Atlantic City, The Water Club at Borgata and Madonna: A Great Combination

I’m very excited to have been invited to see Madonna at historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

This is my first real hotel overnight visit and I feel like I’m doing it right. I’m not a gamer so I wasn’t sure what kinds of activities I could enjoy. The great folks at the Atlantic City Alliance (the city’s destination marketing organization), three of the amazing resorts in town (the Water Club at Borgata, Caesars AC, and Revel Resort) and other city partners have organized quite a visit.

Follow my visit via Twitter at @EdSalvato and check back here later.

Want to vogue with me at MDNA? Get info and tickets here: https://atlanticcitynj.com/visitors/thingstodo/madonna.aspx

LGBT Hotel Search Website Launches

I want to stay where *he’s* staying

Here’s a dispatch from our friend Ryan C. Haynes, ManAboutWorld correspondent and consultant for World Rainbow Hotels.

World Rainbow Hotels has launched a gay hotel search engine with over 850 three-five star properties that are ‘genuinely gay-welcoming’. Gay travelers now gain access to welcoming hotels in 129 destinations worldwide.

You can search, review and make a reservation with a choice of branded, independent and boutique hotels knowing that all of them have been screened based on their current involvement with the LGBT community, compliance with non-discrimination policies and same sex benefits for their staff.

So you can be confident you will be treated equally without the worry you may have your booked Double bed exchanged for a Twin.

Hotels include the reputable brands of Kimpton, Joie de Vivre, Rocco Forte, Fairmont, and Swissôtel as well as the iconic The Lords South Beach Hotel, Miami Beach, The Elysium Hotel, Mykonos and St Martins Lane Hotel, London.

Visit the website to find out more. http://worldrainbowhotels.com/

Athens, Greece: September is a Great Time to Visit

Our correspondent and discerning traveler Jon Allen, owner of Island House Key West, the fantastic gay men’s guesthouse located in the Conch Republic, sent us this update from a recent visit to Greece.

Athens as a destination has been transformed by preparations for the Olympics held there in 2004.  The whole city has been cleaned up, a beautiful Metro opened, and scores of new hotels, museums, and attractions are on offer.  Athens now deserves a visit itself, instead of just being a stopover on the way to the Islands.

The listings follow.Continue reading “Athens, Greece: September is a Great Time to Visit”

My First Transatlantic Crossing, on the Queen Mary 2

Spot the gay! (Hmm… may have to wait till my friend Jeff and I are on board!)

I’m very excited about my first transatlantic crossing on the QM2, a Cunard luxury ocean liner, departing Tuesday, August 28 and returning Tuesday, September 4. The legendary Cunard, which has been operating since 1840, boasts a small flotilla of ships fit for, well, a Queen:  Its fleet  also includes the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria.

I’ve been on a number of gay cruises with Atlantis Events and RSVP Vacations as well as a gay family cruse with R Family Vacations and even three straight cruises but never an ocean liner (see below*). I’ve also never crossed the Atlantic nor have I had such a quandary about packing! This cruise offers two elegant casual nights, two semi-formal nights and three formal nights, including the Royal Ascot Ball. And a strict dress code.

Say what? There is a ship full of straight men with ascots. I’m gay, and I don’t own this sartorial accessory. On a gay cruise, you pack your tightest, cutest short sleeve t-shirts and Polos, a few cool shorts, a pair of jeans, your best sunglasses and you’re pretty good to go. Sigh. For this trip, I’ve had to pack more ties than I’ve ever packed in my life.

Still, for all this formality and my clothing conundrum, this is a dream trip for many, and I’ve heard from a number of gay friends who’ve been on the QM2 and loved it. So, dear land-bound reader, I embark today for a seven-day cruise to Southampton, England. Is a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2 for you?  Be sure to follow my travels here and Twitter and find out.

*What’s the difference between ocean liners and cruise liners or ships? Turns out there’s a subtle but  significant difference according to Cunard publicist Laurel Davis:

“A cruise liner/ship is made to do just that: cruise at lower speeds. An ocean liner such as Queen Mary 2 is made specifically to cut through major bodies of water such as the Atlantic at higher (read: non-cruise) speeds. This is why she, more than any other ship, is so well suited to regular Transatlantic service.

