Gay Travel Buddy

Gay Friendly Cities

I and many of our amazing contributors have been all over the US and over the world.  I am adding this page to try and help you determine if a city is friendly enough to visit.  Some places can be down right dangerous, for example its illegal to be gay in Jamaica, I have heard many horror stories.

But Moving on to my current home to start.

Austin - Is a very gay friendly town, a very large selection of Gay Bars, very gay friendly hotels like the W.  The new W is actually just around the block from Oil Can Harry’s.  Great restaurants as well, Santa Rita, Kerbey Lane Café and South Congress Cafe too name a few.  It’s sorta like San Francisco in a strange way, and a big music town.

Denver – Is an amazing, mostly gay friendly city. This city also has its share of religious nut cases who cause some trouble from time to time. From what I know of, there isn’t a specific gay hotel in Denver. However you have many options
downtown, including the Westin and Sheraton, which are both gay friendly. The mile high city also gets more sunny days than any other major city in the US. The Westin actually has this fairly strange indoor-outdoor pool, its rather unique as well as a gym. The famous Palms steak house is attached and is very good. Personally I prefer to patronize gay owned restaurants, so I wind up at Hamburger Marry’s a very large gay bar/restaurant/drag show.  You can find a good selection of Denver’s Gay Bars.

Las Vegas – This one is really on the fence for a full recommendation. If you have other options, I think you should consider them. Even with such a huge service industry, overall Las Vegas is not all that gay friendly. Promoters like J.Son are
trying to change that; he was able to convince the Luxor to host the only weekly gay pool party throughout the summer season. In the 90’s their spa became a little hot spot for gay men, however the Luxor had security in they’re at all hours throwing them out. This is a big change in direction. On the other hand you have hotels like the Encore who have pages promoted online about being gay friendly. They forgot to tell their staff about that. Even the high priced hookers wouldn’t leave me alone; she couldn’t believe I was gay.

Las Vegas has only 1 all gay hotel that is clothing optional called Blue Moon Resort, located just West of the North end of the strip. On the strip there is one gay nightclub called Krave. It is not open every night, there is always a high priced
cover and the drinks though strong are very expensive. It’s on the south side of Planet Hollywood off Harmon. Just east on Harmon a few blocks and a right turn on Paradise will get you into what’s known as the fruit loop. You have multiple
bar options here, 8 ½ and Piranha are connected, and this is a higher end bar/dance club. As well as Gipsy, which is just next-door. Across the street you will find Buffalo, a mixed crowd with pool tables. Just to the right of Buffalo is an adult video and toy store. Across from The Buffalo is Free Zone, make sure you check out their calendar before going, they host many ladies nights as well.  There are quite a few more gay bars, my personal favorite is Charlies which is located West of the strip off Tropicana and on Arville in what looks like an industrial business building.  Starwood has one hotel just east of the strip on Flamingo, its a Westin, has a small casino as well.

San Diego - My home town, most of the gay activity is centralized in one area called Hillcrest.  You will find a nice selection of gay bars, restaurants of all types, gay gyms like 24 hour fitness, and shopping galore.  However, like San Francisco there are few hotel options.  There are tons of gay friendly hotels in down town San Diego near the Gas Lamp District that has great restaurants, shopping and gay bars.  San Diego offers lots of beach options, however I believe all of the beaches are now alcohol free and the police will check coolers.  San Diego does not have a very user friendly public transportation system, so consider renting a car.

San Francisco - Ok yeah, duh San Francisco is a very gay friendly town.  You might be surprised to know that its not the highest population of Gay people, Dallas I believe is number 1 then Los Angeles and then NYC.  San Francisco is very diverse, although the Castro is the heart of anything Gay, you can find gay establishments all over the city.  The city is broken into many districts, The Castro, The Haight, Lower Haight, Nob Hill, Lower Nob Hill, Union Square, Fisherman’s Wharf is a huge tourist trap, avoid at all cost.  The older gayborhood was on Polk St. so you can find a few bars in that area as well.  I can’t think of any major hotel in the city not being friendly, now some of the smaller cheap “weekly” rate type places.  The largest concentration of Gay Bars is in The Castro, then in SOMA there are some of the more leather, daddy type places.  My current favorite bar in The Castro is Blackbird, a laid back gay bar with an awesome staff.  My other favorite is a wine bar called Blush, amazing wine, food and people!  San Francisco also throws and incredible pride event every year, you just missed it this year but if you have the chance you must see it.  The Castro has very few options when it comes to lodging, I would suggest trying Union Square.  Most of the best shopping is in Union Square.  There are also several options for gay gyms in The Castro, 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym to name a few.

