By
Joseph Erbentraut
Rainbow connection. Chicago’s
biggest concentration of gays
is the high-energy neighborhood of East
Lakeview, better known
as Boystown.
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The country's third largest city,
Chicago has a vibe that's totally
different from its competitors on either
coast. Nicknamed 'Paris on the
Prairie' because of its wide boulevards
and tree-shaded parks, Chicago
has a lot in common with that European
capital. It has world-class
museums, a breathtaking array of
restaurants, and gay nightlife that
rivals any of its neighbors.
This sophisticated city was home
to the world's first
skyscraper. (That was 1885, and the Home
Insurance Building was just
nine stories tall.) Since then, the city
has attracted famous
architects like Louis Sullivan and Mies
van der Rohe. The skyline's
main feature these days is the iconic
Willis Tower, the former Sears
Tower, which is slated to get a new
silver paint job.
Getting here
From O'Hare International Airport, take
the Chicago Transit
Authority's
Blue Line train heading east. For
information, contact
Transitchicago.com. A taxi to Lakeview
averages $45.
Getting around
The Windy City is a breeze to get
around, and a car is just not
necessary. Many train and bus lines
operate around the clock. Bus
numbers 22 Clark and 36 Broadway and the
Red Line EL will get you most
anywhere in gay Chicago. Visit
Transitchicago.com or
Drivelesslivemore.com to plan your
route. A Chicago Transit
Authority
visitor's pass is available for one to
five days.
Neighborhoods
Boystown: Chicago's biggest
concentration of gays is the high-energy
neighborhood of East Lakeview, perhaps
better known as Boystown. It's a
triangle between Belmont Avenue, Halsted
Street and Broadway.
Andersonville: The mellower
Anderson district stretches into
Edgewater.
Gay & alternative media
Gay Chicago
Magazine, Chicago Free
Press and Windy City
Times are the
city's gay news sources. Boi
Magazine is a glossy bar mag with good area bar listings, map and events calendar. The Chicago
Reader is a great alternative
paper.
Gay pride
Chicago Pride
, with live music on two stages,
food vendors, arts
and crafts, takes place in June.
Resources
Center on
Halsted (3656 N Halsted) is one
of the world's best gay
community centers -- and its
construction was financed without any
government money.
Shopping
The Magnificent Mile is a high-end
shopping district on Michigan Avenue
between Chicago River and Oak Street.
The Bucktown and Wicker Park
neighborhoods, both off North Milwaukee
Avenue, are full of boutiques,
galleries, theaters, eateries and
nightclubs.
Small town, big backyard
In Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go
Blind, the Neo-Futurists zip
through 30 original plays in 60 minutes.
Never the same show twice, the
lightening-fast performances are
hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking.
Even though the show has been running
for 20 years, it's sometimes hard
to get a seat at the renowned theater
troupe's home base, the
Neo-Futurarium.
The improv group brings fans of
alternative theater to
Andersonville, one of Chicago's most
popular north side neighborhoods.
Located roughly five miles from
downtown, this enclave is known for
being a bit offbeat.
That's clear from the
neighborhood's other theater and musical
troupes, which present everything from a
live-action gay soap opera to
a tribute to The Carpenters. There's
also a bi-monthly queer music
showcase called Homolatte.
Once popular with lesbians,
Andersonvillle has also drawn a
sizeable contingent of gay men. Locals
say they love Andersonville
because it's more laidback than
Boystown, the city's more famous gay
neighborhood. It has a small-town feel,
but convenient to all the
city's attractions.
'There is a neighborliness and
friendliness because it's almost
all locally owned businesses,' says
resident Ellen Shepard. 'You'll
find things here that you won't find
anywhere else.'
Centered on its 'main street' of
North Clark, the neighborhood
offers a funky vibe. Food enthusiasts
can dine on award-winning cuisine
ranging from Southern to Ethiopian,
Middle Eastern to Korean.
When it comes to shopping, the
neighborhood has dozens of
gay-friendly businesses. One of the best
known is Women and Children
First, one of the country's dwindling
number of gay booksellers.
As evening turns to night -- or
before then, if you're in the
mood for a Bloody Mary -- Andersonville
is not short on drinking
establishments. The neighborhood has
several gay bars. For more information and a complete list of establishments see below.
A trip to the neighborhood would
not be complete without paying
salute to its Swedish roots, which date
back to the 19th century. The
Swedish American
Museum offers a closer look into
the experiences of
immigrants who originally settled the
area.
Events planner
October
Aids Run &
Walk
Popular annual fundraising event
October 3
Aidsrunwalk.org
November
Reeling: The
Chicago Lesbian and Gay International
Film Festival
November 5-14
Reelingfilmfestival.org
May
International Mr.
Leather
World's hottest leather competition.
Late May
Imrl.com
June
Andersonville
Midsommarfest
Gay-friendly festival held in mid-summer
('midsommar' in Swedish).
Mid-June
Andersonville.org
August
Northalsted Market
Days
The Midwest's largest outdoor street
festival, with big gay crowds.
Early August
Chicagoevents.com
Top experiences
Art for art's sake: The Art Institute of
Chicago (111 S Michigan) is a
world-class museum and school of art and
design. There's free admission
Thursday and Friday night.
Museum pieces: The Leather Archives
and Museum (6418 N
Greenview), open Thursday to Sunday, is
a must-see shrine to leather
and fetish.
Bird's eye view: The Willis
Tower (233 S Wacker Dr),
Chicago's tallest building, (formerly the Sears) has great views. A drink at the bar on the 95th floor
has similar views to the observation
deck, and costs less.
Going parking: Millennium
Park (55 N Michigan) is an
eye-catching urban park where you'll
find plenty of men there for the
public art.
A night at the theater: Steppenwolf Theatre
Company (1650 N Halsted) a
crucible of talent, is where John
Malkovich made it big.
Accommodations:
Gay-friendly
hotels
Amalfi Hotel
Chicago (20 W Kinzie; 312-
395-9095) downtown location,
luxurious feel.
Best Western
Hawthorne Terrace (3434 N
Broadway; 773-244-3434)
Boystown location, free breakfast,
internet access.
City
Suites Hotel (933 W Belmont;
773-404-3400) art deco-style
building, Boystown location, at Belmont
El station.
Comfort
Inn and Suites Downtown (15 E
Ohio; 312-894-0900) affordable
rates, super clean, Downtown location,
free internet.
Dana Hotel
(660 N
State; 312-202-6000) modern boutique
hotel, big windows overlooking State
Street.
Hilton
Chicago (720 S Michigan;
312-922-4400) over 1,500 rooms,
host to International Mr Leather
competition.
Hotel Monaco
Chicago (225 N
Wabash; 866-610-0081) downtown
boutique hotel, luxurious French decor,
part of Kimpton chain.
Majestic
Hotel (528 W Brompton; 773-404-
3499) cozy rooms,
closest to the lake in Lakeview.
Bed &
breakfasts
Ardmore
House (1248 W Ardmore; 773-728-
5414) gay B&B, between lake
and North Clark nightlife.
Ashland
Arms Guest House (6408 N
Clark;
312-498-9979) North Side
location, five rooms with
leather/fetish
themes.
Villa
Toscana Guest House (3447 N
Halsted; 773-404-2643) gay-friendly
lodgings in Boystown.
Hostels
HI Chicago
(24 E Congress Pkwy; 312-360-
0300) downtown location, all
ages, no curfew, inexpensive dorm
beds.
Arlington
House International Hostel &
Hotel (616 W Arlington Pl;
773-665-5485) unrestricted
membership, inexpensive dorm beds and
private rooms, just south of
Boystown.
Bars & clubs: Lakeview area
3160
(3160 N Clark) small neighborhood bar with open mic nights, and Friday drag.
Berlin
(954 W Belmont) acclaimed multicultural
alternative and queer dance
club, with late-night crowd, performance artists, live music, comedy, drag shows, guest DJs and dancing until 4 or 5am. Just-released cutting-edge nuggets mix easily with the classics here in the hands Chicago's freshest generation of DJ talent.
Bobby
Love's (3729 N Halsted) tiny
neighborhood bar where karaoke
rules.
Bucks
(3439 N Halsted) casual and relaxed neighborhood saloon with sports on the tube, garden patio bar, jukebox, darts and pool table with picture-window views of the comings and goings on the Northalsted strip. A genuinely friendly staff and decent drinks prices too.
Cell
Block (3702 N Halsted) Levi-
leather men's video dance bar with strict dress code enforced in the dark and cruisy rear bar.
Charlie's
(3726 N Broadway) rollicking country-western bar that morphs into a high-energy dance club after 2am when other Boystown bars have to close.
Circuit
(3641 N Halsted) big dance floor,
with Latino and other theme nights.
Cocktail
(3359 N Halsted) intimate lounge,
stripper nights.
Hydrate
(3458 N Halsted) crushingly packed and cruisy dance club with young, fashionable, attractive crowd, and imaginative theme nights.
Little
Jim's (3501 N Halsted) early or
late-nights for after all the others have closed men's drinking and cruising bar, with cheap drinks.
Lucky
Horseshoe Lounge (3169 N
Halsted) is a popular bar with Chicago's only every night rotation of erotic male dancers on stage, on the bars and circulating throughout the crowd. Holidays here are always celebrated in style and porn stars in town usually put in an appearance at the Horseshoe.
