Albuquerque’s Gay Scene

Andrew Collins
-
0
Albuquerque’s Gay Scene

Recently revitalized Albuquerque is home to New Mexico’s only gay bars

New Mexico’s largest city, set dramatically at the base of the soaring Sandia Mountains, makes a great – and affordable – base for exploring the rest of the Land of Enchantment. Albuquerque lies just 60 miles south of Santa Fe and within an afternoon’s drive of countless Indian pueblos, beautiful hiking and biking spots, and challenging ski areas. The “Duke City” (named for the city’s founder, the Duke of Alburquerque – the first “r” was later dropped) enjoys a sunny, mild climate, and it’s home to New Mexico’s only gay bars as well as a handful of gay-owned B&Bs and restaurants.

Albuquerque’s once dull downtown has undergone an ambitious revitalization in recent years, with loads of new shops, restaurants, and bars along or near the main drag, Central Avenue between 2nd and 8th streets, and also along parallel Gold Avenue. From here, it’s a five-minute drive to historic Old Town, which was laid out in 1706 and contains Albuquerque’s earliest building, the San Felipe de Neri Church, which fronts the serene, tree-shaded Plaza. The wares for sale at the more than 200 crafts and art galleries and boutiques in the area run the gamut from fine to kitschy, and a few very good restaurants are nearby. For an offbeat experience, step inside the small but venomous American International Rattlesnake Museum, which contains the world’s largest assemblage of live rattlers.

Within a short stroll of Old Town you’ll find a handful of the city’s most prominent attractions, including the recently expanded Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, which houses an astounding collection of Spanish Colonial artifacts, plus traditional and contemporary regional art. Exhibits on geology, volcanoes, and dinosaurs await you across the street at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Also check out the Albuquerque Aquarium, Rio Grande Zoo, and Rio Grande Botanic Garden. It’s just a short drive from Old Town to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center as well as the National Hispanic Cultural Center of New Mexico, both of which have exhibits, cafes, and performances related to their respective cultures.

Much of Albuquerque’s gay scene is focused in the retro-hip Nob Hill neighborhood, a short drive east of downtown along Historic Route 66 (Central Avenue), which glows with the neon signs of coffeehouses, bars, greasy-spoon diners, galleries, and boutiques selling everything from cool home-furnishings to campy gifts. Central Avenue fringes the southern edge of the University of New Mexico (UNM), whose noteworthy attractions include the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology and the University Art Museum.

The city sprawls a bit, and you need a car to venture out to some of the worthwhile outlying attractions. On the west side of town, visit Petroglyph National Monument to view some 25,000 rock drawings inscribed as far back as a thousand years ago along the 17-mile-long West Mesa escarpment. Drive east across town into the city’s lofty foothills for a chance to ride the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway to the crest of the 10,600-foot Sandia Mountains. The 2.7-mile ride is the longest aerial tramway in the world. At the top are observation decks, hiking trails, a visitor’s center, and the High Finance Restaurant.

On the north side of Albuquerque, you’ll find the glamorous Sandia Casino resort, which in addition to extensive gaming areas contains one of the city’s best restaurants (Bien Shur, on the resort’s rooftop), a luxury hotel and spa, and a golf course of considerable acclaim.

The casino is close to Balloon Fiesta Park, home to New Mexico’s most famous festival, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. This colorful hot-air balloon gathering – the world’s largest – takes place the first two weeks in October. At any time of year you can visit the park’s Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum. There are also a number of outfitters throughout Albuquerque offering hot-air balloon rides year-round; one of the most reliable is Rainbow Ryders.

Albuquerque’s already very good dining scene has improved dramatically just in the past few years. In the downtown area, don’t miss gay-popular Artichoke Cafe for first-rate Continental cooking in a romantic yet casual ambience. Thai Crystal is one of the city’s top Asian restaurants, while the cozy Gold Street Caffe serves up some of the best breakfasts around, plus light lunch and dinner fare, designer coffees, and delicious desserts. When in Old Town, book a table at elegant Ambrozia Cafe & Wine Bar, known for its quirky and inventive dishes, such as duck meatloaf with truffled cream corn, and lobster corn dogs with chipotle ketchup.

In Nob Hill, the swanky Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro serves a memorable Sunday jazz brunch and terrific French-inspired dinner fare – try the crispy duck-confit egg rolls or mango creme brulee. Next door, Crazy Fish serves tasty proof that it’s possible to find super-fresh and creatively rendered sushi right in the heart of the desert.

Talented chef Jennifer James is one of the leading new culinary stars of the Southwest, and you can sample her deftly prepared food at Graze, which specializes in affordable tapas-style small plates (she also owns the more formal Restaurant Jennifer James, a few miles north). Across the street, the upscale Gruet Steak House is run by the city’s acclaimed Gruet Winery, which produces some of the nation’s most respected champagne-style sparkling wines as well as commendable pinot noirs and chardonnays. Pre-clubbing gays and straights mix it up at sophisticated Martini Grille, which is lauded as much for its tasty American fare as for the fancy drinks served up in the schnazzy cocktail bar.

