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U.S.’s ‘Athens’ knows a lot about queer
By
Matt Mathrani
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Click on the link for a handy PDF version of our June 2008 Boston travel feature!
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Boston
From the brownstones of the South End and Back Bay to the gas-lit alleys of Beacon Hill to streetwise Dorchester, Boston boasts Victorian-era charms. A history of revolutionary radicalism -- from Paul Revere to cutting-edge queer -- still persists beneath a veneer of Brahmin reserve. Boston's abundant student population from around the world over keeps the city young and stimulating.
The old and new contrast delightfully in this 400-year-old city. Much of Boston is pedestrian, and America's first subway system, the "T," connects most everywhere else. The many area universities and colleges fill the city with students and the things that interest them. Boston is organized around its "squares" -- Kenmore and Copley in Boston; and Harvard, Central, and Kendall in across-the-river Cambridge. These people-watching, shopping, and grazing hubs also have stops on the T. The waters of Boston Harbor, the Charles River, and the "Emerald Necklace" of parks provide breathing space and defining vistas of the city.
Walking the historic Freedom Trail, visit the North End, with its Italian cafes and restaurants, the fruit and vegetable stalls of Haymarket, Faneuil Hall, and the boutiques and comestibles at Quincy Market. Downtown Crossing's stores and busy Chinatown skirt the edges of the Financial District towers. In Back Bay, beyond the Common and Public Gardens, there are hip shops and cafes lining Newbury and Boylston Streets and the shopping centers of Copley Place and Prudential Center. A footbridge over Storrow Drive brings you to the cruisy Esplanade, the Charles River-front park.
Among the South End's restored row houses and tranquil tree-lined side streets you'll find much of gay interest in the vicinity of Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street, below Berkeley. Increasingly, the suburb of Dorchester thrives as a gay hotbed.
New England Blade and Bay Windows are the local gay papers; Phoenix is the preeminent alternative weekly. There are several exceptional local college radio stations hereabouts, mostly on the left side of the FM dial. Edgeboston.com is another good resource on gay Boston news and entertainment.
Where to stay
Centrally located and close to the heart of Boston's gay nightlife, Chandler Inn (26 Chandler; 617-482-3450 or 800-842-3450) is a comfortable, European-style, boutique hotel in the South End. All 55 rooms here have private bath, cable TV, direct-dial phones, and there's wi-fi Internet access in the lobby. Almost half the rooms have been redone as deluxe suites, featuring 32-inch plasma TVs, iPod-docking alarm-clock radios, and marble baths (the rest of the rooms are going plush soon). Fritz, their neighborhood gay bar and restaurant at street level, has wonderful brunches to start your day after a late weekend night on the town.
463 Beacon Street Guesthouse (463 Beacon; 617-536-1302) is elegant but affordable, and in a great location: a Back Bay brownstone close to the Hynes convention center, Newbury Street shops, and all of the city's nightlife. They offer guestroom kitchenettes with private bath, cable TV, and wi-fi, and phones in each room. Furnished apartments (by the week or month) and parking are also available.
In two townhouses on a quiet street in the Back Bay neighborhood there's the comfortable Oasis Guesthouse (22 Edgerly Road; 617-267-2262). Conveniently close to Boston's historic sights, the Hynes convention center, shops, and nightlife, Oasis has comfort and amenities including satellite TV, wi-fi, and parking.
For stays of a week or more, Dyer Properties (10-18 Brainerd Road; 617-232-7844; Zeeparagon.com), on the Allston-Brookline border, offers everything from fully furnished rooms to two- or three-bedroom luxury suites and duplexes. In a completely renovated historical building, Dyer Properties is nestled in a quiet neighborhood near the T (Green Line, Harvard Avenue stop). They're convenient to Harvard and BU, and blocks from historic Coolidge Corner district. Free wi-fi and parking for guests is available.
In student-filled Brighton, Casa Do Zequita (1534 Commonwealth; 617-264-7535) is a lovely bed-and-breakfast on the Green Line "T," with kitchen, parking, a good breakfast, and internet.
Shopping and services
Calamus Bookstore (92B South Street; 617-338-1931), Boston's complete GLBT bookstore, is just a minute walk from South Station and one of the best anywhere. Owner John Mitzel is well versed in both literature and local gay history, and will help you find whatever you seek from a wide selection of authors, best-selling and obscure. Calamus is abundantly stocked with books and also videos, travel guides, calendars, cards, and magazines. You'll find literary, scholarly, and erotic materials from across the political spectrum and the sexual divide. You can get lost in the large photo books section alone. Visiting authors appear here, too. See their website for upcoming events, special orders, and to browse the inventory or buy online. To receive a weekly book chat newsletter email mitzel@calamusbooks.com.
Above Calamus, Marquis Leathers Inc. (92 South Street) has a wide selection of leather items, plus a varied stock of sexy videos, magazines, fetish paraphernalia, and pride stuff.
Going out
Ramrod (1254 Boylston St.), celebrating 26 years as Boston's original leather and denim bar, is open daily noon to 2 a.m., seven days a week. There are nightly DJs and rarely a cover charge. Leather, military gear, and rubber fetish events alternate with bear and glove-fetish nights. The cruisy leather men's backroom has a strict dress code both Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday nights are Disco nights, with DJ Ace playing all the classics. Wednesdays is '80s night, called Freestyle with DJ Mac. Thursdays bring Mandance with DJ Manuel Santiago. Friday's DJ is Dana and Saturday's DJs are the duo called Freespace. Warm weather brings sidewalk seating on their outdoor patio. Go down on Sundays for a great $5 buffet.
Machine (1256 Boylston) is a large separate nightclub beneath Ramrod, with hot local and guest DJs. Fridays here are the place to enjoy "Boston's Best Friday Night Out!" with resident DJ/producer Darrin Friedman spinning the best in dance music and VJ Tom Yaz playing hot videos in the video lounge. On the first and third Saturday of each month Machine is host to Sin-O-Matic and Shelter, two hot goth and fetish nights. The opposite Saturdays host 1256 Underground, a deep house night, with a body-and-soul atmosphere. Dirty Sexy Mondays brings on resident DJ Susan Esthera, spinning the hottest top 40 and hip-hop, this is accompanied by a great drag show headed by the legendary Miss Kriss. Thursdays Machine has karaoke in the video lounge host by Adam Morris. Sundays has a piano night with rotating pianists, Michelle Currie and Todd Theriault. Ramrod/Machine is handicapped-accessible and offers Keno games and an on-site ATM.
Paradise (180 Massachusetts Avenue), across the river in Cambridge, is open seven nights a week from 7 p.m. The sexiest strippers in New England perform onstage in the upstairs bar. Out-of-town hunks and uninhibited local talent appear here, and the dancers mingle and socialize with the audience after their sets. Downstairs the dance floor opens through the weekend -- and for most Sundays with a Monday holiday following. The dance floor rocks to the tunes of DJs Jonny C and Billy B with an emphasis on top-40 and high-energy music. Adult-video movies play on the monitors around the bar after 10 p.m.
Alley (14 Pi Alley) is a downtown men's cruise bar that pulls in a friendly no-attitude crowd of leather/Levi "regular guys" and bears from late afternoons daily. Their drinks are among the most generous in town and they have pool tables, games, and and a massive 12-by-9 foot screen to catch the sports, the Wednesday-night movies, and other special events. On third Fridays, area leather clubs host a club night upstairs with a strict leather dress code. See their website for other upcoming events.
At Chandler Inn, Fritz (26 Chandler) is another friendly neighborhood gay-favorite in the South End, with satellite-TV sports on monitors throughout the bar. Fritz serves a popular weekend brunch. They're famous for their Bloody Mary's and have a big Sunday afternoon and evening crowd. For gay pride in June, Fritz celebrates with a huge and festive annual outdoor block-party.
Jacques (79 Broadway) features the electric performances of Boston's most talented stars of female impersonation.
Boston Eagle (520 Tremont) is a South End neighborhood bar with a friendly leather vibe.
Nearby, Club Cafe (209 Columbus) is a lounge, video bar, and American bistro restaurant, especially well-trod on Thursdays.
Francesca's (564 Tremont) is a South End fixture, offering superb coffees and light fare -- and a wall of windows from which to survey the local scene.
In Dorchester, D Bar (1236 Dorchester Avenue) was formally an old-school Irish pub filled with mahogany charm. Now it's been renovated into a hip, chic hotspot. There's a full-service restaurant with a tasty menu seven nights a week from 5 to 10 p.m., seamlessly transforming into a gay nightclub and lounge from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Dbar fills the void in the increasingly gay Dorchester neighborhood, while drawing clientele from surrounding areas. From espresso martinis, to eclectic martinis, to a fine glass of Bordeaux, Dbar caters to all thirsts. An attractive staff, sparkling lights, and a pumping sound system add to the festivities.
The Beantown's nightclub scene now benefits from Chris Harris's glamorous extravaganzas. Having teamed up with self-styled "Boston Gay Mafia Dom" Rafael Sanchez, he's made Boston host city to one of the largest weekly gay dance parties on the East Coast. It fills a gap opened with the closing of the über club Avalon, along with several other neighboring venues on Lansdowne Street.
Glam Life Thursdays (1 Boylston Place), which had its beginnings on Lansdowne, now hangs its hat at The Estate, a posh club that resembles a turn-of-the-century mansion. There are chandeliers, candelabras, and a multitude of VIP booths, lounges, and private rooms neatly tucked away in the darker corners of this palatial space. Local legend DJ Richie Ladue explores the not-so-conventional sides of top-40, hip-hop, and pop -- and don't be surprised if he throws in some Bon Jovi or Journey before the night is complete!
Epic Saturdays (279 Tremont Street) is hosted at the Roxy, one of Boston's largest and most elegant venues. Originally a hotel ballroom in the heart of Boston's historic theater district, the Roxy has a full proscenium stage and a marble foyer. Epic Saturdays rocks this elegance with an array of international guest DJs and producers.
It's like a montage of the best of Boston's party scene of recent years: Estate Sundays (1 Boylston Place) is an infusion of Avalon Sundays, Axis Mondays, and Diesel Sundays, with a slew of original Avalon Sunday staff. Hosted by Mizery with "Providance" DJ Dena Cucci -- and with weekly random unannounced guest appearances -- "You never know what to expect, except for a good time!"
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