Stories about Splash Bar NYC

Doesn’t recall the nostalgia that Roxy or the dance clubs do. Because it was just an early version of Gym Bar and shirtless bartenders that still exist. No special memories of dancing the night away with a group of people and an attitude that don’t exist in NYC anymore.

Musical Monday’s were the best. Two stepping with Harry (RIP) on Wednesday nights. Met Anderson Copper there before anybody knew who he was. Still, he was very incognito with a baseball cap pulled low over his face. He had a weekend fling with a friend of mine visiting from Laguna Beach. Don’t think he liked me too much. He wasn’t very friendly.

I'm a straight women there with a bunch of work friends and got hit on by a guy there. A little surprising.

Being nostalgic for Splash is like being nostalgic for Nobody beats the Wiz or Tower Records or the first of all the Ray's Pizzas. They were there and served a purpose, but to paraphrase Michelin, not exactly "worth a detour".

Went with my partner ant the go go boy laid on the bar in front of us and started a conversation! "What do you guys do? Oh, that must be interesting." My partner asked if I wanted him. But it was early in our relationship (20 years ago) and I demurred. Now, I would take him up on his off offer. I have more money now, too.

I used to go there a lot in the early/mid-2000s when I was in the process of just coming out. The stud search on Saturday night was fun. The drag queen who ran it and whose name escapes me took a liking to me. I was hot then, and she approached me about joining her stable/entourage of eye candy that escorted her around Fire Island that summer. I was flattered but said no. Also anyone remember the superhot straight guy Adam who tended bar for a while? The story was that his wife put her foot down about the bartending, so he had the manager switch him to security at the front door. I was in the club his first night bartending. His wife was there too. I thought was one of the most stunning men I'd ever seen. A blond adonis come to life.

There were some pretty raunchy Sundays there, blowjobs on the dance floor. I liked the setup downstairs but the bar did get empty near the end.

Just fabulous

We need more stories guys!

I loved it because unlike other bars, it wasn't the stand and pose set. (Like G bar for example)

THere were all sorts of guys there and everyone was accepted and welcome.

There was some controversy late in its life that Splash was blocking African Americans and Asians from entering.

R6. I knew Adam well. A sweetheart and hot as hell but dumb as a box of bricks. He had some problems for awhile because of Brian but got better. I wonder what he is up to. I know he had one child w his wife. He was so nice.

Did you know the bartender Mike? Handsome as fuck and built. Nice guy. Now works at Atlas in Hells Kitchen. He has some crazy stories about some of the ultra wealthy queens around town.

Also a straight bartender named Brandon. From Texas. He was on cover of Muscle and Fitness and built like a god. Sweet guy. Started doing private training sessions at a swanky private club.

r11, I heard that Adam is now a personal trainer in the city. He was so gorgeous. I remember Mike too. Very sexy. He was dating a friend of mine (quintessential Chelsea boy) for a while. Anyone remember a bartender named Eddie who mostly worked the upstairs bar near the entrance? He was a "straight" Italian guy from Staten Island. He identified as straight, but I heard he "dabbled" withe men.

R12. I am r11. I remember Eddie! Wow. Havnt thought about these names in so long. Any. Vance you remember the two Russian bartenders that worked at the back. At upstairs? Cute as hell. Alexei and I can't remember other guy. They were funny as hell with their broken English and made fun of themselves.

I once took Mike to the Four Seasons for his bday. He was a good guy.

What were your stats, OP?

Anyone remember when DJ Max Rodriguez would kick off happy hour with this gem? I loved it.

What was the story with the co owner who died while filming sex while his boyfriend was in the Pines

Easy place to pull some decent trade. I especially have fond memories of the military lawyer from Israel staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania and a Venezuelan with a humongous dick living in pre-gentrified East Wiliamsburg.

In the mid-90s,I had a mad crush on a bartender on a bartender named Greg who was built like a Greek statue. I would plant myself in front of him every chance I got, but he wasn't interested.

Fast forward 10 years. I'm in a West Hollywood restaurant, waiting in line for a restroom and - lo and behold - there's Greg in line in front of me, still looking hot.

I reintroduced myself, we exchanged numbers and later that night, my long-forgotten sexual fantasy came true.

