Now closed for more than 20 years, I went there a few times in the first half of the 1980s when I lived on W. Taking its name from old San Francisco's red-light district, this cozy bar had a vaulted ceiling from when it was a bank lobby. It closed after two people were fatally shot there by a crazed man in the winter of 1981. It had one of the most memorable bar logos, a wolf howling at the moon. Of course, they represent just a fraction of those that have closed (e.g., I didn't hang out much in the East Village), but here are three dozen I remember (in alphabetical order):īADLANDS (Christopher & West Side Highway) These closings had me reminiscing about all the bars I've frequented, and outlived, since moving to New York in 1979 (cue up 'I'm Still Here' from Follies). Then three years later two other Chelsea mainstays, XES and g Lounge, were shuttered. closed after 34 years, while Splash, with all of its muscle-tee hotties, closed its doors in August after 21 years. In March, leather-and-Levis Rawhide on 8th Ave. The year 2013 saw the closing of two bars, both in Chelsea, that served and entertained a generation of gay customers from opposite ends of the 'attitude' spectrum.
