WoodyAutumn

Had a great time

Myself and my partner visited Pittsburgh over Labor Day weekend and on Friday, August 30, 2013 we visited the Blue Moon. This place was one of the few places that we were able to find parking nearby the bar and lots of it. They permit smoking inside the place. So, it is very smokey. Neith myself nor my partner smoke and would have preferred that it was smoke-free but it is rare to find a bar in Pittsburgh that bans smoking. The place was packed and the patrons and staff were super friendly. The bartender greeted us quickly and got our drinks. They make really good drinks and they free pour. The main reason for going to the Blue Moon for me was that they have Karaoke on Friday nights. I like doing karaoke. It was hosted by EddieOke. EddieOke is a popular karaoke hosts in the Gay community. I sang 4 songs that night. Also, this is the home bar of both of RuPaul's Drag Race contestants, Sharon Needles and Alaska. Both Sharon's and Alaska's photos were posted above the stage as were a couple other photos of drag queens that I do not know. The place has a real mix of people in it from every level, race, age and culture. This is part of what makes it so fun. The place is not glamorous at all but it is fun.

RUINED MY SATURDAY NIGHT

This bar labels itself as a Gay bar and it really does not have Gay patrons. I visited the 5801 Video Lounge on Saturday, August 31, 2013 during Labor Day weekend.  80% of the bar's patrons were straight - heterosexual couples.  There were a few Gay people scattered throughout the bar but in no way would I call this place a Gay bar. The place looks good but not all that special.  It kind of reminded me of Applebee's for some reason. It could use a good cleaning. The carpets for example were dirty and even sticky in some places. At the upstairs bar, for 20 minutes, I tried unsuccessfully to get a drink from any of the bartenders there. They were ignoring me. It was as if they were avoiding myself and my partner. We don't smoke and really were trying to avoid the downstairs bar because they allow smoking but since we were being ignored by the bartenders upstairs who were too busy serving the straight couples we reluctantly went to the downstairs bar to try and get drinks. At the smoky downstairs bar, the bartender did approach me but when I asked for Black Velvet, they didn't have it. So then, I asked for Canadian Club and again they did not have it.  I really felt as though this bar did not want us there and weren't going to serve us.  Black Velvet and Canadian Club are both fine Canadian whiskeys that are staples at almost all bars and I found it unbelievable that they did not have both of them. The bartenders ignored us or told us no. I never want to walk into an establishment and hear the word "no".  They should always say "yes" and that did not happen for us. I also observed the bartenders using those automatic shot measuring devices.  I absolutely hate that.  How do I know I am even getting a full shot of booze with those things.  If they need to measure, I want to see them use a shot glass so I can see what I am paying for.  Anyway, after seeing the automatic shot measuring devices, I was pretty sure the drinks were very weak. There is a patio on the backside. It is not a beautiful patio as described by some of the reviewers.  When I was there, it was jam-packed with smokers and there was standing-room only. The patrons were not friendly in 5801 either. AND, worst of all, because of inaccurate reviews on Yelp, Urban Spoon and Gay Cities, I ended up visiting this bar and wasting my valuable vacation time on a Saturday night when I could have gone somewhere else. There is no dance floor. Other reviewers mention that there is a dance floor. I could not find one anywhere. Perhaps, it used to be located where the dart boards are now. I was ignored by the upstairs bartenders.  The drinks they do make are weak.  I was unable to get my drink in this bar.  The bartenders and the patrons were unfriendly. It is not a Gay bar.  I do not recommend it.

