Where the ones who only come out at night come. Want to see Korean War vets visibly grooving along to “Thriller”? Care to observe a savant recite the birthday of every famous person on the TV? It’s impossible to stay at the Gangway for more than a shot and not make a new friend. Sure, there are patrons falling asleep in front of their martini glasses, but to linger beyond happy hour promises that singular pleasure of a spontaneous community forming out of total strangers until the night becomes, properly, a Party. Nobody has the full picture, but like a horseshoe crab or coelacanth, Gangway comes closest. Gleaning accurate information on gay bars before approximately 1965 is like studying Precambrian fossils.
stands a replica of the Titanic’s prow, and beneath it is the Gangway, a nautical-themed dive with porthole window mirrors that’s been around since raids were a possibility and the joint was full of merchant marines. Love it or hate it - and you should love it.
