World Trade Center Memorial: Cruising Paradise?

There's an absolutely brilliant Observer article by Choire Sicha about the new world order of gay cruising and hook-ups in New York City. Places that were once good for trysts are now being overrun by everyone, which is just like the straight people to appropriate what the gay love! The article looks at the intersection of the city's public planning with the evolution of the city's gay male population - it's like Cruising meets The Power Broker, with a splash of Emily Post (an invite to a party said, "Don’t go into the basement w/o checking your wallet. It’s hard to avoid pickpockets when your pants are on the floor.”)! Among the observations and predictions are the suggestions that the World TradeCenter's Memorial Plaza could become "Pick Up Central," the High Line as another cruising magnet and that bohemian Manhattan (and perhaps Brooklyn as well) is dead. Well, this means only one thing: The gays must flock to the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island. Or Baltimore, where it's still seedy?

Are the outer boroughs better for cruising? And where?

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 12, 2005 12:26 PM

Comments [rss]

jake

just for the record, jen and i have both seen cruising-- and it rocks. al pacino in leather-- i'm not even going to bother saying anything else.

your sister's gay boyfriend

Which militant, left wing verbage did you fail to use?

Honestly, I'm simply befuddled that anyone can be an apologist for that cinematic santorum that is "Cruising". Almost makes me wish Pacino did more films like "Devil's Advocate".

cc

Things to do today while bored at the office: Piss off pretentious, PC dumbass by not using the latest in militant, left wing verbage. Check.

Maybe I meant you're a pretentious, personal computer using dumbass.

your sister's gay boyfriend

Remember, many of the men who come to the cruising spots are married with children, and don't consider themselves gay.

*snicker*

As for "PC", it's what people say when they can't come up with anything more cogent than "because I said so".

Dirk

Sorry. It's the steroids talking...

eebmore

fucking left-handers

dana

I think *I'm* the "pretentious, pc dumbass," dirk.

cc: Regardless of whether I think the movie's homophobic or not, it remains a piece of shit, and more important, it's not particularly germane to the topic of the Observer story. And pc? That's the best smear you can come up with? Have you traveled here from the Year 1992?

Seriously, though, what is meant by the statement that "The Gays" will have to find someplace else to cruise? "The Gays" don't do anything as a single entity, any more than "The Asians" or "The Left-Handed."

eebmore

Down dirk, I think Dana was the target.

Dirk

And by the way, I'm well aware of the controversy surrounding the movie's depiction of the leather scene. I know leather men who hate it for that reason. But that doesn't inform my final opinion of it -- the movie stinks.

Dirk

I'm not sure what you mean by "pretentious, p.c. dumbass to quote the party line against the movie Cruising". Please enlighten me. I'd like to know what party line I'm supposed to be a part of.

I've seen the movie and it's terrible -- not because of the subject matter, but because it's a poorly-scripted, poorly-acted, poorly-directed movie. Period. I don't think it's one of Pacino's finer moments in terms of being an actor. If you liked the movie, fine. Beyond that, dumbass, I'd like to know what you think I meant.

cc

Ha! I just clicked on the comments to see how long it would take for some pretentious, p.c. dumbass to quote the party line against the movie Cruising and Gothamist's schoolmarmish advice. Predictably, not long at all.

dhex

"Something along the lines of, oh, Gothamist thinks that 5 am is a dangerous time to have anonymous sex in Prospect Park!"

yeah, it's too bright then. between 3 and 4:30 is key.

and bring a sweater!

MT

Whatever you do, DON'T go cruising on Staten Island. I live there and I love it, but as far as the gays go, not so much. Unless ofcourse there's some hotty out there to prove me wrong. (does that count as cruising on Gothamist? Am I a pioneer?)

Dave H.

I've never seen Cruising, but I'm impressed with the above's utilization of a cedille [sic w/o the accent] in "soupcon". I gotta brush up on my typographic skills.

dana

Cruising? Have you even SEEN the movie? Or is it that you haven't read the article? Well, whatever. I suppose this is Gothamist's strong suit: appallingly--yet unsurprisingly--glib commentary with a soupçon of grammatical impairment. You know what this post is missing, though? That trademark schoolmarmish contempt. Something along the lines of, oh, Gothamist thinks that 5 am is a dangerous time to have anonymous sex in Prospect Park!

Dirk

Oh my god, that movie "Cruising" is so terrible.

eebmore

whoops. sorry for posting fourteen times.

eebmore

niiiiicccceeee. You just posted that to see if I was still reading. Funny thing is someone tried to cruise me yesterday and I was just about to write it. Oh, now I must.