MEMOIR | REMINISCENCES OF 1970s D.C.
Outed by The Admiral
San Juan, 1973, A Car Chase, A Six-Shooter, And The Admiral (Part 2/2)
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Arcos Blancos was a gay, coed, clothing optional guest house in San Juan just outside the Old City, with an educated and sophisticated clientele from western Europe and the United States. During the ten days we (me, my two first lovers, Michael and Tommy, and my former boyfriend Mike) spent there in mid-September 1973, there were a gay couple from Tucson, a single gay man from London, and two lesbian couples, one from Berlin, the other from Havre.
There was a large, kidney-shaped pool insufficient for swimming laps but best for lolling, splashing, or doing a slow backstroke. There was a broad sunning deck around it and a hot tub at one end large enough for ten. There were palm trees, birds of paradise, and other lush foliage in the courtyard, together with an unattended bar stocked with a bountiful, quality liquor supply and mixers of all descriptions. The alcohol was $1 per shot; the mixers were gratis. Payment was on the honor system. One put one’s money in the little cash box that sat on the bar top unlocked so one could make change. No one cheated.
