All of the gay bars around here are very hetero-friendly and I know that bothers people who want to go to all-gay establishments from time to time. So, as a breeder I appreciate it.
Love the one you're with & welcome to the neighborhood Wilde Pug!
"Another" gay bar? Really? Is that how it is? As a gay man living in the area, we have watched as Halsted has slowly been overrun with "straight" bars and not said a word... now they open up a gay bar next to Crew (the only other gay bar within at least 5 blocks) and all of a sudden it's too many? Straight people have Clark, Lincoln, Milwaukee, Division etc on the north side where on any given Friday night you can barely MOVE because of all the tramps in tiny dresses and drunken frat boys... but us gays have WAY too many bars in Uptown. Grow up and get a clue, Anon... and by all means, stop by the Wilde Pug for a drink one night. I promise that no one will grab your ass.
A gay day labor agency would make a good show at the Annoyance Theater.
You could drive up in a truck and a bunch of gay guys could jump in and go to your condo and redecorate while criticizing your fashion choices.
The landscaping would be done by the dour looking lesbians who jumped in.
There are all kinds of businesses in Uptown I won't frequent because I just don't use those goods or services. The Smoke Shop and Tattoo Parlor comes to mind. That doesn't mean I hope they aren't successful.
I wish Wilde Pug the best. Having two bars that cater to the gay community will make them both more successful. Think of what the Holiday Club and Nick's on Sheridan do for one another.
If you go over to Clark in Andersonville there are certainly bars and restaurants that cater to either the gay or straight communities and sometimes both. That has helped create a very vibrant little area right there. I hope Broadway around Lawrence becomes just as successful. When I think of a vibrant retail/entertainment area I don't see gay or straight. I see "green".
Do we even know that it's going to be a gay bar? Just curious. While personally I'd prefer a straight bar for selfish reasons, if it's well run, behaves as a good neighbor, and brings dollars into the area, then hell, I'm all for any gay bar setting up shop here.
Anon 11:09 says he hopes it's not another gay bar? He must not own real estate in Uptown! With the exception of Friday and Saturday nights, Crew couldn't be more hetero-friendly (as a hetero man who goes there for great burgers pretty regularly, I'm qualified to say this). Moreover, though, I want MORE gays in the neighborhood, not less. This generalization will possibly be offensive to more pc types, but the gay population takes better care of their property than the straight population, they have higher disposable incomes, and patronize bars and restaurants more than other populations. So I say, "Welcome gays, and tell your friends!"
Anonymous 2:50 - I agree with your generalization about gays (I am one) taking better care of their property, but don't overstep with saying we have more disposable income - not always true, especially when you are only person in the household. Straight people have more advantages as far as write offs - marriage, children, etc... but that's not what this topic is about. I digress.
What about Fat Cat? We just had a great time there and we loved the selection of Belgian beers.
Crew, Wilde Pug and Fat Cat are great additions to the neighborhood and Big Chicks and the Green Mill are old faves.
It our job to make sure that everyone feels comfortable at these establishments and feels like it is "their" bar---whether gay, straight, bi, trans...whatever! Uptown gives us all a reason to knock back a few!
Well said bret! I am a straight patron who frequents many bars, both gay and straight and would welcome either/or to our neighborhood. Crew could not be a more welcoming establishment and hopefully Wilde Pug will follow suit!
Gays take better care of their property? I would love to see what you base that (admitted) generalization on...I don't recall any studies being done that show that. I know more than one gay couple that is letting their condo go to hell.
Anon 8:08 - Yes, I'm sure there is much anecdotal evidence to counter the claim. And truthfully I haven't researched this a lot. Just did a Google search, though, and came up with a couple of articles, including this one:
The "gays take better care of their property" line was just based on observation of neighborhoods in various cities. East Lakeview in Chicago, Chelsea in NYC, West Hollywood in LA - all examples of clean, nice neighborhoods. Even the Castro in SF is relatively nice, given where it is in the city. You'd be hard-pressed to find a "gay neighborhood" that isn't cleaner and nicer than the hoods around it.
Well, if these observations were done in gentrifying neighborhoods, then I don't doubt that gays moving into gentrifying neighborhoods tend to improve their properties. However, I would also subject that straights with disposable income, that move into gentrifying neighborhoods, tend to improve the existing housing stock as well. In other words, the trend has nothing to do with sexual orientation...at least not directly. It's more a factor of financial circumstances, which makes perfect sense.
