Sex And The City may be over, but New York remains one of the most exciting cities in the world to visit for gays and lesbians. Plus, with the pound still incredibly strong against the dollar, you're going to get some great retail bargains too! What's more Heritage of Pride,the world’s largest annual civil rights celebration, takes place from 17-24 June, so what better time to visit?
Manhattan is what most people think of when they talk about the Big Apple and the large island in the middle of the Hudson River is fairly compact, being about two miles wide and just over 12 miles long. This means, that on a long weekend break, one of the best ways to explore is on foot. So put the Scissors Sisters on that Mini ipod you’ve just purchased and use our handy guide to some of the best gay cultural sights you should check out before hitting those bars and clubs.
Getting Your Bearings / Park Life / Broadway Bound / Times Square / The Factory / Washington Square / The Statue Of Liberty / The Bowery / Meat Packing District / The Stonewall Inn / More information
Getting Your Bearings
If you look at Central park from the top of the Empire States Building, as you surely will, then you will see what is an amazing green recreational area amongst the looming skyscrapers. The park is four-miles long and half a mile wide, situated at the very heart of the island and recognizable from countless film and cop shows.
The park also neatly divides the city into sectors, with the southern part of the island called 'Downtown,' and the area directly south of Central park called 'mid-town.' Everything from the middle of the park to the northern tip of the island is called 'Uptown,' which is where us classy girls should be hanging out.
The area of the island closest to Long Island is called 'East Side,' while the part closest to the Hudson River is 'West Side.' If you look at the two areas lying on either side of Central Park, they are logically called 'Upper East Side,' and 'Upper West Side.'
New York is built on a grid system, and is therefore incredibly easy to navigate your way around. Numbered streets run from east to west, while the avenues run from north to south, with the 12 avenues also interspersed with named avenues like Park Avenue, Lexington, Madison and Broadway.
Park Life
Romantics could actually spend their whole weekend in Central Park recognizing film locations and finding surprises at every turn. Why not take a horse drawn carriage ride from the Plaza Hotel (Central Park South and 59th Street) and feel like you’re back in the film Arthur with cuddly Dudley and Liza. The gay friendly drivers will point out sites of interest along the way, while $40 dollars is well worth the spend if you’re with a partner.
A stroll through the park will also unearth vintage carousels, a boating lake, that famous ice-skating rink, and the zoo - which is home to gay penguins Roy and Silo who have been together since 1998!
Fans of the Beatles won't want to miss the poignant Strawberry Fields, a tear-shaped garden of remembrance, built in 1981 in tribute to John Lennon, who was, of course shot in the city. A mosaic in the floor says one simple word - 'Imagine.'
On the gay cruising front, the Rambles used to be the area to, erm, hang out in, but now it's more popular to show off those pecks (weather depending) at Sheep Meadow.
When the first gay solidarity marches took place after the Stonewall Riots back in 1969, just a few hundred people started in Greenwich Village. As they walked up Sixth Avenue they would recognize friends watching and encourage them to join in. When the march reached Central Park and climbed the small hill overlooking the Sheep meadow, they looked back and saw homosexuals and supporters for as far as the eye could see - at least 15 blocks worth. No one had seen so many gay people in one place before, and people who had grown up isolated and alone stood there and cried. Visit www.centalpark.org for more information.
Broadway Bound
Broadway and the theatre district have obvious gay appeal. Currently there’s lots of gay friendly fare on offer, including Hairspray, La Cage Aux Follies, Mamma Mia, Avenue Q and Wicked, a musical prequel to the Wizard Of Oz. Visit www.broadway.com to book a show.
The area was also home to one of the most infamous nightclubs ever, Studio 54, which was opened in 1977 by the late Steve Rubell and his partner Ian Schrager. The stringent door policy meant that ordinary people wore the most outrageous of costumes to get in - think glitter, sequins and gold and silver body paint - while the drugs flowed as freely as the drinks, and glitter that fell from above the dancefloor.
Ultimately both men ended up in prison for tax evasion, and the party was finally over. Today, the venue on 54th Street is now a theatre.
Times Square
The lights of Times Square are an unmissable treat after sunset. The area used to be a place where hustlers turned tricks, but those boys have now moved elsewhere. In its hey day the area was an important meeting place for gay men including Tennessee Williams and Montgomery Clift, the later was even arrested here for soliciting after receiving his Oscar nomination for The Search. Check out the Times Square Building at 1 Times Square, which was a notorious meeting place for gay men in the 20s and 30s.
