Iowa City is a real gem to find. Being a University town, it has everything that most towns do not have. We experienced things that one would only expect to find in Chicago or New York or any other major city in the country. Coralville, Iowa is their sister city and abuts the city limits so be sure and visit both cities when you are there.
Their downtown area is where it is happening and you can walk everywhere which is great! You can walk to the University and take advantage of everything that the University of Iowa has to offer.
Be sure and visit all of their museums and galleries as well. There is a wonderful bookstore downtown that is located in a very old stone building that has thousands of books, The Haunted Bookshop, www.thehauntedbookshop.com/shop/haunted/index.html
There are dozens of places to visit in and around Iowa City. Some of our favorites were:
- Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, www.coralvillearts.org
- Englert Theatre in Iowa City which is home to the performing arts, www.englert.org
- Gazebo on the Green, which is a setting of 14 gardens on 22 acres, www.facebook.com/gazeboonthegreen
- Hancher Auditorium, for the performing arts, www.hancher.uiowa.edu
- Museum of Natural History, www.uiowa.edu/mnh
- The Old Capitol Museum. This was the first capitol in Iowa before it was moved to Des Moines but the beautiful old structure still stands and is open for viewing, www.uiowa.edu/oldcap
- Iowa Avenue Literary Walk, which is a series of bronze relief panels of noted authors. www.iowacitofliterature.org
Be sure and visit the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum as well as his boyhood home in West Branch, Iowa which is only about 12 miles east of Iowa City. It is extremely interesting to visit and has a lot of memorabilia about the President and is really a great history lesson. Their website is:www.hoover.archives.gov/
The University of Iowa is one of the finest in the nation. The Master of Fine Arts-a graduate degree based on creative work rather than an academic thesis-was born at there as the nation’s most celebrated creative writing program. Also is the home to renowned visual arts programs and boundary-crossing work in music and theatre.
There are a lot of great restaurants in Iowa City serving all types of food and of course we love food. Our favorites were
- Devotay, a tapas restaurant and artisan cocktail bar. It is the finest tapas restaurant in the Midwest. Check them out at www.devotay.net/
- The Atlas Restaurant and Bar, www.atlasiowacity.com/ is another great restaurant and next door to them is:
- Basta, www.bastaiowacity.com/ an Italian restaurant which is a very interesting place to dine.
- About a half a block away is the Pullman Diner and Bar, http://pullmandiner.com/ that is a very fun place.
But as they say about Iowa City, “Nothing can take the place of walking their streets, experiencing their scenic landscapes, meeting their people, engaging in their culture of their community and visiting their downtown shops and restaurants and bars.”
Before going, sure and visit www.iowacitycoralville.org and be sure to stay at the Brown Street Inn B and B when you go there. It truly is the BEST place in town to stay. Their website is: http://brownstreetinn.com/
Always 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/
Time flew quicker than we thought with our busy schedules and my partner, and I realized we hadn’t taken a vacation together in over a year. We wanted to remedy the situation, and both had an opening in late October to take five days off. It’s an ideal time to travel in Europe, but if you want to find beach weather, it’s tricky. We wanted to relax and hangout at a beach or pool with warm enough weather for bathing suits, flip flops, chaise lounges, and water that wasn’t too cold. After obsessively researching beach resorts in Greece, Spain, and Italy, the Algarve region in Portugal had the highest average daily temperatures (high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit), plus more sunny days and less wind that period of the year than the other destinations.
Boasting a rugged coastline with dramatic cliffs, breathtaking beaches inside hidden coves, caves with sparkling azure water of the Atlantic Ocean, and an ideal climate of over 300 sunny days a year (more than California), one could easily understand our attraction to the area.
Like many appealing resort areas, it’s become a victim of its own success, paving the way to overdevelopment with thoughtlessly designed bland condos and inexpensive all-inclusive resorts attracting mass tourism. However, among the cookie cutter hotels and resorts and restaurants there are some hidden gems, and we scored big time by finding three of them.
I spent 9 weeks in Colombia, longer than I’ve spent anywhere else in the past couple of years (except for New York), and I would have even stayed longer, had Mexico not called my name. Looking back, I can’t believe I almost canceled my trip – I would have missed so many amazing experiences.
In short, I loved my time in Colombia. It was one of the best trips I’ve taken, and while I was concerned about safety as a solo female traveler in Colombia prior to my trip, I never felt unsafe or in danger. I’ve been to places where I traveled feeling somewhat uneasy, but Colombia was not one of them.
Instead, I found beautiful beaches here, gorgeous Spanish-colonial towns, a vibrant nightlife in Bogota and Medellin, some of the best fruit I’ve ever eaten, a spiritual awakening in the Amazon, the ruins of an ancient city in the Sierra Nevada mountains, great new friends and memories that will stay with me forever.
On imagination of the perfect couple’s hideaway the sights of boutique dwellings catered to every desire, deserted beaches destined for frolicking and the privacy of your own love spring to the mind of many. In the Centro region of Portugal, some 50km north of Lisbon, these visions become one seemingly everlasting reality.
