New York City gay bars come and go, but it's been years since the city saw the opening of a major gay nightclub. This will all change later this fall when the spectacular, 14,000-square-foot XL Nightclub, Lounge, and Cabaret opens in the western reaches of Hells Kitchen. If the name sounds familiar, the club is actually a highly ambitious offspring of the sleek XL gay bar that enjoyed a popular following in Chelsea before closing a few years ago after losing its lease. Like the original, the new XL is run by A-List nightclub impresarios John Blair and Beto Sutter, along with similarly esteemed promoters Tony Fornabaio and Brandon Voss.
Apart from its hugeness, one remarkable feature of XL is that it will be open nightly (the majority of gay club experiences in New York City take place weekly or even less frequently, often at otherwise mainstream clubs). In addition to the warehouse-style dance club, a lounge will maintain a less-intense decibel level, and a cabaret will present live music and shows.
XL is the initial phase of what will actually be one of the world's most extensive and impressive gay urban gay resorts, THE OUT NYC, complete with a tony 105-room hotel, a trendy 24-hour restaurant called KITCHEN, a 5,000-square-foot spa and wellness center, and meeting space for major events and gay weddings. The hotel and related components are slated to open sometime toward the early part of 2012.
The club is just west of 10th Avenue at 512 West 42nd Street (212-239-2999) - it's a bit off the beaten path, but just a short walk from several other gay hot spots and trendy restaurants in Hell's Kitchen, and just four blocks west of Times Square. For more on the gay scene in the city, here's my Gay Guide to Manhattan.