A Mr. Farley, who owned a newsstand in the basement, even complained that, "whenever the fleet comes into town, every sailor who wants his dick licked comes to the Times Square Building. It seems to be common knowledge among the sailors that this is the place to go if they want to meet fairies."
The Factory
At 33 Union Square you’ll find The Factory, which became Andy Warhol's studio and a hangout for artists and film stars. He was actually shot in the chest here in 1968 by Valarie Solanis, a Factory groupie and founding member for SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men), although he survived the attempted murder. He also used his fame to create other superstars like Lou Reed and The Velert Underground, Candy Darling, Ultra Violet and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He also invented pop art and did a lot for soup cans - though he was notoriously unspoken about his sexuality.
Washington Square
Lesbian history is in short supply in New York, just like London, because being a lesbian has never been illegal, and therefore we don't have access to any court records. However, the beautiful Washington Square has been home to many famous lesbians including Eleanor Roosevelt and Rita Mae Brown. One of Rita's characters, Molly, in the novel Ruby Fruit Jungle asked to be dropped off there when arriving in New York because, "I had read in some trashy book that the square was the hub of the village and the village was the hub of homosexuality."
The Statue Of Liberty
Visit Battery Park for a fine riverside view of Lady Liberty. In 1914 when Rudolph Valentino first arrived in the country, he slept rough here, while Noel Coward used to use this area for cruising. In fact as recently as the 1930s, the benches in this area would have been filled with young lads, waiting for the sailors to come ashore looking for some fun!
You can take a free ferry to Staten Island from here which will give you a much closer look at the Statue Of Liberty, while The Circle Line will take you on a cruise around the whole of Manhattan if you have more time to spend. At the south of Bowling Green you'll be able to see Customs House where Edward Hyde, cousin of Queen Anne, lived. He was made governor of New York in 1702 and could often be seen on the ramparts of the fort wearing women's clothes, to show the soldiers and passing people how much he looked like Queen Ann.
Ground Zero
The site of the former World Trade Centre is not necessarily a place you’ll want to visit as the area is still a site of staggering sadness and reflection. The events of September 11 2001 changed the geographical and political landscape forever. Many gay men and lesbians were killed when the planes crashed into the towers, but in the aftermath their partners and lovers received little or no state support.
The Human Right Campaign, which is the US equivalent of Stonewall, continues to fight for their rights and encourage Americans to take gay rights seriously. The re-election of George Bush means their fight is set to be long and uphill struggle.
The Bowery
In a similar fashion to Soho, the Bowery has historically been a melting pot of cultures, with the working class and gay men traditionally linked to this area. In the 1880s, gay men used to meet up at Columbia Hall and dress up as women, mirroring the earlier Molly Houses in London. Police reports from the time say that the area "was full of male degenerates using names like Princess this and Lady So So and the Duchess of Marlboro. They'd get up and sing as women and dance and ape the female characters, calling each other sister and take people out for immoral purposes." Sounds like the birth of US drag culture to us!
Meat Packing District
This has long been known as an area of sexual excess, which back in the 60s and 70s was where you would find endless wholesale food markets, specializing especially in meat. The trucks that would bring the meat to Washington Street would sit empty all night - well besides for the hungry men who filled the vehicles keen to do a bit of meat packing themselves!
The Stonewall Inn
Every gay visitor to New York must pay a visit to the Stonewall Inn and the birthplace of the gay civil rights movement - although be warned, it really is a bit of a dive today. Back in 1969 the inn was one of the most popular gay watering holes in the village, and on 27 June nine policemen decided to raid the venue - something that was very commonplace at the time. However, the night before gay icon Judy Garland had died, and this time the locals and especially the drag queens were in the mood to put up a fight.
A crowd of around 400 gathered and the police had to barricade themselves in the venue and call for reinforcements. The next night a crowd of around 1000 people gathered, taunting the police with the chant, "We are the Stonewall girls / We wear our hair in curls / We have no underwear / We show our pubic hair." The riots turned very violent, with people lying in the streets bleeding, but it showed gay people they could fight back, and has led to pride marches and rallies around the world calling for gay and lesbian equality.
More information
If you fancy finding out more about New York's gay history, grab a copy of Stepping Out: Nine Walks Through New York City's Gay And Lesbian Past by Daniel Hurewitz (Owl Books).
For guided walking tours check out www.nygallerytours.com/gay.htm. Meanwhile if you are feeling thirsty after all that mincing around, check out daily updated information on all the best gay bars, clubs and cafes at www.hx.com/listings.
Find out all the latest gay travel information by buying the 2007 Spartacus International Gay Guide. Get it online and save some money to put towards the other Bruno Gmunder guides - Hotel and Restaurant Guide and Sauna Guide.