New Map of New York City’s Historic Queer Sites

New York City Queer History

The NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project has produced an interactive map featuring their work to exhaustively identify and document sites in New York City pivotal to LGBT history. The project’s founders, Andrew Dolkart, Ken Lustbader, and Jay Shockley, have spent 25 years in research and advocacy and sought to contextualize events and places that had an impact on LGBT lives and progress.

Including sites such as Christine Jorgensen‘s childhood home to Julio Rivera Corner to pre-Stonewall activist gathering spaces, the Project officially began in August 2015 and actively seeks input from members of the community for suggestions and feedback. They described their mission to local NYC site DNAInfo:

Of the 92,000 sites on the National Register of Historic Places, about a dozen are listed for their association with LGBT history.

The historic sites project hopes to change that.

Full Story at Towleroad.com

Jail Hill Inn – Galena, Illinois

Jail Hill Inn

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

Jail Hill Inn is a boutique inn located one block from downtown historic Galena Illinois, prominently situated to overlook Galena and its stunning countryside. Choose from 6 different, 800-square-foot, luxury suites for your perfect getaway.

Embracing environmental and socially sustainable practices, Jail Hill Inn is proud to have earned the Galena Green Lodging designation. Keeping a strong respect for the earth in mind, we supply Aveda plant-based products in every suite and are pleased to offer our guests two charging stations for their electric vehicles during their stay; a Tesla station and a universal station.

When you stay at Jail Hill Inn in Galena, you will enjoy a wonderful reception of wine and cheese on your arrival and in your suite chocolates and chilled champagne awaits you. After a great night’s rest, you will enjoy a 3-course, gourmet breakfast in our 1st floor dining room.

See the Jail Hill Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

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

Cherry Blossom Carpet In New York City – Globetrotter Girls

Cherry Blossoms - Dani

It feels like I haven’t sat still for a minute since returning to New York. From day 1, I’ve been dealing with immigration matters, setting myself up as a ‘legal resident’, which includes things like getting a bank account, insurance and figure out how to file taxes. Then there’s the issue of finding an apartment and a part time job, which – much to my surprise – happened faster than excepted!

While I’m still officially homeless (no worries though, I don’t have to sleep on a bench in Central Park), I’ve started working, and I was lucky enough to find a job that offers me more than just part time work. Income that I need for a number of things, but I’ll get into that in more detail in my May round-up next week. Between the new job and my freelance writing work I’ve been struggling to keep the blog up and running, as you may have noticed, but I hope I’ll find a way to combine those three things when things in my new job have calmed down a little.

Luckily, I was able to enjoy a little bit of New York’s gorgeous spring weather before I started my crazy 70-hour work week, and one sunny morning my friend Kristin and I met up for a little photo shoot in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, one of my favorite green oases here in New York. We caught the tail end of the cherry blossom season and the fallen blossoms turned the ground into one massive cherry blossom carpet.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girls

New York City Gay Travel Resources

Gay Fort Lauderdale – Windy City

Fort Lauderdale

Going to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is an experience in warmth. The expected aspect of that would involve the actual air temperature; in fact, it was a record 85 degrees one “winter” day when I was there recently. However, the sunny disposition of the people (natives and tourists) was just as obvious as the climate and warm beach.

The first place this was obvious was The Grand Resort & Spa (539 N. Birch Rd.; GrandResort.net) Fort Lauderdale’s largest gay-owned and -operated men’s spa/resort—and there are a few in the neighborhood. Lee very kindly showed me around the spacious Grand, pointing out the pool, spa and, yes, clothing-optional grotto (where my cool suite happened to be). Yes, there’s warmth—and if you want to shed your inhibitions (and clothes), this is the place to be.

The spa ( which is essentially a bungalow ) features rooms that are comfortable. Massages (Swedish, mud and otherwise) are available, although I opted for a facial that left me feeling and looking refreshed.

