David, what a beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I didn't fully come out until 1990 when I moved to New York City; and things were already very different from the 70s, but your story makes me remember earlier years, earlier bars, furtive experiences.

I visited Giovanni's Room several times during the '90s while visiting friends in Philadelphia. What a beautiful cultural center it was! Book stores where my NYC hangouts in those days, much more so than bars, and I was delighted to find Philadelphia's gay bookstore scene was so vibrant.

The Allegro was before my time, but I'm very pleased to read about this part of our history.

Thank you!