Where else can you have your bike repaired, get a "lesbian haircut" for $15, and use the leftover bicycle tubes as floggers during a sex toy workshop? Tanya Churchmuch reports.
Bonjour Montreal! This beautiful metropolis in "la belle province" is said by many to be one of the most lesbian-friendly cities in North America, for both tourists and locals alike. Canada is already the world's most forward-thinking country in regards to LGBT rights, and Quebec is Canada's most liberal province, so as you can imagine, sexual orientation really is a non-issue here. It's not uncommon to see lesbian couples walking hand-in-hand pretty much anywhere in the city and Montreal ladies have style you rarely find elsewhere. and of course that French accent is totally charming!
Montreal is officially a French city, but there's a large English population as well, and many locals are comfortable in both languages (but remember to say "bonjour" and "merci" whenever possible.) The local gay village is huge compared to most other cities (spanning along Ste-Catherine St. from St-Hubert to Papineau streets... about a dozen blocks), but it's primarily a gay boy destination except for nighttime clubbing.
When you're looking for the ladies in the daylight, there are two main neighborhoods to visit: the Mile End and the Plateau. Mile End (which is found between St. Laurent Blvd. and Parc Ave. going east to west, and Bernard to Mont-Royal north to south) is home to Montreal's faux-hawked, mainly English, hipster lesbians. In the Plateau (from Parc Lafontaine to St. Laurent Blvd., east to west and Mont-Royal to Roy streets, north to south), it's much more of the Francophone, professional lesbian set.
Le Drugstore (review | map) is Montreal's full-time lesbian club, though the word "club" really sells it short. It's a huge, multi-level complex made up of bars, boutiques, a restaurant and a great view of the gay village's main strip. The Friday after-work happy hour is especially popular with the ladies as is the rooftop patio in the summertime. Another weekend option is Le Cocktail (review | map), which hosts a women's happy hour on Fridays and dancing on Saturdays.
Mile End is home to Montreal's faux-hawked, mainly English, hipster lesbians. The Plateau is more the Francophone, professional lesbian set.
One of your best bets for going out is the monthly Meow Mix at Sala Rosa (review and video | map). These long-running (more than 10 years!) parties for bent girls and their buddies are where all of the cool girls converge. The evening always starts at 10:00 p.m. with some kind of performance, followed by lots of dancing.
At the lesbian-owned and operated Revolution Montreal you can buy a refurbished bike or have your bike repaired. While you're there, you can also get a "lesbian haircut" for $15. But that's not all! The owner also makes floggers out of bicycle inner tubes and hosts sex toy workshops.
At the end of the night when you're tired and looking for a place to lay your head, check out Lindsey's B&B for Women. Situated in the lovely Plateau district, this lesbian-owned, women-only bed and breakfast is close to all the action. Bon voyage!
Entertainment Weekly writer Adam B. Vary takes us on an extended pub-crawl... and throws in some stuff to do before sundown.
You can hardly step foot inside The Abbey (692 N. Robertson Blvd., 310-289-8410), the all-stops-out Bellagio of Los Angeles gay night life, and not be immediately struck by its sprawling, impeccably appointed, dressed-to-impress size something that could equally be said of L.A. As I wind my way through The Abbey's expansive maze of plush cabanas, roaring fire pits, trickling waterfalls, verdant Dale Chihuly accents, four full bars and seek-to-be-seen patrons, I can't help but think of this bar/lounge/ restaurant/patisserie as the definitive social Eden its owners are shooting for. The appletinis can't be plucked from trees, but they will be made for you by proficient (and strapping) bartenders the real temptation. The scene is not only "so L.A." it's "so West Hollywood" the gay city-within-a-city that plays home to the bulk of gay and straight-friendly establishments in this metropolis of sunshine and perfect shoulders.
The Abbey sits perched at one end of a two-mile stretch of Santa Monica Blvd. that features a something-for-everyone buffet of spots to gaily trip the night fantabulous. As we launch on our pub-crawl, never fear, you can always return to this Arcadia at least, a flaming sword won't block your entrance. The next stop is neighboring Here (696 N. Robertson Blvd.,310-360-8455), however do note that this trimly hip patio and lounge, after earning its stripes hosting HRC events and catering to a gay crew, has gone straight on Saturday. I'll skip over to the comparatively low-key Mother Lode (8944 SMB,310-659-9700), with its pinball machines and indoor streetlamps, before crossing the street to begin my crawl in earnest.
