Chicago's Lakeview Neighborhood
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You can continue your clubbing in funky Andersonville, which is the heart of the city's lesbian scene but also home to 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.

Women and their friends flock to 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. Atmosphere is a lively dance bar and lounge with a mixed gay male and lesbian crowd. And Andersonville is also home to a branch of the gay-oriented franchise, Hamburger Mary's, a dapper two-level space that's popular both as a gay bar and a fine place to eat. Stop by on Wednesdays nights for "Mary-Oke" karaoke fun, perhaps after feasting on a Barbra-Q-Bacon cheeseburger with cheddar, Jack cheese, and a tangy-smoky sauce.

One of the most talked-about new eateries in the area, Anteprima turns out superb modern Italian fare and has a warm dining room with pressed-tin ceilings and a shaded patio in back. Don't pass up the grilled quail marinated in honey with balsamic vinegar and pancetta. 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 - it's a favorite lesbian date spot, known for healthful American food.

Taste of Heaven Bakery is a great pick for delectable breakfasts and lunches, plus fresh-baked snacks throughout the day - the fried-egg sandwiches and peaches-and-cream French toast are favorites in the morning. Another wonderful spot to satisfy your sugar fix is Sweet Occasions, which serves some of the thickest and richest ice cream in the city, plus fantastic cupcakes, cherry cobbler, and homemade fudge. It's hard not to love this old-fashioned parlor with ice-cream sundaes named for the seven deadly sins. The "Lust" (a chipotle brownie topped with cinnamon ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and red hots) may leave you lusting for another trip to these two charming Chicago neighborhoods.

Andrew Collins is the author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and as well as numerous other guidebooks.