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Boston & Cambridge

Overview:

Boston considers itself "The Hub of the Solar System". Well, that may be a bit of a stretch but it certainly is the hub of New England. Be it education, government, finance, technology, medicine, Boston & it’s inside-Rt. 128 neighbors are a powerful engine. They’re also home to a huge, well established, gay community.

That said visitors to Boston are often surprised at how out, yet not ‘out there’, the locals are. For as large a gay population there is (some estimates have the LGBTQ? population of the metropolitan area as high as 25%) the nightlife choices aren’t particularly wide and the community institutions tend towards the conservative. However with a bit of looking nearly every visitor will find something of gay Boston & Cambridge to their liking.

The Gay Bars • Getting Around • Where to Stay • Finding Food • Holidays & Events • Gay Resources • Traveler Resources • Other Good Sources


The Gay Bars:

The Alley Bar is the most Bear Bar in town, holding their popular "Bear Central" every Saturday night, numerous special events, movie nights, Bear-community fundraiser’s, leather club nights, home bar to the Boston Bears bear club, and where the Mass Bay Bears hold the Mr. New England Bear & Cub Contest. Oh, and on top of all of that they have discounted parking in the garage next door, a great thing in Boston.

For Bears more interested in the Leather side of life the Boston Ramrod is a popular venue. Weeknights it’s a local butch bar, on weekends its a rotating series of theme nights & special events like the Mr. Boston Leather Contest. On Thursday evening downstairs in the pool hall is "Bearioke" night. However before going check the Red Sox calendar at neighboring Fenway Park, the area is a mess before, during, and after a game.

For the sports enthusiastic Fritz is the place to be, home to innumerable gay league champions. Weekend days are busy, especially the packed-to-the-walls Sunday afternoons. Down the block is the Boston Eagle. Contrary to it’s name it’s not so much a leather bar as a cruise bar, getting busier as the night gets later.

The (Designer) Suit and Tie Bears will appreciate Club Café, and for those looking for a quieter yet still stylish ambience there’s Dedo. Dancing boys & men are to be found at Buzz, and Sunday night is Gay Night at the cavernous dance-palace Avalon.

In Cambridge it’s The Paradise for an eclectic mix of townies, college students, strippers, and whomever else stops by that night.


Getting Around:

Unless you’re a native of the area driving is something best avoided. Really. The roads are small, fast, unmarked, potholed, regularly one-way, typically at bizarre angles & elevations, and the drivers are, well, "psychotically aggressive" is a kind description. Don’t even try and master a rotary, instead consider the alternative ways of getting around. If not, well, pony up for additional car insurance.

There is an extensive and fairly good public transit system. The subway system will take most visitors to nearly every downtown destination they could want and do so faster and cheaper then any other means. For routes a bit more out of the way, off-hours, or those who simply "don’t do public transit" taxicabs are to be found on most major thoroughfares or duck into any nearby bar, hotel, or restaurant to ask one be called for you.


Where to Stay:

It’s an expensive area for lodging. That said there are deals to be found. One suggestion is to not stay directly downtown; if you can stay out in the suburbs your hotel bill will drop by half for 20 minutes driving. Consider trying the smaller hotels, or B&Bs, even think about renting a small furnished/serviced apartment if you’ll be in the area for a few weeks.

  • Club Quarters in Boston. Convenient to Government Center, Quincy Market, Beacon Hill, Downtown Crossing, and The Alley Bar.
  • Fenway Howard Johnson’s. Backs onto Fenway Park, near Kenmore Square, Back Bay, Longwood Medical District, and across the street from the Boston Ramrod.
  • Chandler Inn Hotel. In the gay South End, next to Back Bay, walking distance to all of downtown, Fritz is it’s hotel bar and The Eagle is down the street.
  • The Midtown Hotel. Across from the Christian Science Center & Symphony Hall, in the Back Bay next to the South End & Fenway, it’s not directly adjacent to anything notably gay but it can be reasonably priced if nothing fancy.
  • Jurys Boston Hotel. In the heart of Back Bay next to the South End, located in the former Boston Police Headquarters, a stylish boutique hotel with a great restaurant and not far from a number of bars.

Finding Food:

Boston is a food town. Ask any local for their suggestions, after getting them going you likely won’t be able to stop them. However for a visitor looking for a few suggestions here goes:

  • Seafood: Legal Seafood $$$ Pricey but reliably good, diverse menu. Barking Crab $$ Funky place with a decent menu.
  • Steak: Grill 23 $$$ With all the new competition the old hometown reliable is still the best. The ‘tots will bring tears of joy to your eyes.
  • Italian: Walk the North End, pick what appeals to you $-$$$. If you need to be told then go to Piccola Venezia $$.
  • French: Aujourd’hui $$$ For the Classic French, Hamersley’s Bistro $$$ For a looser French interpretation.
  • Bostonian: Durgin Park $$ It’s a classic, still good, eat at a shared table to meet an astonishing variety of locals. Quincy Market $ Sure it’s tourist/suburban hell but you can’t beat the foodcourt variety.
  • Cantabrigian: Upstairs on the Square $$ It’s like you enrolled at Harvard.
  • Vegetarian: ???

Holidays & Events:

Civic Holiday • Crowds • Gay

  • January 1 - New Year’s Day
  • Third Monday in January - Martin Luther King Day
  • Third Monday in February - President’s Day
  • March 17 - Evacuation Day (Boston Holiday) St. Patrick’s Day
  • Third Monday in April - Patriot’s Day Boston Marathon
  • Last Monday in May - Memorial Day
  • June - Graduation Season for Area Schools
  • Second Saturday in June - Boston Gay Pride Parade
  • June 17 - Bunker Hill Day (Boston Holiday only)
  • July 4 - Independence Day Concert & Fireworks
  • Second Week in July - Provincetown Bear Week
  • September - Students Return to Area Schools
  • September 1 - Moving Day for Most Renters
  • First Monday in September - Labor Day
  • Second Monday in October - Columbus Day
  • Third Weekend in October - Head of the Charles Regatta
  • November 11 - Veteran’s Day
  • Fourth Thursday in November - Thanksgiving Day
  • December 25 - Christmas Day
  • December 31 - First Night

Gay Resources:


Traveler Resources:

  • 24 Hour Boston lists Always-Open Drug Stores, Gas, Restaurants & Bakeries, Supermarkets & Conv. Stores, Bowling, Print Shops
  • Weather:
  • Roads & Traffic: Dial *1 on many cellphones, on others use (617) 374-1234
  • Currency Exchange:
  • Emergency: Dial 911, both landlines and cellphones. Boston & Cambridge emergency services are generally gay-friendly

Other Good Sources:


This page will be regularly updated and edited, please add any corrections or suggestions in the comments below. It’s still very rough, links are being added, etc. If you’d like to take over responsibility for maintaining this page please contact the Mass Bay Bears.