FLAGSTAFF: It’s So Raven

Raven - Flagstaff

Flagstaff Pride After PartyHey all… we just got back from a short trip to Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona. My Family Reunion was over the weekend, but we snuck out to see Flagstaff’s Pride in the Pine’s After Party.

The venue – the Orpheum Theater – is a little odd. The stage and the seats are separated by a standing/dancing area. We got there early and got good seats in the third row with a good view of the stage.

Then the show started, and everyone in front of us got up to watch the show standing, and I kid you nbot, five or six guys that were at least 6′ 2″ tall stood in front of our seats.

So we got up too.

The show featured one of RuPaul’s girls – Raven – and she and some of the others cane out into the crowd to see all of us. That’s when I snapped the shot above.

While it was amazing to see Raven – and so close! – the standout of the show was China Collins. She should be on the Drag Race – she killed it with her lip synch.

China Collins - Flagstaff

We had a great time, and will be reporting on more parts of Flagstaff and Sedona over the next several weeks.

–Scott & Mark

 

SUMMER READS: TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD – Hollywood: Sometimes The Reality Is Better Than the Dream

HollywoodWe all need a good “Hollywood Fix” once in a while and a new book came out recently that will give you one of the best ones that you have had in a long time. The famous Hollywood agent to the Stars, Budd Burton Moss has recently authored his book, HOLLYWOOD:  ‘Sometimes The Reality Is Better Than the Dream’.

With over 400 pages of fascinating memories he tells about his adventures and business dealings with famous entertainers, directors, producers and everyone else in the movie business that he has been involved with in his many years in Hollywood. Names like Rita Hayworth, Jack Valenti, Hal Prince, Jon Cypher, John James, Tommy Cruise, Laura Pels, the beautiful Dina Merrill, Tom Bosley, John Gavin, Constance Towers, Carolyn Jones, Bob Barker, Sidney Poitier are just a few of the many people that he includes in this marvelous book.  The book also has over 50 priceless photographs.

Praise about his book comes from Larry King, who wrote the Forward to the book.  Other praises are from Rona Barrett, former Hollywood newspaper columnists and TV host, Mike Medavoy, producer, seven-time Oscar winner, Robert Wagner, actor and Sherry Lansing, former President of 20th Century Fox Studios and former chairman of Paramount Pictures and of course from us as well!

Budd Burton MossThis is a REAL story about the GOLDEN AGE of Hollywood. He writes about the good and the bad experiences that he has had and when one goes thru life, we all have our ‘highs’ and ‘lows’.  He tells about all of them. His escapades with Rita Hayworth who was his favorite client  are extremely interesting to read.  He relates the times he had with her all over the world and  in South America and the trials and tribulations of such adventures with her. She was NOT an easy person to travel with.

Do you think that you would like to be a Hollywood agent ?  Think again as it is a 24 hour, 7 days a week  career working with prima donnas.  The author was able to handle all of this and make loyal life long friends along the way.

Budd Burton Moss has certainly had an extremely wonderful life in his roll as a Hollywood agent and he continues to  work every day. He has done it all,  and much more will come for him. He has made remarkable friends in Hollywood but the most important thing that we respect him for is his personal life with his wife, Carolyn for over 46 years! And what  a true love story that is.  Now in his 80’s Budd Burton Moss is going as strong as ever.

Reading this book is very riveting and you can’t put it down until the last page and then you will want more!. This is one of the ESSENTIAL books for anyone really into the movies and life in Hollywood.  You can purchase this book either at your local bookstore or thru Amazon.com.  We think that it would be a great idea if someone in Hollywood would make a movie from his book! (Portrait of Budd Burton Moss by Mara Magliarditi)

Don and RayAlways remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone!

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning, Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from coast to coast (And now legally married).

Proud members of the IGLTA. You can email them at gaytravelers@aol.com and visit their website at http://gaytravelersataol.blogspot.com/

Spain’s Salamanca Cathedral – Keep Calm and Wander

Salamanca Cathedral

Salamanca Cathedral refers to two cathedrals combined into one. One is called the Old Cathedral and other as the New Cathedral. The former was built in 12-13th century and the latter was in 16th century. So, the earlier Cathedral is really ancient (Middle Ages) and the new one isn’t really that new. 😀

Salamanca is a university town, famous for the world’s 4th oldest university, the University of Salamanca. And if you walk around, you’ll notice that many of the structures here are really ancient and they all stood the test of time.

