HIGH GEAR/NOVEMBER 1977

OH!! NEW YORK

Page 8

COVENTRY

BOOKS

1978 GAY ENGAGEMENT

CALENDAR 4.95

THE JOY OF LESBIAN SEX THE JOY OF GAY SEX

12.95 EACH

10-10 WEEKDAYS

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ཟིན་

NOON-6 SUNDAY

1824 Coventry Road,

Cleveland Heights

Gas Lite

638

Inn

WEST MAIN STREET SPRINGFIELD, OHIO

SERVING YOUR FAVORITE COCKTAILS from 1pm til 2:30 am

DAILY EXCEPT SUNDAY

D

GODMOTHER'S 1014 E. 63rd St

Happy

Thanksgiving!

ONE BLOCK NORTH OF ST. CLAIR JUST EAST OF E. 55TH ST.

FOR GAY CATHOLICS ...NON-CATHOLICS, TOO

DIGNITY-

Akron-Canton

P.O. Box 1452 Akron 535-8216 44311

By Terrence Edwards

-

If gay is good, then there is a lot of goodness in New York City. I love that town. I love its blatant disregard for convention, its arrogant and brassy irreverence to time-honored institutions the law, the church. Many police are on the take, a lot of legislators are crooked, New York priests are petitioning the Pope for heterosex, and the famous St. Patrick's Cathedral has set up a thriving business inside its hallowed porticos where it sells at usurious rates every sort of religious rip-off modern man has imagined holy invective the least of their concerns.

An honest fire department in-

spector would pad lock its doors when he saw the thousand or so votive lights ablaze with the hopes of gullible galoots who inveigled to part with some of their pecuniary possessions, continue to believe in the efficacy of that idolatrous ritual.

forceful and

that has overtaken Grand Central Station. Cruising the tearoom there fifteen years ago was always a successful adventure. Last year, Penn Central which owns GCS had installed a pay turnstile apparently to capitalize on the burgeoning voyeur market. This year the turInstiles are gone along with half of the "viewing parlors," resulting in diminished opportunities for comparison shopping. Over the years, we have found 4 P.M. to 6 P.M. the liveliest time to shop, "Straight" businessmen sneak out of their office an hour early so they can indulge their passions before they board the 5:50 to Hoboken with a two pound box of Fanny Farmer chocolates for the little lady.

Several years ago Jackie Kennedy held a benefit to rescue the famous Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. I wonder if she could be persuaded to assist the bankrupt Penn Central with a similar restoration. Many of the prime talent have fled this offensive ill-kept sex station for more obscure areas, leaving a generally undesirable riff raff clientele as its chief patrons. So for the meantime, cross GCS off your cruising area when you visit New York.

One can be inconspicuous here as a gay. The vitreous stares of harried and unconcerned pedestrians give one the impression that Manhattanites live on speed. Parenthetically, one must wonder what they are runBob Damron's 1978 address ning from or where they are runbook is not a reliable guide to ning to. But what makes us run other cruising areas in Manhatto this city is the fact that it is a tan. Many gays seem unwilling hedonist's smorgasbord. The to frequent Central Park unvariegated gay scene comprises doubtedly because of its well over 100 gay bars, a dozen or so publicized danger. There were baths, assorted gay restaurants slim pickings here on our two boutiques, and theatres. visits to see all the happy But the children stepping in the abunrefreshing hand of gay dant equestrian and canine crap ingenuity, creativity and which unfortunately is prevalent exhilarating unconventionality throughout the city. One is well can also unobtusively observed advised to watch where one is in every aspect of its urban life walking. which is one reason that it is Mr. Damron is close but not one of the most exciting cities in the world. From its dance to its theatre, its cinema to its showcase of fashion, art, sculpture and cuisine, the influence of gay culture is unmistakable. The care and delicacy with which so many gay aspects of this city are crafted should speak powerfully to its heterosexual patrons who so unjustly reap so many of its pleasures.

One feels an electrifying impulse to challenge one's gay frontiers to dare, to tempt, to experience the vagaries that the soul of this city offers. No doubt its meretricious charms have Cassassinated the enthusiasm of many a pilgrim in search of satisfying unholy appetites. But forwarned is forearmed and during our recent foray, we eluded the unsavory elements who attempt to abort one's journey. Time and space do not permit us to record all of our impressions of the excursion. Some of what we witnessed will serve as the subjects of future Gear articles.

But we did do some cruising ala Bob Damron. It is sad to see The devastating deterioration

precise when he suggest cruising Christopher Street All gays should know that it is perhaps the gayest street in the U.S., certainly one of the best known. That it can be traversed in less than fifteen minutes at a moderate gait might come as quite a surprise to many gays, much as the fact that the world famous Wall Street is even shorter should surprise many Capitalists. But we've come to learn that things are not necessarily important in direct proportion to their length -right guys!!!

You will of course see many pretty faces on Christopher, but one is advised to promenade the west end of the street near the Hudson River if you have more than looking on your mind.

The gay bars are certainly a diverse scene and in later GEARS we hope to describe a few. While it is not this writer's practice to condemn the sexual practices of anyone, we do feel that bars are the inappropriate forum for much of what we saw at some. It should be sufficient to say that every sort of genital, anal or oral sex with all atten... dant variations of singles 96979

group involvement including but not limited to bodily evacuations are commonplace in some of the more daring establishments. These are definitely to be avoided by anyone preferring conservative sex.

Some bars provided us with a truly satisfying evening. Intelligent and savvy gays frequent the more reserved bars, and one can have a pleasant conversation of substance before the eclectic search for a suitable trick must begin.

There are some bargains in New York and imbibing at gay bars is comparatively inexpensive. We paid as much as $2.00 for a beer in straight New York, but always under a buck in gay New York. We were fleeced to the extent of $2.30 for a gin and tonic in heterosexual Manhattan, but never paid more than $1.50 for a mixed drink in tomoMan.

Gay movie theatres have not raised their admission prices for well over seven years that we know of. It's still $5.00. I wonder if there is something biblical about these seven years of plenty!!! And plenty is what you get!!! the plots are short on substance and incredibly plastic, but these disadvantages are frequently outweighed by other considerations.

We met one such consideration that we wished lived next door to us, and he did accomodate us by giving us his phone number. We need not bother to plan an appetizer the next time we decide to consider sexual menu in the big bulge en apple.

I'M

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