Month: December 2017

Ten Things You Must Do in Los Angeles

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Los Angeles

It may be called “The City of Angels” and most well-known for the deep saturation of ‘the industry,’ but in reality Los Angeles is home to incredible culture, cuisine, arts and nightlife, especially for the gay traveler. And as with most international destinations, there are simply some experiences that must appear on your Los Angeles itinerary, especially if you’re a first-time visitor.

Below we’ve taken the opportunity to share some of those experiences. Whether you’re an L.A. virgin or have visited a ton in the past — even if you’ve called Los Angeles home for more than a decade — the perfect L.A. affair will include several of these museums, meals and nights out on the town.

Exploring the City’s Rich Gay History

Sure, you may be in town for vacation, but your Los Angeles itinerary can still have you learning a thing or two while you play. Out and About Tours will take you through the city’s culturally rich gay history step-by-step, exposing fun, vital and hidden information about the LGBTQ community’s roots.

By Alexander Kacala – Full Story at The Hornet

Los Angeles Gay Travel Resources

Dragonfly Guest House – Ogunquit Gay Bed & Breakfast

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Dragonfly Guest House

Dragonfly Guest House is surrounded by all the wonders that Ogunquit, Maine has to offer. Take a stroll down Shore Road and you’ll find boutiques, restaurants, art galleries, museums and the scenic Perkins Cove.

Heading in the other direction on Shore Road, you’ll find additional restaurants and the village shopping area.

Ogunquit’s famed Marginal Way is just a few blocks from Dragonfly Guest House, through a lovely residential area. The gem of Ogunquit, its beautiful beach, is also just a quick ten minute walk from Dragonfly Guest House. And the Ogunquit Playhouse, “America’s Foremost Summer Theatre”, is just around the corner.

Ogunquit’s Dragonfly Guest House has five guest rooms and one guest suite, all with private baths. One of our rooms is dog friendly, so bring the pooch along!

There’s a large sitting room on the main floor. great for reading or just relaxing next to the fireplace on a cool, New England day. We also have a large common deck where you can take in the sunshine and enjoy some fresh Maine seacoast air.

We serve breakfast daily between 8-10 AM. We even have an on-site Massage Therapist to help you relax and unwind during your stay.

Ogunquit is a special place to visit and experience all year round – come experience it with us at the Dragonfly Guest House!

See the Dragonfly Guest House Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

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

The Groeninge Museum in Bruges – Keep Calm and Wander

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Groeninge Museum

At Groeninge Museum in Bruges, I’ve seen my very first Flemish paintings. That, if my memory serves me right. And these are not just your regular paintings. They’re the works of master Flemish painters, like Jan Provoost, Jan Van Eyck and Hieronymus Bosch. The museum also have some works from the Renaissance which I figured out before I read their detailed descriptions.

With our further ado, I’m presenting to you some of the art pieces you’ll see inside Groeningemuseum in Bruges.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Belgium Gay Travel Resources

What’s New in Queer Louisville, Kentucky

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Queer Louisville

It’s 2 A.M. on a Thursday night, and I’m at Nowhere (1133 Bardstown Rd. Tel: 502451-0466. www.nowherelouisville.com) in Louisville’s Highlands neighborhood. It’s ironic, though, because “Nowhere” feels decidedly “somewhere”—particularly in today’s gay landscape. I’m struck by the LGBT diversity: genders and sexual identities, along with race and age, seem to have fallen by the wayside. I wonder if it may be my Bourbon-colored glasses that are tinting my impression of Derby City. Cocktails flow freely around nearly every corner, and Bourbon culture is deeply embedded in the city’s roots. But so are equal rights and corporate citizenship, which have positioned Louisville as a go-to destination with Southern charm and progressive values.

Named after France’s Louis XVI for his support of the fledgling US during the Revolutionary War, Louisville has been ahead of the curve since its founding in 1778. It was the nation’s first city to introduce the secret ballot to deter voter fraud, served as an important military hub for the Union Army during the Civil War, and was Kentucky’s first state to implement zoning laws to strategically shape urban growth. Today, Louisville is the state’s only city to achieve a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s municipal equality index that rates LGBT laws, policies, and services.

Much of the recent momentum stems from Mayor Greg Fischer, whose stalwart support of the LGBT community has rippled through Louisville’s residents. “A compassionate city is an inclusive, diverse, and tolerant city—period. You don’t turn people away; you embrace the diversity,” says Mayor Fischer, who has held the position since 2011. “We’re proud of our 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Index for the second year in a row, because we know that to maintain our forward momentum as a city, we need to work to ensure that everyone—everyone!—has the ability to reach their full human potential.”

By Matthew Wexler – Full Story at Passport Magazine

Kentucky Gay Travel Resources

Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn – Gay Owned Bed & Breakfast in Bardstown

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Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn

Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn is the world’s first Bourbon-themed Bed & Breakfast Inn featuring 10 luxurious, antique-appointed guest rooms, Bourbon Bar, and Day Spa.

2 Beautifully restored, National Historic Registry and Kentucky Landmark Plantation Homes built by the Brown family, known for their historic heritage of Kentucky Bourbon and Politics. An 1810 Federal House, 1820 Smokehouse, and 1830 Antebellum Mansion featuring luxurious, award-winning B&B Accommodations. Spacious antique-appointed rooms, fine art, and tranquil park-like setting. King Beds, private baths, whirlpool tubs, and fireplaces.

Award-winning Full Country Gourmet Breakfast. Bourbon Bar & Lounge and Health & Wellness Spa onsite. Located downtown Bardstown – Birthplace of Bourbon and voted “America’s Most Beautiful Small Town.”

Request a customized Bourbon Tour & Tasting Package, available with or without private transportation arrangements.