Hang out among UNM students and other local hipsters at Il Vicino, which serves out-of-this-world wood-fired pizzas and filling calzones, plus a nice array of leafy dinner-size salads. Try El Patio for some of the most authentic (and fiery) New Mexican cooking in town – be sure to sit on the tree-shaded patio. The no-frills Frontier Restaurant is a 24/7 institution famed for its breakfast burritos and heavenly cinnamon buns – it’s a real scene after the clubs close. Another must-do in Albuquerque is coffee and dessert at Flying Star, a bakery, restaurant, coffeehouse, and wine bar all rolled into one, with five locations around town, the gayest and coolest in Nob Hill and downtown.

Among Albuquerque’s six gay nightspots, Pulse draws the youngest and wildest bunch for cruising and dancing on the festive patio and compact but fierce dance floor. Fans of line-dancing and two-stepping head to sprawling Sidewinders Ranch, which is owned by the same folks as Sidewinders in Palm Springs. Low-keyed Exhale (formerly Renea’s) is the only lesbian bar in the state, although it pulls in plenty of guys, too. The expansive Albuquerque Mining Co. caters to a diverse crowd with its several bars, small dance area, and full volleyball court. The Albuquerque Social Club, a garden-variety video bar across the street from Pulse, attracts a fairly local following; guests are permitted in this private club but must purchase a “membership” (it’s good for one year). The parking lot at Foxes Lounge brims with beat-up pickup trucks, giving hints of the rugged, bearish, and horny guys inside. Exotic dancers are the main entertainment.

Related: Gay Palm Springs – An Iconic Desert Oasis

Although Albuquerque’s lodging landscape is dominated by generic chain hotels, you’ll find some distinctive historic properties and art-filled B&Bs, too. Among the latter, the beautifully restored Mauger Estate B&B sits within easy walking distance of downtown and Old Town. This gay-owned 1897 Queen Anne Victorian has an ornate redbrick exterior, period antiques, wallpapers, and fabrics.

Among larger mainstream properties, the historic Hotel Andaluz is the city’s true grand dame, opened in 1939 by Conrad Hilton (who honeymooned here with Zsa Zsa Gabor). It’s a stunning 10-story hotel in the heart of downtown. A few blocks west, the art deco Hotel Blue has simple but affordable rooms and a great location, making it one of the city’s best bargains.

Of the city’s chain properties, the 17-story Albuquerque Marriott hotel is a commendable, upscale choice with great views of the mountains. It’s close to two shopping malls and a short drive from gay nightlife. And a 20-minute drive north of Albuquerque in the town of Bernalillo, the posh Hyatt Regency Tamaya offers the most lavish accommodations in the region. Amenities at this 500-acre resort on the Santa Ana Pueblo include a world-class spa, horseback riding, tennis, golf, superb restaurants, and casino gaming. If you’re looking for sumptuous Palm Springs-style glamour in the laid-back Duke City, look no further than this stunning resort, the perfect place to celebrate an ultra-romantic Southwest getaway.

Anchorage: The Great Outdoors

Andrew Collins
-
0
Anchorage: The Great Outdoors

Heart of Alaska’s relatively nascent but increasingly visible gay scene

Although it’s a bit less than a century old, Anchorage has developed into Alaska’s largest city, with a population of about 260,000. It’s also an excellent jumping-off point for countless adventures into the surrounding wilderness, from sea kayaking in Prince William Sound to hiking at Denali National Park to skiing at Alyeska Prince Resort in nearby Girdwood. But don’t overlook the city itself, a lively cultural hub with great shopping and dining and immediate access to the great outdoors. It’s also the heart of the state’s relatively nascent but increasingly visible gay scene.

Summer is the most popular time to come, when Anchorage abounds with flowers in private and public gardens as well as in window boxes and hanging baskets on porches. The sun rises around 4:30 in the morning and doesn’t set again until almost midnight, allowing for ample time each day to see the sights. But snow-sports fans and bargain-seekers might want to consider a winter visit, when hotel rates drop precipitously along with temperatures (expect January highs of about 20 to 25 degrees, versus 60- to 65-degree highs in July).

Related: Exploring Whistler

Anchorage won’t likely dazzle you – downtown was largely destroyed during a massive 1964 earthquake, and much of the reconstruction leaves a lot to be desired aesthetically. But it’s nonetheless a culturally rich city that’s home to the acclaimed Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (containing four different theaters), plus the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, Anchorage Opera, and Alaska Chamber Singers.

The Anchorage Museum of History and Art is a world-class facility with an extensive trove of art and artifacts that trace the history of the region right up through the modern age. And at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, you can learn about the state’s myriad indigenous cultures through exhibits, classes and seminars, and performances.

