Florianopolis – Brazil’s Other Carnival Hot Spot

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Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Most LGBT travelers know that Rio’s Carnival (Mardi Gras celebration) is a white-hot and gay-popular event. Fewer know that many gay Brazilians go to Florianopolis to celebrate. This year’s festivities, March 5-8 will be hotter than ever.

This sultry island town is located to the south of Brazil (here’s a map) and is becoming the go-to hot spot for in-the-know LGBT jetsetters. Mix Brasil, the main LGBT site in Brazil, already crowned Florianopolis the gay-est Carnival in Brazil in 2011. Click here for more information, including a booking option with a very highly regarded LGBT travel agent tour operator, Brazil Ecojourneys.

Tour of the Week: Take the Gay Train

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Out In The Vineyard has organized the world’s very first all gay winemaker dinner aboard the world famous Napa Valley Wine train Saturday, March 12, 2011 – 5:30 – 9:30pm.

Climb aboard The big gay Train for a truly unique culinary and wine adventure with 5 of Wine Country’s most exciting gay winemakers and winery owners! A portion of the proceeds to penefit The Queen Of The Valley Hospital CARE Network’s HIV/AIDS Services.

Cost: Tickets: $125 Gourmet Express Car / $150 VIP Vista Dome Car

Click here for more details.

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Key West Was “Out Before it Was In”

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Pretty awesome video by Key West — one of the only gay-specific videos created by a destination’s official tourism agency.

The picture about iv a (sexy) still from the video. Click play to see the short but very cool and reaffirming video. They like us in Key West, they really like us.

Suite Dreams: Get Blu a new Green Hotel in Stockholm

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Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Create your own “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Momen” at the new Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel Stockholm. The innovative green structures include 11,000 square feet of solar paneling and use fresh water from nearby Lake Klara to heat/cool interiors.

Located in Stockholm’s city center, the hotel is within walking distance of the Arlanda Express rail link to the airport and the central railway station. Radisson Blu Waterfront is also in close proximity to Stockholm’s business district, boutique shops, the cobbled streets of “Old Town,” or Gamla Stan.

The hotel offers modern standard and business class rooms with views of Riddarfjärden, the bay surrounding the city, and City Hall. The property’s three suites are situated on the top floor and offer expansive views of Lake Mälaren, Riddarfjärden and City Hall. All rooms and suites feature Radisson Blu signature services such as complimentary high-speed internet access.

Enjoy a Martini with that Desert Modern Gem

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Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Mid-century modern design aficionados will be flocking to sunny Palm Springs, California in February for the city’s sixth annual Modernism Week Festival. The self-described “celebration of all things modern” kicks off on February 17th, and continues for ten activity-filled days, closing on February 27th.

The diverse array of events scheduled to take place during Modernism Week include the centerpiece event – the Modernism Show at the Palm Springs Convention Center, plus tours of the city’s many mid-century architectural treasures, genre-specific film screenings, educational lectures and art exhibitions, a mid-century modern fashion show, themed cocktail parties, music, food, fun and more.

For more information, visit www.palmspringsgayinfo.com, or, for a complete schedule of events,  visit www.modernismweek.com.

Baltimore’s LGBT heart

Picture 1 You knew Baltimore was queer but did you know it was gay, too?

Lots of terrific LGBT-popular events going on. Here’s a round up of a few current and upcoming performances, shows and more.

The Narcissism of Minor Differences

This exhibition showcases 17 acclaimed artists, including Patricia Cronin who uses traditional historic art forms to address contemporary issues of sexuality, gender and class. She created Memorial to a Marriage (pictured) to address the issue of same-sex couples’ inability to legally wed throughout the United States.

iQueer: there’s NOT an app for that

  • Presented by Charm City Kitty Club
  • Creative Alliance
  • January 29, 2011
  • 7pm; Kitty Cocktails, 8pm Show

Baltimore’s original gay cabaret brings you a tech-fabulous winter lineup, including hip-hop spoken word by LOVE the poet and Queen Earth.

