Of all the many things that I love about being a Total Gaylord in San Francisco, I think I have to rank hard cruises at or near the very top – ahead of the Castro Theatre, ahead of day-drinking on the Fruit Shelf at Dolores Park or the Eagle beer bust, and ahead of the Folsom Street Fair. (Maybe.)
If I’m behind on a deadline and my dog has diarrhea and the fog didn’t burn off and I’m hangry, nothing turns a shitty day around like exchanging a spontaneous, smoldering glance with a hot dude. Similarly, if everything I needed to get done is done and it’s 80 degrees and I bike to Baker Beach, and find a good spot to spread out and be naked and get mesmerized by the trans-Pacific cargo ships, the I-see-you-seeing-me-see-you looks are the best part.
Cycling seems to help a lot. Like walking an adorable dog or having an accent from the British Isles, being on a bike can make sexy people even sexier. If you’re the cyclist, it also keeps the moment merely that, a fleeting encounter. If you’re pedaling past somebody drinking coffee at the parklet outside Four Barrel you might have as little as two full seconds to ascertain if someone is in fact gorgeous and, if so, trade heavy-lidded half-smiles. Mine says, “I would totally fuck you, if only I weren’t whizzing by at three times walking speed on my way to somewhere that isn’t your bed. Enjoy your medium drip, until we meet again. With lust, Pete.”
Flirting is its own reward. Because it’s almost certain to lead to nothing, a random cruise with a handsome stranger can be almost non-sexual. It can be sweetly innocent and still feel just as good. I admit it’s shallow – very much so, which is the point. I’m in my mid-30s now and all my furs are going gray and I intend to milk this for as long as humanly possible. Because more than anything I like being gay in a gay city for the electrifying thrill of lingering eye contact, ripe with the possibility of gay sex.
Happy Pride, everybody. I hope you set the world on fire with your eyes at least a couple times, and maybe flare your nostrils just a little bit.
Speaking of Pride, our Big Gay Birthday party is TONIGHT at Mezzanine. More info/tickets here. (Insider tip – get a VIP ticket while you can. $50 = unlimited free drinks plus a gift bag worth $250.)
[Image via Thinkstock]