Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:22:24 -0800
From: Frank Oliva <markjacker@gmail.com>
Subject: The Central Y

If San Francisco was Disneyland for Gay Boys in the 1970s and 80s then the
Central Y and the Embarcadero Y were better than E tickets.  I was reminded
of that when I returned to the Embarcadero Y today after several months'
absence and noticed the clearly marked sign that stated in no uncertain
terms "No Sexual Activity of Any Kind Tolerated."  What an ominous sign to
those of us who reveled in the Y's of yesteryear celebrated in legend and
the song of the Village People.  "You can get yourself clean you can have a
good time you can hang out with all the boys."  And boy did we.

The sign had left me to believe that those fantasies were nothing but
distant memories of the days of my randy youth.  I went into the steam
room, placed my towel a safe distance from the others, some of whom were
covered, some shamelessly letting their cocks hang out for all to see as I
did.  A few minutes later a guy came in wearing a Speedo and placed his
towel right next to me.  At first I thought this is strange but it didn't
take long before I felt his knee pressing mine and a finger beginning to
explore my adjacent thigh.  Of course I started to get aroused and since my
dick was completely exposed it didn't take him long to notice it starting
to harden and rise.  The old memories came flooding back.  This was hot, as
hot as the steam filling the room.  Men came in and went out and then
suddenly we were left alone and he boldly began to stroke my cock.  His
Speedos were shed and his magnificent rock hard piece rose into view which
I gladly began to stroke.  Being that he was a regular he recognized the
other players and slowly we were joined by two of his former playmates.

Player number one began playing with my first stroker's beauty until the
excitement became too much for him and he shot his load.  As he was
shooting he recognized the next guy who came in and didn't miss a beat of
his gorgeous cock.  As he mopped up his cum-load the second regular sat on
my other side hankering for a taste of my throbbing cock.  I gladly
welcomed his expert touch which was followed shortly by his expert mouth
swallowing my meat.  He too was very excited and in short order as he was
sucking on my cock he was stroking his own to a wild copious orgasm.
Unfortunately for me it takes me quite a bit more time to come so as the
group dispersed I too left but as I left I remembered the old glory days of
the YMCAs, the Central on Golden Gate and the pre 1989 quake Embarcadero
with all its cubbyholes and play corners.  The Central has closed and
despite today's randy dalliance The Embarcadero has become quite sanitized
with today being the exception rather than the rule.

So what was it like back in the wild days?  Before my first visit to the Y
I had plenty of bathhouse experiences.  My favorite was the Club
affectionately known as 8th and Howard.  It had this wonderful warm
swimming pool, not a Jacuzzi, which served as an entry way to the
absolutely anything goes steam room.  On my first entrance into this
nirvana I was actually frightened by the wildness of the room but a couple
of roving hands and welcoming mouths soon removed my fear.

Still it took me several years before I got up the nerve to venture into a
YMCA or its delightful steam room, changing rooms and wet area.  Once I did
I could hardly keep away or actually use the place for its dedicated
purpose – exercise of muscles other than the penis.  It did not take me
long to discover that the areas available for sex were not limited to the
steam room and wet sauna.  Of course the fun began in the locker room where
one usually disrobed completely before suiting up for lifting or aerobics,
swimming, hand ball and even basketball.  In the early 80's this was one's
first chance to scope out the merchandise, and what a glorious show it was.
Sneaking peeks at penises being squeezed into jocks and Speedos to see
which ones might be stiffening in anticipation.

