Page 14 HIGH GEAR
Doing America with Damron:New Orleans
By Bob Damron
New Orleans is undoubtedly the most exciting city to visit anywhere in America. I have been 'hooked' on it since my first Mardi. Gras, nearly twenty years ago... and still get a natural 'high' as soon as the airport limo enters the French Quarter. Pronounced 'New-Or-Luns' by the natives, this great port near the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River, has a strong French, Spanish and Cajun inheritance.
Magical street names like Bourbon, Rampart, Canal, Esplanade, Bienville, Royal, Toulouse, Conti, Picayune and Burgundy (Burr-Goon-Dee) conjure up romantic Old World fantasies. Except for the Super Dome, modern skyscrapers and the fact that 'A Streetcar Named Desire' Desire' is now a bus, New Orleans changes less than other major cities.
The square mile or so that comprises the historical French Quarter, Vieux Carre, is more continental than any other part of the U.S.A.... and remains much as it was 200 years ago! Although much can be said for other dis-
tricts and hearby parishes, most visitors, whether gay or straight, converge on the Quarter to spend their time and money.
Mardi Gras (which comes in February) is the wildest celebration imaginable a week of parades, floats, costume balls, parties, promiscious sex and total abandonment. But every weekend can be a minor Mardi Gras. The bars are open 24 hours, and Bourbon Street is blocked off at nightfall to auto traffic, creating a wall to wall promenade of 'turned on' revelers. The Quarter is the only place in America where you buy a drink at one bar, pour it in a paper cup and walk on to the next. An auto is almost a liability, for it is much easier to walk, take a taxi or hire a horse-drawn carriage. Furthermore, cruising goes on day and night on most every block or street corner, inevitably all roads lead to Lafitte's In Exile.
Lafitte's at 901 Bourbon St. succeeded the infamous Dixie's and has since become a legend in its own time. At this medium
sized two storied cruise bar you
can eventually see everyone you have ever known or anyone your want to meet. A close competitor is the Bourbon Pub at 801 Bourbon. New Orleans is noted for its jazz, but has never been big on discos. The best is the Parade, up stairs at the Bourbon Pub. Twinkies, drags and what have you hole up at Le Bistro, the only other disco directly across the street.
Somewhat less frantic are the Rampart Street bars. Brady's and the Grog are favorite Lesbian I haunts, while I prefer Travis's I and !!, which are both located in the 800 block. Travis's II (known as T,T,'s) gets alot of the S&M crowd, and has a 'fun' back room. Tiger's (formerly Kitty's) at 740 Burgundy also gets some macho leather numbers, and the new Stake Out, above Fat Sam's hopes to corral some of the same types. The Galley House at 542 Chartres has a more mature crowd and is often popular afternoons.
The Post Office has closed, which should leave Fat Sam's and Le Lido as the premiere show
bars. Hopefully by now the Last Call at 940 St. Louis will be open, featuring pool tables and pin ball machines. The old Society Page also plans to re-open as the Roundup. The Golden Lantern at 1239 Royal is an old favorite, where anything goes from bikers to pikers. Jewel's Tavern at 1207 Decatur is a sleazy cruise bar with 'hot' bartenders and humpy customers.
Popular baths include the C.B.C.'s Club New Orleans at 515 Toulouse, Canal Baths at Rampart and St. Anne, and Camp Baths at 512 Gravier. New and promising are the Club Gemini at 1129 Decatur and Country Club complex at 634 Louisa Street.
Most promising of the new gay restaurants is Flamingo's (a short five minutes by cab out of the Quarter) at 1625 St. Charles Ave. Other gay oriented restaurants with mixed crowds are the Apple Barrel, Fatted Calf, Maxey's, Ichabod's and Tortilla Flats. For the well healed, New Orleans offers a marvelous selection of 'straight' dinner houses. Among my favorites are Antoine's,
Cure for winter blahs
by Cal Grey
Now that the holiday season with all its merriment has passed, gays tend to lose their excitement over the winter that is bearing down. Having to stay home because of snows or lack of activities brings on the winter blas or gloom for all of us.
One of the quickest and sure ways to get out of these glooms is to become a snowbird. You might laugh at that term; but the word "snowbird" has come to be the best word that southerners call northerners who fly south to get away from old man winter.
I have found from my travels that one place in particular can make one get over these blas or glooms quite quickly and at affordable prices. It is a place where temperatures stay on the average of about 82 degrees. Where is this place you might ask, that offers warm temperatures' and tropical breezes and where gay and uncritical "laissez-faire attitudes" are to be enjoyed? Where else, but the Caribbean Island of Key West, Florida.
Although Key West is approximately a 3-day drive from Ohio, it can be realized in a matter of a few short hours by air. One can take a plane to Tampa or Miami: avoid the heavy traffic of Ft. Lauderdale if possible, then transfer to Air Sunshine which flys direct to Key West.