At this point the sober and/or keenly observant might notice that there's no such a thing as the "so WeHo" gay bar. Well, okay, there is a club like Rage (8911 SMB,310-652-7055) in most every city worth its gay pride parade throbbing music, large dance floor, skittering lights, catwalks to cruise the crowd, and 18+ nights to rope in the innocently lubricious (and occasionally lecherous). Those seeking more seasoned tub-thumping should double back a block to The Factory (652 La Peer Dr.,310-659-4551), another nightlife labyrinth which typically sports a hefty cover and anyone's happy fill of capital-M shirtless Men.
Stay on SMB, though, and you may wonder if you've stumbled into a gay bar theme park. Fiesta Cantina (8865 SMB,310-652-8865) works overtime to live up to its Corona-by-the-beach name; if it's thick with soused celebrants the owners will open up the open-air second floor, perfect for watching the streams of tight denim and compulsively perfect hair parade on the sidewalk below. Next door, the best claim to fame of the otherwise typically trashy Micky's (8857 SMB,310-657-1176) are the go-go boys who've been known on occasion to wear only suds and let their, uh, business peek through. They only break out these lather uniforms past midnight, when no one's complaining (at least I wasn't.) Next door to that is the East/West Lounge (8851 SMB,), with decor that recalls an upscale hotel lobby and an upper-level membership-required "Mezzanine Lounge" encased in glass that lets the thick-of-wallet lord over the hoi polloi. (Still, this is WeHo; the last time I was there, three platform-pumped drag queens were holding court by the main bar quite easily, thankyouverymuch.)
I should point out now that, though most of the aforementioned are at least welcoming to my dear lesbian sisters, a hop skip northeast and you'll hit both Normandie Room (8737 SMB,) and, five minutes further, Palms (8572 SMB,. Two cool comfy bars that cater quite nicely to the ladies, though it wouldn't be fair to say they resemble the denizens of The L Word in any sizeable number.
The newest jewel on WeHo's eveningwear tiara, iCandy (7929 SMB,323-656-4000), sits at the far end of SMB. It entered the pantheon of the semi-famous as the subject of a Logo reality show and remains sardine-packed for its pricey, playfully mod furnishings and underwear model barkeeps. I could contrast it with Fubar (7994 SMB,323-654-0396), just down the street narrow, dark, unpretentious, the epitome of"dive" but, really, when I'm looking for something truly different, I hop in my car and head cross town on Sunset Blvd. to the neighborhood of Silverlake and, more importantly, Akbar (4356 W. Sunset Blvd.,323-665-6810).
As much as I've just protested to the contrary, if there is a unifying theme to be found in WeHo, it's that everything there is ultimately so easy, accessible and, in its way, predictable. "Edgy" it ain't. The bars of the East Side, however, are persnickety, cool in blissfully variable ways and spread asunder enough that you don't just casually "go"you have to want it. Faultline (4216 Melrose Ave.,323-660-0889), for one, is unambiguously L.A.'s best leather bar, in no small part because skinny jeans-and-poly-jacket guys like me can stroll in, get called "sport"? by the bartender wearing the requisite chaps and cotton thong and take in the giant projection videos that range from garage rock bands to, you know, the porn. The high gloss, I Love The 80s cement, steel, brick and chains of MJ's (2810 Hyperion Ave.) meanwhile, always strikes me as trying a bit too hard I mean, the lighting fixture above the pool table is an engine block but its regulars, a true mix, seem to dig it.
