“These Vagabond Shoes” #3

Daily nerdy notes on our New York getaway.

I’m very picky about my coffee, basically thinking that all coffee EXCEPT DUNKIN’ DONUTS tastes like black ashes in hot water. So I was very pleasantly surprised when I discovered the cute little, gay-owned coffee shop, Kahve in Hell’s Kitchen close to our hotel.

The coffee was delicious!

Robert and I signed up for a Gay Pride Tour here in New York. We were to meet at Christopher Park in Greenwich Village near the iconic Stonewall Inn (arguably the birthplace of the gay rights movement).

We arrived a bit early. Stood in the tiny park for a while. Then heard two loud explosions and saw black smoke billowing from the apartment building next to the Stonewall!

We watched as the frazzled residents were rushed out of the building, and the fire engines loudly arrived.

Well, this is New York, so our plucky guide Joe went on with the tour for HR, a handful of friendly folks from the UK and me.

Thankfully the fire was extinguished, and the firemen put away the hoses.

What a smokin’ tour!

Well, the tour and the fire left us hungry and thirsty. so we headed to Julius, New York’s oldest gay bar, for incredible burgers and a pint.

Julius was the site of the “Sip-ins” of the 1960’s, fashioned after the Sit-ins of the Civil Rights movement. Gay folks went to bars, said they were homosexuals and were refused service, leading to widespread awareness of LGBTQ discrimination-and eventual changes in the laws.

What a fiery gay day we had!