Halsted Street in the heart of Boys Town but it is set off the street in a quiet oasis by itself. The Villa Toscana Bed and Breakfast is on N. Overall, Chicago's predominately Latin gay bars tend to have a greater mix of gay women and men than most other gay bars.Ĭlub Escape and Jeffery Pub on the South Side of Chicago are among the favorite hangouts for many in the city's African American community and are popular with both men and women.ĭuring my most recent trip, I had the pleasure of staying at the Crown Plaza Silversmith, perfectly situated within walking distance or a short El ride from Chicago's best-known landmarks and just around the corner from the city's latest masterpiece, Millennium Park. Both are on the South Side of Chicago and are open weekends only.
Nightclubs most popular with Chicago's Latin gay and lesbian community include Chesterfields, located at 1800 W. Gay bars in Andersonville include the Eagle, Madrigal's, Atmosphere, and Star Gaze, which has a mostly lesbian clientele.Ĭhicago has a large Latino population.
You'll pass the Steamworks bathhouse-gym near the start of the North Halsted strip between Spin and the Gentry bars. Other popular Northalsted clubs include Roscoe's, Spin, Sidetrack, and the stripper bar, Lucky Horseshoe. Circuit also features Latin nights on Thursday and Sunday. The event is hosted by the Chix Mix promotion group. It is also the area's biggest predominately lesbian venue every Friday night. In the summer, it looks a bit like Miami Beach because of the high-rise buildings that frame its vistas.Ĭircuit is one of Northalsted's most popular dance clubs. Walk east on Lake Street for three or four blocks, pass under the viaduct, and follow the paths to the left. To get there, take the Red Line train to the Bryn Mawr stop. The nearby Edgewater neighborhood is home to the gay beach, Hollywood Beach, officially called Osterman Beach. Speaking of children, the Women and Children First bookstore is the unofficial headquarters of Andersonville's lesbian community.Ī few more stops on the El north of Andersonville is Rogers Park. Cheaper housing prices in Andersonville helped make it more attractive for lesbians with children. It's a few stops north of Boys Town on the El. It's home to a growing gay and lesbian scene. While Northalsted is by far the area of Chicago with the most gay bars and nightclubs, a distant second is Andersonville, in the city's formerly Swedish district. And yes, it even has its own, albeit unofficial, gay beach. The city is gearing up for the games and is banking on that legacy helping to put Chicago permanently on the map for gay and lesbian travelers as a year-round destination.Ĭhicago is a city of diversity and contrast, from America's tallest building – the 110-story Sears tower – to its spectacular downtown beaches. Wrigley will host the Gay Games 2006 Closing Ceremonies. Fenway was built in 1912 and Wrigley went up two years later.
It's the second oldest ballpark in the country, after Fenway Park in Boston. In addition to being the home of the first official gay neighborhood, Lakeview is also home to one of America's most beloved ballparks, Wrigley Field. As you walk down Belmont, you will pass the headquarters for the Gay Games on the right. Most of the gay businesses will be along N. To get to Northalsted, take the Red or Brown Line El train to the Belmont stop, make a right when you exit the station and walk to N. That's because most of the system is elevated over the street. By the way, Chicagoans call the subway the El, as in elevated. The best way to get there is via the subway. With its official decor, Northalsted claims to be America's first official gay neighborhood. It's lined with more than a dozen gay bars and nightclubs and punctuated with 22 city-installed Jetson-esque rainbow striped 20-foot columns. Its gayest part stretches from Belmont Street to Broadway. The Castro Street of Chicago is Northalsted's main street, North Halsted Street. The Closet bar is a good example of the many gay venues in the area that are frequented by both men and women, although The Closet is usually mostly women.
Northalsted is home to more than 20 gay bars and dance clubs. The Closet is part of the Lakeview neighborhood in a section officially known as Northalsted and unofficially and more commonly known as Boys Town. "So, do you want to be a lesbian?" asked a smart aleck woman, or maybe one who hadn't heard me give my mission statement. My mission, I said, was to find out more about the lesbian scene in the Windy City for an article I was writing for the Bay Area Reporter. But that was after I explained that I wasn't there to convert anyone. That left me in the bar with about 30 women. Minutes after I walked into the Closet bar in Chicago's famously gay "Boys Town" neighborhood, the only two boys in the bar left. I guess I shouldn't have taken it personally.