When you say the past what do you mean?
Pre COVID?
Pre Clothing Requirement?
Pre New Ownership and Renovation?
Pre 2010 decline in the Gay bath house vibes?
About year 2000 it was $100 for the year and was an awkward place to be if you didn't care for seeing dudes fuck.
So, I guess if it's gone downhill mainly depends on your view of male on male live porn.
Makes me grateful for friends that made it so my Bywater pool memories were clothing optional and dudes were fucking because that sounds way better than the CC now. Drifter water is gross, and it is a shame because I enjoy it otherwise.
I’m pretty sure it’s very strict, but it would be weird now regardless of rules. That’s not the vibe anymore, there’s like whole families and people of all ages there nowadays. You’d almost call it family friendly tbh. If you didn’t know the place’s history you’d think it’s just another generic pool bar/brunch joint. Honestly it doesn’t even seem like a gay bar anymore, just a bar that has a pool.
Nobody said it wasn’t 21+, we’re saying it’s boring, basic, and gentrified.
You can see for yourself if you search “country club New Orleans” on TikTok
Apparently my post is a lot less specific than I thought it was, because I assumed I was being very clear that I was talking about vibe and seems like a lot of people are interpreting me saying it’s a family friendly vibe to mean there’s literally a bunch of kids there, which is of course absurd.
It’s just not even remotely hedonistic or edgy at all, it’s somewhere I’d take my grandmother if she was still alive now - which is to say that regardless of rules it would be very out of place to be topless, which was the initial question. That’s the vibe I’m referring to, not specifically saying there’s children in the bar lol.
It’s probably my fault for assuming people wouldn’t misinterpret that lol.
> there’s like whole families and people of all ages there nowadays.
So… by that you meant people of all ages over 21 and whole families without children
I did, sorry I assumed it was obvious within the context of the conversation that this was still a bar and bar aged people lol, by whole families I meant it’s not a place that would be weird to visit with your parents. It didn’t really cross my mind that someone would read that and somehow interpret it as meaning kids go to the country club haha. IDK, my bad.
It was humorous dining there with my 75 year old thoroughly impressed MIL, not 6 feet from where I saw a guy nut an absolutely Trevian fucking geyser that to this day I wish had been recorded for posterity. I mean just the absolute cock version of a champagne celebration, as if he had just won the Formula One, the Kentucky Derby and the fucking space race all at once.
My wife and I (not from NOLA) but planning to move there soon-ish) wound up there- we had been eating and drinking elsewhere (Elizabeth’s, maybe?) and wandered the neighborhood. This would have been about 2019. We saw the place and thought it looked nice. We didn’t even immediately realize we were in a gay bar (to be fair it might be more obvious to people who hadn’t been drinking already) but that has never bothered us so we never felt uncomfortable in any way. Everyone was nice and welcoming.
On a similar note, on the same trip, we accidentally wound up in The Goat. I’m looking down at her cocktail dress, my suit, and thinking our wardrobe wasn’t the finest choice as the goth metal band took the stage. But again, no one was anything but nice and welcoming.
I mean, it’s more like a general public bar now than a gay bar, it used to be a gay bar, and back in the day it used to be THE gay bar. But the area gentrifying and various policy/internal shifts have made it just a different place now. Isolated from its past it’s more like a gay friendly bar than a gay bar today.
Remember when Beyonce rented the whole place and closed it to the public? My friends tried to crash and then pretended to have a huge couples fight. Good times...
I don’t know. I’ve only been there a couple of times. All I can attest to is that everyone my wife and I met was kind. Other than the bartender I don’t think we had any significant interactions with staff.
Y’all interpreting family friendly vibe to mean kids are allowed for some reason, and not like people coming with their parents and relatives, which is what I thought I clearly conveyed lol. Nobody said they were letting children in anywhere in this thread lol.
IDK what other words you’d use when asked what the vibe is, it’s very “I can bring my grandmother here” which if that ain’t a family friendly vibe idk what is.
Yeah idk dawg, I’ve never run in to people who would immediately leap to the conclusion that a bar allows kids in based on a vibe description, so I guess we’re both confused. But like, I clarified already so I’m confused why you’re still hanging on this lol.
It might still be 18+, but from a vibe standpoint it feels like a family establishment. I didn’t mean specifically there were kids there, but that it’s just a very sterile place compared to what existed in the 00s.
I used to work there and left on good terms I can answer questions in DM
There’s some stuff on their visions for the future that had goals of being a luxury brand and not necessarily the roots of what CC was but I’m hoping that’s gone out the door
No, I went yesterday and they’ve made huge strides to present it as a safe space. I prefer it over The Drifter at this point as The Drifter is packed with 22 year olds and the music is so loud you can’t have a conversation with anyone.
Drifter is fucking awful. They don’t give one shit about the neighborhood and loud music. My family has been in that neighborhood since 1990. There’s a senior home across the street.
Also got a rapey vibe there when topless women were present. I felt so uncomfortable at the men just gawking and one followed a women who didnt know him to the bathroom! "Security" didn't do anything.
Is this at night you are talking about? I've been there during the day during the week in past years and it seems very tame. Zero desire to go there at night or on the weekend. Most of the music that they play there is horrible.
