Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: Cruising The West Side Piers In The 1970s
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 16, 2012
Modified Feb 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 16, 2012
Modified Feb 16, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In the years between Stonewall and the AIDS crisis, New York City was something of a hotbed of homosexual activity. Especially in the West Village and on the piers lining the Hudson. The piers especially were regularly used for sunbathing, cruising and more. So what did that look like? On a sunny day, something like this:
Of course not everyone was into getting it on outside, and for them options included going underneath the then-elevated West Side Highway or heading to the nearby Pier 48, "a rotting wooden structure where sex could be had anytime of the day or the night." That one looked like this. Want a better sense of what those piers were like at night? Might as well start with Edmund White (check out the first few pages of this one).
Times have very much changed since the 1970s, but a portion of the gay population still flock to the West Side piers (specifically the Christopher Street pier), however now instead of sexual liberation they have bitter neighbors. [h/t Kenneth in the 212]
Tagged
1970s
cruising
flashback
gay
homosexuals
manhattan
west side piers
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
An excellent and diverse month of concerts are in store for October.
By
Hank Shteamer
Published Oct 2, 2026
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
October is spooky season at the movies in New York City
By
Emma Stefansky
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
By
Quinn Moreland
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .