It Came From The Porch : Downtown

The Dauphine Shoeteria on Conti Street. Sid and Bill are looking towards Anita's and the Bienville Cruise Pub.

One of the few spots in town where I have not eaten...

... and one of the bars I've never been in.

The courtyard behind that wall is great. This building has been all sorts of different clubs and restaraunts. It was HoJohn's, a pretty popular gay bar, for a long time. Saw Pfeel play in that courtyard once, sat up on that iron ledge. This is the 'gay bar' area of downtown Mobile. I'm standing with my back to two or three. After the Pfeel show, I stood at that gate with their equipment and watched the drag queens walk by with their furtive male companions.

Looking westwards down Conti street back towards Cathedral Square. The Saenger Theatre is to the right. In addition to plays and concerts, they show old movies on the big screen, and it's always a social event. I've been to see Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire (Stella was there! She introduced the movie) and Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Theatre was recently completely renovated and is absolutely beautiful inside.

Gabriel's is a gay bar tucked away a couple of blocks off Dauphin Street. It's a great place whether you're gay or straight, with excellent bartenders and a comfortable atmosphere. You can catch some outrageous drag shows in the courtyard out back (saw my friend Jay as Xanex Joplin one night... amazing.)

Thanks for wandering around with us, and I hope you found downtown Mobile as lovely as I do. Come back soon, you'll always be welcome.

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