Manhandler
(1948 N Halsted) men's cruise bar halfway from Boystown to Downtown with very active patio and backroom, especially in the later hours.
Minibar
(3341 N Halsted) narrow lounge for
style-conscious metrosexuals.
North
End(3733 N Halsted) Chicago's original gay sports bar and neighborhood tavern with sports video and TV games, pool tables, dart boards, and an athletic crowd. Bar-sponsored football, water polo, darts, bowling, softball, and volleyball teams hang here, and porn stars headline special events.
Roscoe's
(3356 N Halsted) very popular bar complex at Boystown center with compact, intensely active dance area, lounge and pub areas, plus patio and sidewalk food service. A constant stream of events include Wet Boxer Shorts contests, weekly drag contests, and Male Call game nights with Miss Foozie.
Scarlet
(3320 N Halsted) rich decor, small but pleasant escape from the Boystown crush. Rotating events include local artists, independent film, top name DJs, comedy and theme parties.
Sidetrack
(3349 N Halsted) spacious video bar compex of many rooms and ambiences, inside and out. At the central big-screen video bar, laugh and sing with the crowd to queer and eclectic fare from their amazing archives. Show tunes are Sunday and Monday favorites and Thursdays are for comedy. Lots of special events, and the biggest, most diverse crowd in gay Chicago. Valet parking available.
Spin
(800 W Belmont) energetic young crowd dance club and lounge famous for their Friday night shower contests. Standard amateur boy events now joined by girls, couples, bears and go-go pros on special nights.
Bars & clubs: Northside to Westside
Atmosphere
(5355 N Clark) dance bar with strippers
Thursday to Sunday.
Big
Chicks (5024 N Sheridan) local
bar and restaurant for all, patio,
Sunday BBQ buffet.
The Call (1547 W Bryn Mawr) video, dance and party bar until 2am every night, with pop and retro music and home-inspired entertainment. Easy to reach at the Bryn Mawr Red Line station.
Crew
Bar and Grill (4804 N Broadway)
popular music and sports video bar with cute and trendy crowd. Good basic food and 68 kinds of beer inside, or at the sidewalk cafe daily until midnight; weekend brunch 11am to 3pm.
Davenport's
Piano Bar (1383 N Milwaukee,
Wicker Park) cabaret, student
discounts.
Granville
Anvil (1137 W Granville) men's
dive bar, opens at 9am
for the hardcore.
Hopleaf (5148 N. Clark St),
known for its Belgian ale selection.
In Fine
Spirits (5420 N. Clark St) a diverse crowd wine bar.
Jackhammer
(6406 N Clark) diverse crowd upper bar with dance
floor, patio and Levi-leather/fetish sex-charged basement The Hole. Also bear events, strippers, and theme parties. Open late: 4am nightly, 5am Saturdays.
Joie
De Vine (1744 Balmoral) wine
bar, mostly women.
Marty's (1511 W Balmoral Ave) chic martini spot between Ashland & Clark.
Scot's
(1829 W Montrose) neighborhood bar,
busy
after 5pm.
Sofo
Bar (4923 N Clark) mixed gay
and
lesbian bar, large
dog-friendly patio.
Star Gaze
(5419 N Clark) small dance
bar with outdoor garden, draws
women and transgendered people. Rumored to be closing, check their website.
Touche
(6412 N Clark) leather/rubber/fetish
men's bar with cheap beer, fun contests and porn star events, dress-code and very active and cruisy back rooms.
Wild
Pug (4810 N Broadway) neighborhood locals' hangout with comfy
sofas, dance floor, big selection of beers on tap, game shows and acoustic music events.
Bars & clubs: Downtown & Southside
Baton
Show Lounge (436 N Clark)
first-rate drag shows for a mostly
straight crowd.
Chesterfield (1800 W Pershing) recently tranformed into el nuevo Chesterfield, mixed gender and orientations dance club with a Latin pulse.
Club Escape (1530 E 75th St) Southside dance club with live shows, drag, and retro music draws a slightly older crowd.
InnExile
(5758 W 65th) sociable neighborhood video bar in the Southwest, near Midway
Airport, with free parking and Chicago Beef dancers on Fridays.
Jeffrey
Pub
(7041 S Jeffery) video bar with dancing to a South Side groove.
2nd Story
Bar (157 E Ohio) the last downtown gay bar in area convenient to Magnificent Mile shoppers.
Bars & clubs: Suburbs
Club Krave
(13126 Western Ave, Blue Island) mostly gay crowd in southern suburbs with Hot-n-Hunky male dancers hosted by Sarabia, plus karaoke, bear nights and other parties.
Hunters
(1932 E Higgins, Elk Grove) suburban
dance club, mostly
guys, 'Hunks' show each Thursday.
