Any "Gay Life" in Philly Outside The Gayborhood? (Philadelphia: rent, neighborhoods)

[Clark Park]

For a very big city - almost 1.6 million people in the city and 5 million in the metro area - Philadelphia seems to have a rather modest "Gay Scene" of bars, clubs, restaurants, social groups, etc. On top of that, all those places that cater to the LGBT crowd and their friends and allies are concentrated in a few block area that is locally known as "The Gayborhood" (officially Washington Square West, or 'Midtown Village').

So I've been doing a little research and this is what I've come up with: there exists a few things in University City. First, there is the LGBT Student Center at Penn - "The Carriage House" - near 39th and Spruce, however if you're not connected with the University Of Pennsylvania it will be of no help to you. The predominantly LGBT Metropolitan Community Church meets at a Lutheran Church near 37th and Chestnut Street. Two local bars have a "Gay Night" apparently ... The Mill Creek Tavern at 42nd and Chester has a gay party on every 2nd Saturday of the month I am told; can anyone verify this? I do know the new "Bar(n) Tavern" - formally the "New Third World Tavern" - is having an LGBT party on Feb. 28th (this I verified is true). The Bar(n), I'm told, is looking to attract a very diverse crowd and has hired a transgender barista. The Bar(n) is located at the corner of 49th and Baltimore Ave.

The only other place worth mentioning is the well known and popular pub in Mayfair called "The Grey Lodge" welcomes everyone and the owner, "Scoats", says LGBT people are especially welcomed.

Anyone have any more information?

Are there any other gay friendly venues in Philly I'm not aware of?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

For a very big city - almost 1.6 million people in the city and 5 million in the metro area - Philadelphia seems to have a rather modest "Gay Scene" of bars, clubs, restaurants, social groups, etc. On top of that, all those places that cater to the LGBT crowd and their friends and allies are concentrated in a few block area that is locally known as "The Gayborhood" (officially Washington Square West, or 'Midtown Village').

So I've been doing a little research and this is what I've come up with: there exists a few things in University City. First, there is the LGBT Student Center at Penn - "The Carriage House" - near 39th and Spruce, however if you're not connected with the University Of Pennsylvania it will be of no help to you. The predominantly LGBT Metropolitan Community Church meets at a Lutheran Church near 37th and Chestnut Street. Two local bars have a "Gay Night" apparently ... The Mill Creek Tavern at 42nd and Chester has a gay party on every 2nd Saturday of the month I am told; can anyone verify this? I do know the new "Bar(n) Tavern" - formally the "New Third World Tavern" - is having an LGBT party on Feb. 28th (this I verified is true). The Bar(n), I'm told, is looking to attract a very diverse crowd and has hired a transgender barista. The Bar(n) is located at the corner of 49th and Baltimore Ave.

The only other place worth mentioning is the well known and popular pub in Mayfair called "The Grey Lodge" welcomes everyone and the owner, "Scoats", says LGBT people are especially welcomed.

Anyone have any more information?

Are there any other gay friendly venues in Philly I'm not aware of?

CP, back in the day, well my day(70s/80s) there were gay establishments, beyond the Gayborhood, in Old City and near 4th and South. There was one lesbian bar in Fishtown before all the recent gentrification. There was at least one bar on Market St, in Millburne, just west of 63rd St.

One of the MAJOR things that pretty much stalled things, or ended their existence, was AIDS. Being an old head/elder I remember how awful that was during the 80s. I lost a fair number of friends and acquantances because of it including a principal dancer of the PA Ballet.

Today gay "ghettos" are dying. The Castro in SF and West Hollywood in LA are nothing like they used to be.

I had a conversation with a NYC friend recently who moaned about all the straight people in Chelsea. Gay acceptance changed everything. And gay Millenials, unlike gay Boomers, don't need the "protection" of gay neighborhoods nowadays.

[motownewave]

Also on the SW corner of 49th and Baltimore is an institution that is required to not discriminate, yet there is a movement to abolish this institution. Friends, can you name it?

[jazzy jeff]

I know of one welcoming church up in the far northeast.

St. Luke's United Church of Christ

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

CP, back in the day, well my day(70s/80s) there were gay establishments, beyond the Gayborhood, in Old City and near 4th and South. There was one lesbian bar in Fishtown before all the recent gentrification. There was at least one bar on Market St, in Millburne, just west of 63rd St.

One of the MAJOR things that pretty much stalled things, or ended their existence, was AIDS. Being an old head/elder I remember how awful that was during the 80s. I lost a fair number of friends and acquantances because of it including a principal dancer of the PA Ballet.

Today gay "ghettos" are dying. The Castro in SF and West Hollywood in LA are nothing like they used to be.

I had a conversation with a NYC friend recently who moaned about all the straight people in Chelsea. Gay acceptance changed everything. And gay Millenials, unlike gay Boomers, don't need the "protection" of gay neighborhoods nowadays.

