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Megan Zanke is known throughout the pages of this site, but she's moved on to work as an editor of Coutorture — a fantastic fashion-centered website with bite. While she definitiely knows a thing or two about fashion, Megan also knows a thing or two about being young and hitting the streets of New York.
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Paul Mecurio is comedy's resident virtuoso; after graduating with high honors from Georgetown Law, Paul ditched a bright future in law for ... well, an even brighter career in comedy. He's even got awards to prove it. Let's see the firm Willkie, Farr and Gallagher hand out Emmys. We caught him in a brief moment between shows in the midwest and two headlining nights at New York's Comix (this Friday 26 and Saturday 27) and got him to dish on politics and why he's gotta have his 3am hot dogs with a side of "coffee milk."
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Web design zine, Openers Gallery, has a preview of photographer Yabuta Osami's project "Tokyo Bunny Girls." For the series, Osami took black-and-white pictures of bar hostesses in Downtown Tokyo. The artist says his photos are "erotic/sexy but elegant." The racy shots show tired-looking waifish women writhing around in lingerie and their trademark bunny ears. Osami cites magazine photography as a major influence, and his bunny girl photos have a documentary quality. I see these images as portraits of a hard profession— they're far more sad than they are sexy. Some of the photos show the bar bunnies out on the streets, while others seem to capture the hostesses in their places of employment. More Tokyo bar bunny shots after the jump. [via]
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Back in October we published my first New York Strip Club Safari. There are far too many fine gentlemen's clubs in this city for just one post, so once again I braved the wilds of the city's nudie bar scene to bring you a list of even more strip clubs. This time I even found a place where women can go to ogle shaking booty. Since there is obviously such high demand in this fair city for drowning oneself in booze and silicone, this probably won't be our last strip joint roundup. I will not rest until I've chronicled each and every place in this town where people pay for proximity to naked bodies. What can I say? I love helping people. [Photo]
Whether you are a bi-curious woman who's part of a couple, a hardcore swinger without time for idle chitchat, a bear into the leather scene, someone who thinks fat-bottomed girls make the rockin' world go 'round, a confused man willing to put part of yourself into a hole in a wall and hope for the best, an elderly homosexual into autoeroticism, or a dedicated practitioner of doggystyle, Washington, DC, has a club for you. Although these sex and swingers clubs cater to a wide range of interests, most them have another thing in common: they bill themselves as "classy." (For the record, and to protect my wife's integrity, all research for this piece was conducted online or through interviews. And what's below the jump is NSFW, unless of course you work for Gridskipper.) (photo)
A while back we rounded up LA's oldest bars, most of which are pushing the century mark. But now it's NYC's turn to weigh in with our own long history of drunken immigrants, downtown hookers, and esteemed literati. We might have nothing on all the ancient European drinking wells, but New York still has some old-ass bars, and we've compiled a list of the oldest based on when they started serving booze (as opposed to when their buildings were raised). And just for the hell of it we've indicated which president was in office at the time each bar was founded. Feel free to recommend additional frothy relics or question our historical accuracy in the comments or via the tipline.
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which bar's the queerest of them all? Well, do you mean "gay" or do you mean, like gay? Because Washington's gayer than sushi and scented candles on Sunday, but the district also boasts one of the highest concentrations of homos in America. If it's "gay" you're looking for then skip to the mall and all around the RNC. If you simply want gay, then you must go into a local bar that has men inside it. Sadly, some of the best bars closed down and other bars just suck.
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CNN reports that "male geishas" are the newest trend in Tokyo. These enterprising gentlemen work as "hosts" in clubs where women reportedly pay between "$1,000 to $50,000 a night for male companionship." As with traditional geisha girls, it's unclear whether the majority of these women are simply paying for conversation and entertainment, or for sex. Unlike traditional geisha girls, these guys don't wear elaborate makeup. But they do dye and blow dry their hair daily to "look prettier." [CNN]
The DIY ambience that has come to define Berlin's basement club culture has proven too babyish for many of the city's more mature clubbers, assuming that "mature" means showering in cologne, donning a designer-brand encrusted muscle tee, and gelling your faux-hawk until it resembles a dead porcupine. In light of the dollar's steady decline, Europe's privileged classes have a real reason to celebrate, and for Berlin's nouveau riche, it's no longer enough to snort a mountain of speed and run around the labyrinth halls of the city's cavernous clubs. They've done it all, and much like the stretch pinstripe shirt that still dominates their wardrobes, they've outgrown it. Let the nu rave kids sweat it out in the cellar, the nouveau riche kids are moving up to rooftop views, champagne flutes, and VIP rooms. In honor of their graduation, here's a quick list of the most expensive, garishly overdone, and elitist clubs in Berlin — for whenever you feel like taking out the euro trash. (Please, like you didn't see that one coming.)
