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It’s possible this is their attempt to distract you from the ambiance, and it works. I’ll spare you the details but you can use your imagination…įor most, the cheap drinks more than makes up for the surroundings and, rumor has it, that the bartenders will even buy you a drink if you tip them well. Back here, it’s even darker and filled with TVs playing porn. There are several different rooms, including the back that’s open only on weekends. Paint is chipping off the walls and the barstools look as though they may crumple if anyone over 100 pounds happens to sit down on them. It’s dark and dingy, and not in a rustic sort of way. The bar itself could use a décor upgrade. It’s mainly groups of men and women just having a good time. Although there are some creepy men lurking in the shadows, Cell Block isn’t the hardcore leather bar like everyone thinks. However, after visiting the bar on several occasions, I discovered that the place is a little misunderstood. I’ve often heard it described as a hook-up bar for older gay men and the name itself is a little intimidating, not to mention the somewhat unwelcoming façade. I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about going to Cell Block. If you blink as you walk by, you might never even notice it.
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Not to be confused with the very straight Lockdown on Western, Cell Block lurks ominously behind darkened windows on Halsted, just north of Waveland and adjacent to Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club. In 2012, the Legacy Project selected the unique rainbow pylons as the location for the first outdoor museum recognizing the significant world achievements and contributions of LGBTQ people.Īs of 2019, the pylons have been enhanced with 40 illuminated bronze plaques dedicated to historically important figures, including Frida Kahlo, Jane Addams, Sally Ride and Alan Turing. The plaques are mounted with stainless steel frames on the sidewalk-facing sides of each pylon and is known as the Legacy Walk, the world's only outdoor museum dedicated to LGBTQ history.Leather bars seem to be slowly receding into the past, but the Cell Block in Boystown is bringing it back, or trying to at least on its ever popular “Furr Night” when bellying up to the bar takes on new meaning… On every other night, it’s cheap drinks, darts and pool that draws a predominantly non-leather neighborhood gay crowd.
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The 25-foot-tall pylons were designed and installed by architecture firm DeStefano+Partners as part of a series of streetscape projects under Mayor Richard M. Daley. They were officially dedicated in 1998. It was the first time a city government officially recognized an LGBTQ community. While visiting Boystown Chicago, it won’t take long to notice the 20 rainbow pylons that adorn "Chicago's proudest neighborhood." Boystown hosts a number of annual events - Chicago Pride Fest, the Chicago Pride Parade and Northalsted Market Days - drawing over one million people to the North Side neighborhood each summer. The neighborhood is also home to the Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ community center that welcomes over 1000 people per day. Broadway primarily offers a variety of themed shops and restaurants stretching throughout the neighborhood while Halsted caters to a lively nightlife with more than 30 different gay and lesbian bars, nightclubs and restaurants. and Broadway dominate the heart of this commercial and entertainment district. The two main (north-south) avenues of Halsted St. Rainbow crosswalk rendering (credit: northalsted business alliance)īoystown is situated just southeast of Wrigleyville in Lakeview. The first officially recognized gay village in the United States, Boystown Chicago is the commonly accepted nickname for the eclectic East Lakeview neighborhood that is home to Chicago's visible and active gay and lesbian community.