The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘gay’

We’d popped into the Little John on Christmas Eve at around 10.30pm having had a very nice meal at a nearby restaurant on the Shambles.  We wrote up our experiences and to be fair there has been equal numbers of people who have commented either sharing our views and not sharing our views.

For us, this is not the type of bar we would generally go back to as we have perhaps outgrown that side of the gay scene and prefer something a little different these days, but to be fair it is the only gay bar we know of in York and for that it should be supported.

The bar area is long with seating on both sides and at the back of the bar there seems to be smaller seating areas.  We never managed to check out downstairs when we were there as it was closed (there was some rubbish on the stairs) but posters seemed to indicate some functions took place down there.

The drinks seem very reasonable but if you like a particular brand be certain to ask for it otherwise you might be served up the house varieties which we didn’t like.  They seem to have a number of functions organised during the week and when they re-launch their website, details will no doubt be provided on there.  Their original website was taken down over Christmas/New Year, but we think this was because of the html errors that kept appearing.

Anyway,  all in all, not our ’cup of tea’ but judging by the comments received to date, it gets votes for and against in equal measure.

Pryordurkin rating 1 star.

We started out at the Spirit Bar on Saturday evening with some friends we were visiting in Manchester.  After shopping all day and spending more than I planned, I was ready for a drink.  We placed our order at this cavernous gay bar and were served by a couple of young inexperienced twinks, who didn’t understand the importance of consistency when serving customers the same drink.  Nonetheless we paid and then headed up to the outside roof terrace, where we sat overlooking Canal Street below.  When we left I noticed the leather beds were now occupied by a few (clothed I might add) people, chilling out to some good background music.  The place looks quite trendy and the door man was friendly enough so I guess this place is a safe place to spend some time hanging out.

Pryordurkin rating 2 Stars.

Manto was the very first gay bar I ever ventured into when I first visited Manchester some 10 years ago.  I instantly remembered the place which is split over two floors and operates as a nightclub.  We popped in for a drink with friends on Saturday evening quite early on and having been served up our drinks (a round for five people coming to less than £10) we sat outside on Canal Street to watch the world go by.  Apart from the three drunk beggars who approached us (one touching my head, which was not a good move!), the experience was very pleasant indeed.  As we sat, one of the bouncers came over to swap our glasses for the plastic cup affairs you get these days.   This was not a problem though as it was clearly for very good reasons and the bouncer was very pleasant indeed.  The bar itself could probably do with a bit of a face-lift as it looked a little like a student rag bar in places, but apart from that we enjoyed it.

Pryordurkin rating. 2 Stars.

Formerly known as Via Fosse, this bar on Canal Street in Manchester, proved to be a great place to relax, unwind and have a drink while people watching with our friends on Saturday.  A gay bar that is straight friendly, it is best described as Adams Family meets Changing Rooms with its bright colours and Gothic styling.  Situated over three floors, there are lots of small nooks and crannies to chill out in.  On the lower floor we sat in very comfortable sofas while watching the energetic happenings up on the ground floor.  Watch out for the toilets; not the cleanest but supervised by someone who makes you feel guilty if you don’t fork out a £1 per visit.   The owner is a sixty odd year old guy who can often be found manning the door. 

We recommend you get there early as it does get very busy later on and the bouncers don’t look like the type you argue with.  We had a great time in the place though;  it had a nice safe warm and welcoming atmosphere.  Give it a go.

Pryordurkin rating 3 Stars

We stopped off during our meanderings through York on Saturday afternoon at what will hopefully become another of our favourite Cafe Bars.  The sun was shining and the place was already very busy particularly outside on the pavement where people were eating and drinking in the warm heat.  As I’ve said before on earlier visits, the Blue Fly Cafe Bar does indeed serve very good food and dare I say, cake.  Last time the decoration left quite a bit to be desired though and a good clean was in order.  We were pleased to see that this time, the seating had been either replaced or repaired and the windows had actually seen a cleaning cloth.

Sitting down after we had ordered (they no longer make you pay before you get your food/drink, which is much more sensible and likely to result in more sales for them – well done), we relaxed while watching the people pass outside along New Street.

Our coffee, tea and two slices of lemon drizzle cake soon arrived.  While the crockery could still do with been replaced, the quality of the drink and cake were as usual very good indeed.  The cake is always fresh, moist and served with cream and went down a treat.

A further improvement I would suggest to the owner, is that they bring back the cool chill out house music they used to play last year.  I am not sure if they had a DJ who did mix tapes for them, but they should get him/her back.  With decent music, keeping on top of the cleaning and a change in crockery, this place could be a mecca for straight and gays alike, who enjoy good coffee, cake, a beer or two while watching the world go by.

Score: 2 Stars. Visited March 09.

We went along to see Twinkle, Little Star at the Theatre Royal, York last night. Written by Philip Meeks, Directed by Damian Cruden & Matt Aston, Designed by Mark Walters, Acted by Kenneth Alan Taylor. Playing in The Studio, a small intimate room within the Theatre Royal, with the rest of the small audience we sat around the square stage area to watch Kenneth Alan Taylor walk us through the story of an old Panto Dame in ninety minutes without a break.  We noticed the Mayor and Mayoress of York were also in the audience along with a good mix of young and old, straight and gay.

Quite how one man could keep so many people so close around him, entertained and engrossed for 90 minutes in the life of a Panto dame was really quite clever.  Although the set was specifically built to look amateurish, the performance was anything but.  The story unfolded and it was tricky not to forget where you were and that you were watching an actor.  A very believable, funny and at times, poignant story.

Score: 4 Stars. Visited March 08.

Well here I am again at the Croydon Park Hotel and the usual routine of taking dinner (on my own) in the restaurant leads me to practising (sometimes without much effort) the art of listening to other peoples conversations.  At this point I should of course tell you about my experience on the train down from Yorkshire this morning.  While working at my seat, I could clearly see the girl sat in front of me, sending text messages to her boyfriend.  She had quite a big phone and of course out the corner of my eye I could not help but notice what was being written.  Anyway, the text messages that were coming out of this otherwise petite and conservatively dressed girl would have shocked a Navi.  In essence it turned out the boyfriend was working up a sweat at the local gym while this girl was texting him.  She spent the next half hour sending messages describing just how hot under the collar she was getting thinking about him working up a sweat etc etc!  By the way, this is the clean version!  What would her mother say?  However it was entertaining and passed an otherwise normal mundane journey.

Anyway back to Croydon.  With my hobby of people watching now an established pastime, listening to the conversations taking place around me in restaurants proves to be as entertaining as any good Soap Opera.  This evenings installment went along the lines of.  Joe maybe gay, but hides it well, although everyone in the office thinks he should just come out and admit it.  Meanwhile Frank (the boss) is a useless manager, hopeless at motivating his staff and Amy (sat at the dinner table speaking) knows a big secret but she can’t tell.   Amy (bless her) kept plugging away at the fact that she knew a big secret, but unfortunately (for Amy) her colleagues weren’t biting or pushing to find out what it was.  The disappointment on her face was palpable.  Anyway, this is my life in a hotel.  It’s just like Crossroads and I am waiting for Benny to show up any minute.

PS.  Has anyone else noticed how when you get a group of work colleagues together on a train / in a hotel they all try just that little bit too hard to be outgoing/friendly/popular.  You can normally hear it happening.  Forced laughter, giggling and inane dribble being passed off as conversation.

PPS.  I’ve had had quite a fun day so am not grumpy before you ask!