The Ultimate East Coast Gay Road Trip Gui - Thrillist

Contents:

• YOUR ULTIMATE EAST COAST GAY ROAD TRIP GUI
• GAY ROAD TRIP RPGS ARE A THG NOW, AND I'M INTO IT
• THE GREAT GAY AMERIN ROAD TRIP
• GAY TRAVEL JOURNAL: ROAD TRIPS
• M-APPEAL SR SAL ON GAY ROAD TRIP DRAMEDY ‘THE MAN WH THE ANSWERS’ (EXCLUSIVE)

YOUR ULTIMATE EAST COAST GAY ROAD TRIP GUI

In the early 1960s, Bob Damron began creatg pocket-sized addrs books to help gay men fd queer spac while travelg around the natn. But eedom wasn’t always a given for queer people, leadg LGBTQ travelers to favor well-known gayborhoods liberal ci near the US astl.

Marshall’s Beach, a clothg-optnal queer hang beneath the Goln Gate Bridge, is the perfect place to dip your rriere the Pacific; Dolor Park’s southwt rner is a land-locked “gay beach” that attracts crowds on sunny days.

One of the untry’s earlit gay anizatns, the Mattache Society, was found Silver Lake 1950, and historic queer protts agast police btaly at Coopers Donuts (1959) and the Black Cat (1967) led up to NYC’s Stonewall Uprisg and the Gay Liberatn Movement that followed. Today, LGBTQ life revolv around Wt Hollywood (WeHo), where you’ll fd the hight ncentratn of LGBTQ tablishments, cludg the Abbey, LA’s go-to gay bar, and Micky’s, the bt spot to see RuPl’s army of glamazons.

GAY ROAD TRIP RPGS ARE A THG NOW, AND I'M INTO IT

You’re most likely to fd queer crowds around the Pri Flag Lifeguard Tower or at Roosterfish, a gay bar that also hocks lol art. This inic Amerin roadway, mythologized by Stebeck as the “Mother Road” The Grap of Wrath, slic eastward through LA’s gayborhood as enters Ameri’s wtern wilrns. Phoenix might be Arizona’s gayt cy, but LGBTQ-iendly Flagstaff sports an abundance of outdoor activi where weary travelers n stretch their legs.

For a gay daytime hang, drive 30 mut to Lake Travis where you’ll fd iendly queer folx sunbathg at Hippie Hollow — the Lone Star State’s only legal nu beach. On top of holdg the state’s largt LGBTQ Pri celebratn, Fayetteville is also the first cy Arkansas to jo the Internatnal Gay and Lbian Travel Associatn. If you want to keep queer, prs play on Spotify’s Orville Peck statn and drive to hip ‘hoods like East Nashville (the Williamsburg of the South) and the Gulch, an area for eatg and shoppg, while gettg serenad by the gay in of untry mic.

The cy has more LGBTQ rints per pa than Chigo, two gayborhoods, Short North and German Village, and a iendly rnfed vibe that mak everyone feel wele. Short North Arts District, home to gay hnts Axis Nightclub and Unn Cafe, is packed wh ntemporary art galleri, lolly owned rtrants, and chic boutiqu. This blue-llar town wasn’t always a great place to be gay.

THE GREAT GAY AMERIN ROAD TRIP

A mix of universy stunts and young profsnals enjoy nightlife optns like classic gay clubs, snas, and go-go jots. For a crash urse on LGBTQ history, vis Christopher Park and the Llie-Lohman Mm of Gay and Lbian Art, a pact art space wh famo and lser-known queer talents. Central Park’s Sheep Meadow transforms to a DIY gay bar for “Send Sundays” — a ee shdig that attracts shirtls boys to the grassy field between May and September.

For LGBTQ shops, check out Kirr Fch (menswear for women), Park and Ronen (classy signs for gay sophistit), Leather Man (kky cloth and acuterment), and the Bure of General Servic — Queer Divisn, an all-volunteer LGBTQ bookstore. Broadway chos boys set the scene Hell’s Kchen at an ensemble of gay bars like Indtry.

GAY TRAVEL JOURNAL: ROAD TRIPS

If you n gay up at queer bookstor, galleri, nightclubs, and queer-owned rtrants along the way. It’s really the bt of both worlds, meang you n kick off your road trip wh a round of pool at Blackston, the olst gay bar town, and follow wh chic cktails at Jewel Box, a sparkly cktail bar that seems perpetually drsed for prom — f wh twkly lights and pops of pk.

M-APPEAL SR SAL ON GAY ROAD TRIP DRAMEDY ‘THE MAN WH THE ANSWERS’ (EXCLUSIVE)

We suggt gay sports bar Cathedral Statn for peapple martis and fish; and chips or swordfish rice and torched hamachi cdo at LGBTQIA-owned Tiger Mama. Or there's always a chee tray and rosé all day at Rebel Rebel, a Bow Market we bar whose webse perfectly and proudly proclaims: “Leave your misogyny, your homophobia, your racism, your classism, your ableism, your patriarchy, your genr bias, and all your other bullsh at the door, 'e that sh will get you kicked out real quick. ”Pair queer history and happy hour New York CyHome to p gay bars, LGBTQIA-owned rtrants, queer galleri, and gayborhoods so wispread that the entire metropolis is one big rabow-hued blur, New York Cy is a mt-vis mec on any gay pilgrimage.

If you’re passg through and scratchg the surface, your queer agenda might clu a stop at SoHo’s Llie-Lohman Mm, a stimulatg showse for queer artists and blatantly gay artwork, while bnch uld clu New Mexin burros at queer-owned Ursula, a vibrant Brooklyn fe known for hostg queer bnch events. For an afternoon snack, satisfy your sweet tooth wh a key lime pie-spired mermaid sundae om Big Gay Ice Cream before takg some important history at the New York Cy AIDS Memorial and Stonewall Natnal Monument — the latter of which is a stone’s throw om Cubbyhole, a “straight-iendly” lbian bar wh a bang’ happy hour. Like Boston and NYC, Philly is a cy steeped history and rich wh progrsive LGBTQIA-iendly polics, nightlife, bs, and gayborhoods, like s most famo enclave, Washgton Square Wt.

While most of the cy is stnchly liberal and queer-iendly, a brief sojourn the Cy of Brotherly Love should foc on downtown’s gayt alve, where you n relax the six-acre Washgton Square Park or admire the magnolias on the lh grounds outsi the historic Pe Buildg. When all that leisurely strollg has built up an appete, wd down at any number of Washgton Square Wt rtrants, like Double Knot for Japane small plat and cktails, or wood-oven pizza at LGBTQIA-owned outsi wh pri Richmond, VirgiaKeepg the theme of historic Amerin ci led wh brick buildgs and cute bbltone streets, Richmond is more of an unrrated gem — pecially as a gay statn.