Anchorage has long drawn outdoorsy types, as there are plenty of ways to get your blood pounding within city limits, and you’re also within driving distance of many great destinations for recreation and nature-watching. You can hike miles of trails at Chugach State Park, which fringes the city and extends for some 60 miles into the wilderness to the south, offering climbs to numerous peaks with elevations as high as 8,000 feet. Another great venue is Eagle River Nature Center, which offers hikes, naturalist programs, and bird-watching outings among many other activities that showcase the region’s abundant flora and fauna. And that’s just scratching the surface – don’t overlook the Alaska Zoo (an excellent place to see black bears up close) and the Alaska Botanical Gardens.

From a culinary standpoint, Anchorage has truly blossomed of late. There are certain foods that appear routinely on area menus, particularly reindeer (often in the form of sausage), elk, and other area game along with plenty of local seafood, from wild salmon to raw oysters to fresh berries. Kincaid Grill has been a pioneer in creative regional dining, as chef Al Levinsohn is constantly coming up with exciting new takes on Alaskan cuisine, from Kodiak scallops served with an Asian ponzu sauce and stir-fried veggies to roasted halibut Nicoise with olive tapenade. Another top choice is Sack’s, a slick contemporary dining room filled with modern art and serving such innovative creations as pan-seared New Zealand rack of lamb with blueberry-port demiglace. Grab a table along the sidewalk in good weather.

You’ll find sophisticated contemporary cuisine at Mick’s at the Inlet, including a knockout elk chop with goat cheese brioche pudding, Bearnaise sauce, and a berry relish, and roasted skatefish wing with blood oranges, fennel, chives, and olive oil. Drop by Cafe Savannah, a cool little tapas restaurant and wine bar with authentic Spanish cooking, for the likes of Portobello mushrooms stuffed with chorizo and Manchego cheese, and calamari with lemon-garlic aioli.

For a light meal and great people-watching and mingling, check out Glacier Brewhouse, which is known as much for its delicious house-brewed oatmeal stout and red-currant lambic beer as for tasty comfort food, such as seared ahi tuna and Thai chicken pizza. Gay-friendly Sassafras Coffeehouse is a fine spot for a light meal, coffee, and free wireless Internet – it’s right across the street from Nordstrom’s, by downtown’s 5th Avenue Mall. Try the turkey-bacon-avocado wrap.

Also a block from the mall, Cyrano’s Theatre Company comprises a performance space, arty bookstore, and petit cafe (called Twig’s) where you can grab a chicken-pecan salad or a cup of seafood chowder. The theater produces well-acted plays throughout the year and has a strong gay following. The queer nightlife scene is limited to a pair of bars on the edge of downtown, the lively and highly enjoyable Mad Myrna’s – which has campy cabaret shows, a dance floor, and a totally diverse following – and the somewhat more male-oriented and cruisy Raven, which is just around the corner.

There are several accommodations here that actively market to gay visitor. Just on the edge of downtown, the gay-owned Wildflower Inn contains three guest rooms with sophisticated but comfy furnishings, including a beautiful Mission-style bed in one and TV/VCRs in all of them (plus Wi-Fi throughout the house). It’s a great choice if you want to be within walking distance of museums, restaurants, and nightlife.

Another highly popular gay-owned property downtown is the Copper Whale Inn, an urbane late-1930s house (a rare survivor of the ’64 quake) with 15 rooms, most of them affording panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains and Cook Inlet. Of larger mainstream properties, one of the most luxurious is the Marriott Anchorage Downtown. This airy, contemporary high-rise offers dramatic views of the distant wilderness but also affords easy access to local sights and restaurants.

You can make a number of excellent day trips or short overnights from Anchorage. One of the best full-service resorts in Alaska is the luxurious Alyeska Resort, in the small village of Girdwood, a 45-minute drive south of the city. In winter, it’s the state’s top venue for downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snow-tubing, and sledding. You can also take the aerial tram up to Mt. Alyeska, which has a restaurant at the top. In summer, you can book a tandem paragliding ride off the top of the mountain.

Another option is the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Seward, a slightly gritty old fishing town on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s gradually developed into a popular cruise port and leisure destination, thanks to its proximity to nature and also the Alaska Sealife Center, a marine-life research facility where visitors can observe the habitats of 2,000-pound Stellar sea lions, diving puffins, and dancing King crabs, among other creatures native to this region.

Just outside of Seward, you can visit Exit Glacier – in fact, you can practically drive your car right up to the edge, as it’s the most accessible glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, which encompasses more than 900 square miles. From the parking area it’s a flat 15-minute hike to the foot of the glacier, where you can get some great up-close photographs of this hulking, slowly retreating mass of ice.

Related: Great National Park Vacations

Downtown Seward has a handful of restaurants and souvenir shops, mostly along 3rd and 4th avenues, and the community also has plenty of tour operators offering kayaking trips, flightseeing excursions, and sailing adventures.