Seattle – Other than the lack of warm days, Seattle is extremely gay friendly with the majority of activities, including bars and restaurants are located in Capitol Hill. Very close to down town, it’s a bit of a hike if you choose to walk it. The hills are nowhere as steep as San Francisco but if its cold enough you will regret not taking a cab or driving. Be very mindful of the parking signs, they have some of the strangest parking restrictions I have ever seen in the US. They do not color the curbs either, my first visit I wound up getting a nice fine, nowhere near a fire hydrant.

Like Portland, there is a large hipster community, however not as intrusive. Washington State also has the highest taxes on alcohol so when you walk into a dive bar and get charged $10 for something most other places would be $4-5.  Gay Bars and Night Clubs list.

As any big city, Seattle has tons of hotel options. My personal favorites are Starwood properties. The Westin is one of the largest and is not owned by Starwood, it is a franchise. They are undergoing renovations; their new rooms are very nice if you can get one. Some of their older rooms do show their age, ask if you can get a remodeled room.  We have a short list of gay friendly hotels in Seattle.

This article is a work in progress and not close to being done.

Luxor Gay Pool Party – Las Vegas – Temptation Sunday’s

Usually I do not have much good to say about anything Gay in Las Vegas, I can finally say that I really enjoyed Temptation Sunday’s Gay Pool Party put on at the Luxor by J.Son.  An inspiring young promoter who has take on Las Vegas, a very challenging task.  I decided to spring for the Cabana Service and experience everything this weekly party has to offer.  As I am so fair skinned, I need a place to stay out of the sun.

I found the waitresses to be very attentive and very friendly.  They sure do work their tails off in that hot sun, so if they seem a hair distressed at first don’t worry they are great.  I have rarely been treated so well in Las Vegas.  The promoter J.Son is amazing, I have never seen a promotor actually give a crap if the people are having a good time.  I could see him talking to everyone and making sure they where having a great time.  I took his picture.

CURRENT UPDATE This Sunday August 28th the after party is at Charlies my personal favorite gay bar in Las Vegas.

The event area is generously large, with lots of open seating.  The pool has water falls, plenty of horse play going on in the pool constantly.  I will let your imagination fill in the rest.  The event has special pricing for locals, as pricing could change I will let you check out Temptation’s Web Site.

The crowd is very diverse and a mix of tourists and locals.  J.Son told me that he loves a diverse mix and promotes to and welcomes all.  You can order food as well, the menu ranged from burgers to salads, finger foods like chicken tenders and quesadillas.  The drinks where huge and strong.

The Cabana’s, which there are not tons of, so if you want one get there early.  They all have misters, large flat screen tv’s and a mini fridge stocked with bottles of water and some juices.

I also took some under water footage, to view this video you must be of legal age in your country to watch this film.  By viewing this video you agree that you are at least 18 years old in the US.

Las Vegas Gay Pool Party Under Water Video  <- Some nudity, you must be at least 18 years of age to click this link.

I did not find a locker room, however you can buy a day pass at the spa and use their lockers and showers.  I recall the Spa was quite amazing on the inside, but that was in the 90′s as the last time I saw them.

At 6pm they had an event inside the Luxor at Cathouse, a bar themed like a burlesque.  Till 10pm they had all you can eat sushi and open bar for $10.  The waitresses where very friendly, and the bar tender was so much fun.  Also put on by J.Son
If you wish to book a room at the Luxor, below is a direct link on Hotels.com. They seem to have some of the lowest rates.

Direct link to the Luxor on Hotels.com

3900 Las Vegas Blvd South, Click to see a direct view with Google Maps

On the North West side of the strip there is a gay bar called Escape Lounge, it’s actually a fairly large bar like all of the bars in Las Vegas.  It is easy to spot on the road by the Statue of Liberty out front, a picture is just above, sorry I was not about to walk out into the street to take a frontal picture of it.  People in Las Vegas drive like maniacs!  This bar is pretty busy on the weekends, they have a pool table and video poker games at the bar.  I find that everyone that goes to this bar chain smokes and I have a hard time just being in the bar for 15 minutes with only 7 people at the bar.  My personal favorite bar is Charlies which is located on the South West side of the Las Vegas strip.  Another great bar is Goodtimes, which is located on the South East side of the strip and the Fruit Loop.

