NYC's Body Politic queer feminist wellness collective puts on regular events including book clubs, hikes, and workshops, all alcohol free. Odd Fox Coffee in Greenpoint is gay-owned, as is Long Beach, California's Hot Java, and a new queer Black-owned shop in L.A., Bloom & Plume Coffee, just opened right next to its pre-existing floral arrangement shop. New York's Bluestockings bookshop runs a regular event called Sober Queer Drink and Draw, and Safer Spaces NYC's Sober Queer Mixer, an alternative to club culture offering coffee, conversation, and games at Think Coffee. Outside of Cuties and Queeret's events, several other queer sober spaces have been able to provide that same opportunity for communing across the country. "When people come to the city, we are one of the only visible places to go to meet people outside of an evening alcohol-centric event that is also cheap," Bauman says, "and that is a big, big deal." She said when they surveyed the options LGBTQ people had in L.A., she decided Cuties could "create more value … by focusing on spaces that lend themselves to being sober."Īnother bonus to being a sober space is the accessibility for queer people of all economic situations. "You don't have to be sober to want sober spaces," Bauman points out. This isn't a notion specific to introverts, either. When you feel comfortable and safe, then we can open up." "When we're able to create an environment that is not intense on the senses, then we don't need [alcohol," he says, "because we're not struggling against the environment. "It kind of gives a false sense of connection." Hersh adds that introverts need environments that aren't overstimulating as nightclubs tend to be. "Alcohol can give you this feeling of being more brave or courageous, but at the same time it doesn't lead to the same sort of connection that introverts really love," he says. Cuties was always intended to be an intergenerational space, Bauman says, and Hersh, who no longer drinks, says he sees alcohol as antithetical to what introverts who come to his events are looking for. "I'd been in New York for about two and a half years and when I heard that I was like 'Where do the quiet gays go? How do I find them?' So it just felt like a really deep calling that I felt for a while."įor both Bauman and Hersh, the sober aspect of their respective spaces was built into their initial launch, largely for accessibility. You can never miss a hangout spot and a bar to enjoy yourself regardless of gender." 'Where do the quiet gays go?' and when I heard that … it was sort of a lightbulb moment and it really spoke to something I was feeling," he says. If you are a member of the LBGTQ community, the spots listed above will accommodate you with open arms, so you shouldn’t feel intimidated. NYC is one of the best places to visit if you enjoy nightlife because there are amazing clubs, upscale bars, and dives and the best of all is you can never miss a particular bar for the LBGTQ communities.
#QUIET GAY BARS NYC FREE#
Happy hour is available daily from 7 pm, and best of all, you get free pizza. Groups of non-queer people also come to this bar to have a good time. You should expect a long line on such days, but it’s worth the wait, especially with the welcoming community. This hangout spot is usually quiet during the week but gets louder and busier over the weekends. It is a small divey place in the West Village and a cash-only spot. Mood ringĪ post shared by Cubbyhole bar W 12th St, New York, NY 10014 They have stuck with the principle that some things need to stay true to who and what they are in new neighborhoods. The best part is the cheap beers and drinks you find in this spot.
The ample seating in the backyard is spacious and usually packed with people, especially during summer. Metropolitan bar is where you need to visit if you want to make new friends because you will often see the same characters repeatedly. This quiet spot is both divey and dynamic without trying hard to impress. The weekends are busier in this bar because of a vast crowd of drag queens and male go-go dancers ready to shake their feet. Metropolitan bar has evolved into the perfect gay scene for many people.
They have retained their traditions throughout with go-go dancers, billiards, and drag shows as part of the activities and events in this bar. It was first opened in 2002, and it is the ‘sister’ bar to Macri park bar. A post shared by Richard Cortez Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211