In the Ghetto...

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The Gay and Lesbian International News Network has released its top Gay Ghetto Awards for 2008. GLBT towns, cities, villages, ghettos, enclaves, districts, quarters, and neighborhoods are referred to with various descriptive words. But they all represent blossoming pride, celebration, and reliable real estate value. Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia tied for the top spot.

1. Portland, Oregon
1. Atlanta, Georgia
3. Charlotte, North Carolina
4. Raleigh, North Carolina
4. Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida
6. Dallas, Texas
6. Short Hills, New Jersey
8. Chicago, Illinois
8. Palm Springs, California
8. Austin, Texas

Each year the Gay Ghetto Top 10 is chosen by cross-analyzing demographics against real estate sales data to discover those especially prized metropolitan areas throughout the USA that are most in vogue with the diverse GLBT community. When the number crunching is over, there are usually have 10 distinct winners, individually ranked by virtue of their popularity. But for 2008 there are some unique and special surprises – including three 2-way ties and a 3-way tie. The top 10 are so outstanding, in other words, that they rate higher than ever.

Here is why two Texas cities mad the list:

Dallas/Fort Worth
Dallas has a relatively young population, a steady economy, a low cost of living, and one of the biggest commercial fashion and furniture districts in the USA. The “Big D” is also big in terms of GLBT communities that can be found throughout the sprawling city with a high concentration along Greenville Ave., Cedar Springs Road, and Oak Lawn Avenue. The Dallas gay Mecca converges in the gorgeous historic Turtle Creek area – home to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Dallas Theater Center. Neighboring Fort Worth is a smaller city with big city GLBT amenities including its own gay film festival and rodeo.

Austin
Austin has a long reputation for gay-friendliness, and what was long ago a large gay underground is now a tremendously creative GLBT synergy that permeates the whole city in full view of everyone. Austin is the state capital, an important academic center, and the music industry’s newest crown jewel. Plus the city has a high-tech industry presence only rivaled by Silicon Valley. Austin offers a wide range of GLBT enclaves that are literally all over the map, and Texas is famous for low taxes and high growth.

Click here to read the reasoning behind each of the other rankings.

Happy Fourth of July!

D:The Fourth of July isn't just all about weenie roasts, pool parties, beer, and fireworks. The fireworks are even better when you remember exactly what you're celebrating. One remarkable document signed by 56 courageous men exactly 232 years ago today gave birth to these United States of America. Click here for a refresher on The Declaration of Independence.

DART playing hardball with an old man....over five grand.

D:If you ever spend time in the Dallas area, you might notice some encouraging signs of new mass-transit infrastructure. If you look closer though, and read the newspaper, you will learn of major problems facing DART. DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) allotted $1 billion dollars to build new lines (amid much hoopla) in a grand gesture of linking the far-flung areas of the city together. Well, they are still working on those lines at the moment, but are running short on funds. To complete the planned lines, they need another $1 billion. I will reiterate: to complete the original planned project, they will need TWICE as much as they thought they would. State agencies and city council called for an outside audit of where the money went, but no one held them to it - especially the City of Dallas. Yeah...there is something funny going on there.Columnist Jim Schutze wrote a very enlightening and forthright article in the Dallas Observer back in June. In it, he does a great job of pointing out the mis-management and just plain lack of common sense going on inside DART. Click here if, as a taxpayer, you want to know how your tax dollars are being spent.

Deep Thoughts...

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• What do bus drivers eat?
• What is the difference between "Gay Marriage" and "Marriage Equality"?
• What do the the designs on the spare wheel covers of Range Rovers mean--they all seem to have different designs, like to tell you where the truck is from...but does a guy with an tiger on the back of his RR feel cooler than a guy with an antelope?
• What are the limitations to wearing an iPod? Can you wear one anywhere? Where can you not wear one? When?
• Crape Myrtles are pretty (and are not spelled Crepe Myrtles, which is good to know).
  

What I'm listening to.

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I had some fun nights in Amsterdam a few years ago, running around to different underground parties. At one, I met Sabrina (from Boys Boys Boys fame) in the dimly lit attic of a canal house. Only one phrase comes to mind: Tranny Hot Mess. This song was popular at the time - I heard it everywhere I went. Groovejet by Spiller and Sophie Ellis Bextor.

