Now that I know the address of the former Edelweiss, I can confidently say I went by there once in my life, before I discovered this "world." Must have been '97 or '98. I was 24 or 25 and wandering midtown taking photos. I strayed to the far west side and started walking down 11th Ave. I can remember slowing up as I passed Edelweiss. Big sign or banner over the entrance (?) There was a statuesque girl standing in the street alongside the club with her coat open. This must have been 44th Street. A much shorter guy was standing by her, looking up at her like she was his personal goddess. There were big guys out front--bouncers, I guess. A gorgeous latina, tall, slim, shapely, hanging around out front in a tight black dress. Lights and music bumping inside. When I looked closely at the girl, I noticed her strong facial features. Beautiful but intense, like a comic book heroine or something. When she smiled at me as I walked past, the guys kind of nudged each other and grinned. I felt like a nerd. I wasn't dressed for a club, and I didn't have much cash on me, but I was burning to go in there at that moment. At the time, Giuliani was either shutting down or had already shut down a lot of the hotter strip clubs, like the Harmony Theater, but this place looked more interesting, for reasons I wouldn't identify until two or three years later.

I'm the same guy whose friend dragged me to Show World and got a hot private show from a girl who I had no idea was a Tgirl. Yeah, the '90s were a clueless time for me. It's like I got into the best New York had to offer just as our mayor and future president was demolishing it all.