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The wilderness is so close to civilization.
By
Michael LaBelle
The "City of Glass" is a place of
stunning vistas set between mountain
ranges and the Strait of Georgia.
Vancouver has the high-energy buzz
befitting a city of post-modern condo
towers, high-tech industry and
two decades of heavy immigration from
Hong Kong and Taiwan. But
visitors can tune into a laid-back west
coast vibe as they commune with
nature and cruise the parks and nudist
Wreck Beach. Top-notch skiing,
hiking, camping and surfing are
nearby.
Neighborhoods
With rainbow banners and pink bus stops,
the West End's "gayborhood" of
Davie Village contains most of the
city's gay clubs, bars, lounges,
cafes, and restaurants. Handsome guys
can often be seen holding hands
as they make their way down the
streets.
The second gay district is
Commercial Drive. Locally known as
"the Drive," it has lots of inexpensive
ethnic restaurants, interesting
shops and several women's hangouts.
Accommodations
Blue
Horizon (1225 Robson; 800-663-
1333) near shopping and dining,
close to Davie Village, downtown,
Stanley Park.
Nelson House
B&B (977 Broughton, West End;
866-684-9793) bright and
cheery B&B, near English Bay,
Granville Island, Davie clubs.
Pacific
Palisades (1277 Robson; 604-688-
0461) 233 suites, dinner
until midnight, pool, spa, steam, hot
tub, massage, fitness rooms.
Sunset Inn &
Suites (1111 Burnaby; 800-786-
1997) quiet West
End, near urban attractions, balconies,
English Bay views.
Sandman Inn and
Suites (1160 Davie; 604-681-
7263) luxury
suites, penthouses, hot tubs, balconies,
water views, pool, spa.
Bars & clubs
1181 (1181
Davie) plush lounge, chill-out zone,
good martinis, retro
films, pop art, local artists, hot
men.
Celebrities
(1022 Davie) dance club, big-name DJs,
special
events, celebrities, shows most nights.
Davie Village
Cafe (1141 Davie; up) indoor or
balcony seating,
always busy, evening male playground,
bears parties.
Fountainhead
Pub (1025 Davie) open or covered
patio, games, TV
sports, Mexican food, vegetarian fare,
microbrews.
Lolita's South of
the Border Cantina (1326 Davie)
Mexican
restaurant, happy hour bar, delicious
margaritas.
Numbers
(1042 Davie) three bars on five levels,
diverse crowd,
young and older, friendly staff.
Odyssey
(1251 Howe) nightly dance club,
contests, drag, exotic
male strip shows, men-only entrance and
rear patio.
Oasis (1240
Thurlow; up) pub-like decor, cozy
patio, extravagant menu, impressive
martinis, live music, DJs.
Pulse
Nightclub (1138 Davie) new club,
state-of-art sound and
lights, dance floor, go-go cages, patio
lounge.
Pump Jack
(1167 Davie) leather events, motorcycle
club,
contests, puppy and underwear parties,
see-be-seen windows.
Score (1262
Davie) bar and restaurant, sports TV,
good selection
of beers and mixed drinks, food, large
patio.
Gyms
Denman
Fitness (1731 Comox St) fun,
positive alternative to
high-pressure clubs, custom programs to
fit your needs.
Spartacus
Gym (1522 Commercial Dr) gay-
owned and frequented
workout facility on "the Drive."
Restaurants
Cafe Deux
Soleils (2096 Commercial Dr)
vegetarian restaurant, brunch,
poetry slams, live music, open to
midnight.
Cafe Luxy
(1235 Davie) pasta specials, elegant
weekend brunch,
good wine list.
Chinatown Night
Market (Keefer and Main Streets)
weekends
through September 6, shop and eat until
11pm.
Coming Home
Cafe (753 6th; New Westminster)
kitchy uptown cafe,
original art, organic coffee and food,
wi-fi.
Darryl's Coffee &
Native Art Shop (945 Davie)
stress-free
vibe, hot drinks, ice cream, fruit
smoothies, first-nation art.
Delany's
(1105 Denman) popular coffee house, one
of the best
people-watching patios around.
Elbow Room
(560 Davie) big breakfasts, 25 omelet
choices, great
lunch, sandwiches, burgers, or dash of
Mexico.
Hamburger
Mary's (1202 Davie) 1950s-era
diner, breakfast all
day, late-night dining, burgers, soup,
sandwiches, shakes.
Heritage
Grill (447 Columbia; New
Westminster) broad menu, crab
cakes, salmon, live music, affable
Friday night gay crowd.
India
Bistro (1157 Davie) meaty or
vegetarian meals, lunch
buffet, dinner daily, Sunday brunch,
eat-in, takeout or delivery.
