alright! im steve and im coming to leeds uni in september. like most people i am having a problem deciding where to stay for my first year?
are any places known to be gay friendly? at the mo im deciding between either boddington and ellersie. but im just not too sure!!!!
what puts me off bod is that it's far from the centre aka from the gays of the city, and also sounds quite tough to get to uni. ellersie just sounds really quiet and that aint really me.
im going into catered accom. so if anybody could give me their input it would greatly be appreciated. cheers!
Going by the experience of others, I think Clarence Dock tends to be pretty gay. Mainly because it's the closest hall to Leeds' gay area! It is self-catered, though, and bloody expensive. If I could choose again I'd have gone catered, as I've just finished my first year in catered accommodation and hated it immensely.
I stayed in Tetley Hall this year. About 30 mins. walk from university in Headingley which people say is 'the main student area'. Distance actually isn't a problem, as buses are very frequent, but they can take up to half an hour to get to uni at peak times. Don't be fooled; Headingley is pretty overpriced and if you don't like expensive chain pubs, you won't find much of interest there. Tetley serves breakfast from 7.45 to 9.00 on weekdays, so if you're a late riser, don't bother. The annoying thing about catered is that you have to plan your days around meal times, and you end up either living off take-aways, going hungry or cancelling plans. Quality is also pretty poor, serving up such delights as salmon wellington and coronation liver. And if you're a veggie, it's vegetarian grills for dinner nearly every night. Some of the rooms are in gorgeous Victorian houses but rooms in these vary in size and get very cold in winter. Most of the rooms are in a really ugly 1960s block and haven't been refurbished since they were built! I think it's the cheapest catered hall, but I wouldn't recommend it in spite of the fact that there are quite a few LGBT people staying there...
I wouldn't let distance be the sole reason for not applying to Bodington. Yes, I won't lie, it is very far out; walking takes nearly an hour. And I've heard it can be a bit grotty, too, though I've heard the student life out there is pretty active. Remember that you'll be living with 1,200 other students which is either a curse or a blessing depending on your own opinion. I can't say much more, as I haven't been to Bodington.
Remember that your accommodation isn't the be all and end all. I've made some fantastic friends this year, but not one of them lived in Tetley. Just make sure you come and say hi to the LGBT society at freshers fayre!
Please feel free to ask me any questions, 'cause it's Saturday afternoon and I'm bored.
Clarence Dock is bout 40mins walk away from uni, the bus services r abit of a bitch 2, but apart from that it houses loadsa gays, is 10-15mins walk from the gay scene, in a generally nice area, if u get a waterview window u get 2c swans n canal boats every mornin, which is beautiful n in the spring u get little baby birds n rabbits everywhere, awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
As with most of Leeds, walkin anywhere at night can b daunting, jus avoid walking down the calls, over the bridge, waterside of brewery wharf n under bridge cos its not very well lit n is a mugging hotspot... if u do walk back, walk down briggate n stick 2 the tetleys brewery, goin over the main road n down theside of loadsa apartments, the armouries n thru the armouries car park, its well lit n alot safer. and always carry ur keys in ur hand rough edges point up thru ur fingers, if u ever need 2 hit any1 it'll do them alot more damage n hurt loads more than a normal swipe.
Its not the quietest accomodation cos, well Clarence Dock is the party animals choice (short walk 2 loadsa clubs n bars) so theres always sum1 awake and sum1 makin noise, if theres a lack of people its usually the birds who r v.off target wi their singing and gi u the dawn chorus at 2am due to them been pissed up on the air from the tetleys brewery (the air does smell dodgy round here but in a good way, if ur ever hungover open ur window n breathe in deep, u'll b off ur tits again). Otherwise its the bleeding jousting at 10am on sunday mornings that echo's out from the royal armouries, but u can take ur stress out by walkin up 2 the joustin yard n kicking the masses 4 disturbing ur sleep when they walk outta it.
