Stark Street has the bulk of the city's top gay clubs, including Boxxes
and Red Cap, a pulsing dance club-cum-video bar; Eagle PDX, a cruisy
leather bar; Silverado (think go-go boys); and Scandals, a convivial and
laid-back video bar popular with the after-work set. After the bars
close, gay meets grunge in the neighborhood's 24-hour diner, the Roxy;
on any given night you'll see big hair, pierced extremities, lotsa
muscle, leather, rubber, drag - you name it.
Old Town, a short walk from the Stark Street area, also has a handful of
noteworthy gay hangouts, among them the upscale steak house Hobo's -
this popular lounge has piano music nightly. Darcelle XV Showplace is
famous for its elaborate drag revues; on nights the gals don't dress up,
strippers dress down. C. C. Slaughter's is Old Town's top gay dance
club, pulling in a mostly under-35 crowd and pulsing into the late
hours.
Portland abounds with distinctive hotels. The famously gay-friendly
Kimpton Group has a pair of gems. With the Hotel Monaco, Kimpton
improved on a familiar Portland strategy: Take a classy old building and
convert it into a charming hotel. Many of the accommodations here are
full suites, and all have such high-end amenities as DVD players and
L'Occitane bath products. You'll find the same level of quality at
intimate Hotel Vintage Plaza. Rooms in this restored downtown 1894
building are large and done in warm colors; many have two-person hot
tubs and spiral staircases leading to second-story sleeping lofts. The
hotel's Pazzo Ristorante serves exceptional contemporary Italian fare.
You'll find several more gay-friendly hotels of note around the city,
some high-end, and some geared toward travelers on a budget. On the
inexpensive side, try the offbeat Ace Hotel, which is set inside a
vintage 1912 building along Stark Street's gay bar strip. There's a
bohemian sensibility to the place, from the coffeehouse off the lobby to
the contemporary paintings in the large but modestly furnished rooms.
Upscale choices include the Hotel Deluxe, a retro-cool property with
plush rooms and one of the coolest little bars in the city, the
Driftwood Room. Its sister property is the even more stunning Hotel
Lucia, a modern, artful lodging in the heart of downtown. Among the
perks are iPod docking stations in every room.
For a more intimate experience, try the MacMaster House B&B, which is on
swank King's Hill, two blocks from Washington Park. This grand
turn-of-the-century Colonial Revival home is convenient to the business
district. The rooms have a romantic mix of antiques and reproductions,
and four have fireplaces. Arguably Portland's most distinctive
accommodations, however, are found at the Jupiter Hotel, which is just
across the Willamette from downtown and is a favorite roost among
hipsters, musicians, artists, and bon vivants. The once prosaic motor
court has been transformed into a mod boutique hotel with sleek
furnishings and a playful sensibility. The on-site Doug Fir restaurant
and lounge hosts a wide range of indie rock bands, and the Jupiter has
its own branch of the popular Portland adult erotica shop, Spartacus
Leathers. This is one hotel where you're never far from romantic
inspiration.
Andrew Collins is the
author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other
guidebooks.
The Hunk