I would much rather have a neighborhood full of gay people with full time jobs than all the section eight people we have to deal with that have no respect for the neighborhood.
Some people who post here are Section 8 renters. Some of us (like me) have close family members who are Section 8 renters. And I bet that there are gay Section 8 renters.
C'mon, don't buy into Helen's us vs. them mentality. If we've learned anything from her tactics, it's that pointing the finger at someone and playing the race/social status card is a no-win situation in the long run.
Pardon my french, but it's f****** 2008! We can have a woman and a black man running for president and yet can't aren't ready for another gay-friendly bar in Uptown? We seriously have to evolve past the stone ages and applaud anyone that has the balls to open ANY new business in the up-and-coming Uptown.
All I have to say is .. please carry something other than Absolut or Tanqueray ... please please have a beer snob as the purchaser ... and lastly, gay or straight, please offer damn good food to wash down with the best beer, or perhaps bourbon, selection in town. And is it to much to ask to be able to hear the conversation that I have chosen to engage in at this establishment? Am I pushing it to ask for no televisions blaring at me? If so ... I'll settle for the kickass beer selection. And I promise not to look dour as I spend my obnoxious amount of disposable income in this establishment. Please Wilde Pug - give me a place to unload the burden of my stupendous income. That's right -some of us do have disposable income that we are looking for places to spend it in. And straight, gay or whatever - fulfill the previous requests and I'll pay your mortgage!
C'mon, don't buy into Helen's us vs. them mentality. If we've learned anything from her tactics, it's that pointing the finger at someone and playing the race/social status card is a no-win situation in the long run.
You forgot to mention 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION' That's what started all of this.
Oy... the generalizations are getting a little out of control. I hate shoe shopping, I have a REAL dog. The 'tini comment, however, could be true if it's been a long week but I usually prefer a nice vodka & soda.
And irony? Really? Doesn't EVERYONE love a little irony to keep it interesting?
Anon 9:45 - Stuff Gay People Like - funny you don't hear the same said for men, woman, blacks, whites - just generalizing it's what gays like. Probably something you picked up from watching television. Last time I checked my tax dollars were just as good as yours. To single out people just for posting is ridiculous. Shouldn't it be about what's best for ALL in da hood?!
(anon 9:45) Sorry, just trying to be amusing as a gay man who fits none of those stereotypes. I was referencing a real blog called Stuff White People Like that's received a lot of press lately. Snarky apparently only goes one way around here.
anon 9:45 - snarky is a good thing and it does go both ways. Didn't make the connection between the Stuff White People Like - not knowing about it. My apologies. Hard to tell on a blog when people are serious and not at times. No harm no foul.
Anon 10:23 - au contraire, you DO hear it for men, women, blacks, whites. In fact, I would wager that Anon 9:45 was alluding to one of the hotter viral sites on the internet these days, Stuff White People Like (http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/). It's pretty fun. Enjoy.
The stuff white people like blog is some of the funniest stuff I've seen in ages.
#87 on that list is outdoor performance clothes - ha!!! So true! I've got like three different pullovers from REI that I bought to make me look rugged and sporty (they don't).
The Uptown Entertainment District in the 48th Ward is about to get another establishment, two doors down from Crew at Broadway and Lawrence.
Right, it would be better to leave it empty than have gays around. Just open it up and let squatters move in. That would be better Anon 11:09
ReplyDeleteGlitter and be gay, I say!
ReplyDeleteAll of the gay bars around here are very hetero-friendly and I know that bothers people who want to go to all-gay establishments from time to time. So, as a breeder I appreciate it.
Love the one you're with & welcome to the neighborhood Wilde Pug!
Couldn't agree more - everyone is always welcome - and having more options in Uptown for entertainment - what's better than that!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Wilde Pug!!
"another gay bar."
ReplyDeleteBecause that would make...two?
Don't forget Big Chicks, Truman.
ReplyDeleteAh... so I did. I guess I was concentrating on the "Uptown Entertainment District" part.
ReplyDeleteBC is too far east for that district. There is no entertainment over there, unless you count watching the bums peeing on everything in the alley.
ReplyDelete"Another" gay bar? Really? Is that how it is? As a gay man living in the area, we have watched as Halsted has slowly been overrun with "straight" bars and not said a word... now they open up a gay bar next to Crew (the only other gay bar within at least 5 blocks) and all of a sudden it's too many? Straight people have Clark, Lincoln, Milwaukee, Division etc on the north side where on any given Friday night you can barely MOVE because of all the tramps in tiny dresses and drunken frat boys... but us gays have WAY too many bars in Uptown. Grow up and get a clue, Anon... and by all means, stop by the Wilde Pug for a drink one night. I promise that no one will grab your ass.
