Joe.My.God posted this 1980 Gay Bar/Restaurant/Club guide (click to embiggen) yesterday, and I have been scanning it ever since. I LOVE stuff like this - remembrances of gay history that is long gone.
Some of these bars are still around (Julius and Ty's in the Village, for example) - and some were still here when I arrived in NYC in the early 90's (Kellers, Sneakers, GH Club) but disappeared as real estate values skyrocketed. So many of these places are now a Gap or a Starbucks or a friggin Citibank :(
I am amazed by the sheer number of venues listed - especially on the East Side. The east side has maybe 3 or 4 bars now. And I also noted the number of gay bars in the Times Square area - including the infamous Haymarket (a notorious hustler bar). Times Square once had a huge and multicultural gay scene - albeit sleazy and sometimes downright dangerous - but at least it was INTERESTING. There are now zero gay bars in Times Square (unless you count Escuelita) - and the bars in nearby Hells Kitchen are for cute white boys looking for other cute white boys. Which, in my opinion, is just so boring.
