Boston
Swan Boats in Boston
The hub of Downtown Boston is the beautiful and green Boston Common, adjacent to the Boston Public Garden with its peaceful walkways and Swan Boats. The largely colonial neighborhood of Beacon Hill is just to the north, a quaint place with brick sidewalks, fancy boutiques and townhouses. A hike along the 1.5-mile Freedom Trail provides a look at New England history. Nearby North End is a network of crooked, narrow streets lined with 19th century brick tenements.
The most highly identifiable GLBT neighborhood in Boston is the pricey and exclusive South End, boasting bowfront redbrick homes embellished with elaborate details, many built back in the 1850s. The two main streets, Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street, are home to many gay-popular restaurants, cafés and businesses.
Some of the most popular GLBT places to go are clustered in South End; Club Café Lounge & Video Bar is a popular, loud and bustling gay club; 209 American Bistro & Bar, adjacent to Club Café, is a favorite gay date venue serving up dishes such as organic salmon with jasmine rice, green curry and bok choy and braised pork shank with cannelini beans; and Fritz Lounge is a gay sports bar located just below the Chandler Inn Hotel.
Franklin Café, the quintessential South End restaurant with a large gay following, features contemporary American cuisine with Asian influences. Food is served until 1:30 a.m. and the sophisticated bar is a great place to meet and mingle. The menu is seasonal, but typical choices include roasted butternut squash soup, prune glazed pork tenderloin and roasted turkey meatloaf with spiced fig gravy and chive mashed potatoes.
Back Bay, a relatively young community, recalls the streets of Paris with its broad avenues of four-story townhouses, swank boutiques and sidewalk cafés. The John Hancock Tower (62-story), the Prudential Center (52-story) and Copley Place, a giant indoor shopping mall, dominate the landscape. The Fens is the location of both Northeastern and Boston Universities, along with famous Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Many gays and lesbians call the two neighborhoods home.
Jamaica Plain is especially popular among the lesbian community, known for placid Jamaica Pond and the once-exclusive neighborhood surrounding it (now surprisingly a place to find relatively affordable housing). Several gay friendly restaurants and businesses are located along Centre Street. Last but not least is Cambridge, home to Harvard, the nation's first university and superb museums, restaurants, shops and a relatively large gay and lesbian population.