Soi Twilight to be Demolished in June/July for Redevelopment?

[gerefan]

Some of the bars are taking a look at Patpong 2 in Bangkok, not far at all from Soi Twilight

Personally I think Patpong 2 sucks as a location. I don't believe you can mix the girlie and gay bars in one small area, despite Screwboys apparent resurgence.

Screwboys is not buried deep behind that cheap tacky bloody market. It is also more or less opposite Soi twilight. Maybe that’s why it works as a location.

[fountainhall]

If there are vacant premises in Patpong (presumably ex str8 gogo bars) one has to ask ...why?

Out of curiosity, are you confusing Patpong 1 which has the awful market running the length of the soi with Patpong 2 which is slightly closer to Twilight? Patpong 2 still has some girlie bars and an SM bar.

[Dodger]

I'm certainly no expert on the gay bar logistics in Bangkok - but wouldn't Soi Tarntawan be a good location?

[a447]

Fountainhall, are you referring to Soi Yipun, the "Japanese" soi?

[fountainhall]

No, a447. The Japanese soi is further towards Rama 4.

To try and make this discussion easier, here is a googled map of the area. It has not come out particularly clearly but I have numbered various locations.



1. Soi Twilight
2. Original Jupiter Bar
3. Japanese Soi
4. Sub-soi where HeartBeat Club used to be
5. Patpong 2 with Screwboys Bar close to Suriwong
6. The original Patpong with now the night market
7. Soi Tarntawan with Tawan Bar and Mango Tree Restaurant
8. Super A Bar
9. Golden Cock and Nature Boy Bars

The sub-soi I believe could be an ideal location is #4. You will see it runs approx. the length of the Wall Street Tower building. Although not shown on the map it is quite wide and so could accommodate streetside beer bars. I don't think Patpong 2 works because of its very pokey nature at the Suriwong end and the other non-gay commercial establishments at the Silom end - Supermarket, Pharmacy, girlie bars, lady SM bar etc.

Soi Tarntawan already has Tawan and at least one gay massage venue. The popular Mango Tree restaurant is in the middle of the Suriwong section. Opposite Mango Tree is a large open carpark which presumably is due for development at some time in the future.

As I said earlier, if going down from Mango Tree to 8 and 9 the problem is that the sois are very narrow and there are high rise buildings all around. So no possibility of street-side bars. I cannot see this developing any Twilight-type vibes.

[Bangkokian]

Patpong 2 still has some girlie bars and an SM bar.

Patpong2 is full of 'girlie' gogo and beer bars on ground floor and the upper level. One even occupying a bridge spanning the soi.
Many of the bars are owned by the King Group as is Screw Boys.

[Bangkokian]

Fountainhall, are you referring to Soi Yipun, the "Japanese" soi?

'Soi Yipun' or the Japanese soi is Soi Tanyia and is at the foot of one of the Skytrain Sala Daeng staircases. It is one of the cut throughs from Silom to Suriwong.
They do not welcome non Japanese in their premises.

[Gaybutton]

Personally I think Patpong 2 sucks as a location. I don't believe you can mix the girlie and gay bars in one small area

Has such a mix ever been tried?

While Patpong 2 might not be ideal, I think what the bar owners would want to try to do is keep their bars within close walking distance of each other. If that is their aim, then a soi such as Patpong 2 might not give them much choice if nothing else is available.

Then again, they might go to another part of town completely. If I were part of a group of gay bars trying to relocate, the attributes I'd be looking for are:

an area where several bars can open within close proximity to each other
where similar businesses are already established
where it is acceptable to the local population
where the building rent prices are reasonable
where there are gay friendly hotels and short time rooms
where good restaurants are nearby
where it is easy for customers to get to via local transportation

Such areas are not so easy to find. That's one of the reasons why Pattaya might very well be considered as a place to relocate. All of those attributes are readily available in Pattaya. I don't know of any in Bangkok once Soi Twilight is gone.

If I were a Bangkok bar owner about to be forced out of my venue and I want to relocate, I'd certainly be taking a serious look at Pattaya.

[gerefan]

I assume you are talking about the gogo bars primarily.
Well where in Pattaya′? No one would open a new gogo bar in Sunee.
They aren’t allowed in Jomtien.
There are no slots empty in Boyztown (apart from Cafe Royal).
And the adjacent sois next to Boyztown are littered with dead gogo bars!
So that means a completely new area...in itself a huge problem.

[Gaybutton]

No one would open a new gogo bar in Sunee.

I disagree. Tell that to Winner bar.

I think Sunee Plaza or those 'dead' bars adjacent to Boystown is exactly where they could go and do quite well - if several Bangkok bars relocate there at the same time.

If several of the Bangkok go-go bars decide come to those areas, I think you would see quite a resurrection.