How's that for a story?

R18. Good things comes to those who wait....

R18. I remember Greg. A very fine specimen. Lucky you.

The worst bar ever. A Petri dish of every bad gay stereotype in New York.

R21. It was pretty low, I give you that. But, like McDonald's, it was always there. Earlier hours, happy hour, was a decent time w the regulars, before it got crowded.

I got a handjob on the dancefloor once

I was superhot for this beefy black guy from my gym. I assumed he was straight, but that didn't stop my fantasies from kicking into high gear. One night I saw him at Splash. I approached him, said hello, and 30 mins later we were underneath the stairs and I was blowing the biggest, thickest cock I had ever had my hands, and mouth, on.

It tried. No real ambiance. Had some low key fun.

Tea dance was the only thing I liked about it.

My first time in New York in 2000. Stating at a grotty hotel near the Gaiety Theatre on Times Square. Wnt to Splash and ended up having sex with a Swedish guy in his apartment in Queens and drinking his cum.

r22 exactly. it was always there. never had a good time. no one cute ever went there. it was always last resort. never waited or paid to get in. some big cowboy looking guy gave me my john blair card there my first time going. he took me out of the line. i dated a hot bartender there briefly. a puerto rican. the first time i went was probably the best. At around 2am they brought out a big muscle Dominican stripper and he was completely nude. he danced under the shower. i had just moved from Kentucky. it took my breath away. haha. he was extra HOT.

The Works did it earlier and better.

[quote]I'm a straight women there with a bunch of work friends and got hit on by a guy there. A little surprising.

My visiting sister got hit on by a go go boy there on a weekday.

Was friends (and Fire Island neighbor) with Harry and Brian. Plus Harry was in our gay Volleyball League the first year they had opened the bar. Simple marketing - his teaching out to a league of 400 athletic gay men. Loved oldies Tuesday’s, hated when the bachelorettes took over (my sister was alone with me that one time). Good times.

Reaching out

[quote]What was the story with the co owner who died while filming sex while his boyfriend was in the Pines

I knew Harry and later met the hot Puerto Rican guy who was with him when it happened. Harry and Brian has an open relationship and at times would both wander into back rooms and peep shows together.

This is hardly something they invented. Even within Splash, one would take a hot guy downstairs to the stock rooms while the other one worked upstairs or the office.

It was a drug overdose, pure and simple. GHB, to be specific. Very sad and unfortunate. There was blood involved because when Harry passed out he hit a mirror. By the time the PR hottie - who also passed out - woke up, it was too late.

He did the right thing and called the doorman, 911, etc. And had to endure the humiliation or aggravation (depending on your “moral” opinions) of Brian coming in as well.

A few weeks later, saw Brian at the Cher concert (one of her “final” tours when Belueve was hot) in NYC, and he seemed OK.

I want I post a pic of one other bartenders that was the best. Nice, handsome and built. But worried that would be invasive. His name is Mike.

R28 left out the meth addiction & poor grammar he picked up there and kept.

^^^hahaha. NOPE. Y'ALL ARE SO VERY JEALOUS.

I have great memories of Splash.

My first time there, I went w a female friend. My friend instantly started flirting w a bartender. Gorgeous, brunette, Italian, I think, and then a blond bartender joined in our conversation. It was Mike. We all exchanged numbers and went out on a double date together. I hooked up w Mike a few times but he eventually ghosted me. I was surprised he even showed interest in me since I was at NYU at the time and he at the time, was wo a doubt the best looking guy I’d been with.

After that I loved the place and always had a great time. Did things I could only get away with at that age.

In November 1995 I saw this Very good looking guy about 35 years old, slim , 5ft11 inches and Very Cool looking. He was kinda disheveled yet he still looked like a model. He cruised me at Splash a few times in 1996. On nights I went to Splash and he wasn't there I considered it an off night. That very first night I saw him there, three different guys walked up to him to start a conversation-to no avail. I was obsessed with him for YEARS but I never spoke to him , let alone saw him NAKED. Oh well. One of the major regrets of my gay life. The last time I saw my COOL friend was at g in december 2001. I have to admit I still think about him often.

So many gay sluts, so little time.