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Upon arrival in Key West, one can stay at any of the following day resort motels: Island House 305-294-C284, Gideon Lowe House 305-2945963, Big Ruby's 305-296-2323, Key Lodge 305-296-9915, or Club Key West Baths which has 24 hour rates for rooms.
Since many gays book reservations months in advance, it might be wise to check first before flying down. If none are available, there are many FIRST
CLASS chain motel resorts such as Holiday Inn, Travelodge, Days Inn, Best Western, Sportsman Inn, or Key West's original Hotel, LaConcha Hotel in the heart of old town. Rates range from $24 up double occupancy at most of these places and on the average one can get a motel for under $30.00. even in mid-winter. Usually the straight motels and hotels do not book solid such as
the gay ones and most arrangements can be made through your local chain motel or travel agent.
Since Key West has only two actual gay bars, Delmonicos and Monsters, What does one do the rest of the time? A bicycle or moped can be rented at a very modest price to tour the small island that one can walk its width in 25 minutes. The Island of Key West only measures 4 miles by 1 1/4 miles wide.
One of the first points of interest is Novelist Ernest excitHemingway's Estate. The guided tour will not only enlighten one of
the writer's works and life, but will show one a true way of old style southern architecture and living. Hemingway was once asked what he found so enchanting about Key West; His reply, "I like Key West because the people don't stare at me on the streets."
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Numerous sight seeing tours can be taken at modest fees and most originate at Mallory Square in the heart of Old Town Key West. One can go fishing on a boat for as little as $5.50 per hour, go water skiing for $15 per hour, go snorkeling or even just sight see by a boat trip for only a couple dollars. I was personally disappointed in the sight seeing boat trips. Most of the boat trips advocate seeing live dolphins out of captivity and sunken ships. If you're lucky, you'll see dolphins. Ship wreckers in early history used Key West for their base for ship salvage and wrecking, so don't think that you'll see very exciting shipwrecks from a sight seeing boat. Besides serving as a
major ship wreck depot, Key West also served as a life-saving station for the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
One boat,secured at Wrecker's Wharf, to visit is the Spanich Galleon, Nucstra Senora de Atocha The people who own this boat are currently carrying on one of Key West's oldest traditions, salvaging treasures ; from many very old shipwrecks in the deep waters near Key West Many of the treasures are on display in the SpanishGalleon and can be seen for $1.50
One can delight in walking down Duvall Street in Old Town towards Mallory Square. Hera, many open air eating places, open air bars, and shops can be found, not to mention many gay beauties filling the streets. Dining in the tropical open air is a favorite of the Conchs, a label for Key West people handed down from tradition. At one time in history, the English people of Eleuthrea and Key West ship
Arnaud's, Beques', Brennan's, Broussards, Commander's Palace, Corinne Dunbars, Galatoire's, Le Ruth's, Louis XVI, Masson's, Moran's, Turci's, Versailles and Vieux Carre. A great place to take that special someone you met the night before for morning coffee & doughnuts is the French Market at Decatur & St. Anne.
For convenience and comfort I usually stay at the Downtowner or Vieux Carre Motels, which are straight but very tolerant. Among the recommended guest houses are Ursulines at 708 Ursulines, Lafitte at 1101 Bourbon, Bourgoyne at 839 Bourbon St. and Cross's at 717 Ursulines.
Over the years I have met many lasting friends "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans." I hope that you too will find the same good times, romance and advenure that I will always associate with "The city that Care Forgot."
THINK STRAIGHT
Be Gay
wreckers who settled the island ate many conchs in their diet. The Conch is a big sea snail whose shell measures 8 to 10 inches long. Many of us know this shell for the one we can hear the ocean in. Since they ate so many of these snails the name Conch was applied to them and has stuck to Key West residents ever since.
Other sights one might take in are the Oldest House, The Audubon House, (Home where bird lover and painter John J. Audubon lived), the Lighthouse where one can get a superb view of the island or surrounding seas, the Greene Street Theatre, a must for the gay theatre buff, and Key West Cigar factory. One other place I'm sure many gays might enjoy is the Key West Fragrance and Cosmetic Factory.
One word of warning must be mentioned. For those who enjoy salt water swimming; stay on the beaches as there are many sharks, poisonous jellyfish, and man of wars in the area. Sharks are attracted to humans by the movement or splashing in the water and will attack out of curiosity. Some have told me that if one attacks, grab him by the tail. This dislodges his inner organs and the shark will die. Sharks receive no nutritional value by taking a bite of humans and they even become ill from it, but hopefully one will not have to experience any such preditors.
There are many other exciting things to see and do here, but are too numerous to mention. If you get the winter blas or glooms, just remember that Key West will surely provide you with an instant cure.