Yosemite and the Sierras

Andrew Collins
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Yosemite and the Sierras

Yosemite is close to several charming communities in the Sierra Nevada mountains

California is so unbelievably rich with magnificent scenery and sophisticated vacation destinations, it can prove challenging to set aside time to see them all. For example, plenty of travelers who regularly visit Los Angeles and San Francisco still haven’t explored one of the state’s most stunning locales, Yosemite National Park, which makes for a fantastic weekend adventure. There’s plenty for nature lovers to see and do here (from river rafting to skiing to camping), but Yosemite also sits close to several charming communities in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, where you’ll find gay-friendly inns and historic hotels, excellent but underrated wineries and art galleries, and a smattering of intriguing historic attractions.

Two of the region’s counties make particularly good bases for exploring: Calaveras (where Mark Twain penned “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County“) and Tuolumne (which rhymes, more or less, with “follow me”). Although set high above the San Joaquin Valley and accessed via twisting mountain roads, the region is relatively easy to reach from several major California cities, including Sacramento (100 miles) and San Francisco (130 miles). From Los Angeles, it’s a longer drive (360 miles), but, at about five or six hours, still manageable.

Sonora, founded as a mining town in 1849, is the largest community in the region, with a population of about 5,000. Here you’ll find a handful of appealing hotels, some good restaurants, and a first-rate theater scene you might not expect in such a rural area. You can see top-notch plays produced by the Sierra Repertory Theatre company, which stages plays throughout the year at both the East Sonora Theatre and Columbia State Historic Park’s Fallon House. Downtown Sonora’s Stage 3 Theater is another excellent venue.

Sonora also has several cool and funky antiques shops and galleries, such as Antiques Etcetra and Jake + Lulu’s Pet Boutique. Legends is a cute bookstore and antiques shop with an inviting coffeehouse upfront, where you can stop for ice cream or espresso. With its mix of no-nonsense workaday businesses and up-and-coming boutiques, unpretentious Sonora feels a bit like Guerneville, in the Russian River – inviting but free from excessive commercialism. On Saturday mornings from mid-May through mid-October, the town hosts a farmers market where you’ll find everything from local honeys and preserves to baked goods produced by an area Mennonite sect.

Related: Exploring Russian River

Visitors can also check out a handful of attractions, such as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (whose vintage trains have appeared in countless movies) and Columbia State Historic Park, whose preserved Gold Rush-era commercial district abounds with shops and eateries, plus two hotels and a theater. You can even pan for gold at the California Gold Co., where a guide teaches you everything you need to know about becoming your own prospector.

Calaveras County has developed an increasingly strong reputation of late as a wine tasting region. In the small town of Murphys, you can tour the area’s most renowned winery, Ironstone, which occupies a former gold-stamping mill set in a lush green valley. Have lunch (perhaps a panini stuffed with smoked salami, red peppers, and provolone) in the excellent deli, and sample wines in a handsome tasting room anchored by a 42-foot limestone fireplace. The garden-laced grounds are popular for weddings and commitment ceremonies, and an amphitheater hosts pop and rock concerts in summer. Other notable winemakers in the area include Twisted Oak Winery and Chatom Vineyards.

Undoubtedly, the region’s signature attraction is Yosemite National Park, whose magnificent landscape has been immortalized in photographs by Ansel Adams and paintings by Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. The park, which was established in 1890, comprises an amazingly varied terrain, from the peak of 13,114-foot Mt. Lyell to the valley floor, which sits at an elevation of 4,315 feet. In 2007, Yosemite unveiled a new $1.2 million visitor center with imaginatively rendered exhibits interpreting the park’s many natural features. Although you don’t want to miss viewing such dazzling icons as the El Capitan granite cliff, Sentinel Rock dome, or 2,424-foot-high Yosemite Falls, set aside some time to visit some of the park’s less-visited sights. One such off-the-beaten-path gem is Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which was built in 1923 to provide water and electricity to the 2.5 million Californians who reside in San Francisco and surrounding counties.