Perhaps the most dramatic way to get around the region, especially if you’re a fan of vintage trains, is to book one of the popular sightseeing runs on the Alaska Railroad. There are extensive tours lasting from two to 10 days through the Denali National Park’s backcountry and up into the Arctic Circle, as well as easy day trips that depart Anchorage and take you through rugged Chugach Forest, past soaring glaciers and across wildflower-strewn meadows. Many of these trains have glass-dome roofs, allowing incredible photo ops. These colorful jaunts narrated by experienced naturalists offer the perfect chance to get a sense of America’s richest tract of scenic wilderness, the Alaskan countryside.

Eat and Play in Provincetown

Andrew Collins
-
0
Eat and Play in Provincetown

Where to mingle with friends and snuggle up in bed for the night

When Massachusetts became the first state in the Union to legalize same-sex marriages, residents of America’s oldest and perhaps most famous gay vacation retreat, Provincetown, did notice the effects on their community.

But places like the Universalist Meeting House of Provincetown, long a friend to the gay community, had been performing same-sex commitment ceremonies for eons and simply shifted gears to perform same-sex marriages.

However, Provincetown already hummed with activity during the summer season, when it’s virtually impossible to find properties that can host entire wedding parties. And many guest houses are reluctant to court gay weddings at all, because they don’t have the capacity or common areas suitable for large events.

Related: Gay Marriage: From Forbidden Fruit to Law of the Land

So Provincetown’s summer rituals of schmoozing at tea dances, sunbathing at Herring Cove Beach, and reveling into the wee hours at Atlantic House and the Crown & Anchor continue as they have for years. Only now, you’ll also see from a few to a few dozen same-sex newlyweds and their well-wishers joining in cheerfully with the rest of the colorful P-town mix.

Provincetown
Provincetown

Whether or not your plans to visit P-town revolve around a trip to the altar, here are just a few recommendations for where to sample delicious food, mingle with friends, and snuggle up in bed for the night:

One of the hottest meal tickets in Provincetown is Chester, a wonderful purveyor of artfully understated contemporary fare like seared local diver scallops with lemon-pepper glaze and cauliflower flan. The wine list is exceptional, and the staff gregarious yet highly professional. Set in a former captain’s house (circa 1750), the romantic Martin House presents some of the most innovative cuisine around. Here you might sample butter-poached lobster medallions with an onion baguette, braised leeks and fennel, and truffle oil. The Mews offers great live entertainment as well as tasty food.

The pubby cafe upstairs has lighter fare (burgers, salads, etc.), the downstairs dining room more formal cuisine. A relative newcomer just down the street from The Mews, Jackson’s at the Flagship sits on stilts over the water and presents artful regional American chow, including rare seared tuna over a mound of baby corn, roasted tomato, and edamames.

In an intimate second-floor space with stunning harbor views, Ross’s Grill earns kudos for its well-chosen wine list, tantalizing raw bar, and inventive American cuisine. The sophisticated Commons Bistro, with a bay window overlooking the main drag, Commercial Street, offers creative contemporary fare, such as griddled hanger steak with pommes frites and green-peppercorn sauce, plus excellent brick-oven pizzas. For some of the most authentic Mexican food in New England, head to Lorraine’s. Crab enchiladas and roasted duck are a couple of the stellar dishes here. Right on the water in the East End, Fanizzi’s offers up fresh, bountiful dinner salads, seafood pastas, and other casual but well-executed meals (at reasonable prices) – it’s a bit of a sleeper, but worth checking out.

For lighter noshing, try Lagniappe, a favorite lunch spot serving up tasty Cajun-inspired fare, or casual Clem & Ursie’s, where you can sample a mean Portuguese squid stew or hot lobster roll. Spiritus Pizza has some of the best people-watching, especially late at night in that golden hour between bar closing and Spiritus’ closing (1 a.m.-2 a.m.). And be sure to stop by the Provincetown Portuguese Bakery to sample the delicious meat pies, pastries, rolls, and breads.

When it comes time to trade in your knife and fork for a mug of beer or an icy cocktail, head for historic Atlantic House (aka A-House), which contains both a hopping gay bar and a disco. The other big player in town, noted for its pulsing Saturday-night circuit parties, is the Crown & Anchor, which also has a festive video lounge and a cruisy leather bar. The Gifford House hotel is home to Purgatory, a small, sexually charged basement dance club.

In the East End, check out the lesbian-oriented Vixen, an attractive bar and dance floor with live shows on many nights. All summer long, poseurs and party creatures mingle and cruise during the Boatslip’s legendary tea dances. The crowd usually moves on to the Pied Piper, which has a small but fun dance floor, off of which is one of the loveliest decks in town, a great spot to watch the sun sink over the bay.

Provincetown has more than 70 inns and guest houses with a gay following, most of them welcoming a mix of men and women, gay and straight (the exact breakdown of clientele typically varies throughout the year). Arguably the town’s premier accommodation, the superbly sumptuous 40-room Crowne Pointe commands a regal setting on a bluff in the center of town. Cushy in-room amenities abound – comfy Heavenly Bed mattresses, pima-cotton bathrobes, gas fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, high-speed Internet, and TVs with DVD players. The inn’s stunning Shui Spa is a top-notch facility with a professional yet low-keyed staff.

