Times Square Gossip

Dune Point Bungalow I am really looking forward to see the new renovations at Dune Point Fire Island, Cherry Grove's premiere hotel and destination for beach lovers. Sunset At Dune Point As many of my readers know, Cherry Grove is my favorite gay and lesbian hideaway, and Dune Point is my home away from home. Since a few years ago when Rick Dugas and Petra Pavlasova Brehl took over the famed guest house, they have worked to take the boutique hotel to a whole new level. Room after room were renovated and over the winter they were at it again, renovating the bungalows behind their Sandpiper building. The rooms were gutted and made ultra sheik, with new kitchens, bed and bathroom, with a Swiss feel from Petra and Rick's travels around the world. From hotels in the Czeck Republic to The Grand Canyon, they took details from every place from a customers standpoint to use at Dune Point.When they travel they know what they want and this is what they give to the...

**** DJ SUSAN LEVINE'S POSTCARD FROM FIRE ISLAND THE 37th "INVASION OF THE PINES" FROM CHERRY GROVE **** DJ Susan Levine At The Invasion One of the gayest and most festive days in Cherry Grove is an event we call "THE INVASION OF THE PINES" The Invasion takes place every 4th of July on Fire Island. Over the years the Invasion has become a famously fun day for everyone gay and straight to spend celebrating being out and proud in Cherry Grove and The Pines. It's our own spectacular carnival Fire Island style! For those of you that are not familiar with the legendary annual Fire Island bacchanalian event called "THE INVASION", I am going to give you a little history lesson on it's origin. You will find it interesting and it will help all the Invasion virgins understand what I am going on about as I give you a recap of this years INVASION from my point of view as MC on the dock in front of CHERRY'S O...

**** HOT ON THE DANCE FLOOR By: DJ Susan Levine **** DJ Susan Levine Spinning In Palm Springs My favorite time of year is upon us, summertime in New York. New Yorkers live for this time of year because we are so lucky to have some of the most fantastic beaches just short jaunts from our winter caves. This is also the time of year that I start my DJ residency at the club closest to my heart " CHERRYS ON THE BAY " in Cherry Grove on Fire Island. Fire Island may be part of the USA but it is a world away. I feel lucky that I get to DJ at a club like Cherry's which has a gorgeous view of the bay and magnificent sunsets from my DJ booth. The summer crowds come to Cherry's to dance which makes Cherry's dance floor an incredible barometer for what commercial music is HOT HOT HOT in the clubs! Here are some of -the-hook banging hits already moving the beach dance floors!  The top of the list of joyous dance anthems at the mome...

**** CHERRY GROVE GOSSIP **** Bianca Del Rio With Josh Hart, Susan Levine And Sable Scities The Girls Of Dune Point Another great year for DJ Susan Levine and another birthday to celebrate for New York's top spinner. This year Miss Levine not only hosted the grand opening of Cherry's On The Bay in Fire Island, she celebrated her birthday bash with a wild night of shows and top songs. This club was packed and the crowd was wild. Sable Scities aka Timothy Byars and Bianca Del Rio hosted from the stage and went after audience members with a vengeance. The staff of Dune Point Fire Island also joined the fun, by jumping onstage and singing Happy Birthday in Czech. Since nothing ever stuns Queen Susan Levine, except when I make a bad pot of coffee, she was thrilled by Petra Brehl and her mother Sona Pavlasova Ceska's staff of Czech beauties singing the famed song in their native language. What could be better on a beautiful night in C...

**** NEW YORK CITY EVENTS **** The Fire Island Dunes Need Repairs Mega lesbian DJ Susan Levine along with Fire Island's Cherry's On The Bay and New York's Cubbyhole, will host "THAT PARTY", with a portion of the proceeds going to The Dunes Fund/Restoring Our Community. The Fire Island Dunes took a hit in Hurricane Sandy and they need to be rebuilt. As most Fire Islanders know, the Dunes protects the barrier island from storms such as Sandy, and they did their job this time around, but they need to be  restored to pre-storm levels. I can not think of a better way to raise money for such a great cause than to have Cherry Grove resident hurricane DJ Susan Levine spin her hits. Guest bartenders for the night will be Mike Salineri and Rachael Valentine . New York City cable Queen Robyn Byrd will also be on hand for this great cause. The event will be held at Chelsea Manor, 138 West 25th Street in New York City at 6pm on Feb.17th...

**** THIS AND THAT Bitching By: James Edstrom **** Petra Brehl I love our new place in Williamsburg, but I am really missing the time I spend with all my friends at Dune Point Fire Island. So I was very lucky this week when Cherry Grove's Petra Brehl came into the city to have dinner with me at The Saigon Market on University street by Union Square. We had great dinner and conversation, catching up on everything gossip. And besides, Union Square is very festive this time of year with Christmas shops and holiday music, so we had a fun time. Tree Sequoia I almost never go to the West Village anymore, but last night I went to Stonewall and had a great time talking to CSI Las Vegas star Gerald McCullouch about so many things. It was also great seeing Tree Sequoia bartending at the famed watering hole. Tree knows me from when I was 18 and hanging out at the Ninth Circle when the drinking age was much younger than it is today. The Village is so different ...

  **** SPINNING WITH DJ SUSAN LEVINE ****   Susan Levine It is Gay Pride weekend in NY and Pride is all about the celebrations and the music that moves the parties! So let's talk gay music! If I have to pick THE song that symbolizes PRIDE I think that the quintessential gay dance song is "I AM WHAT I AM." The song was originally introduced in the TONY award winning Broadway musical "La Cage Aux Folles" (1983–1987). It was composed in 1983 by Jerry Herman an openly gay man. "I Am What I Am'" was then recorded by Gloria Gaynor in 1983 and eventually became one of two Gaynor songs that became anthems for the gay pride movement the other being 1978's "I Will Survive." I closed the 2009 women's pier dance in NYC for the 40th anniversary of The Stonewall Riots with "I Am What I Am." The perfect song for such a big anniversary! Since there is so much great dance music that is associated with...