New York City has diversity.
People who enjoyed my Picture Walking Tour of Fire Island (you can see it here)...
http://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-allure-of-fire-island-but-beware.html
...mentioned that Chelsea NYC is considered "Fire Island without sand". That's true. According to Wikipedia, Chelsea is one the world's biggest & most popular Gay Villages. Let me show you!
Seen below, the area has a prime location in Midtown West.
In 1750, the area was named for the Chelsea district in London, England. These are its current borders:
To the north: Pennsylvania Station, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen (previously mafia-run, then reinvented as gay).
To the west: the Hudson River.
To the east: 6th Avenue and the Flatiron District.
To the south: Meatpacking District, West Village, Greenwich Village (historically gay since the 1920s).
It rests just above the part where the street grid begins to gently disintegrate into cozy cobblestone roads.
To the west: the Hudson River.
To the east: 6th Avenue and the Flatiron District.
To the south: Meatpacking District, West Village, Greenwich Village (historically gay since the 1920s).
It rests just above the part where the street grid begins to gently disintegrate into cozy cobblestone roads.
Government-created Housing Projects are "dead center" in the neighborhood, but that doesn't deter most people.
Attractions (aside from the boys) include the nifty Bowtie Cinemas, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), High Line Park, Google Corporate Campus, Chelsea Markets, Food Network Studios, Gallery District, Gotham Comedy Club, Barry's Bootcamp Gym, Rubin Museum of Art, and Apple's training facility. There are 50 hotels in the area. Chelsea Piers is replete with golf club, miniature golf, indoor ice skating, tennis, and bowling. Sea Tea is a gay party cruise that departs regularly from the pier.
Trader Joe's, Fairway Market, and Whole Foods exist within 3 blocks of each other. The area has been a foodie destination since the oversized Buddakan Restaurant opened.
Many events are planned: Tribeca Film Festival, AIDS walk, Fleet Week, NYC Gay Pride, PrideFest, Harlem Gay Pride (one of the largest black pride events in the country), Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS = Broadway Bares, NY Musical Theatre Festival, FringeNYC, LGBT Film festival NewFest, and the city's Halloween Parade.
Just like in the "Sex & The City" TV show--that lured people back to NYC--drinking and partying are top priorities in Chelsea. It's as important to them as shirtless dancing, so there are lots of bars and clubs: Rockbar, Hangar, Ty’s, Marie’s Crisis piano bar, Monster, The Duplex, Boxers, Marquee, Lucky Cheng's drag show, Bedlam, Open House, The Cock, Boiler Room, Phoenix, Griffin, Escuelita, HK Lounge, Gym Sportsbar, The Eagle NYC (leather), G Lounge, Bar Centrale, Monarch, Cubbyhole (lesbian), Pieces, Barrage, Therapy, Industry, Hardware, Toolbox, Flaming Saddles, Boots & Saddle, Posh, Evolve, Suite, Icon, Music Box, Club Evolution, Hombres Lounge, Colors Bar, LoveGun, Club Langston, and the members-only SoHo House. People still miss Splash, Drip, Penthause, and Limelight (which started it all in the 1980s, as seen below)...
As the city revitalized, homosexuality came out openly into the spotlights (literally).
In some ways, it's gotten more discerning, too (like his face below, lol)...
If you spent a day in Chelsea and haven't seen a shirtless man, then you must've stayed in a closet. It's an energetic, creative, pampered, testosterone/effeminate, sex-crazed, always-changing, semi-irresponsible area. Here are some pictures of its locality and activities...
I know of eleven young men who moved to the pricey area and became gay porn stars because it paid better.
They enjoy notoriety at clubs, award ceremonies, and resorts.
They inspire countless people...
Home-life in Chelsea is very social! "Open relationships" abound. Homosexuals mingle across races, religions, skin colors, and heights. Alas, like much of America, racism is still an issue. A larger issue is how the area snubs "out of shape" guys (unless they pay).
If many Chelsea Boys' homes are "modest"...
...they don't worry, because they don't spend much time in them.
Below, Lewis' friend, a part-time restaurant host, is well-connected because he knows how to find loyal "customers".
There are plenty of sights to admire on the streets and in the shops...
To gain popularity, slutty outfits in Chelsea are de rigueur.
Pride Season is an explosion of sexual glitterati.
Chelsea Piers is known as a great "cruising" spot...
... especially considering the ever-increasing quantity of "open relationships", sex parties, acceptance of random hookups, and polyamory.
Of course, that can be done nightly at the clubs... thanks to guys like Michael Cohen or Frankie Sharp and their "homo hipster havens": a coterie of drunken go-go boys and DJs. Such "boys" get flown around the world to appear at events.
Not to mention the hours spent "networking" online... done at work, during commutes, over coffee, while exercising, and even as they're socializing together.
Almost any night of the week has an event at a gay bar attended by "new arrivals"--doing anything to be accepted--and wistful visitors.
