After being singularly unsuccessful in hooking up with any Sydney girls (Don't they respond to e-mail in Sydney? Do they ever man [no pun intended] the phone at the Seahorse Society?) I decided to go out on my own. Having learned about Manor House and the places on Oxford and Flinders Street from the Web, I thought I would see what it was all about. So I called the Dragbag to get a makeover. They were great and set me up with an appointment. Jade came over to the Manor House to do the deed. Did a great job, don't you agree? They were very nice to me at the Manor House. Complemented me and wished me luck on my exploits out.
So I set out, all alone, on my adventure. It was about 8 PM. First stop Taxi club. Well, there was about 20-30 GG's all doing the boot scoot on the top floor. Sad part was that I was the ONLY person wearing a dress. They were very nice and asked me to join in, but I have two left feet when it comes to line dancing, especially in heels. Downstairs there was only one girl, and she seemed preoccupied. She said that I would not have any problem getting a man before the night was over. No thanks, not interested. So I decided to try the Flinders Hotel. No girls (not a single one), only men. They said that there would be a Drag show later. So I wondered down Oxford Street. Still no girls. Feeling a little out of place (no, actually a LOT out of place although every one was polite) and learning lesson number one (they come out very late here) I went back to the Manor House to wait for the witching hour.
Back out again! 10 PM Back to the Taxi Club. Well, a little better (there were now some girls there) but none seemed overly friendly. So I gambled a bit, looked around. Guess it was still to early. Over to the Flinders Hotel. Still only men and one GG, Sue (who, as it will turn out, will be my life saver). It seems that I had just missed the show, but that there would be another one at 11:30. Sue said that Cortney (a guess on the spelling of the name) went between Stonewalls and the Flinders Hotel and that she would be walking her back over to Stonewalls after her number. She was currently doing the show at Stonewalls. She does six shows, three at Flinders and three at Stonewalls. The big one being at 12PM at Stonewalls. Well, it was 11PM and the show was at 11:30. It was either trudge over to Stonewalls or wait at the Flinders Hotel. So I decided to wait. Got a drink and sat down in a corner to wait. One of the longest half-hours of my life. Cortney arrived and did her number. After she finished, I went to join Sue and go over to Stonewalls. Cortney came out and another friend joined us (I forgot his name) and all four of us trudged over to Stonewalls. They were all really nice to me, and introduced me to many of their friends that we met on the way over. Sue seemed to know everybody. When we got to Stonewalls, Sue dragged me through the crowd to the stage area. And it was quite a crowd. Cortney and two other girls came out and did the show. Really pretty good. It was quite hot and they really worked up a sweat. Seems like they don't much believe in air conditioning at the bars. Guess they think you drink more if it's hot. Can't imagine what it will be like in the summertime. After the show was finished we started back to the Flinders Hotel. There was now a long line to get into Stonewalls.
It was still mostly men and maybe two GG's (I'm guessing) at Flinders. If they weren't GG's they were really, really good at it. I still think that other than Cortney, I was the only CD in the place. Anyway Sue introduced me around. Everyone was quite friendly.
A picture of Sue and friend.
Cortney did her number and it was back again to Stonewalls with Sue. It was quite a brisk walk and I had to work hard to keep up in heels.
Even though there was now a bit of a line, Sue marched right in with me in tow. Back to the stage. Met a few more people. Cortney did her number and at the end passed out some CD's (no, really Compact Disks) and tickets to the Gay Games. Cortney made sure I got one of the prizes. As always, I am always amazed at how friendly CD's are as a whole. Even though I was a perfect stranger, they really made me feel welcome. Sue was especially nice, and I can't thank her enough for making it an interesting night. We said goodnight and I got the following picture with Cortney.
The night wasn't over quite yet, so I decided to give it one more chance at the Taxi Club. Now it was really humming, but I still wasn't able to hook up with any other CD's. The scene really wasn't my thing, so after a little bit of gambling, I decided to call it quits for the night. Really was convenient being at the Manor House.
Final thoughts: Even though I was lucky and had a good time, I probably won't go out alone again. Hopefully, I will be able to meet someone or a support group to go out with. I was surprised to find out how much it was a Gay scene in Darlinghurst. At the Queen Mary (and the Mayfair Hotel), men are very much in the minority and it is mostly girls.