Documentary on NYC Club Edelweiss

[phillip]

Hello everyone, my name is Phillip and I am in the early stages of setting up production to make a documentary on Club Edelweiss that was located in the Hells Kitchen section of New York on 11th avenue and 44th Street (next to the Market Diner) For those of you that don't know, Edelweiss was a club in the 80's & 90's that attracted mostly TG, TS & their admirers, It closed and reopened several times ultimately closing its doors forever after NYPD Detective Gerard McMahon went undercover as "Cindy" and deemed it as a drug and prostitution den.

I am looking to do on camera interviews and/or hear stories of those who went to the club and would like to share their experiences. For those that are not comfortable with being on camera we are also interviewing off camera (audio only as well as creating a silhouette/backlighting you so you cannot make out your features) We would love if you have photos and/or video to share from back in the day. I have had several responses to a local Craigslist ad I posted and things are starting to move forward - We plan on starting photography and interviews in April. Please feel free to message me or respond to the posting with any questions you may have. Thank you very much for your help, I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,
Phillip


Local Craigslist ad:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/cwg/4921532900.html

Articles about the demise of Edelweiss:
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/crimelaw/features/1084/

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/nyregion/neighborhood-report-clinton-club-it-seems-isn-t-dead-yet.html

[Stavros]

I think one or two occasional posters here were regulars at Edelweiss -although I was in New York in the early 80s I dd not know about it, but I hope you get some positive responses and make the film. It was also a hugely important decade -a documentary on the painter David Hockney that was shown on the BBC last night argued that the HIV/AIDS epidemic not only decimated lives but took with it a bohemian sub-culture in New York and that this absence of sexual/cultural danger/experimentation has been one of the major changes that has taken place to the city since then.

[phillip]

Thank you Stavros, I have had a great response locally and I hope to get more people involved. Edelweiss was a wonderful place and it is a shame that the 'gentrification' of New York in the 90's (especially the West Side) ended up closing so many fabulous places. I will have to look up the Hockney documentary, I have not seen it. Thanks so much!

[yourdaddy]

Loved the place !!! I was so infatuated with T-girls that I used to fly to New York from Florida in the late 90's and hang, hoping to meet the hung angel from my fantasies. Went with a blonde bartender for a while who had an affair with Eddie M.. She introduced me to a tall Puerto Rican redhead named Rose that was post-op and lived in the Bronx. Rose was also an Edelweiss bartender and maybe the sexiest, most beautiful and most intelligent ladies ever. If you could find Rose, she'd make a terrific interview.

Good luck and good progress.

[phillip]

Thank you Daddy! I have heard about Crystal, another bartender that was Edelweiss (who I would also LOVE to interview) thank you for mentioning Rose, she sounds lovely and a great person to talk to as well. The more people involved in this Doc the better it will be, I just want Edelweiss to be remembered for the fabulous place it was. It unfortunately ended bad and that is all that came out in the media. I want everyone to also know the good and the positive impact it had in our lives. Thanks so much for the well wishes!

[Yvonne183]

I only went to Edelweiss when it was on 28th street. When it moved uptown I was too lazy to travel up there from the East Village. I'd rather hang out below 14st.

If you do a search on this site using the word Edelweiss, you might find someone who went there.

If I did venture uptown, I'd have went to The Fabric Factory on 41, near 7th avenue.

[Yvonne183]

I think one or two occasional posters here were regulars at Edelweiss -although I was in New York in the early 80s I dd not know about it, but I hope you get some positive responses and make the film. It was also a hugely important decade -a documentary on the painter David Hockney that was shown on the BBC last night argued that the HIV/AIDS epidemic not only decimated lives but took with it a bohemian sub-culture in New York and that this absence of sexual/cultural danger/experimentation has been one of the major changes that has taken place to the city since then.


Hi Starvos, been awhile, hope you're well.

[yourdaddy]

I followed it uptown for a while. I didn't like the new digs, although the clientele got a little crazier. The Puerto Rican bouncer was hot for my girlfriend so the vibes were weird. What I loved best about the new location was that a lot of the girls would start a cock display about five seconds after entering. That's what I call a meat market.

