ManRay,
Cambridge's rockin' pansexual dance club, closed in summer 2005 after a
wonderful 20-year run, but its famous retro-glam New Wave-meets-punk bash,
held on Saturday nights, lives on at Toast, a swish lounge in Somerville.
The party, called "Heroes," continues to draw a mixed-gender crowd of all
leanings. In fact, this handsome space has become quite the toast of the
town for Boston's gay community, holding a well-attended "Dyke Night" on
Fridays (it's preceded by the mellower after-work fete, "Dykotomy"), and
the goth-industrial "Crypt" on Wednesdays (that, too, was a favorite event
at ManRay).
The one gay bar that still calls Cambridge home is the lovably raffish and
unabashedly cruisy Paradise. On the main level you'll find a dimly lit
spare area with porn on video screens over the bar, reflecting what's on
the minds of most of the guys in here. Head downstairs to the basement to
find a dance floor that's dark, grunty, and palpably sexual; go-go boys in
G-strings slink around purring at customers every night of the week. It's
loads of fun, and Paradise has something you won't find in Boston: plenty
of free parking.
Cambridge has several major chain hotels, most of them near Harvard and
MIT, but you'll find some considerably more distinctive accommodations as
well. The gay-popular Kimpton chain runs the snazzy Hotel Marlowe, whose
268 handsomely furnished rooms have animal-print carpets and opulent
velvet fabrics, plus such handy amenities as CD stereos and free WiFi.
Guests can check out bikes and kayaks (to use on the Charles River, just
outside the door) for free. If you get a chance, grab dinner at the
fabulous Bambara restaurant, which serves superb regional American fare to
a sexy, see-and-be-seen crowd.
A favorable Harvard Square location accounts for the tremendous popularity
of the refined Inn at Harvard, a discreet 113-room hotel that was created
to house university visitors but is open to all. Rooms have pieces on loan
from the Fogg Art Museum and tasteful, contemporary furnishings. If it's a
good value you're after, check into the Holiday Inn Express, a perfectly
pleasant member of the reliable chain with rates starting at under $100
nightly. For this you get free high-speed Internet, microwaves and
mini-refrigerators, and a substantial buffet breakfast. And with the money
you save, you can spend a little cash as you saunter around Harvard
Square's oodles of great boutiques and terrific restaurants.
The Hunk
