A streetcar, the Montrose Line, ran through the neighborhood. Link built his own home in Montrose, known as the Link-Lee Mansion, which is now part of the University of St. Link's planning details for the area included four wide boulevards with the best curbing and extensive landscaping. Link and his Houston Land Corporation envisioned a "great residential addition" according to the neighborhood's original sales brochure. Montrose, named after the town of Montrose, Angus, Scotland, was originally envisioned as a planned community and streetcar suburb dating back to the early 20th century before the development of River Oaks.
#OLD HOUSTON GAY BARS HOW TO#
Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon: Learn how to dance the two-step at this popular Northwest Houston saloon.Blur Bar: While you're in the area of JR's, stop by Blur Bar to end the night with a wild dance party (cue the amateur pole dancing).Although not technically classified as a gay establishment, this Midtown haunt-known for its world-class DJ acts and weekly theme nights-is popular among the LGBTQ+ crowd. Barbarella: Not all gay clubs are in Montrose (it's not like the neighborhood has a patent on them, after all).DJs play on the weekends and on Sundays, Houston Eagle hosts "Dangerous Disco." A relaxed crowd with draft beers, craft beers, and liquors await. Eagle: What started as a one-day-a-week party has become a mainstay in Houston's gay community.Michael's Outpost: An evening at this old-school Montrose hangout is guaranteed for a good time, seeing as it's been known to host drag shows and piano concerts on any given night.It's both lively and friendly with a hopping happy hour and the occasional DJ playing throwback bangers. Crocker: Everything you would expect to find in a neighborhood bar is what you'll find at Crocker.Grab a beer and challenge your mates to a round of pool. George Country Sports Bar: If it's a classic country-western vibe that you crave, this is where you'll find it (with a gay bent).There's even a boutique inside that sells jockstraps, chaps, toys, and the like.
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RIPCORD: Just a good old-fashioned gay leather bar, RIPCORD is entirely without pretense, and very much a welcoming spot if you're into bears, otters, leather-and-Levi's, kink, and fetishwear.A mixed gay/lesbian/straight bar, it's an inviting space, with soaring beam ceilings, exposed-brick walls, leather sofas, and vintage chairs, in the hipster-approved Heights neighborhood, along the trendy Washington corridor, which helps to account for the diverse crowd.
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Pearl Lounge: This endearingly quirky lounge isn't a lesbian bar, per se, but it is women-owned and caters strongly to a female crowd while also welcoming everybody else.There are multiple bars for mingling and lounging, great karaoke nights, a huge patio with lush landscaping, and fun themed events (amateur strip shows and block parties are the norm). This gay bar opened inside a vintage redbrick building in the heart of Montrose many years ago, and it's been going strong ever since. JR's Bar & Grill: Like its namesakes in Dallas and Washington, D.C., JR's has been a mainstay of the gay scene for decades.Guava Lamp is not quite as loud or as much of a scene as the bigger clubs, and the interior (comfy leather booths and a long bar) is more conducive to conversation. Guava Lamp: A lively, welcoming lounge with a contemporary aesthetic and a location a bit outside the main Montrose bar cluster.The draw here is the well-crafted cocktails (try the Shaddock Sour, with Nicaraguan rum, charred grapefruit, key lime, and rosemary) and delish bar victuals. Anvil Bar & Refuge: A dark, hipster-hallowed bar and "refuge" along Westheimer Road in Montrose, Anvil rakes in a lot of bearded dudes and dressed-down dames (some gay, most straight, but everybody's quite welcome).