Soho

Finally the day had arrived for my big introductory night to Soho. I had been looking forward to it all week and wondering what it would be like. I was not scared for the night because I knew that I would not run into anyone I knew that evening.

I met my friend, Hugh, outside Piccadilly tube station and the first place he took me to was Rupert Street (http://www.rupertstreet.com/). Established in 1997, this is very popular gay bar in central Soho. I had often heard him mention this bar's name and I have to admit that I had walked passed it before in order to see for myself what it looked like. The bar sits on a corner on the popular Rupert Street and has a modern look, a sort of chrome and neon lighting feel to it. Hugh told me that he had read about this bar in Time Out back in America and when he arrived to the UK, this is the first bar he visited. He told me that he went alone to this bar and felt very comfortable doing this. He added that everyone was very friendly, a mix crowd of some good looking guys, some a bit rough looking. But that on a general level, people were welcoming and approachable. We made our away over to the bar and ordered ourselves a drink, a strong one for me. I needed a good drink in order to relax myself a little and get some of the jitters out of my system. Soon one of Hugh's friends arrived in the bar and joined us for a drink. He was a good looking Italian guy, who was a consultant for one of the big firms. I thought, "wow, this might be a good evening after all, if they are all going to be like him." The crowd indeed at this bar was quite varied. I think quite a few were in the banking profession, but it also attracts a lot of the foreign gay clientele, primarily Brazilian. But they seem to be in every city and in every gay bar. We stayed here for a few drinks and then went for a walk along Old Compton Street.

Today, the street is the centre of London's gay community. In the middle of Soho, it features several gay bars, restaurants and cafés, as well as a popular theatre. We decided to have a bite to eat at Balans, a popular gay restaurant. I will have to admit, the food is fine, not something I would recommend personally. However, I have been back to this restaurant several times since then, but mainly after a night of clubbing as this restaurant is open 24 hours a day. Once we finished our meal, we had a coffee at Cafe Nero and took a seat right by windows. This is a prime spot for people watching and gave me a good viewing of Soho and the people that come here. Hugh and I had a long good chat about him coming out, how he is found coming to London, dating, etc. He was keen for me to go out and visit one of the clubs and perhaps meet someone....

He was wanted me to have the full Soho experience and decided that we should go to G-A-Y, which at the time was housed in the Astoria. The Astoria is a former theatre venue and the club is spread over this venue. With the main dance stage down stairs, another bar and dance floor on the 1st floor and a chill out area on one of the balconies up stairs. G-A-Y is famous for attracting quite a young crowd as the drinks are very cheap for London standards and invites a famous performer to entertain the crowds in the weekend. The likes of Madonna, Kylie and Girls Aloud have all performed there. G-A-Y still exists, but it is now located in Heaven near Embankment.

Hugh and I approached G-A-Y and I noticed this long queue all around the building. I could not believe how many people were lined up to enter this club. It took us about 1/2 hour before we entered the club and we had to go through a security check. In all the clubs I had visited, I had never had to go through a security check. Granted, that the clubs I had been to before where always quite smaller venues and noticeably a very different crowd. My friend decided to check in his coat, I decided against it because I was not feeling very confident with the coat system. Maybe it was more because I was just not used to such a big venue. Hugh took me to the main stage area and once we entered through the doors my eyes almost popped out. There were so many people in this enormous space, and lots of half naked boys dancing on the stage in the middle of the club. I turned around to my left and Hugh had already decided to take his shirt off, I turned to my right and there was a food stand frying some sausages or something like that. I then noticed everyone was holding beers cans and plastic cups. I freaked out and told Hugh that I couldn't this. I am not ready for this kind of change and I was not talking about my sexuality, but more of the venue. In my years living in Boston, Brazil, Holland, I have always had very international friends and we always went to the very nice and trendy bar/clubs. The people are dressed smartly and drinking champagne. For me, G-A-Y was a step too much for me in one evening.

I have since been back many times and had some great nights in there. I just had to get comfortable with the whole idea, but once I was, it was easy for me to be there. I would say it is a fun place to go with a group of friends and have a nice time. There are different dance rooms, that plays different music. But as i mentioned it is quite a young crowd, like going back to a University campus party. I still prefer the other clubs in Soho as it is a bit more my style and kind of people. However, variety is always nice to have.