Gayborhoods don’t necessarily need rainbow-painted sidewalks to grab our attention. LGBT folks have always gravitated to the coolest parts in town, but now we need your help to find which city has the hippest gayborhood.
Tokyo‘s Shinjuku Ni-Chome district has both the low-lit lounges and al fresco dining patios that we love.
Silverlake in Los Angeles is the ultimate hub for hipster music lovers.
And who can neglect the gritty charm of Canal Saint Martin in Paris where you’re most likely to find French boys sunbathing shirtless.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Or maybe it’s none of the above. Maybe Toronto, Melbourne or Miami have the cool ‘hood where all the hip gay folks hang out.
Let us know! Head over to GayCities and vote now for the “Hippest Gayborhood” in Best of GayCities 2015.
You can vote everyday for your favorite destinations. The last day to vote is January 7th, 2016, 11:59pm ET. The more times you vote the greater your chance of winning the grand prize: a trip for two to anywhere in the U.S.
Photo: Flickr
Rolando P. Cabiluna
where’s S.F. and N.Y.?
Glücklich
Read up on gay bar-hopping in Tokyo. The pubs are no exception to space constraints in Tokyo and because of very limited capacity will usually only let in the type to which they cater.
@Rolando P. Cabiluna:
Both cities qualify as the gayborhood.
Giancarlo85
LA is a very cool diverse city. Not just having the usual areas like Silverlake and Who, but other parts like old Pasadena. There is so much to do in this city. I have been to San Francisco… But I prefer LA. I am just speaking in general. Though I mist say San Fran’s Chinatown is way better than the one here in LA. Oops… Went off subject a bit.
As far as gay bars and clubs, I think LA (county since Weho is not part of LA City) has the edge over other cities.
onthemark
Toronto & Montreal both have gayborhoods with a lot of personality to them. Sheer number & variety of gay businesses, nightlife & bars within a relatively small, walkable area. “Walkable” makes bar-hopping practical (or even possible? – hic), which is key to the whole idea.
@Glücklich: It seems that NY gay life has settled in the Hell’s Kitchen area without making much of cultural dent in it as a gayborhood – not yet anyway. Not in the way that Chelsea was before that, and the West Village before that. Hopefully it will “gel” some more as a gayborhood. Or maybe before that even happens, real estate prices will drive the gayborhood into Queens or Jersey City or Gaga knows where. That would definitely be weird, but stranger things in real estate have happened.
Chris
You had me at Paris.
But then, I’ve never been to Sydney, Tokyo or some of those other areas.
Glücklich
@onthemark:
Probably once Hudson Yards is populated Hell’s Kitchen’ll pick up. I think it’s just fine but I’m not really into gayborhoods, or rather (probably like yourself) my nightlife doesn’t revolve around them. Not a clubby person and I like a nice lounge-y bar versus a loud pick-up joint.
Jersey City? Egads! Hoboken, yeah, but Jersey City is where back offices go to die. I suppose they could open a gay club there and call it The Cube Farm.
Captain Obvious
LA sucks.
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: Says the guy who lives in rural Kentucky.
Realitycheck
@onthemark: Gay life in New York is no longer limited to one or two high concentration neighborhoods, the latest and newest gay mecca is actually Williamsburg, but you will find a vibrant lesbian community in Park Slope and plenty of gay clubs and bars in the East and West Village, Chelsea, and Hells Kitchen.
Realitycheck
@Chris: Berlin is the new Paris with a huge gay life…….
Captain Obvious
@Giancarlo85: 1) No one was talking to you. 2) I do not live in nor have I ever even been to Kentucky. 3) You said you were from Brazil and raised holy hell when I talked about Brazil but you keep interjecting telling me about America.
I know you’re a pathetic little troll with nothing better to do on Christmas Eve but start crap but you could really stop replying to everything I post when I don’t even direct anything to you.
SonOfKings
I am thankful that, so far, this thread hasn’t been been spoiled by one of those misguided souls who would argue that gayborhoods are no longer needed because Gays are now so “universally loved and accepted…” Aside from the blatant inaccuracy of that claim, culturally distinctive neighborhoods add to the charm and liveliness of a city. And with that said, the charm of Toronto’s gayborhoods has dimmed in recent years, due to yuppie gentrification and condo mania , tsk tsk…
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: You confirmed many times that you live in a rural part of this country because you wanted to “change minds”. When you post on here, everything is fair game to criticism.
I have never said anything about Brazil, except for the fact that Brazilian guys are hot. I am actually from Colombia, you mindless half wit. But then again you’re so incredibly stupid you think Brazil and Colombia are the same. You’re about as bad as that Steve Harvey guy. Are you related?
You don’t know anything about LA either.
Have a great Christmas… I guess being alone in a run-down trailer is the best you’ll do today! 🙂
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: BTW, since you’re pretty close to the east coast where this site is located, what were you doing up at around one in the morning? On the computer? Lonely miserable little man.
I actually celebrated Christmas and had a big party with family and later my boyfriend’s family YESTERDAY afternoon (the 24th), while you were on a computer trolling at one in the morning…
All right. We can all see who is pathetic now.