The Brass Key was the first Provincetown guest house to offer a level of service and amenities comparable to a world-class luxury hotel, and this splendid resort still excels in every category. The owners recently took over and completely refurbished Lands End Inn, an eccentric West Side property affording spectacular views of Cape Cod Bay. Tops among the 16 whimsical rooms are the tower suites with wraparound decks and domed ceilings – one has a decadent Moroccan decorative scheme.

The staff at hip and cozy Somerset House Inn have set the standard in Provincetown when it comes to hospitality – these guys go above and beyond the call to make their guests feel special, from picking them up at the ferry dock or airport in a shiny Land Rover to offering one the most impressive breakfast spreads and afternoon wine-and-cheese receptions in town. Somerset captures the chic ambience of an urbane boutique hotel, with its mod furnishings, Aveda bath amenities, high-speed wireless, and plush beds with 320-thread-count linens. A luxurious mansard-roof Victorian that’s been meticulously restored, Esther’s ranks among the top women-owned properties in town. There are just five guestrooms in this stately yellow house, with an excellent restaurant on the ground floor serving eclectic, globally inspired fare.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You’ll find countless other great properties around town – the cheap and cheerful Heritage House, ideal if you don’t mind shared baths; the sumptuous Benchmark Inn & Central, a pair of neighboring Greek Revival beauties with sun-filled rooms; the friendly and moderately priced Ampersand, nestled in the quiet West End; and the old-world elegant Carpe Diem, a sophisticated yet quite social guest house with rooms named for famous poets and writers (from Rilke to Cocteau). The 20 beautiful rooms and apartments at Gabriel’s are named and themed after famous women, from Billie Holiday to Katharine Hepburn to Virginia Woolf; many units have fireplaces. And the Beaconlight has long ranked among the region’s most inviting properties. The building, part of which dates to the 1850s, is surrounded by lushly landscaped grounds. Inside, a piano is often heard from the living room, and an octagonal roof deck affords panoramic views of America’s classic gay summer resort – and nascent gay honeymoon retreat.

Related: Fire Island Versus Provincetown

Bear Week in Provincetown is naughty fun:-)

Exploring London’s Soho Neighborhood

Andrew Collins
-
0
Exploring London’s Soho Neighborhood

Soho may lack museums and formal attractions but abounds with festive gay bars

It may just be the most expensive city in the world, especially for travelers from the United States and Canada, but there’s no denying that London makes for an enchanting and exciting big-city getaway. Interestingly, the London neighborhood that most interests GLBT visitors, Soho, lacks any museums or formal attractions. But this colorful, slightly risque district abounds with festive gay bars, hip restaurants, offbeat shops, and arguably the best people-watching in Great Britain. Here’s a look at where to eat, play, and stay in London’s definitive Gay Village.

This neighborhood bounded by Oxford Street, Charing Cross Road, Shaftsbury Avenue, and Regent Street was laid out in the late 17th century and initially attracted mostly working-class immigrants. As adjacent areas became more desirable, Soho steadily declined in respectability, to the point that by the middle of the 19th century, the warren of crowded lanes had become overrun with brothels and music halls. This legacy would eventually secure Soho’s place as the heart of London’s West End theater scene – it remains a popular neighborhood for catching a musical. The London Theatre Guide’s website (www.londontheatre.co.uk) is an excellent resource for finding out what’s playing where and for booking tickets.

Soho’s louche Victorian reputation carried well into the 20th century, when its gritty vibe began to attract a fair share of bohemian sorts and intellectuals. In the 1950s, it became the heart of the city’s jazz scene. Leading rock and punk musicians performed in clubs and recorded in studios in Soho during subsequent decades. The neighborhood’s freewheeling, countercultural attitude made it a naturally appealing hub for London’s emerging gay community, and by the 1980s, Soho had begun to glow pink, especially along Old Compton Street, which remains the most queer-visible thoroughfare in the city.

In more recent years, Soho has continued developing an even stronger gay presence. On certain blocks, this 1-square-mile neighborhood can still feel a bit seedy, and on weekend nights, you can barely move among the throngs of tourists, locals, and suburbanites who crowd the narrow streets. But Soho is otherwise quite safe, and it’s become increasingly trendy among foodies, artsy types, media moguls, fashionistas, and other West Enders.

Despite Soho’s lack of attractions, it’s adjacent to several neighborhoods with cultural cachet. To the west and southwest are ritzy Mayfair and St. James Park; just south is the city’s vibrant Chinatown. And the literary Covent Garden, Strand, and Bloomsbury neighborhoods lie to the east. Soho has one of the most appealing small parks in the city, Soho Square, which is a must-see on warm days. It’s surrounded by fashionable houses and offices, and when the sun is out, you’ll see scads of “family” out lying or sitting cross-legged on the grass – it’s a lovely place to picnic, cruise, and enjoy a little break from central London’s sometimes intense crowds.

