Often called The Capital of the World, New York City has been the Emerald City for gays & lesbians from all around the world for years… In fact, there is so much to see and do for the LGBT traveler that it took us two episodes to barely scratch the surface.
In Part One of our trip to The Big Apple, performer Seth Rudetsky has Shannon jazz stepping through the theater district in search of cheap tickets for the hottest shows on and off Broadway. Next, humorist Kate Clinton treks us around the Upper West Side - a popular "guppie" neighbourhood. In recent years, Chelsea has evolved into a major gay district. Long-time resident Richard Winger gives us his take on this trendy area and how the iconic "Chelsea Muscle Boy" is now getting on in age! For jocks (and their supporters), the Chelsea Piers complex on the west side of Manhattan is home to many gay sports teams. Shannon tries playing with balls for a change - basketball, soccer, golf and baseball, that is! From there we head south and traipse through fabled Greenwich Village with native New Yorker Arthur Strickler, including visits to the legendary Stonewall Inn, where the fight for LGBT civil rights was born, and other popular watering holes in this historic gay quarter. And finally, we join Clare Cavanah of Toys In Babeland, who reveals what a lesbian playground the Lower East Side has become, complete with shops, sex clubs, bars and other attractions for the grrrls!
In Part Two, Shannon's off to chat with Sara Cedar Miller of The Central Park Conservancy to get a history lesson on this world-famous park (and to find out where the best cruising spots are). Then we head across the bridge to Park Slope, Brooklyn to find out why this enclave has more lesbian residents than any other zip code in America. Local lesbian and Brooklyn enthusiast, Chris Cuomo takes Shannon on a tour before they attend the biggest lesbian Sunday Brunch this side of the East River. Next, we speak with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director Tom Viola about their biggest annual theatrical fundraising events, assisting those living with AIDS and HIV. Gay men around the world tune into HBO every week to watch Sex In The City. Out guide Georgette Blau takes us inside some of the au courant eateries, shops and bars that have appeared in the hit series. New York is synonymous with fashion and home to the headquarters of 2(x)-ist Underwear, where we drop by and "examine" why their skivvies are so popular with gay men. And, we come full circle back to Times Square, where gay men used to go in search of underground sex. Tim Tompkins, president of the Time Square Business Improvement District describes how this pulsing crossroads has been scrubbed shiny and clean over the past few years.