Motard
Ni-chome was just fucking amazing when I visited.
Though I’m disappointed to not see Chueca in Madrid listed. I was there for Halloween a few years back; Madrileños know how to party.
Captain Obvious
@Giancarlo85: You are really sad. I don’t even need to go into you trying so hard to remember details about some anonymous person online. All the trolling you do is all anyone needs to know about you. Not even reading your dumb insults across 2 posts all about me because I asked you to shut up about me. Just sad. Girl, bye.
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: 1AM. You were on until 1AM in the morning. By the way, before you say I am posting at midnight or one… I’m on the west coast (and for good reason).
You’re a nobody. You have nothing going on in your life. THat’s why you moved out to a small town. You wanted to impress the straight people with your closeted self.
While I was eating pozole, you were on here trolling. That just says it all.
Captain Obvious
@Giancarlo85: Jesus Christ, I’m glad you can tell time… Have fun obsessing over me, weirdo. Not going to continue engaging a crazy person, won’t make the mistake of responding to anything you have to say again. Hope you enjoyed yourself.
onthemark
@Captain Obvious: Oh dear. I WOULD sympathize with you except… You KNOW he lives there, we all know he lives there, plus he’d just made a pro-LA post.
And you still wrote, “LA sucks”!
For one thing, that’s awfully vague. Can you be more specific? Even I don’t think LA actually sucks; I always enjoy a visit there. What exactly do you hate about it?
onthemark
@Realitycheck: But the concentration is the point. Sure, now there are gay clubs all over NYC, but the term “gayborhood” means a concentration of gay businesses giving a neighborhood a particularly gay character. (Maybe this is more in the past than the future – derogatory term is “gay ghetto”?)
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: Again I was actually enjoying a holiday dinner with family and friends, and you were on here trolling. That’s the only point I’m bringing up.
Obsessing over you lol? You’re not that impressive, so don’t get ahead of yourself.
There is someone who is obsessed with me and I’m not sure if he’s posting or not… his posts all disappeared. I think he got banned.
Captain Obvious
@onthemark: I didn’t know he lives there actually nor did I notice his post. I rarely even read his posts because they’re always attacking other people’s opinions nonstop for no reason. I posted what I wanted to and didn’t feel the need to explain my opinion. What sucked for me might not suck for the millions of people who live there. No one who is sane would get defensive about it. That’s about all I really have to say on this because this is all really childish and silly.
Like I said before I won’t be responding to anything he has to say again. The last I spoke to him he went off on a tangent about how he’s from Brazil. Now he’s from America and LA of all places. I can’t and won’t keep up with where some little troll supposedly lives. Someone else on here said he’s from Chicago and “fat”. I don’t really care one way or the other. He’s a strange little troll with nothing better to do than start nonsensical arguments on a blog.
onthemark
@Captain Obvious: Well, fair enough. I’m glad he can tell time too! For the record I see nothing odd about you posting at 1am EST; plenty of people (if rarely me) are awake then. Usually they’re young, but GC is 30-going-on-80, lol. Don’t know though, why he’s obsessed with the *afternoon* of Dec. 24th, when most people are still working not partying. May be a clue that he got fired. And as I and others have noted here before, he probably murdered his parents anyway.
Giancarlo85
@Captain Obvious: Again I never said I was from Brazil. This just shows how piss poor your reading comprehension is. Google me on this site and look at where I said I was from Brazil. I have said time and time again I’m from Colombia. But since you’re as stupid as Steve Harvey, you won’t. Merry Easter!
I never said I was from America either. I live in LA. Gosh what a dumb little thing. He can’t read. I never said I was from Chicago.
You seem to suffer from extreme brain damage, like offthemark (who sadly I can’t see any of his posts anymore… he was always hilarious).
I was always discussing Christmas day, and I highly doubt people work until late at night on the 24th, captain douchebag.
Giancarlo85
Offthemark is a little fellow who is the result of a mother who drank hard liquor during her pregnancy. I honestly feel bad for the guy. I hope he seeks the help he needs.
onthemark
@Giancarlo85: “I was always discussing Christmas day…”
Nope – “I actually celebrated Christmas and had a big party with family and later my boyfriend’s family YESTERDAY afternoon (the 24th).” You even change your story within ONE comment thread! It’s right there! Talk about brain damage.
“and I highly doubt people work until late at night on the 24th, captain douchebag.” – Some do, but nobody here ever claimed they were “working” then, just that it’s hardly unusual to go to bed around that time. Apparently you think the “afternoon” of the 24th in the Pacific time zone = 1 am on the East Coast? (try 1 am in Europe).
I’ve told you before, my parents never drank. And again, I’m not the one ignoring you; you’re supposed to be the one ignoring ME. It’s not my fault you’re doing such a lousy job of it! 🙂
Giancarlo85
I wonder what happened to the poor fellow… can anyone see his posts anymore? Perhaps that is what happens when you suffer the consequences of a mother drinking during her pregnancy. It wasn’t really his fault. You must have pity for him. He’s an incredibly screwed up person.
Captain Oblivious was posting all of thursday night all the way into Christmas. How sad. I wonder if some can get over their little mental delusions.