Santa Monica Boulevard

[+ Lucky]

Driving down Santa Monica Boulevard on Sunday I was saddened to see a coffee shop had closed and sat empty. It had been a place where one could meet street hustlers taking a break from their appointed corners. But this was years ago, and I confess that I did nothing to keep this coffee shop going. Perhaps if the boys were still out I might have. I was what they called a "gas queen." That was a guy who drove up and down the street just looking. It was great fun.

 

The time was 1980 and 1981, and the boys were abundant. I am not talking street trash either. Really hot guys would just hop in your car, a deal was quickly agreed to. I lived nearby so there were no back alleys or back seat blow jobs. One had to make a quick decision once the guy got in the car- was he safe, clean, promising a good time? One guy I picked wouldn't take the chewing gum out of his mouth when he blew me. I had to insist. Another guy was the spitting image of a guy I had lusted after for years. He was great fun, but after he showered I still made him put his smelly shoes outside. And we did usually shower first. Prices were a lot lower then too. $35- $50 would do. If you wanted fancy, you could go to the old Numbers on Sunset Boulevard and pay more. You usually got more attitude too.

 

The street guys had their concerns too. The biggest one was whether I was a cop. Many were under the mis-impression that if they asked, a cop had to tell the truth. One guy got in the car, and quickly and insistently demanded that I rub his crotch. That was his test for a cop, because he was sure a cop wouldn't touch his crotch. I wouldn't either because he was so insistent that I didn't like his nervousness. Who else would refuse to touch a cute guy's crotch?

My guess is that there are others here with good Santa Monica stories. It would be nice if you would share them too. The internet has changed the scene forever, or so it seems. So the way to relive it is if others add to the tale.

[bigvalboy]

Well this was certainly a nice walk down memory lane. I was having dinner the other night with a forum member, and I was attempting to explain to him how Santa Monica Blvd used to be. Aaahhh the old Numbers on Sunset. Loved that staircase, and the intimate feeling of the place. Felt like a NY night club. Your recounting of the 'good ol days' on Santa Monica Blvd was classic. I to was a 'gas queen'...I would circle for hours. It would take that amount of time to make a decision. Every corner there were just beautiful men. Most were really nice guys, legit and could be had for very little money. I lived in the Valley in those days, and for 100 dollars you could get them to spend the night and then spend two days trying to convince them it was time to leave.

 

I think that the Internet was a contributing factor, but the business owners put a lot of pressure on the police to clean up the boulevard. Once the city council got involved, the police started a relentless sweep that lasted for a couple years or so. One day we turned around and it was all gone. The new Numbers was never the same. It didn't have the same vibe as the old place. Then yes the Internet was the final blow. it was all so inevitable. It is the way of the world.

 

Are things better? I think so. We have this forum and better ways of checking out potential hires. Much like cell phones and navigation in the car, our life is easier, but I still long for the old days. Perhaps it is my youth that I long for or just the memories of a time when life seemed easier. Whatever the reason, I am glad that I lived through those times when we didn't worry about AIDS or all the other things that are problematic in hiring now. In looking back, there was a sense of a quiet simplicity and innocents.

 

I have never been one to live my life in the past or to try and hang on to an era that has clearly gone. I have friends like that, and I think that it is sad. I think that it is important to always be willing to change ones life and to periodically re-invent yourself. But every now and again it is nice to realize that we lived through a time that was amazing on so many levels. They can take the boulevard, but not the memories. It is a time that I shall not soon forget.

[East2West]

I was having dinner the other night with a forum member, and I was attempting to explain to him how Santa Monica Blvd used to be....

 

What a coincidence I also was having dinner with another forum member who was explaining how SMB used to be.

 

Lucky, your post is right on the heels of the discussion we just had. I was talking about how I wished I had been in LA in the 80's/90's and how active SMB probably was. The most activity I've seen is close to SMB and Orange/Highland. Sometimes when heading back to West Hollywood from Silver Lake, you can see a few lingerers a few blocks east of the 101.