Velvet Rope (728 W Lake St, Oak Park) new tapas and regular American restaurant and video lounge for mixed crowd in the western suburbs.
Saunas & sex
spaces
Banana
Video (4923 N Clark) adult gay
video store with screening rooms.
Bijiou
Theater (1349 Wells) multi-
level porn heaven with large
screens and action-filled garden.
Man's
Country (5017 N Clark) grand
old-style bathhouse with all the steamy amenities and lots of male interaction. Famous for their Friday and Saturday midnight nude stripper and guest porn star shows at no extra charge.
Ram
Bookstore (3511 N Halsted)
adult magazines and DVDs, video booths
with 'ventilation' -also with Thursday through Saturday late night dance and play floor, with music DJs and light show, 3-7am
Steamworks
(3246 N Halsted) ultra modern gay gym and sauna with all the bathhouse, video, internet and playspace facilities and then some, including live DJs.
Restaurants
For a more complete list of area restaurants click
here.
Restaurants: Lakeview
Ann
Sather Restaurant (909 W
Belmont) grand Swedish diner serving
breakfast, lunch
and justly famous cinnamon rolls.
Chicago
Diner (3411 N Halsted) superb
meat-free meals, waiters
are almost dessert.
Halsted's
Bar & Grill (3441 N Halsted)
gay brunch, dinner,beer and cocktails.
Jack's
Bistro (3201 N Halsted)
American contemporary bistro, global
cuisine.
Melrose
Restaurant (3233 N Broadway)
casual vibe, big menu,
always open, all-American diner.
Nookies
Tree (3334 N Halsted) Boystown
cafe, open 7am to
midnight, 24 hours on weekends.
Orange (3231 N Clark) inventive breakfast,
brunch & sandwich menu.
Pie
Hole (737 W Roscoe) tasty late-
night slices after
Boystown bars close.
Stella's
Diner (3042 N Broadway) soup,
salads, sandwiches, milk shakes.
Whole
Foods
(3640 N Halsted)
freshly prepared takeout and
self-serve salads at Center on
Halsted.
Restaurants: Uptown
Crew
Bar and Grill (4804 N Broadway)
fabulous weekend brunches, inexpensive
all-American fare until 10pm inside or out on the sidewalk cafe.
Hamburger
Mary's (5400 N Clark) gay
diner, 11-11 weekdays, with weekend brunch 10:30am to 3pm. Sports on TV, trivia games, gong shows, karaoke, cabaret and live soaps keep things always interesting.
Indie
Cafe (5951 N Broadway) stellar
restaurant serving Thai
cuisine and sushi.
M Henry
(5707 N Clark) breakfast,
lunch, and famous 'blackberry
bliss' cakes.
Tweet
(5020 N Sheridan) breakfast and brunch,
dinner, daily
specials, free wi-fi.
Restaurants: Downtown
Pizzeria
Uno (29 E Ohio) Chicago's famed
deep-dish pizza, since 1943. A
classic.
Shop 'til you drop
The Magnificent Mile is a high-end
shopping district on Michigan Avenue
between Chicago River and Oak Street.
The Bucktown and Wicker Park
neighborhoods, both off North Milwaukee
Avenue, are full of boutiques,
galleries, theaters, eateries and
nightclubs.
Shopping &
services:
Lakeview
Brown
Elephant Resale (3645 N
Halsted)
second-hand shop, benefits gay
and AIDS groups. Chicago
Male (3418 N Halsted; 773-281-
6006) salon and spa for men.
Chicago
Tattooing and Piercing Company
LTD (1017 W Belmont) safe
branding and piercing, gay-friendly outfit.
Cupids
(3519 N Halsted) 'love' boutique with
leather, rubber, sex toys, potions.
Gay
Mart (3457 N Halsted) rainbow
goodies and fun toys.
Leather
Sport (3505 N Halsted) leather
and erotic retail
Shel-don
Custom Leather (3920 N
Broadway) custom leather creations and
alterations.
Unabridged
Books (3251 N Broadway)
bookstore with gay and
general selections.
Uptown
Brown
Elephant Resale (5228 N Clark)
pre-owned items, fundraiser for
gay and AIDS groups.
Eagle
Leathers (5005 N Clark St)
leather and adult products.
Gold Crown
Barber (1481 W
Balmoral) personal service,
inexpensive hairdos, large gay
clientele.
His Stuff
(5314 N Clark) stylish
clothes for gay men and metrosexuals.
Leather
6410 (6410 N Clark) leather and
fetish boutique.
Gyms
Cheetah
Gym (5248 N Clark)
Andersonville's gay choice.
Fitness Formula
Club (3228 N
Halsted) gayest outpost in
Lakeview.
Quads
(3727 N Broadway) cheapest
gay friendly gym in Lakeview.
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