What would the nation’s ‘city that never sleeps’ be without a substantial gay scene? A city that never sleeps alone, for one. But how to meet the perfect match, you ask? Try heading to one of the hot spots listed on our sampling of New York City’s top Gay (Lesbian, Bi, Trans) venues. You won’t be disappointed.
The Hose
With a dreadfully evocative name, The Hose has all the fundamentals of a model gay bar: dancers, rock music, big drinks and dirty retro pictures on the wall. Its cozy Lower East Side interior is reminiscent of a sanctum of dispensation and the patrons tend to be as well. The Hose is rumored to have some sinfully-amazing nightly attractions. We know someone who made $50 there last night.
Splash
Plunge into this meat market of a dance club full of hot, scantily clad men. There is plenty of eye candy, including the buff go-go boys gyrating on stage for your pleasure - since 1991, to be exact. The tasty looking bartenders are always happy to add a splash to your drink. Splash, also known as SBNY, is well known for notorious goings-on in the back room (and just about every other dark corner of the club). If you don’t know what we’re talking about, this might not be the bar for you.
Lucky Cheng’s
What once seemed daring and cutting edge - drag queen waiters – is still just as feisty and fun as it ever was. Hordes of tourists and bachelorettes scream at each other over the loud music while wildly clad bitch goddesses fly by with trays of mediocre food. But screw the food, it's the floor show, the drinks and the 'experience' you go for. Depending on the night, the crowd may be just as entertaining as the cast.
Henrietta Hudson
One of the best bars for gay women just happens to hold out its arms for men of all persuasions, too – but it’s definitely not a sausage fest, if that’s what you’re looking for. But if you are a girl looking for girl, than you’re in luck. There's a dance floor, a juke box, a pool table, and a pleasant array of Sheilas in all shapes and sizes. Bands and DJs play Wednesdays through Sundays; an all-around fun for femmes time.
Therapy
Aromatherapy and massage tables are a tad over stately for this back garden with a tranquil pond and black stone floors. Therapy doors solace for the ironic likelihood of Hell's Kitchen being a close second to sweet Chelsea in the gay community. Whether you're ordering up the Freudian slip or discussing the Oedipus complex, here's a bar to soothe, rub and wash away your woes.
View Bar
Puppets? Bingo? Drag? It doesn’t get any gayer. Liberal grandmas and fat friends alike will adore this laid-back Friday drag event. Starting at 7:30, the Avenue Q-esque Greta Green calls the bingo numbers for prizes like Holy Mary nightlights, bunny-shaped candles and cash. Between games, the pants come off and the fishnets slide up, as Greta performs her best musical numbers and comes around the audience for a little Q&A. Free bingo cards and 2-4-1 drink specials make this show the perfect place to get quietly drunk with your friends after work or before hitting up the rest of Chelsea on a big gay Friday night.
Gym Sports Bar
As the first and only gay sports bar in New York City, this joint has something to be proud of. The crowd tends to draw from a more laid back repertoire and not the normal Jack Spade toting, Burberry scarf donning scene-sters. But the one thing we love about this place is the vast selection of tap beer; a product often left out in the cold at many of New York City’s gay bars. If the place happens to lack some real eye candy while you visit, scan the multiple plasma-screen TV’s; you’ll be sure to find David Beckham, shirtless, on one of them.
