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On Our Way to "No Hope"
May. 29th, 2010 08:26 amLove the town, but New Hope, PA, is slowly becoming a den of yuppies from what I've heard. We haven't been there in years. Especially, since the best nightclub EVER "was inundated with smoke damage to the point that it was unusable ever again and had to be torn down." But, but, we all thought that part of the structure was under historical preservation...
When I came out, the Cartwheel (the best nightclub EVER) and the Raven (just down the street) were the places my best friend, Joey, and I went almost every Friday and Saturday nights. When we were exceptionally bored on a Monday or it was a holiday weekend (like Memorial Day), we'd head there for the Monday Night Drag Contests. We did actually like the contests and enjoyed seeing who was eliminated week to week till one of them was crowned with some shiny, plastic piece of crap.
Friends who visited me from all over were often treated to a day in New Hope or Lambertville (across the Delaware River in NJ). We'd get into town for a wonderful cup of coffee and a muffin, then take off walking slowly around the towns. Crossing the bridge, we'd anticipate the other town and the stores along the main roads.
Lambertville has an annual Shad Festival in April, and New Hope has an Art Festival in May or June. Sometime during the summer, they'll have other street fairs and antique shows or flea markets. Winter is the time for the annual Lambertville Winter Festival with ice sculptures all over the place. Fun towns, for sure. Lots of things to do back when I still lived in Trenton. That was about six years ago and we haven't been to those towns in about four.
So, today, we're heading to New Hope - four of us - meeting up with friends of friends for brunch and shopping. People around NJ, PA, and NY (even down to DE) are calling it "No Hope" because once the straight yuppies take it back from the artsy and gay folk, there's no hope for the town. It'll get dirty and run-down again. Then, one day, in a generation or two, the gays will return to gentrify the town once again and make it "Sparkle, Neelie! Sparkle!"
When I came out, the Cartwheel (the best nightclub EVER) and the Raven (just down the street) were the places my best friend, Joey, and I went almost every Friday and Saturday nights. When we were exceptionally bored on a Monday or it was a holiday weekend (like Memorial Day), we'd head there for the Monday Night Drag Contests. We did actually like the contests and enjoyed seeing who was eliminated week to week till one of them was crowned with some shiny, plastic piece of crap.
Friends who visited me from all over were often treated to a day in New Hope or Lambertville (across the Delaware River in NJ). We'd get into town for a wonderful cup of coffee and a muffin, then take off walking slowly around the towns. Crossing the bridge, we'd anticipate the other town and the stores along the main roads.
Lambertville has an annual Shad Festival in April, and New Hope has an Art Festival in May or June. Sometime during the summer, they'll have other street fairs and antique shows or flea markets. Winter is the time for the annual Lambertville Winter Festival with ice sculptures all over the place. Fun towns, for sure. Lots of things to do back when I still lived in Trenton. That was about six years ago and we haven't been to those towns in about four.
So, today, we're heading to New Hope - four of us - meeting up with friends of friends for brunch and shopping. People around NJ, PA, and NY (even down to DE) are calling it "No Hope" because once the straight yuppies take it back from the artsy and gay folk, there's no hope for the town. It'll get dirty and run-down again. Then, one day, in a generation or two, the gays will return to gentrify the town once again and make it "Sparkle, Neelie! Sparkle!"