From Madrid to Salamanca

You can take a train from Madrid to Salamanca in the morning (8:55) and be back at 6:20 in the evening. Round trip would cost you around 30 euros. You can buy your train ticket here. And also, some tourists visit Salamanca with a combined trip to Avila, where you can find Spain’s most impressive city wall. The two historical cities are just an hour away from each other by car / tour bus. You can find these trips at TripAdvisor.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Spain Gay Travel Resources

5 Romantic Things To Do in Gay Cartagena – Nomadic Boys

Gay Cartagena

Cartagena will always be a special place for us. It’s the place where we got engaged: the moment when Stefan (finally!) asked Sebastien to marry him.

If you’re looking for romantic experiences, there’s no better place for it than this fairy-tale-like Colombian coastal city. It has the sunsets, beaches, beautiful UNESCO ancient old town and more. Here’s our favourite 5 romantic things to do in Gay Cartagena.

#1 Horse & carriage ride in the old town

The historical centre of Cartagena is full of Instagrammable images everywhere you look. The main draw is the inner walled town, which is lined with cobblestone streets, plazas, palaces and some pretty cool street art.

We loved walking around these quaint little streets, but when we saw the horse & carriages making their way around the Old Town, we knew we had to do try it as well. The old town dates back to the 1500s, so exploring it on horse & carriage adds to its ancient colonial atmosphere.

We booked our horse & carriage tour with GoBe, which concluded with a romantic meal at La Vitrola restaurant in the Old Town. We highly recommend this experience to all couples looking for something special to do together in gay Cartagena.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Toledo, Spain – Keep Calm and Wander

Toledo, Spain

Toledo is a medieval Spanish city popularly known as “The Imperial City” where the Roman Emperor, Charles V, once held his court here. On the other hand, Toledo is also christened as the “City of Three Cultures” due to its rich historical co-existence of Jews, Muslims and Christians. If you look around the city, the influences of these three religions are evident everywhere. This city is a proof that despite our religions, we can live in harmony and peace. That’s why, it’s no wonder that the whole City of Toledo was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cobblestoned pavement, medieval churches and ancient structures make Toledo worth a visit for a weekend.

It is possible to visit Toledo for a day trip. There’s a morning train from Madrid that goes to Toledo and back to Madrid in the afternoon. Their train station is a historical building in itself and it has its own quaint beauty. You can buy your train tickets HERE.

If you’re planning to stay there for a night, you can get some discounted hotel prices HERE.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Spain Gay Travel Resources

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD – The Grand Ole Opry

Grand Ole Opry

Grand Ole OpryLast month The Grand Ole Opry heard that ‘the award-winning, GAY, celebrity travel columnists’ would be in Nashville and  they hosted us for the night.  The “Grand Ole Opry” is a LIVE radio show that features a variety of different country/western singers.  The evening that we attended the following country/western singers were entertaining: Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs, Joe Diffie, LOCASH, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jackie Lee,  Kelleigh Bannen and Jeannie  Selley and Connie Smith, most of whom we had never heard of, but then we are not diehard Country/Western fans.

Grand Ole OpryThe show is unlike any other shows that we have attended in that they have around 8 performers that comes out and each performs a couple of songs and that’s it!  Then another singer comes out and sings a couple of songs and then the onstage announcer comes out and tells  the radio audience about what companies that are advertising and goes into his spiel.

At first it was kind of interesting however after the second and third advertising it got rather boring to hear advertising.  The live broadcasts can be heard on  650, WSM-AM and also on Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius XM radio and online at www.opry.com on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. They have performed consecutive Saturday night broadcasts for over 4,700 nights.

Grand Ole OpryThe Opry has had six locations in its 92 years…… It started out at the National Insurance Company in 1925 and then moved to the Hillsboro Theatre in 1934 and then to the Dixie Tabernacle in 1936 and then to the War Memorial Auditorium in 1939. It settled into the Ryman Auditorium in 1943 and stayed there until 1974 when a new Grand Ole Opry complex was build in 1974 which is about 8 miles east of downtown Nashville.  The complex not only includes the Grand Ole Opry but a huge hotel and shopping mall.

There are always a few who will step up to the plate and COME OUT proudly.  Thanks Ty Herndon, Chely Wright, Steve Grand, Brandy Clark, K. D. Lang ,Doug Stevens, Shane McAnally and Patrick Haggerty and they are all great country/western singers!

For those that are REALLY into western songs,  check out this Willie Nelson  song which is about Gay Cowboys:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u4CXlIYjyE
To visit the Grand Ole Opry, be sure and visit their website, www.opry.com/
Their address is 2804 Opryland Drive and their phone number  615.871.6779.  Everyone should visit the Grand Ole Opry at least once!

