Page 12

DOING AMERICA

WITH

BOB DAMRON

LOS ANGELES

A full Spanish translation of Los Angeles means city of the angels. Can! possibly disagree, especially since I was born here? Yes! There are all kinds of people living here...but angels are so hard to find. Most

bar, but coming up fast is Boots. Ken's River Club gets a peppy dance crowd with a fair share of Orientals.

Downtown L.A. at best should be avoided. Nicest of the lot is Main Spring at 107 W. 4th. More

angelinos, and others, refer to it popular but dangerous are simply as "L.A."

Our third largest city is a giant megalopolis with vein-like freeways connecting its various

limbs. To many tourists Hollywood is the heart, and in a way this is true. (Some might argue that, heartless is a more discriptive adjective).

Naturally everything here is "world famous" including the

Hollywood Bowl, Greek Theatre,

Paladium, Chinese Theatre (formerly Graumann's), once great movie studios and star

Harold's, Waldorf and Circle. These cater to over-the-hill hustlers, drag queens, transvestites and all sorts of racial minorities. Black is beautiful at Catch One and Horizon, both located on the southside.

Numerous gay restaurants are scattered throughout the entire metropolitan area. Among my favorites are the Acadamy

(check out the sharp militarily attired waitors), Lillians, Westside and Gupsy's. Others

HIGH GEAR/APRIL 1978

This is especially true of the super discos which go through more name and ownership changes than you can shake a stick of dynamite at. Currently 'tops' is Back Street (formerly the Encore or Joe's) at 845 Peachtree St. N.E. Enter through the parking lot in the rear, Magic Garden (formerly County Seat) at 1888 Cheshire Bridge Rd. made a big splash when it first opened, but on my last visit looked as though it might be petering out. Most durable is Sweet Gum Head at 2284 Cheshire Bridge Road, which alternates dancing with shows.

plete listings pick up a copy of Cruise, an excellent magazine which is published in Atlanta.

The newly expanded Club Baths is one of the South's best, and is located at 76 4th St., N.W. Locker Room Health Club at 2325 Cheshire Bridge Rd., N.E. has the adjoining Hollywood Hots for after hours disco dancing, and drinking.

An Atlanta innovation which has swept across the country are its book stores, which are often a lot more than just book stores. Look for plenty of 'action' at After Dark, 1067 Peachtree St., N.E. Down Under at 8th & Cypress, Climax, Eros and others. Most have film

Mrs. P's (or just plain P's) is Atlanta's oldest gay bar. It is also a perfect example of how much Altanta has changed. A galleries, peep shows, and

short decade ago I was refused admission because I was not wearing a jacket and tie. Today, P's is 'the' Levi & leather bar, and believe me the dress codes are considerably changed. Tex's is a new bar, also trying to for the S & M crowd, and located at N. Highland and Virginia.

rooms for several kinds of games.

Bars close at 4 a.m. Monday through Friday, and at 3 a.m. on Sundays. They are closed entirely on Sundays except for those serving food. Among the

better restaurants are Gallus at 49 6th ST. N.E.; Shelley's Place at 1720 Peachtree Road, N.E. Frank Powell's at 1139 West Peachtree Street. The Prince

Onyx at 341 Peachtree St., N.W. is a fun show bar. Atlanta's Ms. go to a new resaturant and disco called our place at 2065 George Inn, Gene & Gabes,

Chesshire Bridge Road or the nearby Ms. Garbo's. For com-

studded Hollywood Blvd. But include the Garden District, COLUMBUS

there is much more to L.A. than "tinsel-town" and you should see Bel-Air, Olvera Street, Music Center, Farmers Market, Mac Arthur Park, U.C.L.A., U.S.C., Old California Missions, and nearby beaches to name only a few.

Studio One is probably the most famous "super bar" in America. Besides a huge disco dance floor, it features top name entertainers, dining, game rooms and half a dozen different bars. It is located in West Hollywood at 652 La Peer, a small street between Melrose and Sant Monica. Next comes

the Bull Shot, 739 N. La Brea Circus (Maximus), Peanuts, and

Frog Pond, Carriage Trade, Flick, Office and Gallery Inn.

Among the top baths, listed alphabetically, are American Continental, Corral Club (private), Glen's for Men (3 locations), Hollywood (younger crowd), Hyperion (busy days), Melrose,

Midtown Spa (something for everyone), Silver Saddle Spa (some S & M) and the 8709 Club (private and difficult to gain admission). For locations and discriptions, see the Address Book or pick up a copy of Pacific Coast Times, Compass or DATA Boy.

Book stores, theatres, private clubs and cruisy areas are simply too numerous to mention

By Rob Davis

Ohio Gay Rights Coalition is planning on sponsoring a booth at the Ohio State Fair this summer. Volunteers and financial support are most important, since the booth rental will be $350-$400, and at least two people at a time must staff the booth all day for thirteen days. The booth will be both an outreach to the gay and lesbian communities, and a political and consciousness-raising effort for the general public. People who can volunteer either money or time, or who know of resources that could be distributed at the booth should contact OGRC or

Peasant Uptown, and Mary home' Southern cookin." The hot Mac's Tea Room for down the Central Ohio Gay Coalition at 614-291-9114 or at P.O. Box 8393, Columbus, Ohio 43201. The next OGRC meeting will be in Kent at noon on April 23, in conjunction with the Kent Gay Liberation Front annual Gay Conference.

