Gay Amazonia – New Now Next

Gay Amazonia

Walking through the streets of Iquitos amid the heat, smog, and buzzing moto-carriages, it’s hard to imagine there’d be a community of queens in the city. Iquitos lacks the quaint appeal of more popular gay hotspots: It’s dirty, rumbling, and while it has an estimated population of more than half a million people, remains accessible only by plane or boat.

Lodged in the Peruvian Amazon of the Loreto region, Iquitos feels more like an exile than a gay destination. But according to British writer Dilwyn Jenkins, who wrote The Rough Guide to Peru, the first travel guide dedicated entirely to the country, Iquitos’ queer scene is unusually active, for a Peruvian jungle town. Looking around, there is no sign of a gay scene. Presumably, it must be hidden away from the plain sight of curious gringos.

There’s little evidence of queer culture in the city’s history either, with one exception. Iquitos rose to prominence in the 1870s, following a rubber boom. It was a prosperous time for the rubber barons, but far less so for the trappers who were local tribesmen and mixed Indigenous-Spanish descents working, in essence, as slaves. Roger David Casement was tasked with investigating the ill-treatment of the Putumayo Indians in 1910 and 1911. Though successful on many levels, Casement was later hanged for political reasons and his diaries were leaked, which exposed him as a promiscuous homosexual.

By Mike Miksche – Full Story at New Now Next

Peru Gay Travel Resources

What Happened to the Gay Bars? – Traveling in Our Fabulous Gay World

Black Crown

Years ago, Gays went to the bars to meet people, have fun and enjoy being with other Gay people. In today’s world with the acceptance of Gays, Gays can go to straight bars and feel just as comfortable as going to a Gay bar.

Other factors have stopped people from going out to the bars. Cover charges for no reason is one thing. For those who are not into drag queen shows, they have opted out of going to bars. Last year we went to a leather bar in St. Louis and they had drag queens performing. Several customers did an about face and walked out of the bar.

The GangwayA lot of bars have bachelorette parties where straight women come in to see the drag shows and makes the Gays feel very uncomfortable. It makes money for the bar owners but they are alienating the Gay clientele.

Rising cost of drinks and the “drinking and driving” idea has stopped a lot of people from going to bars. And then there is the Smartphone and the different websites to ‘hook up’ and that has had a tremendous effect on bar business.
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Rising costs of operating a business with rent, insurance, utilities, etc. are rising and forcing a lot of bars out of business. There are also a lot of owners of Gay bars who simply don’t understand how to operate a business. Long ago all you had to do was open a Gay bar and Gays would flock to the bar. This certainly is not the case anymore.

Since we travel from coast to coast a lot, we have walked in to hundreds of Gay bars or the past many years. We have seen bartenders rip off the owners and in today’s world the worst thing is to have a bartender on his smart phone and doesn’t even seem to care if you are there or not. There are a few Gay bars that still do it right and take care of their paying customers and we salute them.

Some of the bars that we really enjoyed in the past and now out of business are listed below:

The TropicsThe Tropics in Ft. Lauderdale which we have been going to for years closed their doors last year. It was always packed and one of the busiest bars in the city. It was sold and the new owners simply didn’t know how to operate a business properly so what was once a real cash cow, now is closed. In a resort city like Ft. Lauderdale one really has to be dumb to lose a bar such as this. Thankfully another smart businessman opened up the old Chardee’s which had been around for years until it closed about 13 years ago. Now 95% of all the patrons of the old Tropics will drink down there.

Burkhart'sBurkhart’s in Atlanta had been a very thriving Gay for many years and we have been there several times on our driving trip down to Ft. Lauderdale. Some owners just don’t get it ! Any business depends on it’s customer base and for some strange reason, the owner turned out to be VERY racially stupid. All of his staff left and his customers stopped going there as well. Yep, he had to close the doors last January. Atlanta had already had two other bars closed due to not enough business.

The Palace Bar in South Beach which has been an “institution” for years was getting ready to close do to high rent, however the owner was able to find another location just 2 blocks away so the Palace will continue.

The Gangway in San Francisco, the city’s oldest Gay bar there closed last month. We have been to San Francisco many times over the years and never even heard of it. We had always thought that the Twin Peaks bar in Castro was the oldest Gay bar in the city. Well, we guess that is now !

The Double Header in Seattle, which was thought to be the oldest Gay bar in the country closed a couple of years ago.

One of our very favorite Gay bars was the Black Crown in Denver, Colorado. It was a very upscale and handsome bar. Unfortunately the owners simply did not know how to operate the business and then sold it a guy who really didn’t know how to operate a business. Sadly it also closed after just a couple of years.

In life, things change and the intelligent people know that they have to change with it. Just always remember the good times.

Don and RayAlways 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/

Las Vegas Gay Travel Resources

Gay Panama City – The Nomadic Boys

gay Panama City - Nomadic Boys

Panama City is often nicknamed The Dubai of Latin America because of its immense economic growth in recent years and impressive dense skyline. But unlike Dubai, this mighty Latin American metropolis has a far more welcoming gay life, in a country where although culturally conservative, is pushing towards civil union equality for gay couples.

Most will associate Panama City with the famous canal, which is a reason alone to visit. The city is also the gateway to some gorgeous tropical beaches within Panama, like San Blas and further afield – Bocas del Toro.

We stayed in Panama City for a week and found it to be a lot of fun, full of things to do, plenty of trendy bars, but most importantly, we left with a thirst to return. This is our gay guide to Panama City following our experience here during our big Latin America trip.

