Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rises, and Broadway theater. Indeed, in a city with one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful GLBT populations, homosexuality is squarely in the mainstream. So city hotels tend to be neutral on the issue, and gay couples shouldn't have a problem.

All over Manhattan, but especially in neighborhoods like the West Village (particularly Christopher St., famous the world over as the main drag of New York gay-male life) and Chelsea (especially Eighth Ave. from 16th to 23rd sts., and W. 17th to 19th sts. from Fifth to Eighth aves.), shops, services, and restaurants have a lesbian and gay flavor. The Oscar Wilde Bookshop, 15 Christopher St. (tel. 212/255-8097; www.oscarwildebooks.com), is the city's best gay and lesbian bookstore and a good source for information on the city's gay community.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, familiarly known as "The Center," is at 208 W. 13th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues (tel. 212/620-7310; www.gaycenter.org). The center is the meeting place for more than 400 lesbian, gay, and bisexual organizations. You can check the online events calendar, which lists hundreds of happenings -- lectures, dances, concerts, readings, films -- or call for the latest. Their site offers links to gay-friendly hotels and guesthouses in and around New York, plus tons of other information; the staff is also friendly and helpful in person or over the phone.

Other good sources for lesbian and gay events are the two free weekly newspapers, Gay City News (www.gaycitynews.com) and the New York Blade (www.nyblade.com), and the free glossy magazines HX (www.hx.com), Next (www.nextmagazine.com) and GONYC (www.gomag.com), which is lesbian-oriented. You'll also find lots of information on their websites.

The weekly Time Out New York (www.timeoutny.com) boasts a terrific gay and lesbian section. The Center publishes a monthly guide listing many events (also listed on its website).

In addition, there are lesbian and gay musical events, such as performances by the New York City Gay Men's Chorus (tel. 703/647-8020; www.nycgmc.org); health programs sponsored by the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC; tel. 800/AIDS-NYC or 212/807-6655; www.gmhc.org); the Gay & Lesbian National Hot Line (tel. 212/989-0999; www.glnh.org), offering peer counseling and information on upcoming events; and many other organizations.

The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA; tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry, and offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses and tour operators.

Many agencies offer tours and travel itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian travelers. Above and Beyond Tours (tel. 800/397-2681; www.abovebeyondtours.com) are gay Australia tour specialists. San Francisco-based Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com) offers worldwide trips and cruises and Olivia (tel. 800/631-6277; www.olivia.com) offers lesbian cruises and resort vacations.

Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com) is an online successor to the popular Out & About print magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide. British travelers should click on the "Travel" link at www.uk.gay.com for advice and gay-friendly trip ideas.

The Canadian website GayTraveler (gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.

The following travel guides are available at bookstores, or you can order them online: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 35th Edition (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide) and Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner, 17th Edition (www.odyusa.com); and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with annual books for gay men and lesbians.