R36. I knew Mike well. If you were at nyu, I'm sure he was scoping you out. Unbelievably handsome guy. If you Google him you can see pics. He works at Atlas Social Club now. Nice guy.

R37 he died.

Do you know who I'm talking about?

The first time I went to Splash was probably the summer of 1996. I was at NYU at the time. It was the like the Friday night gay place to go, if I remember right. There was another club over on 19th for Milk Mondays. There was Cheetah on Tuesdays, which was mixed or Jackie 60, or Flamingo East. I forget Wednesdays, probably Splash. Life for Get a Life on Thursday. Friday was Splash and Saturday was the Roxy. Sunday was BUMP at the Palladium and then Boy's Life at Life.

I started going when it was just a pub looking place with a small dance floor and wood bar when I was like 21. And of course the showers. Then there was a huge renovation where they expanded the dance floor and had another bar downstairs. At some point they changed their name to SBNY. The SBNY was the beginning of the end. Maybe just because I was getting older, but also that's when the SATC affect was in full force and women and bachelorette parties started invading to stare at all the gays in their natural habitat. The bathroom downstairs was basically a backroom with open stalls. I always get that confused with XLs urinal which was basically a wall with water you peed on in the open behind the bar.

The bartenders were hot in that gorilla muscle Chelsea boy way, that was all the rage then. The Gogo Boys were sexy at the time with the same bodies. I knew Adam as well. He was actually a personal trainer at Tommy Marinelli's 19th St. Gym way before working at Splash. He was always straight there, engaged then married. That's why I was surprised as hell to see him working security at the door of Splash. I thought the rumor was he started actually dating the owner after a while, which led me to believe he came out. But that was just a rumor as far as I know, that was floating around.

I loved to dance there in the early days. You could smoke in the club, which seems so odd now when I think about it. The boys were sexy and it was always fun to cruise this one or that one, flirt all night long, get drunk and then stumble home.

R42. Solid recap of 95/96 nyc. On your list you mentioned Jackie 60. Fucking loved that place. Tuesday night. Johnny Dynell and Chi Chi Valenti and Kitty Boots. OP here so I shouldn't derail the Splash thread here but, if there were a complete opposite to Splash's "homogenous/bland" atmosphere, it was Jackie 60. I honestly believe there won't ever be another club as unique and amazing as that place.

Sorry, back to Splash.

I always enjoyed talking and flirting and Victor, the handsome Italian guido who worked the downstairs bar many nights. He was a real character. Just a real hoot and a lot of fun. I think he was older than many of the other guys tended bar there.

The last time I was there was 2012 when I was visiting from Toronto. It just wasn't fun anymore. And Perez Hilton was "hosting" a night, which tells you how much it had fallen.

It's so sad that these clubs and bars are no longer with us.

They were amazing places to go, have fun, experiment and learn a little more about yourself.

I really feel sad for the kids of today that they don't have these kind of places.

Splash was the first gay bar I went to. I was so overwhelmed.

That was great though, wasn't it?

I danced opening night, taking a shower behind glass then on stage dancing and whipping water into the audience with my hair as the audience screamed for more. What a night! I remember the ribbon-cutter was Harriet Beecher Stowe.

I used to love going to Splash when I visited the city to see my sister. She would go with me, and there was a hot as hell bartender named Emeric who flirted with her the first time we met, and then subsequent visits if he was working we got free drinks. I liked the atmosphere there, sad it closed down.

One night in 1997 I was at Splash and this guy walked over to me and started asking me questions. One of his questions was: Are you bi or gay? I said: NEITHER.

R39, I guess you’re implying Mikes type was NYU twinks?

Haha. I actually thought that would be the reason he didn’t like me back then.

There will never be anything like Musical Mondays...other bars have tried, but there was just something goddamn MAGICAL about Splash on Mondays. My best friend and I went every week for nearly a decade; made some of the best friends of my life at that place.

What did magical Monday consist of?

