NEW YORK CITY: Oldest Gay Bar To Close After More Than 50 Years

Via DNA Info:

Candle Bar, the neighborhood's oldest gay bar — and some argue the oldest in the city — is closing at the end of the month. The Amsterdam Avenue bar opened in the mid-1960s, and some people argue it has had its license and been openly gay longer than Julius, a West Village gay bar that claims to be the oldest in the city. Candle Bar's closing marks the end of an era for the regulars who frequented the neighborhood spot. The bar will close its doors on June 22. The dive bar, near West 75th Street, has stuck around despite rising rents and changes along the avenue because the building owner also operated the business, said the bar's manager Amonte Demarko, 37, who described it as the "only" gay bar in the neighborhood. 

Friends Of Ours reports that like other early New York City gay bars, Candle Bar may have been Mafia-run in its early years.

The premises has existed as a gay bar since 1958 when it was opened by George Fluss; however, it was a short run for Fluss. He lost his liquor license in 1959 for permitting "homosexual activities" on the premises according to New York State Liquor Authority records. Fluss went on to work at other gay bars and restaurants in the early 1960s including at the Pines & Dunes Yacht Club on Fire Island and the Coat of Arms at 140 East 53rd Street. Ralph Pansini took over the 309 Amsterdam Avenue space in 1960 under the name Candlelight Lounge, and continued to operate it as a gay bar. Pansini wore a wire for New York District Attorney Frank Hogan's investigation into corruption at the State Liquor Authority. The investigation brought down SLA head Martin Epstein and agency fixer Hyman Siegel who specialized in licensing cases.

Candle Bar will hold closing parties next weekend.

RELATED: According to its Wikipedia entry, Julius was "harassing and ejecting" gay customers until 1966.

Vanity Fair On The Ansonia

As part of their Eminent Domains series on New York City landmarks, Vanity Fair opens with a look at the legendary Ansonia, once the home of the Continental Baths, where Bette Midler and Barry Manilow got their starts.  

A grand hotel in the middle of nowhere, it was home to opera stars and Broadway impresarios, as well as composers, writers, and baseball players. When they moved on, a gay bathhouse and, later, a swingers’ club moved in. You can’t tell by looking at it now—what with all the strollers and Baby Bjorns—but the Ansonia has one hell of a story to tell.

Watch the video.

Seen On The Upper West Side

JMG reader James sends us the above chilling graffiti he spotted in the subway station at West 72nd and Central Park West.

UWS To Be Sprayed For West Nile

Ruh-roh.

One of New York's most expensive neighborhoods will be sprayed this week with pesticide to combat the West Nile virus, officials said Tuesday. The city regularly sprays against the mosquito-borne disease, which has seen a surge in outbreaks in the United States this year. Friday's spraying is notable because it will target Manhattan's prestigious Upper West Side neighborhood and parts of the famed Central Park. "These neighborhoods are being treated due to rising West Nile virus activity with high and/or increasing mosquito populations," the Department of Health said in a statement.

Last week I heard a woman on Lexington screaming into her phone: "Young man, you stay IN that apartment until I get home. You'll get the West Nile!" Funny then, not so much now. (Tipped by JMG reader Robin)

Afternoon View - Upper West Side

Photo by JMG reader Inga.

Meat Dresses Not On The Menu

To the bemused concern of my friends who live next door, Lady Gaga's parents have opened a restaurant on the Upper West Side. I snapped the above phone photo on Saturday after dodging a cluster of excited Little Monsters who apparently expect their hero to drop by regularly. Initial reviews have been brutal so we'll have to see how long my pals will endure goths and teen queens shrieking outside their lobby. The restaurant is named after Gaga's late aunt, whose date of death is tattooed on the singer's back.

Tonight In Manhattan

Afternoon View - Bi Daddy's

From the other side of Broadway it was hard to tell there was a burned out letter "g". But I took the photo anyway because I am a third grader.

Morning View - Upper West Side

May 20th: Campaign Fundraiser For Openly Gay NY Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell

Openly gay New York Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell will hold a campaign fundraiser in NYC next Thursday. As regular readers know, it was O'Donnell who successfully guided the state's marriage equality bill through the state Assembly. THREE TIMES, in fact. Embiggen the above image for details about next week's fundraiser. You can also contribute to O'Donnell's campaign via his ActBlue page. Danny's a good man and he's one of ours. Keep him fighting your battles in the New York legislature.

Tomorrow: Macy's Balloons

The Manhattan tradition of viewing the inflating of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloons along Central Park West begins tomorrow at 3PM. Via Gothamist:

It's that time again—time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And one of the fun traditions to watching the balloons being blown up the night before. This year's Thanksgiving parade balloon inflation begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., with the entrance at West 77th Street and Columbus Avenue. It does get very crowded, so be patient! The parade's 43 balloons of various sizes will be blown up on the blocks outside the American Museum of Natural History—this year's new giant balloons are the Pillsbury Doughboy, Ronald McDonald, Sailor Mickey, and Spider-Man, joining favorites like Pikachu, Kermit and "Supercute" Hello Kitty.

My pal Eddie and I tried to see this a few years ago, but couldn't get within blocks of the beginning of the line. So we did the sensible thing and went to a bar.

(Image via Gothamist)