Woof, my first New York Pride celebration was magical! How absolutely awe-inspiring it was to surround myself with creative, driven, and intentional people. The nightlife and accessibility of everything is primo! I keep thinking I could live there, but I'd honestly never get any sleep because I want to do it all.
Just for reference, these are the places/parties I went to over the weekend:
Thursday - Industry, Haus of Bartsch, The Q
Friday - Above & Beyond
Saturday - Wrecked
Sunday - Alegria
I haven't been to NYC since 2016. I was 20, using my brother's ID, still in school with no money, staying with a college girlfriend in Williamsburg, and not a single care in the world.
Fast-forward 6 years later, I have my own hotel room in Chelsea, joined a fantastic group of friends, planned for parties, and felt completely empowered by how much growth I've experienced since my first time there.
The Boys:
Oh boy, where to start. I've never seen so many tall, beautiful people before. Being on apps felt daunting. That first day I didn't get many hits. I don't think I was a target demographic that weekend, which was fine and gave me a chance to decompress from the long flight, unpack, and mentally prepare myself for a reasonable night out (turns out you can keep partying until forever and I didn't sleep until 7am).
I hooked up a few times throughout the weekend since I rarely do in San Francisco. Figured "why not? I'm on vacation!", putting the privacy of my own room and the abundance of men to good use. If I went back, I'd try to form more new connections and get to know someone beyond just a hookup. There was just so much planned that all my downtime was prioritized to hang out with friends I came with. No infatuation situation, everything seemed transactional which comes with the territory I suppose.
The Food:
Didn't eat. That is all.
What I did eat was delicious, Ess-a-Bagel?! I ordered a dozen and ate half of them. Empanada Mama?! If I could have it every day, I would. It was hard to find a vegetable though.
The Parties:
Just WOW! There were so many parties that I had zero overlaps with some friends, kind of insane! The mix of different types of crowds was interesting as well, Wrecked was filled with techno heads and leather dads, but I didn't feel out of place (and the music was fantastic). Each party was like being back on the Atlantis Cruise (with better music), seeing people you recognize but don't know from where or if you've already met before. In general, I had a great time at all the parties! My favorite was Haus of Bartsch, super fun, queer, colorful, New York Madness inside the basement of a SoHo club. San Francisco is weird, but New York is EXTRAVAGANTLY weird.
The Friends:
Always an amazing time with friends, I felt this vacation was much more friends-focused than other trips I've gone on. Not really hunting for guys, more looking forward to spending time bantering with people you care about. My favorite is when you lose a friend at the party, then find them later and you're both mindblown at what you've just experienced. Alegria was filled with love, I didn't see one unhappy face or person not enjoying themselves. Multiple times I had to stop and say "wait... are we allowed to have this much fun?!"
Walking to the subway at 5-6AM every night, looking like wild animals on the train from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and seeing how little New Yorkers care was liberating.
I also met more people I'll be camping with at Burning Man! It's going to be a great time. I can't wait to go on more trips with these boys!
The Takeaways:
Wow, you made it here. That's all, byeeeeee!
How your pride? Which ones do you recommend checking out! I'm thinking World Pride 2023 in Sydney :)