Redjack's Profile

This might be a different experience on weekends, but I've tried it weeknights and found it to be pretty uninteresting. What's with the bartenders? They seem to have some aversion to waiting on customers and have very bland personalities, if they have one at all. Glad to hear one of the reviewers here thought one of them was a great lay. They'd put me to sleep long before we got to bed! I wouldn't be surprised if most of them are "straight." Don't bother making a special trip for this dump.

Have been to this place several times now and generally have found it to be convivial and pleasant, with a nice crowd of men of mixed ages, as well as some women, both gay and straight. The owners promised that the bar would remind everyone of what the Stonewall rebellion was all about, but there's little in the bar -- so far -- that makes it clear that this is the birthplace of the Modern-day Gay Rights Movement. Hopefully that will change, as the place hasn't even had its Grand Opening Night party yet [the date has not been announced]. This is certainly worth a look, however -- an attractive place with a rich history. Friendly bartenders. Let's hope this really evolves into the Stonewall Inn and doesn't just turn into The Duplex 2.

Last visited this place on a Friday, where it was packed with attractive men of all ages. The atmosphere is macho, even if all of the patrons aren't -- but everyone seems to be welcome. There were two go go boys, one of whom clambered all over the bar counter but left you alone if you weren't interested. The bar is so darkly lit that you'll have trouble counting your change. Friendly crowd. The music is loud but not so ear-splitting that you can't hold a conversation. A deficit -- at least for me -- was that two of the three bartenders were straight-identified. Needless to say the friendliest bartender was the openly gay bear. Slightly less unpleasant is the fact that the doorman may ask to see your ID no matter how old you are -- this has something to do with some Chelsea bars admitting the underage [why they ask to see IDs of men clearly in their forties is beyond me.] If this place is too dark and dank for you, walk downtown a couple of blocks and go to Gym, which is also jam-packed on weekends.

Even on weeknights this place is jumping with [mostly] wall to wall men of all ages. The guys are all types; something to appeal to everyone. Friendly crowd, too. Only time I didn't feel the love was on the second floor where there's a lounge in the far back that has door men or guards posted to keep people out with various weird excuses. Don't know what's up with that but the rest of the bar -- and it's a big one with several rooms -- was plenty of fun. The most crowded of the gay spots I hit in Philly.

The crowd tends to be older, but there are also younger guys in this all-gay, no-attitude bar with very friendly customers and bartenders. There's nothing slick or pretty about the place, but who cares? Men can meet men and have some good conversations and drinks. Highly recommended.

This is an attractive bar with a mixed crowd of men and women, gays and straights, different ages. Bartenders tend to be straight men and women. Like most mixed lounges, it doesn't have much character of its own and emerges a bit bland, although undoubtedly it's a perfectly pleasant place to hang out for conversation with people you already know. Definitely not cruisy. More like a gay-friendly straight bar than anything else. Philly and NY may have different ideas of what's hip, but this place isn't exactly what I would call hip. The smoke is gone -- you can't smoke in Philly bars anymore, which has many bar-hoppers grumbling, as in New York.

HEADS UP: Like other places in the neighborhood, Marie's recently hired a straight-identified bartender for week nights. There were more straight people than gay in the bar the last time I was there, and frankly my comfort zone as a gay man was greatly diminished. I suspect it will remain pretty gay on weekends, but on week nights don't expect the same largely gay crowd it used to have. Straight bartenders -- who have no real connection to the gay community -- often indicate the wish of the management for a place to become mixed or even straight to increase business.

Back in the days when this place was called the Ramrod -- the second bar in the area to have that name -- and for a couple of years afterward, it was very hot and crowded, and probably still is -- in the summer months when Christopher Street fills with people. In the winter, however, the place is pretty dead except for, I'm told, the cocktail hour and Sunday afternoons. I've tried this place several times on weekends and week nights and there are never more than half a dozen people in the evenings. The trouble is that it's out of the way, quite a distance from the Sheridan Square train station, and also that it always seems to close early, before eleven. Certainly not worth the long walk from the train station for visitors, who should definitely try out Ty's instead, which is on the way and closer.

If you're the kind of person who thinks anyone over forty or so is automatically a "troll" than this place is not for you. It has a nice older crowd of mostly professional men who are looking for same. Yes, there are hustlers now and then and they stand out like sore thumbs, and aren't even that hot. The front room is convivial and cruisy, the back room has a piano and singing, and the downstairs lounge is a bit more intimate. Mixed ages, actually, although it does tend to be an older crowd. Maybe not as nice as it used to be, but still a worthwhile bar.

This great bar has a cruisy main bar up front, a piano in back, and a hot dance floor on the lower level. It attracts customers of all ages and types, and occasionally gay-friendly straights. [The current joke is that the one straight-identified bartender is the most obviously gay in the place!] The piano players are ingratiating and have their own followings. Drink prices are a little steep, but they offer food during the cocktail hour. The one possible negative is the somewhat enigmatic, slovenly doormen, who seem to arbitrarily charge some customers a five dollar cover charge even when it isn't a holiday.