4213 West Sahara Ave, 702-364-1167

I recently was introduced to Charlies by a few guys that recently moved to Las Vegas from the South.  I had basically given up on the idea of that there are no decent gay bars or gay dance clubs in Las Vegas and I just stopped going out.  So I gave Charlies a try on their Drag Queen Bingo Night, which is at 8pm on Tuesday nights.  I was very impressed with the staff and the crowd was not bad, there where quite a few good looking guys there and I actually liked the place.  This is the first gay bar in Las Vegas not to be completely filled with smoke, there are guys who smoke but its not nearly as bad as many other bars.  Charlies has a Pool table, but it’s a bit out in the middle of no where.  They are just West of the Las Vegas Strip but worth the cab ride, there is nothing in the Fruit Loop that is anywhere close to this place.  Goodtimes on the South Eastern part of the city is also nice but they tend to go after the Latino crowd.

5012 Arville St, 702-876-1844

Krave Las Vegas – On Strip Gay Bar

Krave Las Vegas has become the only gay night club on the Las Vegas Strip and it has become a late-night destination for gay locals and tourists. Krave Las Vegas has much to offer it’s customers.

It is equally part theater, part lounge and part nightclub, Krave Las Vegas just located adjacent to the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino (corner of Harmon and Las Vegas Boulevard) has a little something for everyone.

Just recently Krave Las Vegas has also become the first gay night club that is 18+ on certain nights of the week. Generally 18+ nights are on Tuesdays and Fridays, so beware if you do go to the club on a night that they are 18+ the club will be packed with kids under 21. If that’s not your scene don’t worry the night club offers different themes nightly, making it appealing to everyone.

Now if you enjoy going to see hot guys in underwear. Well, Krave Las Vegas is the place to go. They offer an array of gogo dancers, from twinks to muscled men, girls and guys of all typed.

The club also offers much entertainment for it’s patrons, nightly they have games and activities you can participate in where you can win cash or free drinks. They also have local and celebrity entertainers come and preform. This night club has been known to have surprise appearances, including both Lady Gaga and Ke$ha. Stop by and you never know who you might see.

To get the nightly specials of Krave Las Vegas, just sign up for their text service and you will receive a text about that night’s special. The specials sometimes include, free admission, open bar, $3 well drinks and etc. All you have to do is text ‘Krave’ to 313131, then when you get the text just show it to the cashier to get the special.  SMS Marketing is very restrictive, on any message you can always reply STOP and it will remove you by law.

Krave Las Vegas Details: (Subject to change at any time)

• Cover
  • Locals
    •  Most nights Free, on occasions it is only before midnight
      • Must have an NV Driver’s License or prof of living in Las Vegas (Utility Bill, School ID, or Work ID)
  • Tourist
    • $20
• Drinks
  • Beer and Wine
    • Start at $8
  • Wells
    • $8-15
  • Non-Wells
    • $10 and up
  • Bottle/VIP Service
    • Starts at $350, Including admission and a table for four people, with one bottle.
• Hours of Opperations
  • Sunday – Friday
    • 11 pm – 4 am
  • Saturday
    • 11 pm – 6 am
• Dress Code
  • Casual dress, but dress code is discretionary to Krave personnel.
• Special events
  • Mondays: “Kream,” hip-hop and go-go dancers.
  • Tuesdays: “Tyler Caiden’s Monster,” go-go dancers and giveaways.
  • Wednesdays: “WTF?” two-for-one drinks, contests and games.
  • Thursdays: “Drag and Drink,” drag show by Chi Chi & Friends, drag queens drink for free.
  • Fridays: “F%@K You I’M FABULOUS,” 18 and older party.
  • Saturdays: “Krave Saturdays,” special guest DJs, pole dancers, aerials stunts and more.
  • Sundays: “It’s not that serious Sundays.” with dance music.

3663 Las Vegas Blvd S, 702-836-0830 – FYI this address is for Planet Hollywood, which makes this club an on strip club.  It’s really located on Harmon around the corner.

