BY FRANCESCA LEWIS

We’ve all been there – stranded in an unfamiliar city with no idea how to get the most out of it. We end up sticking to what’s familiar – Starbucks, McDonalds – when what we really want to be doing is exploring the community, experiencing local color, soaking up the culture. That’s if we can even find somewhere familiar – I hear there are entire stretches of this planet without a coffee shop or burger joint on every corner. Finding your way in an unfamiliar city can be daunting, even with Google Maps, and even with technological innovations the experience is impersonal and prone to hilarious mix-ups. If only there was a friendly human tour guide to show you where the action is. With new travel video platform, Vidpal, that guide may be only a click away.

Vidpal, which is still in beta, hosts video tour guides. You can find videos about all sorts of places – neighborhoods, districts, cities, events – all over the world. The scope of this is still becoming established but already this is being used not only for simple A-B directions but for cultural guides on local customs and tips on getting the most out of events such as NYC Pride. You can request videos, state what you’re willing to pay, and if someone can provide what you’re looking for, you’ll get the video you need. This is especially useful for gay travellers, who can enlist a local person to clue them in on the hot spots or help them find queer-friendly businesses. And, of course, if you’re a person who lives in an often visited place, you stand to make some easy money.

To encourage people to upload videos and infuse the fledgling site with content, Vidpal are running a contest this month, aimed squarely at the queer community. “We’re focusing on targeting the queer community” says their press release, “because inclusivity, diversity, community, and safety while traveling are important to the spirit of what Vidpal represents.” The contest, which began last week and ends June 30th, The Ultimate NYC Video Contest by Vidpal. The competition is open to anyone, but aimed at queer women, who are asked to “submit a video tour guide, giving a tour of their favorite thing to do or their favorite queer place to visit”. The prizes include two nights at the Adirondacks bed & breakfast, two USA Discovery Passes to Niagara Falls, or one ticket to a broadway show.

So if you’re dying to share your knowledge of the local lesbian scene, or you just really like the sound of those prizes, head on over to vidpalcontest.com/lgbt/

The full contest rules are here.

Francesca Lewis is a queer feminist writer from Yorkshire, UK. She writes for Curve Magazine and The Human Experience as well as writing short fiction and working on a novel. Her ardent love of American pop culture is matched only by her passion for analyzing it completely to death.

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One of the questions I am asked most often is “I’m coming to NYC, what should I do?” The answer to that is so vast. This is New York City! What do you want to do? What do you want to eat? We have that!

I’ve been meaning to write-up a blog series for a long time about what I love to do in NYC on the tourist tip and I had the occasion to have the BEST Manhattan tourist day on Saturday when none other than Courtney Trouble (NSFW link) and Miss Mary Wanna were in town. We met up for brunch at Jacqueline’s house first (she served two kinds of pork because she knows how to treat this Femme right) and then piled in a cab to go to St. Mark’s Place, one of my favorite streets in the East Village. It’s got great shopping, coffee and an adorable park. It’s close to Alphabet City where the musical Rent takes place.

So much of New York City is nostalgia–remember when St. Mark’s Place used to be where all the artists lived? Well, it did. I’ve read books about how cool the Lower East Side of NYC was in the 90s. But it’s still pretty cute and there are a few punk vestiges left over like Trash and Vaudeville and a ton of vintage shops. Plus it’s just a cool place to walk around to get the feeling you’re in NYC.

One block north is my very favorite store in the city, Fabulous Fanny’s. If you wear glasses or sunglasses it is a must-visit in NYC. When we were planning our day I was like, “Yes to St. Mark’s because you need to go to Fabulous Fanny’s!” I took my mom and Grandmother here when they were visiting a month ago. Mom bought three pairs of amazing, unique glasses.

Fabulous Fanny’s stocks lots of brand new vintage replicas and never worn actual vintage glasses. Even better, they rhinestone some of them. All of the glasses I’ve owned for the past eight years came from there and I get compliments all the time. It helps if you go in knowing what you’re looking for, they can lead you right to it in their drawers upon drawers of stock, or just play around with your friends and find the frames that work for you.

They also have tons of vintage clothing and accessories!

They don’t fill prescriptions but they have cards for cheap places in Chinatown who will do it for fifty bucks. Not bad!

We got coffee at Mudspot, which is an indie place I love that has a walk-up counter for MUD coffee (or you can sit down for brunch). Their striking orange logo! I just discovered that they have ALMOND MILK available which is rare and rules. As someone who is highly sensitive to both soy and dairy I am stuck drinking black decaf coffee all the time unless a coffee place has almond or coconut milk.

The Femme crew headed over to Tompkin’s Square park to peep the little dog run! It’s so fun to watch other people’s dogs play. It’s also hilarious that all four of us have tiny dogs at home and we were out on the town… looking at tiny dogs.

