Gay Travel Buddy

Are you planning on a trip to San Diego?  Undoubtedly you will wind up in Hillcrest at some point, the majority of the gay bars and clubs are located in Hillcrest with a few in Down Town, North Park and Old Town.

Hillcrest has a great selection of restaurants, coffee shops and boutique shops to keep you busy for days.  There is an abundant supply of furniture shops, however much of what you see will be nearly impossible to take back on the plane with you and may be a bit pricey to ship.  There is a nice selection of clothing shops that have a nice array of lightly used clothing and new designer labels.  There have been higher end shops that have come and left over the years, the average gay resident in San Diego cannot afford such clothing.  As beautiful as San Diego may be it is not known for big industry due to its high cost and lack of quality talent, I have hired many people in San Diego and have found them to be very lazy and without experience.  I am originally from San Diego myself.

The majority of gay bars, clubs and restaurants are centrally located on University Ave, the range stretches from 3rd ave to Park on the far other end.  The West end of Hillcrest has Urban Moe’s a fun lively large bar with generous outdoor seating and a large range of diverse events every evening, check their site for details.  Fiesta Cantina is also near Urban Mo’s on the West end and is a very open bar with great drinks and a lively crowd.  The Brass Rail is also on the West end on 5th St, this bar is one of the oldest and has a difficult time creating an identity for itself so I cannot tell you what crowd you will find as it changes all the time.  #1 5th Ave is also on the West end, it is a large venue with outdoor seating in the back, the staff is friendly and they service a wickedly strong cocktail, this bar typically serves a more mature crowd but has a wide range of patrons.

The south end of Hillcrest has a gay hotel called the Park Manor Hotel, there is a very large bar on the roof.  Every Friday early is a happy hour that starts around 5pm and gets packed!  They have great views of Hillcrest and downtown, I highly suggest if you are not staying at this hotel to stop by for the happy hour, it is a ton of fun and you will likely meet some fun locals or tourists.  Some of best hotels are in the Gaslamp District, I suggest hotels from the Starwood chain like the W.

Centrally on University you will find Flicks a small video bar that has a pool table and has a nice range of events nightly.  I have had some great times at this bar over the years.  Just steps away is Rich’s a large dance club that tends to fill up after 10 or 11pm, there is commonly a cover charge and their drinks are a bit on the pricey side.  Recently a club called Universal was just across the street with a mix of Metro Sexual’s and twinky 20 something gay boys.  This place had attitude and the staff was very snooty, I was not sad to hear they went under.   Baja Betty’s a wonderful restaurant and gay bar is also in the center of Hillcrest with great food, service and a fun crowd.  Baja Betty can be quite a mess during Cinco de Drinko or Cinco de Mayo the 5th of May a big Mexican holiday.

On the East end of Hillcrest is Numbers, a large multi room dance club.  Numbers is generally your 20 something crowd and has great music, usually a cover charge and pricey drinks on Park.  Just across the street is the Flame another dance club with a nice range of events depending on the night, check their website to see what is going on as it changes.  100% worth the trip, my absolue favorite gay bar is on the other end of Park is called Bourbon Street. my personal favorite bar that has a generous patio out back and multiple bars, this is not a dance club but is a ton of fun.  Bourbon St now serves food as well, their events change from night to night so check out their website to find out what you are into.  Just around the corner is Cheers a small gay bar with a pool table, the staff is friendly and the crowd is a nice range of both younger and older.  You will also find Lei Lounge a bar/restaurant right next to Bourbon St.  The food is really good, the service is great, there are some really hot waiters there!

Like many gay centers, Hillcrest has a nice selection of gay gym’s.  You can find 24 hour fatness err fitness which is located on 5th near University, I went to take a picture of Gold’s and found it to be closed.  Also, I been asked several times if their are any Gay Bath Houses in San Diego, there is a very large one centrally located in Hillcrest called Club San Diego, on 4th ave.

Hillcrest Restaurants

While visiting Hillcrest you must eat at either the Tractor Room or Hash House a Go Go, located right across from each other on 5th.  They get PACKED! be sure to plan on getting their early in order to get a table.

San Diego Pride is a very large event, the celebration is found all around Hillcrest but the focus of the event will be found in Balboa Park, just south of Hillcrest.  The pictures below are of the part of Balboa Park where they setup the festival.  Balboa park is very large so be sure you know where you are going.  During pride taxi’s are a commodity that is very scarce, you will see tons of rickshaws around.  A word of warning, these guys are not cheap and you could pay 3-10x a normal taxi fare.  Make sure you ask how much before you hop in, they will try to lure you in.  Some of these guys are rather hot, and may be fun to watch sweat while you get a ride to your next bar.

Stallions Harrisburg – Gay Bar and Dance Club

So heading to Harrisburg to visit family or just go for business?  One of the most popular and by far the largest gay bar in Harrisburg is Stallions, on the lower level its a bar with very friendly bar tenders.  On the upper level is a dance club that is not open every day, when I was there it was pretty empty due to the flooding.  I suggest if you are driving to drive around back, as the entrance is on the back side and they have parking.  Especially with any small town, you should always be extra careful and keep the possibility of having issues down to a minimum.  This bar is located essentially downtown across from their court house.  As it was pretty empty when I was there, its hard for me to give any decent details around the vibe.  I did feel welcome and met some very smart, attractive people while visiting.

They do have a pool table and the drinks are very reasonable.

If you are staying in a hotel, please do not use the Sheraton as this particular one is ANTI GAY!