If your idea of a good time is standing around singing or listening to show tunes with a mostly gay crowd -- straights occasionally wander in but they tend to be respectful -- then this is the place for you. On weekends you can practically hear the singing from around the corner. The crowd is generally friendly, mixed ages, more interested in singing than cruising for the most part. You can choose to stay by the bar and converse with genial customers and bartenders if you wish. If you hate singing and show tunes and piano bars in general, then this place will give you the hives. This would be an okay place to bring your cooler straight friends if they dig Broadway.

The straight owners of Boots and Saddle, an historic bar that was supported by the gay community for 32 years, have tried to turn this into a "mixed" [as many customers as possible] "club" with mixed results. On opening night, when a female singing group said they were pleased to be spending Valentine's Day in a gay bar, the new gay host -- and a couple of his straight friends -- shouted out that it was a straight bar, which was a big surprise to the patrons, most of whom were gay [not to mention the mostly gay staff, entertainers, go go boys, etc]. Since then the early evening hours have been given over to the antics of host Barry Z., a public access "celebrity" who apparently seeks to expand his following. My advice: Go after eleven or midnight, especially on Saturday nights, when no matter what Barry Z says [let's hope he was joking] the crowd is almost entirely gay and cruisy and BOOTS AND SADDLE reigns once more -- the straights, alleged entertainers, and Barry himself are mostly gone. The gay regulars are divided over how long this schizoid situation can last -- and how long it will be before the bar goes back to being plain old Boots and Saddle! Most regulars hope an owner with more of a connection to the community will take over and bring this wonderful village institution back to its former glory.

Julius was once a cruisy fun place with a busy crowd of mixed ages and great, super-friendly bartenders. The problem isn't that the crowd tends to be mature; the problem is the bar itself, which can be very pleasant but is also a bit on the dull side. The customers go elsewhere when they really want to let their hair down. They've even gone so far as to hire a straight-identified bartender for week nights, a sure sign that the owners want to go mixed or even straight to bring in more business. The gay bartenders are no great shakes, either, being minimally friendly until they get to know you a bit. One tall skinny guy is one of the least friendly bartenders I've ever come across. The place may not be awful for some, but you can have a lot more fun at Ty's, The Monster, and even upstairs at the Duplex, all of which are within walking distance. This certainly isn't worth a special trip any more. What a shame, as I believe this historic place is the oldest bar of any type in the village but it's just too bland; and the straight bartender is a definite minus -- and a warning sign, although many of the customers seem foolishly oblivious.

Boots and Saddle/BSNY underwent a name change to CLIMAXX in January and will have a grand reopening on February 14th 2007. While trying not to completely alienate its largely older gay male customers, the bar will try to attract a variety of customers – including straight people – with everything from stand up comics and karoake to Bear Nights and Hunk of the Week contests. Will it work? Will the gay guys flee in droves? Will the bar ultimately turn straight? Or will it become a smaller, somewhat demasculinized version of mixed bars such as The Duplex and Rose's Turn? Only time will tell. In the meantime, it will undoubtedly be worth a look. I will post a review of CLIMAXX in a few weeks.

This is not strictly a gay bar but a mixed bar that also caters to straights and many tourists of all persuasions. Downstairs is a piano bar where you will hear doo wop a lot, sung by singers who do not need microphones in such a small space but use them anyway -- I am surprised the staff is not deaf! Upstairs is a more intimate and much gayer lounge which is very friendly and even cruisy at times. This is a good place to party with straight friends. Friendly staff and atmosphere. They also have a small theater where they put on shows. Basically a nice place if you are not expecting a strictly gay ambiance. HEADS UP: The upstairs lounge is very gay during week nights but is pretty much straight, with bar maids, on the week ends. Go to The Monster instead.

Gym is a relaxed, convivial cruise and conversation -- mostly conversation -- bar that caters to gay men of mixed ages with the median age around thirty plus. However, the over forty and fifty crowd will not feel too out of place, and neither will twenty somethings. I agree that the atmosphere is "butcher" than say, The Monster, but not quite as macho as The Eagle. There is always a smattering of "femmes" and happily no one puts them down. While the gay community includes a great many sports fans and athletes, you do not really have to love sports to go to Gym [but it does not hurt if you like sports fans and athletes]. However, if sports are not your bag, you should probably stay out of the place during Monday Night Football or other major sports nights as it will probably be a drag. I found drink prices to be relatively cheap and the cocktails strong, even during the two for one cocktail hours. I think this one will be around for awhile. Friendly bartenders, too.

This is a neighborhood bar that has been around for decades, and while it caters mostly to forty plus gay men or "bears," you will also find many younger guys. On week nights the atmosphere is more relaxed and conversational although it is very busy during the cocktail hour. On weekends it is impossibly packed to the rafters with hot bears who are busy cruising -- the testosterone level is intoxicating! You do not have to be a "bear" to have fun here, however; the place is friendly to everyone. Definitely no attitude, and very friendly bartenders, too. A great old strictly gay bar where you can really have fun, make connections, and have some great conversations too.

Pieces caters primarily to guys in their twenties although older men are made to feel welcome by a very friendly staff and customers. Someone 37 would not feel that "young" here as one reviewer suggested [maybe he was in the wrong bar; perhaps he was in Julius, which is around the corner and caters to older fellows.] A very friendly fun bar although on show nights it is way too crowded to be pleasant.