En-suite bathrooms, decent kitchens, 2 fridge freezers, 24/7 net access and a cheap phone service, as well as a nice bar and a shop r all perks of living at Clarence Dock, but be warned the wardens love to spring once a term flat inspections on u where everything has to be cleaned to military standards or u get re-inspected a week later, fail that n u have to pay £50 each for industrial cleaners 2 blitz ur flat. Otherwise jus hoover the flat to a crappy standard and strategically place sextoys n condoms/lube over all the not so clear spots, it embarrases the inspecting warden and they jus pass it no questions asked.
Hope that helps
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
i've never been out in gay leeds but i've heard it's pretty fun. i used to live in birmingham so im used to there.
argh! it's such an annoying decision to make. i think if i go into self-catered i won't get as much chance to meet lots of people otherwise i would have wanted to go to clarence docks. bod. is far but my line of thinking was the more people there, the more gays there.
who knows where i'll end up! im thinking boddington at this moment but im crap at making decisions.
but sorry, im rambling again, back to going out! what is it like gaywise?
I think wherever you stay there will be a fair few gayers. I'd be put off living too far away from town though just because of the price of taxi fairs back after a night out! Good luck choosing!
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Comes across all shy and coy, just another nancy boy.
clarence dock is pretty good. i lived here before and decided that i didn't want to live here again, but i'm glad i did. stumbling home after a night in town and not having to get taxis is a huge bonus, and the accomodation itself is good too.
i haven't been in catered halls though, for the reason alice said about having to fit your life around the meal times.
you needn't choose your halls based on how many gayers will be there though. the lgbt is well organised and thinks about all its members, and includes everyone in its events, so you'll still meet people really easily from other parts of the university.
and if you don't like your halls, you can apply to move after the first two weeks anyway. either the uni will look out for an open room for you somewhere, or you can use the accommodation website to swap rooms with someone else who wants to move.
Anonymous wrote: cheers guys. it's good to know these things. argh! it's such an annoying decision to make. i think if i go into self-catered i won't get as much chance to meet lots of people otherwise i would have wanted to go to clarence docks.
Trust me that is so not true, u can b walking thru Clarence Dock at 3am or later n end up in a random conversation with someone from another block. (like at 4 this mornin, I wer sat on grass wi random people drinkin cider - they saw me on way back 2 my flat n asked me 2 join em) The key to meetin people is what you do over the first weekend. I got to know my flatmates during the day in the kitchen, then went round every single flat in our block wi them.
This turned in2 a game of "fish tank" in one of the flats... u basically get a big plastic storage box n a set of straws, every1 chucks in a bottle n every1 downs it wi straws. Followed by goin to other blocks and jus randomly knockin on doors n introducing ourselves. Alcohol is essential to the first weekend, every1's away from home meetin new people n generally gettin drunk, so drink to a level of sociableness, talk to any1 n every1 don't b afraid of bangin on doors and introducin urself at random, every1's new there n knows no-one, so effort in the first few days is appreciated.
Another gr8 thing about Clarence Dock is the fire alarms, usually set off by sum drunk tosser (well thats the case in my block) its the only time u get every1 u live with outside in a group for half an hour... fab 4 meetin people, its how we figured out that there wer people livin on the 4th floor, they jus avoided our flat cos they didnt like us (noise levels might have been a problem) Its the same for any halls really, get 2 know who ur livin wi, go round in a group wi them sayin hi to other flats, talk to every1, even the type of people u normally wudnt talk 2 if u wer back home (back home i avoided talking to ditzy girly girls, 1st impression of 1 of my flatmates was bad but i spoke 2 her regardless & i can honestly say I love the girl 2bits n am really gonna miss not livin wi her).
During the first week n half its essential for you to bounce around, talk to every1, drink loads, hardly sleep (stock up on caffine pills at freshers fair, am talkin at least 5 packs here not jus 1 or 2), make effort to talk to people and get ur head round all the info been thrown at u. Also go 2 freshers fair n get as many freebies as possible, stock up on mints, bottle openers, pens, post-it notes, more bottle openers. And definately check out the societies fair its where u get 2 join all the societies, we'll b there & running introductary events, so don't b afraid of coming across and saying hi!
