Cock Eyed Optimist

It was almost exactly 22 years ago that @Coopertook over as moderator for the Gaiety reviews.  Previously @NY Observer had written them. Cooper was soon joined by @foxy in writing the weekly reviews, detailing who was new and who stood out...or up!
It was nice in that if you missed some time at the Gaiety you could at least read about it.
(@ValleyDwellerNorth announced Cooper's appointment as moderator on April 2d, 2003. That's my source.)

Yes you are correct.  Let's not forget  Show Palace  on 42 and 8 Ave. And the Famous Adonis Theater.  Oh boy many of a afternoon in there.  That was on 50St and 8. That neck of the woods looked like  Berlin after WW2. 
A lot of good memories before  cell phones, Computers. The days of phone booths to make a call. 

So many happy memories from there when I went on business two or three weekends a year, and stayed at the Millennium in Times Square (1996 - 2005). I loved going in January more than going in the spring or summer, with the cold air and snow falling outside, trekking across the street. I'd first stop at the HoJos downstairs for their 'Clam Roll' (I used to love them as a kid, but all the HoJo's in my state closed) and a  Coke. It was fun spotting the young hunky guys sitting in there and eating, knowing in an hour or so I'd see them naked and erect in front of me. Once they'd get up from the counter or booth and walk by the windows to the entrance next door, I knew it would be 'show time' in 20 - 30 minutes, so I would plan accordingly. You could separate the newbies from the pros on stage by the way the newbies walked out nervously with their cocks bobbing up and down,  trying to stay hard, while the 'pros' walked out quite assuredly and their cocks were practically touching their nipples. 
Rarely did I not find someone attractive enough to go back to my room with. We'd walk back to the hotel in the snowfall, and for me there was something quite erotic and sexy about the experience - walking alongside a tall, strikingly good looking, hunky guy wrapped in his winter coat, bustling through the crowds, and then getting him upstairs to unbutton his coat and see his naked chest underneath, and huge bulge in his sweatpants (if only the crowd of passerby knew). A pleasant visit to my room, indeed, which went by too quick. If I could turn back time...

Wow, I’m impressed that you could go back to work with any sort of focus.  I worked in Midtown during the Gaiety era.  Had I gone there for lunch, I would have returned to work so distracted & unproductive they’da sh*tcanned me for sure.
When I lived in NYC part time (90s & early aughts), I went to the Gaiety dozens of times.  I loved the big finale on weekends, when they had all dozen dancers come out on stage sporting hard-ons … the most beautiful spectacle I’ve ever witnessed.

Hi all,
I was in Lauderdale for Memorial Day Weekend and made several trips to each club.
Johnsons - $10 cover.  $15 private show wristband.  Guys were $20-$30 per song for lap dances.  Went on Friday and it was surprisingly dead even though Hunters, No Manors and Allabi were slammed.  Guys were ok but nothing that really pulled me.  Saturday was a little more lively but again the mix of guys was just not my thing.  I tried to talk to two different ones with tips but they were not interested in talking.  Drinks were reasonable but the vibe and quality of guys for me just didn't work.  Side note - why is the front door cashier guys that they hire always a jerk?   Every time it's just a nasty unfriendly person at the register.  They had a sign that said $10 cover men and $20 women - I joked while I was waiting to pay telling the cashier thank you for doing that since last visit there was too many women.  Immediately he responded with - keep reading.  I said yea I did and he yelled at me cash only - your holding a card.  Read the sign and tapped it annoyed.  --- I wasn't even up to pay yet with two people in front of me. Not the great welcoming experience. It seems every trip there's a new door guy that has to be just unfriendly.....
LeBoy - You can no longer park at the warehouse next door.  You now have to park down 13th and walk over the railroad tracks.  No big problems with that - just an FYI.  Otherwise she bartenders that have been there for years. Still free to get in.  Food vendor out front now.  Good mix of guys each night and very busy.  Outdoors has been repainted and got a new slate shower for shows.  Good mix of twinks and HS/College jocks. Privates was $10 entry per show.  $20 per song to the dancer closed curtain.  Still a lot of good fun for the value 😉
Boardwalk - not sure how it is early, but would go for after-hours each night which gets slammed between 2am-4am or 5am.  It seems some dancers come in just to work after hours as several arrive around 2am.  Good mix of about 9 dancers that walk around on top of the bar and kneel to tip them.  Also they rotate between the MainStage pole.  $10 club entry cover charge, $30 private room charge for the small room (there is a larger one that's $40 or $50) and whatever you negotiate with the dancer.   Had one private that was awesome.  Top of the line service for 15 min for a Benjamin.   Was there every night because of how fun the energy is with this club since younger and older bar goers mix very well here and the dancers are fun. 
DAK