[Guy Fawkes]

In the 80's you could cruise all the way from the Hollywood freeway (Latino) to Santa Monica Beach (Beach Bums) and everything in between. I remember Arthur J's at SMB & Highland. I'd wash my clothes next door and run over for a sandwich.

 

Once the Police came in and had all the boys assume the position against the wall. One officer looked at me with his eyebrow raised and I said: "Shall we discuss probable cause?" He declined the invitation. You could tell which department was doing heavy enforcement because the boys would move from from one side of the City/County line to the other.

 

Numbers was always too fancy for me. On the other hand, I can tell you more stories that you'd ever want to know about Hunters on SMB, or when I was really sleazing The Spotlight (just off of Hollywood). Of course, down at the corner from Hunters:

 

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/368343996_8b73805d58_o.jpg

 

 

Who would have ever thunk that Lucky and I was cruising there at the same time. I was there pretty much the entire 80's. Gawd, Oh Mighty! Lucky, Could we have.... Naw, not possible.

 

<Quick Subject Change>

 

Remember "Book Circus?"

 

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2518/circusofbooks1982.jpg

[+ Lucky]

I thought you were in Seattle in the heyday, Daddy. You once gave me the historical tour there that made me wish I had seen it in the day. (And by that, I mean "in the day" not during the day!)

More stories, guys. Come on, bigvalboy. Share!

[East2West]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/368343996_8b73805d58_o.jpg

 

 

Wow...Daddy, I love the pic of the orange hot dog place! If I'm correct, it sits at the corner of Fairfax and Willoughby. I pass it almost daily as I usually prefer to take Willoughby once I am west of LaBrea. I'm always looking in there while sitting at the traffic light and wonder what the back story is. You can always see who I am guessing is the owner sitting at one of the tables with friends and chatting it up. I may have to stop in there one of these days and give you an update.

[Guy Fawkes]

Ahh... But that was the 90's! LA was the 80's...

 

I thought you were in Seattle in the heyday, Daddy. You once gave me the historical tour there that made me wish I had seen it in the day. (And by that, I mean "in the day" not during the day!)

More stories, guys. Come on, bigvalboy. Share!

[bigvalboy]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/368343996_8b73805d58_o.jpg

 

 

Wow...Daddy, I love the pic of the orange hot dog place! If I'm correct, it sits at the corner of Fairfax and Willoughby. I pass it almost daily as I usually prefer to take Willoughby once I am west of LaBrea. I'm always looking in there while sitting at the traffic light and wonder what the back story is. You can always see who I am guessing is the owner sitting at one of the tables with friends and chatting it up. I may have to stop in there one of these days and give you an update.

 

OK now I have a little tear in my eye...Good times for sure. Is that "Oki Dog" (?) across from Astro Burger?...Wow Daddy, I loved Hunters and the old Spot light. I was with a guy yesterday that told me that most the bartenders are gone now, God rest there soul. Benji from Hunters, then the Spotlight, then the Gold Coast...lol is still good, he is in Vegas awaiting the remodel of the Vegas Spotlight. I used to sit with Don, the owner of the Spot light at least two to three times a week. He came in every night at the same time like a clock. They would have his chair and drink ready for him. Sweet sweet man. Don is still good, saw him recently. After they refused to renew his lease on the Spotlight, he is just relazing these days. He was at the Gold coast having a drink with his 23 year old, drop dead gorgeous driver....lol I mean the man was stunning.