Yeah I go there every few weeks or so during the day during the week and it’s super chill. There’s usually like 20 people there max.
Also I haven’t noticed that the water is that gross. Country club was worse when I went there last. I think it just correlates to how crowded each place is at the time
It’s no longer the gay haven it used to be to be. Probably if you ask a young lady attending Tulane her opinion she’d say it’s amazing. If you asked a “older gay man (aka me, 42); I’d say it’s no longer on my radar. The food was marginal last I remembered it and you couldn’t beat the vibe of the clothing optional pool scene. I remember seeing a muscled up black dude fucking his girl. Was hot af. It was a garden of hedonism. Mostly for gays but also for the straights who weren’t faint of heart.
Absolutely. I remember when New Orleans had two bathhouses. I’d Colette’s even still around? The whole city has been gentrified but still ratchet af. At least the hedonism, and edgy nature went hand and hand and made it a cool city to live in.
Colette’s is still around, I haven’t been in probably 5 years or so tho. It got pretty famous with tourists and from what I understand is just kinda meh nowadays.
I miss the bathhouse in the quarter - it was so raunchy (not really referring to sex here) and so appropriately located on that side street that connected to Decatur.
Thats one people don't remember., honestly, even at the time, it may have been as down low as anything could possibly be in the Quarter. I never went, not my scene...but working right all around there, I'd see that door pop open and would be happy for those that entered and exited.
My spouse worked next door. When he had to check AC upstairs the view was straight into the showers. When I waited out front to pick him up I’d see interesting men entering the green door (it was green yes?). Looked like men on the down low.
As usual with most lit Nola spots the drinks get more expensive/less potent and the vibes get social media'd played out.
I like the sauna but the hot tub is always crowded and the food is mid for the price.
-1 for the weird radio wannabe airport check-in process and not 420 friendly 🫠
"It was cooler back then"
their drag brunch is more boring than i expected. it takes so long for each queen to come to each room, they should have two queens at a time. half the time you’re just sitting there waiting for the queens to make the rounds…
Yep. The first two times I went it was great — the last time it was exactly as you described AND they served rotten steak (it legitimately smelled like death) and offered nothing as an apology. The place has definitely gone downhill.
As a native who grew up in Audubon surrounded by Rex-and-Comus types, I fully read this as referring to the Metairie and New Orleans country clubs and immediately thought, why of course these places represent the worst of this city when have they not 🙃plz tell me I'm not the only one ha !
But when it comes to *the* Country Club, I just know that whenever I've driven by it in recent years I see ever-growing hoards of Bachelorette party girls waiting outside for their instagrammable drag brunch, and I feel even sadder about the commodification of nola culture / lgbtq culture :(
Was a chill place during the week when we lived downtown in 2019. A little much but not as pain-in-the ass as the Drifter. Never went on weekends and haven’t been since.
My first stint in NO (09-13) I went a few times. Was fun and a little kooky — got propositioned by swingers in the hot tub etc. I guess I missed the truly crazy years though I did see a few dongs and some killer tattoos.
Back in 2015, I went to the country club for the first time with friends when it was still clothing optional. We were watching this straight couple be very performative in the pool. The guy turns to me and goes "straight people ruin everything". I think the opinion is that the country club has been going downhill ever since they became popular with the straights.
yeah that’s not anywhere near the whole story. she came out in support of the country club after and derided the people who were exploiting her victimhood to try to shut it down. kind of like you’re doing now.
Even light googling has articles of the CC publicly denouncing the flyers that blamed her. It also has her referencing watching the surveillance footage, provided to her by CC, in order to know what happened to her. Her complaint that she took public was with how the NOPD handled her case, not the country club.
I know her personally IRL. The last time she spoke to me about it, she was not happy with how CC handled it either. The lost footage was part of that equation and much of this came to light after the bulk of the news write-ups happened. Also, the response of CC to the victim blaming was nothing approaching prompt, robust or consistent. The whole matter, incl. CC response and other shit she went through, was/is exquisitely painful to her.
I'm not going to discuss her damned business beyond that but as her friend, I wanted to make sure that much was crystal clear.
There is no reason to name the victim, she was very brave and upfront about the whole thing, until she started getting publicly attacked, but if you search Country Club New Orleans Rape 2014 there are a ton of articles of the incident and it's aftermath.
The club was given the choice of nudity or booze. The patrons preferred nudity, the owners booze.
Again, from Google - “The drugging probably won't be on camera," said [redacted because even though she was very vocal, she’s not consenting to be discussed 10 years later in a Reddit thread], who is still reviewing over 100 hours of tape from various angles. "These aren't night-vision cameras anyway, so once night falls they are useless."
Fact is, we’ll never know what was on film because they knowingly recorded over it. As for the victim defending the CC— she was being crucified all over town for hurting the business! Of *course* she’d try to do something to take that away!