Melriches Coffee
House (1244 Davie) independent
cafe, good
coffee, homemade food, art on the
walls.
Moxies Classic
Grill (1160 Davie) under Sandman
Inn, modern
look, street-side dining, massive bar,
killer menu.
Rhizome
Cafe(317 E Broadway) queer-
friendly, community-minded
place, entertainment, films, exhibits,
food, games.
Theresa's
(1260 Commercial Dr) worker-owned queer-
frequented
breakfast spot, fresh eggs, organic
coffee.
Vera's Burger
Shack (1030 Davie) gourmet all
the way, with
delicious sweet-potato fries and turkey
burgers.
Saunas
Fahrenheit
212 (1048 Davie) huge gay play
space, full gym, steam rooms,
hot tub, porn, internet, cheap
memberships.
Hastings Steam &
Sauna (766 E Hastings) Finnish
traditional
sauna, open since 1926, diverse crowd,
men-only area.
M2M
Playspace (1210 Granville) open
24 hours, edgy, hard-core
alternative crowd, rooms, slings, steam,
visitor memberships.
Steam 1
(430 Columbia; Westminster) rooms,
communal showers,
sauna, play area, internet, gym,
relaxed, good-looking crowd.
Streamworks
(123 West Pender) new outpost, chain of
five superb
gym/sauna/bathhouses, men 18-plus, 24/7
everyday.
Shopping & services
Centre
(1170 Bute) gay community resources,
support, health and
social services, public education.
GayVan Travel
Marketing (1808-1150 Jervis)
travel planning and
area information, knowledgeable gay
staff.
Ju Ju Salon and
Spa (823 Davie) spa, hair
stylists and
colorists, full consultations, waxing
and facials, ear-candling.
Little Sister's
Book And Art Emporium (1238
Davie) gay books,
adult toys, erotica, fashion
accessories, gifts and cards.
Priape
(1148 Davie) sexy underwear, swimsuits,
leather gallery,
good porn selection.
Top Drawers
(1030 Denman, #115) top-name sweats,
jeans,
T-shirts, vests, accessories, laid-back
staff.
Getting here
At Vancouver Airport Station Terminal,
catch bus 98B or 496 to downtown
Vancouver. Pay on the bus with exact
change, $2.50. In late 2009,
SkyTrain's
newest rapid rail line will link
Waterfront and Vancouver
City Centre to Richmond and Vancouver
International Airport.
Getting around
Translink has SkyTrain,
buses and ferries to get you around
Vancouver.
A fare of $2.50 to $5 gives you 90
minutes of travel around the Lower
Mainland. Day passes cost from $7 to $9.
Also, two companies operate
adorable mini-ferries that ply the
waters of False Creek.
Pride Day
Vancouver
Pride
Parade from Robson at Thurlow and
festival at Sunset Beach wrap up two
weeks of events all over town.
August 2
Vancouverpride.ca
Local media
XTRA! West
newspaper, the local gay bi-weekly, is
chock-full of current
events, news, opinions and listings.
Cruising spots
Central Park, Burnaby. Kingsway at
Boundary Rd afternoons/after dark,
trails between Kingsway and north duck
pond.
Lees Trail, Stanley Park. Popular trail
northwest of Second Beach, day
or night outdoor sex, avoid
tourists.
Kitsilano Pool. The pool, at 2305
Cornwall Avenue, has late night
meetings at back of the pool, along the
seawall.
English Bay Sundial. At the bottom of
Davie and Denman Streets, cruisy
late nights at large sundial.
Wreck
Beach. Heavy cruising in sandy
oasis' upriver.
Top experiences
Sex on the beach. Vancouver's Wreck Beach
is one of the world's best
places for public sex and clothing-
optional tanning. Good marijuana is
sold right on the main beach,
illegally.
Sensational shopping. For a day of
browsing, catch the water taxi to
Granville Island at the southern end of
Thurlow Street, behind the
Aquatic Centre.
Into the woods. Outdoor sex with the
smell of cedar in your nostrils
can be found on the trails behind the
Second Beach pool in Stanley
Park.
Floating parties. Cruisey T
are one of the best things
about being gay in Vancouver.
Air and sea. Take a floatplane ride to
Nanaimo (catch it at the Coal
Harbour waterfront west of the Vancouver
Convention Centre) and come
back on the big walk-on ferry (at
Departure Bay).
Event planner
August
Vancouver Queer
Film Festival
21st year of queer movies from around
the world
August 13-23
Queerfilmfestival.ca.
September
Cruisey T
2009 Grande Finale
Canada's largest floating T-Dance
September 6
www.cruiseyt.com
March
WinterPRIDE
18th anniversary gay ski week events
March 1-8 2010
Gaywhistler.com
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