When we arrived, one of the more devoted patrons had jumped behind the bar, and was laughingly serving $4 sangria to her friends. On Friday and Saturday nights, the Cubby Hole is so densely packed that you can't move, but the weekday evening allowed us to fully appreciate the eclectic crowd: femmes in jeans and high boots, butches with their button downs worn open, a pack of gay boys, big girls in sweatshirts, a young woman in suspenders, and a glam dandy sporting a "Toys in Babeland" bag. The bartender wore a turtleneck and gave us our third round for free. If we had wanted, we could have ordered take out right to the bar - yet another reason that being in the Cubby Hole feels like being in a favorite aunt's crazy, overstuffed living room.

That night, we chatted about the usual lesbian concerns - hookups, breakups, what happens when your pseudo-ex sees you making out with someone else - as we listened to ear-splitting tunes from Cubby’s legendary jukebox: Lola, Me and Bobby McGee, The Crocodile Rock. An hour and a half later, as my friend described her most recent conquest - "She's crazy, she's bi, and she's a crazy bi".

We heard songs by Tegan and Sarah, Lady Ga Ga, the Grateful Dead, the Dixie Chicks, and the Jackson Five. The Cubby Hole is like that - wide-ranging, ridiculous, a bit of a time warp. Stop by and they'll welcome you with open arms.

●The Cubby Hole
281 West 12th Street　
(on the corner of West 4th Street)
℡: +1 (212) 243-9041
Website: http://www.cubbyholebar.com/