10 Great Neighborhoods with a Gay Vibe
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Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens (Brooklyn, New York)
Brooklyn's charming Park Slope neighborhood has long cultivated a lesbian following. Just across the Gowanus Canal from Park Slope, there's a pair of similarly diverting, trendy neighborhoods, Cobble Hill and - due south - Carroll Gardens. Essentially an extension of debonair Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens are handsome residential districts chock-full of 19th-century townhouses. Both areas have seen a major transformation in recent years, as hipsters, gays, intellectuals, and fashion plates have invaded en masse. In fact, nobody living around here in the mid-'90s could have imagined that Cobble Hill's once-dowdy commercial thoroughfare, Smith Street, would today glow with haute eateries, stylish home-furnishing shops, and esteemed art galleries. Along Court Street in Carroll Gardens, you'll still find many of the Italian markets and pizzerias that date back to the area's Little Italy heyday.

East Atlanta Village (Atlanta, Georgia)
Many visitors to Atlanta focus on the glitzy downtown and super-gay Midtown area, missing out on a number of enchanting, offbeat neighborhoods outside the city core, such as Inman Park, Little Five Points, Castleberry Hill, and East Atlanta Village. All of these communities have a somewhat gay vibe, and East Atlanta Village is perhaps the most interesting at the moment, with its wealth of indie coffeehouses, lounges, music clubs, ethnic restaurants, and boutiques. This neighborhood about 5 miles southeast of downtown draws an amazingly diverse bunch. Walk along Flat Shoals Avenue to find such intriguing hangouts as Mary's, a raffish and lovably gay bar; Joe's Coffee, with its quirky artwork and potent java; and City Life Apparel, carrying a wide assortment of urban attire.

Faubourg Marigny (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The neighborhood immediately downriver from the French Quarter - across tree-shaded Esplanade Avenue - is Faubourg Marigny, which, because of its increasing GLBT following, is sometimes referred to affectionately as "Fagburg" Marigny. Many gays and otherwise progressive-minded types have bought up this artsy neighborhood's quaint French West Indies-style cottages and Greek Revival mansions. The neighborhood's greatest attribute, at least for gay visitors, is its wealth of gay-friendly (and moderately priced) restaurants and B&Bs - there are even a few queer bars here, including the Phoenix and Cowpokes. You'll also find one of the most gay-popular spots in town for jazz brunch, Feelings Cafe.

Ferndale (Detroit, Michigan)
To get a full sense of everything metro Detroit has to offer, plan to spend some time venturing out of Detroit proper, as many worthy attractions - as well as the heart of the gay scene - lie outside downtown. The first community you reach heading northwest along Woodward Avenue is Ferndale, a formerly working-class community that has developed cachet among young, forward-thinking professionals and artists in recent years, including quite a few gay folks. Its main drag, West Nine Mile Road, has a bounty of cool boutiques, vintage clothiers, and home-furnishing shops. The dining scene is solid, too - consider dining on down-home comfort food at Christine's Cuisine, or enjoy soul-warming pizzas at Como's.
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