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I promised I'd post an account of my evening out in Leeds, so here it is. Well, the first part of it, anyway. As I was writing, it soon became apparent that it would make a rather long single post, and probably longer than most articles! No one wants to plough through a wall of text, so I'm going to divide my essay into bite-sized chunks.
PART 1
From Wikipedia: An inhabitant of Leeds (in the UK) is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin.
On 24 January 2024 I travelled by train to Leeds for a two-day office meeting. The least said about the meeting the better, but the evening presented me with a rare opportunity to get dressed and go out in public.
I’d booked a room at a Travelodge, one of two in the city. It’s a budget hotel, but perfectly situated right next to Briggate, the street in which most of the Leeds gay scene is situated. The hotel staff were polite and helpful, and didn’t bat an eye when I eventually appeared in the lobby en femme. I should imagine they’ll have had plenty of guests like me! If you’re thinking of going to Leeds for a crossdressing jaunt, I can fully recommend the Travelodge Leeds Central.
Having gone straight to the office from the railway station, it was almost 6pm when I booked into my room. I unpacked and, after a refreshing cup of Yorkshire Tea, made a start on my transformation. The evening beckoned, and I was keen to make the most of it!
I’d bought a new dress for the occasion for just £2 at a Cancer Research charity shop in Newcastle. A white, knee-length A line, it came with a narrow black belt. Belts never seem to work for me, so I discarded it. I hung up the dress along with my brand new slip, then, after putting on my bra, pantie girdles (four pairs!) and a pair of honey shade tights, sat down at the mirror to apply my makeup.
I’ve had a lot of recent practice with makeup; I’m still not great at it, but I think I make a passable effort. It always looks a bit of a sight until the moment the wig goes on. It’s only then that I can look at my reflection and say “Hello, Jacqueline”.
With the makeup done I put on my slip and dress, and then it was time to do my nails. Normally I wear a nice coral shade, but for Leeds I’d also brought a bottle of bright blue. This turned out to be a big mistake! Long story short, I ended up with horrible blodges of blue on my fingertips as well as on my nails. I grabbed a remover pad and scrubbed my nails clean, immensely glad that I’d also brought my bottle of far more forgiving coral.
It was now around 7.30pm, and I’d hoped to already be out! I put on my shoes (black suede three inch heels with crossover strap), picked up my shoulderbag (black with lots of zip compartments), and headed for the door.
I didn’t open it. Waves of self-doubt came crashing through my mind, and my confidence wasn’t helped by the sound of a door being opened and closed from a nearby room. I stared at my reflection in the full length mirror on the door.
“This is ridiculous” I told myself. “You’ve been looking forward to this for months. You’re here, you’re ready, and you look… OK. So just open the door and go!”
So I took a deep breath, then opened the door and went.
@jacquelinelarkspur Just checking in advance ... how many parts are there going to be?
I'm hoping for a mini-series. If that's the case then I intend to cancel all other plans for the evening and ensure that I'm surrounded by a sufficient tonnage of snacks.
This is so exciting!
*settles back and waits for the second instalment*
Well... I haven't written them yet, so I can't say how many there'll be. But definitely a mini-series. You may need to cancel all appointments for the whole weekend and order in more snacks!
[checks copious notes made during the evening]
The way it's looking, there's maybe another 6 or 7 instalments.
@jacquelinelarkspur *Makes a start with checking multipack snack deals on Amazon and scheduling delivery times*
@jacquelinelarkspur *Sits with a calculator, figuring out where you are on the 'Member Ratings', and concluding that six or seven instalments + replies + thanks will quickly see you achieving 'Noble' status ... as of course would befit your ladyship 🙂*
@melodeescarlet Buttered toffee please 🙂
Also ... *eyes widen ... you have a POPCORN CABINET?*
@ellyd22 nabs the buttered toffee...and the kettle for herself
Girl, I have lots of cabinets 😉
@melodeescarlet Wait ... when you say 'nabs the buttered toffee', does that mean you're taking it all for yourself? *Ellie thumbs through her copy of 'The Observer's Book of American Phrases'*. Or does it mean that you're bring some over to me?
