Every issue of ManAboutWorld is packed full of essential and inspiring travel information including City Seen, a round-up of new (or new to us) hotels, restaurants, attractions and events brought to us from global gay destinations by our correspondents.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago
The first of a new Hyatt lifestyle brand that aims to be at the center of where you want to be, the 257-room hotel set in a historic building stakes its claim in Chicago’s premier business district. It couldn’t be more perfectly placed if we picked it ourselves. Oh, that’s right, we did. From museums and architecture boat tours to the Magnificent Mile and every kind of restaurant you can imagine — the Windy City is yours for the taking. The renovated 1920s-era Art Deco skyscraper (with some stunning views) offers bright, modern rooms with free WiFi, flat-screen TVs and iPod docks, mini-fridges and coffeemakers. Upgrade for a city view room with separate sitting area. Hotel amenities include a decent fitness center, the Cochon Volant (flying pig) French restaurant, with a casual yet crisp air, a bakery and a rooftop bar with fab views.
DALLAS, TEXAS Cafe Momentum
For a unique dining experience that will also make you feel good about yourself, head over to Café Momentum, a non-profit restaurant designed to provide troubled youth with valuable skills that will prepare them to enter the workforce and teach them responsibility, hopefully setting them on the right path for the future. Under the guidance of Chef Eric Shelton, the “interns” here work as servers, dishwashers, cooks, and even do the laundry for the clothes worn here by the workers. Not only is this place a great opportunity to see some terrific service to the community in action, but the food is good too!
MIAMI, FLORIDA 1 Hotel South Beach
Opened amid a flurry of new hotel brand launches around the world, 1 Hotel South Beach has been living up to its hype and has been garnering a lot of favorable press and attention among hotel critics and guests alike. This months-old oceanfront resort boasts spacious, light-drenched rooms (700 square feet on average) and an eco-consciousness baked into its DNA: the very comfortable mattresses are hemp-blend, there is a fleet of electric Teslas at your disposal (distance parameters apply), there are no bottled waters or disposable shampoo bottles and the entry key is made of wood! Also in tune with the major hotel trend of experiential travel, you’ll find a range of experiences on offer from kayaking in a nearby mangrove (which we did … it was amazing!) to stargazing and more. Tom Colicchio’s Beachcraft restaurant is delicious and well worth visiting even if you don’t stay at the hotel. Hotel development plans call for an 18,000-square-foot fitness center and a spa.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK Whitney Museum of American Art
My god, where do we start? The Whitney is a triumph of art and architecture and it represents an emphatic exclamation point on the development of a part of town that was once best known for its slaughterhouses. The Meatpacking district’s cobblestone streets are now dotted by chic boutiques, tony bistros, camera-toting tourists and the starting point of the fabulous High Line elevated park. The industrial-looking Whitney sits at the very beginning of the High Line and offers views from every level of the museum both inside and outside. The art is, of course, simply stunning. The current exhibit, America Is Hard to See, includes a who’s who of modern American art works from the early 1900s through the present, opening with one of Marsden Hartley’s iconic images of gay love and war. Start on the 8th floor and make your way down to the 5th floor via the stairs to enjoy the unexpected views from each level. Check this link out for free tours.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA Cockscomb Restaurant
Open since December 2014 and set in a former shoe factory in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood, the suggestively named restaurant is the brainchild of Top Chef winner and James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Cosentino along with partner Oliver Wharton (who’s known for his nightlife-related projects in Las Vegas). Bring your carnivore friends. You’ll find meat-centric fare with a Spanish accent and lots of pork dishes like crispy pig’s ear and wood oven-roasted pig’s head and more daring offerings like sweetbreads and bone marrow and offal. We love the exposed concrete walls and high ceilings and the local artwork though it can be a bit loud when it’s crowded, which is like every night. But that’s ok. Start with a Negroni aperitif and work your way through some of the fabulous Spanish wines on offer and you will become one with the joyful din. After, head over to one of the many gay bars clustered in the SoMa area including Powerhouse on the weekends (if you’re feeling naughty).
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