Hi, Karen! (That is you, isn't it?)

There were also some gay bars on the DL in the outlying neighborhoods. A place called BJP's in the 5300 block of Market Street and Chuck's Recovery Room on Germantown Avenue near Erie come to mind.

Clark Park: I've long been of the opinion that Philadelphia's gay community institutions (its newspaper and its Democratic political club aside) are underpowered for a city this large. There were as many singers in the Boston Gay Men's Chorus when I performed in its debut concert in 1982 as there were in Philadelphia's when I joined it in its 24th season in 2005, and its membership had grown fourfold just the season before. (PGMC is now what I'd consider a decent size for a big-city gay men's chorus, though.)

I suspect that Scoats' pub-in-the-making in Tacony will be equally welcoming, especially since he has an openly gay business partner going in with him on the venture.

There's a fellow who lives in Frankford named Blaze Waters - he was a longtime bartender in the Gayborhood and is a friend of said business partner; I usually see him at the Christmas Eve party this person hosts. He has run gay nights at bars and clubs in the Northeast on several occasions in the past; you may have heard about the contretemps he had with the owner of the last place he had such a weekly event after the a-hole upped the rent on him, then locked him out (he was operating on a handshake agreement). I think I saw on the most recent PhillyGayCalendar feed that Blaze is launching another weekly gay night at a place in the Northeast. I'll see if I can dig up the item.

[jazzy jeff]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Hi, Karen! (That is you, isn't it?)

There were also some gay bars on the DL in the outlying neighborhoods. A place called BJP's in the 5300 block of Market Street and Chuck's Recovery Room on Germantown Avenue near Erie come to mind.

Clark Park: I've long been of the opinion that Philadelphia's gay community institutions (its newspaper and its Democratic political club aside) are underpowered for a city this large. There were as many singers in the Boston Gay Men's Chorus when I performed in its debut concert in 1982 as there were in Philadelphia's when I joined it in its 24th season in 2005, and its membership had grown fourfold just the season before. (PGMC is now what I'd consider a decent size for a big-city gay men's chorus, though.)

I suspect that Scoats' pub-in-the-making in Tacony will be equally welcoming, especially since he has an openly gay business partner going in with him on the venture.

There's a fellow who lives in Frankford named Blaze Waters - he was a longtime bartender in the Gayborhood and is a friend of said business partner; I usually see him at the Christmas Eve party this person hosts. He has run gay nights at bars and clubs in the Northeast on several occasions in the past; you may have heard about the contretemps he had with the owner of the last place he had such a weekly event after the a-hole upped the rent on him, then locked him out (he was operating on a handshake agreement). I think I saw on the most recent PhillyGayCalendar feed that Blaze is launching another weekly gay night at a place in the Northeast. I'll see if I can dig up the item.

I believe that is the same Blaze that tends bar at Bob & Barbera's on South Street.

There was once a gay bar in Port Richmond on Allegheny ave. I knew a guy from that neighborhood that went in there to buy a six-pack not knowing it was a gay bar, nor did most that lived in the area. This would of been about 15 years ago and that neighborhood being blue collar in that time period did not take to well with that bar being located there and eventually closed.

[motownewave]

Hang out at the wine library 1218 chestnut street in the gayborhood.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by kyb01

CP, back in the day, well my day(70s/80s) there were gay establishments, beyond the Gayborhood, in Old City and near 4th and South. There was one lesbian bar in Fishtown before all the recent gentrification. There was at least one bar on Market St, in Millburne, just west of 63rd St.

One of the MAJOR things that pretty much stalled things, or ended their existence, was AIDS. Being an old head/elder I remember how awful that was during the 80s. I lost a fair number of friends and acquantances because of it including a principal dancer of the PA Ballet.

Today gay "ghettos" are dying. The Castro in SF and West Hollywood in LA are nothing like they used to be.

I had a conversation with a NYC friend recently who moaned about all the straight people in Chelsea. Gay acceptance changed everything. And gay Millenials, unlike gay Boomers, don't need the "protection" of gay neighborhoods nowadays.

Don't forget the Fantasy Lounge on Broad St.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by motownewave

Also on the SW corner of 49th and Baltimore is an institution that is required to not discriminate, yet there is a movement to abolish this institution. Friends, can you name it?

I'm stumped.

SW corner of Baltimore Ave. and 49th Street? The pre-school childcare center? The dollar store? The Laundromat???

Inquiring minds want to know!

[Better Than You]

Originally Posted by jazzy jeff

I believe that is the same Blaze that tends bar at Bob & Barbera's on South Street.

There was once a gay bar in Port Richmond on Allegheny ave. I knew a guy from that neighborhood that went in there to buy a six-pack not knowing it was a gay bar, nor did most that lived in the area. This would of been about 15 years ago and that neighborhood being blue collar in that time period did not take to well with that bar being located there and eventually closed.

The Druid's Keep in Northern Liberties used to be a lesbian bar.