There’s a lot of Grindr action going on here,” my friend Tim muttered, peeking at the so-named smartphone app that lets like-minded seekers of, ahem, certain favors zero in on one another, wherever they may be. Relieved to find the drink list unencumbered by craft cocktails or hundreds of beers to sift through, I ordered my old faithful, Maker’s and Diet ($8), and huddled with my group under the dramatic barrel ceiling. With three male companions in tow, I headed to Downtown first, since I’d heard happy hour is bus-tling (my next visit will be for Talentless Tuesdays karaoke in the basement). As a veteran of many a Boystown bar hop, I had decided to visit both spots and evaluate the possibility of a new gay district on Chicago’s nightlife horizon.
Among the lounges that dot River North, Downtown stands as the sole gay bar save for the stalwart dive Second Story in nearby Streeterville. (Second) Story Time: One Infamous Night at the Mag Mile’s Only Gay Diveįor the first hour of a recent Saturday night at Downtown-a new bar in the space once occupied by Gentry and, ever so briefly, The Lucky Lady-I was the only lady in the room. 5 more gay bars outside the Boystown/Andersonville bubble