[flabbybody]

what was ever fabulous about it? it hosted illegal and under aged prostitution, dozens of state liquor law violations,illegal drug transactions, and all this in the backdrop of an AIDS epidemic that claimed thousands of lives. I'm not particularly proud to have been a regular patron every time my tranny fix overwhelmed me. But Im baffled that you find something intriguing or worth resurrecting about a very dark side of New York's past.

[LI SEAN08]

Good ole Edelweiss!. Yes I been there many times back in the day. Had many late night or should I say early morning meals at the adjoining diner. I also had oral sex downstairs in the back rooms, as guys and trannys would watch. I had a friend who worked at Crunch Fitness adjacent to the place and he was also into trannys. He would pick one up or I would or we took both and go upstairs to the gym in the dark and do our thing with the gurls. I don't think I ever paid more that 50 back then, and sometimes it was just drinks and a meal at the diner. I would either drive and park in the parking lot form Long island or sometimes just take the LIRR in and walk to Edelweiss. I had many fun times there!!!

[Stavros]

Thank you Stavros, I have had a great response locally and I hope to get more people involved. Edelweiss was a wonderful place and it is a shame that the 'gentrification' of New York in the 90's (especially the West Side) ended up closing so many fabulous places. I will have to look up the Hockney documentary, I have not seen it. Thanks so much!

There is an imdb link here although it doesn't reveal much

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4008606/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1

Trailer on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7yaR5X-UPU

[Stavros]

Hi Starvos, been awhile, hope you're well.

Thanks for your thoughts Yvonne, I am getting older and apparently not much wiser. I can't remember if I ever recommended a novel you might want to read, or maybe you have -A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan. It revolves around some characters who were in the punk club scene on the lower East Side in that era and how their lives panned out. I didn't actually like it although it was very well received at the time and won several awards.

[Yvonne183]

what was ever fabulous about it? it hosted illegal and under aged prostitution, dozens of state liquor law violations,illegal drug transactions, and all this in the backdrop of an AIDS epidemic that claimed thousands of lives. I'm not particularly proud to have been a regular patron every time my tranny fix overwhelmed me. But Im baffled that you find something intriguing or worth resurrecting about a very dark side of New York's past.

I can agree with you that Edelweiss might not have been a fabulous place. But this doesn't mean a doc shouldn't be made. There are doc's on all sorts of dark and nasty subjects. I feel it would be good to know the why's, why the girls worked there, why people like you sort of knowing it was nasty still went there anyways. I think a doc about all tgirl types of hangouts and their lives from the 80's would make a good documentary.

I am not writing against what you say Flabby, maybe the OP could have used better terminology but I feel that learning what others went through in the past would make others understand how we got to where we are today. Even if the stories are nasty, disgusting and sad.

Starvos, I'll check out that book.
PS-Starvos, I'm getting older too. lol

[tslvr]

I started going to Edelweiss back when it first moved near The Times building and followed over to near the diner. You could meet many of the porn stars of the time or just regular girls. Used to have a few Asian girls that would take me to their home in Woodside and we would have plenty of fun til the sun came up. Would take a fews days to walk straight after spending nights with 2-3 girls.

[StatenIsland321]

As a 30 year old native NY'er it would be awesome to hear some of the stories and accounts from everyone associated with that time period. I know NY has changed a lot, but is there anything that comes close to the scene/atmosphere? I remember talking to, then eventually meeting ladies from a NYC chat room on AOL, and I was in my late teens then.

[phillip]

Fabulous... yes, agreed that it is the wrong word to describe it for most. I want to make this Doc so Edelweiss is not forgotten and so the stories may live on. Edelweiss was a place that so many went to and felt comfortable there... a place that welcomed you for who who are. Yes Flabby, there were many illegal things that went on within its walls (what club during the 80's and 90's wasn't indulging in illegal activities?) Thank you Yvonne, you hit the nail on the head with your response:

"There are doc's on all sorts of dark and nasty subjects. I feel it would be good to know the why's, why the girls worked there, why people like you sort of knowing it was nasty still went there anyways. I think a doc about all tgirl types of hangouts and their lives from the 80's would make a good documentary."