In addition to that the union r on about holding an assemblies fair, where freshers are told about the different student assemblies that fight for the rights of certain groups of students within the union and are more than welcome 2 join! If theydo have one u shud check out the LGBT one, if ur into politics or wanna get involved!
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
NickyDyke85 wrote: During the first week n half its essential for you to bounce around, talk to every1, drink loads, hardly sleep (stock up on caffine pills at freshers fair, am talkin at least 5 packs here not jus 1 or 2), make effort to talk to people and get ur head round all the info been thrown at u. Also go 2 freshers fair n get as many freebies as possible, stock up on mints, bottle openers, pens, post-it notes, more bottle openers. And definately check out the societies fair its where u get 2 join all the societies, we'll b there & running introductary events, so don't b afraid of coming across and saying hi!
I really must echo this.
I spent the first week being antisocial and not talking to anyone and it was really hard (though not impossible) to get to know people later on. It's said that the people you meet at fresher's week will be the people you spend the rest of the year avoiding, and there is an element of truth to this -- I've had two freshers weeks to pretty much know my stuff! In spite of that, throwing yourself into uni life and keeping busy is one of the best ways to adjust to life in a new city and avoid homesickness.
One point about living out -- taxi fares can be a bit steep. Some unreuptable firms can charge you £7-£8 to get back to Headingley from the town centre, but if you phone a firm like Amber Cabs and split the cost with a friend, there should be no reason why the cost deters you. Night buses to run to Headingley and the 95 goes to Bodington until 3am, but it's pretty infrequent and on some nights can be crammed like a tin of sardines.
As far as the gay scene goes, I'm not the biggest fan of it in Leeds, mainly as it can get boring after a while. We organise a scene tour at the beginning of the year that'll show you the good, the bad and the ugly of Leeds' gay scene. As well as that, the society organises a hell of a lot of events, so you're unlikely to be stuck for things to do.
And beware of joining too many societies at Freshers Fayre.
the scene tours are always ace. the other year we had 60 people marching through town like a big merry band of gays and trying to get into velvet, which was never going to happen! it's also probably the only time you'll ever drink in the new penny or the old red lion. all such a hoot.
hope the base is still open come september. i'm going to miss it when it closes :(
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burn down our home, RAPE OUR DEAD MOUTHS. Just as long as I don't have to hear anymore of your disgusting babble
AliceH wrote: One point about living out -- taxi fares can be a bit steep. Some unreuptable firms can charge you £7-£8 to get back to Headingley from the town centre, but if you phone a firm like Amber Cabs and split the cost with a friend, there should be no reason why the cost deters you.
And beware of joining too many societies at Freshers Fayre.
Yeah as far as taxi firms go, City Cabs r overpriced twats who rip u off, £6 from lower briggate to Clarence Dock takes the piss seems that its literally round the corner. Amber cabs r by far best firm I've come across, they've got really nice drivers and don't run on a metered system so all the drivers take a rough estimate at how far they've travelled n match up the distance n price on a piece of paper, works out 2b a pretty cheap journey, u can get a taxi from clarence dock all way up2 top of headingly for £5 wi Amber (is a good 5mile) Only thing i will say about them is that they have a tendancy to be abit late, but r a good firm regardless.
The 2 many societies at freshers fair, they charge u 2 join, clog up ur inbox wi e-mails, and too many societies = too little time to do owt else. Go for the ones ur really interested in.
The Leeds gay scene, well its all centred in Lower Briggate (round corner from train station) the places are (bottom 2 top):
Adelphi Hotel = full of older people, i've never set foot in there jus walked past it
Red Lion = full of old men
The Base = has a gr8 mix of entertainment on, a little dancefloor, comfy sofa's n is a nice bar good 4 chilling in
The Bridge = decent, holds karoke nights, is fairly popular wi gay men... but the bogs still need sorting out, if u like squattin over holes in a plank of wood u'll love em!
The New Penny = Pervy old men, run like f*** unless u want a sugar daddy (not sure if they r rich or not)
Blayds = Pretty hard 2 find cos its wedged in a little courtyard between the golden lion hotel and adult x sex shop, small place, usually got a few locals in, is good jus 2 go n chill n chat, ran by lesleybeans and generally loved by lesleybeans.