If you were going up to the weight room, you could rely on a cruisy
restroom on the fifth floor with stalls available for understall hand jobs
or blow jobs and for the really bold a possibility of joining together in
the same stall for a bareback fuck.  On the way out of the change room you
might pass a toilet stall where the occupant was lubing and stroking his
cock waiting to be joined by a similarly inclined boy.  If you saw somebody
to your fancy on the stairs, there was a lonely john near the handball
courts that was quite handy for a longer uninterrupted fuck but this of
course could be inconvenienced by some real handball players who wanted to
take a piss and not in your mouth.  The handball courts themselves were
sometimes left unlocked and became the perfect place for a blow job or
sixty-nine, but you had to be careful to stay close to the wall so you
couldn't be seen from the spectator area above the courts.  And speaking of
the spectator area this was also a very good place for a quick blow job.
The hand ball spectator area was also the passage which led to the roof top
sun area, and in the early 80s this a very popular area for nude sunbathing
and that frequently led to hardons which more than likely needed to be
stroked or sucked or implanted in willing assholes.  Even the more sedate
were clad in the well filled baskets of Speedos.  But this place was not
only useful on hot sunny days.  I spent many a happy but chilly foggy
afternoon with my dick in somebody's mouth or ass.

Then there were the play areas in the change room and wet areas.  I
mentioned the cruisy stalls for the more sedate.  There was also a more
expensive locker room which required a special code.  And sometimes you
might be invited by one of the high rollers to join him in a more private
session.  There was also a kind of posing area with lots of mats and
mirrors and this was a great place to rendezvous with a like minded member
who wanted to join in the voyeuristic pleasure of watching you watch him
while he joined you in a jo or a blow job or even a fuck.

And finally there was the Biggest E ticket of them all, the wet area.  One
of the fears about the Y was what I would find there.  On my first day all
my fears were dispelled.  I went into the shower area slyly glancing at all
the male beauty on display and could not help but notice the many partially
tumescent cocks.  I felt my own growing as I ducked into the steam room.
It was very cloudy and very crowded.  At first I stayed near the door but
as the steam began to clear I noticed that the hotter guys were in the back
and upper seats.  Pretty soon the room became completely clear of steam and
a lot of shifting followed the clearing including some guys clearing out in
pairs.  This was interesting.  As benches became vacant I moved into a
choicer seat.  Then the steam started again and the place seemed to become
as active as the steam was circulating.  One really couldn't see anything
but one could feel the movement of arms on all side and looking down in the
fog one could see hands manipulating cocks, sometimes one's own sometimes
the guy next to him and then all of a sudden a hand would be replaced by a
mouth and then a mouth was on my cock.  This was fantastic.  An orgy had
started only to be interrupted by the opening of the steam room door or the
regular interval following the blast of steam.  And sometimes if things
were really hot and heavy even these usually activity stopping occasions
had no effect.  If things were really hot and heavy there would begin a
series of guttural sounds indicating that one or more of the guys was
shooting a load.  Sometimes the benches got really slimy and some guy would
come in and hose them down.  Usually these orgasms would be followed by a
series of departures, but immediately the benches would be refilled with
more horny Gay boys.  It was incredible.

Sometimes I would get tried or too hot in the steam room and move to the
wet sauna where there was no steam and the cruising was more furtive but
ultimately just as hot and intense.  Sometimes I'd move to a strange
bathroom area where an ancient tub and shower remained from a much earlier
period.  This was great place to play one on one with another boy.  But the
most amazing thing of all is when I graduated to the open public sex.
There were two shower areas, a large open public one where the cruising was
furtive and covert and hardly anyone dared to touch another's cock.  This
shower area led to the pool so there was always lots of eye candy in
Speedos or in the process of removing Speedos.  The other smaller shower
area was right outside the steam room and the boys in this one were much
bolder.  One day I decided to join them.  They were willing to openly
stroke their own cocks or stroke and suck their buddies' cocks and then one
day guy showed me that you could really go whole hog and like the sex pigs
we were start fucking the cute boy with the bubble butt right in the ass
and then four of us would be fucking right there in front of anyone who
wanted to watch.  These guys seemed to be happy just stroking their cocks
and shooting as we came up the butts we were fucking.

It's not surprising that this place is no longer in operation but for a
time it really was the Fantasyland of Gay San Francisco's Disneyland.

Comments to markjacker@gmail.com.