LUSH 3rd Thursday’s

  • St. Patrick’s Day Bash
  • Mist
  • March 17, 2011

LUSH has quickly become the baddest LGBTQ night in town! Live Go-Go dancing, drink specials and free shots all night, sexy bartenders, premiere DJ’s, and the hottest partygoers in Baltimore in an amazing venue with state-of-the-art sound and lighting. Presented by S.H.E. Productions and Firefly Entertainment.

More info: Baltimore.org

Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

 

History is Made with World’s Largest Gay Cruise

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Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

This is a shout out to all you guys and gals flocking this weekend to Miami to catch the world’s largest gay cruise in history. Atlantis Events, the largest tour operator specializing in gay cruises and resort vacations, has chartered the 5,400-passenger (yes, you read that right!) Allure of the Seas, which is longer than New York’s Chrysler building if it were laid on its side. The cruise has been sold out for many months. Not to fear, though, because Atlantis is chartering the Allure for another weeklong sailing adventure on January 29, 2012. You can book your spot on the 2012 cruise starting February 23, 2011. (Did we mention it was actually sold out?) Visit AtlantisEvents.com to book.

If your plans include an overnight stay in Miami, click on our Out Guide to that sunny south Florida city.

Tour of the Week: Pride of the Ocean

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Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

The Pollin Group and After Stonewall Productions are pleased to announce their second cruise of Pride of the Ocean — a floating LGBT film festival.

Six festivals from Boston, Philadelphia, Long Island, Rhode Island, Vermont and Montreal will be presenting works on the Norwegian Gem when it sets sail from New York City on May 29, 2011.The Pride of the Ocean’s Program Director, John Scagliotti (creator the first LGBT TV series on PBS, In the Life , as well as the producer of the first gay film on PBS, BEFORE STONEWALL, will be collaborating with five festival directors. Each festival on board will have a special day on the cruise to present films.  They will also participate in a panel discussion with those on the cruise about the future of the LGBT film festival and what it might look like in five years

Suite Dreams: Stockholm’s Grand Hotel

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Story and image by Jeffery James Keyies; Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Stockholm, situated on fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, is the gay capital of Scandinavia. In a city where everything is possible, there are plenty of beds and bathtubs to explore.

Just across from the Royal Palace, the Grand Hôtel Stockholm ascends like a king poised on his throne. The interiors (including the Hall of Mirrors and Winter Garden) are so elegant that they have been designated a “Swedish National Treasure”.Staying at the Grand Hotel Stockholm is a vacation unto itself. Chef Mathias Dahlgren opened his famous restaurant, Mathias Dahlgren at the Grad Hotel in May of 2007. Two years later he received two Michelin stars and a coveted Matbaren one star. The Veranda restaurant is Stockholm’s classiest smörgåsbord. Be sure to sample the Grand Hotel’s own 1874 Grand Aquivat, flavored with cumin, aniseed, fennel, and squeeze of sherry.

After you’ve had your fill of Lingonberry sauce, venture up to your suite for your disco nap. If Nobel Prize recipients have booked up the Princess Lilian and Flag Suites, opt for an Executive Suite with a stunning view of the waterfront and Royal Palace. Get a glimpse of royalty as you sip a cup of hot tea and prepare for your first night on the town.

Start the night off right around the corner at Torget slide up to the DJ booth at Zipper Club, F12, or Patricia and shake your Swedish thing. Don’t stay out too late though, you’ve got the Vasa Museum and the Hallwyl Palace to visit in the morning.

Star Gay-zing in Asheville, North Carolina

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Originally published in GPS.OutTraveler.com

Asheville, NC is ideal for stargazing and features several easily accessible sites, including spots on the Blue Ridge Parkway, that are perfect for viewing sessions.

Visitors can team up with other local stargazers in the Astronomy Club of Asheville, who have monthly viewing sessions open to the public. There are often enough telescopes for everyone, so you don’t have to bring your own. The group’s Web site includes a list of star-gaze dates as well as tips and etiquette for the best viewing experience. You will ooh and aah like a kid when you see Saturn’s rings and the moon very, very close up.To the surprise of many, Asheville has a thriving gay and lesbian community and many venues of interest to LGBT visitors. Gay Asheville online.