We had to drop Miss Mary Wanna off at the Mega Bus stop so she could head home to Philly. Taking the subway is always far cheaper in NYC, but if you’ve got three or four people splitting a cab that’s sometimes a recipe for quicker is better and not that expensive. It’s $2.50 a person each ride on the Subway if you don’t get an unlimited ticket. (I’m constantly doing the math on that, though I’m a monthly ticket rider person so I definitely will try to subway if I can. (When I sold my car I promised myself I would always have an unlimited metrocard so I could feel freedom to go anywhere.) Here’s the MTA breakdown on pay per ride metrocard vs. unlimited, for your trip planning purposes.

We had the cab drop us at Columbus Circle because we wanted to show Courtney a bit of Central Park. Central Park is massive–there are a ton of entrances and it’s a very long walk if you want to try to see more than a little bit of it at a time. There are some amazing rock slabs near the Columbus Circle entrance. We stopped at the Whole Foods for snacks on our way in.

We filmed an episode of the Lesbian Tea Basket while sipping tea/coffee/soup and looking at the moon over Manhattan. Absolutely delightful! I generally steer clear of parks after dark unless I’m in a group for safety reasons, so it was nice to have company to get a little nature plus skyscraper action.

The next stop we had was a rooftop bar, so we looked up a place online near where we were. It’s on the roof of a hotel, the Ava Lounge! The bar had pretty standard NYC prices on the cocktails and a decent tiny nosh menu. We were chilly up there but the view was fantastic.

Here’s a secret, most fancy hotels in NYC have really amazing lobbies you can casually enter and look at!

It was almost Courtney’s birthday so we stopped for chocolate at one of my favorite cheesy date places in NYC. Seriously, I had a great date here once, you kind of can’t beat chocolate fondue for two. Max Brenner’s is right on Union Square, so we hit another great tourist spot without hardly trying. (Also, another park with a Whole Foods next to it.) It’s impossible to get a table on a weekend at Max Brenner’s, so we opted to get some DIY truffle boxes at their store and head to a street cart to get some snacks before the bar.

We then retreated back to Brooklyn to hang out at a sometimes queer bar One Last Shag that happened to have a new queer party called Be Cute. I like outdoor backyard parties (likeWham Bam) so this was fun. Lots of cuties, actually, but mostly we were focused on just being loud Femmes having a good time outdoors!

Basically, this was the perfect NYC day! Someday soon I’ll come up with a list of other NYC spots I think people should know about!

Originally published on QueerFatFemme.com

Bevin Branlandingham is your femmecee at QueerFatFemme.com where she chronicles the relentless pursuit of her joy

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BY TheSeattleLesbian

Lambda Legal filed a complaint Wednesday against a New York City landlord for refusing to add lesbian tenant Dava Weinstein’s spouse Dorothy Calvani to her rent-stabilized lease as is required by state and city law.

“Dorothy and Dava have been each other’s family for nearly four decades and are legally married. The New York rent-stabilization laws clearly guarantee their right to ensure housing security by having a spouse’s name added to a rent-stabilized or rent-controlled lease. The landlord’s outright refusal to recognize Dava’s marriage to Dorothy is outrageous and violates New York State and City laws,” said Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation for Lambda Legal. Just last year, Lambda Legal represented a Harlem couple whose landlord refused to add a tenant’s same-sex spouse to the lease. “How many New York same-sex couples will have to take their landlords to court before landlords stop illegally refusing to add same-sex spouses to rent-stabilized or rent-controlled leases?”

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

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(Photo: Joyce Culver)

BY MARCIE BIANCO
AfterEllen

The day after Lincoln Center brings Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to a close, the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City opens its doors to “A Queer History of Fashion: From the Closet to the Catwalk,” September 13, 2013, through January 4, 2014. Not surprisingly, the exhibit is focused on transgressive menswear and the contributions of male designers–Dior, Perry Ellis, Halston, Balenciaga, McQueen–to the fashion industry and LGBTQ culture. Menswear, of course, has been worn most transgressively by female bodies; Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking, noted as the inspiration for Marlene Dietrich’s famous tuxedo look, is included in the exhibit.

For more information on the exhibit as well as information about how to register for the symposium, see www.fitnyc.edu/museum.

Read more at AfterEllen.com

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NYC politician Christine Quinn

BY MERRYN JOHNS
Curve

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s identity as an out gay woman is essential to her. She’s been out since the beginning of her political career—and boycotted New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade for not allowing her to march as an out lesbian.

“I believe that people want government that delivers for them, that is focused on them and making their lives better. That’s what I’ve done.” She cites the jobs she brought to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the elimination of thousands of housing violations in the city, and the 4,100 schoolteachers’ jobs she’s saved—even when it meant opposing Mayor Bloomberg. And as to the buzz that women and lesbians are abandoning her late in New York City’s mayoral race, “Let me tell you,” she says, “I couldn’t be more gratified by the support I am getting from women and the LGBT community. It’s easy for people to criticize. It’s hard to get things done. I get things done, that’s why I’m getting a great response out there.”

