The best gay venues and cities in the world

If you are a gay traveler looking to visit some very cool places this year, you might want to take some notes while reading this blog post today. What is the best country?

London is cool

In 1967, David Hockney declared that there was nothing remotely cool about the city of London. He complained that everything in London closed too early, which was too different from the situation in Los Angeles where David Hockney loved spending his time. He even said that Mayfair nightclubs were not cool at all because the chairs were too small – he felt that he was at a children’s party. Worse still, the drinks were too overpriced and overrated (costing as much as 1 pound per drink in the 60s).

However, Julie Christie (an actress) conceded that London had become the coolest city on the planet – the wonderful success of Beatles had drawn creative heat across the Atlantic from the United States. Personally, I’ve been to London for many times. As a gay traveler, I can confirm that I agree with Julie Christie – yes, London is the coolest city in the world.gay couple

Frankly, New York City is the only real rival to London’s claim to have made the most contribution to international coolness. Nevertheless, New York City is in the United States – America’s superpower status actually makes New York City less cool. I mean can you be really cool if you are in charge? Probably no.

Dominic Sandbrook (a historian) points out that the UK’s cool status has been established by its slow then sudden loss of political influence and power. As a result, the United Kingdom has become a world leader in the entertainment industry (e.g. “Swinging London” as the hub). When I was living in London as a gay tourist, I got the same conclusion 😉

By the way, do you know that Richard Cullen (a very cool gay artist) is also from London? He taught theatre / art at university in London as well. Now he has moved to Los Angeles.

The Chelsea Hotel

New York’s Chelsea Hotel is one of the coolest hotels in the world because it’s my favorite gay venue. This hotel was designed by architect Philip Hubert in 1883, and then he Chelsea Hotel became a mecca for artists, including gay artists.

Arthur Miller stayed in Room 614 after his divorce from US actress Marilyn Monroe who claimed that she never had an orgasm in her life, although she was considered a s*x symbol. Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey when he was staying at this hotel. Leonard Cohen slept with Janis Joplin in Room 424. Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, William S. Burroughs and Patti Smith all spent time at the Chelsea Hotel.

Interestingly, the first floor of the Chelsea Hotel was frequented by lots of prostitutes. Moreover, when Luc Besson was shooting the action thriller Leon in 1994, he used the Chelsea Hotel for interior locations.

When I was in New York, I hooked up with several gay travelers in the Chelsea Hotel. We met at a gay bar and then went to a room in this hotel for a gay orgy. That experience was pretty awesome!gay tourist

Miss Gladys Sym Choon

This is a clothing shop in Adelaide, Australia. It’s currently run by a gay couple who live on the third floor of the same building (Floor 1 and Floor 2 are the actually clothing shop).

Like I said in an earlier article, gay men like fashion and have a very good sense of fashion. No wonder this clothing shop is the best in Adelaide City.

Whenever I want to dress up like a drag queen, I would go to this shop for some clothes and accessories, and it has never ever disappointed me as far as I’m concerned. I can always find the right outfit, the right jewelry and the right shoes in this amazing shop. A lot of its clothes are exotic, interesting, artistic and creative. The majority of its clothes would cost AU$150-AU$250 per item, but when it comes to Boxing Day, the discount is real: I bought an extremely cute and colorful capsicum dress for AU$49 on Boxing Day 2019 (its original price was AU$199) – That means I got a huge discount: more than 75% off. Well, does that mean the profit of clothing is actually very high?

Note that this gay couple runs another shop for men as well & it’s called Mr. Choon which is near Miss Gladys Sym Choon. By the way, Miss Gladys Sym Choon was the first woman who started a business in Adelaide and she was actually a Chinese immigrant. But now this business is owned by a gay couple who are definitely fashionistas with great taste.
best gay venues

Also, Miss Gladys Sym Choon is on Rundle Street, the most stylish street in Adelaide City. Rundle Street is also known as the East End where people can find the finest fashion, dining and lifestyle in Adelaide City. It runs from Pulteney Street to East Terrace where it comes Rundle Road.

Rundle Street has countless restaurants, cafes, shops, cinemas, hotels and clubs, including gay clubs and gay hotels. This is the most popular street for fashion and cafes in the city of Adelaide. Well-known fashion brands on Rundle Street include Zimmerman, Gorman, Sass & Bide, Marcs, Saba, Sooki, Tu Yu Boutique, Bauhaus, Calibre, Jack London, Mimco, Morrison and Miss Gladys Sym Choon!

As to eateries on Rundle Street, you can find Cibo Espresso, Felici Espresso, Eros Café, Lemongrass Thai Bistro, San Giorgio Italian, Vego & Lovin’ It, Joy Discovery, Nano (via Ebenezer Place) and T2 Tea. Very exciting!!

In terms of night life on Rundle Street, you can find venues such as Mary’s Poppin (several famous drag queens perform here regularly, so it’s the perfect gay club), Distill, Hacienda, The Stag Hotel, Austral Hotel, Sugar (this is a high-end club, so make sure you dress well when you go to this venue), Belgian Beer Café and Exeter Hotel.

Quirky Stylin in Adelaide

Quirky Stylin is another fashion shop in Adelaide, Australia. This store is unique because it’s also known as Australia’s alternative boutique where you can find alternative scene fashion, e.g. gothic, steampunk, rockabilly, Lolita, punk, otaku and cyber. They specialize in alternative clothing, including ladieswear and menswear. Their motto is “Life is too short to wear boring clothes”. This unique store brings the most amazing alternative threads from all over the world, e.g. top hats, steel boned corsets, steampunk accompaniments, handmade boutique accessories, elven circlets, feather couture, kitty-ears, pocket utility belts, hair falls and cyber fashions are their signature styles at Quirky Stylin. Also, they have plus sizes in stock, so if you are a big handsome gay man, you may want to check it out. Apart from that, this store also has expert stylists who can help you to create the right outfit for a special occasion or add the finishing touches to an existing ensemble.

Gay travelers are fascinated by London, the Chelsea Hotel (New York) and two fashion stores in Adelaide, Australia.

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