Here are 7 random things I loved about my visit to Boston and Provincetown this weekend.
1. The ICA. Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art relocated to its stunning new location in 2006. This multi-level art museum, library, theater and more has always been at the avant garde of Boston's art scene. This visit there were thought provoking videos exploring human emotions. That's me reflected in the mirrors installed in the ICA's entry way below. It's located next to the Provincetown ferry operated by Bay State Cruise Company, so just plan to arrive at the ferry an hour or so before the scheduled departure and enjoy a tour of the museum.
2. The ferry to Boston. There are two companies operating ferries from Boston to Provincetown, including Bay State Cruise Company located on Seaport Blvd next to the World Trade Center and Boston Harbor Cruises from Long Wharf. Both normally take 90 minutes. The minute you step foot on those ferries, you are officially on holiday. The presence of other gay and lesbian travelers drinking (yes, there's a bar on board!) and socializing guarantees a relaxed environment.
3. The arrival into Provincetown harbor. It's beautiful especially at sunset.
4. The breakwater, a manmade stretch of cut bolders from the far west end of Commercial Street (Ptown's main commercial strip) to close to the tip of Ptown's curlicue end. That's Phil on the breakwater above.
5. People watching along Commercial Street. Best place is Spiritus Pizza. You can check out their web cam before going down there to see what the scene is like.
7. Working out at Mussel Beach Health Club. Great equipment and always a sexy crowd of guys who actually work out on vacation that you haven't seen 100 times at your own gym!
Bonus round: another picture from Ptown's harbor. Cool portraits of local Portuguese women on a building on a pier in the harbor.
Photos Courtesy of Manchester Pride Story by Joseph Alexiou
Across the Atlantic sea, as they say, is Manchester, the second city of England. Well known for its culture and vibrant nightlife, if you missed London Pride but still want to party with the rude boys, then you would do well to make it over there the weekend of August 28 for Manchester Pride.
And if that isn't enough to get your tweed vests out of the cedar closet, we have one word for you: Bananarama. That's right, the legendary 80's sensation will perform in the beginning of Pride Weekend.
But you have a whole week to travel, the festivities actually begin on Monday August 24 and continue on leading up to "The Big Weekend," as the Mancunians refer to the weekend of the parade. Additionally, our own Editor-in-Chief, Ed Salvato will be one of the specially invited attendees, a great opportunity to meet our resident travel expert first-hand! Tickets to the festival are £12.50 ($21) and can be purchased at www.manchesterpride.com/tickets (VIP tickets, which include three free drinks a day, exclusive views of the Main Stage and a luxury goody bag, are available on the website or by calling +44-1-612-367-474).
Some interesting pre-weekend happenings: the Lesbian and Gay Film Season at Cornerhouse; a Pride Gallery Tour; "Burlesque and drag king workshops and honest disucssions about sex" at Secrets of the Lady Garden; a pre-weekend canal bank run followed by eat and drinks; and short films dealing with trans issues by MORF and Transforum Manchester.
Once the Big Weekend rolls around, say goodbye to your Cruel Summer by dancing to Bananarama's Opening Ceremony show on Friday August 28. Other top festival acts include The Whip, The Blow Wave, and the newest electro-pop diva to hit the charts, Little Boots (performing Saturday—no need to upstage Bananarama!).
The parade itself is on Saturday, August 29 from 1-3 p.m. at the city centre (that's how they spell it in England!). You can bet your tuppence on some excellent color, sexy folks of all genders and orientiations, and all of the general parade insanity, including the undoubtably sexy Greater Manchester Fire Brigade—with any luck they'll require hosing down from the late-August heat.
After the parade, the Lifestyle Expo and Market Area will continue on through Monday, with lots of cute guys and gals hawking their products while heavily socializing. There's also the Sackville Gardens stage, which will be chock full of local bands and good old Manchester entertainment—local bands will play during the Sparkle space event on Saturday.
Partygoers will be happy with the list of great gay nightspots in the festival brochure—Manchester has a vibrant gay bar and club scene that will not disappoint those interested in late night revelry.
The celebrations culminate on Monday evening with the heavily attended candlelit George House Trust Vigil at 9 p.m. An AIDS memorial, quiet reflection in the idyllic Sackville Gardens is the "spiritual heart of the Macnchester Pride festival." Organizers describe the atmosphere as "magical and moving."
Looking for lodging? The Macdonal Manchester Hotel and Spa is a great 4-star property and is the official Manchester Pride partner, but there are a variety of great suggestions on the event website.
Photo by Phlox Photography Story by Joseph Alexiou
Because there's enough terribly earnest terrible theater in the world (which gays knowingly conceive, create, produce, and consume), it's a bit refreshing to know that fresh satire about this issue planned well in advance thanks to the International CringeFest '09. If Woody Allen and Larry David can enjoy wild success with that awkward and discomforting comedy, so can we!
Originally titled "Bad Plays and Bad Musicals," the combined effort of the Cringefest now includes and "Unholy Sunday Films Matinees," and year's newest theme, Go Genital into the Good Night.
Everything promised to be "hilarious...irreverent, politically incorrect, naughty, and utterly zany." We believe it when the featured shows include Grampa Hitler & the L'il Red Ridin' Hood by Leroi B. Di Milo and parody Dragness of God & the Naked Holy Ghost (yes naked!) by Michael Wanzie—performances will take place Saturdays, July 25, August 1, August 8, at 10:30 pm.
The latter, which is set in convent full of men, stars the sexy Reece Scelfo (pictured above) as the titular Naked Holy Ghost—their promise of naughty bits had better not disappoint, although reviews seem to be quite congratulatory!
In other themes, the Unholy Sunday Film Matinee—July 26, Aug. 2, and Aug. 9 at 2 pm‚—and features East Village designer Apollo Braun (a.k.a. Doron Bruanshtein) in Shut Up Apollo!, Candy & Daddy by Anton Perich (with Warhol filmstars Candy Darling & Taylor Mead), Death & Taxes by Joseph Sorrentino. A Day in the Life of Miss Sammy by Michael Wanzie & Jason Piecarski. The program finishes off with the promised Bad Plays and Bad Musicals in myriad other themes like Is That a Spear In Your Pocket? Directed by Tony Spinosa on July 20, 25, 30, and Aug. 4, how can you go wrong with plays called The Flaming of the Shrew, or the culturally insensitive Rank Roid Rite, Samurai Proctologist? Impossible
Children & (Other) Sharp Objects, directed by Kenny Wade Marshall on July 21, 26, 30, and Aug. 5. is another theme, but there are quite a few additional ones to choose from. However some Out Traveler fave titles include Booty Bandits,Swamp Ho, and Worst. Play. Ever.
Tickets cost anywhere from $15-$25, and the film matinees include a bag of popcorn. For further info and full show lineup, visit NYartists.org, and buy tickets at Theatermania.com
Photos in Order (1, 3, 4, and 6) by Tristram Kenton, (2, 5) by Catherine Ashmore, Story by John Kelly
Frequent travelers to London will already know that this dramatic city always puts on a show, but the capital’s current West End roster of musical premieres, camp classics and British masterpieces means that this summer is a perfect time for theater lovers to make an encore visit. Sister Act Has it really been 17 years? Time may have taken its toll on all of us since Sister Act’s 1992 debut (except a seemingly ageless Whoopi Goldberg—divine intervention perhaps?), but the appeal has endured. The recently-premiered stage version of Sister Act sees newcomer Patina Miller play Doloris Van Cartier, the singer who witnesses a murder and is ensconced in a convent as part of a witness protection program. However Whoopi’s absence isn’t the only noticeable divergence from the original production—the musical features an entirely new score composed by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken.
Sister Act, London Palladium, June 2 – Feb 12 2010, tickets £17.50 - £60 Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Just as in the original film version of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a giant, spangled stiletto mounted on a bus sets the tone of this camp classic. As with the film, the plot focuses on three flamboyant drag queens who traverse Australia’s arid outback in a battered old bus named Priscilla. Yet it’s the soundtrack and costumes that take center stage—invigorating disco classics such as I Will Survive and the remixed Downtown are delivered with a flourish, while the iridescent cast is bedecked in enough feathers and sequins to elicit admiration from even the most extravagant drag queen in the audience.
Hairspray The John Waters classic has undergone many permutations since it first emerged over 20 years ago, but the tale of ‘pleasantly plump’ Tracy Turnblad still strikes a chord with audiences today. Originally an award winning Broadway production, this story of Tuirnblad's efforts to win acceptance from her slender peers while contesting racial segregation in 1960s Baltimore is now one of the most popular shows playing in the West End.
Hairspray, Shaftesbury Theatre, until April 2010, tickets from £22.50 - £62.50
Hamlet This devastating tale of murder and vengeance may not hold the same light-hearted appeal as some of the West End’s more carefree productions, but the current interpretation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece is this summer’s must-have ticket of the discerning London theatergoer. The appeal is not just the show’s limited two-month run, or the opportunity to witness a home-turf performance one of the Bard's most defining works: Jude Law fulfills a long-held ambition by taking to the boards as the brooding Danish prince.
Hamlet, Donmar at Wyndham’s Theatre, until 22 August 2009, tickets from £32.95 - £42.75 Fringe Benefits Even the most ardent theater aficionado will be emotionally—and financially—spent after a vacation on London's West End, but alternatives to big-budget, large-scale productions abound. Local listing-magazines provide comprehensive information on what performances are taking place at any given time. Additionally, two venues frequently showcase gay-interest performance: Rich Mix, a cultural center and performance space, and Bistrotheque, a bar, restaurant and performance space that occasionally hosts ‘bearlesque’-style dance troupes and subversive cabaret acts presided over by legendary London performer Jonny Woo.
John Kelly is part of Out Traveler's international team of Correspondents, reporting from around the world on items of LGBT travel interest. Raised in Ireland and now London-based, Kelly is a freelance travel and lifestyle journalist specializing in European destinations. If you would like to become a Correspondent, e-mail us here after checking out our guidelines.
Writing about Cotati, my hometown seems a little redundant. For those who know me, or my work, Cotati is a town synonymous with everything me. I have had the chance to travel the world, backpack across Europe, live as an exchange student in Denmark, and tour most of the country by car, but I always end up back here.
Cotati lies about 45 minutes north of San Francisco. It is surrounded by giant redwoods and world famous wineries. The legendary filming location of Hitchcock's "The Birds" was filmed in Bodega Bay where you can visit the famous schoolhouse and playground where the birds ate the kids. You will also find a rough-and-tumble coastline and an infamous liberal culture that sprang from the 60's.
As an adult, I have always loved bringing people "home." Whether it be my Dad's BBQ or garden, his crazy room of collectibles and unique warm personality like no other created, or my Mom and her heart, her beautiful face and fascination with the lives of others. These two welcomed the Rock the Folk OUT tour with great anticipation. All of our lifelong friends came out and we had a big party afterward, a Cotati party, as you will see in the video.
Sonoma County does not need me to boast about all the reasons to come visit, but I will remind you that there are rare communities as welcoming, aesthetically beautiful and full of opportunity than the hamlets of this area. There are bed and breakfasts on every corner, and wineries at every bend.
Go have a cup of coffee and a Cotati Omelet at Redwood Cafe where as a 17-year-old I lived with my friends smoking cigarettes and spouting new found philosophies, or find yourself in the Cotati park where barefoot legends played before my time, and the students of Sonoma State with their hacky sacks and youthful dreams will surround you as you simply smile. There is peace to be found here.
Jake Walden is on
tour with Rock the Folk Out, sponsored by the parent company of this
website. He'll be submitting updates from his trip. Keep checking back
here.
Singer-songwriter Jake Walden has been guest-blogging for us recently, keeping us updated from the 20-city Rock the Folk OUT tour that he is part of along with artists Stewart Lewis and Tom Goss.
Besides being (very) cute and able to tell a good story, Jake also has one of those swoon-worthy voices (see above), so if you've ever wanted to trail a tour on a road trip, this isn't a bad one to follow! Coming up this and next week: San Diego, Las Vegas, Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff.
There was a time when people would jump in the family station wagon and just drive. There was a time when movies and TV and the Internet didn't make us feel as if we had seen and experienced everything already. CGI and virtual reality: No thank you! Being wedged into that station wagon (you can take your Beemer or Jeep, if you want) with memories of your annoying sister by your side and someone always having to pee, and no one minding because the side of the road is like walking into a painting, only 360 degrees, with texture and storied detail.
Again, they say that it is never the destination that matters but the journey, and the gift of travel may not be held in the itinerary, but in the random moments shared between friends or a loved one, between your heart and the beauty of nature you never even thought possible. Getting out of the city, opening your mind and smile to every stranger you meet You just never know what you will find.
And people, people are good and interesting, and different than you. This is my favorite video, so take a quick watch.
I know you will be grinning ear to ear with a warm fuzzy feeling at the end of it, and that you will be begging to go meet Brooke and Thor (above right) out in the mountains of Missoula, Montana for some homemade cooking and two of the best people, with the cutest cabin you will ever know. I believe that the strangest of the strangers is the one I want to meet. Go to Montana, to Wyoming.
Jake Walden is on
tour with Rock the Folk Out, sponsored by the parent company of this
website. He'll be submitting updates from his trip. Keep checking back
here.
