If you’ve never visited Philadelphia’s Gayborhood on a warm September Saturday night, you’re definitely missing out. This past weekend we found ourselves in the midst of what may have been the most fun we have ever had in a nightclub. Freshly 21, we haven’t really explored much of the nightlife in Philly just yet. Many of the clubs we have been to in the past have been advertised as your regular, run of the mill Philly nightclubs. Many of them had expensive cover charges, overpriced drinks, and some very handsy men, which can make for an uncomfortable night out as young women. However, there seems to be a shift in mood when the club is in the Gayborhood. For our friend’s 21st birthday, she wanted to go to Woody’s, which is a well-known gay bar in the heart of Center City Philadelphia. Not really knowing what to expect, we agreed to go for the sake of our friend’s birthday wishes.
When we first arrived, there were flashing purple and blue lights shining from the signs on the building with music blasting. So far so good. We made our way inside, grabbed some blue slushie drinks, and went straight upstairs to the club portion of the bar, which had two rooms. One of the rooms had a soft pink glow to it and the music was more R&B and hip hop based; the other room had walls full of rainbow lights shining in wild patterns that were in sync with the beat of the electronic music.
With the great music provided, the amount of dancing that was going on was commendable. This was something new to us because in “straight” bars, women in too-high heels would be sitting down since they can’t walk in their shoes, and creepy men hung out leaning on the walls, leering at said women like they were a snack. There’s essentially no dancing whatsoever, and it can get boring pretty quickly. At Woody’s, the atmosphere was perfect; great music, good vibes, and hundreds of people having the time of their life. Everyone was there: men, women, and non binary people; everyone was of different sexualities as well, including straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, you name it. This bar was almost like a safe haven for everyone in that it didn’t matter what your sexuality or gender was, but there was no judgement, and everyone belonged.
It also seemed like everyone there was actually trying to get to know one another and make friends instead of strictly trying to hook up. In other clubs/bars, we’d receive unwanted ass grabs and have to deal with rude people; even some of our friends who are on the LGBT spectrum would receive this kind of sexual harassment from straight men. At Woody’s, there was such a difference in how we were treated. People were just so much friendlier! Men and women would come up to us and complement our outfits and makeup, or start dancing with us just because they wanted to dance, or ask us about our drinks. Although, there was one woman who knocked us off a table we were dancing on with her booty because she wanted a turn up there, but other than that, the crowd was generally amicable! The night was filled with dancing, laughter, and incredible memories. It was nice to let loose and have a good time, rather than worry about getting groped by strangers. It seemed like the main focus was to just have fun, simple as that. Overall, it was probably one of the most fun nights we’ve ever had, and we’ll probably be heading back over to the Gayborhood next weekend!