*Thinks ... if Melodee DOES bring me some buttered toffee popcorn, I'll mix her a Cosmopolitan.*
*Ellie looks around the room as she says this, wondering why there are QUITE so many cabinets, and why so many of them seem to be heavily padlocked*
@ellyd22 Nabbing it for you of course, girl. I'm a kettle girl (as I noted). However, I'll take that cosmo, TYVM!
sees Ellie looking at the locked cabinets Soon, perhaps. We'll see. 😉
@melodeescarlet *Ellie mixes a Cosmo for Melodee and carries it across to her. She watches as Melodee takes the drink from the tray, then looks around nervously. All those cabinets; all those padlocks. And that phrase: 'I'm a kettle girl'. At this moment, here in this room, alone with Melodee and the popcorn and the cocktails, it begins to sound strange. What is it that she isn't seeing?*
@ellyd22 @melodeescarlet @jacquelinelarkspur FINALLY we get to the part where alcohol is served! I was becoming dismayed with all the fluff about snacks and such! Any literary epic....be it entertaining or total bore....goes well with alcohol! Preferably cask strength Kentucky bourbon served neat for this girl!
Jacqueline - here's to your very entertaining 1st installment of a night in Leeds!
/EA
@emilyalt *Ellie pours Emily a pint of cask strength Kentucky bourbon, and then another for herself*
@ellyd22 Holy Jim Jones Batman! I think the boffins have started a cult!
Ellie dear, cask strength bourbon is at least 50% alcohol. A pint is enough to kill a person! 2 fingers worth (~2oz) of bourbon in a sipping glass is about right.
/EA
@emilyalt *Ellie takes a funnel and pours most of the bourbon back into the bottle. She is beginning to understand why she was sacked from so many bartending jobs*
@lucyb112 No ... that was because my past history at the Jaffa Cake factory caught up with me.
@ellyd22 Ah yes, I remember reading about the “Great Jaffa Cake Heist” back in the 80s
So that was you?
No wonder Custard Creams threw you out……
@lucyb112 I didn't mastermind the heist, but I WAS in charge of piloting the getaway barge. Looking back, it probably wasn't the best choice of transport.
Fortunately, the police didn't erect any canal blocks.
Many of those Jaffa Cakes are now in private collections all over Europe.
@ellyd22 So that box of special edition 1980s Jaffa Cakes I’ve got in a glass case are stolen?
Bugger, they were my retirement plan.
I should have known. The guy I bought them from in a pub in Peckham seemed a bit dodgy.
[Hoping no one notices her, Jacqueline quietly googles "kettle popcorn", because she's never heard of the term]
So what the heck is kettle popcorn?
I would google it myself, but I’m currently watching series 1 episode 7 of Stingray on my iPad.
And no, I’m not joking. Turned the TV off as my wife and the dog are both fast asleep on the settee 😴
Rock and Roll Friday evenings here……
After googling it I'm still not sure exactly what it is! It seems to be ordinary popcorn, like you get at the cinema. Maybe @melodeescarlet will enlighten us...
Standby for action.
I’m regretting watching those episodes of Stingray last night.
I can’t get the bloody theme tune out of my mind today 🤦♀️
@jacquelinelarkspur @lucyb112 So what I've just done is to take an electric kettle, emptied all the water out and filled it with popcorn kernels. I'm not completely convinced that this is the right way to go about it, but life's too short for manuals.
Just in case, I've surrounded the kettle with safety screens, I'm wearing a Hazmat suit and I have a fire extinguisher at the ready.
I'm just about to switch the kettle on.
[Jacqueline switches on the radio in case there's news of an explosion in Norfolk]
@lucyb112 I'll withhold that information, as it could allow the authorities to pinpoint the location of any future popcorn-related incidents.