None of them do it better, though, than Akbar. A trapezoidal wedge on Sunset bedecked in Moroccan garb, it attracts the gay geek chic (emphasis on chic), their oft-busty female best friends, and a smattering of carefree straight guys who make a habit of crushing on the oft-busty female bfs. There are scruffy intellectuals of most any stripe as interested in probing your brain as your bum. Cool-as-hell lesbians, too. Really, why I don't live there is beyond me
No, it's not entirely beyond me, and has something to do with the life before the sun goes down. I go hiking in Runyon Canyon (at Mulholland Dr. & Fuller Ave.), my iPod lilting a soundtrack to go with the breathtaking view of L.A. (and occasional sans-makeup celeb). I see flicks at the Grauman's Chinese Theater (6925 Hollywood Blvd.,323-464-8111) and the Cinerama Dome (6360 W. Sunset Ave.,323-464-4226) at the Arclight Cinemas, basking in the film-snob comfort that there are no better movie screens in the country. I take in art at The Getty Center (1200 Getty Center Dr.,310-440-7330) and LACMA (5905 Wilshire Blvd.); check out the trends on Melrose Ave.; eat great Mexican at The Farmer's Market at 3rd St. and Fairfax; and avoid the unspeakably garish Universal CityWalk at absolutely all costs.
When the mood strikes me and the sun's out in force, I head up the Pacific Coast Highway to the Ginger (nee Roy) Rogers Beach (310-458-8900) and watch the sun dance along the Pacific as bottle-nosed dolphins bound and leap along the horizon and the well-hewn shirtless men bound and leap along the volleyball nets. Like, seriously, how more L.A. can you get?
Community Marketing, Inc., has ranked the most popular destinations for gay and lesbian leisure travelers. The top four meccas have remained unchanged: #1 New York City, #2 Las Vegas, #3 San Francisco and #4 Los Angeles/West Hollywood. The big surprise for many is that Las Vegas outranks San Francisco and LA.
Hanging out at Mandalay Bay's Moorea Beach ClubLas Vegas is a safe, progressive destination that has been working hard to reach out to welcome gay and lesbian guests. A typical GLBT traveler will attend one or more of the high profile shows along the strip. Hot tickets this year include Cher, Barry Manilow, and Bette Midler. Depending on your idea of fun and your level of taste, you might want to catch gay fave Charo, Donny and Marie, Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity featuring drag emcee Mistress of Seduction and 2Men, Blue Man Group, The Lion King, Thunder from Down Under, or Penn & Teller.
Because of its popularity with gay visitors, Mandalay Bay is sometimes referred to as "Mandalay Gay"
There is plenty of nighttime action in Las Vegas for the gay traveler - inside and outside of the casinos. Krave, located inside Planet Hollywood, is the only gay nightclub on the Strip and attracts a trendy crowd; Saturday is women’s night. Head to the "Fruit Loop," a cluster of gay bars and clubs one block south of the Hard Rock on Paradise Rd. between Harmon and Tropicana, including Gipsy, Freezone, Piranha and 8 1/2 Ultra Lounge. Most gay clubs in Las Vegas begin to pick up after 11:00 PM. Since there is no "last call" in Vegas, some clubs are open until dawn, while others never close.
The one gay-only hotel in Las Vegas is the Blue Moon Resort. While it is a cab-ride from the strip, and a converted motel, the Blue Moon Resort is the only local accommodation that provides a clothing-optional hot tub and steam room for its guests. There are plenty of gay-friendly hotels on the strip that offer high-end service and quality accommodations. Mandalay Bay, THEhotel, and New York-New York are well-known gay-friendly hotels. Because of its popularity with gay visitors, Mandalay Bay is sometimes referred to as "Mandalay Gay" while the hotel is renowned for its Bathhouse spa.
Las Vegas is home to some of the biggest pools and craziest poolside parties in the world. European-style sunbathing has become trendy here. The Moorea Beach Club at Mandalay Bay is a great place to hang out. On Sundays, don't miss Luxor's "Sunkissed" pool party featuring guest DJs.
Popular day trips include Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.
Bring your friends, let loose and see for yourself why Las Vegas has become one of the hottest destinations for gay travelers.
Most people who come to Amsterdam will want to visit some of the cultural and historical sites. The Anne Frank Huis, the Van Gogh Museum, the Red Light district (the area behind the Warmoesstraat) and some coffeeshops should be on the top of your list. Amsterdam is a cultural city with a lot to see.