Will G Lounge Be Closing Next?

  A well-placed source tells me that G Lounge will be the next gay establishment to exit Chelsea, following XL Lounge, Rawhide, Splash, and Rainbows & Triangles. The closings are part of the ongoing trend of all things gay now being in Hell's Kitchen. I was at G when it opened to great fanfare in 1996 and recall press reports at the time that owner Michael McGrail had signed a 20-year lease, which would keep the bar open until at least 2016. But my source says it may close even sooner, so I called G to ask about what I was hearing. "Definitely not true," said the man who answered the phone, who identified himself as Achilles. "In fact, we still have four more years on our lease." I said thank you and hung up, but then thought the discrepancy in the lease information -- four more years would mean McGrail had signed a (nonexistent) 22-year lease -- along with the specificity of the denial only made me more suspicious. I rarely go out to bars anymore, but having spent my (relative) youth in the joint -- where all my friend Jay and I had to do was look at Marcello, the hottest bartender ever, and two Amstels would appear -- I kinda hope I'm wrong. Contact me if you've heard anything HERE.