@ellyd22 With your rap sheet I suspect the authorities know exactly where you are at any given moment in time 🙂
@lucyb112 An Irish friend and I DID once get tracked by the police all the way from Wales to Norfolk, then to Kent, across to France and back again to Ireland. That's absolutely true. If ever I find myself sharing a drink with any CDH members I'll happily tell them the whole story.
It's not an anecdote for the site as a) it takes around ten minutes to tell, b) there are several very dodgy accents involved and c) crossdressing doesn't feature at any point.
@ellyd22 @lucyb112 @jacquelinelarkspur @emilyalt
Sheesh, try to get a girl some popcorn and the tangential explosion is off the charts!
@melodeescarlet As in 'Every now and then, carried across the sand on the warm breeze, they could hear the distant strains of an old cosmelodee'
Well that’s good to know, although popcorn without toffee just doesn’t compute.
But hopefully the information will have arrived in time to prevent Ellie from wiping the whole of Norfolk from the face of the earth.
Clearly a chemistry degree is a dangerous thing. Heaven knows what she’s teaching those poor kids at Hogwarts
@lucyb112 All of my Potions lessons are VERY well thought out, thank you very much.
There have been NO life-threatening incidents in the last 12 days ... *checks notes* ... in the last ten days.
And anyway, had the popcorn gone critical it WOULD NOT have destroyed the 'whole of Norfolk'.
That's a massive exaggeration. According to my calculations. the blast radius would have been limited to within 10 miles of my kitchen.
@melodeescarlet @ellyd22 @lucyb112 @jacquelinelarkspur
Being that kettle corn is an American concoction often introduced into the diet of American children when they attend their first county fair, those of y'all geographically challenged by the Atlantic might be forgiven for your ignorance of this ultimate snack food.
And to be clear, kettle corn must be experienced straight out of the kettle for the ultimate experience. Bagged and tinned varieties pale in comparison.
Now, as Melodee has tiredly explained in this frustratingly convoluted tangent on snack food and alcohol, there is Google (or Bing for those of you that prefer Microsoft own your data). Either search provides extensive background....and recipes....on kettle corn.
Armed with all the info you need to make your own kettle corn (it's quite easy), now is as good a time as any to treat your palate. Maybe then this tiresome tangent can be put to bed!
/EA
@nailgirl Parts 2, 3 and 4 are buried within this very long thread; you'll have to scroll a bit to find them, but it's well worth the effort 🙂
Part 5 is here:
Larks Among the Loiners - Part 5 – Personal Crossdressing Stories – Crossdresser Heaven Forums
[Jacqueline makes a mental note to give Ellie a 20% pay rise and promotion to Editor-in-Chief]
@nailgirl
Sorry, entirely my own incompetence and unfamiliarity with how this forum works!
@jacquelinelarkspur don’t sign anything until your agent ( Ellie ) gets back to you. You know, book, movie, tv series. I will not interrupt with questions until the last chapter.
This is excellent advice. If it's a commercial success, I may get enough money to buy a brand new frock!
I won't hold you to your promise of not interrupting. Questions and nice comments are welcome after each instalment.
@missylinda @jacquelinelarkspur *Crosses out 'agent' , thinks for a moment, then writes 'future partner in crime' in crayon*
[Places an order for two headscarves, two pairs of sunglasses and a 1966 Thunderbird]
@jacquelinelarkspur I know that feeling well, where you're all dressed and ready to go and fer jumps in and you hesitate, or chicken out like I often do.
@jacquelinelarkspur Once I learned to do that, I knew the experience was going to be exciting and thrilling. Still, I chickened out a lot.
I think most of us do. It's only natural. We're taking a huge risk every time we present our feminine selves to the outside world.
I dress fairly regularly, but always in the privacy of my own home, and alone. I can't count the number of times I've gone to my front door and itched to open it and step outside. And chickened out.
