Time to Update Your Galactic Party Star Map!
bar news compiled by Spacegirl Spiff
Over here in the Orlando area, I can't say that the scene is back to the routine, because there is nothing routine about the night life here!
And just to set all that talking to rest, no, the smoke that hung over Orlando for weeks and weeks was not from the BARRACKS in Daytona having a wild party without us! No, indeed, everything was pretty quiet on the eastern front for a while during that nasty hot spell, but the Barracks has cranked back up to full steam. If you don't know, this is the most popular bar in Daytona, period, and for a damn good reason. It is four clubs in one, and the staff is a party unto themselves! If you enjoy going to the beach, but don't know what to do when the (welcome) rains hit, then get your intergalactic party mobile dusted off and visit the Barracks.
And just to keep you on the cutting edge of all that is cosmically awesome, here's my advice for your upcoming weekend: NOCHES DE LEON — morning, afternoon, and night! It is exhausting just thinking about it, but this establishment in the heart of the ViMi is busy almost the whole weekend long. First off, you can do dinner there, and what a fine meal it is. The ambiance drips from the ceiling, complemented by great food and — yes, really, it's true — great service. Can you imagine? Gay waiters who don't throw you attitude! Almost a systems overload on that item! Later, and I mean much later, the restaurant laughs in the face of Orlando's anti- rave ordinance and holds a massive dance party 'til dawn (it is exempted from the ordinance since it is a real food establishment and not solely a 'disco club' — but then, if you want disco, help yourself to Have A Nice Day Cafe with my sympathies). The place is packed with young, hot, sweaty bodies who obviously don't have real jobs and don't have to wake up until 2 PM the following afternoon…which is just how life should be, according to my dashboard manual! When you finally crawl out of bed, though, I suggest you do it Sunday morning in time to make it to Noches' scrumptious brunch. This is the kind of place that can suck you in like a black hole, but don't say the Party Patrol didn't warn you!
Openings, closings, openings, closings….I'm so confused! One accusation that can't be leveled at the Central Florida nightlife scene is that it is predictable.
I am, of course, referring to the new club in Leesburg, ATTITUDES (1850 E. Main St.). Haven't been there yet….look for complete coverage in an upcoming issue. But the owners are gung-ho, the place is big and very stylish, and the scuttlebutt is that it's gonna take off! They are starting off with happy hour from 2 PM to 8 PM daily, live entertainment, and more — and they are open (and all gay) seven nights a week. Leesburg is a nice, sleepy little Florida town….which means, if you live there, you are getting on your knees right now and thanking the heavens that Attitudes has arrived! So pay attention: the grand opening is on August 3rd, and the really big grand opening party weekend is on August 7 and 8. As if we needed an excuse for revelry!
But it seems that for every opening, there is a closing. CREWS, the two year old institution near downtown Orlando has locked its doors — not for a party this time, but for good. While it was only around for a short time, it really came into the scene with a bang, making quite a name for itself (and for some patrons as well). Unabashedly a cruise bar, it had a loyal and energetic following, and will be missed. A trip to the Crews web site <members.aol.com/crews6969/crews.html> didn't reveal any reasons for the sudden shut down, though (while speculation runs rampant that the closing has something to do with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigations raid that occurred over a month ago, there have been no confirmations from management). The site has a nice little blurb to the effect of, "Thanks for the memories," and promises to have photos of the club's last days posted by the beginning of August. The most interesting place in the web site is the "Dreambook" section, where people have written their farewells and sentimental reminisces (although what is so sentimental about a bathroom, I truly don't want to know!). Well, a fond adieu to a place that did.
Since rumors are flying around anyway, lets just add to the buzz with a quick note about the HARLEY HOTEL. Most of us haven't lived here long enough to remember the time when the hotel bar was one of the few classy places for gays to go have an evening drink, but in it's day the Harley certainly did it's duty for the embryonic gay community here. In fact, celebrated gay artist Mario Rivoli has a beautiful mural of Florida in the bar, which you better go see now because it looks like it won't be around long. Those long-awaited renovations that the Harley will soon experience include demolition of the mural and a complete transformation of the bar. My correspondent, who has been calling his sources at the hotel, can find nothing but confirmation on this. Which is the problem with most of our history being "underground" — it keeps getting buried.
Despite the sad news, the parties continue — I guess that is why we are the "vibrant" gay community! Certainly, the PARLIAMENT HOUSE is never anything less than vibrant, and you'll get a good feel for what I mean on July 25 when they host yet another of their unique Black Out Parties. There will be flashlights to the first 300 through the door (okay, stay with me people….don't go there!), no cover until 10 PM, and lots of go-go boys for you to illuminate. Where else you think of to shine that big ol' flashlight of yours I don't need to know.
For a quieter time, visit the GLASS CHAMBER on August 8, when International Friends (IF) hosts a special night of friendship and fun, "Tea House of the August Moon." IF is a member of Long Yang International, a social organization devoted to developing cross cultural friendships and relationships. This is a fun crowd, so if you are looking to expand your social calendar, I can't suggest better than this. And the Glass Chamber is worth a visit in and of itself. Personally, there are only five places in this town where a martini really belongs, and the Glass Chamber is one of them!
And one final note: if regaining your lost youth is important you (and worrying about your figure is not), then before you hit the clubs downtown, I suggest leaving home a bit early and save some time for HAROLD AND MAUDES on Wall St. Plaza. While it is a great little urban lounge in and of itself, what it has that I have never, ever seen anywhere else is smores! This group desert is served up on a giant platter with a flaming brazier in the middle — perfect for toasting the marshmallows on a stick, so you can smoosh them on top of a piece of chocolate and a graham cracker. After polishing it off, licking your fingers and cleaning your face (or licking your partner's face and cleaning your fingers), you will feel decadent and childlike all at the same time. Promise! Cross my heart and hope to die! (And you'll definitely need to visit the clubs to dance off what you just took in!)
To all of our party cadets, we wish you lazy summer days and stellar summer nights!
