the heart of gay astoria

so i can't believe that i haven't done this until just now, but i just did something that always has to be done before one relocates: i googled "queens" and "gay bar" to see what the homo situation around my new neighborhood is. and, miracle of miracles, good news: there are three gay bars two blocks from my house. and, if the description of a local gay-owned cafe is to be believed, 32nd st and broadway--one block from our new digs--is the "heart of gay astoria."

this keeps happening to me; when i moved to baltimore i signed a lease in mt vernon having no idea that it was "the heart of gay baltimore." i chose to live here because it was close to peabody, then months later found out that all the gay bars i'd be going to were literally around the corner. much like, um, my new place in astoria.

now i'm not saying that i'm never going to go into manhattan to go out. obviously my manhattan friends won't be coming to astoria to go out, and if i wanna see 'em i'll have to go to manhattan. but it's nice to know that if we feel like being lazy, or feel like being local, or, dammit, just feel like hanging out in our own 'hood for once, there are places to go. and plenty of 'em.