I hit the steam room and hot tub instead, and while pumicing the evening’s filth off my body in the gang showers notice a spectacled young thing moving in. The guy I’m chasing lights up a fag and ignores me. I follow a handsome gent to the rooftop, which I realize is a smoking lounge (picture the burnouts at your high school, but in white towels). After checking “seeing my friends naked” off my to-do list, I wander alone through the second floor’s labyrinth of doors and mirrors, which never fails to remind me of the opening sequence of Godard’s Alphaville. Instead, I allow two friends to talk me into a 4am trip down the street to Steamworks (3246 N Halsted St), Boystown’s ebullient bathhouse. But familiar faces are numerous and my pejunkle recoils like a house cat frightened at the sound of a whirring vacuum. A machine pumps out thick puffs of fog that give the space a chalky heaviness reminiscent of the Dagobah System, and there’s enough booze rattling around in my brain that I’m tempted to make some lascivious decisions. Shirts and pants start landing on the floor in piles that resemble clumps of autumn leaves, and I’m surprised to see a handful of guys abandoning their sartorial senses for full-on nakedness. Sure enough, as the witching hour nears and the clueless masses disperse into the night, in-the-know bunches of men in their twenties and thirties fill the joint. According to the bartender, who is ominously slicing into a mighty large cucumber while chatting me up, it’s an invite-only party in which doors are locked, lights are down, shirts or pants must come off and the sale of booze is strictly verboten (although complimentary Colt 45s are handed out to ease the tension). I end up in Lakeview where I’ve been tipped off that a Boystown bar has begun hosting a “gentleman’s social hour” every Friday night after last call. The show is whip-smart in its take on Grindr, threesomes and uniform fantasies, and titillating enough that suddenly the night feels ripe with possibility. On the Friday night that kicks off my dirty gay weekend, my curiosity is initially piqued by a press release that reads, “Dominant gay muscle couple seeks submissive sketch comedy audience.” It’s the tag line for Pinque Pony ( Donny’s Skybox, 1616 N Wells St Fri 21 at 10:30pm), a sharp new sketch revue starring comedian Andy Eninger (whose physique I used to drool over at XSport Fitness) and John Loos, his much younger and equally hot boyfriend. It’s Sunday afternoon and the end of a long weekend of raunch that I swear started innocently enough.
I give The Sidetrack my highest recommendation - for a lovely Chicago nightlife experience.As the erect cock of a girthy, middle-aged gent at Paradise Sauna (2912 W Montrose Ave, 77) extends toward me like the offering of a firm handshake, I’m wondering if this is really my life. This is a place where anyone and everyone can enjoy and meet fun and exciting, like-minded people. Thanks, Zach! You made our experience a memorable one.Īlso, we met other genuine and fantastic local at The Sidetrack - Mike S, Dominic, and John! He meets hundreds of people a day, and somehow, he remembered us and again made us feel special. We returned a few days later, and Zach remembered us and greeted us right away. We stayed until closing time because we felt so welcomed. Somehow he noticed that we were tourist and immediately made us feel welcomed and spoke as if he knew us forever. Z., the coolest, friendliest, and most courteous bartenders in all of Chicago (BTW he is a cutie pie too!). My partner and I walked around this sizeable multi-level bar before we settled at one of the island bars on the first floor. Visiting a locals bar can be a lonely place for tourist however, not at The Sidetrack. Chinese Restaurants for Families in Chinatown.Buffet Restaurants in Downtown / The Loop.Restaurants with Outdoor Seating in Chicago.Restaurants for Group Dining in Chicago.Sushi Restaurants with Delivery in Chicago.Mexican Restaurants with Private Dining in Chicago.Chinese Restaurants for Special Occasions in Chicago.Hotels near Museum of Science and Industry.Hotels near 360 Chicago Observation Deck.Hotels near Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower.Hotels near The Art Institute of Chicago.Curio Collection by Hilton Hotels in Chicago.InterContinental (IHG) Hotels in Chicago.