When I arrived at Penn Station at 9:00 in the morning I was already dripping from sweat. It was July 4th in NYC, which means hot and humid. I always recommend that girls wear swim suits to the Invasion. Sometimes they listen, and other times they don’t.
Jouiselle had moved to NYC from London, and she did listen, and I believe she was glad of it. We met up and boarded the 9:15 to Jamaica, where we switched to the Patchogue line en route to Sayville. The double-decker Sayville train was always cold as a freezer: today I wouldn’t complain. I remembered to bring a long sleeve shirt, and the sweltering heat was a memory for the next hour.
Jouiselle was a little nervous about coming out of her apartment and traveling all the way out to Fire Island en femme. But I told her it would be fine, and it was. Very few noticed, and of those that did, they could care less. We easily spotted the Fire Island bound crowd long before we hit the Sayville stop. There were plenty of gay men, of course, some of which had partially made up faces, or painted nails, or some other tell-tale sign that they would be on the Invasion ferry, while others just had all their beach gear. Still, as we whisked past all those Long Island suburbs, Jouiselle was the only T-girl within sight. “Don’t worry,” I reassured her.
When we exited the train in Sayville I was sure the entire train tilted from all the people that got off at that stop, a heightened sense of anticipation and exuberance in the air. $5 later we were crammed into a shuttle bus for the short ride to the ferry.
While the gay men – and some of the tourists – boarded for the Pines, we got in line for Cherry Grove, and suddenly T-girls were starting to appear. Jouiselle waved “hi” and I could see a tension leave her.
With a day that started in such a hurried state -- rolling out of bed to shower, pack and catch the subway to Penn Station – it had evolved into one of relaxed leisure. We arrived in Sayville an hour earlier than I expected because we took a different train, so we were catching an earlier ferry as well.
With time to spare, lunch seemed appropriate. Cherry’s was full; the Cherry Pit was full; Floyd’s was full; Top of The Bay was
closed for a private party; the Cherry Grove Pizza house was full. This girl needed to eat! Luckily we were able to get a nice table outside facing the bay at a new place (new to me, I hadn’t been here for years) right on the bay. Jouiselle inquired if I wanted a drink. “No, you know what, when we get to my friends condo I’ll be spinning up some Margaritas and drinking well into the night, so I should wait.”
The waiter arrived moments later to take our orders, and then asked “can I get you girls a drink first?” Without as much as a thought I blurted out, “sure, I’ll have a Margarita.” And so the day of festivities had begun.
By the time we finished eating I spotted Lorna and friends walking off the ferry toward town square, and we quickly paid and caught up with them. It was now about noon and the place was starting to get crazy. Mobs were flowing in from the ferry that has just docked, and the peacocks – the girls in fabulous outfits – were beginning to strut about to show off their outfits. Heads turned, queens spread their arms and twirled for an admiring crowd that couldn’t have had them pose enough, making the already crowded scene chaotic.
A good place to start the day on the 4th is the Ice Palace, so we walked through the square and up the ramp towards the bar: warning, if you have a backpack or luggage of any kind, you’re no longer allowed into the bar. So we turned around and went back to the base of the ramp to plot our next move.
When Lorna, Erica, Jouiselle and others decided that they were going to walk to Pines rather than ride the Invasion ferry, I suggested that we head to the Pines sooner than later. We had about two hours before the Invasion boat was scheduled to leave Cherry Grove, which was more than enough time to walk to the Pines, get some liquor, drop our bags at the condo, mix some Margaritas and enjoy them on the deck. But first a photo: I yelled out to our group “photo op!” So many queens turned around that I had visions of necks twisting off some girls as other tumbled down the Ice Palace ramp trying to get past one another and get in the shot; we’re all such photo whores!
So with Jouiselle ready for the country club in her swimsuit and big pink Sunday hat, Lorna looking like a patriotic Goth girl -- complimented by the great tattoos and hair of her friends Krissy and Gloria --, Alisha sporting a silver tank top that sparkled like a disco ball, and the rest of us so normally dressed we seemed out of place, we set out across the sands.
The Margaritas were wet and flowing, the overcast skies more than welcome, and the light afternoon breeze re-energizing as we sat on the deck relaxing and telling stories. Lorna and I hadn’t hung out since I had gone to Buenos Aires all those years ago, so we had a lot of catching up to do, as did she and Chrissy. Three of the old Girls Club – me, Lorna and Chrissy – together again! And it was great.
From the deck we could hear the crowds at the Pines harbor growing louder by the moment and knew the ferry must have entered the harbor. So after one more refill we made our way down to the dock and pushed up into the crowd that was overflowing with excitement.
The sight of the ferry sent the crowd into a roar, cheering and welcoming. The tradition of the Invaders walk of fame off the ferry and up the dock began, as they were then steered into Sip and Twirl, where the music was hot, the drinks cold, and the participants mingling and dancing.
Meanwhile the boys started the party upstairs at the Island Club, waiting for the girls to arrive, which is where I found Tina, Jamie,
Lilly, Genifer and Jerry before the flood of other Invaders began to flow in shortly thereafter.
There have always been great costumes at the Invasion – it’s like Halloween in the summer --, including super heroes, Little Riding Hood, Snow White, and the like. And this year was no different, including some fun group themes. The Pigtail Pin-ups, the Girl scouts, the Geisha girls, Thang 1 and Thang 2, and the Air Line Stewardesses were all great. When I asked the Stewardesses what airline they flew, they said “On Top.” Wow, of the few "tops" that could be found in the Pines and these four were in dresses!
We partied between the deck, the Island Club, Sip & Twirl, and the outdoor bar at the Blue Whale pool till most of our crew left on the late night ferry, leaving Chrissy – our host – and myself on our own to spend the next few days relaxing after such a hardy night of partying.
Invasion of the Pines is still one of my favorite events. So plan for next year and join us!
And remember, no matter what the weather leading up to it is like, on the 4th of July New York is hot and humid; dress appropriately.
Read more about the Invasion here
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