Check it out...

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Spaced Out: Radical Environments of the Psychedelic Sixties
by Alistair GordonThrough hundreds of groovy photos, Alastair Gordon's book explores the tripped-out buildings of the age of Aquarius. This history of hippie homes chronicles the rise of architecture inspired, in some cases, by LSD: geodesic domes, DIY crash pads, and counterculture communes, among others. Spaced Out shows how ambitiously experimental, hallucinogenically colorful, and at times laughably impractical the designs were — from a waterbed prototype to a house that changed colors in response to human touch. Gordon, a New York Times contributor, highlights the technologies in use today that were pioneered during the era's kaleidoscopic revolution. Turn on, drop out, move in.

In the zone...

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Dripping Wet...

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Dominic Cooper, the hottie from The History Boys movie, graces the cover of the
July 2008 issue of UK’s Attitude Magazine. Be sure to check him out the the upcoming film Mamma Mia!, which he costars with Meryl Streep, Christine Baranksi, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth.

Neroli...

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I had a friend when I was in college, Neroli, who was old enough to be my mother. She was stylish, interesting, and very London. She was born and raised there, and only being in the states for a short while, she completely stuck out of any crowd on this side of the pond.

We lived in the same apartment complex that backed up to a park with a trail that led to Central Market. I first noticed Neroli on a hot summer day. She was super-chic in snakeskin pants and black stilettos. Carrying her grocery bags back through the park, she was perfectly coiffed and completely fashionable, unscathed by the Texas heat and the laid-back attitude of the Austinites surrounding her in their light-weight tank tops and sweaty flip-flops. From that moment, I knew we would be friends.

And we were, until her new husband swept her off to Minneapolis a couple of years later. He was also British, debonair, and had a new high-up executive gig with a major corporation. They had a fairy-tale wedding that included a gigantic (but perfectly elegant) diamond ring, and as she was off to living happily ever after in faraway Minnesota, our friendship drifted apart.

Some things I remember about Neroli: she was a terrible cook, an even worse driver, she had the most brilliant sense of humor, you couldn't find a heel under three inches in her extensive shoe collection, she had a knack for picking out the perfect gifts.

She sent me this postcard from her honeymoon trip to Los Angeles. It's a portrait of Elizabeth Taylor taken by Herb Ritts in Malibu in 1991, and it has since become one of my favorite images. With a towel on her head and blurry makeup, Liz is is the epitome of a diva with style, flashing the 33 carat Krupp diamond that was a gift from her lover Richard Burton.

The diary of a fashion jock...

D:If you think a New York Rangers hockey player would be the last person you would ever find interning in the offices of Vogue, you would be wrong. Sean Avery, the 28-year-old left wing, has a simple reason for going against the stereotype of most pro-sports players - he likes clothes. Especially women's clothes. Even more surprising - he isn't gay. Click here to read the diary of a fashion jock.And of course, he gets special treatment. Having a pro-sports star (who is straight, no less) show so much interest in high fashion is a PR coup for Men's Vogue. In return for his internship, he is bringing tons of unpaid publicity. Click here to read how his time spent at Vogue differs from the real interns (i.e. - the ones who work for free, don't get lunch breaks, and have to share one chair and computer).

Would you stay here?

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It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure I would be comfortable sleeping here - even if I could afford the $15,000 per person for a week stay.

Especially since the name, Poseidon Resort, conjures up images of ill-fated cruiseship passengers in the Poseidon Adventure.

Happy Birthday Hottie...

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Jason Lewis, former model and Sex and the City hunk, is 37.

Just Breathe...

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A Brief Encounter With Beckham...

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If you could ask David Beckham four questions, what would they be, and more importantly, what would you wear while asking them? Peter Hartlaub, pop culture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, was put in that exact situation. Click here to read about his experience.

Bring it to the US!

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I love the style and flair of those small European hatchbacks. I wish we had more of those choices here in the US, especially this new model from Alfa Rome called the Mi.to. Named after the place in which it was designed (Milan) and the place in which it will be built (Turin), the three-door hatch will be available with three engines, including an anemic 78-hp 1.4L, a more potent 155-hp turbo 1.4L and a 120-hp 1.6L JTDM turbo-diesel. All engines will be paired with the proper transmission for small car fun: a six-speed manual.