This part of California has experienced something of a dining boom over the past decade, with several restaurants in the region specializing in local produce, game, and wines. In downtown Sonora, you’ll find Banny’s Cafe & Wine Bar, an airy spot where California-inspired Mediterranean fare awaits. Try the spinach salad topped with Humbolt Fog goat cheese, pancetta, and sherry-mustard vinaigrette, or chorizo-and-clam paella with roasted red pepper. A 15-minute drive east of town, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk tribe opened Black Oak Casino in 2001. As gaming facilities go, this one is airy, pleasant, and well-ventilated (there’s even a smoke-free section, as well as a state-of-the-art bowling alley). But it’s also home to the stellar Seven Sisters restaurant, which you shouldn’t miss even if you’re not a fan of gambling. Typically memorable dishes include smoked buffalo tenderloin wrapped in bacon with red-currant sauce, and sake-glazed char-grilled prawns with tangerine vinaigrette.

You weren’t seriously hoping to find a gay bar in this part of the world, were you? Indeed, the area is bereft of gay hangouts, but you will find some funky and fun saloons drawing an eclectic bunch. Downtown Sonora’s lovably raffish and weird Servente’s is the kind of place where groovy hippies and rowdy bikers knock back cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. In tiny Groveland, the nearest community to Yosemite, check out the Iron Door, which is the oldest continuously operated saloon in the state, drawing as diverse a crowd as any joint in Tuolumne County.

There are a number of hotels and B&Bs in these parts that enthusiastically court the gay market. For sheer romance, it’s hard to beat the McCaffrey House, a beautifully furnished, contemporary (and pet-friendly) mountain home with eight elegant but unfussy rooms decorated with Amish quilts, well-chosen antiques, and pine and iron beds. Super-friendly, well-traveled innkeepers Stephanie and Michael serve a lavish breakfast each morning. In downtown Sonora, the handsomely restored Gunn House contains 12 reasonably priced, nicely kept rooms with period antiques. Perks include a substantial breakfast and use of a heated pool, and downtown shops and restaurants are a short walk away.

Just a 25-mile drive west of Yosemite’s Big Oak Flat Entrance in the charming village for which it is named, the Groveland Hotel is the only Monterey Colonial-style building in the Sierras, an adobe structure built in 1849 and meticulously restored by engaging owners Peggy and Grover Mosley in 1990. Opt for Room 15 if you’d like a chance to visit with a resident ghost, Lyle (all of the warmly furnished rooms are named for quirky and mostly local characters). The Groveland’s intimate Victorian Room restaurant is another of the Sierras’ truly great dining destinations, with a superb wine list and well-crafted contemporary fare – try the mixed grill with venison, quail, duck-and-foie-gras sausage, and a blueberry-balsamic glaze). Another gay-friendly option in the same village, the Hotel Charlotte has simple but pleasant, moderately priced rooms.

For sheer opulence, it’s hard to beat Yosemite’s famed Ahwahnee Hotel, which was built in the late 1920s and contains 99 plush rooms (plus another 24 adjacent cottage units) with Native American-inspired decor. Many rooms take in classic Yosemite views, from Half Dome to Yosemite Falls, but keep in mind that you’ll pay more than $500 nightly to stay here. Just outside Yosemite’s western boundary, for as little as one-fourth the price, you can stay at one of the region’s better-kept secrets, the secluded Evergreen Lodge, a pine-shrouded, 15-acre compound consisting of 70 rustic but casually chic cabins set around a rambling 1920s restaurant and tavern serving very good food. Enthusiastic young owners poured $10 million into a major renovation in the early 2000s, but the real draw here is the friendly, knowledgeable staff, who can set up every imaginable type of adventure, from guided bike trips to fly-fishing lessons. Evergreen even offers a “custom-camping” experience – one to four guests get their own sprawling, mesh tent with comfy air-beds, linens, and a full slate of amenities (plus use of all resort facilities). It’s the perfect way to gaze at the stars over Yosemite, even if you’re a bit squeamish about encounters with nature.

