Ricky De Cleva

How long have you been working at Bar-Tini Ultra Lounge:
For 3 years, to be exact. And this was just another experience in my life from which I have learned a lot – as a manager and as a person. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and I can only say positive things about working on the scene, but now it’s time for me to move on and do something different.

That was my second question. We heard that you are leaving us?
New York is my city and I will never leave New York for good. I will always come back to live or visit. But I miss my family a lot and have to go home to take care of some family business. And I can’t wait to enjoy the rest of the summer at home – being close to the Adriatic Sea. I think I’m just spoiled, that’s all. The city is really big and my job is very stressful and I carry a lot of responsibilities. I just wanna do nothing; be at the pool and go out on weekends and have my phone off at least once in a while  (laugh).

I think a lot of people are gonna miss seeing you at Bar-Tini and working ALEGRIA parties. How do you feel about leaving all your friends here?
Well, I’ll definitely miss some of my really good friends from New York that I’ve met in the past 8 years while living here and in the USA. Working ALEGRIA was definitely fun and I’m sure I’ll do some of my bartending gigs again when I come back because it’s a lot of fun. I’m a people person.

What has changed on the gay scene since you started to work at SPLASH?
That is a good question. In my opinion I think a lot of things have changed. The entire city has changed and that definitely had an effect on the gay scene, also. Money is different, I would say, and people are definitely different. I always do my best to see  the positive side of things. When I started to bartend at SPLASH 7 years ago, I was only a 21 year old little Italian kid off the boat (laugh).

How about yourself? Did you change?
I have changed a lot and I have learned a lot since then but I can say that I didn’t lower my standards because of the city. I still have the same values and morals as I had the day I moved to the city and I’m very proud of that. The city can be a lot some-times for everyone – for those who are weak and for those who are strong – so you really gotta know what you’re doing with your life and stay on track and always try to be strong and do your best. It’s always good to be true to yourself. That is important.

And my last question. What did you learn about yourself living in the city for the past 8 years without your family?
I’m very happy that I graduated from a good school and couldn’t be happier that I’m an American. That is something that I really wanted and now I can choose what I wanna do next in my life. I always wanna move toward bigger and better things in life. I’m pretty strong when it comes to making big decisions like that. Just ‘living’ in Manhattan gave me an education, like graduating from another 4 NYUs, let’s say. New York City gave me a life lesson and everything I’ve learned I will apply toward future success and new victories.

PHOTO BY RICK STOCKWELL