Road Trips : US Tour 1997 : Atlanta
Tuesday 30 September 1997
Charlotte was alas, a brief blip on the tour. I had a quick lunch at Gus' Sir Beef with Duncan and realized I wouldn't have enough time to visit Dawn. Oh well...Christmas again...
After Charlotte, I continued farther and farther south on I-85 (after stopping in Gastonia for some really cheap cigarettes), past "the peach" in Gaffney, through miles of road construction around Greenville and Spartanburg, and onward to Georgia to meet Tony and Dan.
Atlanta has always seemed like a bit of an adopted home for me. I've been visiting since I was about five years old, and I've always been fascinated by the place. This was also the first place I "roadtripped" to in college, as well as a pivotal point in an early non-relationship for me. Suffice to say, Atlanta and I have history, and it wouldn't surprise me if I ended up living here at some point. It's such a self-consciously southern place, despite its urbanity; I can't decide if this is a good thing or not..
The host for my Atlanta gig was Tony (as well as his betrothed, Dan,
and their cat...who fetches...). It is a good thing to stay with someone
who's about to move into a house at the corner of Hollywood and Vine.
That's Decatur, not Los Angeles, incidentally. Tony is also a former
SF resident, so we had things to talk about.
Tuesday night brought sleep.
Wednesday 1 October 1997
Wednesday was my day to roam around and see the city. Highlights included lunch at Krystal (the southern version of White Castle), Little Five Points, a decent thrift store on Memorial Drive, a little time downtown, and my own special brand of aimless driving. Aimless driving is particularly interesting in Atlanta, which has a street pattern not far removed from the country roads and horse paths of 150 years ago. Alas, I was unable to contact the queen of darkness and most sensational drag queen in the world, Lily White. Next time...
I checked into the Cheshire Motor Inn for my initially unplanned second night and promptly napped through my planned dinner rendezvous with Dan and Tony. Fortunately, they waited, and we ate at a surprisingly good Mexican place, Nuevo Laredo. Then I got sucked into "Voyager"...
The nightlife consisted almost exclusively of the Eagle. Just so happens it was "Eagles Nest Key Club" night. Yer humble host is now a member of said club, and membership DOES have its privileges. The biggest privilege is admittance to a most active back room. This back room made up for all the debauchery I've missed through the rest of the trip. Lotsa nastiness, including this long-haired "stud boy" who kept attracting couples, both members of which were quick to bend over for him. I was also pleased to see that latex was used in each instance of felonious anal probing.
Checked out the Heretic; it was full of brain-dead disco-bunnies and
gym/circuit boys. At Backstreet, where I was planning to look up an
old friend, an attempt was made to charge me a $10 cover. I declined,
while erupting in fits of laughter at the very thought of shelling out
ten bucks to walk into the dump on an off night.
I went to sleep too late. I slept badly. I came to regret this the next
day.