@jacquelinelarkspur I've been out many times since I was 17. Still, for maybe 100 times out, I probably chickened out 2000 times, or at least it seemed like that.
PART 2
I stepped out of my first floor hotel room and closed the door. I can't tell you how nervous I was feeling at that moment! Fully expecting to be seen by someone, I made my way along the corridor to the lift.
"Don't be silly," I told myself. "You're going out. You'll be seen by plenty of people soon enough. Deal with it."
Down in the lobby I gave a cheery smile to the lone receptionist. She made me at once, of course, but gave me a professionally cheery smile in return. Mustering up as much confidence as I could, I walked out of the hotel into the evening air.
My aim for the evening was to visit as many of the LGBTQ+ bars in Briggate and The Calls – the adjoining street – as I could. But the very next part of my plan was to go to a restaurant for a meal. I had already scoped out a nearby Italian restaurant called Viva, which appeared on the streetmap provided on the Leeds First Friday website.
The LFF website is an excellent source of information, and the map shows all the LGBTQ+ friendly bars and eating places in the Freedom Quarter of Leeds. There’s an app to download, plus links to LFF’s own social media groups. They also run a Discord chat, which can be accessed by messaging Grai, the LFF Coordinator. If you go to Leeds for a crossdressing jaunt, make sure you visit the LFF website first.
At this point I want to give special thanks to Grai and Alice of LFF for providing me with lots of information about what to expect from my visit. Special thanks also to my lovely and beautiful friend Ellie Davis (@ellyd22), for patiently relaying my questions to Grai and returning to me with the answers.
It was a little after 8pm when I entered Viva. I was welcomed by a middle-aged man who I took to be the manager. Speaking in my femme voice for the first time that evening, I requested a table for one, and was politely escorted me over to a table by the window. I felt I was being placed on display, and I loved it! There were only three other diners in the place; after quickly clocking me as I walked in, they paid me no further attention.
The restaurant is fairly small but cosy, brightly lit with pleasant Italian music softly playing over speakers. There’s a good menu of traditional fare, and a good drinks selection. I ordered a lasagne and a small glass of Pinot Grigio. It came to just under £20. I had meant to take a selfie to show you all, only it completely slipped my mind! Plus, the camera on my mobile is a bit rubbish. Some of the selfies I took in my hotel room were blurry – though maybe that had something to do with the fact my hand was trembling in anticipation of what lay ahead. But I did make a post on CDH at 8.25pm ( https://www.crossdresserheaven.com/community/personal-stories/leeds-by-night/#post-493995 ) while I was waiting for my meal to be served.
The lasagne turned out to be delicious and, slightly to my own surprise, I did finish it! I asked for a latte, but unfortunately the machine was off! After a quick visit to the ladies – having first checked with the waitress that it was OK for me to go – I gave the manager a smile and a wave before stepping out into the darkening night.
It was time for Jacqueline Larkspur to hit the bars!
I am on the edge of my seat Jacqueline! What a wonderful tale you are spinning...
Denise
❤️
PART 3
Leeds First Friday is described on the LFF website as “the UK’s largest trans+ social. Every first Friday of the month, in the Freedom Quarter of Leeds”. As my visit was taking place on a Wednesday I knew I wouldn’t be experiencing the full-on vibe, but I was determined to have fun.
The Freedom Quarter is quite close to the city’s railway station, and centres on the street of Briggate. The LFF site map illustrates it very well.
I left Viva at 8.45pm and crossed the main road into Lower Briggate. You know you’re entering the Freedom Quarter because you pass under a railway bridge which is decorated with the Pride rainbow flag. I turned left into Blayds Yard, in which is situated Blayds bar, the closest venue to my hotel. Through its windows I could see several men sitting drinking, but no crossdressers. I walked past, suddenly uncertain about going in. Then I saw a small sign on the outside wall, saying that Blayds was an inclusive and welcoming bar. Cartoon pictures of men and women helped to carry the message. One of the figures was a woman with a large moustache. I smiled, opened the door and entered.
