Philadelphia gay cruising
Decades ago, men in San Francisco who wanted to meet up with other men had limited options.
There were bars or places like metropolis parks, but wherever they went to find each other, there was often a risk of police harassment and arrest. Now, with more acceptance of gays, and the ease of hooking up via mobile apps like Grindr and websites prefer Adam4Adam, it may seem like visiting the outdoors for sex is a thing of the past. But it’s not. Based on interviews with several gay San Francisco men and visits to the city’s parks, men of all ages are still cruising in the city’s outdoor spaces. Among other reasons, they locate the Internet inefficient, and they enjoy being outside. Often, the men said, they’re just looking for oral sex. The fact that men still see the parks to hook up is likely common awareness to many. One man in Dolores Park told a reporter who admitted to not existence intimately familiar with the scene, “You’ve never been up here? I locate that hard to believe.” However, others, including police, are unaware of how much it still happens. At about 4 p.m. on a recent Sunday afternoon in Golden Gate Park’s western edge, a band played on the lawn of the Beach Chalet Brewery an
The Curious Case of Rittenhouse’s “No Lgbtq+ Cruising” Sign
Decades ago, men used to cruise the 2000 blocks of Delancey, Pine and Spruce streets, looking for other men. The traffic sign with which the metropolis tried to cease them is still there.
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Rittenhouse’s uncommon restriction. Photograph by Claudia Gavin
In the ’80s, in my first apartment at 20th and Spruce, I remember lying awake as the same bad muffler circled the block all night. It was the sound of desire.
I grew up in Rittenhouse in the 1970s, so I knew that nighttime was prime time for a longstanding ritual there. Men cruised the 2000 blocks of Delancey, Pine and Spruce streets. They were looking for other men. On this circuit, known colloquially as the “Merry-Go-Round,” some men perched on stoops, while others walked or drove. When a guy passed a dude he liked, he paused and turned. If the guy looked back, it was game on.
At a time when homosexuality was taboo and, yes, illegal, the Merry-Go-Round was noncommittal. As Bob Skiba — archivist at the William Way LGBT Collective Center — puts it, durin
Philadelphia loves you, but just wants to be friends
Philadelphia is a city of firsts. It was our nation’s first capital. It had the first newspaper, hospital, and bank. It hosted the first Civil Rights demonstrations, and later, gay rights movements. More so than any other city, its name has been an example of how to live. Philadelphia, at its very soul, is a friendly—and gay-friendly—place, evident everywhere, from the neighborhoods, the nightlife, and most importantly, the residents.
Every corner of the town is steeped in history, and lucky for you, it’s all easy to find. Philadelphia is one of the most walkable cities in America, so don’t bother with the car. You’ll want to explore the some of the 100 or so neighborhoods on foot (with the help of excellent public transportation). Tourists generally stay and participate in Center City, comprised of a few must-visit ’hoods, such as Old City, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway/Art Museum area, and yes, the Gayborhood.
The Old Municipality neighborhood packs in a dense amount of history, mostly centered in and around Independence National Historical Park. There you’ll locate Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. That crack ain’t whack; it’s p
When I first hit the streets of Philadelphia eight years ago, cruising was the only way I could sate my crushing 19-year-old libido.
I was skilled beyond my years: I had the grace of a lion and the cunning of a fox. Many fell before the sallies of my wily exertions.
Six years later, my polished pavement perusing had migrated online to portals such as Manhunt.com and Barebackrt.com. I wandered the virtual Serengeti, feasting on every delicious man-beast I could detect. I made friends, fuck-buddies and mentors out of my trysts, not to mention expanding my sexual backlog into the hundreds.
Now, having lived two years with HIV and less online time to poke about the poultry (so to speak), I’m scouring the streets again with voracious intent.
My present practices, however, aren’t without their puzzles: hastened hook-ups imply hastened disclosures, which can bring any poz man’s conquests to a clumsy, screeching halt.
Being rejected on a date is one thing, but it’s quite another when your engine is flying at 8,000 RPM with another guy and your status engages his emergency brake. Even the most cocksure poz men probably feel a little dejected, silly or guilty after this experience.