If you take a look at the post two pots above this one, you will see “Gionavanni’s Parties”. Giovanni was the dynamo that started out first at LeBoy several years ago, and then moved over to Boardwalk.  He organized shows, planned parties, recruited dancers, and kept south Florida gay life alive with his imagination.  Unfortunately Giovanni passed away several months ago, and all that creativity seems to be lost.

If you take a look at the post two pots above this one, you will see “Gionavanni’s Parties”. Giovanni was the dynamo that started out first at LeBoy several years ago, and then moved over to Boardwalk.  He organized shows, planned parties, recruited dancers, and kept south Florida gay life alive with his imagination.  Unfortunately Giovanni passed away several months ago, and all that creativity seems to be lost.

If you take a look at the post two pots above this one, you will see “Gionavanni’s Parties”. Giovanni was the dynamo that started out first at LeBoy several years ago, and then moved over to Boardwalk.  He organized shows, planned parties, recruited dancers, and kept south Florida gay life alive with his imagination.  Unfortunately Giovanni passed away several months ago, and all that creativity seems to be lost.

If you take a look at the post two pots above this one, you will see “Gionavanni’s Parties”. Giovanni was the dynamo that started out first at LeBoy several years ago, and then moved over to Boardwalk.  He organized shows, planned parties, recruited dancers, and kept south Florida gay life alive with his imagination.  Unfortunately Giovanni passed away several months ago, and all that creativity seems to be lost.

… and damn I miss Secrets! 😢

They have dancers seven days a week. They close at midnight Sundays, 3am Monday-Saturday. I think the dancers start nightly at 8pm.  Sunday/Monday will have fewer dancers to choose from but also less competition for their attention from patrons. 🙂

Have fun!

Wow that’s such a shame. I feel like I came to the party at closing time. I will do what I can to keep supporting the remaining ones! 😉

My stripper blues comes from the fact that here in the USA, stripper bars are falling by the wayside as we speak.
So many of those bars are in my “memory banks” only. 🥲

They celebrated this guys birthday this past Friday.  Does anyone know anything about Gee?  Looks very cute.

Some potentially concerning news about BJs. Flew out to Atlanta last weekend and was greeted by a quiet bar on Friday evening, no dancers. After looking around and checking the outdoor balcony, one of the patrons called me over and asked if I was “looking for the boys”. He then told me there were no dancers for the weekend. Something may have happened earlier in the week that caused the bar owners to try to go low profile. When I was leaving, the guy checking IDs at the entrance didn’t know when the dancers would return.
The next day, talking to someone “in the know” said he didn’t know when or if dancing would return. The dancers had shown up on Friday and were told no dancing that weekend and sent home so it sounds like a last minute decision. He did say earlier in the week, all curtains were removed from the booths which really puts a cramp on private dances. The reason given was that they were not fire proof and were a hazard. Sounds like the authorities were trying whatever they could to shut things down (my interpretation). When I was there briefly on Friday, I noticed the curtains had been replaced with floor to ceiling silver party streamers.
Anyway, my contact is really worried this could be permanent. Hopefully, it’s just a temp thing and dancing can resume shortly if it hasn’t already. It would be a shame to lose the last hot spot in Atlanta after the closure of SR. I actually enjoyed BJs more than SR on most visits. Had especially wonderful times at BJs earlier this year.
If anyone has updates, please respond. I’m not in the ATL area so I have no way to check on the current status myself. Wish them luck!

I doubt the people in this thread chastising posters who prefer an all male environment for strip clubs ever have supported the dancers who work in these clubs.  I’m happy I was able to enjoy times when gay strip clubs (in Montreal in particular) were exclusively male on most nights.  
 
