G Lounge Reopens in Chelsea

 

Some nine years after closing its doors following 20 years in Chelsea, G Lounge has reopened in its 19th Street home -- a space that has since been occupied by Rebar. Although the name and arched exterior doors are back, the interior still resembles its successor -- dark walls, a bar up front and go-go boys (the best addition). Damian and I had dinner around the corner last night at Elmo -- with a friend I hadn't seen since 1989(!) -- and then got a drink at G 2.0 and we give it two thumbs up, assuming you're OK with a $10 cover (maybe for Pride?) and mostly shitty music.

Although never my favorite hangout, G is definitely where I spent the most time in my lengthy gay career, followed by Preston's, Rage and JR's. Now if they could just get hunky Marcello back behind the bar serving up Amstel Lights, maybe my friend Jay and I would give it another go!

P.S.

Happy to see our old brunch spot, the Copper Still, is still alive and well, given how ratty most of the erstwhile gayborhood is looking these days. 

Happy Pride, everyone!

REBAR to Open in Former Home of G Lounge in Chelsea

Excited to hear that a team of guys that includes Facundo Rodriguez will be opening a new night spot called REBAR in the space G Lounge occupied for 20 years on 19th Street in Chelsea. Scheduled to open in April, the hunky Argentinian tells Get Out! magazine this about the new watering hole:

We’re recreating the neighborhood bar where the focus is on personal interaction. We’re taking away all the distractions: no TVs, no shows, no go-gos and focusing on our staff as the entertainment. They are all eclectic, something sexy for everyone. They all have great personalities and they are all expert bartenders who will serve up delicious drinks from our specialty menu. You’ll want to come visit on a daily basis. We think it will be a welcomed change in the neighborhood.

Personal interaction with the staff? Now you've got my interest!

Meet the staff -- like hunky Jon -- HERE.

Construction time again.

g (1996-2016)

We went during the final week so it's hard to believe this. (My friend Larry always used to call it G's, perhaps because he was used to saying JR's in Washington, where we both came to NYC from!) Once the epicenter of the Chelsea Boy scene, g -- like Chelsea's bustling gay scene -- is now history. 

With Damian and Greg during g's final week in business.

G Lounge in Chelsea to Close at End of Year

I just confirmed this with G Lounge, a gay-bar staple in Chelsea for 20 years. I first heard rumblings about G closing in early 2014, but then was told I was wrong in 2015. Sadly, I wasn't. The bar -- which signed a confident 20-year lease when it opened in 1996 -- seemed to remain vibrant as Splash, Rawhide, The Break, Champs, View Bar and others faded away. Sad to hear a place that played such a big role in my life is coming to an end, even if it had ended in my actual life many years ago. 

How a friend found out about the news.

UPDATE:

From the bar's Facebook page.

'Drink & Draw' at G Lounge in Chelsea

If you're feeling, um, artsy, G Lounge has just the thing for you: "Drink & Draw" is an event every Tuesday where hot models drive a sexually frustrated crowd into heavily drinking. My friend Will posted this photo, noting: Life is too difficult, having to stare at these two in many poses. 

Info HERE.

Photographer Jeff Eason Is 'Unfocused' at G Lounge

Congrats to my pal and fellow Michigander Jeff Eason -- aka Wilsonmodels -- whose "Unfocused" photo exhibition on display now at G Lounge was worth going out in the freezing rain to see!

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.