San Sebastian is one of Spain’s most beautiful coastal cities. It offers a rare combination of spectacular rolling green hills and beautiful ocean views. San Sebastian lies on the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay and it is only 12 miles from France. Its cooler weather, city design, and friendly atmosphere feels more like an old quiet city deep inside Europe as opposed to the hustle and bustle of a big city like Madrid or Barcelona. The cultural experiences are more on the order of bar hopping and eating pintxo (think tapas, but bigger) and craft-beer tasting rather than […]
Marvelous Marseille
Marseille, France’s second largest city, is the complete opposite of Paris. In Marseille, there’s no world-renowned museum or internationally famous monument. Nor is it some prestigious city that captures a “wow” when mentioned. Marseille is a port city located in southern France and it is known for its multicultural environment because it is heavily influenced by the Armenians, Italians, North Africans, and Turks. The city is built around the Vieux-Port (Old Port). The locals are socially more conservative than in Paris, so LGBTers may receive an unfriendly stare if holding hands with their partners in public. The Old Port is […]
BARCELONA | with a Sprinkle of Sitges
Barcelona is an amazing city filled with famous places, breathtaking sights, and great food. It’s Spain’s second largest city (Madrid is first), it is located in the Catalonia region, and it is the Catalan capital. Its population identity is divided: many identify as Catalan rather than Spanish. The city is welcoming to the LGBT community and it promotes freedom, respect, and tolerance. In 2014 the Catalan parliament passed an anti-homophobia act which punish those who attack members of the LGBT community with heavy fines, in addition to its other laws that punish by incarceration. With Barcelona’s reputation as one of […]
Weekend Getaway: Richmond to the Rescue
It is easy to travel from Baltimore to Richmond, Virginia. Amtrak offers a round trip ticket for as little as $76 from Baltimore’s Penn Station to Main Street Station, one of Richmond’s most visible landmarks. The more than 100-year-old train station, which has survived a major fire and two floods, is a great place for an adventure. Main Street Station’s recessed lights line both the ceiling and floor to highlight its magnificent architecture, its reproduced 22-foot marbleized columns enhance its historic feel, and its replicated original wooden benches deliver a somewhat uncomfortable seat for its visitors. From there, is an […]
Fantastic Fort Wayne
Since Reno’s motto is “The Biggest Little City in the World,” Fort Wayne’s should be “The Most Inaccessible Accessible Arts City in the World.” Fort Wayne is a hidden treasure in a conservative state. It’s tucked in northeastern Indiana and its location makes it an inconvenient pass-through destination for travelers going to Chicago, Detroit, or Indianapolis: Fort Wayne is on the way to nowhere. Its airport is small and offers few direct flights. But if you can figure out how to get there, you’ll be surprised because the city has a flourishing arts community. It offers artists opportunities to show […]
Dream of Nice
Nice is a year-round sunny paradise that sits next to the Mediterranean Sea in the southeastern part of France. It is France’s fifth largest city and it offers trendy restaurants, Art Deco architecture, beautiful beaches, and stunning sunsets. It is home to France’s upper class. Nice’s popular harbor is crammed with beautiful yachts, its cliffs are filled with expensive homes, and its coastline has several exclusive resorts that are walled off from public view. But Nice is also for the common tourist, offering inexpensive things to do and see. Nice also welcomes the LGBT community as many bars and clubs […]
South Korea
South Korea, on the Korean Peninsula, is one of Asia’s most technically advanced countries, yet it’s moving at a snail’s pace on LGBT issues. Many younger South Koreans describe the Korean Peninsula as “tiger-shaped” because the symbol represents its aggressive modern economy. Older generations of Koreans think of the peninsula as “rabbit-shaped,” a nod to its traditional, yet diminishing agricultural economy. South Korea is known for its hilly areas, dense forests, cherry trees, centuries-old Buddhist temples, coastal fishing villages, and subtropical islands. Seoul, South Korea’s capital, is a high-tech city where nearly 10 million people live. Although South Korea is […]
Belgium | Euro Central
Belgium is a bilingual country with divisions between Dutch-speaking Flanders to the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south. Belgium’s capital and the de facto capital of the European Union is Brussels. In Brussels, all road signs and most advertisements are shown in both languages. With the recent surge of immigrants into Europe, many have settled in Brussels, turning the city into a multilingual city, with many Arabic speakers. As Brussels transforms into a bigger melting pot, many new residents may find new freedoms in their new progressive country and city if they fled areas (which they probably did) that […]
Stunning | Santorini Ode to a Grecian isle
Santorini, Greece, is one of the most magnificent places on earth. A billion pictures of the crescent-shaped island would not cover all of its beauty. It is in the southern Aegean Sea, a little more than 120 miles from Greece’s mainland. At one time, it was a single oval-shaped island until an enormous volcanic eruption in the 16th century BC created a caldera. Santorini’s pre-eruption shape and location is what some people believe Plato references when he describes Atlantis. Today, Santorini is a collective of pieces of land separated by the ocean. Santorini includes the populated main island of Santorini […]
Fun on FIRE ISLAND Storied gay summertime resort on coastal Long Island
Famous Fire Island is a place to visit in the summer for a mini “gaycation.” It’s located off the southern shore of Long Island. The island is 31 miles long and varies between 520 and 1,300 feet wide. The drive from Baltimore to the Sayville Ferry Service is about four-and-a-half hours and the ferry ride is about 15 minutes. The two car-free communities that receive a lot of attention from the LGBT community are Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. Transportation is only by foot on neatly constructed boardwalks. To haul things around, you either need luggage with wheels or […]