Living in a gay-heavy building in Hell’s Kitchen has completely ruined me because hooking up is just way too easy now.
I’ve been in this building about 2 years with my roommate and there are SO many gay guys here. At first I tried to avoid mixing Grindr with where I live because it sounded like drama waiting to happen, but eventually convenience wins lol. Especially in winter or when it’s raining. You’re sitting there bored at 11pm in gym shorts, open Grindr, and there’s suddenly 5 guys within 30ft looking for rn.
Half the time I don’t even fully get dressed anymore. I’ll literally throw on slides, take the elevator, fuck him, and be back in my apartment 45 minutes later like I just went to grab DoorDash. It honestly feels insane how normalized it’s become.
The funny part is everybody quietly knows what’s going on without actually acknowledging it. I’ve definitely passed guys in the hallway while on my way to another hookup. Sometimes I’ll bring a guy back to my place and pass someone I’ve already fucked lobby or elevator. One time I got trapped in the elevator with TWO different guys I’d hooked up with separately and they didn’t know about each other. Longest elevator ride of my life. Everybody acted normal but the tension was ridiculous.
The craziest situation is this guy directly across the hall from me. I fucked him a few times after meeting on Grindr and now he basically has a front row seat to my dating life because he sees everyone coming and going from my apartment. I was mortified about it at first, but honestly everyone seems weirdly chill. I’m pretty sure half the building is sleeping with each other anyway.
And honestly there’s something really hot about the familiarity of it all. Random hookups feel less random when you run into the guy again at the gym downstairs or grabbing packages in the lobby the next morning pretending you weren’t just in each other’s apartments six hours earlier.
I still have a pretty steady rotation of Grindr guys over and every now and then I stop and realize how insane it is that this has become normal adult life for me lol. Curious if other NYC gays do this too or if my building is uniquely chaotic.