Dining is one of the Soho’s leading draws. For light snacking, just stroll along Old Compton Street, and you’ll discover a slew of gay-popular places serving espressos, sandwiches, and international fast-food. Among cafes, the Soho branch of the popular London franchise Patisserie Valerie is a good bet, with its addictive almond-frangipane tarts and fruit scones with butter. For a more substantial meal, Balans is a classic choice for dinner – it’s in the very center of Soho’s gay bar action, and the staff and crowd are good-hearted, lively, and chatty. The kitchen turns out commendable international fare at reasonable prices – try the Thai crab cakes with a honey-miso dipping sauce, or tapenade-crusted cod with crushed new potatoes and tomato-and-red-onion salad.

An icon among London’s gay cafes, First Out opened in 1986 and has enjoyed a phenomenal lesbian and gay following ever since. It’s a great little community hub serving creative veggie cuisine (falafel, curries, pastas) and fair-trade organic coffee. A cheery little bar in the basement is popular with after-work types for wines by the glass, imported beers, and designer cocktails. Although mixed male/female most of the time, First Out draws a mostly lesbian crowd on Friday nights.

Along Frith Street, which is rife with excellent eateries, drop by stylish Barrafina for such authentic Spanish tapas as octopus grilled with capers, and chorizo sausage with potatoes and watercress. Boheme Kitchen earns high marks for its stellar contemporary European fare and rustic decor (exposed brick walls, wood-plank floors) – it’s a favorite for weekend brunch (try the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon). Tasty, affordable ethnic fare is easy to come by in Soho – consider Imli for superb and creative Indian fare, including cumin-mint tilapia with a pine-nut coriander sauce; and Bar Shu for tantalizingly good Szechwan cuisine amid artful surroundings.

Much of the city’s hard-core gay-clubbing action has moved to the scruffy but much-hyped South London neighborhood of Vauxhall (a.k.a. “Voho”), where countless discos lie side-by-side beneath an expanse of railway arches near Waterloo Station. Still, good old Soho claims a couple of world-famous queer clubs and legions of smaller, convivial gay pubs.

Heaven, one of Europe’s definitive gay discos, is a wild show that keeps busy until 5 in the morning. Ku Bar is fun and stylish, catering to a stand-and-model under-30s set, while G-A-Y Bar is Soho’s premier see-and-be-seen hangout – lesbians tend toward the intimate basement lounge, while the other three floors draw a mix of women and men. It can get a bit touristy here, but that also means it’s an easy place to meet folks visiting London from all over the world. At G-A-Y Bar, you can learn the latest about upcoming G-A-Y Club parties – these wildly popular events take place several days a week (usually Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) at the London Astoria nightclub on Charing Cross Road.

Candy Bar is Soho’s most inspired lesbian hangout, offering up a good mix of music, drinks, and entertainment, including strippers. On Wardour Street, stop by the Duke of Wellington pub to check out the multi-generational, mixed-gender bunch of revelers. Edge is a distinctively decorated (note the huge fish tank as well as a baby grand piano) four-story club overlooking Soho Square and drawing a fairly professional bunch of women and men. If it’s cabaret you’re into, check out 79 Charing Cross Road, which presents popular piano entertainment nightly and also has a popular open-mic night on Sundays.

Bears and dressed-down types, mostly ages 35 and older, pack into Comptons of Soho – head for the cozy upstairs lounge if you’re looking for a quiet spot to chat with a new friend, or join the masses outside on the sidewalk, smoking up a storm (London bars are smoke-free inside). Across the street from Comptons, the Admiral Duncan has been a fixture in Soho for years, and it remains a friendly, attitude-free place to mix with locals of all ages.

Other Soho gay bars of note include Barcode, with its busy downstairs dance floor, a cruisy male crowd, and comedy shows on Tuesday nights; and Village Soho, a hip and energetic spot known for its buff go-go boys. Rupert Street is an unpretentious and friendly gay pub serving drinks and reasonably good pub food, from burgers to traditional sticky toffee pudding. It’s a bit airier and less stuffy than some of its neighbors, and it draws a convivial all-ages bunch.

The neighborhood may have lost its reputation for hardcore adult entertainment, but Soho still has a number of boutiques selling gay fashion and underwear, adult movies and mags, and various Pride novelties and gifts – definitely check out Boy on Old Compton Street and Prowler on Brewer Street for the best selection of these items.

Soho doesn’t have much in the way of accommodations, but you will find one gay-popular gem, Hazlitt’s, set along trendy Frith Street. The smartly decorated, mid-priced boutique hotel occupies three adjoining Georgian houses. Guest rooms are decorated with gilt-frame paintings, four-poster beds, and unfussy but elegant antiques, along with such modern touches as flat-screen TVs and free Wi-Fi. The hotel is named for early 19th-century essayist (and confidant of the gay poet Byron) William Hazlitt, who lived and died in one of the terraced homes that make up the hotel.