After checking in to The Grand Resort, it was off to Wilton Manors restaurant Bubbles + Pearls (2037 Wilton Dr.; bubblesnpearls.com/), a champagne raw bar that can boast a Top Chef contestant as its owner—in this case, lesbian Josie Smith Malave. Malave, like various people I met and just observed, was extremely friendly, chatting up visitors and regulars alike.

By the way, if you can get her to tell you about her adventures in New York City, you’ll be transfixed. As for the food, there’s some excellent seafood—and the chicken and ribeye are pretty impressive as well. A side benefit was getting to introduce one of my dining companions to shishito peppers. He was so enthralled that he planned to send seeds to his own father sothe can plant some.

By Andrew Davis – Full Story at Windy City

Fort Lauderdale Gay Travel Resources

Applewood Inn, Restaurant & Spa – Guerneville, California

Applewood Inn, Restaurant & Spa

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

The Applewood Inn Bed & Breakfast in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley siys high upon a hill beneath ancient redwoods.

Our Guerneville B&B offers two kinds of lodging: modest rooms in our original Belden House, with a common room filled with cozy chairs in front of a river-rock fireplace; and ten rooms in our newer section, which have more room and are decorated in soothing earth tones.

Our on-site restaurant reminds guests of a French country barn, and we serve down-to-earth wine-country cuisine in a warm, comfortable atmosphere.

The Applewood Inn Bed & Breakfast is also the perfect setting for romance, whether you’re celebratin an anniversary, escaping for your honeymoon, or just planning a weekend in the wine country.

Each of our rooms offers fine Italian linens, down comforters, soft monogrammed bathrobes, imported bath products, cable TV, a telephone, CD player, wnd wireless internet access.

Your stay also includes a hearty country breakfast, access to our swimming pool and hot tub, and our concierge service – let us book a tour or restaurant for you.

Applewood Inn Bed & Breakfast is also close to the dramatic Sonoma Coast, the wonderful old-growth Redwoods at Armstrong state park in Guerneville, and the many great wineries of the Sonoma Valley on the Russian River Wine Road. We’re also an easy drive to Napa Valley and the famous wineries there. We’ll be happy to help you plan a day or a weekend in the wine country.

If you want to take some time to just relax on site, you can sunbathe by our pool, play a game in our game room, read a good book in the solarium, stroll through our organic gardens and orchard, sip a galss of wine in the Mediterranean courtyard, or just relax with your partner in our great room and meet other guests.

If your travel plans bring you to Sonoma County and the Guerneville/Russian River area, come stay with us at the beautiful Applewood Inn B&B.

See the Applewood Inn, Restaurant & Spa Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals in Sonoma County

 

Forty Eight Hours in Santiago – Globetrotter Girls

Santiago Chile - Dani

The booming Chilean capital can be hard to figure out for some tourists, but Santiago has so many beautiful attractions – from sprawling markets to vast parks, and picturesque neighborhoods to world-class museums. 48 hours is nowhere near enough time to soak up the true nature of this five million strong South American city, but following this guide will give you a true taste of the city, from its main attractions to its most charming markets and quarters, plus where to find the best views and where to devour typical Chilean dishes and drinks.

Day 1

10am: Plaza De Armas And The Cathedral

Before you start your tour, get yourself a BIP card for public transport (available in all metro stations). You can buy single use tickets for the city’s efficient, clean, art-packed metro system, but buses accept BIP cards only, so it makes the most sense to use it for both. Pay 1,500 Pesos ($2.20) and then load it with as much credit as you need – 5,000 Pesos ($7.36) should be plenty even for an active 48 hours in Santiago.

Exit the metro at the beautiful Plaza De Armas, the city’s central plaza and home to kilometro zero, the central point from which the city has continued to sprawl out in all directions. The plaza is home to historic buildings such as the incredibly ornate Central Post Office, the Palacio de la Real Audiencia and, as in nearly every Latin American city, the main cathedral. Although it might appear a bit bland from the outside, do not skip a trip inside, which is packed with impressive details and treasures you would never guess were there from the building’s façade.