There has been some con-

fusion in Columbus about the proper name of the group for merly called Gay Activist Alliance (G.A.A.). The correct name is now Gay Alliance. A series of votes in February changed the name on an almost weekly basis, leaving much confusion for those who could not attend every meeting. On March 7, a final vote left the name to be Gay Alliance.

GCN NEEDS YOU!

the on again-off again Paradise here. For a starter however try GCN

Ballroom. "Twinkies" like the Odyssey, is an after hours juice bar. Most of the bars on or near Hollywood Blvd. are haven for hustlers and can be pretty raunchy. Cruise bars are clustered along Santa Monica Blvd., the most popular being the Spike at 7746, Rusty Nail at 7994, Hub at 7864 and Rascals (probably moving) at 8851. The Spike and Rusty Nail get humpy Jocks and a smattering of the S & M crowd.

Bikers and other macho types show up and off at Griff's, Larry's, Stud, One Way, Detour, Falcon's lair, and after hours at the Outcast. Fun neighborhood bars are the Silver dollar, Stud, and Toy Tiger, which gets a swinging older crowd. Wranglers is too new to tell, but could be a big hit.

The San Fernando Valley gets a mixed bag, but has many "gals" bars such as Oxwood Inn, Woodman at Oxnard, Dummy Up and Love Inn. Top cruise bars are the Lodge, Store, and Hayloft for after hours. Oil Can Harry's offers the best in disco dancing. The Drive Shaft is the longest established S & M

Book Circus, 8230 Santa Monica Blvd. which is open around the clock. For years I have stayed at the Saharan Motel, mixed but with extremely friendly personnel. For more action try the Coral Sands. Specialty stores (leather, clothing, jewelry, liquid, etc.) include the Pleasure Chest, Crypt, and Leather Game.

This column has just barely scratched the surface. There are hundreds of gay establishments in greater Los Angeles. Except for some smoggy days, the climate can be heavenly, but the L.A. cops are not angels. So be careful and don't drive while under the influence. L.A. can take weeks to really get to know, but somewhere along the way you will surely find whatever it is you are looking for.

ATLANTA

Atlana is the vibrant, pulsating, growing 'capitol' of with the bar scene here is a little the new South, but keeping up like playing musical fire bombs. One has to know which player is currently in or out of the pokey for arson or some more serious

crime.

The Gay Community News of Boston is this country's finest, most professional weekly newspaper. Like most, perhaps all non-profit gay journals, they are in serious financial difficulty.

The demise of this paper would, in our opinion, materially impede the gay rights cause and the vitai effect it contributes to conscious raising nationally.

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The failure of GCN would seriously impair the ability of other journals including High Gear, who draw on their professional expertise, outstanding news coverage and balanced approach to the cause so seriously important to us.

The National Gay Task Force appeals to all gays to support this journal. You can. If you When you support Gay ComImunity News, you support High Gear.

Mail to:

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GCN Subscriptions 22 Bromfield Street Boston. Mass. 02108

Enclose check or money order payable to "GCN" DO NOT send cash through the mail

All copies sent in sealed, no-peek envelope

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New

spots for cruising on Sundays are Stephen's Saloon at 1833 Peachtree Rd., N.E., Cove at 586 Worchester Dr., N.E. and the down stairs bar at the aforementioned Gallus.

Atlanta has many fine hotels, such as the Omni Plaza, tallest in the world, but no all gay establishments. A lot of visitors stay at the Cheshire Motor Inn. I like the Riviera Hyatt House at 1630 Peachtree St., N.E. or Holiday Inn at 1-85 at Piedmont Circle.

as

If visiting for the first time you should see the Cyclorama, Peachtree Center, Georgia Tech, Stone Mountain, Six Flags over Georgia and Underground Atlanta. It seems as though half the streets here are named Peachtree, and it may make you a little zany. If you 'dig' outdoor crusing, Cypress Street is every bit wild as San Francisco's Castro Street or Christopher Street in New York. Cypress is actually an Alley between and parallel to Peachtree and West Peachtree Streets. The heaviest action occurs between 6th & 8th Streets. If you get confused, just meander up to a hot looking jock and chances are you won't be lost for long.

Alliance is primarily a social group at this time, with an emphasis on planning gay community events and other services to the community. For more information about events or other questions, call 614-422-

9212.

2467

There is now a Metropolitan Community Church in Columbus. Meeting temporarily at the Twylight Lounge, Cleveland Avenue, Columbus, the church holds 2 p.m. Services' every Sunday. MCC is hoping to find a permanent home in Columbus soon, and greatly appreciates the kindness of Pinky & Shep of the Twylight Lounge for opening on Sunday so the Church may meet there. For more information, call 614-2998714 don't have a subscription to GCN, you should. Past issues of the paper are now on file at Cleveland's Gay Community Center.

We invite anyone to visit us and browse through past issues of GCN, or you can rely on our judgment and subscribe now.

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Please help them and help us at the same time. A subscription blank will enable you to do both.

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copies of A Gay Person's Guide to New England including the 1977 supplement at $4.25 each (3.75 plus .50 postage). Please send copies of A Gay Person's Guide to New England, 1977 supplement only at $1.50.