Hell’s Kitchen, or Gaytto
If you happen to be gay and arriving in NY – to sightsee, of course, but also to look at beautiful guys – you definitely need to stop by the district known as Hell’s Kitchen. Personally, I call it “Gaytto”. Its range is variously described, but for me it stretches from 44th to 55th Street and from 8th across to 10th Avenue. How will you know you have arrived…? Believe me: you simply will. Freshly liberated from the touristy drone of Times Square on 7thAvenue, you suddenly will see almost nobody but guys wearing undershirts on narrow straps. Each will be flexing his muscles and looking out for whoever appears on the horizon. If you happen to be a woman, you will quickly figure out that all those guys are gay, since none of them will pay you much attention. The entire district used to be desolate, and now is bustling with life. Not only because it was taken over by hotties, but also because of the plethora of restaurants that are worth visiting (my favorite place is Yum-Yum, serving Thai food).
It’s also here that all the best gay clubs are located. It’s worth it to first sit for a bit on the roof of the sports-oriented Boxers, then go for a drink to Hardware or Atlas Social Club, then stop by at Therapy and finish your evening at Industry. The latter is famous for its theme nights. It’s worth it to go there on Mondays after 11 PM and on Thursdays after midnight. According both to me and my friends, Industry is the best place to do some dancing and… ogling. The club is not large, but it offers the most important things: hot guys and music that makes you forget about everything. Truth be told, last time I went there, some guy offered me to buy some cocaine (maybe he assumed that as the only woman there I had to be a pimp), but I pretended it didn’t happen.
There’s one more place you really need to visit when in Hell’s Kitchen: the legendary, country-style bar called Flaming Saddles. It’s main attraction is the fact that every couple of songs the bartenders jump onto the bar and dance to the Wild Wild West rhythm. Believe this experienced cowgirl: you don’t want to miss out on this trip to the Wild West.
