Funky Andersonville is the heart of the lesbian scene - as well as just
being an all-around-cool neighborhood with a fast-emerging dining
reputation. A lively and atmospheric bistro with a decidedly queer
following, Tomboy serves tempting fare like pan-seared duck with crimini
mushrooms and a port glaze. T's is a friendly, gay-popular restaurant and
bar - its Retro '80s Women's Night on Tuesdays is a hit. You could spend
the whole night at Star Gaze, the neighborhood's top lesbian club, which
serves dinner and also has DJs on weekends, lesbian comedy and live-music
nights, and a convivial beer garden. And there's Atmosphere, a lively
Andersonville dance bar and lounge with a mixed gay male and lesbian
crowd.
The neighborhood also has a few men's (mostly hard-core) leather bars,
such as the Chicago Eagle, which is attached to a bathhouse and decorated
like a motorcycle garage. If you have a place in your heart for fitted
jocks and Tom of Finland drawings, don't miss the city's Leather Archives
and Museum, which is packed with erotica, fashion, and fascinating
memorabilia from various international leather contests.
Until recently, standard chain hotels dominated the lodging landscape in
Chicago, but quite a few hip hotels have opened in the past several years,
including three run by the gay-friendly Kimpton group: the French
deco-inspired Hotel Monaco, the stylish and musically themed Hotel
Allegro, and the swell-elegant Hotel Burnham, which is set in the historic
1894 cast-iron Reliance Building. The superb Atwood Cafe occupies the
ground floor. Another option that offers style and luxury plus a fun
attitude is the Hard Rock Hotel, which is set inside the landmark 40-story
Carbide and Carbon Building, a fashionable property that's also home to
the popular China Grill.
Up near Boys' Town there are fewer lodging options, but an excellent
resource is the gay-friendly Neighborhood Inns group, which runs a trio of
boutique hotels with charming rooms and great locations. City Suites sits
along busy Belmont Avenue, closest to the dining and club action, while
the more romantic Majestic and Willows hotels are set along peaceful
residential streets a few blocks from the action. The city also has a
handful of great inns and B&Bs, including the gay-owned Flemish House of
Chicago, a restored 1890s row house with five handsomely furnished
bedrooms in the city's tony Gold Coast neighborhood.
Andrew Collins is the
author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other
guidebooks.
The Hunk
