The big Apple. The ultimate melting pot. The city that never sleeps. Can you judge a city by the number of nicknames it is given or the popular songs written about it? If the answer is yes, then New York, New York has to be the world’s number one city for tourists and 40 million visitors each year can’t be wrong. It is the American city with the largest population and recognized as one of the largest cities in the world. Since the early 16th century, New York has been a landing place for travelers from around the world, and today many of those tourists come from the GLBT community.

New York is a city rich in gay history and a walk on the wild side of Stonewall is a gay trip back to our future. It’s been nearly four decades since the Stonewall riots and for many who have “come out” since that moment on June 28, 1969, this important piece of gay history may not be well known. On that date, and for several days after, acts of anti-gay police brutality, more specifically directed against drag queens, sparked riots that in turn sparked the start of the gay rights movement and subsequent Pride celebrations. around the world.

This confrontation was a turning point for the gay rights movement around the world, as gay and transgender people had never before acted together in such large numbers to forcibly resist police harassment.

Although the original Greenwich Village landmark of the Stonewall Inn is long gone, its namesake bar, temporarily closed for renovations, stands today on the same site as the original gay bar and hotel at 53 Christopher Street. Just walking down this street, a sense of our gay past is evident, and landmarks like the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore provide information and resources on all that New York has to offer the gay traveler. There’s even an intersection with Gay Street, perhaps named for those who fought so hard for equality at a time when the GLBT community was an underground movement considered indecent, immoral and mentally ill by the vast majority in most countries.

Today, just a few blocks from this historic site on the border between Chelsea and Greenwich Village, is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center located at 208 West 13th Street. It is the meeting place for approximately 400 gay and lesbian organizations and is perhaps the largest facility of its kind in the world. This is a busy place where community forums, dances, performances, and other events seem to happen constantly. Anyone can visit the center which is open daily from 9 am to 11 pm and provides in-depth information on all things GLBT in New York and is guaranteed a very cheerful welcome. They have a comprehensive tourism welcome pack containing information on resources, bars, publications, entertainment venues and much more. Any gay visit to New York should start here because you will likely end with a very positive gay memory of this mecca.

The island of Manhattan contains three very distinct gay neighborhoods: the East Village, Greenwich Village/Chelsea, and Hells Kitchen. Each one is clearly different, but all contain a variety of bars, clubs, restaurants, resources and attractions to make your visit a very joyful time. Although Greenwich Village is the historic part of gay New York, today most people recognize Chelsea as the true center of the community. Local historians aren’t sure when the brief migration to Chelsea actually occurred, but no one disputes that the Chelsea Gym, Cos and Food Bar were the mainstays that slowly encouraged other gay businesses to move to this village. Today it probably has the largest concentration of gay businesses to be found anywhere in the city. Unquestionably, walking along the 8th Avenue promenade is feeling the pulse and heartbeat of gay and lesbian New York.

The Chelsea district also includes some of the best gay accommodation available, which is also convenient to everything gay and straight New York has to offer its visitors. Weather permitting, you can walk from here to Times Square, Broadway, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and many other well-known city attractions.

An important fact about accommodation in New York is the size of the rooms: small is the universal standard. Whether it’s a house, a store, a park or a hotel room, space is a very limited commodity in Manhattan and very little allows for the luxury of the size you may be accustomed to on your other trips. Perhaps the only exception to this would be the meatloaf found in the many bars and clubs! But there are different kinds of luxury and this is part of what makes this city unique and you soon adjust to being a New Yorker. After all, there’s so much to see and do that you’ll probably find yourself alone in your hotel room for a minimum of hours each day when exhaustion takes over and you have to sleep for a short while.

A very good, reasonably priced, conveniently located accommodation option in Chelsea is the popular gay Colonial House Inn. This is a converted four-story walk-up Victorian building with recently renovated comfortable rooms, a clothing-optional rooftop terrace, a main floor lounge and breakfast room. An expanded continental breakfast is served daily and there is wireless Internet as well as a computer kiosk on the main floor. The staff are helpful, knowledgeable and friendly, always ready to make your visit a perfect experience and hopefully we will welcome you again. No matter how long your stay, this is a city that demands a return visit, if not again and again, then to enjoy it all to the fullest.

Sightseeing in New York is one of the most obvious vacation choices for all tourists, and initially, to get a perspective on the city, it’s best to see the sights from up high. The best-known viewpoint is at the top of the Empire State Building, where Manhattan is a big rug beneath you. However, after a twenty-year closure to the public, the recently reopened Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center offers a view that includes the Empire State Building and is less crowded with shorter lines to access, plus you can reserve a time slot. to ride the elevator to the top. No matter which one you choose, the views by day and by night are spectacular and definitely a photo opportunity like no other.

If you’re looking for a truly memorable experience, then a helicopter tour of Manhattan is a must. Liberty Helicopter operates a variety of reasonably priced tours from two convenient locations and you can choose to see the city by day or by night. This ensures that your visit to New York is exceptional and you will have unrivaled photos in anyone’s collection.

However, any sailor will tell you that seeing land from the water is a unique perspective and when you experience the Manhattan skyline by boat you’ll understand why. NY Waterway Tours offers affordable Harbor and Lady Liberty cruises with all day and early evening departures. However you choose to see this city, it will be unlike anything you have experienced on your previous vacations. There’s magic on the horizon, rising above or below you, and each experience is unique to Manhattan.

There are more than 400 art galleries in New York, but more than worth a visit is the gallery hosted by the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation, a nonprofit public arts organization committed to providing a forum to promote awareness, appreciation and the preservation of GLBT art. . This is one of the premier galleries showcasing the talented artists in our community and the history dates back to 1969 and the time of the Stonewall riots when gay artists were definitely a subculture even in this cosmopolitan city. Its archives and ongoing exhibitions comprise possibly the largest collections of gay art found anywhere in the world today.

A visit to New York would not be complete without enjoying a Broadway theater production. After all, musical theater has been synonymous with Broadway since the 1880s, and what self-respecting gay person doesn’t enjoy a good musical? At almost any time there are a variety of musicals to choose from and many other off-Broadway gay-themed hit plays or shows. A Night at the Theater is part of the legend that makes New York what it is: the cultural capital of the United States.

There is so much more to this “City That Never Sleeps” and it would take many pages to tell the full story; Hopefully this is enough to tease you into thinking about adding this vibrant and bustling city to your vacation schedule. A weekend, a few days, or an entire vacation is sure to be a satisfying experience filled with joyous memories.

In the words of New York journalist and writer Tom Wolfe (The Right Stuff and Bonfire of the Vanities), “In New York, culture seems to be in the air, like part of the weather.” I think that quote must have included gay culture. Once you experience the unique sensation that is New York, you will understand the meaning of these words.

Spend some time, take a trip back in time, but most importantly, enjoy your time in the world famous Big Apple.