 

Several times a week we would all meet at "The Numbers" for drinks. We would cruise the bar for the hotties. Then we would order dinner and invite a couple of guys to join us, that meant it was interview time. Real Estate was good in those days, and I was burning through money like 'nobodies business'...If we didn't see anything we liked, we would head down to Hunters (The old Brit is dead now) and have a great time till about mid-night. We would grab a burger at Oki Dog or Astro burger, then the last stop before I headed over the hill to the valley was "The Spotlight"...real street trade, but some diamonds in the rough. Meth was not around so the kids weren't strung out like they are today. Sometimes they would stay with me for days at a time. The valley was quiet and they liked that. It was hard to convince them to go home...lol

 

 

Speaking of which, they say "You can't go home again". Well I guess they are right, but this thread certainly has been a nice little visit, and ya know what, I don't think that there is one damn thing that I would have changed about those days...except maybe to have known Daddy or Lucky then, now that would have been a party.

[bigvalboy]

Remember "Book Circus?"

 

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/2518/circusofbooks1982.jpg

 

Yes Circus Books was a lot of fun...and come to think about it, remember the parking lot behind the "Gold Coast" before the city fucked it all up and made it a "No Cruise" zone...Oh Happy Day!! You could just sit in your car and like magic the boys would appear. I am sure as Daddy says that we all crossed paths a time or two...lol lol

[Frequentflier]

Now its even more clear why some people miss "the good ole days". No similar fun for us today.

[jawjateck]

I visited Numbers when it was in its last days. Not much fun then. The boys ignored me. I assume, perhaps wrongly, they latched onto regulars and ignored visitors. I finished my drink and went on my way. Checked it off my list of things to do while in LA. Kristian more than made up for it the next night.

[bigvalboy]

I visited Numbers when it was in its last days. Not much fun then.

 

Yes Numbers was a dismal place in its last days....sadly all the magic was gone by then. God I wish you had seen it when it was in its heyday...it was a site to behold.

[MsGuy]

Delightful thread.

 

One of you admin guys ought to move this thread up to the lounge. It kinda gets lost way down here.

[Irtwo]

Thanks for that "Book Circus" pic. I remember that place well. I assume it has shut down now by the tone of this thread.

[instudiocity]

Circus of Books is still there, but it doesn't look like that anymore.

 

8230 Santa Monica Blvd

West Hollywood, CA 90046

 

http://www.circusofbooks.com

[bigvalboy]

Thanks for that "Book Circus" pic. I remember that place well. I assume it has shut down now by the tone of this thread.

 

Oh it is still there, but not nearly as much fun. Across the street the Gold Coast is alive and well. The vibe has changed over the years, not nearly as cruisey, but still a nice place to hang with the older local boys.

[rossthebosssf]

I miss the good old days of SMB. I used to get such a thrill cruising up and down the strip, finding dark spots to have some car fun. You could also find some really great gems.

[johnf]

Sometimes I wonder what happened to all those boys. I fear many of them ended as causalities of drugs, crime, and AIDS. Most of them were nice boys, runaways who had been thrown out of their homes or had Dick Whittington delusions about Hollywood. Some of them were suburban kids rebelling; others out-of-work actors and musicians. I never lived in LA but during the 1980s was there monthly on business. I came sporadically in the 1990s and watched it gradually decline. Then, one trip I realized it was gone, along with E. 53rd Street in New York. But in its heyday, it was amazing. For instance, in January you could drive down Santa Monica Boulevard from Fairfax to Highland and see 50 to 75 boys out there working. In February, the same number but a different cast. I enjoyed the street boys; Numbers was for an occasional porn star treat. It was there I met Tim Kramer ©, Chris Williams (A+), Kevin Williams (C-), Alex Carrington (B+), Erik Houston (B), and Steve Fox (B).

 

It was a buyer's market and a touch of paradise disguised as sleaze.

[+ Gar1eth]

Is there not a Numbers- or a similar type club open now in WEHO?

 

Gman

[bigvalboy]

Is there not a Numbers- or a similar type club open now in WEHO?

 

Gman

 

Actually, believe it or not, there isn't. You would think, since it is SoCal and all, but the Internet killed all that business. I think the reasoning is for the escort, once the Internet took off, is why would they sit around all night at a club/restaurant hoping to be hired when you can just sit comfortably at home, go about your daily business, advertise multiple places and wait for the clients to come to them.