By Dani – Full Story at Globetrotter Girks

Chile Gay Travel Resources

Gay Mendoza, Argentina – Nomadic Boys

Gay-Mendoza

When you think of gay Mendoza, you think of wine. This is the home of the famous Argentinian Malbec, where people come to get tipsy in the many bodegas (wineries) spread across the region.

The city itself is small, with a handful of gay bars worth checking out. Most will come here to stay in the countryside, marvel at the mountain scenery and of course, get up close to the many different flavours and styles of wines. Mendoza is after all the most important wine region in Argentina, responsible for producing nearly 80% of the country’s grapes.

When to Visit Mendoza

Mendoza is a destination you can visit any time of the year, with over 300 days of sunshine and very little rain.

December and January are the hottest months with temperatures around 25-35 degrees celsius (80-90 Fahrenheit). Winter starts from June until August with temperatures around 15 degrees celsius (60 Fahrenheit) and the rest of the year a more comfortable 20 degrees celsius (70 Fahrenheit).

The best time of year to visit gay Mendoza is at the beginning of March when the famous Vendimia grape harvesting festival is takes place. There’s even a gay segment called Vendimia Para Todos, which is definitely worth going to.

Gay Vendimia

Vendimia para todos (meaning “Vendimia for everyone”) is a 1 week festival of activities, parties and events, which climaxes with a large parade on the final day. This is Argentina’s largest LGBT event after the gay pride parade in Buenos Aires in November.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Argentina Gay Travel Resources

Palm Springs Private Home – Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs Private Home

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

Palm Springs Private Home is located on a quiet cul de sac.

It has two bedrooms, master has a king with ensuite, and the second has a queen bed. There is a study with pull out queen sofa complete with fax and copy machine and house wide wifi and free calling long distance Canada and USA.

The living room has a smart tv with satellite service. The dining room seats 8. The kitchen is completely set up for home dining.

The patio set seats 4 and has a gas bbq. The salt water pool also has a spa. There is an adjoining casita with two bedrooms and two bathrooms but we would like to rent the house on its own.

If you’re looking for a great place to stay in Palm Springs, visit us at the Palm Springs Private Home.

See the PROPERTY Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

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

The Grand Al Mursi Mosque – Keep Calm and Wander

Al Mursi Mosque

The grand Al Mursi Mosque in Alexandria is devoted to a great Sufi Saint Abul Abbas al-Mursi. In fact, his body is laid here. This is a very historical mosque where both males and females can go in and worship but separately.

I wasn’t planning to visit this place but I got lost looking for the Catacomb of El Shoqafa. I asked people around the area but no one could really direct me where the Catacomb was. My google map was useless but it pointed me to the area around this mosque. After going and asking around, I gave up.

Of all the mosques I’ve seen in Alexandria, Al Mursi Mosque is the most beautiful.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Egypt Gay Travel Resources

Gay Valparaiso – Nomadic Boys

Gay Valparaiso

Gay Valparaiso is the cultural capital of Chile.

Gay ValparaisoValpo (for short) is one of the country’s most popular draws, famous for its magnificent street art. Pablo Neruda, famous Chilean Nobel winning poet, loved Valpo so much he set up one of his homes here. UNESCO was so impressed, it added Valpo’s Historic Quarter to its World Heritage List in 2003, and The Guardian described Valpo as a “mini Berlin by the seaside“.

There is plenty to discover in this quirky city. To help you plan your visit, we’ve put together our travel guide to gay Valparaiso.

People in Valpo have a very open mind, so most bars are very gay friendly and welcoming. These are the few 100% gay bars in the area:

  • Pagano: attracts a mixed crowd of all ages with fun drag shows on most nights. Watching a Chilean drag show is the best way to get a feel of Chilean slang Spanish in its crudest form. Pagano is open everyday from 11:30pm except Sundays and is located at Avenida Errazuriz 1852.
  • Máscara: a cool gay bar in Valparaiso to start the night. They have promotions like 2 for 1 cocktails on Monday-Thursday until midnight. Mascara is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30pm and is located at Plaza Anibal Pinto 1178.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Chile Gay Travel Resources