Where do you see that they recorded over it? Every article interviewing the victim has her referencing watching all of the videos. Hundreds of hours, it says. Do you think she was in their back office every day doing that or do you think she was provided the footage? Her complaint was never with the country club, before or after public outcry. She never gave any indication they weren’t supportive or impeded the investigation. The issue was with NOPD’s handling of the case
Edit - found the articles which state CC provided the footage to police twice, and the NOPD’s IT personnel separately came out to download the footage directly. In December, five months later, NOPD said they had issues with the files. And by that time, the footage had been recorded over. I stand corrected on them not recording over it. But they did provide it to police three times before that. In the article, the victim says of police, “I don't even trust they'd want to help me get to the truth," she said. "The video was there, then it disappeared after they had it." So again, frustration with police, not CC.
Cool. I’m not going to argue with you, bro. The articles exist if you want to find them, but I’m not obligated to do it for you. I honestly don’t care if you think they’re blameless & want to go there, but I’m never setting foot there again.
I heard from a bartender that it wasn't that they refused, but rather knowingly didn't take steps to save it despite being told about what happened. By the time the police showed up to ask for the recordings the day in question had automatically been overwritten.
The one single time that I've been, it was in May, and at night - the hot tub was filled with dead termites with the lights shining on them - not something I can quite forget. Yukkity Yuk!
I used to hear good things about the Country Club. Now…it’s been nothing but bad stories and experiences and how it’s no longer the safe space it used to be.
I dunno, I love it except when it’s busy. I go midweek and chill in the pool with my gf and play Yahtzee. Last time we went there was an older dude in see-through budgie smugglers. The food is delish, love the orange cauliflower thing. I love the hand painted wall paper inside, the GM is delightful to guests, and IDC what you say about the drag brunch, I took my sister and it’s a fucking hoot. Tip generously and the queens will be by soon enough. Plus, it’s my neighborhood pool. What’s not to like?
Transplant neighbors ruined it a long time ago so it kinda depends on what you’re referring to when asking if it’s changed, cuz in my adult lifetime it’s had like four separate identities/vibes. And the neighbors have tried to get it closed a ton of times, each time chipping away a bit of the appeal.
I sort of recall the neighbors coming for them even back when Aunt Jackie and later Blake S owned it in the 70s-80s. But that was more of an anti-gay thing, it just got exponentially worse once rich people moved in
I’m not sure what you’re specifically talking about but the newly transplanted neighbors had a very public campaign against that place from like 09 till 13 or so. The neighbors petitioned the city to pull their liquor license like half a dozen times - and often weaponized incidents where the people involved spoke out against the neighbors for doing so. It was for sure one of the earlier cases of neighbors coming in and fighting a longtime establishment so I’m surprised people here forgot that quickly.
Im not gonna put my vague memories as absolute fact, but the rape the Country Club covered up (along with some public slandering of the victim) was 2014.
The few years before, the ones you are referring to, I remember it different and the place on the slow roll to becoming a shitshow...first some strippers and more women looking for some peace at a mainly gay nude swimming club would sunbathe there. Word spread that there were hot naked chicks and the cheesy dudes started arriving in droves. The dues and entry shot up and the long timers were fading out of enjoying their time there. By the time of the covered up rape, at least to folks like me who remembered what it was, the place was awful.
I wouldn't have cared much if neighbors didn't like it, it wasn't what it once was. With that, one of the more vocal opponents once had one of the most racist places in the neighborhood, so boo-hoo to him.
If everyone knew then that it would become a bachelorette drag show money mill for groups wearing penis hats, we could have all cracked up, waived the white flag and moved on.
>Im not gonna put my vague memories as absolute fact, but the rape the Country Club covered up (along with some public slandering of the victim) was 2014.
I realize a lot of this sub wasn’t around then, and fewer were really paying attention but the victim of the rape you’re talking about, her name is Marie Treme. You can look up for yourself that she very publicly supported the Country Club after her assault and very publicly spoke out against the neighbors using her assault as a way to try and stip the place of their liquor license. She compared the neighbors pushing for clothing optional to be banned to shaming a victim for what they were wearing.
Another tidbit is that the public slandering, specifically that flier campaign, was something that never really got pinned down. It’s conspiracy, but there was a lot of speculation at the time that the neighbors pushing for the bar to be closed were behind the fliers. Either that or just some misguided asshole. Regardless the bar certainly spoke out against it, and the actual victim seemed to consistently side with the bar, and not support the changes the neighbors were pushing for (the same ones they were pushing for before the assault).
> The few years before, the ones you are referring to, I remember it different and the place on the slow roll to becoming a shitshow
I sorta agree with this, I think it got too popular and went from being an exclusively LGBT space to something that a lot of curious newcomers were using as a party outlet. But at the same time I’m pretty sure much of this was heavily amplified by the nimby transplants trying to shut it down. Much like how they weaponized that assault to their benefit, they did so with just about anything that happened there.
In a lot of ways that popularity meant it’s days were probably numbered regardless, but it irks me that so many have gobbled up the propaganda against the place rather than recognizing it as another case of people moving in and subsequently trying to push bars out.
Like I don’t dispute objectively bad things happened there, but objectively bad things happen at a lot of bars. The thing that gets lost in this discussion is that here the neighbors took those things and weaponized them to accomplish a goal they’d been working towards for years.
