Cubbyhole is New York City's best-known lesbian bar. We visited the tiny West Village spot that's a 'second home' to its regulars - here's what it was like.

Juliana Kaplan/Libertina Brandt/Business Insider

Cubbyhole.

• Cubbyhole is one of three predominantly lesbian bars left in New York City.
• On a recent Thursday night, we ventured out to capture the scene and get a feel for its history.
• We met newcomers, longtime customers, queer activists, and even an astrologer.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

There are only three lesbian bars left in New York City. One of those is Cubbyhole, a tiny spot quite literally tucked away in a corner of Manhattan's West Village.

The shrinking number of spaces for queer-identifying women has been well-documented. In 2017, the Village Voice asked: "Why Are All The Lesbian Bars Disappearing?" A New York Times op-ed similarly lamented: "I Want My Lesbian Bars Back."

But while these spaces shrink and change, the populations they serve have only increased - or at least become more visible. A 2018 Gallup poll found that number of American adults who identify as LGBT rose to 4.5% in 2017, and a third of Gen Zers do not identify as "exclusively heterosexual."

On a recent Thursday night, we ventured out to the lesbian stronghold to survey the scene. As always, there was a sizeable crowd at the bar, which can be found at the inexplicable intersection of West 4th and West 12th streets.

Here's a look inside the still-booming scene at Cubbyhole.