Questions and Answers for your Gay Wedding Wedding Night and Honey Moon

Gay Spots in Gay Cities
Las Vegas
Washington D.C.
Rehoboth Beach

Trip on 4-11-07 to 4-13-07 Midtown Manhattan.

This was a business trip the the lovely lady Manhattan. I was attending a conference, but luckily I sitll had plenty of time to go exploring Midtown as I had not been to New York in a few years. Midtown is great, it not only is the home to Broadway, 5th Avenue, Borders Central Park, but it is also the home to new and vibrant Gay bars, hotels, and establishments all around. The one thing you will have to remember though when you go to Midtown or New York City in general is that the rooms will be small. Well, unless you can afford a suite for like $700 a night or if you stay at a major chain, and even then you might get stuck in a space the size of a regular persons bathroom. But when you think about it, when your on vacation or a honey moon, all you are really in your room for is sleep, showers and shags. With this in mind, the size shouldn't matter or get you down, well unless its shagging, then of course size matters, ;-). The important thing is that you are in the middle of everything and you are going to have a fabulous trip. Anyways, onto my reviews. The hotels are from my room as well as the rooms my friends stayed in and the way they helped describe them to me. The bars and restaraunts on the other hand I definitely enjoyed first hand on this trip and if you plan on staying in Midtown Manhattan, you have definitely found the right webpage to findout what there is to do for a gay man or lesbian in Midtown Manhattan.

The Paramount Hotel on W. 46th Street and Times Square

The Paramount Hotel is the hotel I decided to stay at. There were multiple reasons for this choice, however the one that settled my decision was that I got an amazing deal on it with Travelocity.com . Only 600.00 for my flight and hotel with only a 6 day advanced notice. It wasn;t even a lastminute package deal. Anyways, the other reasons which make the Paramount hotel a great place to stay are:

1. It is an extremely modern hotel with luxorious high ceilings and down conforters. The lobby is breathtaking, lit with multiple colors. The chairs are all unique form one another and the trees are branches with orchid baskets and bags hanging from the branches. The desks and counters for the people at the check in are made of a nice white marble and there is a huge stone and metal staircase which has a sort of wavy flow to them as none of it is semetrical or level. Well accept for the stairs.
When you look up to the second floor, you will see one of the world class bars which make the Paramount hotel a famous hangout in NYC. In the square openings which are placed evenly throughout the second floor, you will see tables with people sitting. They are lit soo perfectly that you actually think you are looking at a picture or potograph no matter who is sitting at the tables.
The one complaint I do have though is that they got rid of the house, trance and techno music and replaced it with a retro soundtrack. It is still fun, but really takes away from the modern feel. Ohh ya, and the elevators are still lit different colors. Also, when you get off of the elevator look at the large mirror in front of you. You will see words in it which tell you what the weather is like outside.
Overall the paramount is a great place to stay in NYC. The rooms are very small, but the location is the best you can find as it is right in times square between broadway (Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast and The Drowsy Chaperone are all within a 2 minute walk. The other shows are within 10 minutes walking including Wicked, Chicago, Forbidden Broadway, Hairspray and more.) and between fifth avenue for all the shopping you can handle. From the hotel you can also be at Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center within a ten minute walk.

The Hilton on the Avenue of The Americas

The Hilton Hotel is exactly like other hiltons. They overdid the lobby, and the staff there tries to sell you everything from time shares to the stores. It gets really old really fast. The prices are high, however the rooms are large for NYC. The location isn't good for most gay bars or Broadway shows, however, if your goal is to have a nice sized room and you do not mind $12-$16 cab rides or 15 to 30 minute walks to some more fun areas, this is the place for you.
In there favor, Etrusca (the italian restaraunt) is pretty decent. I had the risotto and it was nice, however some of my friends had the steak and said it was to die for!

Gay Nightlife in Midtown and Broadway shows

Therapy

Thrapy is a fun gaybar to hangout in. It is fairly modern and decorated to be upscale and modern. Almost everything inside is very modern and underneath the stairs is a pebble and candle garden. All of the bars on both floors are made of metal and the tables are made of polised wood. The drinks are very reasonably priced and on the second floor you can watch American Idol and other trendy programs on their large screen projection.
The bathroom at Therapy is location in the back of the first floor. The nice thing about it is that it is very large and there are plenty of stalls so you will not have to wait long at all to use it. Also, the doors are huge so you will not feel uncomfortable or like someone is bugging you to get in. The only thing which could cause you to feel uncomfortable is that is is 100% unisex, but then again, isn't virtually all gay bar bathrooms. Therapy gets a 4 out fo 5 stars as the dark lighting and overall decor are make it a great place to relax. They also have karaoke and drag shows, or at least they did when I was there, however the shows and singing are not invasive enough to bother you if you are down on the first floor.