10 Great Neighborhoods With a Gay Vibe

Andrew Collins
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10 Great Neighborhoods With a Gay Vibe

Distinctive urban districts with great energy

Over the years, a number of urban neighborhoods around the world have developed decidedly gay followings. LGBTQ+ visitors to San Francisco have long made a beeline for the Castro. Areas like Chelsea in New York City, Lakeview in Chicago, and Hillcrest in San Diego are also famous for having substantial concentrations of gay-popular businesses.

But so-called “gay ghettos” have gradually begun to diversify in recent years, as mainstream populations embrace these neighborhoods, and gays and lesbians feel increasingly comfortable shopping, dining, socializing, and living in other parts of town. A result of this trend has been the way in which many progressive, artsy neighborhoods have developed a slightly gay following, without necessarily possessing a core of gay businesses. Stroll some of these areas, such as Bay View in Milwaukee and Roosevelt Row in Phoenix, and you might not see dozens of rainbow flags, or an especially high number of same-sex couples milling around. Yet, it’s easy to discern a certain queer sensibility.

If you’re something of an urban adventurer, or you’re simply longing to branch out in your travels and explore hip, distinctive urban districts with great energy, a liberal vibe, and a gay-welcoming attitude, check out some of these 10 particularly inviting neighborhoods.

Alberta Arts District (Portland, Oregon)
The media have been showering plenty of attention on Portland lately for its vaunted indie-music scene, rapidly rising culinary reputation, and overall cool factor. A handful of funky neighborhoods around the city have helped propel its bohemian image, with the Alberta Arts District one of the most intriguing. Extending along Alberta Street from about Martin Luther King Boulevard east to 33rd Avenue, there’s a slew of art galleries, independently owned boutiques, and affordable restaurants. This highly diverse neighborhood stages numerous arts events, including a gallery hop the last Thursday of each month and an annual street fair in September. Among the many restaurants, Zaytoon’s has a particularly queer following and serves superb Middle Eastern fare, but you’ll find plenty of worthy spots along here to eat and drink.

Related: Gay Portland – Intimate and Low-Key

Bay View (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
About 2 miles southeast of Walker’s Point, the main gay-bar hub of Milwaukee, you’ll find Bay View, a gracious neighborhood near Lake Michigan containing a bounty of beautifully restored Victorian and early 20th-century homes. Lesbians and gays have been steadily moving into the neighborhood in recent years, and a number of “family-friendly” businesses have opened along the main thoroughfare, Kinnickinnic Avenue, including festive Cafe Lulu and Broad Vocabulary feminist bookstore. These businesses have joined some of the area’s longstanding ethnic restaurants, such as Three Brothers Serbian eatery and De Marinis Pizza. With much of Milwaukee experiencing an impressive resurgence of late, Bay View has become a particularly enjoyable area for exploration.

Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn, New York)
Brooklyn’s charming Park Slope neighborhood has long cultivated a lesbian following. Just across the Gowanus Canal from Park Slope, there’s a pair of similarly diverting, trendy neighborhoods, Cobble Hill and – due south – Carroll Gardens. Essentially an extension of debonair Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens are handsome residential districts chock-full of 19th-century townhouses. Both areas have seen a major transformation in recent years, as hipsters, gays, intellectuals, and fashion plates have invaded en masse. In fact, nobody living around here in the mid-’90s could have imagined that Cobble Hill’s once-dowdy commercial thoroughfare, Smith Street, would today glow with haute eateries, stylish home-furnishing shops, and esteemed art galleries. Along Court Street in Carroll Gardens, you’ll still find many of the Italian markets and pizzerias that date back to the area’s Little Italy heyday.

East Atlanta Village (Atlanta, Georgia)
Many visitors to Atlanta focus on the glitzy downtown and super-gay Midtown area, missing out on a number of enchanting, offbeat neighborhoods outside the city core, such as Inman Park, Little Five Points, Castleberry Hill, and East Atlanta Village. All of these communities have a somewhat gay vibe, and East Atlanta Village is perhaps the most interesting at the moment, with its wealth of indie coffeehouses, lounges, music clubs, ethnic restaurants, and boutiques. This neighborhood about 5 miles southeast of downtown draws an amazingly diverse bunch. Walk along Flat Shoals Avenue to find such intriguing hangouts as Mary’s, a raffish and lovably gay bar; Joe’s Coffee, with its quirky artwork and potent java; and City Life Apparel, carrying a wide assortment of urban attire.

