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Greenwich Village Waterfront

History

By the early 20th century, Greenwich Village’s Hudson River waterfront and numerous piers with Beaux Arts style shipping terminals comprised the busiest section of New York’s port for cargo and trans-Atlantic passengers, with merchant ships, steamships, barges, and commuter ferries. The area was surrounded by thousands of seamen of all nationalities and more than half a million unmarried and transient workers came into the port each year.

At least by World War I, the area had become a popular cruising area for gay men, and by the s the opening of the elevated Miller (West Side) Highway (now demolished) cut through the area. The concentration of men, numerous bars and warehouses, and nighttime isolation established the waterfront as one of the main centers for gay life that thrived successfully after World War II.

Changes in the maritime industry and the growth of the airlines made the piers and the large shipping terminals obsolete, leading them to be abandoned by the mids. This enabled the area to retain its popularity for

“When I got there, I found the park filled with men in the same horny, starving state of mind I was in … I can’t remember ever seeing so many gorgeous black men in any one place,” Rory Buchanan wrote in his quick story “Summer Chills,” from Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men. Buchanan was describing the Vale of Cashmere, a secluded patch of wilderness in Prospect Park that’s been the unofficial locus of gay cruising in Brooklyn since the s. Once a formal Victorian garden, it’s now an unkempt maze of paths surrounding a sunken fountain filled with reeds and moss.

From to , using a tripod and large camera he built himself, photographer Thomas Roma took portraits of the mostly Black and Latino gay and bisexual men who frequent the Vale of Cashmere. A lifelong Brooklynite, Roma hadn’t visited the Vale since the s, when would often drop off his best ally and roommate, Carl, on a calm stretch of Flatbush Avenue. He’d observe him climb through a hole in a fence to go meet men in the park. In , Carl died of AIDS in Roma’s arms. The series of black-and-w

Popular Gay Cruising Areas in New York

New York City has been a gay magnet for decades. It’s home to one of the largest and most upwardly mobile gay populations on the planet. Naturally, the gays are often looking for mischief. If you’d favor to try your hand at old-school cruising, there are several places to explore.

From iconic parks to hidden spots, the city offers a range of places where locals and visitors alike can connect and cruise. Here are some of the best-known cruising areas in the metropolis that never sleeps.

Central Park (The Ramble)

Central Park is not only a must-see for tourists but it’s home to a classic cruising spot. The Ramble, located in the park’s northern section near 72nd Street, has a distant history within the gay community. It’s known for its winding paths, secluded trails, and dense foliage, almost as if it had been designed by a committee of gay men to facilitate cruising.

Activity typically picks up in the late afternoons and early evenings, especially in warmer weather. During the depths of winter, it’s often quieter. It’s an adventurous spot, but

Gay New York

Sorry San Francisco, but New York is the gay capital of the world. It’s abode to Stonewall and the reason why there are gay pride events all over the world in June. It’s the city where everyone escapes to for the release to be themselves, not just in one gayborhood, but in pretty much the entire island of Manhattan. Accepted cruisy gay bars are found down 8th Avenue in Chelsea and in Greenwich Village (which is also place to fun-spirited gay shops around Christopher St.), while other mixed venues are in the Meatpacking District and Hell's Kitchen.

Gay Bars

The Stonewall Inn

The world’s most well-known gay bar was where the gay pride movement got started, after it was raided by police in June of It’s now a place where every gay Novel Yorker and tourist wants to depart, celebrating LGBT rights through dance parties and drag performances.
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Barracuda Lounge

A popular bar since , it has attracted celebrities and the most fabulous drag queens over the years. It’s now mostly a place to watch fierce drag performances