It’s fair to say we are absolutely living for it and can testify that the queer vibes and come-as-your-fabulous-self spirit here infuses your soul with warmth and tempts you to never leave.īut leave you should! At least to explore the rest of wonderful Los Angeles, with its wealth of outdoor attractions, miles of gorgeous coastline, a bubbling collection of unique districts, revitalized downtown, and marvelous dining experiences. Much like the Manchester’s Canal Street, Le Marais in Paris and Mexico City’s Zona Rosa, at times it can seem the LGBT community far outnumbers their hetero-counterparts leading to the unusual position of many venues declaring themselves straight-friendly.
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In fact 40 percent of its residents identifying as gay, making WeHo the gayest city in the USA! He decided to celebrate his friend and co-worker’s life with a party at Gold Coast at which everyone was invited to wear a red dress.While the queer community is welcome across the entire city, the epicenter of gay life here is undoubtedly the WeHo Boystown gaybourhood fills with farm-to-table eateries, trendy boutique store, fabulous gay bars and nightclubs… and a seemingly endless array of gay-orientated events. But, not one to renege on his promises, Yves-Claude decided to take it to a higher level. When Mark Ferguson died from HIV-related complications in 1997, Yves-Claude happened to be out of town. Their grim and yet humorous pact was that when one of them died, the other would show up at the memorial service in a red dress. That started with a vow many years ago between two Gold Coast bartenders, Mark Ferguson and Yves-Claude, who both were HIV positive and, given the lack of effective treatment at the time, were in and out of the hospital. Gold Coast also is known for its annual Red Dress Party. One of its most popular D.J.’s, Jeff Spain, has been performing there for 32 years. Gold Coast is one of the few bars in West Hollywood whose staff has been on the job for a long time. Worl also complained about people spreading the news of the closing before he and Hastings, who lives in Palm Springs, could let Gold Coast employees know. In his Facebook post, Worl said of the closing: “We do not have a choice … We have fought and tried everything in our power to keep this bar and dealing with pressure from very very selfish and heartless people. The other popular bar that closed is Gym Bar, located at 8737 Santa Monica Blvd., whose landlord is Elias Shokrian of Beverly Hills. It, Rage, and Flaming Saddles, are all owned by Monte Overstreet, a gay man some call the “king of Boystown” in reference to his real estate holdings. Gold Coast is the fourth popular gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard to close since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“If you want to stop by and say hi or come in for a quick pic or last goodbye…I feel a lot of people would like that … just make sure you have a mask.with the luck we are having the health dept will stop in…A lot of people called the GC home, and we just want everyone to have a chance to say goodbye,” he said.
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Worl, who has been Hastings’ partner in the enterprise for 26 years, said that beginning Saturday they would begin cleaning it out, with the front door and the back door open. It became what is known as a “dive bar,” a term that has evolved to describe a bar known for its welcoming atmosphere and lack of pretension. Over the years, the bar, which sits on the southeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and North La Jolla Avenue, became popular for its down-to-earth, neighborhood vibe and inexpensive drinks.
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I can’t even start with the customers right now and what unconditional love you gave to this little neighborhood dive bar.”īob Hastings opened Gold Coast in 1981. “This is heart breaking for all and especially the employees of the GC who I wouldn’t trade for the world,” Worl wrote. Bryan Worl, co-owner of the bar, confirmed the closing in a post on Facebook today. Gold Coast, one of gay West Hollywood’s most popular bars, is closing. Gold Coast on the southeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and North La Jolla.