Vermont, Gay Pride, Foliage and A Whole Lot of Food September 21-22

What’s that you say? Yes, same-sex marriage is legal in Vermont!

As their one-time kitschy but cool slogan once declared, I LOVERMONT!

From our friends in the Green Mountain State:

Mark your calendars and book a room for Vermont’s annual Pride celebration September 21-22, 2012. The festivities, which will be held in September for the first time in order to better include Vermont’s large student population and foliage tourists, will include a cruise on Lake Champlain on Friday, September 21, a parade through downtown Burlington, and a pride festival, NOH8 Campaign photoshoot, and the Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo in Burlington’s Battery Park on September 22.

The annual Pride Cruise has been a highlight of Vermont’s Pride season since 1993. It is sponsored by Vermont Gay Social Alternatives (VGSA), Vermont’s premier LGBT social organization, and will be an evening filled with dancing and merrymaking featuring hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and entertainment by the House of LeMay and DJ Veena. It will be held on the Lake Champlain Ferry, which departs at 8:00 on Friday, September 21 from the King Street Docks in Burlington. Tickets can be purchased online at www.vgsa.com.

The Undisputed Queen of the High Seas to Visit New York

Picture me on this ship on August 28

The Queen Mary 2, the largest ocean liner** ever built, is scheduled to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New York City to South Hampton in seven days, departing the Big Apple on Tuesday,  August 28 and arriving in Southampton, England, on Tuesday, September 7.

And I’ll be on board.

There are larger ocean-going ships but the QM2 is the largest cruise liner (**see below) and by all reports one of the most elegant vessels on the high seas. If placed vertically next to the Empire State Building, it’d rise just over a 100-feet shy of New York’s most storied skyscraper.

Cunard Line, the company that operates the QM2, Cunard’s flagship, and her sister ships the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria, has been in continuous operation from 1840. My paternal grandparents arrived into the New World from Italy on a ship. With the barest of necessities on board—not quite the same level of luxuries as the QM2. That is the last time anyone in my family crossed the Atlantic by ship. I’ve always wanted to take the QM2 across the pond and I’m delighted to do it a century after the Salvatos established their family name in the U.S.

I’ll be traveling with a colleague and we plan on Tweeting, blogging and Facebook posting our experiences (before, during and after). I wonder if the experience will be:

  • Overwhelmingly straight (we hear that it’s gayer than you’d expect);
  • Too formal (there are two balls planned during the week); or
  • Too stuffy (the people in the photos sure look relaxed!).

So be sure to follow me here, on Twitter and via Facebook to get a sense of a cruise on the QM2 and if it’s the right kind of experience for you.

**What’s the difference between ocean liners and cruise liners or ships? Turns out there’s a subtle but  significant difference according to Cunard publicist Laruel Davis:

“A cruise liner/ship is made to do just that: cruise at lower speeds. An ocean liner such as Queen Mary 2 is made specifically to cut through major bodies of water such as the Atlantic at higher (read: non-cruise) speeds. This is why she, more than any other ship, is so well suited to regular Transatlantic service.

Broadway Queen Alert: Linda Eder In Provincetown August 13-14

One of the greatest belter of our time and she’s pretty to boot.

If you know Linda Eder, you’ll probably want to consider a trip to Provincetown specifically to see her. She’s performing at the Crown and Anchor for two nights only—August 13 and 14 at 8:30pm.

Note: that is Carnival Week, one of the busiest and most fun weeks of the year for America’s favorite LGBT resort town and the local’s favorite celebration so be sure to make your reservations soon.

If you don’t know Ms. Eder, listen to her on YouTube with her perfect soaring spine-tingling voice, best known for Broadway belting but also proficient in a host of other genres from pop to country. Gay cred? She names Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand and Eileen Farrell as main inspirations, for heaven’s sake.

Info/tix: http://www.onlyatthecrown.com/entertainment/performer.php?id=88

Here she is taking on Streisand’s “Don’t Rain on my Parade.”

Fab Travel Prizes at IGLHRC Event

As part of our commitment to fostering dialong and engaging our members in the advancement of gay rights for our brothers and sisters all over the world, we have partnered with the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).

Join Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, NY City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, me and editor in chief Ed Salvato at A Celebration of Courage, IGLHRC’s 2012 Human Rights Awards in New York City July 16th.