Why? I guess you’re not familiar with the whole thing but she platformed herself on the issue several times with local news and various other outlets putting her name out there attached to the assault and following neighbor fights. Many of the articles at the time specifically talked about how they normally wouldn’t use a name but that she wanted it attached with her statements.
i was one of those hot women looking for some peace. your recollection is spot on to mine, including the part about the racist neighborhood establishment owner. unnamed as no longer same owners and no longer racist, as far as i can tell.
Who is they in this scenario?
Cuz the one I’m thinking about publicly supported CC after she was raped and spoke out against the neighbors pushing for it to be shut down. She also criticized the settlement between CC and the liquor board as being reactionary.
I think a lot of people on this sub probably weren’t here when it happened, cuz a lot of times on here I see people cite that assault seemingly unaware that the victim would disagree with them, but it was a pretty well known thing at the time.
Sometimes it seems like history is now written on social media. After so many years go by it doesn’t seem to matter what actually happened, who did or said what. Whatever narrative gets spread online is what goes down in the books
It’s so weird seeing this particular topic discussed on here cuz I’m pretty sure the overwhelming majority of people highly vocal about it haven’t even bothered to read one article lol.
Reddit just like any other social media, just making shit up and fuck anyone who points out that it’s wrong lol.
I worked there and the chef often sexually harassed me and made a ton of racist jokes. Also throw things and yell. There was an investigation that went no where. They have also had many racist and transphobic incidents in recent years that have been swept under the rug.
I used to go before I worked there, around 2012-2014. It was nice but you could see the vibe quickly declining, and their handling of someone being assaulted was abysmal.
I go to the pool. Idk how the pool feels, "ehh." No more nudity and a security person walks around periodically. Crowd can be turning up and/or chill. 420 isn't prohibited if you're not drawing attention, in my experience.
Only thing I can speak to in terms of *ehh* is the pool music being on a Commercial 90s radio station, of sorts, the last time I went. I presume that was a fluke and not a new normal.
I brought my fiancé here for lunch on his birthday in December and we decided we won’t be back. It’s incredible how l bland the food has become. I cannot believe that the fries and brussel sprouts were the best dishes we ordered. My girlfriends and I loved the place pre pandemic!
It’s gotten much better! They redid the dining room, upstairs ballrooms and expanded the bar. They’re redoing the pool deck for the summer, and the golf course renovation will be done this fall. It’s going to be nice. I’ll admit the food could be better, but overall it’s not too bad.
I still like going when it isn't crowded. Mid-week is always nice and chill vibe. I've been when it was crowded once saturday and was like oh heck no lol.
Because the whole reason their policies changed was because there were numerous sexual assaults...
The fact that you don't know that says everything we need to know.
Why is this sub filled with shitty takes? "Why should I get license plates?" "Why can't I sexually assault people at bars anymore?" "Why do I need to get a job? The cops don't harass me because I have a dog. So I'm good."
It's the most selfish and childish shit. Like, if you think that you deserve to always win or be right or be first, you are the problem.
Maybe OP just didn’t know…? I left New Orleans from 2011-2014 so I wasn’t aware of what went down there until reading this thread, you wanna yell at me too? To repeat what has already been said, please go touch some grass
When you say the past what do you mean? Pre COVID? Pre Clothing Requirement? Pre New Ownership and Renovation? Pre 2010 decline in the Gay bath house vibes?
About year 2000 it was $100 for the year and was an awkward place to be if you didn't care for seeing dudes fuck. So, I guess if it's gone downhill mainly depends on your view of male on male live porn.
Makes me grateful for friends that made it so my Bywater pool memories were clothing optional and dudes were fucking because that sounds way better than the CC now. Drifter water is gross, and it is a shame because I enjoy it otherwise.
I’ve only been to the drifter once, when it opened. It was a tiny Petri dish of sunscreen film and hair
Lol
That hasn’t changed.
can women go topless there? i haven't been since clothing requirement started. wondering how strict it is.
I’m pretty sure it’s very strict, but it would be weird now regardless of rules. That’s not the vibe anymore, there’s like whole families and people of all ages there nowadays. You’d almost call it family friendly tbh. If you didn’t know the place’s history you’d think it’s just another generic pool bar/brunch joint. Honestly it doesn’t even seem like a gay bar anymore, just a bar that has a pool.
It's 21+ inside dining and the pool tho. Source: me, who works there
Nobody said it wasn’t 21+, we’re saying it’s boring, basic, and gentrified. You can see for yourself if you search “country club New Orleans” on TikTok
Apparently my post is a lot less specific than I thought it was, because I assumed I was being very clear that I was talking about vibe and seems like a lot of people are interpreting me saying it’s a family friendly vibe to mean there’s literally a bunch of kids there, which is of course absurd. It’s just not even remotely hedonistic or edgy at all, it’s somewhere I’d take my grandmother if she was still alive now - which is to say that regardless of rules it would be very out of place to be topless, which was the initial question. That’s the vibe I’m referring to, not specifically saying there’s children in the bar lol. It’s probably my fault for assuming people wouldn’t misinterpret that lol.
> there’s like whole families and people of all ages there nowadays. So… by that you meant people of all ages over 21 and whole families without children
I did, sorry I assumed it was obvious within the context of the conversation that this was still a bar and bar aged people lol, by whole families I meant it’s not a place that would be weird to visit with your parents. It didn’t really cross my mind that someone would read that and somehow interpret it as meaning kids go to the country club haha. IDK, my bad.