Faubourg Marigny (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The neighborhood immediately downriver from the French Quarter – across tree-shaded Esplanade Avenue – is Faubourg Marigny, which, because of its increasing LGBT following, is sometimes referred to affectionately as “Fagburg” Marigny. Many gays and otherwise progressive-minded types have bought up this artsy neighborhood’s quaint French West Indies-style cottages and Greek Revival mansions. The neighborhood’s greatest attribute, at least for gay visitors, is its wealth of gay-friendly (and moderately priced) restaurants and B&Bs – there are even a few queer bars here, including the Phoenix and Cowpokes. You’ll also find one of the most gay-popular spots in town for jazz brunch, Feelings Cafe.

Ferndale (Detroit, Michigan)
To get a full sense of everything metro Detroit has to offer, plan to spend some time venturing out of Detroit proper, as many worthy attractions – as well as the heart of the gay scene – lie outside downtown. The first community you reach heading northwest along Woodward Avenue is Ferndale, a formerly working-class community that has developed cachet among young, forward-thinking professionals and artists in recent years, including quite a few gay folks. Its main drag, West Nine Mile Road, has a bounty of cool boutiques, vintage clothiers, and home-furnishing shops. The dining scene is solid, too – consider dining on down-home comfort food at Christine’s Cuisine, or enjoy soul-warming pizzas at Como’s.

Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.)
If you walk about six blocks due east of uber-gay Dupont Circle, you’ll come to Logan Circle, the white-hot D.C. neighborhood that’s enjoyed a massive gentrification in recent years. Along 14th Street, you’ll see the greatest evidence of change – hot new restaurants, the chic gay lounge Halo, a huge Whole Foods Market, and the stylish Mason & Rook Hotel, which is run by the LGBT-friendly Kimpton Group. Fans of the neighborhood’s handful of fine theaters hang out at the inviting 1409 Playbill Cafe, and live-music devotees stroll along the U Street Corridor, which marks the neighborhood’s northern boundary and is lined with great clubs and restaurants. Even before Logan Circle became so fabulous, gays and lesbians began buying the Edwardian and Victorian townhouses in this historic but formerly blighted neighborhood.

Midtown (Houston, Texas)
Between downtown and Montrose, Houston’s Midtown neighborhood has one of the hottest real-estate markets in the country, as this once virtually deserted area booms with new condos and town homes. Cool restaurants are popping up, too, such as Farrago, a dapper bistro serving creative pizzas, affordable pastas and burgers, and wonderful weekend brunch fare. A more upscale but still moderately priced option is Gravitas, a slick space serving innovative regional American cuisine. For nightlife, there’s Brazos River Bottom, a country-western bar that was welcoming queer folks to Midtown years before the neighborhood started getting trendy. Midtown’s proximity to the numerous gay bars of Montrose have made it a hit with many gay and lesbian homeowners.

Roosevelt Row (Phoenix, Arizona)
On the north side of downtown Phoenix, Roosevelt Row is a burgeoning mixed-use residential district that supports several excellent galleries as well as a wonderful bakery, Tammie Coe Cakes (stop in for a latte and a sweet treat or two). Vinophiles have taken a shine to Cheuvront Wine & Cheese Cafe, the brainchild of the city’s openly gay state senator, Ken Cheuvront. This happening neighborhood is also home to the esteemed Phoenix Art Museum and the Native American-focused Heard Museum. You’ll also find one of the city’s top gay bars, Amsterdam, an elegant lounge with a festive patio out back.

