Central park gay cruising

Bay 1 remains the centre of gay activity, and casual cruising happens along the shoreline as guys scope out potential connections. For more secluded encounters, the dunes and wooded areas behind the beach are the traditional spots, particularly as the afternoon rolls into the evening. Central Park has had numerous associations with the LGBT community since its creation in , including many areas popular for meeting and cruising, associations with Gay Pride Marches, its restoration in the s, and location of some sporting events for the Gay Games.

The Ramble is a wooded area situated in the middle of Central Park, between 72nd and 79th Streets. It was notorious for being a "meeting place" for gay men, not unlike Fire Island's Meat Rack, only less safe. But though Central Park at night—any part of the park—is dangerous, the gay ghetto that is the Ramble is perhaps the section most fear-ridden.

Gangs of toughs—teenagers and the macho. I didn't say it doesn't happen at all. But Ramble cruising is nowhere near as common as it was in the 70s/80s.

So yeah, you can probably find it on social media, but for the most part it doesn't happen very often. But when Rick takes a picture of what may be a murder, he is haunted by Adam Justin Ivan Brown , the man he thinks is responsible for the crime and possibly others. Is Rick right, or is it all in his head? It is a canny approach that leaves things open to interpretation. Todd Verow: It is loosely based on a real serial killer who existed in the early s New York.

It is also inspired by New York in the early s. Can you talk about creating the mystery and ambiguities in the film? There are dream sequences, unclear photographs, and other uncertainties. The tension comes from not knowing who to trust, or knowing what is real. Verow : I was thinking a lot about point of view. That interested me, that ambiguity.

I think there are about seven different interpretations of the film, and they are all valid. So watch it many times!

best gay cruising spots in new york city

Are these manifestations of my character? Is he really the killer? It is a stylized film, like an abstract painting, that leaves you wondering and thinking and having conversations. What decisions did you make about the depictions of sex and cruising? Verow: The movie really is about cruising. The thing with cruising is that it not as much about sex, as it is about being in a sexual environment, and possibility of sex.

You want to prolong things and stay in that state of arousal. That was important to me. They will get others off, but not get off themselves because it ends that exhilaration. The film features some nifty images, from superimposed scenes to a dizzying shot that is meant to disorient Rick and the viewer. Can you talk about your visual approach to the story?

Verow: The Ramble in Central Park is such a magical otherworldly place. It was almost like it was built for cruising. I was inspired by that. This disorientation of going through that archway and entering this other world inspired me. We get more inside his head. As Rick cruises, he observes more than he participates. He does pleasure himself in one scene. But he is more interested in the chase than the act.

He was married and has a son.