Accommodations in Seattle include a high number of spirited, avant-garde
boutique hotels, many that have opened in the past two or three years.
Among these, consider the playful, art-themed Hotel Max, a snazzy yet
moderately priced hotel whose public areas and guest rooms feature the
artwork of more than three dozen provocative Pacific Northwest artists.
On the ground floor, the Max's restaurant, Red Fin, can be counted on
for expertly prepared sushi and tasty Pan-Asian cuisine. The intimate
Hotel 1000 opened in summer 2006, and with its verdant rooftop garden
and minimalist, high-tech rooms done in tranquil, muted hues, it's
quickly become another magnet for fashionable travelers.
Many of the city's gay visitors would never think of staying anywhere
but the whimsically decorated Hotel Monaco, an elegant yet cheeky
boutique property with a Parisian aesthetic and highly personalized
service (this pet-friendly place even has staff who will walk your dog).
The hotel serves well-crafted, vaguely New Orleans-inspired fare in its
colorful restaurant, Sazerac. The Monaco is part of the
"family"-friendly Kimpton Hotels company, which also operates such
inspired Seattle retreats as the plush Alexis Hotel and the wine-themed
Hotel Vintage Park.
Right across the street from Pike Place Market, the contemporary Inn at
the Market has the ambience of a French countryside inn - dine
downstairs at the hotel's Campagne restaurant if you're not totally
convinced. Many of the 70 good-size rooms have unobstructed views of
Elliott Bay. With the amenities and the ambience of a full-service
luxury hotel, the nearby Inn at Harbor Steps is a gracious, modern
hostelry at the base of a fancy apartment tower (guests can use the
building's well-stocked health club, two pools, and library). A more
affordable but still hip option is the Ace Hotel, a fun and frugal,
Euro-inspired lodging with 23 futuristic-looking rooms - it's one of the
best, and gay-friendliest, bargains in the Pacific Northwest.
The Gaslight Inn is the best of several gay-friendly B&Bs on Capitol
Hill, which is saying a lot, as there are several great ones. The
turn-of-the-century house has Arts and Crafts furnishings, Turkish and
Persian rugs, and oak paneling. The all-suite accommodations in the more
contemporary building next door have large sitting areas; several also
have gas fireplaces.
If you stay at the Gaslight, you're particularly close to many of the
city's festive gay nightspots, which include Manray, a stylish,
see-and-be-seen video bar; R Place, great for dancing and drag shows;
the cruisy Cuff Complex, which draws a masculine, rough-and-tumble
bunch; and long-running Neighbours, Seattle's top gay warehouse-style
dance club. Lesbians favor the Wildrose, a spacious bar with DJs and
dancing that's been going strong since the mid-'80s. And if you're
looking for the swankiest gay-popular (but mixed gay/straight) hangout
for chit-chat and cocktails, strike a pose at Chapel, a decidedly
reverential-looking space set inside an imposing 1920s former mortuary.
Here you can sip a lavender-infused martini and snack on roasted pumpkin
seeds, while channeling the spirits of Seattle's rich past and
considering its highly promising future.
Andrew Collins is the
author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other
guidebooks.
The Hunk