Blayds is quite a small bar. Half the walls are decorated in a sort of shiny black with speckly bits, and the other walls are bare brick. In one corner stands the front end of a tuk tuk. As I approached the bar counter a small group of men turned their heads to look at me and then resumed their raucous conversation. To my right a man sat on his own. I ordered a glass of white wine and looked for somewhere to sit. I surprised myself by taking a stool right next to the lone drinker.
Within a minute we introduced ourselves and began chatting pleasantly. I’ll call him Alan. It turned out that my new friend was himself a crossdresser, but tonight was “off duty” as it were. We exchanged a little bit of personal information about ourselves and discussed crossdressing in general. I told him about CDH, which he’d never heard of but said he would look up with a view to joining. For this reason I won’t go into much more detail about him here. It’s his story to tell.
I confessed that I'd probably not have sat and chatted like this had I been in Bob mode. In real life I'm not the most outgoing person, and conversation doesn't come easy to me. It's a different case when I'm Jacqueline; my confidence soars. Strange, isn't it?
Our conversation turned to the subject of ages, and I challenged Alan to guess mine. He hazarded 46. “Switch the numbers around and subtract 1,” I said, “and you’re there!”. I imagine he was a bit taken aback by that.
At 9.45pm Alan said he was heading up to Viaduct, and invited me to go with him if I wanted. Viaduct is widely regarded as perhaps THE place to be, and so naturally it was on my “must do” list. I was initially hesitant about accepting Alan’s offer, but we were getting on very well, so off we both went to Viaduct together. I must stress here that Alan behaved impeccably with me throughout. He knew what it was like on my side of the fence, after all.
Viaduct is a long, narrow bar, with a dance area at the far end. A Drag Queen DJ plays music, which was mostly heavy beat club anthem type stuff. There’s a separate courtyard sort of area to one side, which is quieter. Alan bought me a drink, and we moved down towards the dance floor. I looked around for other crossdressers, but saw none. It dawned on me that I may be the only “on duty” crossdresser in town that night!
I joined the people on the dance floor and jiggled around a bit. Alan seemed to prefer to stand to one side with his drink. I began to feel warm. I was wearing a denim jacket over my dress (a detail which I forgot to mention in Part 1, sorry!), so I decided to return to my hotel room to take it off. Alan said it was time for him to be going. We said our goodbyes and parted company at 10.40pm.
“Alan”, if you’re here and reading my story, thank you for helping this girl feel happy and safe.
Thanks for another installment Jacqueline! I am hanging on every word 😊
Denise
❤️
I’m really enjoying the drip feed of details, and I suspect I’m not alone.
It sounds like you had a blast.
I can’t wait for part 4
Thanks, Lucy! It would have been a really long single post!
Part 4 incoming within the next hour or two.
PART 4
Back in my hotel room I removed my denim jacket and sat on the bed. My legs and feet were beginning to complain about the dancing I’d been doing, so I took off my shoes and lay down for a rest. Twenty minutes later I was ready to resume my little adventure. I put my shoes back on, grabbed my shoulderbag and headed to the door. This time there was no hesitation, no dithering, no fears of being spotted and challenged by other hotel guests. I was here, on my own terms, having one of the best nights of my life.
The next venue on my list was Bar Fibre, another “must-do”. Bar Fibre stands directly opposite Viaduct on Briggate, but unfortunately is closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Next door, however, is Queen’s Court, also on my list. I went in, ordered a drink, and sat at a table by myself.
I wasn’t by myself for long. A man of about 40 sidled up to me, a fresh bottle of Peroni in his hand. He’d obviously been drinking all evening, though not heavily. He asked if I was waiting for anyone. I said no. He then asked if he could join me. It seemed a bit futile at that moment to send him packing, so I indicated the empty stool with a “go for it” nod. I had my suspicions about his motives for joining me, so I stayed aloof at first and eased into conversation gradually.
