5. Lesbian South Village

Various locales throughout the South Village Historic district played a part in lesbian history in Manhattan, according to the Landmarks Preservation Committee LGBT History Guide. Early lesbian-owned or frequented nightlife spots in provided a space to discreetly meet. Portofino’s in the South Village is the Italian restaurant where Edie Winsor met her future wife Thea Clara Spyer. Other historically lesbian spaces included Eve Addam’s Tea Room, which was run in the 1920s by a lesbian. The tea room displayed a sign which read “Men are admitted but not welcome.”