Black gay bars in baltimore
Half a Century Ago, The Hippo Became a Haven for the Local LGBTQ Community
Noël, a U.S. Army veteran, slung drinks at the Hippo during the ’80s and ’90s. He fondly remembers when Wednesdays were Big Band Late hours, featuring the Ed Williams Big Band, a holdover operate from the Chanticleer days. “I was a doorman, dressed up in a tuxedo with a top hat, and I would start the door for the people coming in—elderly people, [in their] 70s, 80s, and 90s that remembered the Chanticleer,” says Noël, noting that the crowd was both homosexual and straight, with drag queen Stacy Maxwell running the coat check. “Oh, it was stunning, and we had all pink linen tablecloths with gorgeous chairs and candles on every table. It was enjoy you walked into the 1930s.”
Now in his 60s, he says the Hippo had outsized importance for fresh gay men in its early years, calling it “the central place” for not just the city of Baltimore but the entire state. “If you were a state boy from Hagerstown or southern Maryland, you knew you made it in your gay animation the moment you were able to walk into the front door of the Hippo,” says Noël. “That’s when you knew you were home.”
The Hippo opened just three years after t
05-02-2012, 07:11 AM | ||
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Are the following same-sex attracted bars in Baltimore the most widespread or are there any others worth trying: |
05-02-2012, 01:08 PM | ||
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depends on what you are looking for. Grand Central is the most "mainstream", more diverse crowd, more professional of the 3. Hippo is generally a childish crowd with the exception of homosexual bingo during the week; kind of thought Phoenix closed over a year ago? could be wrong, was always a dive prevent. Other dive bars in Mt. Vernon include Leons (big on Fridays and Sundays), Drinkery. Also Jays Piano Exclude on Read Lane (if it's still there?). Baltimore doesn't have much of a gay group to speak of. good luck. |
05-02-2012, 01:59 PM | ||
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