ReplyDeleteCan't tell you my sources, but I have it on good authority that it's actually going to be a gay day labor agency :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! But what work could really be done without getting your hands dirty? I am sure it would be more visually appealing!
ReplyDeleteregardless of the sexual orientation of the bar (do bars have sexual orientations?), welcome, wilde pug!
ReplyDeleteThis is amusing.
ReplyDeleteA gay day labor agency would make a good show at the Annoyance Theater.
You could drive up in a truck and a bunch of gay guys could jump in and go to your condo and redecorate while criticizing your fashion choices.
The landscaping would be done by the dour looking lesbians who jumped in.
There are all kinds of businesses in Uptown I won't frequent because I just don't use those goods or services. The Smoke Shop and Tattoo Parlor comes to mind. That doesn't mean I hope they aren't successful.
I wish Wilde Pug the best. Having two bars that cater to the gay community will make them both more successful. Think of what the Holiday Club and Nick's on Sheridan do for one another.
If you go over to Clark in Andersonville there are certainly bars and restaurants that cater to either the gay or straight communities and sometimes both. That has helped create a very vibrant little area right there. I hope Broadway around Lawrence becomes just as successful. When I think of a vibrant retail/entertainment area I don't see gay or straight. I see "green".
Do we even know that it's going to be a gay bar? Just curious. While personally I'd prefer a straight bar for selfish reasons, if it's well run, behaves as a good neighbor, and brings dollars into the area, then hell, I'm all for any gay bar setting up shop here.
ReplyDeleteIrishpirate... that is absolutely hilarious. Really. One of the funniest comments on this blog in a while.
ReplyDeleteFunny I go to a lot of str8 bars and always get cruised by guys.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it really matters in Chicago this isn't the boondocks.
Anon 11:09 says he hopes it's not another gay bar? He must not own real estate in Uptown! With the exception of Friday and Saturday nights, Crew couldn't be more hetero-friendly (as a hetero man who goes there for great burgers pretty regularly, I'm qualified to say this). Moreover, though, I want MORE gays in the neighborhood, not less. This generalization will possibly be offensive to more pc types, but the gay population takes better care of their property than the straight population, they have higher disposable incomes, and patronize bars and restaurants more than other populations. So I say, "Welcome gays, and tell your friends!"
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2:50 - I agree with your generalization about gays (I am one) taking better care of their property, but don't overstep with saying we have more disposable income - not always true, especially when you are only person in the household. Straight people have more advantages as far as write offs - marriage, children, etc... but that's not what this topic is about. I digress.
ReplyDeleteAs a straight man, the closest bars to my are Big Chicks and Crew. Argyle has no bars.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Fat Cat? We just had a great time there and we loved the selection of Belgian beers.
ReplyDeleteCrew, Wilde Pug and Fat Cat are great additions to the neighborhood and Big Chicks and the Green Mill are old faves.
It our job to make sure that everyone feels comfortable at these establishments and feels like it is "their" bar---whether gay, straight, bi, trans...whatever!
Uptown gives us all a reason to knock back a few!
Well said bret! I am a straight patron who frequents many bars, both gay and straight and would welcome either/or to our neighborhood. Crew could not be a more welcoming establishment and hopefully Wilde Pug will follow suit!
ReplyDeleteSide note: if your looking for Belgian beers take a look at West Lakeview Liquors on Addison
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 2:50 & 3:46,
ReplyDeleteGays take better care of their property? I would love to see what you base that (admitted) generalization on...I don't recall any studies being done that show that. I know more than one gay couple that is letting their condo go to hell.
Anon 8:08 - Yes, I'm sure there is much anecdotal evidence to counter the claim. And truthfully I haven't researched this a lot. Just did a Google search, though, and came up with a couple of articles, including this one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spiritus-temporis.com/gentrification/gay-whites-as-part-of-the-gentrification-process.html
The "gays take better care of their property" line was just based on observation of neighborhoods in various cities. East Lakeview in Chicago, Chelsea in NYC, West Hollywood in LA - all examples of clean, nice neighborhoods. Even the Castro in SF is relatively nice, given where it is in the city. You'd be hard-pressed to find a "gay neighborhood" that isn't cleaner and nicer than the hoods around it.
brawley,
ReplyDeleteWell, if these observations were done in gentrifying neighborhoods, then I don't doubt that gays moving into gentrifying neighborhoods tend to improve their properties. However, I would also subject that straights with disposable income, that move into gentrifying neighborhoods, tend to improve the existing housing stock as well. In other words, the trend has nothing to do with sexual orientation...at least not directly. It's more a factor of financial circumstances, which makes perfect sense.