We rarely dedicate our travel columns to anyone but we are proudly dedicating this travel column to the #1 Country Entertainer,  Dolly Parton who has been so supportive for the LGBT community for years.  We only wish that everybody would have as big of a heart as she does as then the world would be a much better place to live. THANKS DOLLY!

Don and RayAlways remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone!

TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS GAY WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning, Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from coast to coast (And now legally married).

Proud members of the IGLTA. You can email them at gaytravelers@aol.com and visit their website at http://gaytravelersataol.blogspot.com/

Tennessee Gay Travel Resources
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Coral Sands Motel – Ocean City, New Jersey

Coral Sands Motel

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

The Coral Sands Motel is an affordable, gay friendly motel in Ocean City, New Jersey.

All of our rooms have either two double beds or one queen, and all rooms have microwave and fridge, some rooms with full kitchen.

We’re just a block to the beach, and easy walking distance from everything in town.

Looking for a place to stay in Ocean City? Check out the Coral Sands Motel.

See the PROPERTY Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in AREA

The Aqueduct of Segovia – Keep Calm and Wander

The Aqueduct of Segovia

The aqueduct of Segovia is ancient Rome’s indisputable legacy in Spain. The towering aqueduct is synonymous to the old town of Segovia. You can’t mention the city’s name without identifying it to this arched aqueduct.

The city of Segovia, as legend has it, was founded by Hercules, the son of the Roman god, Zeus.

The Aqueduct of Segovia

This structure is 15 kilometres long from the mountain to the other side of the city. It is made of granite blocks that are as high as 800 meters. The downtown part of the aqueduct you see is consist of 120 pillars and 166 arches. And guess what’s the most brilliant thing about it? The pillars are built without using cement or mortar to hold them together for safety. The stones were masterfully cut to carry the load in perfect balance!

While this is a feat of engineering, some locals call it “Puente de Diablo” or Devil’s Bridge. According to legend, this bridge was built by the Devil himself to impress a young woman he liked. But his efforts failed. The holes on the stones are said to be the marks of Lucifer’s fingers.

Gay Cartagena – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Cartagena - Nomadic Boys

Lonely Planet calls Cartagena the undisputed queen of the Caribbean coastwell that was before these two greedy queens sashayed their way into Colombia’s most touristic city.

Cartagena’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a maze of pretty cobblestone alleys and colourful colonial style buildings. There’s also a small gay scene worth checking out and even a large gay event called Rumours every July. We put all our discoveries into this gay guide to Cartagena, featuring the best gay hangouts, places to stay and things to do.

#1 Gay bars and clubs in Cartagena

The gay scene of Cartagena changes quite frequently, but these are the two main gay bars and clubs in Cartagena, both based in the Old Town:

  • Le Petit: fun small gay bar in Cartagena with very sexy waiters. It’s a restaurant during the day and then transforms into a gay venue in the evening, blasting out classics by Shakira, Maluma and more. If you’re brave enough, you have to try their gigantic pitchers of beer mixed with rum. Le Petit is open everyday from 11pm and is located at Calle del Candilejo 32-34 in the Centro neighbourhood of Old Town.
  • Club D8: D8 is the main gay club in Cartagena. It’s split over 2 floors and attracts a mix of locals and foreigners. We love the Latino pop music they play here and it’s always a guaranteed fun night out. Club D8 is open Thursday to Sunday from 9pm till late, but it doesn’t get busy until after midnight. It is located in the Getsemani neighbourhood of the Old Town at Calle 24/Calle del Arsenal #8b-155.
  • Rumours Festival: if you’re visiting in July, make sure you coincide your visit with Cartagena’s gay pride festival called Rumours. This is a week long event with pool parties, boat parties, white parties and more. There’s usually a Facebook event created for each year’s event where you can find out more information.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Alcazar de Segovia, A Fairytale Castle – Keep Calm and Wander

Alcazar de Segovia

Before Disney, there was Alcazar de Segovia. If you look at it near and far, the castle resembles that of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland. You can’t leave Segovia without seeing and getting into the heart of Spain’s most famous castle. The structure wasn’t really meant to be a castle. It was built as a fortress. Then it became a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy. Today, this wonderful castle is now a museum that allows us to see what’s hidden inside.

Madrid to Segovia

The fastest way to get to Segovia is by train from Chamartin Station in Madrid. It takes 30 minutes and it costs around 10 euros. You can buy your train ticket here. By car, it would take an hour and 15 minutes. Another way to get there is by joiniing an organized tour.

If you are planning to stay in Segovia for the weekend or for a night, you can book via HostelWorld or Expedia.

By AUTHOR – Full Story at SOURCE

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