BAR HOPPING | 2 Tea Dancing Delights!

BAR HOPPING

NIGHTCLUB & BAR REVIEWS FROM MARK & PATRICK of HUNTERS

I really don’t know if “T” or “Tea” is the correct spelling for a gay afternoon of music, fun, frolic and dancing. All I know is that back in the day the “Tea” dance was a Sunday event that most gay men never missed. In resort places like Provincetown, Fire Island, Rehoboth Beach, and Ft. Lauderdale the Sunday phenomenon was all the rage. Ah, does anyone remember the Marlin Beach on Ft. Lauderdale beach, The Blue Whale and The Pavilion on Fire Island? Sometimes set on the beach or near the beach, muscled, shirtless men were barely clad in Speedo’s. Caution was thrown into the wind as cocktails flowed and the music boomed on. The hedonistic, ceremonious dance was usually started at 4:00pm the same time as the English “High Tea”. That is why I am going to spell it “Tea” for the rest of this article. After an afternoon at the beach there was the prep time before the actual “Tea” that was just as important as the dance, if you catch my drift. All of us of a certain age can fondly remember the weekly pilgrimage to the local “beach-y” watering hole for the place to be seen and hook up.

Fast forward to 2012.

The Royal Palms Resort

717 BREAKERS AVENUE. FORT LAUDERDALE BEACH FLORIDA. 954-564-6444

MARK SAYS:

The Royal Palms Resort of Ft. Lauderdale hosts an updated version of the traditional “Tea” Dance once a month. The gay resort is a three story, brilliant white, upscale resort steps from the beach with the most fabulous rooms. With two sparkling pools and two DJ’s pumping out the latest songs, this IS the place to be seen on a Sunday afternoon in Ft. Lauderdale. Although you might find it difficult to actually see anyone dancing at this Sunday afternoon party, the look and feel is totally, truly “Tea”.  I give The Royal Palms Resort the coveted five palms award plus a tanned, muscled pool boy with a big smile and extra time on his hands.

PATRICK SAYS:

It does not have “Tiny Tina” entertaining from the end of the diving board and you can’t dance in the “Poop Deck” while watching people swim in the pool but the T-Dance at the Palms is the closest anyone has come to recreating the Sunday T from the past. The staff is great, the venue is Fun, Clean, large and inviting. We have been a couple of times and it seems to be getting busier.  The only thing that would make it better for me and guys my age would be for the DJ to play Older, more relaxed afternoon type dance music.  This would hopefully start the guys around the pool to start dancing….. I give the “Palms T”  Five buff box boys.

Boom

2234 WILTON DRIVE. WILTON MANORS FLORIDA. 954 630 3556

MARK SAYS:

Although this “Tea” Dance doesn’t take place at 4:00pm or take place near the beach, this “Tea” is probably the truest replica to the iconic “Teas” of the past. DJ Richie Rich turns Boom into a time machine playing retro songs like:

“I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet (Gonzales),

Lay All Your Love on Me (Abba),

No More Tears (Donna Summer),

Come to Me (France Joli),

It’s Raining Men (The Weather Girls),

Star Love (Cheryl Lynn),

The Boss (Diana Ross),

Disco Heat (Sylvester),

So Many Men So Little Time (Miquel Brown), and

Souvenirs (Voyage). 

It is no wonder this weekly party is so well attended. Once you’re on the dance floor, you find yourself surrounded by sweaty box boys, platform shoes, rhinestone shirts, tambourines, whistles, glow sticks, finger lights, flashing batons, and hand fans. This is true “Tea” magic at its best! Thanks Boom! If you ever find yourself in Ft. Lauderdale on a Sunday, the “Tea” at Boom is a MUST, there is no equal. I give the “Tea” at Boom a pair of platforms, a sparkly shirt and an Afro wig. Simply the best!

PATRICK SAYS:

I think my partner says it all.  The music is addicting and the sites take you back to a less serious time in our lives.  Then venue is a far cry from the my idea of T, but with DJ Ritchie Rich and bartender Sal they seem to transport my dancing legs back to time when I could dance all night. If I could have my perfect T it would be to combine the best qualities of both the “T at Boom” and the “Palms T”. Until my fantasy becomes a reality I will continue to support both venues and dream of the past when I too was young, tanned and dancing the weekend away.