By the Way: Drinks at Rosemont and Boxers, Art from Asia and Women

Byron visits a jazzy spot for cocktails in Bushwick and heads to the Upper East Side to see great art and a new gay bar off the Q Train.

Have a Bushwick Bash

The Rosemont: Remember when Williamsburg wasn’t even a thing (before it became more expensive than Manhattan)? Now it’s time to venture ever deeper into BK and get back some of that authentic L Train hot-new-thing. For that, we turn to Troy Carson — the original owner and creator of Billyburg’s stalwart gay hang Metropolitan Bar and the too-short-lived Sugarland Club. After a hiatus, he’s returned to take the reigns of this fledgling jazz club at 63 Montrose Ave. “The idea was to create a safe, all inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community of Brooklyn and to fill a gap left behind by the closing of other Queer spaces such as Sugarland and TNT,” he says. “As part of the vision for The Rosemont, I wanted to create a home and offer a platform for new and up and coming artists, drag performers, DJ’s, promoters, etc.”

The Rosemont has a great and varied line up of weekly, bi-monthly and monthly parties including: OOPS!, a weekly party on Wednesday Nights featuring regular appearances by Crystal Mesh, Jacquee Kennedee, West Dakota and Harajuku — plus new queens. There’s also Fake Nudes — a bi-monthly Saturday Night Dance Party with DJ P_A_T and the infamous House of Sterling; PEGGY, a monthly (2nd Thursday of the Month) lesbian Party; and MOOD SWINGS, a bi-monthly Sunday Night Party with a different fun theme each time. Meanwhile, Meshy Monday Karaoke is hosted Crystal Mesh every Monday night. Folks can see everything coming up Rosemont on FB (facebook.com/therosemontnyc/), Instagram (@therosemontnyc) and their website.

Off the Q and Brand New

Boxers UES: The opening of a new subway stop is music to a New Yorker’s ears. But the opening up a gay bar near it? Orgasmic! You can almost hear the roaring waves of “yaaasss!” from Upper East Side queens who were once forced to travel down to Chelsea or Hell’s Kitchen to get their 2-for-1 drink specials served up by ripped boys in boxers. We can only hope the extension of the Q will continue to bring such exciting new businesses to the neighborhood and give the UES a make-over worthy of a very special episode of Drag Race.

“We decided to open Boxers UES because of the new Q train service,” explains George Maestre, general manager of the new location. “UES has accessibility now. It is too early to tell, but we have two huge areas of potential customers to cater too: UES & Spanish Harlem. We are a gay sports bar. It is the only bar in the area where bartenders wear only boxer shorts and do pull ups behind the bar while you eat great food while you watch sports games and great music videos.“ I’ll have what he’s having!

Go East, Young Man!

“Made in Asia”: Sickening queens such as Ongina, Jujubee, Manila Luzon, Raja and Kim Chi have looked to their Asian roots to create looks that slay on stages and runways. But long before there was Drag Race, there were generations of artists bridging the gap between Eastern and Western thought and art. Now you can see some of them from March 14-27 at Opera Gallery New York (791 Madison Ave.) as part of a collection of works from and inspired by Asia. “Made in Asia” will feature many high-profile artists and works including exciting pieces by Japanese Pop artists Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara alongside Chinese socio-political painters Yue Minjun, Wang Guangyi and Zhang Xiao Gang. A ‘video robot’ sculpture by Korean Paik Nam June will rub shoulders with Andy Warhol’s notorious Chairman Mao, and delicate, expressive works by Yan Pei Ming and Zhang Huan will contrast with the heavy-yet-intricate sculptures of Seo Young-Deok. operagallery.com

Badass Bitches of the Met

“Badass Bitches of the Met”: Meet the ladies who were doing the cultural equivalent of “breaking the internet” way before Kim did. For two hours, you can explore women’s place in art history at the exhibit, “Badass Bitches of the Met”. Celebrating females as artists, muses and more, it’s a surefire strike against the patriarchy. But don’t worry if you’re not a lady; according to the organizers, “Dudes and non-gender-specificied humans are encouraged.” museumhack.com/badassb/

Last modified: March 26, 2018