RIP China Chalet, Manhattan's Greatest Queer Utopia
When DJ and nightlife entrepreneur Ty Sunderland created his flagship gay party, he envisioned stripper poles — an homage to the music video for Britney Spears’ 2007 single “Gimme More.”
“But no strip club was going to let a gay promoter come in on a Friday night in New York City. I asked if I could install stripper poles on the floor on a dance floor at China Chalet, and they said ‘Yeah, totally.’ That’s how Heaven on Earth started.”