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| - First, I'm a regular here. Sunday afternoons at Charlie's are something like church for me in the Arizona springtime. Cold beer, good friends, warm sun and boys playing volleyball in the back court (although it troubles me to see so many of them playing barefoot in what amounts to an oversized ashtray. PLEASE keep your shoes on, boys! It reminds me of playing volleyball in an enormous cat litter box.)
Charlie's is NOT for the gays who like to put on their tightest T-shirt, gel their hair up and pretend like they just saw someone they know so they can do anything but make eye contact with another human being.
It IS for the gays that are comfortable with themselves and enjoy talking to other gays that sometimes are cowboys, sometimes are drag queens, but are almost ALWAYS friendly (even if they're a bit tanked).
The small pitchers on Sundays have kind of become a tradition. And it's fun to watch people two-step on the weekend nights.
Downsides? Sometimes the crowd looks like the crowd at the rescue mission. The Arizona anti-smoking law somehow doesn't apply to the COVERED patio in the back, therefore making it uncomfortable to breathe back there.
And, PLEASE take a cab if you've had too much to drink. Cops hang out waiting to nab ya later on at night.
Overall, it's a fun, if somewhat tired, staple of the gay nightlife in Phoenix. Also have "branches" in Chicago, Denver and Las Vegas.
And, it's always a sure-fire hit with straight sisters, brothers, kids and moms (yes, I said moms) that are in from out of town.
Especially if they two-step.
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