GAY & LESBIAN TRAVEL STORIES

The 50 Gay Best Bars in America?

The LGBT community has a lot of issues to grapple with these days. The recent victories of gay marriage in California, its validity in other states, and there’s a vital urgency to elect a progressive, LGBT-supportive President this November. Gay adoption, immigration issues, AIDS and HIV concerns and hate crimes loom large for us. But this story isn’t about any of those. It’s about where you should end up come closing time on a Tuesday night, with that last drink (that you really didn’t need) in your hand, talking to that slurry hottie you shouldn’t really be talking to. Where you choose to do such things as these is very important. To assist you, here’s a list of the best gay bars in America. And full disclosure: By “best” I don’t mean shiniest, cleanest, most-representative of all of gay folks, where the clientele are pretty and the staff professional. Nope.

When I think of the “Best Gay Bars,” I think of places where anything can happen, where raucous theme nights are the norm, where the locals are crazy and possibly hot, and where fun, unpredictable, bad behavior abounds. So I sent out emails to a lusty batch of travel writers, hard-partying friends and media folks from around the country, asking them... “What are the best gay bars in the U.S.???”

The results are personal, rather than scientific. And the surprising common theme which evolved was the soft-spot people have in their hearts for kistchy, dive-y, messy bars where a sketchy queen might be found lip-synching to Crystal Waters ’til the wee hours. And interestingly, most of the places tend to draw a mix of people: Old and young, rich and not-so-rich, men and women, high-class and trashy, gay and lesbian and trans and then some. After all, the more things get mixed up, the wilder things get, right?

To add a bit of pomp and circumstance, I've got the Top 3 bars picked. They're the ones that more people chimed in about the most. And after the Top 3, read on for a state-by-state round-up of what scored raves from our contributors. And yes, your favorite bar may be left out, so write me at John.Polly@logostaff.com and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks to my esteemed contributors for their input. And Happy Pride, y'all!

--with contributions from Calpernia Addams, Jesse Archer (Out Magazine), Iggie Benardo, Michael Harvey, Charlie Carter, Inge Colsen, David Edison (GayGamer.net), Japhy Grant (VisibleVote), Beth Greenfield (Time Out New York), Paul Hagen (MetroSource), Derek Hartley (Sirius Radio), Jason Heidemann (Time Out Chicago), Jimmy Im, Eric Leven, Michael Lumpkin (Frameline), Matthew Link (Out Traveler), Jonathan Mallow (LogoOnline), Brian Moylan (Next Magazine), Daniel Nardicio (DList.com) Justin Ocean (Out Traveler), Courtney Powell (Logo), T. Cole Rachel (V Magazine, The Fader), Steve Schmersal, Cator Sparks and James Withers (VisibleVote)

The Best Gay Bars in America are...

1. Mary's - Atlanta, Georgia
1287 Glenwood Avenue; Atlanta, GA; tel. 404-624-4411
http://www.marysatlanta.com; http://www.myspace.com/marysbar
Mary's, the colorful kitschy East Atlanta watering hole, got the most nods from our contributors. Cator Sparks, the Southern-raised gentleman who contributes to the NY Times and works in fashion PR praised the sassy spot for three reasons: "First, a midget hosts 'Karaoke Saturdays.' Second, they have underwear twister nights. And third, the stuffed deer head on the wall sings along to karaoke." Point well taken. Travel writer Jimmy Im, chimed in: "Mary's is unpretentious, has a great diverse crowd, and the clientele (and the staff) is a little wacky. Basically, it's really just always super fun!"

To find out more, I quizzed owner Mike Dover about the bar, its crowd, and why it rocks:

What's the ethos behind Mary's? If you guys had a mission statement with this bar, what would it be?

"We want to be your crazy neighbors down the street who never give up the opportunity for a theme party. We want to be the place you just go because you know all your friends are going to be there, but that you are still are not quite sure what to expect. We want to be in business forever, but if we aren't, we want to be the place that people still talk about 20 years later to make the next generation of gay kids jealous."

In a couple of sentences, tell me what went down on the wildest night you can remember?

Gee... This is like Sophie's Choice! So many of our regulars are so good at cookin' up a good time we could never pick just one! Let's just say snow bunnies, fortune tellers, a makeshift jail, and twister have all crossed paths in one night.

Why do you think Atlanta is a great city for a bar like Mary's?

Atlanta's a growing city with relatively low cost of living and people are movng here from all over the country. Throw that into the mix with the inherent crazy and eccentric characters that the South is known to breed and you've got a hell of a melting pot. Mary's is something of a home base for both natives and new arrivals to the city. When a new person comes to the bar, they add something to it, and keeps it fresh and interesting. All the ne'er do wells need a place to drink, after all.

For #2, #3 and the rest keep reading!!!