I’ll call him Barry for the purposes of this story. Barry was from Bristol. He was in Leeds for a meeting to do with his job, which seemed to involve transportation engineering. He was quite chatty, and freely complimented me on my dress, my hair and my looks. He especially liked my dress, because he kept putting his hand on it. Lightly on the knee at first, then a little heavier and a little higher up the thigh on each subsequent go. At one point he was using my leg as resting place for his entire forearm while he leaned in to talk to me.
As you’ve probably guessed, Barry was a Tranny Fancier. Or as I prefer to call them - because I’ve never liked the word Transvestite - a Crossdresser Presser. Since I seemed to be the only crossdresser in town I must have been fair game as far as Barry was concerned. I’ve been chatted up by CD Pressers before, years ago in Newcastle’s Pink Triangle. In those days I was inexperienced at going out, and reacted like a rabbit-in-the-headlights. Now I was better prepared, and I watched Barry like a hawk.
We talked amiably enough for about half an hour, though I was ultra careful to not lead him on. The bar staff called last orders at 11.30pm. Ten minutes later Barry announced that he was going across to Viaduct, and asked me to go with him. I politely refused, saying that there were other places I wanted to go to. He said he hoped to see me around again later, and left. I heaved a sigh of relief as he disappeared out the door.
At 11.45pm I made my way out of Queen’s Court and walked up Briggate. I’d intended to go to a bar called Smokestack, but as it was due to close at midnight there seemed little point. I had already planned to finish my evening at a bar called The New Penny, which stays open until 4am every night. However, as it was a little early to be heading there just yet, I returned to Viaduct, which I knew was open until 2am.
The night had seemed to fly past.
@jacquelinelarkspur *Having just finished reading Part 4*
I love the description of the way in which your confidence grew during the evening 🙂
I've entered 'Barry the Crossdresser Presser' into my Little Black Book Of Undesirables (LBBOU).
But I'm on the edge of my seat now.
Barry's in Viaduct. You're going back to Viaduct ... you could cut the dramatic tension with a knife ...
@jacquelinelarkspur That would have been a great episode.
Ken Barlow, a lifelong closeted crossdresser, finally decides to step out in public as his femme self. Not wanting to risk being recognised in Manchester, he opts to cross the Pennines and have an evening out in Leeds.
All is going well until he unexpectedly runs into Deirdre at 3 am in Smokestack (episode ends; cue theme music)
@ellyd22 I'm just reading this on Sunday morning and laughing and laughing (and realizing that everyone on this thread including me is a little crazy). Attack of the Mirth's !
You know what they say about not having to be crazy to be a member here...!
@margprodue It must be getting quite hard to follow if you're seeing it for the first time ...
All hail @jacquelinelarkspur for a wonderful piece of writing 🙂
Talking of which, is part 5 out yet?
I’m not sure if I’ve just lost the plot and missed it or whether it’s still with the publishers
For any other members looking for Part 5, just click below:
Larks Among the Loiners - Part 5 – Personal Crossdressing Stories – Crossdresser Heaven Forums
I should have made separate posts for each part. I know for next time!
YEP! Splitting it now would be a major editing PITA. I think even @ellyd22 would shy away from the challenge. Next time.
/EA
@emilyalt I did THINK about how it could be done ... and then decided that life was too short.
@jacquelinelarkspur If there ever IS a 'next time' that you go to Leeds mid week, and it's after July 11th, don't forget that I'll be able to drive up and share the experience ...
@ellyd22 Ellie, I did read it straight through but had to pull over at the mental wayside several times to catch my breath and stop laughing. You were an essential part of this mischief. If you and Jacqueline ever venture out together I think that it might be necessary to have a hall monitor accompany you two or to have a roving video team so we can see the playback on the late night telly. Marg
Just imagine if it were me, @jacquelinelarkspur AND @melodeescarlet out on the town together ...
@ellyd22 Total bedlam... on the other hand perhaps plan Diva, Keystone or Sparkle together? Hugs, Marg