42nd Street Barracks (New York City Gay Bathhouse/70's and 80's) Size:2XL it used the quiet code

it used the quiet code of a color and a bird—a sly wink to those in the know

and instant messaging

and existential searching

it was a rare place of community in a time when open queer spaces were still limited

and that unmistakable sense of getting lost in something beautiful and a little haunted

42nd Street Barracks (New York City Gay Bathhouse/70's and 80's) Size:2XL it used the quiet code42nd Street Barracks (New York City) 1970s to mid 1980s Hidden in plain sight in the heart of Times Squares pre Disney grit, the 42nd Street Barracks was one of New Yorks most infamous gay bathhouses, operating during the raw, electric years of post Stonewall liberation. Part military fantasy, part urban labyrinth, it drew a mix of locals, sailors, tourists, hustlers, and downtown regulars, all converging in a space that felt worlds away from the