The region, best served by car, is home to four rustic and timeless old towns that unlock the true heart and soul of rural Portugal, bringing a thirst for connection to life.
Obidos, Nazare, Peniche and Caldas da Rainha will spark the flames of a love that will last forever. Welcome to the Centro region in Portugal:
Nazare
This market fishing town, in the north of the region, plays homage to the true beginnings of the area. Fish-sellers, scattered amongst the cobbled maze of streets and terracotta roofing, lay out the carapaus (horse mackerel) to dry as done by their ancestors and attract custom with the sweet smell and colourful array of fresh fruits and vegetables nurtured in the local area. During the summer months the area awakens with the spirit of returning Portuguese holidaymakers, travelling in from Lisbon and Porto, who bring a tide of international followers to Nazare’s vast expanse of beaches promised with ambient basking in the Portugal sun.
Last week, I was supposed to take another trip and visit a town I’ve been wanting to visit for a while now – San Miguel de Allende – and an old favorite, Oaxaca. However, somehow I never made it out of the city. I had too many projects to finish and didn’t want to rush through these places – you know I like to take my time in each place.
And in hindsight, staying in Mexico City was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Even though I spent weeks here, I only ever felt like I scratched the surface instead of getting a real feel of life in Mexico’s giant capital.
On this past visit, I finally got to know the city like a local, stayed with friends, discovered off-the-beaten-path places, found a local coffee shop for me to work in every day, visited my favorite bakery several times, found a local market I went to for tapas, fresh fruit and vegetables, explored neighborhoods that I didn’t know well before, like Doctores, Roma and La Condesa, let my friends take me to their favorite Cuban bar (the live music was amazing) and checked out a pulqueria popular with Mexicans in their mid-20s that was recommended to us on a night of bar hopping.
Most people associate Berlin with crazy sex fetish clubs and an extremely lax attitude to, well just about everything. In fact, you’re not far from the truth: in Berlin, anything goes, except crossing the road when it’s red. Don’t get caught jaywalking in Germany! Couples (straight or gay) will in particular love this city. There’s plenty of romantic things to do in Berlin to suit all preferences. Here’s our 5 favourite:
Before going to Egypt, I really thought that climbing the Pyramids is a big No-No thing to do because they’re ancient, fragile and they have to be protected at all cost. Boy, I was so wrong!
Apparently you can climb the Pyramid as high as you can–that is if you can find your way to the top. Well, you aren’t allowed to climb in all three of them but in only one: The Pyramid of Khafre (or the middle Pyramid).
Somewhere, I read warning signs, “No Climbing” but only in certain areas of the said pyramid. Nearby, guards are watching people go up and down the steps. And if they think you’ve gone high and far, they’ll remind you to stop and come down.
We’ve spent a lot of time at Bear Week in Provincetown so it is amusing to see a new VICELAND (Vice’s new TV channel) segment on the annual rendezvous.
Calling it “a world of many contrasts,” reporter Thomas Morton (the hairless twink in the shot above) headed to Bear Week to dig down into the world of bear culture, find out about the lingo, and check out just what goes on in the pool at the Provincetown Inn.
Says Morton:
“The term bear once referred to a very specific type of gay man, particularly a big and hairy gay man. Over time bears have evolved into an entire family of gay men of various body types and hairinesses…”
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Comprised of a gorgeous farm house and barn, both originally built in 1915, The Chanticleer Guest House is truly one of Door County’s most unique bed and breakfasts.
We are located on thirty private acres, just 1/2 mile north of Sturgeon Bay. The guest house and guest barn have been carefully renovated to capture the beauty of each structure, while providing the modern conveniences you should expect in a fine country bed and breakfast.
If a secluded cabin is more your idea of a romantic retreat, The Chanticleer Cabins were built just for you! Our four luxury cabins are located on forty private, wooded acres a few minutes walk from the guest house. Each cabin overlooks a private, 1/2 acre pond, which is a magnet for deer, turkey and other wildlife.
The owners and staff of The Chanticleer Guest House and Cabins have been caring for guests since 1993. We take great pride in offering clean, comfortable accommodations in a private and romantic setting.
Open year round, The Chanticleer is here to make your visit to Door County an enchanting experience. We look forward to your arrival.
Though Egypt’s tourism has experienced a big slump in the past years, the Pyramids of Giza has no shortage of visitors everyday. There are more local tourists going in (mostly students on one-day excursions), and only few are foreign travelers going around and about the pyramids—on foot. Most foreign tourists come in the comfort of their aircon buses, taking them from one place to another.
If you’re adventurous enough and you’re traveling with friends or alone, there’s a way to beat the crowd: don’t follow where most of them go. Make a detour.
There are three things, however, that you need to bring: a hat, water, and a few chocolate bars or some nuts. And oh, wear shoes, not sandals or beach flip flops.