Posh

Posh is one of the worst bars I have ever been to. It is small, cramped and very annoying. The drinks are weak and try to avoid drinking rail. There is only one toilet for the entire bar and the seating area was pretty foul. I honestly cannot say this bar was a good time at all and cannot reccomend it. However, just because I don't like it doesn't mean you wont like it. Give it a shot because having a good time can be dependent on who you are hanging out with. Maybe it will be a better experience for you. =0).

Barrage

If you like the color red, you are going to love Barrage. Everything is red, I swear if you are an apple you are going to dissapear in this place. Anyways, it is one of the smallest bars I ahve ever been to, but the drinks are cheap and the bathrooms are nice with plenty of room. The one creepy thing about the bathrooms though is that they have mirrors above the urinals pointed down so that when someone looks at the mirror they can see your &^TU. Other than that the bar was a good time. They have a dj playing cds and the music is a fun and eclectic mix.
On a side note, if you are wondering how they got the name Barrage, just look at the front wall. You will notice it folds up even though it is glass windows. Barrage used to be a garage before it became a gay bar. Barrage is a fun time and it gets a 3 out of 5 as far places to go. I would only reccomend going though if you are with someone as it is a very clicky place.

Vlada

Vlada is set down a short flight of stairs and when you get in you will see an orangish curved ceiling which makes you feel slightly trapped. The bar is huge but the alley way inbetween the bar and the sitting area is tiny. Towards the back you will find the bathrooms and to the right you will find the staircase to take you to the upper floor.
The upper floor of Vlada is narrow but nice. In fornt of the stage is a sitting area, and in the bar of the bar, or the street facing side is another. IN between you will find a metal bridge over the stairs and next to it is the upstairs bar. As a warning, the upstairs bar closes during the shows and you have to order your drinks from the hot server men.
The staff at Vlada is the best and most customer friendly in New York City. For a gay bar, it is rare to have a staff which jumps out at ya with their energy and really enjoys the music and crowd as much as the crowd enjoys the bar. If I lived in NYC, Vlada would be above and eyond the bar I would hang out in on a regular basis.

Splash

So Splash isn't in Midtown, however it was still part of this trip and is definitely worth a mention. It has always been one of my favorite spots to go dancing and have fun in NYC.
The club has a decent sized dance floor as well as multiple rooms. Well not really multiple rooms, but the bar is strategically designed to make you feel like it is seperated from the dancefloor giving you the feel of a lounge. The ceilings are huge and there are platforms with gogo boys. The bathrooms are in the basement and are set up perfectly if you are pee shy. Each urinal has a mini video screen with fish and hey, not only does that give you something to concentrate on while you release, but what better to help you release then water and aquatic life?
Also in the downstairs you will find a clothing shop with very fun clubwear. It is not as fab as Cyberdog, however the clothing is a definite must if you want to be a trendy and fashionable club kid or circuit party person. Heck, the clothing is really just perfect for fun and grrls nights out no matter what city you are in. The best part is that the clothing store is not overpriced in the least!
Between the nice dancefloor, the shopping and the drinks, Splash is a definite must go to when you are in NYC and want to shake your booty in the gay nightlife. 4 out of 5 stars.

Broadway

The Drowsey Chaperone

The Drowsey chaperone actually ended up being fabulous. It is campy, dancy, bouncy and the songs are absolutely fun. The show starts int he dark but I won't ruin the rest. The plot starts with a man in his room talking about being gay, divorcing his wife, getting drunk, ehhhh the usual.
He then puts on his favorite broadway music on record and helps the audience imagine and dream the show with him. The cool thing is that the entire set of The Drowsey Chaperone takes place while in his apartment. Or at least till the last scene where they fly to Rio.
The plots and ideas are seriously campy, but they were designed to be. Overall I would strongly reccomend the show and hope you will all see it some day. You can buy tickets to The Drowsey Chaperone Click here

Food