Blue Moon

Me & YaYa in Anchorage, 1994.

Shortly after YaYa and I arrived in Anchorage, we were staying in a youth hostel and walking around downtown all day applying for work. One afternoon, we decided we needed to get off our feet for awhile. I wanted a beer and Yaya wanted to sit down and browse the newspaper, so we stepped into a bar called the Blue Moon. We did not know the Blue Moon was a gay bar when we walked in, but we soon got the drift.

At first, everything seemed normal, except the bartender bought me a beer, which never happens. When I was finished, he refilled it a second time for free.

Just as I as thinking, "What a cool guy!", I realized I had to use the restroom. On the way, I noticed a lot of gay literature displayed proudly all around; then suddenly everything made sense. I returned to our spot and nudged YaYa, whispering, "We have to get out of here."

YaYa looked perplexed, so I added, "This is a gay bar".
He stood up and we immediately headed for the door.

The experience may have traumatized YaYa. A few days later, I was calling us a cab to get across town and he stated confidentially, "You must be careful. It may be a gay taxi cab."