Another fine option is the Soho Hotel, a sophisticated 91-room property just off Dean Street that occupies a soaring loft-style brick building. Rooms have high ceilings and huge windows, and some have terraces overlooking the neighborhood. The hotel’s swish Refuel Bar & Restaurant serves very good mod-British fare, such as roast monkfish with olive-tomato salsa, and a salad of shaved fennel, feta, bacon, and chives.

For sheer luxury and supremely personal service, it’s hard to beat the Radisson Edwardian Mayfair, a sleekly restored 1927 grande dame that’s a favorite of celebrities and discerning travelers in the know. The swank suites with ornate design themes are a big draw, but even the standard rooms here are spacious and sumptuously furnished – the hotel is in ritzy Mayfair, an easy walk to Soho nightlife. If the n revelry and merriment of Soho proves a bit exhausting to you, this discreet property on a quiet lane near leafy Green Park may just be the perfect place to rest your head each evening.

Hotels:

The Soho Hotel
Situated 5 minutes’ walk from Oxford Street, The Soho Hotel features a fully equipped gym with an on-site personal trainer. Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square are within a 10-minute walk of the hotel, as well as many tube stations.

Sanderson
With unique and stunning design, this innovative boutique hotel is just a 2-minute walk from Oxford Street.

Z Soho
The Z Hotel Soho is situated in the heart of London’s West End and provides compact and luxurious accommodation with a contemporary design. Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden are all within a 5-minute walk of the hotel.

Ham Yard Hotel
Offering a restaurant, bar and fitness centre, Ham Yard Hotel is located in London, just 3 minutes’ walk from Piccadilly Circus. It also has a garden, terrace and sauna, and massages can be arranged on site at an extra cost. Free WiFi access is available throughout.

The Nadler Soho
With an excellent location, only a 2-minute walk from the Oxford Street, the Nadler Soho offers accommodation in elegant rooms with free Wi-Fi.

Related: London Is Gay at Heart

Philly Escapes: New Hope, the Brandywine Valley, and Winterthur

Andrew Collins
-
0
Philly Escapes: New Hope, the Brandywine Valley, and Winterthur

A look at three charming weekend escapes just outside Philadelphia

Because Philadelphia has become one of the great comeback cities of the Northeast, and it remains one of America’s gay-friendliest destinations, it’s worth thinking about some of the wonderful cultural attractions, charming towns, gay-friendly inns, and fine restaurants that lie within just an hour’s drive of Pennsylvania’s largest city. Greater Philadelphia is known for such verdant river towns as Chadds Ford and gay-popular New Hope (and its neighbor, Lambertville, N.J.), not to mention fantastic museums, mansions, and gardens, such as the du Pont legacies of Winterthur and Longwood Gardens. Here’s a look at three charming weekend escapes just outside Philadelphia.

New Hope and Lambertville
Straddling the Delaware River less than an hour northeast of Philadelphia and 90 minutes west of New York City, the twin towns of New Hope, Pa., and Lambertville, N.J., have long been popular gay getaways. Lambertville is smaller and has fewer attractions, but the dapper little village does have a handful of noteworthy galleries, boutiques, and cafes. Across the river, New Hope bustles with fine restaurants, some of them gay-owned, and is also home to the superb Bucks County Playhouse. It’s an excellent base for touring some of the alluring attractions in surrounding Bucks County.

Related: Three Great New York Neighborhoods

History buffs should visit Washington Crossing Historic Park, where they can learn about General George Washington’s important attack on the British on Christmas night of 1776, an event that completely changed the momentum of the war in America’s favor. Just west of New Hope, Peddler’s Village is a 42-acre community containing more than 75 crafts shops and restaurants. It verges on kitschy but makes for a fun afternoon diversion.

Right in downtown New Hope, you’ll find a branch of the exceptional James A. Michener Art Museum, whose main campus is in the nearby community of Doylestown. The museum focuses on works by the many American Impressionist and Modern artists who lived and worked in the Delaware River Valley, and also has an extensive exhibit on noted woodworker George Nakashima. Excellent rotating exhibits are mounted at both branches of the museum.

Doylestown has a noteworthy historic district, comprising more than 1,200 buildings, including quite a few cafes and restaurants. The town’s most celebrated resident, an eccentric philanthropist named Henry Chapman Mercer, is responsible for two of the area’s most famous structures. He developed downtown’s Mercer Museum, a massive 1897 castle filled with tools, folk art, crafts, and machines that hark back to America’s 19th-century Industrial Revolution. Just outside of downtown, you can tour Mercer’s former home, Fonthill, a 13th-century-inspired mansion built in 1912 and filled with the elaborate Arts and Crafts tiles fired in the adjacent Moravian Pottery & Tile Works. Tours are available of both facilities.