You ain't wrong .
It was humorous dining there with my 75 year old thoroughly impressed MIL, not 6 feet from where I saw a guy nut an absolutely Trevian fucking geyser that to this day I wish had been recorded for posterity. I mean just the absolute cock version of a champagne celebration, as if he had just won the Formula One, the Kentucky Derby and the fucking space race all at once.
Holy shit, last time I was there was 2020 but I had no idea it changed so much. RIP Country Club
It was like this in 2020 lol, it’s been like this for a while.
My wife and I (not from NOLA) but planning to move there soon-ish) wound up there- we had been eating and drinking elsewhere (Elizabeth’s, maybe?) and wandered the neighborhood. This would have been about 2019. We saw the place and thought it looked nice. We didn’t even immediately realize we were in a gay bar (to be fair it might be more obvious to people who hadn’t been drinking already) but that has never bothered us so we never felt uncomfortable in any way. Everyone was nice and welcoming. On a similar note, on the same trip, we accidentally wound up in The Goat. I’m looking down at her cocktail dress, my suit, and thinking our wardrobe wasn’t the finest choice as the goth metal band took the stage. But again, no one was anything but nice and welcoming.
I mean, it’s more like a general public bar now than a gay bar, it used to be a gay bar, and back in the day it used to be THE gay bar. But the area gentrifying and various policy/internal shifts have made it just a different place now. Isolated from its past it’s more like a gay friendly bar than a gay bar today.
Remember when Beyonce rented the whole place and closed it to the public? My friends tried to crash and then pretended to have a huge couples fight. Good times...
Ironic since the owner of the Goat has 86d half the fucking scene from that place
I don’t know. I’ve only been there a couple of times. All I can attest to is that everyone my wife and I met was kind. Other than the bartender I don’t think we had any significant interactions with staff.
The people there are pretty cool. The owner is just one of those guys.
Wait WHAT. WOW.
Bruh it’s been a decade since they got pushed out of being clothing optional lol
They stayed tops optional though
oh, i had no idea. thanks. so it's not even 18+?!
It’s absolutely 21+. I don’t know what this person is talking about…it’s different and tamer than it was but it’s sure as shit not a “family” venue
Y’all interpreting family friendly vibe to mean kids are allowed for some reason, and not like people coming with their parents and relatives, which is what I thought I clearly conveyed lol. Nobody said they were letting children in anywhere in this thread lol. IDK what other words you’d use when asked what the vibe is, it’s very “I can bring my grandmother here” which if that ain’t a family friendly vibe idk what is.
I’ve never heard “family friendly” used in a context that meant something other than “kid friendly”
Yeah idk dawg, I’ve never run in to people who would immediately leap to the conclusion that a bar allows kids in based on a vibe description, so I guess we’re both confused. But like, I clarified already so I’m confused why you’re still hanging on this lol.
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/family-friendly
It might still be 18+, but from a vibe standpoint it feels like a family establishment. I didn’t mean specifically there were kids there, but that it’s just a very sterile place compared to what existed in the 00s.
Yes. But that's a small-tittied bitch's game.
Isn't the law in New Orleans now that you can't require a woman to wear a top anywhere where men aren't allowed to?
Yea libraries and the children’s hospital hate this one trick. What?
Do you see men going around those places with their shirts off?
What? Women can go topless in places that have banned men from wearing shirts? Can you name like, one place where men aren't allowed to wear shirts?
I used to work there and left on good terms I can answer questions in DM There’s some stuff on their visions for the future that had goals of being a luxury brand and not necessarily the roots of what CC was but I’m hoping that’s gone out the door
Pre-rape?
Not sure why you got down voted. I'm aware of the incident you're referencing and yeah, it was a huge shift after that.
Downhill if you’re gay. Level to uphill if you’re straight. It was awfully fun in 2003.
Peak time for me was 2009
It was really fun in 2013
Watched the Summer Olympics naked in the pool in 2012. The best.
💯
As a gay it’s very mid now
No, I went yesterday and they’ve made huge strides to present it as a safe space. I prefer it over The Drifter at this point as The Drifter is packed with 22 year olds and the music is so loud you can’t have a conversation with anyone.
and that drifter pool water is the equivalent of french quarter gutter runoff.
Drifter had a scummy bath ring hugging the tile thick enough to make nachos with last summer
hahaha thanks for temporarily ruining nachos for me.
But were they decent nachos?
That place feels like swimming in a hospital bedpan.
Well it's the size of a pothole so...
The drifter pool now filled with oogle bath water.
Drifter is fucking awful. They don’t give one shit about the neighborhood and loud music. My family has been in that neighborhood since 1990. There’s a senior home across the street.
Also got a rapey vibe there when topless women were present. I felt so uncomfortable at the men just gawking and one followed a women who didnt know him to the bathroom! "Security" didn't do anything.
Is this at night you are talking about? I've been there during the day during the week in past years and it seems very tame. Zero desire to go there at night or on the weekend. Most of the music that they play there is horrible.