Music on mondays?

r50, I remember Emeric. He was and is gorgeous. I think he got caught up selling drugs at Limelight with another bartender when he was like 23 back in 2006. He was able to turn his life around though. Think he is in finance now. He's on facebook but not going to post that here. I didn't know he worked at Splash as well. I always found it interesting these straight guys who knew gay men where into them and made their living working from bar to bar. He was truly one of the most beautiful men at the time in the city. The kind that makes your heart hurt over the unfairness of life. He must be like 36 now. I think that is him in the in pic #30 all the way to the right. You can't tell much from that, but you can tell enough.

I guess that's him in pic #31 as well.

Sadly I think his dad died in 9/11, so probably had to resort to doing what he could to make money at the time to support him and his mom and brother.

..and to support his steroid needs

It is so sad that places like this have gone.

We should crowdfund and open a dataloung bar, harkimg back to those heady days!

[quote] There will never be anything like Musical Mondays...other bars have tried, but there was just something goddamn MAGICAL about Splash on Mondays. My best friend and I went every week for nearly a decade; made some of the best friends of my life at that place.

I agree with this. Musical Mondays at Splash was special. Hundreds of people singing along to musical clips and just having fun. This was before every random ass bar had one AND it always felt well curated. It was also not uncommon to see Broadway folk there. I loved it. I think one of the other things that made it special was that back then every clip wasn't on YouTube. I remember one night drunkenly singing along to the State Fair Tony performance and I wasn't the only one.

Are there straight mega clubs anymore? Is it just the gay clubs that have went away or all?

Has gentrification played its part in eradicating these bars and clubs?

I think the rent would be insane at this point.

Are there any rich club promoters out there, who could put on nights like they used to do?

[quote] Are there any rich club promoters out there, who could put on nights like they used to do?

Where?

Anywhere

What is Gym Bar like these days? I used to go there a lot in the early 2010s, but I stopped going when I moved out of the city in 2013. It was fun, although I got the impression it attracted a lot of Chelsea boys who viewed themselves as jocks/sports fans and were looking to attract alpha masc tops. They had a billion screens with sports playing, but no one ever seemed to be paying attention lol.

r54 getting drunk and singing along with tony award clips and musical theatre performances. this was way before youtube so you couldn't just see this stuff unless you owned it.

You dont hear kids do that sort of thing now.

It does seem a joyless thing to be a twinkster nowadays.

I was at one of Lou Maletta's parties once, and one of the owners (Harry?) passed out on the floor. So I wasn't surprised when he died a couple years later.

Does anyone remember a sexy gogo dancer named Tracey James? Might have been in Playgirl at one time. Has anyone ever had him? I heard he was straight but maybe gay for pay?

Where is he these days?

I remember Brian fucked up on so many drugs at the West Side Club, late 90s. He would get a room and get on his knees and present hole for anyone to come in. It was kind of sad but often the door was closed and banging ensued. I was always mystified that with all the boys in his world he needed to go there to get his hole plugged. I guess it was forever hungry.

I had only one gay friend when I moved to NYC in 1996 and he loved Splash so we were there a lot. I remembered thinking that the surfboard drink tables and TVs at the urinals were chic and "so New York."

As the years went on, we and other friends would usually only be there for 2-4-1 Happy Hour which was fun. We were looking for boyfriends so the touristy crowd at nights and weekends wasn't really our scene. Also, we refused to pay a cover charge at Splash.

It was never my favorite hangout but I had a lot of fun there over the years.

Very popular gogo dancer in the mid 90s. Later became a Soloflex model. Tracy James.

R42 you said Tommy Marinelli!! I loved Tommy. Whatever happened to him.

Where are the hot spots now in NYC?

Hells Kitchen is where all the bars are. Rise, Atlas Social Club, Hardware.

whats gay bar an app

Remember Mike? He works at Atlas Social Club now. Great guy.

How old is Mike? He must be close to 50. The body is amazing, but how does one maintain that type of physique at that age?

Tracy James was a good guy. A lot of the straight guys in the 90's NYC gay scene (go go boys or bartenders) could be assholes behind your back but Tracy was genuine. He was always nice to me. I remember he once gave me a ride back to the city in the middle of the night after we shared a gig in the Hamptons and I was practically hypnotized by his looks and voice. If he was ever "gay for pay" I never saw any evidence, but I guess you never know. He had success as a model in the 90's, with his own workout video and a recurring role as a contestant on that show American Gladiators (remember that show?) and other stuff. Whenever I would show up for an audition in the 90's, like for like a bit part in a rock video or a soap opera, he'd be there. If I remember right, later married a woman from the club scene, I forget her name but her club name was "Miss Peel." Last I heard the marriage didn't last.

