We’re already super stoked about this year’s NYC Gay Pride. The world’s biggest LGBTI festival takes place next month, from 19-26 June, with this year’s theme being ‘Equality Needs You.’ Managing Director Chris Frederick says the theme ‘serves as a reminder of the continuing fight for full equality and the effect a single individual can have on their world.’
Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, adds: ‘Whether it’s in the West Village – the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement – Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the East Village, Williamsburg or Jackson Heights, we encourage visitors and residents to participate in the iconic and vibrant Pride events taking place throughout New York City this June and July.’
Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, adds: ‘Whether it’s in the West Village – the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement – Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, the East Village, Williamsburg or Jackson Heights, we encourage visitors and residents to participate in the iconic and vibrant Pride events taking place throughout New York City this June and July.’
Here, we look at seven parties, events and activities not to be missed from this year’s jam-packed lineup…
1 NYC Gay Pride March
The March on 26 June begins in Murray Hill at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue and culminates at Christopher Street and Greenwich Street in the West Village. Led by grand marshals Jazz Jennings (the youngest grand marshal in NYC Gay Pride history), Subhi Nahas (co-founder of the first LGBTI magazine in Syria), and Cecilia Chung (an internationally-recognized LGBTI advocate), the NYC March is the largest pride march in the country and is expected to have more than 2 million people lining the route.By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News
New York City Gay Travel Resources
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Long famed as a magnet for artists seeking sunny skies, Santa Fe conjures up images of Georgia O’Keefe, flashes of turquoise, and earthen architecture. So it should come as no surprise that the city has the most art galleries and museums per capita in the entire country.
Fewer people realize that Santa Fe is as much an adventure sports center as it is a haven for artistic pursuits. Come December, the dusty desert town takes advantage of its sky-high elevation and offers some first-class powder at Ski Santa Fe (SkiSantaFe.com) with none of the insane lift lines endemic to many resort towns.
Do a few runs on the beginner’s Santa Fe trail or risk it all on a black diamond, then hunker down at the lodge for a local beer. The perfect tonic for those apres ski sore muscles is Ten Thousand Waves (TenThousandWaves.com), a Japanese spa offering massages anchored around a communal soaking tub.
It’s time to reacquaint yourself with Malta, the island nation in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea – and the European destination you’ve been missing.
Malta is comprised of three separate islands with a land mass of 316km2. But despite its modest size Malta gives visitors a huge variety of exciting and unforgettable things to see and do.
From its gorgeous climate to its rugged, charismatic landscape; from the well-preserved architecture to perfect beaches; there are many reasons to visit Malta. Here, we look at 10 of them…
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
A Dupont Circle location, The Beacon Hotel creates an experience tailored to the lifestyle of leisure travelers, full service, where guests enjoy exceptional hospitality in a welcoming atmosphere. A fresh design, the latest in technology advancements flat panel televisions, WebTV and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The very sweet Japanese cabin crew girl onboard our ANA business class flight from Tokyo to London giggled at this proud Frenchman as he pouted fiercely, preparing to tuck into his beef steak fillet and Aomori black garlic confit.
Stefan also looked on in a fit of giggles as Sebastien so effortlessly settled into his ANA business class experience. And wouldn’t you? All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, is not only recognised as one of the seven 5-star Airlines by Skytrax, its business class was rated as the fourth best in the world at the 2015 World Airline Awards.
The accolades don’t stop there: in the same year, ANA’s business class was also highly rated for its seats, airline staff, catering and comfort amenities.
The view of Cairo skyline from The Citadel isn’t really the best one you could get but it’s good enough to see the city from this elevated point. From here, sprawling Old Cairo dominates the skyline that’s covered in pollution.
Tall buildings are far and away, except for the skinny, towering minarets from the mosques. Surrounding the Fortress are concrete, brick houses of mostly earth hues and narrow streets with unending traffic dilemma.
There are two open terraces where you can see Cairo skyline from The Citadel. This is the first one I discovered on the northern side.
Forget the industrial fumes and the sometimes grim aesthetic of Socialist East Germany – Prenzlauer Berg is cooler and funkier than ever, thanks to a mix of gentrified neighborhoods, squats, artists’ labs, street art shops and breweries-turned-cultural centers.
One of the most hidden but precious areas in the German capital is also a growing gay district, already playing host to flocks of LGBTI people from all over the world. I had the chance to explore Prenzlauer Berg at the beginning of April; the trees were blossoming, guys and girls were starting to wear summer clothes, beers and cocktails were enjoyed outdoors among the leafy avenues and the small alleys, and the mood of Berliners was on the up.
For those who want to explore Prenzlauer Berg, a good starting point is the triangular open space of Kollwitz Platz. The atmosphere is gentle, especially in spring, and it’s just a short walk to the Kulturbrauerei, one of the most interesting venues in post-industrial Berlin.
For my road trip from Tucson to Austin I was stoked about the two stops me and my passenger would make along the way: Big Bend National Park in Texas for the Santa Elena Canyon hike, and White Sands in New Mexico, which I had already visited during my New Mexico road trip a few years ago, and which I loved.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise – White Sands is a desert after all, and as many of you know I love deserts. White Sands with its bright white dunes is truly special, something I’ve never seen anywhere in the world (not even on photos of deserts around the world, but tell me if you know of any other white deserts so that I can add them to my travel wish list!).
I was excited to go on another hike in White Sands – and this time in a bit cooler weather (last time I came here it was over 100*F /38*C and we actually had to turn around before finishing the trail). Even though dune after dune might seem repetitive, no dune is like the other, and every time you climb up a dune, you have yet another sweeping view ahead of you.
I’ve visited the Southwest five times over the past few years, but it took me until my 6th visit this year to finally visit a ranch, a real working dude ranch with a bunch of cowboys, horses, cattles – and all that back-dropped by the spectacular Southwest scenery: the barren Sonoran desert with its countless giant Saguaro cacti, dusty desert roads and rugged mountains.
It might have taken me six years to finally experience ranch life in the Southwest, but when I eventually got a glimpse of it, it was the finest of the finest: the fabulous White Stallion Ranch just outside Tucson, where my friend Lynn took me one morning to take photos of the horses as they were gathered in one huge enclosure and herded into another one by a group of wranglers.
The 5am wake-up call for this photography outing was painful, but the scene that unfolded when the cowboys entered the enclosure to bring the horses down together was incredibly beautiful: the morning sun was just rising above the mountain peaks, bathing the ranch in a warm, golden light.
“As Sayuri was standing beneath the Cherry tree, speaking to the one man she loved but could not have, a sprinkle of delicate pale pink petals fell upon them like snow…”
At this point, Sebastien GRABBED the remote control, interrupting the most beautiful moment of Memoirs of a Geisha to declare: “STEFAN! One day, we too, will become geisha!”
Fast forward a few years and we find ourselves in the unassuming Studio Geisha Cafe in Morishita, suburbia Tokyo, ready for our own Geisha makeover and experience of a lifetime.
“50% of our customers are in fact Japanese (mainly heterosexual) men who simply want to transform into something completely different”. Michiru, a former model/actress, set up the Studio Geisha Cafe with her husband to provide people the chance to live out their dream. She’s used to Japanese men who want to be transformed and we were fortunate to be her first foreign male geisha makeover.