I spoke to girls that have friends that sold themselves into prostitution to pay for MTF reassignment surgery. Are they proud of what they did, probably not. Breast augmentation, phalloplasty and metoidioplasty are expensive procedures. Was this the only way to pay for these surgeries? I think it is important to hear stories, wether good, bad, disgusting, sad, happy, funny, etc. What can and did we learn? I am not making this to exploit anyone, I want Edelweiss (the good and the bad) to be remembered and not forgotten. I truly appreciate everyone's input, posts and messages. Thank you so much!

[housekeeper]

what was ever fabulous about it? it hosted illegal and under aged prostitution, dozens of state liquor law violations,illegal drug transactions, and all this in the backdrop of an AIDS epidemic that claimed thousands of lives. I'm not particularly proud to have been a regular patron every time my tranny fix overwhelmed me. But Im baffled that you find something intriguing or worth resurrecting about a very dark side of New York's past.
lol, I was thinking the same thing before I read your post Flabby. I did used to like the dance floor in the basement, took me back to the disco era, I liked watching those queens dance and vogue. I almost preferred going to 'Sally's Hideaway' a little better during that era, but there were a bunch of different hangouts, clubs, and tranny coves then and even further back.

[Looking 4 Now]

Edelweiss was the best....I tell the new York crew nothing compares to Edelweiss
The clubs today are tame compared to Edelweiss. They used to call it the
mother of all tranny clubs and I doubt if any thing will ever come close
two floors, four bars and passage ways all over the place down stairs where
everything imaginable went on. Something for everyone there , working girls,
nonworking girls, CDs and every ethnic group was well represented. On the weekends
100 girls there and 20 to 40 working the streets....what a joint

[Butterfinger]

Met my first ts gf there........what a great place

[zerrrr]

what was ever fabulous about it? it hosted illegal and under aged prostitution, dozens of state liquor law violations,illegal drug transactions, and all this in the backdrop of an AIDS epidemic that claimed thousands of lives. I'm not particularly proud to have been a regular patron every time my tranny fix overwhelmed me. But Im baffled that you find something intriguing or worth resurrecting about a very dark side of New York's past.

Compare it with now where the parties are full of anger and hatred between the girls and customers. A lot of girls I talk to in NYC miss the old days where friends could go and hang out and laugh. Now it is all about fighting and I do mean the current parties being hosted in New York.

I remember in the old days in the West Village where you could go in, talk, laugh, have a conversation, disagree, make up, and leave as friends.

There was a dark underside but compared to today Edelweiss was a nice place to hang out.

Like it or hate it, Edelweiss is an important part of Transgender history in New York City.

[zerrrr]

Remember that when Edelweiss started we were in the pre-Internet days with the only way of promotion being on the inside or backpage of the Village Voice. There was no Craigslist, no Backpage, no Internet forums, no camming, no smartphones, nothing.

Everything came later.

I would think Edelweiss had a significant influence on the parties which came afterwards from Allanah Starr's to Ina's to parties in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Edelweiss is an important starting point for many reasons.

[flabbybody]

Diner next door is history
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/29675796/market-diner-in-hells-kitchen-to-close

[phillip]

Diner next door is history
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/29675796/market-diner-in-hells-kitchen-to-close

Thanks for the link flabby, I heard that from someone recently as well.

I think it's terrible... Knock down another place a neighborhood loves and put another high rise in. Like the article and video states: The owner of the property will make a lot more money with several rental units than 1 rental space. I am assuming the old Edelweiss property will be demolished as well during demolition since it does share a wall with the diner.

I am trying to get into the vacant space to get some shots of the empty interior... I need to move my ass now before its gone forever.

[WendyWilliams]

I worked/danced at the club a few times! Was always a great experience anytime I visited NYC, I do believe that was the name of it...... Who was the Tgirl that hosted the events? Maybe Im mixing up my events LOL

[Huevos_Rancheros]

I don't know if you have finished filming but I went there in the mid-90s when I first realized my attraction to TS. Edelweiss was great because it had a ton of girls. Usually I was too shy or intimidated to talk with anyone but occasionally I clicked with a girl. A lot of specifics are hazy but I do remember going home with a black girl who had the most elegant cock. The next morning I found myself at the very northern tip of Manhattan (Washington Heights?), where I had to take the walk/cab of shame back to the Upper West Side.