R81. Mike must be about 45 to 50 now. He always kept in amazing shape. Genes I guess. He's at Atlas Social Club now. One of the nice ones from the old Splash days.

R82 Tracy James was so hot. I wonder what he is doing now a days?

i don't know tracey james but he looks gay as hell to me. that name too! guuurl...

Mike is iconic. I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about him - which is amazing for some one so good looking. Despite the stunning looks, he seems like a decent person. And I don’t care how good the genes, that body takes 24/7 effort - diet, exercise, sleep. Shame he never seemed to get a serious boyfriend. Deserves to find a wealthy, good looking guy who will care for him in his post-Bar years. Though I wonder if he was given a cut of the business at Atlas - as he did inspire a loyal following who followed him there.

R86. I would not be surprised if he got a cut at Atlas. It's a smaller bar than Splash and he did bring regulars over. Deserves it imo. He does hang out w some wealthy guys and I'm sure he's probably ok financially. He was living in West Village w a friend/roommate. Don't know if he's still there. A good tip always equaled a free drink or shot w him. Great guy. At happy hour, when regulars came by, he would sometimes get a tray of shots for us. Always remember that.

what a guy. even if he didn't look like that. right?....

Bump

R42 here. I haven't heard Tracy James' name in years. Of all things, he taught the abs class at 19th St. gym for years. That little basement gym was a hotbed of straight muscle heads, questionable muscle heads. But I never got a whiff of anything from Tracy though as far as being gay. He was super nice, and I couldn't believe my luck that he was teaching this small mat class for about six or seven of us at a time. He was hot to death, and nice, which actually hurts. I am sure he is still sexy. He just had a natural lean build. I think I remember when I was 16, cosmo had a centerfold of him in black and white, detailing what makes a man hot. He also had the 6 minute Abs, which he made a chunk of change from . 19th St. Gym was Tommy Marinelli's gym. He was switchy, switchy, switchy when high (as an excuse). A gay friend of mine, who managed the gym for a while would always comment how Tommy was overtly sexual with him, commenting on his ass and wanting to fuck him. All these guys seemed to be comfortable around a ton of gay guys. I remember one of his hot, sexy guido friends, married even, hit me up on Grindr years later wanting me to come over and fuck him. This is the gym where I was first introduced to then 24 yo Thelonius Johnson who I had a huge crush on. He would go on to be Anderson Cooper's trainer for years, TJ. Emmeric was a trainer there. Tommy was friends with a bevy of celebs with gay rumors swirling around them. Main one being Tyson Beckford who would train there occasionally. I think Tommy's family money came from different businesses, but all had the hint of mafia. I remember one time him hiding out some guy at the front desk from whomever was looking for him. Tommy was partner owner in the company that constructed The Chelsea Mercantile Building (home to the first NYC Whole Foods, Bobby Flay, Katie Holmes, and others) and he was part owner, investor in SoundFactory that took over Twilo over by the Eagle and Scores.

Speaking of the Eagle, anyone else remember Gregory Nalbone, the hot to death GoGo boy for years all around the city? He is a bartender now I believe.

As far as major clubs are concerned, they are all out in Brooklyn, in Bushwick. Mostly straight. But straight in the way that guys arrive with girls, then by the end of the night, are doing what ever, coked up, in the bathrooms. You have House of Yes (which is gay or has a gay night), Avant Gardner, Lot 45 and a lot of others. The parties travel from warehouse to warehouse with the music going well into the AM on a Sunday, if not the afternoon. There is a huge Elroy event at Avant Gardner at the end of this month. Manhattan you have Freq and other major clubs in the Midtown area. Of course the meat packing district is ridiculous with 1 Oak, PHD, Cielo (although just closed), Avenue, Tao, Gilded Lilly, The Electric Room, Boom Boom and Le Bain. Le Bain also has a huge gay night on every Sunday up until Memorial Day. And FlashFactory on 28th St. in Chelsea I think still has a huge Sunday gay dance party. But as far as gay only mega clubs, I don't think they exist. But even Roxy, which was one of the biggest ever, was never all Gay.