View Larger Map

8 1/2 / Piranha is a large gay bar and gay dance club all in one, the club is opened later at night and I believe its a limited schedule.  The club has a VIP seating area up stairs and has it’s own bar.  Commonly there is a fairly high cover charge just to get into the bar most nights, if you are a local it is typically much cheaper and or free some nights.  The drink prices here are very expensive, for example I have paid as much as $20 for a Vodka Redbull before.  For the most part the bar tenders are fairly nice and perky, the crowd can change dramatically depending on the night.  It can range from a nice crowd from a trade show to cunty Los Angeles people.  They are located right across the street from the Buffalo, Free Zone and Get Booked a gay book store.  The other big gay night club is Krave, it’s located right off the strip at Planet Hollywood.  If you are looking for a nice crowd I would suggest going to Charlies, which is West of the strip.

4633 Paradise Rd, 702-791-0100 <- This is in the Fruit Loop

I should not even be posting anything about this gay bar as I am not a fan of this place, but I want to make sure you know all of your options if you choose to visit Las Vegas for some silly reason.  I went into this bar and asked the management if I could photograph the bar as the outside give a bad impression and they said no.  So whatever, this place has 3 pool tables and one large bar.  They tend to attract the bear / older / leather / smelly guy group.  I have had some good times here and have had some awful times here as well.  I can recall one night the guy outside checking id’s had the nerve to ask me to re-park my car which was just ever so slightly diagonally parked.  I later found out that he just wanted to see my car move as he was turned on by it.  They often have beer busts and other drink specials, but I don’t really feel like I owe them anything for the lack of cooperation so if you want to know more than look for their web site, I don’t know if they even have one.  The Buffalo is located right next to Get Booked, a gay book store that sells sex accessories such as lube and has adult DVD’s.  They are also just across the street from Free Zone another gay bar and 8 1/2/Piranha a big and VERY EXPENSIVE gay bar and dance club $20 drinks are not out of the question.  Consider either Charlies or Goodtimes as an alternative, I like both of these bars but they are further off the strip.

4640 Paradise Rd, 702-733-8355

Free Zone is a fairly large gay bar and dance club located in the Fruit Loop, an area just South East of the Las Vegas Strip where several gay bars and clubs are located.  The outside of this bar does not do the inside justice, however I asked the bar tender if I could take pictures and she told me that she did not have the authority to let me take a few pics.  So all you have is the front of the building.  Free Zone is more known for it’s girl nights, which with all fairness Las Vegas does not have much for the Lesbian community.  Free Zone has a Pool Table if not multiple, I can’t recall.  They have video gaming machines at the bar and just across from the bar.  I have been in the bar when they had Karaoke, which was fun and from time to time they have some pretty decent DJ’s.  The bar tenders are all nice and pour a stiff drink, Las Vegas in general has extremely high drink prices compared to San Francisco, but they can serve 24 hours a day.  In comparison to Piranha/8 1/2, which is located just across the street the drinks are a bargain.  Free Zone is also just located across from a few other gay bars like the Buffalo, Get Booked a gay book store and Gipsy, but I am pretty sure they are out of business, I don’t ever see it open, however I could be wrong so check for yourself.  I personally don’t like the staff at the Buffalo but don’t let my views stop you from going.

If you are visiting on a weekend I would suggest going to Charlies, I find the staff very friendly and the crowd is much more attractive.  Charlies is West of the strip and they also have a pool table and great drink specials all the time.  The most friendly staff I have met has been at Goodtimes, which is further South and East of the Fruit Loop.

610 East Naples Dr, 702-794-2300

As for gay bars go Goodtimes Las Vegas is a nice bar with plenty of seating and pool table and a dance club as well.  Goodtimes is located a bit off the beat and path but the staff is nice and on the weekend its worth the cab ride to get out there.  This is the only bar the cooperated and let me take pictures inside to give a better idea of what’s in the bar.  From the outside it’s not a very appealing place to visit but don’t let it fool you, go in and check it out.  They have event’s from Wednesday night through Monday every week.  Las Vegas somehow harbors a big attitude and many of the bars and their employee’s shine it on full stream.  Goodtimes is not your typical attitude bar.