Such a large amount of gay men attracts many bi-curious, closeted, "DL", and straight-acting guys. Thanks to cellphone apps and online "dating" sites...
Lewis and I had experiences of dining with a bunch of guys to celebrate someone's anniversary, where one abruptly got up and unapologetically left for a long-awaited "booty call". Sadly, the selfishness and greediness of some men is fed by the city's oversupply.
We also hope that so much networking might improve society, but it's only done for sexual gratification... and no longstanding social improvements occur in NYC. If all of those men--who meet constantly for sex/partying--collaborated for society's betterment, we might have a nicer world.
Aside from "nude yoga", Gyms are great places for "networking". There are 39 gyms in Chelsea. "Gymnasium" derives from the Greek word "gymnos", meaning naked.
Halloween is a HUGE eruption of creativity and allure. The parade begins just south of Chelsea.
And why not? Many "Chelsea Boys" have "creative jobs". Many don't have to awake early after a long Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. They are not held accountable to typical Key Performance Indicators. They do not need to achieve sales goals. They do not hear of "dress code" reprimands.
No tardiness reprimands. No sexual harassment reprimands.
A few Chelsea boys work in finance or law or global retail development, but most don't. Why should they sweat in pinstripes from "9 to 5" when there's someone else to do that (and simply pay them money)...
Many have sympathetic supervisors who give gratis and leeway. Chelsea Boys get a flexible schedule for global Pride weekends, spontaneous flight deals (from airline/hotel friends), Rentboy appointments, and their immediate Grindr hookups. Plus, their jobs are kinda fun...
Video: https://www.facebook.com/1547291394/videos/10203794616136334/
Bartending is a cash-paying job (not necessarily the same job as a drink server). Below, the Latin American guy is really working/sweating, while the "fabulous" bartender merely looks pretty and poses for tips. Guess who works less for more money? That's how society pushes its values.
Lewis and I each know coworkers who arrange their jobs around their "pleasure appointments", social life, and flighty aspirations. Their supervisors are lenient of their "priorities".
A Chelsea Boy is like a glowing magnet to light up a party and attract attention.
It's a natural exuberance of loving as many people as possible (who fit their criteria).
Neighbors in Chelsea apartment buildings can be stylish!
Other residents in the area don't mind the gay raucous behavior, because the men bring such color and flair.
Chelsea hosts many of New York City's sex parties:
"HandsomeNYC" at Paddles.
"Underwear Spandex Sex parTy" for bottoms seeking "hung".
Interracial Orgy.
NYCU Naked.
Jockstrap Pre-XXXmas.
Daddy Up.
Chelsea Party Guy's "Hot Jock-Twink Group Sex".
Screened Exclu*Safe Sex/Social Party.
Bears & Chasers.
"Interracial In Shape Fuk party" (for Brothas and Papis).
Dads & Lads Daytime Orgy.
Bear Hotel Party.
PumpNYC.
"Swallow" (bukkake style).
"MMX Muscle" massage and yoga party.
Hard Drive / Cum Monkey.
Thugs for Thugs.
"Encores" (at Paddles) for restaurant/bar employees.
"NY Jacks" for jo.
Inferno.
New York Bondage Club.
Forever Fisting.
"Underwearz Droppin" (last nutz busted by 4am. Free drinks, condoms, lube and snacks).
Guys use social media to announce impromptu events:
"Dim lights, door ajar, come in, gang fuck my ass, and leave. Looking for hung tops to stretch my hole for a few hours."
...or the pool of the Dream Hotel
...aren't good enough... a quick subway ride gets you to the city's parks, which are an extended playground...
There are 5 Sex Shops in Chelsea, with 5 more in the vicinity. Typically, only "seedy" neighborhoods have strip clubs and sex shops, but those are the indicators of gay communities!
There are 5 churches in Chelsea. Homosexuals flocked to Episcopal churches, since they were the first to happily accept all of God's people equally.
Retailers for boxer-briefs (to wear at bars), fetish gear, leather pants, year-round swimwear, "man bags", jewelry, and fragrances adorn every street.
You might think that such a paradise would be full of satisfied men, high self-esteem, plentiful true friendships, stability, and prosperity. It's not. It has plenty of sexuality, but it also has too much shallowness, body shaming, shameless selfies, trysts, flighty relationships, transient jobs, and undependability.
Each New Year brings new opportunities, new friends, new loves, new neighbors, new invitations, new productions, new notoriety, and new developments in society.
Some people think "Chelsea bois" merely flit around, dancing and singing, being companions with cuties, and having nothing tangible. But are they? You decide.
There's a difference between Chelsea Boys and boys who live in Chelsea. If you fit in, you'll enjoy a microcapsule of life that's like an eternal Spring Break and a secure/comfy hammock.
But if you don't, you might unfortunately hear...
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