Month: July 2018

Five Gay Friendly Illinois Places (Outside of Chicago) – Gay Star News

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Aldrich Guest House - Galena, Illinois

There’s no denying Chicago, the largest city in the state of Illinois, is a bona fide bucket list destination.

With its futuristic skyline, explosive dining and extensive LGBTI scene, the blockbuster supercity is up there with the likes of New York City and Los Angeles as one of America’s most famous destinations. But there is so much more to Illinois than just Chicago.

Here are five charming and historical places to visit in The Prairie State, all driving distance from Chi-town, several via the iconic Route 66…

1 Galena

Firstly, with a population of just 3,255 people, is Galena in northwest Illinois. This tiny town makes a huge impression. Located near the Wisconsin boarder, it’s worth a visit for a photo op on Main Street alone. This iconic street is perfectly preserved with colourful, charismatic 19th century houses.

Why not visit the charming boutiques and coffee houses before mixing it up with a whiskey at the Blaum Brothers distillery? Or perhaps Amelia’s Galena Ghost Tour? The town is believed by many to possess ghoul-infested historical buildings. For blood pressure-friendly activities, head to the Galena Historical Society and Museum or the Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery.

For upscale accommodation options try Aldrich Guest House Bed and Breakfast [above], the Jail House Inn and Inn at Irish Cottage.

By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News

Illinois Gay Travel Resources

Views from the Roof of Milan’s Duomo – Keep Calm and Wander

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Milan's Duomo - Keep Calm and Wander

If standing on top of Milan Cathedral won’t take your breath away – you better check in yourself to a hospital. 😀 No, I’m not kidding. Milan Duomo is one of the very few man-made architectural wonder that blew my mind away. It’s one of those places you don’t only have to see but also experience it.

From its facade to its internal core, this architectural wonder will leave you with a lasting impression. And from its underground archaeological museum to its roof, the Duomo shows us a contrast of what Milan was like and what Milan is today.

Climb the stairs or use an elevator?

Here’s the deal: the former will cost you 8 euros and the latter is 10 euros. However, the lift doesn’t go all the way up to the roof but only on the last floor and then you have to climb the remaining steps.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Milan Gay Travel Resources

Pieta Rondanini, Michelangelo’s Unfinished Statue – Keep Calm and Wander

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Pieta Rondanini - Keep Calm and WanderPieta Rondanini – Keep Calm and Wander

Pieta Rondanini is Michelangelo’s unfinished marble statue. Since 1952, Milan is a host to the master’s work. Today, you can find it at Museo Pieta Rondanini inside the Castello Sforzesco. When Michelangelo died in 1564, they found the sculpture at the artist’s workshop in Rome. Afterwards, the unfinished statue was missing for more than 200 years and reappeared in 1807 at Palazzo Rondanini.

And that’s how it gained its monicker: Pieta Rondanini.

As you can see, Mary is standing, supporting her son, Jesus, after he was taken down from the cross. The famed Pieta inside St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican has Mary sitting while looking down at his son bathed in blood.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Florence Gay Travel Resources

Keeping Kids Healthy While Traveling – 2TravelDads

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Keeping Kids Healthy - 2TravelDads

We share a lot about staying healthy while traveling and keeping the kids’s learning wherever we are, and that’s because we know how important it is and because we love to give out free advice. Well here’s another helping of advice that’s extremely useful, both for parents and for those who might have to watch over somebody else’s kids at home or on the road. Keeping kids healthy involves everything from ensuring they have proper nutrition to maintaining a clean home environment.

As part of our partnership with Know Your OTCs, we’re sharing our top five tips for keeping kids healthy, particularly when traveling. Also, take note of some of the retro advice that we call out, as it’s nice to check what you know vs what’s actually doctor recommended.

Tip 1: physical activity does a world of good

It doesn’t take much to make your body feel better when you wake up a bit sore or when you think you’ve been sitting too long on an airplane. Physical activity gets the blood moving and helps your body recover by moving vitamins and nutrients where it’s needed. The same goes for kids’ bodies. Keeping kids healthy while traveling starts with keeping them moving.

In addition to the benefit of good circulation, keeping kids physically active teaches them good, healthy habits that will sustain them and keep them physically fit all life long. This doesn’t mean that you take your nephews on a trip with you and then figure out where they can do Cross-fit for Kids, but it’s ensuring that when you’re the adult in charge that you don’t just plop the kids in front of a screen. They’ll have their whole live for that.

By Rob Taylor – Full Story at 2TravelDads

Dune Sledding at the White Sands National Monument – Free Wheel Drive

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White Sands National Monument

Getting to the White Sands National Monument took two hours of driving west out of Roswell. The journey takes you through beautiful rolling hills and river fed farms to the town of Alamogordo, New Mexico.

The city sits in a “landscape bowl” surrounded by mountains and the Tularosa Basin. It’s also the closest city to White Sands National Monument and Holloman Air Force Base. There is an interesting clash of people here with all the military personnel and tourists around.

Alamogordo is also home to McGinn’s Pistachioland, home of the worlds largest Pistachio.