So the parties are out there. But FlashFactory is the only one I've seen with the "take your shirt off as soon as you enter" gay of ole feel to it. But being older and not having the body I did then, spending way too much on my clothes to lose a t-shirt on the floor, the banality of shirtless grown men bouncing around in cargo shorts and baseball caps, and one too many 20 minute remixes of I Feel Love, I've lost my loving feeling for circuit party style gay mega parties. Give me a dark house beat, dark flashing lights, cute German or Italian boys out to lose their mind on their vacay in NYC, and I am in heaven.

I got a day pass to 19th Street Gym in the early 2000s. I heard a lot of muscle guys worked out there and was hoping for a super-cruisy vibe and some after-workout fun. Alas, it was probably the least cruisy gym I ever worked out in. Guys were training, nobody was cruising. I don't recall there being a sauna, and no one besides me used the flimsy showers. I spent 45 mins in that narrow stall waiting for someone to sashay by, but not a one. Needless to say, I never went back.

I wonder what Adam the blonde Adonis is up to these days, besides personal training. I always wished he was gay, he was so sweet. Sigh.

Gregory nalbone bartends at eagle and looks creepy. he does stuff to his face. i remember him as a gogo boy and thought he was hot to death.

Keep these tales coming people. This is fascinating!

I still have Adam the doorman's cell number in my contacts! No kidding. I hired him to do some moving for me once. I was a regular happy hour customer there and got to know him. Sweet guy.

Text him R95

DL Queens keep drooling about the bartenders/go-go boys at Splash. WHO CARES?!!! I remember SPLASH for all the good looking guys who used to show up on a Saturday night in the mid to late 1990's. Splash was the GRAND CENTRAL STATION of gay bars back then.

Someone should do a companion thread on the OG David Barton Gym. That and Splash are sort of paired in my memory.

There was a hot French-Canadian named Yves who was a bartender in Montreal and Toronto who went to work at Splash in the late '90's. He was on the cover of a gay magazine, HX I think. Anyone have memories of him? He can be seen taking part in Madonna's last Montreal show in a clip on YouTube.

R93 is correct, Greg’s face looks really grotesque these days. He got the type of work that looks ok in pics but positively freakish in real life. He almost looks like a FTM trans now. I don’t know why he ruined his face like that.

Vanity R100

Anymore tales of the club?

A drag queen who looked like Ricki Lake in HAIRSPRAY tried to pick me up one night ca. 1997.

I actually saw Brian very briefly last Sunday at the Greenwich St. EQUINOX. Surprisingly, he looked good! But then again, it was very briefly that I saw him as I was walking out of the locker room. For those who wonder why I was surprised by how good he looked, (as I saw him very briefly), it's because all of the bad plastic surgery he had. He wasn't as big as I remembered. I suppose he isn't taking as many steroids but he looked in shape.

Brian was one of the hungriest bottoms in Chelsea in the 1990s and 2000s. His ability to have 10 or more dicks, one after another, is legendary.

I am surprised he is still able to walk upright.

[quote]Anymore tales of the club?

I went on a couple dates with Francesco D'Macho who was a bartender there at one time. A VERY nice guy! This was before his porn career.

Guess?

I love these tales...it sounds a great place.

Was it?

I'll still always love Adam the 19th Street Gym straight married Splash Bar bartender.

[quote]I'll still always love Adam the 19th Street Gym straight married Splash Bar bartender.

Everybody mentions Adam. I thought he left his wife for Brian, had bad plastic surgery too, and I heard that he tried to commit suicide when Brian broke the relationship off?

West Hollywood crowd in a West Hollywood type bar.

I remember R107 - he was crazy. Italian maybe? A bundle of hyper aggressive energy. Avoided him because he was so in your face non-stop talker.

I always thought Larry the bartender was hot. Face seemed to be pulled a little tight but thought he was sexy. Anyone have him?

R107, is Victor. Crazy? It depends upon who you are.

Larry? VERY NICE GUY!

My friend blew Larry in one of the back rooms and I was always kind of jealous about that.

Victor - that’s right. Crazy in a good way - definitely hyper and a little Italian - extrovert crazy.

OMG this triggered a memory I thought I had repressed.

First time in NYC, 24 years old. Met a guy at Splash and went back to his place. He kept his tighty whities on but I got naked. I grinded on his cock (with his underwear on) throughout the night. No sex but it was very hot and sensual. I thought maybe he was “the one” (we all do at that age).

Morning comes. I wake up before he does and noticed the skid marks I made on the outside of his underwear from grinding on him. I know he noticed too but thank god said nothing and I got out of there as fast as I could.

I’m much more hygienic now.

Don’t ever tell anyone that story.

R117 you had him at skidmarks

Splash was so much fun...hooked up a lot with cuties at Musical Mondays and Saturday nights. I miss when Chelsea was more fun, more gay, and more social! Anyone remember Heaven on 6th Ave?

[quote]Anyone remember Heaven on 6th Ave?

I do. But, how long was it Heaven? That location was 3 or 4 differently named clubs. I know that it was Rush prior to Heaven.

When did this thread skid STRAIGHT DOWN THE SHITTER?

[quote]I always thought Larry the bartender was hot. Face seemed to be pulled a little tight but thought he was sexy. Anyone have him?

Really? Larry? A bit much, no? He had a certain hotness in 1994, but his ENTIRE IDENTITY was wrapped up in being a Splash Bartender, which is kind of sad. No idea what he does for money now, but I see him around. His face has been yanked so tight he looks Asian, and is of course a big gurleen (not that there's anything wrong with that). Charles Busch gives him spear-holder roles in his plays every now and then, and of course he's a TERRIBLE actor. He eventually got fired from Splash after many years for.....well, the usual reason bartenders get fired.

What about that very sexy Italian, or Jewish bartender named David who worked there FOREVER?

Brian was and is a total monster and mental case. I used to be a flyers queen when Splash first opened, I had been in the hospital with back surgery and I needed a cash job, so I worked in promotions for clubs and handed out HX magazine! The money was great. Brian would get frantic if anyone handed out fliers because people littered, yet I always picked up EVERY one off the ground, but he would threaten me with physical violence aided by his sore face (ouch!) and all the drugs he was on. Finally one day I said, "Fine, take a swing at me, see what that costs you!" He never bothered me again. His dopey boyfriend Harry OD'd and threw away a great life. Idiots do GHB. Brian made Harry's memorial (at St. John the Divine!) a close rival to the end of "Imitation of Life"! MARY!

[quote]His face has been yanked so tight he looks Asian,

Okay, shoot me. I laughed....

[quote]What about that very sexy Italian, or Jewish bartender named David who worked there FOREVER?

I remember a David who was a bartender and had a REALLY big and thick dick. For the longest he was always flipping it out and showing it until someone must have schooled him and told him to charge for his shows. Anyway, he went on to become a masseur but I haven't seen or heard about him years. He's probably no longer in NYC. I'm not sure he was Italian or Jewish. Armenian, maybe?

Are these kind of places all gone now?

I saw this thread and was about to ask r126's same question. I've been coupled up and out of the "going out" scene for 20 years now but sometimes I think it'd be nice to go out and dance again -- is there ANYWHERE to go in New York anymore? I mean obviously not NOW due to the pandemic, but before the pandemic shut everything down.

I wondered that too?

R127 I’m in the same boat. Partnered in NYC but would like to go out and dance again like 20 years ago.

Too plastic. For interesting bars, one has to go the 1980s or earlier.

What kind of places do the beautiful 20 somethings go to now?

Yes there are still places like that to go out in NYC. Everything is in Bushwick - House of Yes, Mirage, Avant Gardner, etc. The list goes on. I used to go to all the places as well, consistently. I am old enough to have gone through three incarnations of Splash. As a youngling it was just a Uncle Charlie type of place with wood stools, then they blew it out into a mini big club with fancier showers, and a stage. And then a major two three bar place called SBNY. The internet killed social gay life. People went out because there was no other way to hook up. As soon as people started standing around cruising on their phones in a club instead of talking and dancing with each other - that type of gay life was over.

