What I fear so much is that what will happen if the only gay bars that are left in Chelsea will close.
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It’s so absurdly frustrating that we as a community have come so far in terms of visibility and acceptance yet are finding our meccas and places we call a second home close in lieu of a monster that we have a hard time fighting. A lot of the popular gay bars that used to inhabit this area ( Rawhide and Splash for example) are gone, and trendy restaurants and real estate have taken its place. Gym Sportsbar and Rebar, the latter of which isn’t even on 8 th avenue (it’s between 8 th and 7 th). This also goes with meeting other men for dates or friendships, which used to be the go-to thing at the several gay bars that was all over this enchanting area of NYC. Thousands of us now have apps that we can use to peruse our next great f**k session as opposed to getting dressed up and finding a guy (or two or three) for the night. What or who is to blame for this? The digital atmosphere that we live in is definitely something to be held accountable for, especially when it comes to the cruising atmosphere that was so prevalent from the 70’s to the mid to late 2000’s. Chelsea is a prime example of that, where 8 th avenue has now become riddled with stroller moms, annoying college students and an influx of heterosexuality which overall has made this area super unappealing. Gone are the days where we have tons of bars to head to, venues to party at and coffee shops and restaurants to eat in and enjoy each other’s company. The landscape of gay NYC has radically changed for plenty of years now, dating back to a time when I wasn’t even legal to buy a cigarette. It’s one of many several hotspots in Chelsea that have closed down over the past decade, leaving this writer to wonder if the area that we helped make fabulous and incredible is now going the way of the dodo bird… meaning extinct.
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This was an “out of the blue” kind of ordeal, in that many of my friends just ate there a couple of days ago and now all that’s left is a sad sign on the door thanking its customers for the many years of service and great memories. News broke out on Thursday that The Rocking Horse Café, a gay institution in the heart of Chelsea, has closed its doors after 30 years of business.