By Camrin LaFond – Full Story at Free Wheel Drive

Southeastern New Mexico Gay Travel Resources

Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona – Keep Calm and Wander

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Palau de la Musica Catalana - Keep Calm and Wander

A historic concert hall built in 1908, the Palau de la Musica Catalana is a turn-of-the-century piece of modern architecture by Lluis Domenech I Montaner. Its immaculate design, stained glasses, detailed mosaics, and expressive façade are some of the few things that attract tourists from around the world.

The building is serving the role for which it was initially constructed and that is providing a platform for the talented artists to showcase their talent in the most exuberant way possible. Owing to this fact, many famous artists, including Igor Stravinsky, Woody Allen, and Herbert Von Karajan have performed in this “Palace of Music.”

The modernist era was a movement more than a time period. It completely changed the very fabric of the architectural styles in Barcelona. The form of the palace or the hall speaks volumes of the craftsmanship of Lluis Domenech I Montaner. It is fluid, vibrant, and descriptive of the themes that the place is built on.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Barcelona Gay Travel Resources

Elysian Fields Inn – New Orleans Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast

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Elysian Fields Inn - New Orleans Gay Friendly Bed & Breakfast

Welcome to Elysian Fields Inn, a fully licensed New Orleans Bed and Breakfast located in the Historic Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans. Our neighborhood was just listed as one of the four hot neighborhoods in America by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Everything mentioned in the article is within a few blocks of our Inn.

The Frenchmen Street shops and restaurants, French Quarter and French Market are all just steps from our door. Stroll to the Riverwalk Marketplace where you can browse the numerous upscale shops before boarding the Streetcar for your tour of the Universities and grand homes of the Garden District along the famous St. Charles Streetcar Line.

Elysian Fields Inn is located in the historic Faubourg Marigny section of New Orleans. Our guests enjoy the close proximity to the French Quarter (only 5 blocks) and the Frenchmen Street shops and restaurants.

See the Elysian Fields Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Louisiana Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

The Perfect Weekend in Queer Brighton – Gay Star News

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Queer Brighton - Gay Star News

Take a pinch of Lisbon and generous helpings of San Francisco, Key West and Fort Lauderdale. Add the colorful, progressive essence of destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Berlin and Barcelona. What do you get? Why, England’s most iconically LGBTI-friendly city, of course.

Brighton, found on the twinkling shores of the Sussex coast, is a smallish city that packs a huge punch, It’s home to 289,200 people. As such, it’s comparable in size to St. Louis in Missouri or Anchorage in Alaska. An estimated 15% of locals identify as LGBTI.

Brighton is also home to the highest number of same-sex couples in the country. So, unsurprisingly, its Pride festival is a pretty big deal. It attracts revelers from across the country and around the world. This year, it’s also playing host to probably its greatest headline performer ever: pop superstar Britney Spears (more on whom later.) If you’re thinking of heading down for Pride, here’s our quick-fire guide on how to make the most of one of the UK’s most welcoming, walkable and accessible cities…

By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News

Brighton Gay Travel Resources

The Ultimate Koh Mak Travel Guide – Once Upon a Journey

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The Ultimate Koh Mak Travel Guide

Koh Mak is a small tropical island in the eastern Gulf of Thailand, close to Cambodia. We travelled to this island in November 2017 and stayed much longer than expected. I’ve seen many more Thai islands and I must say: Koh Mak is my favourite of all! The island is a well-kept secret for most travellers, it’s (still) a quiet place with a laid-back atmosphere. It’s located south of ‘big brother’ Koh Chang, and north of Koh Kood – they all are completely different!

What we most love about this island is that it’s relatively undeveloped. You might be able to get cash at a resort – but no guarantees – and there are no 7-elevens anywhere on the island (is that even possible in Thailand?!). Koh Mak is privately owned and therefore nobody is allowed to build more resorts, how fantastic?! And although there are many rubber farm plantations, you can still find lots of palm trees. The best part of Koh Mak though: gorgeous, empty beaches!

Koh Mak is located about 40 kilometres away from mainland Thailand (Trat) and 300 kilometres from Bangkok. From Bangkok you can take a minivan to Trat and take a taxi to the pier. You can even take a minivan directly to the pier. From the Laem Ngop pier in Trat, you can take the slow boat (cheap but slow) or a speedboat (fast but more expensive) to Koh Mak. Be sure to look up the time schedule of the boats! During low season there are less or no boats at all going to Koh Mak. There are also boats going from Koh Chang, Koh Wai and Koh Kood to Koh Mak.

By Roxanne & Maartje – Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Thailand Gay Travel Resources

Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm – Dyke, Virginia

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Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm - Dyke, Virginia

The Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm are romantic vacation rental cottages for two in the Blue Ridge Mountains, far away from the hustle and bustle; a place to commune with nature and unwind from the stress of city living, kids, and commitments.

Located in Greene County, about 18 miles NW of Charlottesville, our four cottages — Creek House,LaurelWood, Ridge, and Pines — are situated on 200 acres in the mountains of the Blue Ridge, surrounded on one side by a 1,000 acre parcel and on the other side by a 1,500 acre parcel. They are the last houses on a dirt road leading up Brokenback Mountain.

See the Cottages at Chesley Creek Farm Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Virginia Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals