Designing Helsinki

Story: Nikko Lencek-Inagaki; Photos below: Courtesy Companies

Although Helsinki's gay nightlife, restaurants and cultural offerings are well-worth the trip on their own -- at least in summer! -- the city is also an emerging design capital, marked by its current finalist bid to be 2012's World Design Capital.

There are also plans for a new design university to accommodate all the talented young Finns who are building on older international A-listers like Eero Aarnio -- remember this chair? -- and Alvar Aalto.

Of course, the best place to see chic new Finnish design work -- famously simple, eco-friendly and functional, but still statement-worthy -- is at the annual international design fair.

Barring that, downtown Helsinki's Design Forum combines showroom, shop and café into a stylish multi-use space where you can see (and purchase) work by both established and University-fresh designers.

At the top of the rising star list (look for his watch work with Issey Miyake) is Harri Koskinen, whose elegant but pleasantly whimsical glasswork for Iittala is simply beautiful. His furniture can be harder to find -- and transport -- but will be online soon.

Dotting Helsinki's Design District, you'll also find a handful of cool boutiques stocking the wearable version of new Finnish design. IvanaHelsinki, for example, the first label invited to Paris' main catwalk, has their flagship womenswear shop in the heart of the neighborhood. Beam and Tiger are the best places to start for menswear by Scandinavian designers, but neither carry Finnish labels. A few can be found, along with everything else one needs in life, at Stockmann, Helsinki's massive department store.

For something funkier -- but still very Finnish -- check out Secco, a small shop on Fredrikinkatu that specializes in recycled streetwear and accessories by forty or so local designers.

After a long day of the new Finland, unwind with one of the culture's oldest traditions: the dry sauna. A beautiful, central sauna -- and, built in 1926, perhaps Helsinki's oldest -- can be found at Yrjönkatu alongside a huge pool and a Turkish steam room. Check for mens' and womens' days and be comfortable sweating nude with a bunch of Finnish men of all ages.

Nikko will be reporting from his travels in Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin this month. If you have a tip on a new place he should visit, e-mail him here.

Helsinki by Night

When summer inches north in June to Finland, put sleigh-bells, reindeer and naked ice swimming out of your mind. When the Nordic summer sun rises it stays out exhilaratingly late, a formula Finns seem to mimic with their nightlife.

Long hours of daylight notwithstanding, pack a raincoat! And, if you are in Helsinki, make sure it is stylish. The seaside capital, long a cozy alternative to neighboring, jet set Stockholm, is shedding its  famously shy exterior and seeking deserved attention for its top notch design industry, chic hotels and lounges, and unpretentious -- but surprisingly edgy -- art.

 Located in the heart of the city’s Design District, the Klaus K hotel (where I've been staying this past weekend) is a good example of this new Finnish face. Exceedingly hip but pleasantly friendly, this design hotel includes two restaurants -- one Italian (Toscanini) and one more traditionally Finnish (Ilmatar) -- alongside Ahjo, a cool, all-white lounge with a streetside terrace and an intimate, similarly high-design club in back.

Late into Saturday night, well-heeled young Finns in designer suits and dresses poured out of taxis and  into Ahjo's live, pounding house. Thankfully, I couldn't hear a thing from my room when I, too, finally called it a night.

A small city, it still helps to stay near Helsinki's center and -- if you're going to frequent the gay nightlife -- as close to the Design District as possible. Around the corner from three of the city's most popular gay spots, Klaus K is hard to beat for this.

Two blocks south of the hotel is Hugo's Room , Helsinki's newest gay lounge. Impeccably cool -- although somewhat pricey -- Hugo's Room is great for dressing up, claiming a window-side booth and watching the busy street outside.

Crowded by 10pm (especially on weekends), folks tend to drift out of Hugo's Room by midnight, either  going directly across the street to Don't Tell Mama -- DTM for short -- or stopping by Hercules first, a dance club one block north of the Klaus K hotel. None of these venues charge a cover, but entry is supposedly restricted by age -- 20 at DTM, 22 at Hugo's Room and 24 at Hercules. Local Finns, however assure me that no reasonably-aged young man is denied entry.

By 1 am, the crowd really picks up at Hercules, a fun and well laid-out club that spins roaring pop remixes and dance tracks. There's a spacious back lounge where conversations can actually be heard, too. Until recently, when the city closed them all, Hercules maintained an appreciated dark room, but its absence hasn't dampened the club's popularity or the mixed patrons' forwardness!

DTM is Helsinki's most iconic gay place. A friendly café with an outdoor patio by day, a bar by evening, and a busy club later on, DTM is more or less open 24 hours a day. Locals grumble a bit that it's cool factor, multiple dance floors and good music have begun drawing a sizeable straight population, but all agree that it is still the place to be seen, to bring your female friends, to dance all night, or just to have a quiet afternoon coffee.

Nikko will be reporting from his travels in Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris and Berlin this month. If you have a tip on a new place he should visit, e-mail him here.

W or Kimpton?: The Biggest, Bestest Pride Packages

Photos: Courtesy Companies

It's always hard to choose between a W Hotel or a Kimpton property: both have stellar service, offer personalized amenities, and are incredibly gay-friendly. Every chic W, like every cool Kimpton, is also unique, so there's a 'Try them all!' impulse that's hard to ignore.

Whichever way you swing on your next vacation, though, both W Hotels and Kimpton are showing their LGBT guests some substantial prizes, so you can't go wrong.

W Hotels has renewed their Pride 365 package for 2009, which means discounts and bonus amenities through February 2010 at any of their hotels (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle...).

Rates vary by property, so inquire ahead, but amenities to look forward to wherever you stay include: a pair of complimentary cocktails, a flight amenity kit (every traveler's essential carry-on), a Bliss travel skin care kit, and a copy of the latest Big Trips: More Good Gay Travel Writing anthology to give you some ideas for the next trip!

Kimpton's third annual Summer of Pride package -- through September 29, 2009 -- is nothing to sneeze at, though. Booking two nights gifts you with a third free weekend night to add onto your trip, plus a $50 dining credit at the hotel's restaurant which are often among the top restaurants in town. Having scored a perfect 100 on the HRC's Equality Index since 2004, Kimpton's also added a new LGBT honor to its list in 2008: all its hotels are now members of IGLTA.

Let's Hear it for the Lesbians

Story by LoAnn Halden; Photos Courtesy Girls in Wonderland

Gay Days parties are changing fast and furiously, but Girls In Wonderland is dodging the controversy.

For once, there doesn't seem to be any dyke drama. Girls in Wonderland, a weekend of Sapphic-centric events held during Gay Days at Disney World, returns for another Orlando run, June 4-7. More than 7,000 women are expected to attend the pool parties, luau, club events, concert, and signature Saturday night dance party at House of Blues.

The Marriott Courtyard Host Hotel is sold out and Pandora Events, the South Florida producers behind    the weekend, are already filling the co-host property, the neighboring Fairfield Inn. Even in this economic mess, it's still one of the largest women's events in the state -- and it benefits the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Meanwhile, over on the boys' side of the kingdom, a Gay Days dethroning of sorts appears to be in the works. Johnny Chisholm's One Mighty Weekend abandoned its big-name venues for Friday and Saturday night's parties (June 5-6) over financial issues at the 11th hour. The Beach Ball, formerly held at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon, now unfolds at the OMW host hotel, the Buena Vista Palace, site of the daily Reunion pool parties. One Mighty Party, which so coolly incorporated Disney's Hollywood Studios and its best rides in previous years, will now be held at… the Gaylord Palms hotel. Um, okay. Tickets for these event are still $95 each, despite removing the theme park setting. (We'll let you do the math.)

Seems that this venue jump didn't go unnoticed. Typhoon Lagoon was snapped up in the aftermath and will still host a June 5 boy bash with DJ Lydia Prim; the party is dubbed Let's Go Play and benefits the AIDS agencies Hope and Help and Broward House. Tickets are $69.

Where will the guys go on Friday night? Remains to be seen. But over in Wonderland, the lesbians will be swinging from the rafters all weekend.

Travel Tech: Gay Amsterdam in an iPhone App

Photo: Courtesy SeeHolland

Unveiled last month by the Netherlands' Tourism Board, the Amsterdam Mobile Guide iPhone app may one of the most stylish ways for a lost traveler to get around the city.

Loaded with up-to-date sight-seeing info, handy Google Maps and all the photos you'll need to spot your next stop, the only thing that might keep travelers from tossing their paper guidebooks is expensive international data transfer rates. (AT&T has tips and packages on this).

Our favorite feature on the Amsterdam Mobile Guide, of course, is that it's organized to help travelers narrow down their choices. Rather than standing on street corner scrolling through hundreds of activities, restaurants, and bars you don't want, the Mobile Guide groups To-Do List items by, for example, Gay and Lesbian, Nightlife, Architecture, and so on.

On that note, another handy feature of this iPhone app is that you can also organize your trip hotspots by how long you are staying with 8-, 48, or 72-hour itinerary suggestions,

Correspondents: Playing Dress-Up in L.A.

Photos in order: Getty Images; Marcus Brock
Story by Marcus Brock

The spring offerings of Los Angeles have just come in, and they're looking pretty fine.

One of the best ways to spot -- or sport -- a good ensemble is with a lovely evening at the Pantages Theater, a Hollywood landmark since 1930. The Broadway show Dirty Dancing will brave the stage from early May through July, so if you loved the 1987 movie, you can relive that nostalgia and dress it up by dressing down in leg warmers and Jordache jeans.

You’ll want to dress it all the way up, though, when trekking on over to Society, a monthly event at Bordello. This vintage-inspired, boudoir bar in Downtown LA’s Arts District is on the mark as niche fixations emerge as crowd pleasers here. Channel your favorite era, whether it's 30's inspired with tams, spats and fringes or wayfarers, plaid shirts and suspenders. Stimulating juxtaposition at its best!

The slinky men in heels and tailored suits will turn heads and have you looking feverishly through your monocles. The performances are equally as intriguing -- even Adam Lambert of American Idol has graced the stage. For the modest $10 entrance fee, you'll get to check out both LA DJ Victor Rodriguez and -- if you're lucky -- the chameleon, Ms. Ongina from Ru Paul’s Drag Race, who'll likely be donning a largely feathered hat or a structured Balenciaga top. Take note and bring your creativity, too: whether it's pretty in paisley or pearl studded cravats, Join The Society.

 Marcus Brock is part of Out Traveler's international team of Correspondents, reporting from around the world on items of LGBT travel interest. If you would like to become a Correspondent, e-mail us here after checking out our guidelines.

Fresh Budget Stay in SF: The Americania Hotel

Story by Jenni Olson
Photos: Courtesy JDV Hotels

San Francisco's gay-owned boutique hoteliers, Joie de Vivre have done it again. Like their equally creative Best Western makeover in Japantown (The Hotel Tomo), their latest lodging facelift job spiffs up a 143-room South of Market motel into a playful, creative and fun property for grown-ups and kids alike, The Americania Hotel (121 7th St, San Francisco, CA 94103; 415.626.0200).

Joie de Vivre's signature qualities of modern, up-scale design are wonderfully executed in a scheme that includes vintage board games like Stratego and Chutes and Ladders against a backdrop of light-turquoise tones throughout the property (picture a contempo riff on that classic Howard Johnson’s  hue). Joie de Vivre’s other signature quality? Cleanliness -- thank you very much! This is a nice clean, modern hotel (though it’s 7th and Mission Street location does have its dodgy qualities and travelers should be warned not to wander over to 6th Street, one of the worst blocks in the city).

That said, the Americania is very centrally located and offers up solid and safe budget accommodations for smart travelers. All rooms have free Internet access, flat screen TVs with free cable and ample full pay per view movie menu, plus bedstand iPod docking stations. The property also boasts an outdoor heated pool with sun deck, a fitness center, pair of free computer terminals in the lobby, on-site coin-op laundry, on-site parking and a great bar/restaurant space called Custom Burger and Lounge featuring classic American diner fare (you can get room service from the burger place or from the pizza joint at Joie de Vivre’s other hotel just across the street, The Good Hotel).

Rooms start at $109 (weekdays) and $119 (weekends) for queen, king and double rooms. On up to $149 (weekdays) and $159 (weekends) for 2-room suites. New San Francisco visitors: Be sure to explore the JDVHotels.com website and make use of the trip planner which showcases all kinds of great activities and destinations in the city.

Video: Hyatt's Sunset Strip Riot: Now The Andaz

Video: Courtesy of the Advocate

The famed Sunset Strip Hyatt Riot Hotel has just emerged from a stunning face-lift as the new Hyatt Andaz Hotel. Check out this neat video covering the transformation that our colleagues over at the Advocate recently put together.

Steele Luxury Travel: Exclusive for Life Ball 2009

Photo by Patrick Kranzlmüller (CC)

Steele Luxury Travel has been busy this past year -- it seems as if they're offering a new trip we want to go on every time we check their website. Impressive as their trips are, though, we were still surprised they had landed the gig as the exclusive North American operator for Vienna's 17th Annual Life Ball (May 2009)!

Life Ball, after all, is one of the most spectacular events in the gay year, rolling a massive HIV/AIDS charity drive together with a ball extravagant enough for Marie Antoinette (drag look-a-likes are not uncommonly sighted). Surprising, then, not because it's Steele (a small company offering the highest quality trips), but because a event the size and prestige of Life Ball would go exclusive!

The moral of the story is that the costumes at Life Ball get more fabulous each year and tickets get harder and harder to come by, so letting Steele take care of the planning could be a good move here. At $1,999 Euro a person, guests can count not only on an elusive ticket to Life Ball, but also on being well-taken care of through out the stay in Vienna. The trips to and from Vienna -- aboard an luxe Austrian Air jetliner reconfigured to provide extra room per passenger -- aren't shabby either!

Tech-Savvy Travel: iPhone Info on the Gay Go

 

As laptops approach the size of cell phones and cell phones approach the functionality of laptops, it's only a matter of time before computers can be left at home in favor of a slim, stylish 3G+ travel companions.

Leading the way so far has been the iPhone -- surprise, surprise. Partly because making applications for it has become such a popular activity, this has also let the iPhone respond to the particular needs of folks on the go -- people who can't always lug the laptop.

This could be especially useful to frequent or light travelers and, capitalizing on this opportunity, GayCities.com has recently launched just that: a free, downloadable iPhone application that gives travelers access to their travel advice on the go.

Check it out here and, according to The Bay Area Reporter, look out for a few 'clones' to soon follow!