester - Hollywood - very pop oriented but so little attitude and fun dancing.

Columbus - Axis

Fort Lauderdale - Cathode Ray or Georgie's (depends on my mood)

San Diego - Again, as a young sailor The West Coast Production Company (WCPC) oh, and in LA Studio One!

Jeez, I guess I have spent some time in some bars!

waltjim

For all ammenities that the Le Boy include, it has to be the best bar/club out there. They have hot hot hot tanned dancers, music, hot people, and did i mention a dark room that get SO busy after 3 am?

Bam Bam

I would always pass G on the way home from 19th Street Gym, but the few times I went in there, it seemed kinda stuffy. Didn't usually go in after the gym though, because it didn't really look like the kind of crowd that wanted a sweaty muscleboy standing around LOL.

Is K-O-X still open in Montreal? Spent many nights walking there in the frigid weather, getting undressed there...dancing most of the night...then planning my exit just before the mob descends upon the coatroom again to suit up for the frigid nastiness outside!

And any John Blair party in NYC a few years ago was sure to keep me entertained most of the night.

Live in Los Angeles now where it's kinda boring.

Great forum, by the way. Newbie here.