I would much rather have a neighborhood full of gay people with full time jobs than all the section eight people we have to deal with that have no respect for the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteDude. Diversity.
ReplyDeleteSome people who post here are Section 8 renters. Some of us (like me) have close family members who are Section 8 renters. And I bet that there are gay Section 8 renters.
C'mon, don't buy into Helen's us vs. them mentality. If we've learned anything from her tactics, it's that pointing the finger at someone and playing the race/social status card is a no-win situation in the long run.
Pardon my french, but it's f****** 2008! We can have a woman and a black man running for president and yet can't aren't ready for another gay-friendly bar in Uptown? We seriously have to evolve past the stone ages and applaud anyone that has the balls to open ANY new business in the up-and-coming Uptown.
ReplyDeleteHave a PepsiMax and WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
All I have to say is .. please carry something other than Absolut or Tanqueray ... please please have a beer snob as the purchaser ... and lastly, gay or straight, please offer damn good food to wash down with the best beer, or perhaps bourbon, selection in town.
ReplyDeleteAnd is it to much to ask to be able to hear the conversation that I have chosen to engage in at this establishment? Am I pushing it to ask for no televisions blaring at me?
If so ... I'll settle for the kickass beer selection.
And I promise not to look dour as I spend my obnoxious amount of disposable income in this establishment. Please Wilde Pug - give me a place to unload the burden of my stupendous income. That's right -some of us do have disposable income that we are looking for places to spend it in. And straight, gay or whatever - fulfill the previous requests and I'll pay your mortgage!
thanks, caring neighbor! :)
ReplyDeleteTo Caring Neighbor
ReplyDelete'Dude': I'm not the one who opened this Blog by making a 'Gay' comment.
'Gay Bars' and their numbers should be the least of our concerns in Uptown.
C'mon, don't buy into Helen's us vs. them mentality. If we've learned anything from her tactics, it's that pointing the finger at someone and playing the race/social status card is a no-win situation in the long run.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention 'SEXUAL ORIENTATION'
That's what started all of this.
This comment thread is turning into Stuff Gay People Like. Someone has yet to mention shoes, drink names ending in -tini, micro dogs and irony.
ReplyDeleteOy... the generalizations are getting a little out of control. I hate shoe shopping, I have a REAL dog. The 'tini comment, however, could be true if it's been a long week but I usually prefer a nice vodka & soda.
ReplyDeleteAnd irony? Really? Doesn't EVERYONE love a little irony to keep it interesting?
Anon 9:45 - Stuff Gay People Like - funny you don't hear the same said for men, woman, blacks, whites - just generalizing it's what gays like. Probably something you picked up from watching television. Last time I checked my tax dollars were just as good as yours. To single out people just for posting is ridiculous. Shouldn't it be about what's best for ALL in da hood?!
ReplyDelete(anon 9:45) Sorry, just trying to be amusing as a gay man who fits none of those stereotypes. I was referencing a real blog called Stuff White People Like that's received a lot of press lately. Snarky apparently only goes one way around here.
ReplyDeleteanon 9:45 - snarky is a good thing and it does go both ways. Didn't make the connection between the Stuff White People Like - not knowing about it. My apologies. Hard to tell on a blog when people are serious and not at times. No harm no foul.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:23 - au contraire, you DO hear it for men, women, blacks, whites. In fact, I would wager that Anon 9:45 was alluding to one of the hotter viral sites on the internet these days, Stuff White People Like (http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/).
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty fun. Enjoy.
The stuff white people like blog is some of the funniest stuff I've seen in ages.
ReplyDelete#87 on that list is outdoor performance clothes - ha!!! So true! I've got like three different pullovers from REI that I bought to make me look rugged and sporty (they don't).
I believe in the human race and the human spirit to transend the tendency to see differences as something negative.
ReplyDeleteGays, straights, dwarfs (or should I say, small people), foreign born, old, young, female, male, whatever, appreciate people for being who they are.
Please stop this incessant let's question everyone who's not just like me and change how you view the world.
When you change how you see things, the things around you change.