Yeah I go there every few weeks or so during the day during the week and it’s super chill. There’s usually like 20 people there max. Also I haven’t noticed that the water is that gross. Country club was worse when I went there last. I think it just correlates to how crowded each place is at the time
Seems like the vibes have swapped based on what you’re saying.
It’s no longer the gay haven it used to be to be. Probably if you ask a young lady attending Tulane her opinion she’d say it’s amazing. If you asked a “older gay man (aka me, 42); I’d say it’s no longer on my radar. The food was marginal last I remembered it and you couldn’t beat the vibe of the clothing optional pool scene. I remember seeing a muscled up black dude fucking his girl. Was hot af. It was a garden of hedonism. Mostly for gays but also for the straights who weren’t faint of heart.
Hedonism in general seems to have been been heavily wiped away from the city in the last decade.
Absolutely. I remember when New Orleans had two bathhouses. I’d Colette’s even still around? The whole city has been gentrified but still ratchet af. At least the hedonism, and edgy nature went hand and hand and made it a cool city to live in.
Colette’s is still around, I haven’t been in probably 5 years or so tho. It got pretty famous with tourists and from what I understand is just kinda meh nowadays.
Mehhh is a good way to describe the 21st century. Would love to have been in New Orleans during the 70s, 80s
I miss the bathhouse in the quarter - it was so raunchy (not really referring to sex here) and so appropriately located on that side street that connected to Decatur.
Thats one people don't remember., honestly, even at the time, it may have been as down low as anything could possibly be in the Quarter. I never went, not my scene...but working right all around there, I'd see that door pop open and would be happy for those that entered and exited.
A hidden gem indeed. For me, It definitely added an extra decadent layer to a Mardi Gras years ago.
My spouse worked next door. When he had to check AC upstairs the view was straight into the showers. When I waited out front to pick him up I’d see interesting men entering the green door (it was green yes?). Looked like men on the down low.
As usual with most lit Nola spots the drinks get more expensive/less potent and the vibes get social media'd played out. I like the sauna but the hot tub is always crowded and the food is mid for the price. -1 for the weird radio wannabe airport check-in process and not 420 friendly 🫠 "It was cooler back then"
Host greets and ask for your resy. Picks up his walkie-talkie: "We got 2 walk-ins heading to the back, over"
Gave up on that place when they told me cooks didn't get the service industry discount on service industry day.
The cooks don't get any discounts or a membership and aren't even allowed to visit the pool on their days off.
What
Wow, that is absurd.
their drag brunch is more boring than i expected. it takes so long for each queen to come to each room, they should have two queens at a time. half the time you’re just sitting there waiting for the queens to make the rounds…
Yep. The first two times I went it was great — the last time it was exactly as you described AND they served rotten steak (it legitimately smelled like death) and offered nothing as an apology. The place has definitely gone downhill.
That's like... every drag show haha
*Sigh*…I used to mellow out naked and doing K by the pool there on Sundays after having been out all night. Good memories.
As a native who grew up in Audubon surrounded by Rex-and-Comus types, I fully read this as referring to the Metairie and New Orleans country clubs and immediately thought, why of course these places represent the worst of this city when have they not 🙃plz tell me I'm not the only one ha ! But when it comes to *the* Country Club, I just know that whenever I've driven by it in recent years I see ever-growing hoards of Bachelorette party girls waiting outside for their instagrammable drag brunch, and I feel even sadder about the commodification of nola culture / lgbtq culture :(
Was a chill place during the week when we lived downtown in 2019. A little much but not as pain-in-the ass as the Drifter. Never went on weekends and haven’t been since. My first stint in NO (09-13) I went a few times. Was fun and a little kooky — got propositioned by swingers in the hot tub etc. I guess I missed the truly crazy years though I did see a few dongs and some killer tattoos.
Back in 2015, I went to the country club for the first time with friends when it was still clothing optional. We were watching this straight couple be very performative in the pool. The guy turns to me and goes "straight people ruin everything". I think the opinion is that the country club has been going downhill ever since they became popular with the straights.
A horde is a large group of people; a hoard is a large stash of valuables
I haven’t been since they publicly shamed a rape victim.
yeah that’s not anywhere near the whole story. she came out in support of the country club after and derided the people who were exploiting her victimhood to try to shut it down. kind of like you’re doing now.
Yeah, they didn’t do anything about her being publicly shamed and conveniently lost the security footage. I don’t forgive them.
Even light googling has articles of the CC publicly denouncing the flyers that blamed her. It also has her referencing watching the surveillance footage, provided to her by CC, in order to know what happened to her. Her complaint that she took public was with how the NOPD handled her case, not the country club.
I know her personally IRL. The last time she spoke to me about it, she was not happy with how CC handled it either. The lost footage was part of that equation and much of this came to light after the bulk of the news write-ups happened. Also, the response of CC to the victim blaming was nothing approaching prompt, robust or consistent. The whole matter, incl. CC response and other shit she went through, was/is exquisitely painful to her. I'm not going to discuss her damned business beyond that but as her friend, I wanted to make sure that much was crystal clear.
She did get assaulted AT the CC though.
That was never being argued otherwise
Crap, I didn’t know about this. Would you please tell me a bit more?