RUINED MY SATURDAY NIGHT

RUINED MY SATURDAY NIGHT I visited Spin on Saturday 8/31/2013. I visited Pittsburgh over the Labor Day weekend.   I planned a visit to Spin based on reviews that I read on Yelp, Urban Spoon and Gay Cities.  I was very disappointed. This is not a dance club!  I was unable to locate a dance floor anywhere.  I don't know why there are reviews that referred to this club as a dance club!  They do play music videos and the music was very good and could possibly be classified as dance music but again, there was no dance floor. On a Saturday night around midnight the place was very empty.  There was about a dozen people inside the place and about 6 people outside. The place is beautifully decorated.  One of the best looking bars I have ever seen.  The two bartenders were very pretty with very nice toned and tanned bodies but they were kind of on the fem side and very persnickety. I did not see anyone smoking inside this bar which I liked because I do not smoke and hate being around it. There was a nice patio on the back of the place where no one was but I think it could be used for smoking. Out front there were a couple tables where patrons were sitting and smoking. One of the tables was very large with about six people sitting at it. It was so big it consumed the whole sidewalk.  Myself and my partner had to step into the street that was busy with traffic to get around the table and continue our walk down the sidewalk.   I hated that and I wonder if it was even legal for the bar to block the sidewalk in that manner. Another problem I experienced, was when I asked a bartender if they had Black Velvet, he said yes.  So, I ordered a Black Velvet & ginger ale but before I got my drink and a few minutes later the other bartender who was at the other end of the bar approached me, acting as though he was an aficionado on liquor.  He said we do not have anything called Black Velvet. We do have something called Black Navel.  I said no that is not it.  I asked this bartender if he ever heard of Black Velvet and he said no.  I told him that it was a fine Canadian whiskey that is usually a staple in any bar and I couldn't believe that the bar did not have it and that he had never heard of it. Anyway, I then asked him if they had Canadian Club (CC) and he said they did. So, I then ordered a CC & ginger ale. The glass he served it in had some sort of speck of dirt on the rim that I rubbed off with a napkin. The drink tasted to pretty good but it was $5 and that is a bit pricey. The bartenders were not friendly at all. They were almost borderline rude and avoided both myself and my partner. I had similar problems at the 5801 Video Lounge that is on the next city block and across the street.  The 5801 did not have Black Velvet or Canadian Club either and was full of straight / heterosexual couples with a few Gay people scattered about. 5801 is not a Gay bar. Unlike the 5801 Video Lounge, Spin did have Gay patrons and they were mostly men but there were not many of them there.  About a dozen patrons inside and about six out front and keep in mind that it is Saturday night around midnight on a holiday weekend. The worst problem though, is that I wasted my valuable vacation time on a Saturday night to visit this club with the thought that it had a dance floor and that it was popular. It had no dance floor, it was not popular, the staff was unfriendly and I could not get "my" drink there.  I wish I had gone elsewhere. I do not recommend anyone going to Spin. It is not a dance club! There are much more fun places, such as Blue Moon, Cattivo, Brewers Hotel, P-Town and Tilden.  These places aren't as pretty but they are real friendly and whole lot of fun.

Is Backdraft Bar & Grill really Gay?

Is this club a Gay bar? I do not want to walk into the place and become the victim of a hate crime. The Backdraft Bar & Grill website at http://www.thebackdraftbar.com does not provide a single clue that it is a Gay club.

Rusty Dory Pub is at the address given for Under the Rainbow!

The address that was provided for Under the Rainbow is for another bar called Rusty Dory Pub. Here is a link to the Rusty Dory Pub website: http://www.rustydorypub.com/ Once at that website click on "Getting Here" and you will see that the address is the one given for Under the Rainbow here on GayCities. Is the Rusty Dory Pub a Gay bar?

Probably the best Gay Club in Cleveland

Just to put it correct, none of the gay bars in Cleveland are in a good neighborhood -- not one. Please review the bar itself. If the Mayor and the Safety Director and the police cannot clean up the neighborhood then how in the hell do expect the bar itself to do anything about it. The bar is not the police. This is a great place and probably the best Gay club in Cleveland . The bartenders are very friendly -- very good drinks. The bartenders try to learn and remember everybody's' names and they definitely do not forget a face. And yes, there is leather. The most recent Mr Leather Cleveland 2013 contest was held there and there is a basement bar that is for the leather crowd. The owner of the club is Gay and is into leather himself. He owns another bar in Akron called Cocktails Akron. The place is not real glamorous or plush but it is very functional. It is friendly and fun. The main floor is a mixture of people from all races, age, gender and backgrounds. I really love this mix. Cocktails has a small stage and sometimes, there is a drag show on Saturdays but not every Saturday. On Fridays they have male strippers. Wednesdays are popular for the karaoke and they get a nice crowd. On Sunday around 5:30 - 7:30 PM, they have an excellent potluck dinner with a lot of people participating. Seriously, it is one of the best potlucks I have seen in the Gay clubs here in NE Ohio. Then on Sunday after the potluck starting at 10:00 PM, they have karaoke again. There is a very large covered patio that is heated during the colder weather. There are two pool tables. Cocktails Cleveland has the Ohio Lottery's Keno game too. You can purchase your MegaMillions or PoweBall tickets from the Keno machine as well (no scratch off tickets though). There is tons of seating with lots of barstools at the bar and plenty of high-top tables with chairs. They have very good security in that there are close-circuit cameras inside the club and outside all over. Also, the entrance is locked and you have to be buzzed into the place by one of the bartenders who can see your face on a monitor. The building is well lit on the outside and they recently added a new facade on the front of the building with more lighting.