Gay Panama City

Panama a very conservative Catholic country, with a strong influence from Opus Dei. As such, the gay scene in the country is pretty underground in quite dodgy neighbourhoods, with places frequently closing down/changing. When we visited, there were no gay bars and only one official gay club (see below) in Panama City.

Warning: when going out to a gay club in Panama City, doormen are very strict and will only admit you if you have your original ID, preferably your passport. Most LGBTQ locals we met preferred to have private parties, or attend one of the the monthly gay rooftop parties hosted at venues like the Hard Rock Hotel.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Gay Panama City Travel Resources

New York Queer Clubs and Bars

New York Queer Clubs - the Toolbox

The City that Never Sleeps has plenty of time for nightlife, and the New York queer clubs scene is one of the most prominent in the United States. After all, the Stonewall Inn — a Greenwich Village tavern that was the epicenter of the 1969 Stonewall riots — recently became the country’s first LGBT national monument.

Whether your idea of an amazing night out includes Broadway-worthy singalongs or crowded ragers, there are a number of excellent gay bars and clubs in New York City to check out. Get to know the local LGBT community at one of these eight spots — and don’t forget your dancing cowboy shoes.

For the Dancing: Industry

Grab a drink at the bar and make your way through the crowds to Industry’s dance floor in the back. The DJs at this Hell’s Kitchen club blast up-tempo, Top 40 hits and throwbacks to keep people dancing through the night.

For the Broadway Fans: Marie’s Crisis

Come to Marie’s Crisis and sing along with an amicable troupe of musical lovers regardless of sexual orientation. The skilled pianists at this low-ceilinged West Village basement bar play classics by Sondheim, Lloyd Webber, and Gershwin, while patrons harmonize. Don’t be surprised if you spot a celebrity belting out The Little Mermaid in the crowd: A-listers are no stranger here.

By Peter Schlesinger – Full Story at Travel+Leisure

New York City Gay Travel Resources

Gay Bogota – The Nomadic Boys

Gay Bogota

Ever been to a club with 8,000 other gay boys with 13 rooms spread across 5 floors?

Neither had we, until we went to Theatron club in Colombia’s capital city, gay Bogota. The gay scene here is all about this infamous mega club, which is the largest in Latin America. It’s like no other place we’ve ever been to and certainly the largest gay club we’ve visited.

Gay Bogota - StefanThere is of course more to the big city than Theatron club, with many different gay places to hang out. We’ve put together our detailed guide to the best gay bars and clubs in Bogota, the best gay friendly places to stay and our favourite sightseeing things to do.

Gay Bogota Bars

Gay Bogota has a really large gay scene, with many many gay bars. The majority are based around Carrera 9 street between Calles 58 to 60 in the Chapinero neighbourhood. There are far too many to list them all here, so we’ve highlighted the ones we visited and loved:

El Recreo de Adan: one of the coolest gay bars we’ve been to with a seating area where you can play classic boardgames like Connect Four and Uno with your friends. We love the atmosphere here, made sweeter by the super cute charming waiters. As a bonus, there’s not one, but two El Recreo de Adans, one in Chapinero on Carrera 9A #59-85 (open everyday from 5pm), the other in the Zona Rosa neighbourhood on Carrera 12A #79-45 (open Tues-Sun from 5pm).

Estacion: this is a more intimate gay bar in Bogota and ideal to come for a few cocktails before heading to the almighty Theatron! Estacion has a cover charge of 6,000 pesos ($2) and is open everyday till 3am, located at Calle 62 #7-13.

Brokeback Mountain: one of the popular karaoke gay bars of Bogota and a fun place to hang out with friends. Brokeback Mountain is open everyday till late and is located at Calle 60 on the second floor of #9-28.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Colombia Gay Travel Resources

Key West Bar Crawl

Key West Bar Crawl Whether you’re visiting Key West for the LGBT history, art, food or something a little more adventurous, there’s one thing no vacation is complete without: drinks. The vibrant nightlife in Key West is every bit as unique as the rest of the local culture. Key West’s welcoming attitude, great weather and manageable size make it a perfect place to put together a bar crawl that’ll take you on a tour of all the scenes the island has to offer. With less car congestion and crowd crush as other Florida destinations, a stroll between Key West hotspots gives you a chance to take in the historic streetscapes between all those vodka sodas. Below are five of our picks for a night out that’ll get you stumbling home wearing a smile (and maybe not much else). SIP SLOW Keep it classy while you can. Start your night slow with an early evening DIY wine tasting at D’Vine Gallery (526 Angela St.). You can help yourself to samples for as little as $1.50 per “taste” at this self-serve wine bar inside the Gardens Hotel. Once you find your favorite, grab a bigger swig or a full glass using the same state-of-the-art system. Depending on the day, you could catch live piano or jazz while you drink up.

Full Story at Towleroad.com

Key West Gay Travel Resources

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Paris Gay Scene (NSFW)

Paris Gay Scene London, Tel Aviv, Madrid – we’ve explored some super hot gay scenes recently, and this week it’s Paris getting the Moovz treatment. In this new video, cute local Sylvain Poisson meets the movers and shakers of the French capital’s queer community and the Paris Gay Scene. The vid follows the presenter on a a wild night out. gay Parisian style. Watch as he takes in busy nightspots like Freedj Bar, Spirit of Star and the evidently very naughty Raidd Bar.

Full Story at Gay Star News

Paris Gay Travel Resources

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