|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reviewing New Haven: The Crown Street Crawl
Often called New Haven, Connecticut’s “club district”, short, one-way, congested Crown Street is one of New Haven’s most important thoroughfares, second only to Church Street. You know, where all the tall office buildings are, the places that keep New Haven pumping in the daytime. After passing through, going to, and even living in this fabulous city for so long, I’ve come to the discover that to have a good time here, you never need to leave. In fact, you never need to leave one street. Eight blocks, from State to Howe, Crown Street has at least one place where a young, hip, gay guy can hang out in his own crowd for every night of the week. If done in the right order, this Crown Street crawl will have you starting off the work nice and easy, and kicking off you’re weekends with a bang. On Monday, you can take your loving boyfriend, first date, or awesome friends to Gotham’s fabulous new Italian restaurant, Tuscano’s. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuscano’s offers great Italian cuisine and is located right next to the club. Yes, all that construction was actually for something important. On Tuesday, BAR offers a gay night for the 21+ crowd. Here you can hang out with the boys from five to one, and grab a free drink from nine to 11. Wednesday, it’s back down the street to Hula Hanks. They offer another chill 21+ hang out for our crowd offering a nine to 11 happy hour. Partners, although gay every night, offers the only Thursday gay night on Crown Street. A 21+ establishment, Partners gives you loud music, live DJs, dancing crowds, and fabulous drinks. Fridays are usually more exciting, but those can be better spent a few blocks eastbound. Oracle is my second favorite club in New Haven. If you’re anyone who’s anyone in the Connecticut gay scene, even if you write a cheesy little gay column like me, someone will cover your entry. On a Friday night, this is the gay man’s place to be. Grab a drink in one of their two bars, or from one of the smokin’ hot shot boys, and dance your ass off on the floor. Odds are you’ll run into someone you know here. If not inside, then out in the smokers’ alley. Here comes Saturday. If you’re gay, and not at Gotham, leave Connecticut… now. Secluded in its own little part of Crown Street, Gotham is the gay capitol of New Haven. After getting off the thruway, and coming up Church Street, don’t follow the zoo jamming up the rest of Crown. Instead, loop around Orange, find parking, and get your ass in here. 6 billion bars, smoking areas, and one hell of a dance floor make for a fabulous time. And let’s not forget karaoke with the lovely Dark Anjel. Last call is at two, but hopefully you remembered to BYOB for OZ’s after hours. Yeah, that’s right. Let’s not even get into the infamous dark room, which, yes, still exists. Where? You really want to know? Eww. Well, you’re bound to find it by five. If you’re still alive by Sunday morning, you can venture off of Crown Street over to the 168 York Street Café. Completely gay–owned and –operated, York Street will turn your OZ hangover into a smooth landing with their Mimosa-equipped brunch specials. Leave your rowdy, drunken, party face at the clubs though. This is a respectful place. This is Yale territory. It’s rumored that Alchemy has an unspecified gay night somewhere on the weekends, drawing a slightly gayer crowd than other nights, but either way, this club is a waste of time in my opinion. The bouncers are pushy, the crowd is aggressive, and they try to class it up by having an obnoxious, in-your-face dress code, including no jeans, boots, or sleeveless shirts. With Alchemy’s rules, you’ll have more fun partying in the parking garage next door. Your weekend can be much better spent elsewhere. Come Sunday evening, after your friends have posted pictures of you downing jell-o from the shot boys, dancing with strangers, and maybe even on your knees in the dark room, you’ll be ready to do it all again come the start of the work week. I love you Crown Street. Stay fabulous. Google Maps links coming shortly, but until then, here's the info:
Oracle Hula Hanks, LLC Alchemy Café BAR
168 York St Café
|
|
Copyright ©1999-2007 JJO Webpages. All Rights Reserved. - Privacy Policy Visit JJO's homepage at www.jjowebpages.com. |
