Upstairs Lounge (Historic New Orleans Gay Bar/1970-1973) vintage horror shirt The Smart Bar was a

The Smart Bar was a notable LGBTQ+ venue located at 1575 Merwin Avenue in Cleveland's Flats district

leaving behind a map that only exists if you know where to look

” — a perfect snapshot of the pop icon at her most fearless and flirtatious

Before the Castro became the iconic neighborhood it is today

and the nightclub stage

Upstairs Lounge (Historic New Orleans Gay Bar/1970-1973) vintage horror shirt The Smart Bar was aUpstairs Lounge New Orleans, LA (1970 1973) In the early 1970s, Upstairs Lounge stood on the second floor of a French Quarter building at 604 Iberville Street as one of New Orleanss few openly queer bars a gathering place, refuge, and social hub for gay, lesbian, and queer people at a time when safe spaces were rare. It was more than a bar: it was community and sanctuary in an era of pervasive discrimination. On June 24, 1973, during a crowded Sunday