Fibre = Pretentious **** hole, if u dun have the right look theres no point in settin foot in there, generally over-ran by str8 fag hags or str8's who think its a trendy bar, if u dun mind spendin bout £5 a drink and spending ur time wi ignorant, shallow stuck up ****s, i guess it'd cud b ok. Personally I can't wait for the place to re-open so I don't have 2 serve Leeds's biggest collection of pricks anymore.
Queens Court = is a bar down stairs, standard tables n chairs n a little dancefloor, has a happy hour everyday 5-8 where drinks r half price (take advantage cos rest of time they r ridiculously expensive) Monday nights are pink pound nights where all bottles r £1 all pints r £2, spirit and a mixer is £2 (doubles £3) and the upstairs part of the club is open, again has tables n chairs and a dancefloor wi 2 podiums and poles. Is open til 2am most nights apart from Thursdays (also a pink pound night) when it shuts at 12 - dont stick around til 12 unless u wanna b tortured with turkish/salsa music for an hour, a 20min long steps bootleg (i actually quite like it) sum cheesy crap about cowboys and bang bang. Also be warned, if u gi the bar staff attitude u'll get it back... apart from that they are really nice n dun bite! :o)
Mission = Not really a gay club, is "gay friendly" and hosts a gay night called homo on Thursdays, drinks r £1.50, the toilet queues are massive, be warned tho it gets packed out with str8's, chavs, wankers and aint really that much fun unless ur pissed outta ya face/off ya tits on pills. Pretty easy to pull, but a word of warning, if u've been chewin ur face off all night don't trust any judgement u make when it comes to pulling, not only will u wake up in the mornin feeling like **** wi a come down, u'll have to face up2 wotever u've got in ur bed. Save time and embarrasment, shag em in bogs and lose em bout 10mins later when u leg it 2 bar.
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
I haven't been to The Base for ages, but like it due to the fact it's one of the few places where it's still possible to have a quiet sit down and a drink. (This makes me sound old. I can deal with that.) In theory you can go to QC for that, but it's always rammed.
My favourite memory of the scene tour was probably sitting in the window of Fibre (a rather uh, pretentious venue) with some smuggled-in vodka, looking a complete state in my messy attire, and then laughing at the people outside who were refused entry solely on their appearance. Good times... scene tours are always amazing fun. Much more fun than whatever lame freshers ball Leeds Union are putting on.
Don't knock the Old Red Lion, Dave! It has the nicest women's loos in the whole of Leeds, mainly due to the fact that we were the first women to have been in it since, uh, the last scene tour.
They r closing Base?????? GUTTED! I love that place, amount of nights me n Ben have spent in their fooked off our faces...
Never been in Velvet, everytime I've been its always appeared to have been shut or have sum hidden concealed entrance, or maybe am jus thick and cant find the door...
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
The scene tours are good for meeting people... I didnt go on the scene tour cos my sister had come up2c me n was refusin 2 go gay clubbin... luckily i've got a big gob & say/do stupid stuff so every1 gets to know me/remember me.
Also on the whole spin of meeting people, the first event is usually a good one, its where i met JohnK, ChipsandLube, Joey (mens officer), Evie n quite a few others, i cant really remember who, its been overshadowed by the fact i offended a str8 girl that night...
Coffee hours are great for meeting people and talkin pure jibberish/gettin jumped up on caffine for 2 hours, its where i met pretty much every1 else I know in lgbt.
And then theres other events like Otley Runs, fancy dress, 15 pubs pub crawl, alcohol in every pub, my god, its a bonding experience!
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
i went to boddington and fookin loved it. only downside was the bus journeys but there's such a community spirit there... am now leaving uni and most of my best friends i made there. however, i wouldnt go self-catered to bodd as u don't meet as many people because it's the dinner hall where a lot of socialising happens. overall, i defo reccomend catered for bodd but self-catered id stick close to the uni because if you don't like your flatmates ull want to meet others outside of your halls....
im really looking forward to coming to leeds now - the change of scenery will do me (bad things) the world of good!
it sounds like there are some pretty cool places but as everywhere straights are sloooowly starting to take over! boo!
if i only knew that the gays were hidden behind the train station on the times that i have been to leeds it would have been soooo much better. ah well! it'll be a surprise when i start.
accom wise i am still in a major pickle. im really tempted to go self-catering and if i did clarence dock would be my option but the only thing i worry about is meeting lots of people but you guys say it's easy still. is it cool to get to uni from clarence docks?