Edelweiss was similar to Peanuts in LA and Motherlode/Divas in SF back in the 90s in that that was the place to meet TS. Now people meet through the internet so there is no need to go out to a bar. The TS bars in California have closed or are hanging on by a thread. People forget that music, drinking and atmosphere heightens the experience and makes it more memorable.

You should put Robin S' Show Me Love in your soundtrack. It was a staple at Edelweiss during the 90s and I still get hard when I hear that song.

[phillip]

"You should put Robin S' Show Me Love in your soundtrack. It was a staple at Edelweiss during the 90s and I still get hard when I hear that song."



Great Idea, thank you! I Loved that song!!

[tslvr]

Really a lot of good memories from that place and Sally's.

[LI SEAN08]

Edelweiss was the best....I tell the New York crew nothing compares to Edelweiss .
The clubs today are tame compared to Edelweiss. They used to call it the
mother of all tranny clubs and I doubt if any thing will ever come close
two floors, four bars and passage ways all over the place down stairs where
everything imaginable went on. Something for everyone there , working girls,
nonworking girls, CDs and every ethnic group was well represented. On the weekends
100 girls there and 20 to 40 working the streets....what a joint
Yessss. I agree with everything u said. I use to drive there all the way from Nassau county Long Island at least a few times a month if not more.
I always had a great time there..... And met many a tranny both NYC gurls, Hoboken and Queens gurls. I also had a buddy who worked next door at the Crunch Fitness gym and we both would take gurls upstairs there to party with. Those were the days and I have not seen a better place in neither Queens or NYC since. So those who have not been there just don't understand the differences of then and today of the club/bars that cater to our hobby/fetish.

[tgurlzynj]

Hello
I am interested in looking for participants interested in telling their stories / experiences and memories of the NYC transsexual "Club EDELWEISS" .
I was a working girl in the early 00s in the club on 43rd street and 11th Ave as well as a street prostitute on the block adjoining the club before it was closed down for good .
I am looking for individuals who have photos / videos that they wouldn't mind sharing as well as memories .
I was inspired by a documentary coming out next month on HBO "The Stroll" which focuses on the street working girls in the Meat Packing District .
I believe it's time that the girls of Hells Kitchen also get to tell their stories .
If you are interested please let me know .

[tgurlzynj]

Hello Phillip
I myself am trying to get a documentary about Club EDELWEISS 💜
a few gfs of mine are already planning on filming content soon
we also were street workers on the block adjoining the club

[phillip]

Good afternoon! Just sent you a pm…

[Veal Cutlet]

There is nobody on here that has spent more time, been at all locations, knew all the girls over the years than myself. There has never been a club like that since it closed and there will never be a club like that again. Only Dino the owner spent more time there then myself. I miss those days! from late 80's to early 2000's.

[tgurlzynj]

does anyone have any memories of the infamous NYC tranny Club EDELWEISS.
The tranny party scene of today could never compare with what was going on back in the day of the infamous EDELWEISS 💜

[dangerdog17]

is this doc really going to happen ? the most wildest nights in my life were spent in that club

[dangerdog17]

was just talking to a pal about our memories of this notrious place , i hope this is a serious post. so many people through the years have put out that there would be a documentary on Edelweiss and theyve all fallen through. Being that im married i cant share my story on camera but hope this gets the ball running. there is alot of interest out there for a Edelweiss doc.

[manjuice00s]

A film about that time of NY would be something
Sorry to hear most people aren’t bold enough to share their story on film with you
I’ve heard the stories of Edelweiss gone by but chalked it up to urban myth
I never went to the bar as I just learned of my attraction to TS the past few years

[dangerdog17]

the past couple weeks ive been seeing alot of interest in the 90s NYC tranny club EDELWEISS

there have been several forum post , video clips popping up on YT .

and now it looks like theres a possible filmography focused on this location that summed up and held the stories of soo many tgirl stories whether good or bad

im interested to see if this actually comes to fruition

[phillip]

pm sent...