St. Anthony Main (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Just across the Mississippi River from downtown Minneapolis, you’ll find some of the city’s most intriguing neighborhoods, beginning with Nicollet Island, which is home to the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, a warren of vintage mills and renovated warehouses. St. Anthony Main, the area immediately northeast of the island, was once a Polish neighborhood. Several cool bars and restaurants have opened in these parts, and younger residents – many of them gay – have begun transforming the area. You can stroll along the riverbank, which has park benches, and amble down along the crashing cataracts at St. Anthony Falls. You’ll find some great, gay-friendly restaurant options in the area, including Pizza Nea and kitschy Nye’s Polonaise Room, serving up hearty Polish food and featuring dancing to live polka bands.

Related: Summer Fun in Minneapolis

Exploring Russian River

Andrew Collins
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Exploring Russian River

A terrific spot for camping, canoeing, hiking, and simply relaxing

Nestled in the redwood-shaded western reaches of Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley is one of Northern California’s most relaxing and gay-friendly weekend getaways. Although the area is occasionally ravaged by wintertime floods, it offers cool and typically sunny weather much of the year, especially in summer. The area comprises the towns of Guerneville, Forestville, Monte Rio, and – where the river empties into the Pacific – Jenner. Gay folks have been weekending here for more than three decades, and the area has always been a terrific spot for camping, canoeing, hiking, and simply relaxing amid peaceful and picturesque surroundings. More recently, the eastern reaches of the area have blossomed into a hub of superb wineries.

Although a steady influx of well-heeled San Francisco professionals has given the Russian River a slightly more polished sensibility in recent years, Guerneville and its neighboring communities still look and feel unpretentious – even a bit raffish – compared with such swanky Wine Country towns as Healdsburg and Rutherford. This is a spot where flannel shirts and jeans are as much in vogue as designer wear. Life here moves at a snail’s pace, and that’s how most locals prefer it.

Related: Great Places to Stay in San Francisco

The river defines not only the community’s personality but also the region’s geography. It’s a threat, to be sure, but it’s also the reason devotees love the area. Perhaps the leading activities in summer are floating for several miles down the river on inner tubes and embarking on one of the popular canoe expeditions offered by Burke’s Canoes. For a spectacular hike, drive a few miles north of town to 800-acre Armstrong Woods, home to some of the tallest and oldest trees in northern California.

If you’re hit with a rainy day, fear not: Downtown Guerneville holds an increasingly intriguing selection of shops. Possibilities include the Five & Dime, with its old-fashioned candy section and offbeat gifts; Stone’s River Feed, a whimsically stocked pet-supplies store; River Reader, a quirky bookshop with a LGBT section; and Kings & Queens, which stocks cool vintage threads. At Hemp & Chocolat, you can pick up – you guessed it – hemp clothing and accessories, along with gorgeous handmade chocolates. And Wayne Skala Jewelry & Antiques carries some of the most intriguing decorative items and household gifts around.

Wine-tasting is a top pastime in these parts, and a great way to begin your explorations is by consulting with David DeVries and John Haggard, two knowledgeable and friendly experts on local wine who operate Sophie’s Cellars, a wonderful little wine and cheese shop in Monte Rio. These guys can recommend and make introductions for you at several high-quality, lesser-known vineyards, some that aren’t otherwise open to the public.

If you’re out exploring on your own, the best winery-hopping plan is to drive east of Guerneville on River Road. Just outside of town, stop at Korbel Champagne Cellars, which is headquartered in a century-old, creeper-covered brick building. The facility’s Korbel Deli and Microbrewery is a delightful spot to grab lunch – it serves superb panini sandwiches (try the one with salami, Brie, tapenade, roasted peppers, and greens), prepared salads, and fresh-baked sweets, and there’s seating on a lovely tree-shaded deck. Continue along River Road and make a left onto Westside Road, following this toward Healdsburg. Over the next several miles, you’ll encounter one exceptional winery after another – best bets include Gary Farrell, Porter Creek (amazing pinot noirs), Davis Bynum, Hop Kiln, and Roshambo.

Alternatively, explore the wine-growing region south of the river. Fine vineyards in the towns of Forestville, Graton, and Windsor include Joseph Swan, La Crema, DeLoach, Topolos, and Hanna. Many businesses and accommodations in the area distribute free “Russian River Wine Road” brochures and maps, which can help you plot your oenophilic journey – or log on to wineroad.com to see the maps there.