Read more at Curve

Curve, the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, spotlights all that is fresh, funny, exciting, controversial and cutting-edge in our community.

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A logo from the New York’s LGBT tourism website (Photo via: lgbt.iloveny.com)

BY HEATHER CASSELL
GirlsThatRoam

Hands down, New York City is the number one destination for girls and their gay boyfriends, and why not? Who can resist Broadway, fashion, celebrities and models, “Sex and the City” hot spots, and I can go on and on. The Big Apple has it going on.

New York City tends to take a bite out of the Empire State attracting and dazzling visitors ready to drop their pink dollars year after year in the city. Rarely, do these visitors venture beyond its borders. Is there anything beyond the New York City?

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo hopes queer travelers and their friends will begin to ask the question, “Is there more than New York City?” with the new travel website I Love NY LGBT crafted especially for the LGBT traveler.

“New York State has a tremendous variety of ‘must see’ destinations for all travelers of different interests — whether they are wine connoisseurs, history bugs or outdoor adventurers,” says Andrew, stating that the website will be an important tool to attract visitors and encourage spending and job growth throughout the state.

“New York has a proud history of welcoming the LGBT community,” continues Andrew. “Whether you’re planning a weekend trip or a destination wedding, I encourage all to come explore the Empire State.”

Ross Levi, vice president of marketing initiatives for Empire State Development and the former executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, New York’s statewide LGBT civil rights organization, agrees.

“Many LGBT people, both in and out of the state, simply aren’t aware that New York has an I Love Lucy museum, more ski slopes than Colorado, 250 wineries, the site where the women’s rights movement was born, one of the largest outlet shopping centers in the world, an annual festival celebrating the Wizard of Oz, a natural park larger than Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon combined, some of America’s best-rated beaches and so much more,” says Ross.

“Before selecting their next travel destination, we want LGBT people to think of all of the world-class vacation opportunities there are for them right here in New York State,” he continues.

Gay boys and girls spend approximately $70 billion on travel in the U.S. yearly.

Women in general spend nearly $200 million a year in the U.S. on girlfriend getaways, according to an AAA survey in 2007.

The website is a one-stop portal into all that New York has to offer LGBT travelers. The new website welcomes LGBT travelers with the iconic “I Love NY” logo replacing the red heart with a rainbow hear and provides information and suggestions for gay and lesbian’s planning their New York trip.

The easy to navigate website features pages based on interests, such as Arts and Culture, History, Food and Drink, Shopping, Relaxation, Family Fun, Outdoor Adventure and Nightlife. The website highlights regional things to do along with events and resources.

New York legalized same-sex marriage in 2011. The website also offers a wedding guide and tools for same-sex couples to plan a New York wedding. The only problem with the website is that men are prominent and dominate the site, while images of the girls are placed on the fringe, except in the Outdoor Adventures and Family Fun pages. There isn’t a special page just for the girls, but at least it’s a starting point.

The campaign to attract more gay and lesbian travelers is a part of Anthony’s nearly $60 million tourism campaign, the largest in decades for the state.

He unveiled his plan to attract travelers to explore every corner of the Empire State during a tourism summit in Albany last month.

To get into a New York State of mind, visit LGBT.ILoveNY.com.

Originally published by GirlsThatRoam.com

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Demonstrators in NYC (Craig Ruttle)

BY LILA SHAPIRO
Huffington Post Gay Voices

Organized by out lesbian City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, New York City held an anti-violence march following the killing early Saturday morning of Mark Carson, an openly gay man, by someone allegedly screaming anti-gay slurs.

Serena Poon and Melissa Cerezo marched along shouting “Love Conquers Hate.” The two women got married in Brooklyn on the same day Carson was killed. “We want the streets to be safe for our kids,” Poon said. After the rally, Sharon Stapel, the leader of the LGBT advocacy group the Anti-Violence Project, said she was gratified by the turnout at the rally, but that the work is far from over. “I hope that this is actually the beginning of a community-wide call to action where people actually come together and work to create the safety that we’ve been talking about today.”

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

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NYC politician Christine Quinn

BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Washington Blade

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on Sunday officially launched her mayoral campaign. A Quinnipiac University poll released late last month finds Quinn, who would become the city’s first female and openly gay mayor, leads New York City Public Advocate Bill De Blasio and other leading Democratic challengers. The survey also found 63 percent of respondents are comfortable with a gay mayoral candidate.

“Speaker Christine Quinn running for mayor of New York City creates an exciting and historic opportunity for LGBT people in New York,” Melissa Sklarz, president of the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, told the Blade. “Having an out lesbian like Chris succeeding in this campaign will send a message around the world that homophobia and politics do not mix in the 21st century.”

Read more at Washington Blade

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