The definitive gay accommodation in New Hope is the Raven Resort, a familiar presence since 1979. This is a full-scale gay retreat, complete with 10 handsomely outfitted rooms, a massive pool and sundeck (popular for Sunday tea dances), a piano cabaret and dance club, and one of the better restaurants in the area. Fans of Victoriana should consider the 1870 Wedgwood Inn, a gay-friendly B&B right in the center of town, within walking distance of retail and dining. There are eight rooms here, all with fireplaces and four with whirlpool tubs. The same owners run the nearby 1833 Umpleby House and 1873 Aaron Burr House bed-and-breakfasts.

The upscale Inn at Lambertville Station has become a favorite venue for gay weddings – its 45 spacious rooms, many with views of the Delaware River, are quite inviting whatever the occasion. Set high on a hill in nearby Stockton, N.J., the romantic and gay-popular Woolverton Inn sits on a 10-acre plot of gardens, meadows, and woodland. Rooms come in a variety of sizes and styles, but they’re all furnished beautifully and include such amenities as CD players and soft featherbed mattresses.

The Brandywine Valley and Main Line Suburbs
The posh “Main Line” suburbs west of Philadelphia enjoy a reputation for neatly manicured country estates and gentleman’s farms, not to mention bustling downtowns rife with terrific shopping and dining opportunities. The area is easily accessible from Philadelphia by SEPTA commuter rail or by car. A great reason for a visit here these days is the bounty of fine-arts attractions, with the star being the Barnes Foundation, in the town of Merion. Art collector Albert C. Barnes amassed a tremendous collection, specializing in French Post-impressionist and early Modern works, during the early to mid-20th century. He established this museum, which contains 181 works by Renoir, 69 by Cezanne, and 59 by Matisse, as well as countless works by Picasso, Degas, and Rousseau. You’ll also find quite a few paintings by gay Pennsylvania artist Charles Demuth, plus a considerable trove of fine antiques and collectibles. There are few private collections in the world of greater significance.

The region’s other art must-see is the Brandywine Museum, in the town of Chadds Ford, where generations of the Wyeth family – including N.C., Andrew, and Jamie – have earned international acclaim for their paintings and drawings. Inside this airy museum you can explore the works of the Wyeth family along with many of their contemporaries. While you’re out this way, be sure to pay a visit to Longwood Gardens, a 1,000-arce compound of gorgeously manicured gardens – there are photo ops at every turn, from the sparkling fountains and airy conservatories to beds of roses and rows of imaginatively trimmed topiaries. Longwood routinely hosts concerts and seasonal events.

One lesser-known area attraction that deserves far more attention than it receives is the Wharton Esherick Studio, the fascinating home and workspace of esteemed 20th-century wood-cut artist, furniture designer, and sculptor Wharton Esherick. His wonderfully peculiar home is a now a museum, set on a wooded hillside near Valley Forge National Historic Park. The place is filled with Esherick’s distinctive artwork and furnishings – this is a must for any fan of the Mid-Century Modern, Arts and Crafts, and Art Nouveau movements.

For accommodations, a good, centrally located, and contemporary option is the Crowne Plaza, which is just across the street from the vast shopping center, King of Prussia Mall. Right in Chadds Ford, the gay-friendly and exceptionally comfy Pennsbury Inn dates to 1714 and contains seven warmly furnished rooms.

Winterthur and Wilmington, Delaware
The Brandywine River continues south from Pennsylvania across the border into northern Delaware, where you’ll find still more regal mansions and noteworthy sites, including one of the nation’s truly great museum estates, Winterthur, formerly the home of eminent horticulturist and antiques collector, Henry Francis du Pont. The property comprises some 1,000 acres of beautifully kept grounds, including more than 60 acres of fragrant, colorful gardens. You can tour the 175-room mansion, glimpsing just a few of its 85,000 paintings, antiques, decorative items, and collectibles. The museum shop is one of the best you’ll ever find, and there’s also a nice cafe for lunching.

A nearby and related attraction of note is the Hagley Museum & Library, a 235-acre estate on the Brandywine River that was the site of the original du Pont gunpowder factory. It now contains restored mill-worker homes, the ancestral home of the du Pont family, and more lovely gardens. In downtown Wilmington, the Delaware Art Museum has earned justifiable acclaim for its outstanding collection, including works by gay painters Marsden Hartley and Thomas Eakins.

Downtown Wilmington has plenty of places to stay, mostly chain hotels, but there is one highly distinctive lodging: the prestigious and quite cushy Hotel du Pont, a magnificently restored grande dame that’s nearly a century old. Check out the spectacular art collection in the public areas. A meal in the hotel’s Green Room (consider the decadent brunch on Sundays) is an affair to remember. If you’re keen on a more scenic setting, opt for a room at the elegant Inn at Montchanin Village, a discerning historic compound comprising 11 buildings, just minutes from Winterthur. In fact, the 28-room property is named for the grandmother of the original du Pont mogul, Pierre. Many of the accommodations here have fireplaces, deep soaking tubs, and fine antiques – it’s quite an enjoyable place to spend the night after a day of touring the region’s many stunning mansions and gardens.

Related: 9 Things to Do in Philadelphia

1...195196197Page 196 of 197