I live in New Jersey, so I chose to write about the Upper East Side around where Hunter is located because that is where I predominantly spend most of time in New York City. At first glance, I never really noticed any sexualized/gendered/queer spaces because when that comes to mind I instantly think downtown…the Greenwich Village, Tribecca, and Soho, but when I took a closer look some things stuck out more than others.
1)For working parents, there are plenty of day care services for their children available around the East side, such as private schools that offer pre-K or strictly day care for toddlers. Nanny Services are also very commonly used by working parents.
(2)I noticed that many males go to supermarkets and the cleaners and places such as nail and hair salons are known to be feminine. Even some department stores have more females than males such as Barneys and Henri Bendel as opposed to Macy’s. Places that are gender separated include Saunas, public restrooms, and many massage clinics.
(3)When I think of queer/gay spaces, my mind instantly wanders downtown where the homosexual nightlife is incredible. There are the obvious gay bars and parks, but there are also those areas that only the queers know about. I recently learned that the basement floor of the Hunter Library is a queer designated area. There are gay organizations and surprising gay cruises for couples to meet.
(4)When I Googled “Gay map of New York”, I found an incredible website (http://www.gaymap.info/-download-maps/Gay_NewYork_08.pdf) with everything one needs when visiting NYC such as hotels, bars/restaurants, saunas, gyms and more with a helpful map and so much information.
(5)Walking around the streets of the Upper East Side mid day, I didn’t find too people doing “private” things in public except for Central Park where on this gorgeous day I found a few young couples making-out and getting very intimate with one another. I also found a few girls tanning in the sun in just lingerie.
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