R42 here. I haven't heard Tracy James' name in years. Of all things, he taught the abs class at 19th St. gym for years. That little basement gym was a hotbed of straight muscle heads, questionable muscle heads. But I never got a whiff of anything from Tracy though as far as being gay. He was super nice, and I couldn't believe my luck that he was teaching this small mat class for about six or seven of us at a time. He was hot to death, and nice, which actually hurts. I am sure he is still sexy. He just had a natural lean build. I think I remember when I was 16, cosmo had a centerfold of him in black and white, detailing what makes a man hot. He also had the 6 minute Abs, which he made a chunk of change from . 19th St. Gym was Tommy Marinelli's gym. He was switchy, switchy, switchy when high (as an excuse). A gay friend of mine, who managed the gym for a while would always comment how Tommy was overtly sexual with him, commenting on his ass and wanting to fuck him. All these guys seemed to be comfortable around a ton of gay guys. I remember one of his hot, sexy guido friends, married even, hit me up on Grindr years later wanting me to come over and fuck him. This is the gym where I was first introduced to then 24 yo Thelonius Johnson who I had a huge crush on. He would go on to be Anderson Cooper's trainer for years, TJ. Emmeric was a trainer there. Tommy was friends with a bevy of celebs with gay rumors swirling around them. Main one being Tyson Beckford who would train there occasionally. I think Tommy's family money came from different businesses, but all had the hint of mafia. I remember one time him hiding out some guy at the front desk from whomever was looking for him. Tommy was partner owner in the company that constructed The Chelsea Mercantile Building (home to the first NYC Whole Foods, Bobby Flay, Katie Holmes, and others) and he was part owner, investor in SoundFactory that took over Twilo over by the Eagle and Scores.

Speaking of the Eagle, anyone else remember Gregory Nalbone, the hot to death GoGo boy for years all around the city? He is a bartender now I believe.

As far as major clubs are concerned, they are all out in Brooklyn, in Bushwick. Mostly straight. But straight in the way that guys arrive with girls, then by the end of the night, are doing what ever, coked up, in the bathrooms. You have House of Yes (which is gay or has a gay night), Avant Gardner, Lot 45 and a lot of others. The parties travel from warehouse to warehouse with the music going well into the AM on a Sunday, if not the afternoon. There is a huge Elroy event at Avant Gardner at the end of this month. Manhattan you have Freq and other major clubs in the Midtown area. Of course the meat packing district is ridiculous with 1 Oak, PHD, Cielo (although just closed), Avenue, Tao, Gilded Lilly, The Electric Room, Boom Boom and Le Bain. Le Bain also has a huge gay night on every Sunday up until Memorial Day. And FlashFactory on 28th St. in Chelsea I think still has a huge Sunday gay dance party. But as far as gay only mega clubs, I don't think they exist. But even Roxy, which was one of the biggest ever, was never all Gay.

So the parties are out there. But FlashFactory is the only one I've seen with the "take your shirt off as soon as you enter" gay of ole feel to it. But being older and not having the body I did then, spending way too much on my clothes to lose a t-shirt on the floor, the banality of shirtless grown men bouncing around in cargo shorts and baseball caps, and one too many 20 minute remixes of I Feel Love, I've lost my loving feeling for circuit party style gay mega parties. Give me a dark house beat, dark flashing lights, cute German or Italian boys out to lose their mind on their vacay in NYC, and I am in heaven.