Black gay bars in nyc

Nyc Hangar was also especially known to be patronized by a diverse range of mostly gay men, and in particular severed as a welcoming space and vital sanctuary for the older, gay Black male population. Prior to that, I believe it was an Italian restaurant…I remember finding the old matchbooks and files in the basement. As a bar, The Hangar was for the most part an unassuming, no frills space that felt welcoming to all.

The venue was narrow in the front, with a row of seating along the length of the bar, but opened up more in the back, with a pool table that would often be the center of attention. The undulating, arched gay panel ceiling in the place was made to look black it belonged in an old airplane hangar, while scattered homoerotic artwork sparsely adorned the walls.

A Gothamist review described The Hangar experience best: "For the most ethnically mixed crowd that I've seen at a gay bar, The Hangar takes the cake. Their bartenders make a wicked strong drink and on weekends you can find go-go boys who will take their whole ass out for the right amount of money. The bar area can be a little tight but as you walk to the back of the venue, it opens up for some breathing room.

Many patrons considered The Hangar to be both a landmark institution as well as their comforting home base, including patron Kirkland G: "One of the nicest dives I've been to. Very comfortable vibe and pretentiousness is not to be found. The dancers on Saturday nights are hot too. Moreover, on Saturdays they sometimes play old bar disco which is always awesome because who doesn't like disco?

Starlite Lounge

The real selling point of this joint is the drinks. The Hangar gets my vote for having the cheapest, strongest drinks of any gay bar in NYC. Sadly, gentrification ultimately did catch up to the longstanding establishment, and in early bar employee Julian Ledezma broke the newsannouncing on Facebook that The Hangar would be closing permanently after over three decades in operation, stating: "Don't cry because it closed, cry because you didn't support it when you could've!

And in this case, the rent went up too much! Many longterm patrons and employees of The Hangar grieved its sudden closing, including Alphonso King, Jr. No closing party. No goodbyes. This interracial pick up bar just gone It was such a staple to the West Village. I owe a lot to this venue. Because Rudy Giuliani was using an old Cabaret Law t o shut down gay bars, there was no dancing allowed at The Hangar.

Only go-go boys could dance on a platform. I got hired in I believe I was the first DJ hired. I had to learn how to keep an energy about the room but not too much that folks started dancing. This would be a challenge that I mastered with a little help from my Uncle Herb who taught me about programming.

He said always tell a story and understand what you are saying with the music.