The feeling that you have that there are no other gay people in sports evaporated quickly. It was fascinating to feel my world expanded.
Not just pro athletes but college athletes as well. In Scottsdale, in that bar, we met other players and other officials from other sports. Later, I did talk to him, and it was amazingly reassuring. What are the chances that you walk into a bar and there’s a ref? Immediately, I get a drink, I turn around and I see someone at the bar and say, “Damn it, I know that guy.” It was Bill Kennedy, the N.B.A.
I remember walking in that first time quite tentatively with a group of my friends. I went to a little bar there called BS West. I lived in Arizona, in Scottsdale, while I played in the league. I used to go there with my sister with my friends routinely. I’m from Manchester, England, so we have a very vibrant gay community that is very well integrated. Psychologist and former National Basketball Association player Ease and dignity, however, had seemed incompatible with my gayness until my sweaty June bar visit set me on a new path, one that much later led me to marrying my husband, having our children, and becoming an activist for L.G.B.T.Q. Love was not unimaginable, though I didn’t yet have the hang of it. Sex was already easy to find, though it unnerved me. Marks Place, and I clung to someone I knew named Debbie who was temporarily lesbian. But contrary to so many narratives of relief at finding a gay context, my initial experience was primarily of anxiety, because to be where the least acceptable aspect of myself was the explicit topic made me feel more naked than the go-go boys. By the time I was old enough to enter such an establishment, I had my own tight jeans and inchoate prospects.
I haunted them, promenading back and forth with our family dog, whom I had to walk after dinner, and trying to see past the darkened windows and curtained doors, simultaneously hoping and fearing that one of those men in tight jeans would want to strike up an intimacy as he exited.
One was Uncle Charlie’s Uptown, the other had a punning name I didn’t understand at the time: Camp David. There were two gay bars in the neighborhood where I grew up. Matthew Eisman/Getty Images Andrew SolomonĪuthor, “The Noonday Demon,” “Far & Away” While I will think twice about taking guests to Elizabeth Street Cafe in the future, I still believe it is some of the best trendy Vietnamese food in Austin.Credit. Moorman) and will certainly mention this next time I see him. I am acquainted with one of the owners of Elizabeth Street Cafe (Mr. Whatever the case, it was not impressive. Perhaps it was close to closing time (10pm) on a Saturday, and they just wanted us out of there. We didn't even finish dessert, which is a real shame. My friend was mortified that they expected him to eat his chocolate mousse with his hands.įurthermore, I had boasted about Elizabeth Street Cafe's pastries, so my friends ordered the beignets, which came out burnt and overdone. When we paid the bill and then ordered dessert, it was brought to the table without any utensils. We were given a bill before being asked if we wanted dessert. However, towards the end of the meal, the service suffered, and this is why I give this visit 3 stars. The food was excellent, and we had leftover pho. We started with the Steamed Rice Rolls as an appetizer then my friend and I shared the Vegetarian Pho (#34A on the menu) and the Fried Egg, Crispy Pork Belly, Avocado and Mint Banh Mi (#23). Seating is limited, and we were able to get an inside table for five people (The hostess was very accommodating when I needed to change my reservation last minute from 2 people to 5 people. However, I had a friend in town that I wanted to impress, so I made an Opentable reservation for dinner, which I needed to do about two weeks in advance. I have been to Elizabeth Street Cafe many times during my 12 years of living in Austin, and it is one of my favorites for Sunday brunch. Last Saturday night, a group of friends and I visited Elizabeth Street Cafe in Austin, Texas.