See the Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

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

Exploring Queer New Zealand

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Queer New Zealand - Queenstown

Blessed with unreal natural wonders in practically every direction you look, New Zealand really is the otherworldly wonderland presented to moviegoers in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

To fly into New Zealand’s South Island from Australia is to experience humankind at our most predictable. At the first sighting of the twisty, mountainous, and lambspeckled landscape, everyone looks out of the plane’s windows in a simultaneous craning and angling of necks, and a rapid fire snapping of smartphone photos. In short, calling New Zealand pretty is like calling Liberace a modest dresser. New Zealand is a jaw-dropper.

Even better, the country is tailor-made for hassle-free tourism. Its roadways are elegantly paved, its people attentive and well mannered, even its ubiquitous grazing sheep (which outnumber humans nearly 18 to one) bare the uniform appearance of having all been recently shorn. What it lacks in dazzling cities and gay life, it makes up for in scenery so sublime even America’s most divided citizenry can agree it’s just beautiful all over the place.

There are few “queens” in Queenstown, where my friend Ryan and I enjoy an early evening arrival in balmy March. A city that would disappoint gay travelers in search of finger-snapping drag queens, a randy leather bar, or the appearance of an occasional rainbow flag, it nevertheless fires up the imagination of even the most armchair adventure seeker.

Hardly a major city (pop. 14,300), Queenstown is more like a chic base camp. If you’ve ever idled in Cairns en route to the Great Barrier Reef, overnighted in Arusha before hiking Kilimanjaro, or shacked up in a chalet before skiing the slopes of Whistler Mountain, then Queenstown will be instantly familiar. It’s a razzle-dazzle lakeside city where nobody is a true local and everyone rises and shines at the crack of dawn in search of nearby adventure—and there are plenty of them.

By Jason A. Heidemann – Full Story at Passport

New Zealand Gay Travel Resources

Harbour Cottage Inn – Gay Maine Bed & Breakfast

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Harbour Cottage Inn

The Harbour Cottage Inn Bed and Breakfast sits above Southwest Harbor and is located less than 5 minutes away from Acadia National Park and 8 miles from Bar Harbor. The inn is comprised of 11 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites all with private baths and was built in 1870 and was lovingly brought up to date to the highest standards in 2006.

The common areas are light and bright, elegant and comfortable and are furnished with contemporary as well as antique pieces adding an air of sophistication and humor in a casual cottage style. Spend time on our beautiful front porch or sit under the magnificent old Tulip Poplar on the front lawn and enjoy the tranquility of this very special place. We are noted for our great breakfasts and warm hospitality.

Here’s what they say:

Editors’ Choice, Yankee Magazine (2010) “Best Quiet Retreat in Maine”
Country Accents Magazine: “The Harbour Cottage Inn offers a perfect New England getaway”

See the Harbour Cottage Inn Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

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

Atomium in Brussels: Tower, Building, Pyramid or Sculpture? – Keep Calm and Wander

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Atomium - Brussels

Atomium in Brussels is an iconic 105-meter high structure. It cannot be called a building or a tower or a pyramid. It is between a sculpture and a science model, and it dodges  any classification. Modeled on a unit crystal of Iron that has been magnified 15 billion times, it is shaped from nine steel spheres connected to each other by large steel tubes and resting on support pylons. These tubes have access stairs, escalators, and a high-speed elevator which allow connection between the spheres.

Atomium was designed by architects André and Jean Polak and engineer André Waterkeyn and built for the World Expo in 1958. It symbolized the dawn of the Atomic Age, the optimistic spirit of the times and postwar progress. People saw a golden future for humankind in advancing science.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Belgium Gay Travel Resources

 

Queer Rio – Gay Star News

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Rio de Janeiro - queer Rio

Over 2 million people travel to Rio de Janeiro each year for some of the world’s greatest Réveillon (New Year’s Eve) celebrations. Revellers gather along the iconic Copacabana beach to send off the past year in style.

While Réveillon is a great time of year to visit this vibrant city, Rio is a year-round destination that always offers something of interest.

Carnival

Rio’s famous carnival is held before the celebration of Lent each year – a tradition that dates back to the early 1700s. Drawing around two million people to the streets of Rio on each day of the carnival, it’s considered to be the world’s biggest carnival. It’s during the carnival that you’ll see the spectacular parades of the city’s samba schools. This is a time for music and dancing and partying in the streets.
In 2018 the carnival will be held from 9 February to 14 February.

By Gareth Johnson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Brazil Gay Travel Resources

A Day in Gay Bruges – Keep Calm an Wander

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gay Bruges

From Brussels, I hopped on a train to Bruges for a day and did my own walking tour. I arrived at the city’s train station around 10 in the morning and wasted no time. As soon as I exited, I went right away to the Tourist Information Office. I asked for a map and the lady behind the counter was very helpful. She gave me a map of the city’s attraction and recommended that it’s best to go on for to discover the city. I told her that it’s what I intended to do. Since I’m bad at reading maps, I sat down for a while and pinned all the places on my google maps for convenience.

Bruges is a quaint little town in Belgium that has wonderfully preserved Romanesque and Gothic architecture. It has such a romantic atmosphere with old world charm that you will immediately come under its spell. Bruges is a spectacularly endearing place.

Bruges feels like a place that popped out of a fairy tale storybook and dropped in today’s world. The cobbled streets, the grand squares the scenic canals and soaring ancient towers make you wonder, why were you not there before? As you wander around and behold the sights, you can nibble on luscious chocolates, munch on scrumptious waffles and binge on crunchy fries with a variety of sauces, to keep your hunger at bay.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Belgium Gay Travel Resources