706 N 3rd St  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17102 This links directly to Google Maps

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.

Le Relais Montreal

Even if you don’t enjoying dancing until the sun comes up, or cruising through the crowds, Montreal nightlife still has something for you. Bar Relais in Le Village is a more down-to-earth, comfortable bar where you can down a couple of beers or well drinks and not have to deal with judging glances from strangers. In fact, Bar Relais is probably the best gay bar in the city to rendez vous with friends, strike up a conversation with people hanging out at the bar and get insider tips from patrons and staff on where to go in Montreal, depending on your mood. Basically, this is the place where you can just come in and relax.

Bar Relaxe feels like a neighborhood pub for locals a bit on the older side, meaning they know what they’re talking about and can give you some pretty solid advice. There’s no cover, of course, and the pool table is a popular pastime activity. It opens every day at noon, so you can count on a pretty good happy hour before the sun starts to set. They close at 3am, so it’s also a great place for a night cap.

1309 Rue Ste-Catherine Est (514) 523-0578

Phoenix NYC – Gay Bar

When I went to visit a couple of friends who live in Stuyvesant Town, I was surprised to learn that their local bar was a gay dive bar, popular with a mid-twenties to early thirties crowd. Phoenix has a great location, near all the hotspots of the East Village. Drinks are relatively cheap – this is a dive after all – so the daily happy hour is quite generous. Phoenix has a pool table and a side room for more intimate conversation. Not too intimate though. Even though I did meet a ton of attractive fellas at Phoenix, things never really heat up. So just keep on sipping on the cheap well drinks and browse through their jukebox. You’ll find classics from Blondie and Prince mixed in with more contemporary gay favorites like Lily Allen, LCD Soundystem and whatever queer-friendly indie hip Brooklyn band is popular at the moment.

447 East 13th Street (212) 477-9979

Industry Bar NYC – Gay Bar

This year a new bar across the street from Therapy opened with a bang! The owners of Elmo and Barracuda in Chelsea certainly know what boys like, and they used all that experience in creating Industry Bar, a stylish lounge in Hell’s Kitchen without the attitude. Start the night with a 2-4-1 happy hour, or should I say hours – since it lasts from 4pm to 9pm. Feeling hazy after that? No worries, this new hotspot keeps the light low all night, giving it a perfect ambiance to meet and mingle. Different DJs spin here each night of the week; so don’t feel bad if you start to become a regular. The plushy décor keeps you settled and comfortable until the entertainment (usually in the form of drag queens) take the stage.

355 West 52nd Street (646) 476-2747

Gym NYC – Gay Bar

Of course, a “sports bar” in Chelsea has to come with quotation marks. Unlike most bars of its kind with rowdy straight men guzzling beer and rooting wildly as they watch testosterone-fueled competition on large television screens, Gym is a little more relaxed. The men here appreciate sports in a more interesting way to say the least. When I first came here, there was not any particularly important game match going on, so the screens played vintage ESPN. And more delicate sports like figure skating and tennis get played on the screens as well. With a patio in the front that let’s the west side sun and breeze through the brick-exposed, high-ceiling bar, Gym is also not as dungeon-y as other sports bars. And with cheap drink specials every night of the week, expect it to get loud, regardless of who’s winning.

167 8th Av. (212) 337-2439

Barracuda NYC – Gay Bar

A hidden hotspot off 8th Av. and owned by the same guys as Elmo and the recently-opened Industry Bar, Barracuda attracts some of the hottest sharks in the Chel-sea. I would come here every week to see my favorite drag queen in New York perform. Peppermint is one fierce gal who is not afraid to bust a sweat just to pull off a 15 minute Beyonce medley in the middle of her show. During Labor Day weekend, she brought fried chicken for the audience, so you never know what to expect. Barracuda is mostly brimming with locals, so it’s great to get to see how real New York gays spend their evenings. The drinks are not too expensive and, being so popular among the in-the-know, this casual bar often attracts the likes of Marc Jacobs and Lance Bass. It’s kind of like a more relaxed version of Eastern Bloc in Chelsea, just brighter lights and without much room to dance. What guys at Barracuda enjoy the most is scoping each other out.

275 West 22nd St. (212) 645-8613

Nellie’s Sports Bar Washington DC

Located on the U Street corridor and a little off the beaten path from most DC gayborhoods, this popular gay sports bar is a fun place to visit if you’re not looking for the usual gay bar experience. Lots of space, a large outdoor patio, plenty of TVs, pool tables and dartboard lanes make Nellies a great hangout. I check out gay sports bars when I can, but I also enjoy the laid back atmosphere common at these places and Nellie’s is no exception. Usually no cover charge, the drinks are reasonably priced and poured strong and the staff are all very friendly and attentive. They have great events such as poker tournaments, drag brunches, bingo and summer movies on the roof. Street parking only.

900 U Street NW 202.332.6355

JJ’s St. Louis Gay Leather Bar

The most popular leather and bear bar in St.Louis, I decided to check out the hairier side of the city’s nightlife at JJ’s Clubhouse…for the sake of thoroughness. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel completely out of place even though I wore no leather and my clean shaven face still helps me pass for my early 30s. Pool tables, video games, darts, a jukebox and cigars round out JJ’s along with a parade of cool events, so be sure to check their website calendar. Some of the bartenders were seriously gorgeous and the entire staff was extremely attentive, even when busy. The drinks weren’t bad and the prices were designed to keep you there all night.

3858 Market St 314.535.4100