Chicago gay bars thursday
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.