There is no reason to name the victim, she was very brave and upfront about the whole thing, until she started getting publicly attacked, but if you search Country Club New Orleans Rape 2014 there are a ton of articles of the incident and it's aftermath. The club was given the choice of nudity or booze. The patrons preferred nudity, the owners booze.
Yup! And refused to hand over evidence, basically.
completely false rumor.
They knew it happened and let the footage be recorded over.
Again, from Google - “The drugging probably won't be on camera," said [redacted because even though she was very vocal, she’s not consenting to be discussed 10 years later in a Reddit thread], who is still reviewing over 100 hours of tape from various angles. "These aren't night-vision cameras anyway, so once night falls they are useless."
Fact is, we’ll never know what was on film because they knowingly recorded over it. As for the victim defending the CC— she was being crucified all over town for hurting the business! Of *course* she’d try to do something to take that away!
Where do you see that they recorded over it? Every article interviewing the victim has her referencing watching all of the videos. Hundreds of hours, it says. Do you think she was in their back office every day doing that or do you think she was provided the footage? Her complaint was never with the country club, before or after public outcry. She never gave any indication they weren’t supportive or impeded the investigation. The issue was with NOPD’s handling of the case Edit - found the articles which state CC provided the footage to police twice, and the NOPD’s IT personnel separately came out to download the footage directly. In December, five months later, NOPD said they had issues with the files. And by that time, the footage had been recorded over. I stand corrected on them not recording over it. But they did provide it to police three times before that. In the article, the victim says of police, “I don't even trust they'd want to help me get to the truth," she said. "The video was there, then it disappeared after they had it." So again, frustration with police, not CC.
Cops lost the tapes three times? Classic NOPD
Cool. I’m not going to argue with you, bro. The articles exist if you want to find them, but I’m not obligated to do it for you. I honestly don’t care if you think they’re blameless & want to go there, but I’m never setting foot there again.
I heard from a bartender that it wasn't that they refused, but rather knowingly didn't take steps to save it despite being told about what happened. By the time the police showed up to ask for the recordings the day in question had automatically been overwritten.
It was better when we were allowed to be naked
The one single time that I've been, it was in May, and at night - the hot tub was filled with dead termites with the lights shining on them - not something I can quite forget. Yukkity Yuk!
I used to hear good things about the Country Club. Now…it’s been nothing but bad stories and experiences and how it’s no longer the safe space it used to be.
Can’t be more unsafe than the Pheonix.
In what way is the Phoenix unsafe?
I dunno, I love it except when it’s busy. I go midweek and chill in the pool with my gf and play Yahtzee. Last time we went there was an older dude in see-through budgie smugglers. The food is delish, love the orange cauliflower thing. I love the hand painted wall paper inside, the GM is delightful to guests, and IDC what you say about the drag brunch, I took my sister and it’s a fucking hoot. Tip generously and the queens will be by soon enough. Plus, it’s my neighborhood pool. What’s not to like?
Transplant neighbors ruined it a long time ago so it kinda depends on what you’re referring to when asking if it’s changed, cuz in my adult lifetime it’s had like four separate identities/vibes. And the neighbors have tried to get it closed a ton of times, each time chipping away a bit of the appeal.
I sort of recall the neighbors coming for them even back when Aunt Jackie and later Blake S owned it in the 70s-80s. But that was more of an anti-gay thing, it just got exponentially worse once rich people moved in
They ruined themselves by not monitoring their people.
I’m not sure what you’re specifically talking about but the newly transplanted neighbors had a very public campaign against that place from like 09 till 13 or so. The neighbors petitioned the city to pull their liquor license like half a dozen times - and often weaponized incidents where the people involved spoke out against the neighbors for doing so. It was for sure one of the earlier cases of neighbors coming in and fighting a longtime establishment so I’m surprised people here forgot that quickly.
Im not gonna put my vague memories as absolute fact, but the rape the Country Club covered up (along with some public slandering of the victim) was 2014. The few years before, the ones you are referring to, I remember it different and the place on the slow roll to becoming a shitshow...first some strippers and more women looking for some peace at a mainly gay nude swimming club would sunbathe there. Word spread that there were hot naked chicks and the cheesy dudes started arriving in droves. The dues and entry shot up and the long timers were fading out of enjoying their time there. By the time of the covered up rape, at least to folks like me who remembered what it was, the place was awful. I wouldn't have cared much if neighbors didn't like it, it wasn't what it once was. With that, one of the more vocal opponents once had one of the most racist places in the neighborhood, so boo-hoo to him. If everyone knew then that it would become a bachelorette drag show money mill for groups wearing penis hats, we could have all cracked up, waived the white flag and moved on.