I like straight clubs now, sniffing out the cute closety ones that want to makeout in the bathroom. I like the hunt of it all. I am not looking to go out and get laid anymore. I too just get that one my phone, but I still love to go dancing and flirting and the hunt. Straight nights have better music, better DJs too. I couldn't take another 20 minute remix of Donna Sommer's I Feel Love.

I just wonder where Millennials will go to meet guys.

I was used to going to Splash either Fri or Sat night and dealt with the usual attitude from bartenders--definitely not at the toxic level found at G but still there.

One weekday, I was walking in the area and decide to go in. I went to the bar in the basement where there were a few after work folks. I was surprise to see how nice and chatty the bartender was (sorry, have no idea what his name was. All I recall was he looked Italian). He was joking around and laughing with patrons--very sweet guy.

[quote] I’m in the same boat. Partnered in NYC but would like to go out and dance again like 20 years ago.

Yes, we all have that feeling, but when you actually do get to go out, you see all the really young people, you feel completely out of place. Plus, you realize you'd rather just be at home and watch TV

I loved visiting SBNY when I would visit from Boston. Nothing like that around here. I surreptitiously photographed a couple of the bar tenders there (and still have the pics) but don't know how to post them here.

Turns out there's still a live SBNY instagram site with old pics.

R137 The guy in the red shorts 😍

It's such a shame that these type of evenings have gone. We used to have a regular party night in the city I lived in and they were wild nights of socialising and snogging hot boys. It's so sad those days have gone.

Funny r138 how you picked the ugliest one. I guess there is indeed a lid for every pot.

I know r133 has to be joking. Millennials are in bars now on their phones looking for other guys while surrounded by guys they could actually try to meet, but they don't.

You know what the most beautiful about all those old pics? Not a cellphone in site. People were actually clapping their hands and applauding performers instead of trying to record every second of something.

My husband and I went there in April 1997. I remember the restrooms had gay porn playing on the video screens.

Is this the Mike (on the left) everyone is talking about? I remember him working out at the Greenwich Ave Equinox.

OK, not splash, but a bartender around the same time as all of these. There was this super nice guy, straight guy, that my boyfriend and I had a huge crush on. On slow nights he would give us drinks and we would just chat. He worked for John Blair, so his rotation was XL and Limelight when it became Avalon for a hot second. But he had dark hair, smooth tight, muscular body and this most distinguishing thing is that he had a HUGE dragon tattoo that wrapped around his shoulder and down his pec to where the mouth was around his nipple I think . This was way back when before everyone started getting tattoos all over - late 90s, early 2000s. The most any gays had were Tribal tattoos. So his really stood out.

Oh and there was Matthew who worked at the Roxy on Saturday. He was tall, lean and muscular. He had the type of build where his waist was so naturally tight and small, it looked like he would crack in half from his broad muscular shoulders. But he had long shaggy dark hair and usually worn a beanie. BF and I were lushes back them. Or maybe since we weren't the cookie cutter Chelsea queens, whom all the fun in the world seemed to be reserved for, we needed to get drunk just to stay in the place. But Matthew was sweet and straight as well, and would basically give us a highball full of vodka each.

This is the first place I think of whenever I hear stand-n-model crowd

Maybe R144. But Bower Bar (B Bar) takes that award all the way to the bank.

Bowery Bar....

I remember going to Splach for the first time around 1999 and thinking it was great.

We used to meet there, have a cocktail, and head off to Roxy. Or Sound Factory. Or both.

Oh, to be young and have good drugs.

I went there for the first time in 2000 when I was in New York for work.

There was a drag queen hosting a show, and she came and grabbed me and put me on stage along with about six other guys. Suddenly, I was part of a trivia game where, if you got the answer to a question wrong, you had to take off an item of clothing of the patrons' choosing. I was mortified. I got the first question wrong, and of course, everyone in the bar screamed for me to take my pants off.

So there I was in my underwear, on display, all alone in front of a bar full of strangers. Thankfully, I did better on the rest of the questions. I ended up winning, didn't have to take off any more clothes, and won $100.

Looking back on it now, it was actually a pretty fun thing to do.

I went once and lasted about an hour before leaving. Loathed the atmosphere, and there was a very drunk guy making a scene at the next table.