Here is the current list of activites:

Wednesday: Karaoke

Thursday:Retroscape

Friday:Vaquero Night

Saturday:Papi Chulo’s

Sunday:Fuego Latino

Monday:In The Trenches

1775 E Tropicana Ave, 702-736-9494

Gay Las Vegas – Fruit Loop

A word of warning, the views below are my personal views and are not those of any business or the city of Las Vegas.  If you are gay and thinking about taking a vacation to Las Vegas, firstly let my try and urge you to pick another city.  Las Vegas is NOT gay friendly and if you plan on visiting during the week for say a conference you will be bored out of your mind!  But never the less, I work in Las Vegas half the year so I unfortunately know a bit about the city.  So if you really want to visit this pile of dust then let me tell you about your options.

A little background on the local gay population.  I have been working in Las Vegas for about 3 years and have realized the following, obviously this is not correct for all of them.  Most gay men who move to Vegas have been rejected from where ever they are from and are attracted to the fake glitz and glamor of Las Vegas.  Many of the local guys here are chain smokers and reek of smoke, they also tend to drink heavily and often, which is not uncommon in the gay world.  Most of the guys I have met have the IQ of a tic tac.  Las Vegas has a very low cost of living so its a great choice for people with no skills and are out of options.

Here are your gay specific options when visiting Las Vegas.

Gay Bars:  No Shit, there is plenty of options to drink yourself to death.  Las Vegas serves 24 hours a day to 21 and up.  With the exception of Krave and 8 1/2 Piranha the outsides of every gay bar is not much to look at.  So I attempted to walk into each bar and ask permission to photograph the insides as its hard to tell whats going on within.  Basically the management of each bar refused, they seem to afraid of something, maybe someone will copy their horrible layout.  With the exception of Goodtimes, the manager loved the idea and even turned on the lights in the backroom club to let me photograph, I had no idea they even had a dance club.  Goodtimes by far has the nicest staff of any of the Las Vegas gay bars.

Goodtimes <- Nice staff, a bit far from the strip but worth visiting on the weekends.

Fruit Loop Bars:

Free Zone <- Also a fairly nice staff, they are located in the fruit loop.  It’s nicer inside than the exterior leads you to believe.

The Buffalo <- Dumpy outside, dumpy inside and a few pool tables to help keep your sanity while you drink yourself into a coma.  The management refused to let me photograph the place.

8 1/2 Piranha <- 2 places in one, a gay bar open 24 hours while the dance club is open some nights with VIP seating upstairs and drink prices to make anyone cringe.  $20 is not out of the question for a vodka Redbull here!

Gipsy <- This past weekend I noticed it was open, so I think they are back in business.

West of the Strip:

Charlies <- A larger than expected bar with a dance floor, by far I found this place to house the best looking guys any day of the week!  The staff here is also pretty friendly, don’t let the outside scare you off.  Over the last 6 months this has become my favorite bar.  It’s worth the cab ride.

Escape Lounge <- This place is also pretty large, staff is friendly.  I have only been here on week nights and for the most part its empty and a heavy smokers bar.

Entourage – Gay Sex Club <- An alternative to your typical gay bar, it’s also a gay gym as well.

Hotels:

The only gay hotel in Las Vegas is the Blue Moon Resort.  It’s located off the strip on the North Western side in a less than appealing business district.  This place is clothing optional and has a really nice pool, I have seen their pool in more than one adult film.  None of the major strip hotels are gay friendly or advertise or promote to the gay tourist, even though they employ many gay people.

Starwood is a gay friendly hotel chain that owns some of the following brands.  Westin, Sheraton, W and the St. Regis to name a few.  Just East of the strip is a Westin, its not very well maintained compared to many other Westin’s in the chain.  The staff could really use an attitude adjustment, I have stayed here a dozen times and always left with a sour taste.

Save 40% on your next night at Westin Hotels & Resorts

New Local?

So your now a resident of Las Vegas or Henderson or something like that.  Yes, you can just hang out at any of those bars, most are just too loud and annoying for me.  Must be getting old.  I have been to functions from this new Earls Presents and so far they are not bad.  I don’t want to be negative, but I tried to join a happy hour hosted by Sin City Q Socials.  I felt like such a peace of meat and so uncomfortable, but that just may have been a fluke.  But see for your self and decide if these groups are good for you.  I have only been too one Earl’s event at Blue Martini, they arranged for 50% off drinks that was fun.

Gay Pool Parties

During the summer there is a weekly gay pool party at the Luxor, Temptation Sunday’s organized by J.Son and very well setup.