When the weather turns warm, New Yorkers demand open-air nightlife. Sidewalk tables and back gardens get packed quickly and stay that way till the wee hours. The most aspirational lounge lizards head upwards to the city's rooftops, and with the inevitability of the season comes the roundup of New York rooftop bars. So let's kick it off pro-actively rather than waiting for someone else's version. This list is moderately selective, avoiding the exclusive (i.e. Soho House) and requiring a certain minimum altitude (sorry, cabanas at the Maritime Hotel). Also trying to vary a bit by geography and type. More suggestions welcome in the comments and tips.
Yesterday we posted part one of an email from "Spike," whose now-defunct blog covered the goings-on in the vice-filled Hong Kong neighborhood of Wan Chai. Yesterday's entry was about the "freelance" prostitutes who approach you in bars and try to get you to buy them a drink — today's Spike looks at the flashier go-go bars, where "model dancers" sell hundred dollar handjobs.
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A while back, I wrote about the go-go bar scene in Hong Kong's Wan Chai red light district. These palaces of neon and sex are seen by the locals as tourist traps rather than reliable places to score. After I published the post, I heard from a blogger named "Spike." His site, Spike In Hong Kong, chronicled his journeys through Hong Kong's underbelly. The blog's gone now, but Spike sent me some of the information from his archives describing exactly what happens inside these gaudy brothels — and also information on the more hidden "freelance" hooker scene in Wan Chai. After the jump, hear an expert's view of the Hong Kong sex scene. (photo)
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Writers like to drink. Other forms of substance abuse are often indulged in, but drinking is the only one that's state sanctioned. After a long day of drinking at their desks, sometimes journalists like to hit the town. And by town, we mean the closest, cheapest bar. So here's a map of media-bar hangouts. Don't be surprised if you walk into one of the bars and hear people discussing The Elements of Style or the underappreciated genius of Joshua Ferris. Know of any media bars not on this list? Send them in, and check out our earlier list of New York blogger bars.
In Washington, nothing says you've made it like proving you can out-drink and outsmart your friends. The city is overrun with wonks, all of whom seem to be drawn to DC's favorite beer-swilling, answer-hurling ritual: the pub quiz. As bars across the city cash in on your inner (or outer) nerd, be sure to check out the list below for some prime pub quiz spots. Suggestions welcome via the comments or the tip line. (photo)
Ah, there's nothing like a night of debauchery and unmitigated excess, especially when all that excess is in liquid form. Of course, the next morning can be a little painful, but that's where tried-and-true hangover remedies come in handy. From hair of the dog to pure grease, here's where some surefire hangover cures can be found across LA.
From 5th Avenue to Grand Army Plaza, Flatbush Avenue is lined with plenty of great places to stuff your face. It's a bustling strip that is, like much of New York, rapidly gentrifying, but for now Flatbush Ave. is nowhere near as yuppified as other parts of this end of Brooklyn. The eateries represent a wide range of culinary styles and traditions, with an emphasis on Caribbean and Latin American cuisine. The ease with which you can get to these Brooklyn locales makes them attractive to folks from Manhattan and beyond. And with warm weather on the way, the north end of Flatbush Ave. is also an ideal locale — there are many backyard and sidewalk patios in which to stuff your face with some of Brooklyn finest food. What follows is a list of some our favorite watering holes and eateries. And as always, we'd love to hear about yours.
As part of our continuing effort to show the sticky underside of postcard Paris, Gridskipper presents the sauna mixte. Just like the city's clubs échangistes, these saunas are for having sex with strangers. So what's the difference between a club and a sauna? With the sauna, you'll be given a locker, a pair of flip flops, and green tea instead of a gimlet. You'll also be expected to have sex. Saunas mixtes, in comparison with the clubs, are less tolerant of voyeurs, and there's a lot more sausage on offer. This makes them ideal for fans of pluralité masculine — they're not for the curious onlooker. Saunas are also favored as an in-and-out option for the city's clandestine couples; low prices and convenient hours make them the fast food of infidelity.
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