 

There is a new bar/ restaurant called "Eleven"....some of the old hold-outs from "The Numbers" days still go there for happy hour, and I do see a large number of boys that are obviously "bought and paid for" hanging out. The difference is that "Eleven" is not known for that kind of activity, it just occurs, and not on the grand scale that it occured at "The Numbers".

[+ FreshFluff]

Thanks for these stories. I'm fascinated by street scenes.

[Donpat]

I just stumbled onto this thread and it FABULOUS! I would have so loved the "window shopping" aspect of the drive-by nature of what's described. Plus pricing was certainly different. I wonder - where was the "zone" in Seattle? I didn't have a clue in the 80's this would have been out there, and probably just as well. One thing for sure: I'd have been up to my neck in good times if I'd known then what I know now ....

[Buddy15]

This brings back great memories! Back in the day in Detroit ( yes, Detroit!) there was an area in the city and another in a suburb by the post office where guys would circle the block for hours looking for a hook up. No working guys, just guys looking to hook up. Sometimes it would be a quick blow job in one of the cars and sometimes it would involve going back to a guy's home. Oh, to be young and stupid. I remember one time getting it on in a guy's car and a cop pulled up. Just as he was starting to question us he got a call on his radio and had to leave. Needless to say, I immediately went home.

[actor61]

Do you Los Angeles old-timers also remember Studio One on Santa Monica and Robertson? (The Abbey is now directly across the street from where Studio One used to be). That was my hang-out of choice. I was in my 20s when I moved to L.A. in 1977 and stayed until 1985, and was at Studio One nearly every Saturday night. If you arrived before 10 PM, there was no cover charge and drinks were 50 cents until midnight, so I'd get there right before 10 and then hang out in bar at the very back or in the Backlot room, which sometimes had live entertainment, nursing a glass of wine and waiting for the crowd to get going. Oh the boys were beautiful then! If the DJ put on Sister Sledge or Donna Summer, the floor filled up with gorgeous men with their t-shirts tucked in their back pockets and depending on your mood, you could dive in among them and dance your heart out or stand on the sidelines awestruck with admiration.

 

I used to go to Numbers during the week as I had a friend who bartended/waited tables there and he'd sneak me free drinks and meals. Often sitting at the bar, I'd see Paul Lynd, Richard Deacon or Alan Carr, usually chatting up some striking hustler. Lynd was generally very drunk and very nasty. Alan Carr usually took a table in the dining section and stayed there for the evening lingering over a lengthy meal with various boys coming and going. Deacon could be sweet but he was rather shy and aloof.

 

I lived on Larrabee and the Blue Parrot was on the corner. It was the first bar that showed music videos and I thought it was so cutting edge. If I was really poor - and I often was in those days - then I just walked up and down Santa Monica Boulevard between Crescent Heights and Robertson. You could smoke in the bars in those days, so there weren't people hanging out on the sidewalks having a cigarette as they do now, but there were often lines of men waiting to get into the more crowded places and it was fun to see friends, stop and chat, and then move on. There were a couple of after hours places that were "private" where people went when Studio One and the bars closed at 2 but I usually pooped out and went home to sleep - unless I got lucky.

 

I never cruised Santa Monica Boulevard for trade; I was too scared and bashful to talk to the hustlers lining the street. I was young and insecure and they were so cute that they intimidated me. Plus, coming up with $35 for a good time in those days would have been really difficult.

 

I returned to L.A. for work in 1999 and everything had changed. The city has become a huge dirty, pretentious, stupid mess and I left for good in 2014. But oh lord it was fun in the 1970s and 1980s.

[Irtwo]

I was there during some of the 1980's. I remember the Blue Parrot well. It wasn't really a gay bar, but obviously attracted a lot because of where it was located. Also remember Numbers, which was in a world of its own.