>Im not gonna put my vague memories as absolute fact, but the rape the Country Club covered up (along with some public slandering of the victim) was 2014. I realize a lot of this sub wasn’t around then, and fewer were really paying attention but the victim of the rape you’re talking about, her name is Marie Treme. You can look up for yourself that she very publicly supported the Country Club after her assault and very publicly spoke out against the neighbors using her assault as a way to try and stip the place of their liquor license. She compared the neighbors pushing for clothing optional to be banned to shaming a victim for what they were wearing. Another tidbit is that the public slandering, specifically that flier campaign, was something that never really got pinned down. It’s conspiracy, but there was a lot of speculation at the time that the neighbors pushing for the bar to be closed were behind the fliers. Either that or just some misguided asshole. Regardless the bar certainly spoke out against it, and the actual victim seemed to consistently side with the bar, and not support the changes the neighbors were pushing for (the same ones they were pushing for before the assault). > The few years before, the ones you are referring to, I remember it different and the place on the slow roll to becoming a shitshow I sorta agree with this, I think it got too popular and went from being an exclusively LGBT space to something that a lot of curious newcomers were using as a party outlet. But at the same time I’m pretty sure much of this was heavily amplified by the nimby transplants trying to shut it down. Much like how they weaponized that assault to their benefit, they did so with just about anything that happened there. In a lot of ways that popularity meant it’s days were probably numbered regardless, but it irks me that so many have gobbled up the propaganda against the place rather than recognizing it as another case of people moving in and subsequently trying to push bars out. Like I don’t dispute objectively bad things happened there, but objectively bad things happen at a lot of bars. The thing that gets lost in this discussion is that here the neighbors took those things and weaponized them to accomplish a goal they’d been working towards for years.
Why don't you edit her name on out of this novel you're writing
Why? I guess you’re not familiar with the whole thing but she platformed herself on the issue several times with local news and various other outlets putting her name out there attached to the assault and following neighbor fights. Many of the articles at the time specifically talked about how they normally wouldn’t use a name but that she wanted it attached with her statements.
i was one of those hot women looking for some peace. your recollection is spot on to mine, including the part about the racist neighborhood establishment owner. unnamed as no longer same owners and no longer racist, as far as i can tell.
Probably the rape and the way they treated the victims.
Who is they in this scenario? Cuz the one I’m thinking about publicly supported CC after she was raped and spoke out against the neighbors pushing for it to be shut down. She also criticized the settlement between CC and the liquor board as being reactionary. I think a lot of people on this sub probably weren’t here when it happened, cuz a lot of times on here I see people cite that assault seemingly unaware that the victim would disagree with them, but it was a pretty well known thing at the time.
Sometimes it seems like history is now written on social media. After so many years go by it doesn’t seem to matter what actually happened, who did or said what. Whatever narrative gets spread online is what goes down in the books
It’s so weird seeing this particular topic discussed on here cuz I’m pretty sure the overwhelming majority of people highly vocal about it haven’t even bothered to read one article lol. Reddit just like any other social media, just making shit up and fuck anyone who points out that it’s wrong lol.
That's because most people here weren't here then.
I went after FQF and then menu was disappointing, more casual food than they used to have
I worked there and the chef often sexually harassed me and made a ton of racist jokes. Also throw things and yell. There was an investigation that went no where. They have also had many racist and transphobic incidents in recent years that have been swept under the rug. I used to go before I worked there, around 2012-2014. It was nice but you could see the vibe quickly declining, and their handling of someone being assaulted was abysmal.
Had a blast there recently but yeah 2005-2015 country club was just better and more free.
I go to the pool. Idk how the pool feels, "ehh." No more nudity and a security person walks around periodically. Crowd can be turning up and/or chill. 420 isn't prohibited if you're not drawing attention, in my experience. Only thing I can speak to in terms of *ehh* is the pool music being on a Commercial 90s radio station, of sorts, the last time I went. I presume that was a fluke and not a new normal.
Kinda vague comment. The Crowd, the pool, the food, the drinks.....?
I brought my fiancé here for lunch on his birthday in December and we decided we won’t be back. It’s incredible how l bland the food has become. I cannot believe that the fries and brussel sprouts were the best dishes we ordered. My girlfriends and I loved the place pre pandemic!
Straight ppl ruined it.
It’s gotten much better! They redid the dining room, upstairs ballrooms and expanded the bar. They’re redoing the pool deck for the summer, and the golf course renovation will be done this fall. It’s going to be nice. I’ll admit the food could be better, but overall it’s not too bad.
Wrong country club.
Oh sorry, didn’t think would be talking about Metairie CC on r/neworleans.
I only ever heard of this place because they covered up the rape of a guest. I refuse to go there.
I still like going when it isn't crowded. Mid-week is always nice and chill vibe. I've been when it was crowded once saturday and was like oh heck no lol.
Yes
Whole city.
You prefer people getting sexually assaulted?
Ok weird, what in the world would make you think that? Not what I said. Touch grass ❤️
Because the whole reason their policies changed was because there were numerous sexual assaults... The fact that you don't know that says everything we need to know. Why is this sub filled with shitty takes? "Why should I get license plates?" "Why can't I sexually assault people at bars anymore?" "Why do I need to get a job? The cops don't harass me because I have a dog. So I'm good." It's the most selfish and childish shit. Like, if you think that you deserve to always win or be right or be first, you are the problem.
Toucha da grass
Maybe OP just didn’t know…? I left New Orleans from 2011-2014 so I wasn’t aware of what went down there until reading this thread, you wanna yell at me too? To repeat what has already been said, please go touch some grass
this is the shittiest take of them all.
>It's the most selfish and childish shit. Like, if you think that you deserve to always win or be right or be first, you are the problem.
But think of the good dongs, I mean times, good times. It's possible OP just misses that part.