I really wouldn't worry about meeting gay people - that's what the LGBT is (partly) here for. There's a few gayers where I live (Montague Burton) but i met them through LGBT and not actually here!
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Comes across all shy and coy, just another nancy boy.
Leeds is a really cool place and most of the accomodation is okay - and whether you are in halls or not, there are hundereds of chances to meet people.
I have a fair few friends, and not many of them were in my halls in first year, so don't fret. The LGBT, your course and random things like queues in registration week and the socities fair are all cool ways of meeting people.
I met one of my best mates in a queue for photographs in the union!
Clarence Dock is a nice place - but I think its only downside (and for me, it was a major downside) was that it was far away from uni - yes it was really close to the gay scene, but that only encouraged me!! lol.
Lupton, Henry Price, Montague Burton and Leodis are all nice and most are pretty. :P
And do joing the LGBT in September - we've got a great crowd of people involved and next year is going to be ace - you probably won't see me that much, but I'll be around at most of the evening and weekend events.
Add me to your msn, if you like, address is at the bottom. :)
Have fun deciding and see you in September!! :)
John x
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Johnk
The only freedom that you’ll ever really know
Is written in books from long ago
It always took me ages too. Thats because I like to wlk nice and slow. But in the summer and the autumn the walk is nice. My problem though was that you had to go past the shops to get there quickly. Which meant daily cothes buying in my first term! :S
Nay Good!
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Johnk
The only freedom that you’ll ever really know
Is written in books from long ago
Ahh see am not a gay bloke so the shoppin dun affect me! :o)
its walkin past all the pubs that get me, well actually i lie, its jus walkin in general, i've turned in2 a lazy git, mind u the influence of certain flatmates this year can be held accountable 4 that.
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
Coming from Birmingham, I'd say that the Leeds scene is (sadly) not nearly as developed as the one here. Mission is kind of like DV8 on a Thursday and Queens Court is kind of like Route. Fibre's kind of like Angels... There's no real 'gay' club like Nightingale's or Essential here, so it's more mixing with the hettie bitches and getting to know how to spot the gayers in the crowd at clubs like Evolutions and Creation which have a bit of that 'megaclub' feel. It's a shame it's not more substantive in Leeds but I'm sure in time it'll develop, but the lack of scene does emphasise the importance of getting into the LGBT swing of things because a lot of what the society does is mutual support: not hookups as such but just making sure people know there are others out there!
On the housing front, I'd really just go for a place that seems to have a feel that you'd enjoy. I went catered in Oxley, just a little closer into the centre than Boddington, and I loved it. I took the view that there's never going to be a time of your life that you'll have someone cook all your meals for you, so why not take full advantage? And it's cheaper too. Over the summer my old hall is going to be converted into all self-catered but that's cool too. Tetley's a good choice as is Lupton, all near the main body of students in Headingly. Places on-campus have more of an on-site feel: you might like the idea of not being RIGHT on the doorstep of your lecturers all of the time. It's nice to get away, but remember that Clarence Dock is away from everything else really and could be seen as a bit isolated. As far as I know there are no other bodies of students near it, which is unusual compared with all the others here.
ah dude that really helps when you compare it to birmingham. it kinda gives me a rough idea of what places are like. it's a shame there isn't a gay club - the gale is fun sometimes but i've been dancing for about 6months it's my sat night work.....at least now i get to go out at the weekend if i choose to instead of being a hoe on a podium.
do the lgb 'interact' with other unis? quite a lot of my mates go to manchester and they really wanna come up and go out in leeds. wouldn't it be cool if we could do trips or something (thats sounds too gay but you get my meaning) to experience diff. levels of queerness?
i chose my halls in the end and it seems like i've ended up at james baillie. i just hope it's going to be fun there.....fingers crossed anyways!