Where there’s great wine, there’s great food, and Guerneville has gradually improved as a culinary destination in recent years. Charizma Wine Lounge and Deli is a relatively new spot for breakfast, lunch, dinner, wine-tasting, and live jazz some nights. Sophisticated but well-priced options include a baked Petrole sole with mango-jasmine rice, baby beans, and blue mussels, and the smoked-ham and provolone sandwich with peach-and-onion barbecue sauce. Cape Fear cafe is another very good lunch source – it’s in a small complex of historic buildings a scenic 15-minute drive south of Guerneville.

Related: Touring the Napa-Sonoma Wine Country

When it’s a good old-fashioned burger you’re after, drop by gay-owned Bob N’ Boy in downtown Guerneville. Chase down your burgers, hot dogs, and fries with Red Hook beer. Grab breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon espresso snack at the Coffee Bazaar, just off the main drag along Armstrong Woods Road. The sunny little cafe with free Wi-Fi has wonderfully hearty soups and sandwiches, egg dishes, cakes, cookies, and similarly enticing treats.

In Forestville, you’ll find a couple of the region’s best restaurants, including Mosaic Restaurant and Wine Lounge, which serves first-rate contemporary American fare, and the famed Farmhouse Inn, Restaurant, and Spa, which has garnered all kinds of awards and kudos for its innovative cuisine. A typically delicious dish here is the plate of seared pork medallions with caramelized onions, black Mission figs, and parmesan polenta.

With dinner out of the way, don’t overlook Guerneville’s gay nightlife. Some of the restaurants in these parts have lounges or bars popular with the LGBT crowd, and then there are a couple of self-standing bars. One spot that’s friendly with men and women, old and young, is the Rainbow Cattle Company, a former gambling hall, which draws a genial, outgoing bunch, many of whom tumble in after 11 for a nightcap…or two…or seven.

Across the street is Club Yamagata, a space that’s gone through a few incarnations over the years and was known until recently as Liquid Sky. It opened in June 2007 as a hip, mixed gay/straight lounge serving everything from fancy sake-infused cocktails to green teas, smoothies, and appetizers. The Asian-themed spot offers a departure from Guerneville’s somewhat predictable scene.

The Russian River has a number of gay-popular accommodations, the most romantic being the posh yet unpretentious Applewood Inn and Restaurant, which is a few minutes’ drive south of downtown Guerneville. Half of the elegant rooms are in the main 1922 Mission Revival house; the others are in a newer building done in the same style. All are loaded with antiques and have European down comforters, and many have hot tubs and fireplaces. Applewood also contains the best restaurant in the area, serving such stellar Mediterranean-influenced victuals as braised rabbit with potato gnocchi, bacon, and English peas.

The Sonoma Orchid Inn, a sunny yellow farmhouse set high on a bluff along River Road (very near the Westside Road wineries,) has a hot tub in back, six guest rooms in the main house, and four more contemporary and private units in a separate cottage (some of these have fireplaces). Welcoming of kids as well as pets, the Sonoma Orchid is nonetheless a peaceful, romantic hideaway – a terrific addition to the Russian River’s gay-friendly lodging landscape.

The pet-friendy Fern Grove is another highly recommended establishment – many of the knotty-pine units have fireplaces.

You don’t often find a predominantly gay resort owned by a straight couple, but the reasonably priced, beautifully situated Highlands Resort is just that. Friendly innkeepers Ken and Lynette, who know all there is to know about the region, operate this rambling 3-acre spread tucked beneath the boughs of towering redwood trees. Accommodations are set in a series of secluded, nicely appointed cabins, many of them with fireplaces, refrigerators, and coffeemakers. It’s a peaceful spot (no TVs or phones in the rooms), and nudity is permitted around the pool and hot tub. When you’re truly looking to get away from it all, this compound, just a five-minute walk up the hill from downtown Guerneville, makes the perfect escape.

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