Before the Upper West Side became a magnet for sleek lounges and neighborhood gastro-bars, there was The Works — a beloved gay bar tucked into Columbus Avenue around the 80s/81st Street stretch. Back in the day, this was one of the few places on the UWS where queer New Yorkers could grab a drink, meet friends, and feel at home in the heart of the city.
Patrons recall it as a welcoming, social bar with that unmistakable downtown energy — the kind of spot where you ran into friends, lovers, and sometimes future significant others. It wasn’t a mega-club or a dance palace; it was a neighborhood queer bar, lively and unpretentious, where stories began and memories were made.