ManAboutWorld is proudly sponsoring the travel raffle, with great prizes, including:

Toronto
Two nights at the luxurious Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, two round-trip tickets (Newark-Toronto) on the glamorous Porter Airlines with direct service to downtown Toronto and two Toronto CITYPASS booklets.

Las Vegas
Two night at the fabulous Wynn Las Vegas or Encore Las Vegas and two VIP tickets to Le Rêve – The Dream.

Ft. Lauderdale
Two nights at the lovely Grand Resort and Spa, plus two Greater Fort Lauderdale VIP Passes.

Provincetown
Two nights at the centrally located Prince Albert Guest House.

New York
Private group tour of Metropolitan Museum of Art for up to six people on a Monday when the MET is closed to the public. The tour is led by a Museum Producer.

Guess Who’s Launching a New iPad-only Gay Travel Magazine?

Yes, me! But not on my own.

I’m incredibly excited to announce that I’m launching a new gay travel magazine built specifically for the iPad only, with Billy Kolber—one of the founders of OUT&ABOUT, the first gay travel editorial outlet that both chronicled and shaped the burgeoning gay travel industry.

Sign up for a free copy of the inaugural issue by clicking on our newly launched website: ManAboutWorld.com.

We expect the first issue to drop this summer. Since 2012 is the 20th anniversary of the the launch of OUT&ABOUT we think we’ll make a big splash in the media.

This isn’t an “online magazine” or a website. It’s not the digital version of an existing paper-based magazine. This is an honest-to-god, well-researched and written, beautifully designed and laid-out magazine created ground-up for the iPad that takes advantage of the native functionality of this seemingly magical device. We’re talking rich graphics, video, slideshows and more.
Please, if you have an iPad, sign up for your free download here. If you don’t own an iPad (est-ce possible?), consider purchasing one. You won’t want to miss this groundbreaking new publication.

Check out our growing list of  fabulous global gay correspondents here. If you think you got what it takes to join this elite team of travel writers, email me here.

Be sure to follows on Twitter at @MAWTravel and we’d like it if you liked us on Facebook.

“Awesome Blog Award”? Me? It’s an Honor!

In early May, I received the “Awesome Blog Content” award from my friend and ManAboutWorld correspondent (more about that in a moment), Ivan Quintanilla, founder and editor of the terrific gay-travel-oriented TravelingIQ.

This award is a grass-roots, self-sustaining initiative allowing bloggers and others toiling in social media to recognize one another’s efforts. A sort of social-media-content daisy-chain of congratulations! I’m honored and I thank Ivan, since I love  (and subscribe to) his blog.

When accepting this award, the rules dictate that I describe myself or my blog using every letter of the alphabet and pass on the award to six fellow bloggers. So here goes:

Active, Bostonian, City-oriented, Dextrous, Effective, Francophone, Gay-friendly, Hustler (mind out of gutter!), Influencer, Jocular, Kinetic, Laughing, Mellow-Not!, Open-minded, Portuguese-learning, Queer, Respectful, Spinner, Tastemaker, Unaffected, Vain, Xcstatic to almost be finished this list, Youthful, Zestful

Now the most challenging part of this initiative because I have so many deserving colleagues: I offer you six really great people to whom I pass this award and the challenge of creating an alphabetic list of self-descriptions.

LeylaFarah: Social media guru, tech nerd, fabulous woman and great friend. Follow her Tweets for surprising and informative updates.

Michael Kretchmar: New to social media but burning through the Twittersphere with an intriguing and diverse array of updates.

Dennis Hensley: Actor, travel writer, published author, podcaster, entertainer and staff writer for Joan River.

Jeff Guaracino: Tourism marketing/communications genius, published author, newspaper columnist, blogger, Tweeter.

Jennifer Auer: Family blogger, Tweeter, social media expert, content creator.

Kim Orlando: Founder and director of TravelingMom.com, a “survival guide for moms who travel.”  She is highly respected in the mom/family travel blogging world.

Congrats to the six of you! Please pass on this award to six deserving recipients.

Now, back to ManAboutWorld. I’m working with Billy Kolber to launch a new gay travel magazine, the only one built exclusively for the iPad. Please sign up here to receive the inaugural issue free: http://manaboutworld.com. It’s expected to launch this summer.