Life Beyond the Casinos

This post took me a week to write. It tends to go on and on. Enjoy!

We had an evening in Palm Springs with a few neighbors.  It was Saturday.  We started with pre-dinner drinks at our house, Ubered to the restaurant, more drinks and dinner.  Walked to the Arenas District, more drinks and dancing.  Suddenly the lights came on. It was 2 am. 

Now let’s fill in some of the details from the evening shall we?

First was the planning or lack there of.  Philippe called and said let’s do something Saturday.  Several texts back and forth and it was decided we would meet at our condo for cocktails, take an Uber to the Pantry in Palm Springs for dinner, walk to the Street Bar for more cocktails, and then Uber back for a night cap at Philippe’s.

Then there was the question of who would be going. Definitely the three of us, but there were two others on the fence.  A friend of Philippe’s, Johnny and our new board member, Dave (see earlier post).*

Dave bailed first, then Johnny.  Then Dave texted while we were still at our house and said maybe he could meet us at the bar later. He had a definite case of FOMO. His mother lives in Palm Springs and he was starting his evening with her.  So typical of some gays to be such flakes, but he says he is straight!  The jury is still out. When I finish the tale you can decide for yourself.

Philippe came over with his diet drink of choice, tequila and club soda.  I had my usual Scotch and Ricky had a vodka tonic.   These details aren’t important other than to show how much we were drinking. 

Our dinner reservation was for 7 so I ordered an Uber pickup at 6:30.

First stop, the Pantry.

I ordered the following:

Chicken Croquettes
Pimento Cheese Emulsion, Scallions

Grilled Shrimp
Blistered Corn, Cotija, Corn Agnolotti, Tajin, Cilantro

Smoke & Mirrors
mezcal, strawberry, ginger beer, lime juice

Rick and Philippe order steaks.  They had different appetizers too and drinks, of course.

The food was good, the atmosphere was great, but the restaurant was pretty empty.  Not a good sign, but it’s not in “season” until next month so maybe just a slow night?

We walked down to the Street Bar.  I was feeling my Smoke and Mirrors.  They were carding at the door but not us.  I guess we look the part. It was full of older men.  Maybe 40 was the youngest, if even, maybe 50.

The drink special was something called a Rose Kennedy**.  Philippe and I had them, Ricky stuck to his vodka tonic.

By the second round Dave showed up.  He opted for a beer.  He really looked young in this place (he’s 36).  It was pretty noisy and I couldn’t keep up with all the conversations.  But as per Philippe’s request it was very gay.  We said things that should have shocked straight Dave but he seemed unscathed. He did grow up here so he probably has been around it all.

The conversation turned to board business. After a few minutes of this I reminded everyone this was a social event and to leave the poor guy alone.  He didn’t seem to mind, but the guys apologized and we went on to different subjects.

Philippe and I were reminiscing about the clubs in West Hollywood and New York.  A Madonna song came on and we got off on a tangent about why she is such a gay idol.  Dave seemed lost when we talked about go-go dancers. I suppose it is an old term. We explained how they danced up on platforms.  He said they still have them across the street at the Chill Bar. “Strippers” right? Well not exactly but sure.

Another round and the place started to think out.  The older crowd goes home before midnight.  So we wandered across the street to check out the go-go boys.  Dave came along but left us after a few minutes saying he was tired.

There were dancers in the front bar and we got Philippe to plant some dollar bills before Dave left. The Chill Bar has a mixed crowd. There were quite a few women, which is why Dave likes to hangout there, I am sure.

The back bar was darker and had a dance floor and more dancers.  Rose Kennedy was in a plastic cup back here and tasted stronger somehow.  Philippe was on fire dancing around to the music. He said he hadn’t felt this gay in years.

We went out front to catch an Uber back home. The street was full of exiting gays.  Philippe had a slang term for these gaggles but I can’t remember, some play on last call.

By the time we got home Ricky wasn’t feeling well from the car ride and was blaming the brussel sprouts appetizer.  So no night cap next door though Philippe was feeling no pain and still extended the invite.

There was a time when I could do this all weekend and somehow go into work.  Those days are over. It took all day Sunday and half of Monday to feel almost normal again.  Wow,  being old is hard on the body.

One more footnote, while we were at the Street Bar Dave showed Philippe a picture of his last hookup, a beautiful young lady.  He asked him if he was going to see her again.  He said no. They never call him again.  Interesting, I wonder why.

*When we invited Dave, Philippe said to make sure he knows this is gay outing.  Everything gay, no straight activities. I think he already had a drink or two.

**A “Rose Kennedy” is a cocktail made with vodka, club soda, and a splash of cranberry juice. Despite the drink’s name, Rose Kennedy herself did not drink alcohol.