Those days were special.  In today’s world we will never see shows like the one captured in these images below…. Which will probably be removed by the moderator.  Straight guys don’t “play gay” on stage when women are present 
 
 
 

Time to start playing rough gay porn on tv in the background... With men getting fisted... And a TV near the ladies room with women tied up and getting gangbanged.  First Amendment rights to free speech.  Just make the women uncomfortable for them to hang there with their friends.  That's what's I've observed at several gay bars around the world that have been able to remain men only by simply making it uninviting for women (most Eagles, the Diesel, bars in Amsterdam, etc.).
A bar in Wilton Manors wanted to install only men's restrooms, but the building codes required a separate bathroom with toilets only, no urinals.  So, the owner simply installed the toilets, but removed all the seats and put in no dividers between the toilets.  Presto!  A giant 2nd bathroom for stand-up pissing only.  The only toilets for sitting are in the standard men only restroom, and still don't have privacy doors.
For gay guesthouses, I'm noticing a few are putting pictures of nude men in the rooms and in the lobby at check-in, often in having gay sex.  They can't deny renting a room to females, but they can make it uncomfortable for them.

I just don't feel comfortable with women in gay spaces, particularly when skimpy clothing, nudity, or fun activity is involved. I am thankful LA Adonis keeps it male only.  

Johnson's Fort Lauderdale maybe but Tampa has really relaxed that "rule" and groups of women are becoming increasingly common.

Not until around 10-ish years ago have there been the "invading" of the fun of the crowd-goers for strippers who are intentionally geared for an audience of a specific sex. While "men are welcome" to strip shows like "The Men of Playgirl", "Thunder from Down Under", etc., the intended target of the entertainment is just for women. 
Now, I'm seeing the reverse with women essentially just by being in the crowd, turning gay men away from wanting to go to places like Stock Bar to see men dancing for what used to be only men. 
In the past, there were ZERO men at Chippendale's shows, and ZERO women at Bodybuilder Jams. The crowd had a great time, and each sex didn't think twice about "wanting to be there, too - that's not fair!" Now, I can't even go to a male thong swimwear event that's been going on for many, many years since all of a sudden there's women crying foul that it's sexist and unacceptable, blah blah. 
Nowadays, you'll see babies in strollers in bars, and non guide dogs inhaling casino smoke next to their evil owners. Now I'm the one crying about what I find unacceptable in public these days!

I don't understand why they don't ban females.   Would get in more gay guys, be a lot better tips for the dancers that way, and a lot more money for the owner in sales.
 

Bozo has nothing to add to what has already been mentioned here.
However, one observation - Matt recently updated his Facebook Intro page to delete "Johnson's Chicago".
@Cock Eyed Optimist glad to know that you are a cock-eyed optimist. Bozo is not.
The deal for Matt to buy/own/manage a Johnson's bar/strip club in Chicago seems to be dead-as-a-doornail...  for now.
These lunatic loudmouths did a grave disservice to Chicago's homosexual community. These self-appointed gay morality cops, masquerading as gay activists, effectively cancelled Matt and any future possibility of a Johnson's Chicago.
The Windy City lost jobs and much needed revenue, and gay Chicagoans lost a venue with a long history of providing  quality entertainment, thanks to these smug, sanctimonious, self-righteous idiots.
BTC
 

Good reporting Alfstoria, so the only bar to see strippers in Queens is friends?  I think I was there once but staying out past 11 is a little rough for me these days lol

I’m in a Queens bar.  to see my Colombian boy , but he is dancing at another bar with the subbtle name: Hombre. It’s my first time at this place. There’s one boy who just started dancing now, but my friend hasn’t arrived yet. This bar doesn’t seem to have a back room, so I’ll wait all night to see him. There are not naked dancers, but they have tiny thongs. Oh boy, I feel like such a horny old man. 🤣
So far they have allowed me touch  everything, I do it discreetly;  I don't see another client holding a dancer. Everyone just tip and play with the guys while they dancing. 
BTW. They dance on the bar

as always, thanks to @Cooper and all the moderators for your time and work here......