A nostalgic trip down Polk Street

[TownsendPLocke]

I found this blog post when doing some research.

Look at the photo from Kimo's -I knew all of those boys-only one of them in the biblical sense however!

http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/A_Polk_Street_Sex_Work_Economy

I think these were the sort of fellas I was hoping to find in Prague-but rechercher pour les temp passe is a poor plan-as it was in this case

[Lucky]

Townsend, it's so sweet of you to post this interesting and historic thread.

(I felt bad that no one responded!)

[MsGuy]

I wonder if it would be worthwhile for some of you guys who love to reminisce about Stella's to collaborate on a similar article about New York?

[Lucky]

Who said we were done with Polk Street? The stories I could tell...

[MsGuy]

Who said we were done with Polk Street? The stories I could tell...

I, for one, am all ears... give it up, Lucky, don't keep us waiting!

[msclelovr]

A fascinating article. Thanks for posting, Townsend.

[Guest JamesIvory]

I found this blog post when doing some research.

Look at the photo from Kimo's -I knew all of those boys-only one of them in the biblical sense however!

http://www.outhistory.org/wiki/A_Polk_Street_Sex_Work_Economy

I think these were the sort of fellas I was hoping to find in Prague-but rechercher pour les temp passe is a poor plan-as it was in this case

I do appreciate you posting the article. It was a interesting read. But a little difficult for me to relate due to my mid-western roots. I simply had not experienced anything like this around here.

[Lucky]

The article states: In the late 1970s and early 1980s, “there was quite a few really hot, buff prostitutes that were really tough,” Rob Bennett recalled. “

I can't say a word about the late 70's as I wasn't there, but in the early 80's some very hot guys were working Polk Street. The customer had the advantage of being able to see and talk to a hustler before hiring him, unlike today's internet catalogs of boys.

Unfortunately, MsGuy, I won't admit to being more than a casual observer! I will say that one of the beautiful guys I have ever seen was a Polk Street boy. One Thanksgiving Day business was so slow that he offered himself to me for $15. I can't tell you if I was thankful or not...

But I did enjoy the tempo of the times, days before AIDS came to our attention and Polk Street succumbed to becoming more of a skid row. Just as we have lost Stella's and the Gaiety, as Montreal's strip bars lose some of their luster, Polk Street too is just another story in the history books.

[TownsendPLocke]

I enjoyed the best of all possible worlds during my youth. I was squired about by "uncles"starting at 16. Our trips to SF usually included a trip to the P.S. and I was thril;led to see the buffet of manflesh available for a price.

I started going to SF on my own as soon as I had a drivers license!Usually under the pretense of attending a Ballet or Opera.I was regular on Polkstasse in no time at all(yes I had a fake ID-but I was really cute back then and that opened a lot of doors)and continued to be so until I moved away from SF in the early 90's.By then it was a sad shadow of its former life.

There were so many FUN FUN FUN bars in the good old days=There was a bar on Polk Street called the New Belle Saloon where David Kelsey(RIP) would entertain us on a theater organ and a grad piano-sometimes playing both at once! David was sometimes joined by a all gay band called Pure Trash=all of them adorable young guys.

The P.S,The Giraffe,Kimos,The QT,Reflections-where I saw Ertha Kitt do her Cabaret act- so much more enjoyable than the gay bars of today IMO.

There was also a very divey bar called Oil Can Harrys on Ellis and Larkin that catered to "chicken and rice" queens=you could get into the "juice bar"secton if you were 16 and you got a wristband.If you were over 21 you could go int the regular bar-which was seperated from the juice bar section by a wall of plexiglass.Of course if you got friendly with an adult he would pour a regular drink into one of the plastic glasses used in the juice bar section.

It breaks my heart to visit the site former haunts in SF when I visit now. The Castro bores me to tears these days and 95% of the bars in the other parts of town have either closed or gone straight.

And I won't even start about the movie theatres and peep shows,,,,,,,

I have a feeling New York had the same sort of fun places,I have a friend who worked in some of the old hustler bars-and maybe a lot of other large cities did also. We will never see this again I am afraid.

[TampaYankee]

Unfortunately, MsGuy, I won't admit to being more than a casual observer! I will say that one of the beautiful guys I have ever seen was a Polk Street boy. One Thanksgiving Day business was so slow that he offered himself to me for $15. I can't tell you if I was thankful or not...

Awe cum on Lucky! Any statute of limitations has long lapsed. Spill the beans from behind your anonymous screen name. We promise not to be shocked.

What's the purpose of having 'memoirs' if you take them to the hereafter with you.

[Guest EXPAT]

I lived in San Francisco from 98-01 and Polk Street was very boring. But I loved living in the city. So vibrant.

[Guest hitoallusa]

I visited LA and San Francisco in 80s and I never heard of place like this. How did you guys find about the street if you had been a visitor? Did you find it in a gay magazine or you just found it out by driving around? My tour guide didn't say anything about it either. Although he mentioned how hot a guy was at a clothing store changing room.

[Lucky]

There was also a very divey bar called Oil Can Harrys on Ellis and Larkin that catered to "chicken and rice" queens

And today's LA Times headlines an article:

Studio City's Oil Can Harry's helps country fans kick up heels

A thriving country and western club in L.A.? You bet, partner

Hehehe...nothing country about the old Oil Can in SF. On one of my first visits to SF in the 70's I wanted to go there, having heard it was a twink bar...and I thought I was into twinks then. But my SF friend said "You don't want to go there, it's an Oriental bar!" Well, coming from the midwest, I didn't think I'd like that either, so we didn't go. Later, when I moved to SF, I learned that "Orientals" liked me. It took a while, but I finally discovered that this could be fun. At the Ritch Street baths, before AIDS, an Asian guy made a kamikaze attack under my towel in the orgy room. He had his mouth on me before I had a chance to resist, so, not having much choice, I decided to give Asian men a try. Many of you know how that ended up!