[Looking 4 Now]

I must have spent at least a couple hundred nights there but I have never been able to
find a single pic or video online taken inside that club. That's hard to believe for a place
that shut down only 23 years ago.


Yum has plenty of pics of the girls from there. The girls used to line up to get their
pics on Yum. I would love to see a few pic or videos from inside the club

[dangerdog17]

I would love to see a few pic or videos from inside the club = AGREED

[diddyboponTOP]

Too bad there are no good places to go to meet T girls anymore, The bigger clubs still have several T girls in their but they are mainly GG girls and clubs, I'm too old for that kind of scene but I would love to find a place to hang and met some T girls here in NYC, have any new places opened back up in Queens? Or the City?

[dangerdog17]

im looking foward to seeing the club in this doc

[tgurlzynj]

Does anyone have pictures of the inside of the LEGENDARY NOTORIOUS TRANNY CLUB EDELWEISS 🍺
a documentary is in the works and any pics of the INSIDE of the club would be a big help

1423868

1423869

[TheGreatestLiar]

sorry, no pictures. CE closed before advent of digital photos, if I'm not mistaken.
and I thought CE took second place to Sally's, https://zagria.blogspot.com/2017/03/sallys-hideaway-and-sallys-ii-nightclub.html
the rule book was even shorter at Sally's than at CE

[dancespell98]

Dear tgurizynj,

I visited Club Edelweiss on W. 43 many times. The TS named Vanessa worked the bar naked from the waist up. I sucked her cock several times in Club Edelweiss. The lower floor had a side room where you could do stuff. It was super. I had sex with Trannies that I met at Club Edelweiss on many occasions. Dino ran the place. He later moved to 7th ave. I pulled blow job trains in the upper floor. I had five (5) trannies in a row. Vanessa was one of them. There is a picture of her in the past tranny parties. She has wild sort of hair. She is Asian. I fucked her in Hotel Pennsylvania (now closed.)

Do you still work?

[Helvis2012]

Edelweiss was a great scene. It was what you made of it. I never paid for sex and did a lot of coke there without spending a dime. A lot the girls were working but a lot were there just for the fun. New York is so boring these days. What a bull hunk town this place has turned into. It's sad. So many dickheads who don't belong here have made it into the suburbs. And they call it progress. I call it bullshit.

[Helvis2012]

I was just looking around the web and see this documentary never got made. That's a shame. For better or worse, Edelweiss was an important place for quite a while. I could name a million other places where the shit went on but because Edelweiss was a TV scene, they were the ones who were pursued, which was bullshit. Crimes? Maybe if you're a fucking square. Nothing that wasn't going on in many, many other places. Just another case of selective policing based on prejudice. Call it crimes if you like but these victimless crimes. Nobody went to Edelweiss under duress. People came for the place offered. Most of the girls were really cool and Dino was OK, too. I never had a bad time once. Still, when saw the post that cat Phillip ran saying he was in the early stages of making a documentary, I had a feeling it would never get done. The biggest problem was the scene was cooking before the world became addicted to cell phones. No one was taking video or pictures of every fucking thing they do like so meatheads do today. Pretty shitty documentary without any footage and relying on people to interviews is just plain boring without the visuals and compounding that problem is the fact that so many of the dudes who regularly went there were chasers. Those guys would never go on camera and talk about what they hid from from their family and friends. I suppose it's like that old saying states: All good things must come to end.

[Stavros]

Memory Lane is a cul-de-sac. I also have great memories of the past. It is a foreign country now.

[Helvis2012]

Agreed. :iagree:

[Looking 4 Now]

sorry, no pictures. CE closed before advent of digital photos, if I'm not mistaken.
and I thought CE took second place to Sally's, https://zagria.blogspot.com/2017/03/sallys-hideaway-and-sallys-ii-nightclub.html
the rule book was even shorter at Sally's than at CE
There was no rule book at CE

[tgurlzynj]

CLUB EDELWEISS IS THE MOTHER OF ALL TRANNY CLUBS :fuckin: