Is Your Airline Screwing You at Both Ends? 

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Back in April 2013, we covered the remarkable mileage devaluation that is happening as the legacy airlines dramatically increase the number of points/miles required to redeem your miles. But now, most travelers are also getting screwed on the other end, with rapidly decreasing mileage earning for discounted tickets.

Airlines across the globe, from Delta to Qantas have announced fare-based accrual coming up. And some discount fares on partner carriers earn no mileage;  flying Lufthansa in T or L class within Europe, for example, you’ll earn no MileagePlus miles at all!

4th of July Countdown: Door County

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One of the nation’s best (and perhaps most underrated) locales for fireworks on the Fourth is Door County, Wisconsin’s 70 mile long peninsula with fireworks at dusk in five separate locations around the county – we’re talking charming towns like Egg Harbor, Sturgeon Bay, Bailey’s Harbor, Fish Creek, and Sister Bay, where  the whole county turns out the red, white and blue and celebrates America’s independence.

Egg Harbor has been voted best fireworks – and is a personal favorite. We love it for its firework display, its walkable Main street, shopping, and dining.

We covered Door County in our July/August 2013 issue and loaded it full of insider tips on how to explore one of the country’s quaintest peninsula’s. Click here to subscribe for all of our past issues (including Door County!)

 

Question of the Week…

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We debut our new series today where we’ll ask our reader’s: What venue would you like to reincarnate?

We asked our peripatetic correspondents and here’s what they had to say.

Correspondent Scott Marquardt said Barbetta / Zone 9 in Hanoi, Vietnam:“The area of abandoned factories was converted into a super hip collection of bars, cafés, playhouses and theaters. Sadly the communist government shut the area down in December 2013 after a fire broke out that killed six people.

For Correspondent Matt Link it was Heaven in London, “One of the first mega-clubs I went to when I was 19 and studying at Oxford,” he said. “Located under the railway arches below Charing Cross station, the place literally felt underground — you can just imagine Londoners safely partying away as World War II bombs explode up above.

Leyla Farah, or (Wo)ManAboutWorld Correspondent it was San Francisco’s legendary weekly Club Universe in the 90′s.”I have vague memories one New Year’s Eve that included elephants, trapeze artists, Vegas showgirls (of all genders) and indoor fireworks. Oh, and Grace Jones. All in one night. That, my hipster friends, was how the gays threw a party before skinny jeans, kale and craft beer. I’m just saying.’

This wistful look back stirs up memories (some rather blurry!) of great dancing, amazing music and happy, interesting queer friends in long-gone gay hangouts the world over.

Tell us in the comments which venue you’d reincarnate? 

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Daily Dose: Zermatt & The Swiss Alps

zermatt copyIf the recent heat and humidity are giving you the mid-summer blues, allow us to recommend the cooler climate of Zermatt, Switzerland, a charming, scenic, mesmerizing wonderland of storybook views, adorable knock-knack shops, and  perfect summertime temperatures.  It also might mean the sweltering sun has you ready to start planning your winter ski trip. So if you need a break from sweating it out this summer and you’ve absorbed all the sun you can take, head to the Swiss Alps where the mountain breeze and rolling green hills will allow you to cool off.

In Zermatt, we stay at the Cervo Mountain Boutique, a minimalist, chic resort that allows you to ski over the Swiss Alps and end up in Cervino, Italy. We covered Zermatt and a slew of other top gay skiing destinations in our December 2013 guide. Click here to subscribe to get all of our insider tips for the Swiss Alps and other fabulous winter getaways.

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4th of July Countdown: Rehoboth Beach

 

rehobothThe gay-popular Rehoboth Beach in Delaware is one of our favorite East Coast beach getaways, and never is it more buzzy than on the Fourth of July! Rehoboth has an adorable boardwalk full of salt water taffy shops and restaurants and colorful homes, and the gays come out in full force to support the town and celebrate the fourth. And then there’s the firework show at sunset!

Where will you be spending the 4th? Let us know if the comments or send answers and photos to kenny@manaboutworld.com.

(Psst…we covered Rehoboth in our June 2013 summer guide and you can get all of our insider tips by subscribing here!)

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#DailyDose, part 2: NYC Pride

nycSo many prides so little time. Earlier today we posted about World Pride Toronto. Post and photo submitted by ManAboutWorld Correspondent James Adelman.

New York City Pride (or as we like to call it, Gay New Year!) officially launched last night at BPM Nightclub at 516 West 42nd Street.  With so many parties to choose from this weekend, our advice is to pick one event each day and stick it out.  Club jumping through New York City during Gay Pride weekend can be both exhausting and expensive.  Friday night alone, there were at least three massive parties from which to choose: Room Service America in in the Flatiron neighborhood, PAPA near Columbus Circle, and Click, the “Official” NYC Pride event, at BPM Nightclub in Hell’s Kitchen.  With the lights of Times Square and Broadway in distance, BPM was calling our names and did not disappoint.

When only half-filled, BPM can lack energy, but this massive venue really shines during Pride when it’s packed with an international crowd of shirtless muscle boys.  We have always been impressed with BPM’s huge dance floor, pulsating lights, and, of course, its gorgeous bathroom (always a scene!).  This venue is custom made for large crowds of sweaty men getting down to EDM so this weekend really is the best time to check it out.  

If you are visiting New York City from out of town, there are few better places to make new friends than in the chatty “smoking section” that pours out of the club onto 42nd Street.  If you need to cool off after dancing, cruise down 9th Avenue between 42nd and 57th street.  This part of Hell’s Kitchen is quintessential New York, lined with restaurants, pizzerias, corner bodegas, and many of the city’s most popular gay watering holes.  Happy Pride!  

Download the guide for free here but hurry! This special only lasts till Monday.

#DailyDose: Toronto World Pride


torontoIMGP9770Our Editor-in-Chief Ed Salvato is on the ground in Toronto, celebrating the 28th annual World Pride (and some beautiful Toronto weather!) Toronto is one of our favorite cities (and one we covered in our Sept. 2012 issue) and this week of festivities is a big reason why. For World Pride, more than 34 bars have extended their last calls to 4a.m. so the celebrations can continue into the early morning dawn. There are also tons of parties and official events worth checking out if you’re in town.

For more of our insider tips and secrets about Toronto, click here to subscribe

 

City Seen: Edwige

edwigeGood news for fans of P-Town: Edwige is reopening this summer under the guidance of Steven Frappolli, one of the original owners and the man behind Frappo66, along with Nancy Anne, the current owner. According to Frappolli, “we’re starting an entirely new dinner menu and studding it with updated favorites from Edwige’s past, Frappo66, and a bunch of new ideas. Think of it as a retro-innovative merger.” The summer months are the best to visit P’town. You’ll beat the crowds; the weather can be cool but the air is clean and the light sublime.

Subscribe here to learn all our secrets ad insider tips about P-Town!

No More Melting Drag Makeup

st-pete-pride-paradeSt. Pete Pride is going nighty night!

No, it’s not going to sleep; quite the opposite, actually. Instead, the city is embracing its young, hip gay ways and will become only the fifth pride event in the country to take place at night. And for anyone who knows the intensity of the mid-summer Florida sun, that means one very important thing: no more melting drag makeup!

It also means a raucous, fun parade, tons of parties, and a new, sexy, fun vibe to the parade. St. Pete Pride is a three-day art, music, and performance event culminating in the LGBT parade with some of America’s biggest brands representing. The event draws more than 100,000 gays from around the country. This year will also include the opening of the city’s first LGBT Welcome Center.

In our May issue, we covered pride events from all over the world including New York, San Francisco, Madrid, Tel Aviv, and Taipei. Click here to subscribeand get access to all of our insider pride coverage!

Visit St. Pete’s official website offers information of interest to LGBT travelers.

 

Welcome To Our Newest Correspondent: Todd Cross

CrossTodd_EgyptTodd Cross is a multimedia producer and videographer based in New York City. His professional journey in the visual communications field has blessed him with opportunity and adventure in more than 26 countries. He began his journey as a staff photographer for Egypt Today magazine, documenting stories in the Middle East and northern Africa. He transitioned from a photographer to a picture editor during his five years of work at the Washington Post and three years of editing at the Detroit Free Press. Since earning his multimedia graduate degree in 2010 from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, Todd has embraced opportunities at NBC Universal, ABC News and In the Life Media.

Follow Todd on Vimeo and on his website.