Sally's Hideaway

Thank you for posting this link, Darla. The writings about Sally's were great, and especially poignant was the section about the change in Times Square and Sally's eventual demise. Informative and a good history lesson about the late, great New York.

Amazing. Sally's like most of Times Square was like a drug for me in the early and mid 90's. Between there CATS and Edelweiss, I was out at least 6 nights a week. There was a rawmess, and a realness to these places that could never be replicated. There was also loyalties, and honor, and watching each others back, that you dont see to such a degree other places. I learned so much about life and the art of "the hustle" during that period. I feel fortunate to have experienced a small part of that world.

Sally's in the mid 90s was always a bit edgy for me, the white girl in the sweater set and miniskirt, but that is what I loved about it. I went there more as an alternative to Edelweiss, or when Edelweiss was enduring many of it's intermittent closings by the Guiliani squads, but I loved that it existed along with all the other Times Square spots like Edelweiss & Cats.

Sweetie always wanted Queen Bee to be a mix of the uptown and downtown drag/tranny worlds (a mix of BoyBar girls, Sally's/Edelweiss girls, and all the others in between), and bringing in Giselle as barmatron and Monica Monroe as frequent flyer performer were supposed to bridge these two worlds. Alas, Queen Bee was never able to do so, and the attempts to create a harmonic tranny environment were thwarted twice by the Guiliani goons, but the idea was brilliant, but it never came to full fruition, because in retrospect the timing was off.

However, the pictures and history (exquisitely detailed) tell the story of a different time in New York, one that just does not exist anymore. The ones of Sylvia Del Rio capture her sass and stunning beauty. She left NYC for elsewhere (Philly I believe), but Sweetie and I still mimic her best lines...

"hi, hi, hey, hi, any cash in here, girls?"

OR my fave...

"as you see I have my trick so I'm dashing; they're all faggots inside, but they're willing to pay."

I have the portrait of Sylvia in my room. Her beauty is breath taking. So CUNT!!! I will never forget my first meeting with Dorian Corey at Sally's. It was truly a magic night. Giselle is such a great woman. I always respected her because she is a trans woman raising a son (Daniel) and always kept her nose clean and herself a respectable woman. The nights I revelled in Sally's are full of vivid memories of all out decadence and good old nasty fun!! I purchased the book CITY OF NIGHT today and can't wait to read it. I live spitting distance from where Sally's used to be. Oh to be young and dumb again in a city that actually had a heart beat.

Sweetie, as I read your last line, my initial expectation was that you were going to end it with "full of cum", but the current NYC is certainly not that, by any means.

The thing about Sylvia too was that beyond her cunty beauty (and perfect size 7 shoesize), immediate brash, quick quip & sass, she was a smart girl with a head on her shoulders, probably why she left NYC, as she saw the writing on the wall years before.