Photos by Jake Walden, except photo of Jake below right by Lori Waldinger
We are excited to welcome Jake Walden, a multi-talented singer/songwriter (who happens to be gay) from Northern California as a guest blogger. Jake is sending us dispatches from the 20-city Rock the Folk OUT tour, that he is part of along with artists Stewart Lewis and Tom Goss. This is his second post. Click here to read about his adventures in Las Vegas.
I think most of the time we imagine our travels, we picture hotels and resorts. We allow ourselves to believe that what we are told to see or where to go is the only way to capture the experience. We are conditioned to follow maps and signs, to go where "everyone goes."
We become these outsider tourists who skim the surface of the skin of a city. These two days of the tour in Colorado we stayed with one of the most unique, fun-loving and fascinating people of all time, Michael Aisner (known locally as the "mayor" of Boulder) in the foothills north of the city.
My room had nearly 360 degrees of windows opening up to trees and a stream to blink my bleary eyes to as I awoke. When I arrived at this gracious stranger's house, I was immediately clued into the fact that my room (pictured at right) was christened the night before by Jane Goodall (one of my heroes and a true icon/legend of our time). We played ping-pong and horseshoes and jumped on a trampoline (that's Tom above left). We met locals of all walks and left feeling a part of the Boulder culture; a culture of hiking and biking, climbing and rafting, of politics and eco-awareness.
I wouldn't have traded the "Goodall Suite" and the eccentricities of the house for a five-star resort (really!). My special rock by the stream dotted with spring snow and my new best friend Charlie the tree are priceless pieces of my story I will remember beyond any landmark or museum found on the map.
I think today's video really captures the feeling of it all. And in the end, as the red rocks and snow covered summits of Salt Lake City come into view, just as with people, as in anything we find in this life, it's not what we said or did that people remember, it's how we made them feel.
Singer, songwriter and now correspondent, Jake Walden is on
tour with Rock the Folk Out, sponsored by the parent company of this
website. He'll be submitting updates from his trip. Keep checking back
here.
My name is Jake Walden. I'm a singer/songwriter from Northern California.
Someone once called me a travelin' poet and a student of life. I liked that. So here I am leaving Las Vegas after a week in support of the AFAN AIDS Walk
where I performed for the 8,000 souls who braved the heat to show their
hearts and stand up against ignorance, intolerance and a lack of
education.
It was also one of the most fun days I can remember. Las Vegas is full
of every kind of person you'd like to meet, and of course many you wish
you hadn't. The hotels are gorgeous. I stayed at the "Wynn Las Vegas" and "The M Resort" which both blew my mind, and would have blown my wallet had I not been treated.
Off to Boulder, where I meet up with Stewart and Tom, who you will meet in the coming days, to kick off our 20 city Rock the Folk OUT tour.
Along the way, I hope to share random insights in to the places we
travel, singing for our supper in cities as diverse as Missoula to
Portland to Palm Springs. Hope to find you along the ride. Peace, be
you, Jake
Singer, songwriter and now correspondent, Jake Walden is on tour with Rock the Folk Out, sponsored by the parent company of this website. He'll be submitting updates from his trip. Keep checking back here.
Photos in order: Courtesy LoveFest (4) Story by Joseph Alexiou
If you are a dance music enthusiast who wouldn’t mind bringing the
party outside for once, this post is for you. Fall is summer in San
Francisco, which means that those days off you’ve been saving for a
guaranteed Indian summer vacation can be put to good, use dancing in the streets at the Bay Area’s gayest metropolis.
No, we are not simply quoting Martha and the Vandellas: on Saturday, October 4th you can celebrate the LoveFest Dance Parade dance music DJs and performers. “Everyone is encouraged to dance in the streets with the floats as the, an annual dance music festival featuring a parade with some of the hottest club parade moves by,” promising a festive environment celebrating freedom and love for all. The 2007 event brought over 80,000 people into the sun on Market, Polk, and Grove Streets, a gayborhood area in central San Francisco.
Because it’s a dance party in Frisco, the question will be “can straight people go too?” Yes, this party is mixed; everyone is invited and everybody shows up wearing fantastic outfits. The recently announced partial list of artists (who will perform on floats) for this year’s event includes bigwigs like Armin Van Burren, ATB, and Benny Benassi. Stay tuned for more information as the date approaches, and be prepared to spread the love in SF!
Out Traveler G.P.S offers dispatches from the ever-expanding field of gay and lesbian travel -- as soon as we know, you know. Check back frequently for updates, insider information, advice, and offers brought to you by our ever-roving band of gay travel experts and by readers just like you.
OutTraveler.com Editor in Chief Ed Salvato and his team travel the world for you. Occasionally we miss something. If you don’t see your favorite destination, tip or deal featured here, tell us about it!
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