Hi, I'm a homesick-for-the-Soho-of-the-sixties ex-pat living in Vancouver; happened on your site by mistake, looking for cottage stuff! Ended up going on your London walk with you, went over the map lovingly.
I used to live on Peter Street, at the foot of Berwick Street,around the corner from Walker's Court, where the Raymond Revue Bar is, or was. Danny La Rue used to be the big name there.
Geoffrey Worthington, who owned the only gay bar in the area (can't remember its name) lived on Gerrard Street, where people would come to buy uncut chinese heroin. As I remember, the drug of choice at least among the gay crowd, was drynamil, or "purple hearts" uppers that would keep you up and dancing all weekend. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, etc, were who we listened to.
Now I am half a world away, having raised 2 (amazingly enough, straight) boys, and spend my days working as a case manager at AIDS Vancouver, helping people cope with living with HIV and AIDS.
I love my work,and the people I work with amaze me with their grace and humour, but I do get homesick sometimes, although I have been back, and walked my old haunts, and of course, hardly recognised them. Soho is very sanitised these days, obviously tarted up for the tourists. So I'll stick with the memories. Again, thanks for the walk, and happy belated birthday!
I used to live on Peter Street, at the foot of Berwick Street,around the corner from Walker's Court, where the Raymond Revue Bar is, or was. Danny La Rue used to be the big name there.
Geoffrey Worthington, who owned the only gay bar in the area (can't remember its name) lived on Gerrard Street, where people would come to buy uncut chinese heroin. As I remember, the drug of choice at least among the gay crowd, was drynamil, or "purple hearts" uppers that would keep you up and dancing all weekend. Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, etc, were who we listened to.
Now I am half a world away, having raised 2 (amazingly enough, straight) boys, and spend my days working as a case manager at AIDS Vancouver, helping people cope with living with HIV and AIDS.
I love my work,and the people I work with amaze me with their grace and humour, but I do get homesick sometimes, although I have been back, and walked my old haunts, and of course, hardly recognised them. Soho is very sanitised these days, obviously tarted up for the tourists. So I'll stick with the memories. Again, thanks for the walk, and happy belated birthday!
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