Anonymous wrote: do the lgb 'interact' with other unis? quite a lot of my mates go to manchester and they really wanna come up and go out in leeds. wouldn't it be cool if we could do trips or something (thats sounds too gay but you get my meaning) to experience diff. levels of queerness?
I think we had a trip to Manchester in winter 2004, but making links with other LGBTs in the area is something I'd definitely like to see more of as no matter how varied your scene is, a change of place is always nice, as is meeting new people as well. The society definitely does trips and ventures farther afield than Queens Court and Mission every once in a while. Nic and Laura our Events Officers are obviously the guys to talk to Events stuff about, and I'm sure they'd really appreciate any suggestions.
We did make a few links with other LGBTs in the North West at the recent LGBT NUS summer conference, so who knows what 2005/6 will bring!
Hope you enjoy James Baillie! I've been there a couple of times, and I think it's about 20 minutes walk away from Uni. (Or about ten minutes at the most and a very short bus ride!) It's pretty new and well-maintained as well.
James Baille, nice halls, ermmm only thing i dun like bout em r the showers, think dodgy holiday caravan bathroom n u got it in one! :o)
We are working on links with other universities for events, currently we r linked with the leeds met uni and occasionally Bretton Hall campus, but theres always room 4 more
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
it sounds like im living your dream! yeh, dancing at the gale on fri&sat nights on the ground floor from last sept to march. that's part of my gap year 'fun'?
well my mate knows the owner of 'fibre' though i hear it's quite pretentious (im thinking along the lines of kudos breakfast club when related to bham - am i right?) and he said that that terry - the owner - will give me a job there if i want it but it could be a bit dodgy....hmmmm.....will be thinking about that one.
but yeh, dancing gives you the money you need for the rest of the night to go and get wrecked. it's all good fun.
and im sure you're not as bad at dancing as you think you are. just go for it!
I don't think it's as bad as Kudos, though to be honest I've never stuck around for the Breakfast Club. I've only been there when it was completely deserted and my friends and I could take advantage of the lack of patronage and just be as nuts as we wanted. That place blows. Seriously. Pretentious yes, bad, no. It is what it is I suppose, but then again what gay bars AREN'T pretentious?!
my last comment about the bham scene - kudos aint called kudos anymore: it is called 'love' or some other crappy name
i really love the breakfast club! so much fun! people say how pretentious it is but i don't really find that - i just chat to anybody and it's cool. i think you should try it one night. go to dv8 or the gale till about 2/3 and then head up to 'love' for the after-party. it's a top night!
Arsecandle wrote: Hulls LGBT is laughable. As is the gay scene.
The fact the gay scene is laughable is hardly the fault of their LGBT, though. And in my opinion, the Leeds gay scene is pretty laughable, but I knows of people here who enjoy it and enjoy it myself when the company's entertaining.
And the LGBT themselves (well, the six I met) were lovely people. Try not to make such judgements in future, hm?
"The New Penny = Pervy old men, run like f*** unless u want a sugar daddy (not sure if they r rich or not)"
I really doubt any of pervy old men are smart enough to be rich... They spew out some chat up lines that you've heard over and over again before. Worst pick-up line I've ever heard probably is "hi, you look like you have a really nice cock." I really don't wanna find it out whether they are rich or not either.
-- Edited by indie_hunk at 14:16, 2005-07-08
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I've got a sweet poison cake, gonnabe high Take me higher higher I've got a sweet creature song, It's a lemon, lemon lemon & I scream
its just really funny to be there, its that kind of a gay pub that i only have seen on telly or read in a book or something.. all the other gay places have evolved, but that pub remains to be... dunno, vintage? lol
yeah its filled with sleazy old men but where isnt, and besides if you just ignore them then no reason why they shud ruin ur nite!
i like it better than bloody fibre anyhoo, even more so now that they hav become an exclusive bar only for members.. WTF?!?!?!!!!
They r closing Base?????? GUTTED! I love that place, amount of nights me n Ben have spent in their fooked off our faces...
