Florida Agenda

By ROBERT ELIAS DEATON

Romance is in the air in Paris—from the architecture to the food to the sexy, exciting people that strut down the rues as if on the catwalk of life. Discovering the real Gay Paris is an exciting event that will leave you charged, re-energized and smiling ear to- ear.

Your adventure begins and ends at L’Open Café (17 Rue des Archives), a bar that doubles as an eatery, starting at 11:30 in the morning. This is the place to people-watch early in the day, and late at night. It’s at the intersection of Rue des Archives and Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, in the heart of the gayborhood, Le Marais. The closest Metro to this point is the Hôtel de Ville station. Enjoy some food, the passing view, and a few drinks, and get set to bar crawl the entire night away.

The nearest bar to L’Open Café is Le Cox (15 Rue des Archives). This small and smelly beer dive has the distinction of having the longest Happy Hour in the area (from 6-9 p.m.). Liquor up on the cheap and then keep on moving.

Should you need a full-course dinner during your pub crawl, do not hesitate to try the relatively new Café Voulez-Vous (18 Rue du Temple). The restaurant is run by the legendary Thibault Jardon, who ran the Les Bains Douches before it shut down, and was the artistic director of the iconic Queen nightclub on the Champs Elysée (now a straight club.)

One of our favorite hangouts in the neighborhood has long been the Banana Café (13 Rue de la Ferronnerie). Here you’ll find the Banana Boys, go-go dancers so smooth they’ve either just come from a bikini wax or have genetic hair loss. Either way, they are young and beautiful and prancing for your benefit on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The rest of the week, the Banana is a cute local hangout with a tropical theme.

Should you pass the Eagle (33 Rue des Lombards), forget any preconceived notion you might have of the leather bars that populate so many gay areas around in globe. In Paris, the Eagle is as homogenized as whole milk, and is more a flashy dance bar with house music and expensive drinks.

If a place packed with hot bodies, rubbing sweat to sweat is your scene, look no further than Freedj (35 Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie), the popular club of choice this season for the pretty boys who are peaking in both beauty and muscle. If you’re unfortunate enough to be doing neither, you’ll get the once-over at the door and may or may not gain admission—it’s that kind of place.

Far less picky, and far more friendly is the Duplex (25 Rue Michel Le Comte). The attitude is laid-back, welcoming, and popular for that very reason, which, for many, is quite enough, thank you.

If you are of a certain age, and still feel the need to mix and match in open competition, there is always either Alex’s (2 Rue de Marivaux) or MicMan Bar (24 Rue Geoffroy l’Angevi)—two places where mature is in. If size matters, the largest gay dance palace is Raidd (23 Rue du Temple), where busy, loud and pricey is a way of life. Great music is always on tap here, so prepare to hit the floor keeping pace with the crowd.

Finally, Daddies aren’t forgotten completely in Paris. Your spot of choice is Bear’s (6 Rue des Lombards), a honey pot for bears, chubbies, Daddies, and those who love them. Vive la difference!

PARIS Part I – The Moveable Feast

Robert Elias Deaton is a world-traveling epicure who enjoys the finer things.

ROBERT ELIAS DEATON

It’s taken a while, but Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is finally one of the gay friendliest spots in the nation. For over two decades, the city that hugs the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers has been struggling with an identity problem and population loss, which was finally halted with a large influx of gays. In a pattern we’ve seen worked successfully in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors locally, the homosexual population has moved in, gentrified the area, and boosted real estate prices and the quality of life in the process. Philadelphia, in turn, has stretched out its historical arms and embraced the LGBT movement.

No matter what kind of amusement you ultimately want, there is a little of it somewhere in Philly. Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures than any city in America, and the largest landscaped urban park in the world—Fairmount Park—that covers 9,200 acres, with its Georgian country mansions and 100 miles of trails, many unchanged since Revolutionary times. It also has the fantastic Philadelphia Museum of Art (26th St. and the Parkway), with its Van Gogh Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, and, yes, the statue of Rocky Balboa (from “Rocky” film fame).

The gay club scene in Philadelphia is nearly as historic as the city itself. Back in the 20s, there was an active established gay population of writers, artists, and performers who quietly went about seducing the young sailors who magically found their way to 243 S Camac St. All these years later, it’s still a gay club, now going under name Tavern on Camac. In addition to being the oldest continuously operating gay bar in town, it has the distinction of having the priciest drinks—$4.50 for a bottle of domestic beer—the best piano bar around PA, and the tiniest dance floor (upstairs) we’ve ever seen.

Leather studs call The Bike Stop (206 S Quince St.) home. Mondays the costume of choice is jocks straps; Wednesdays it’s underwear. Everyday it’s hot. For those more interested in cute young things, hot music and dancing, go nowhere else but Voyeur (1221 Saint James St. between 13th & 12th). There’s a bit of the haught with crystal chandeliers and red velvet in this three story dance palace that stays open to 3 a.m. There is a hefty cover charge that’s worth every penny if house music is your thing late at night.

Food in Philly offers far more than cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. Whether midday or late night, give Knock (225 S 12th St.) a try. This is an LGBT hangout, but even if it weren’t, we’d recommend it for the décor (mahogany paneling and grand piano lend a solid sophistication) and food (creative New American cuisine). Their Seared Salmon Oscar ($25) is worth a visit alone. People watch as you eat fresh salmon fillet, seared and oven roasted, topped with seasoned crab meat and cilantro-lime butter.

You may have to search for the Cucina Zapata roach coach, which travels the streets around 31st and Ludlow by the University of Pennsylvania. The world’s only Captain Crunch Talapia Taco is worthy of a special trip. $8 for three tacos and two bottles of water seems like a heavenly intervention, and it likely is.

Oh, and make an effort to cruise past Lord & Taylor department store at noon, to stand in front of the mighty eagle sculpture and hear a live performance of the one-time Wanamaker Department store pipe organ: It will take you back to a gentle time, of hats and gloves and doors opened with respect, not slammed in one’s face. A special town indeed!

READ PART I HERE:  Philadelphia – Brotherly Love, Steak Sandwiches, and Soft Pretzels

Robert Elias Deaton is a world-traveling epicure who enjoys the finer things in life.

By Paul Rubio

Near the Utah-Arizona state border, Monument Valley (navajonationparks.org) has long served as Hollywood’s quintessential Western back lot, beginning with John Ford’s Stagecoach in 1939 and continuing to more modern blockbuster films such as Mission Impossible II and Back to the Future III. This vast expanse of unique sandstone formations and historic home to the Navajo Indian Nation rises dramatically from the ground, far and away from any major town or airport in a place void of most links to modernity. Connecting this time warp to a lucrative tourist industry, the Gouldings Lodge (gouldings.com) offers dining, overnight accommodations, day tours and activities

to dutifully experience Monument Valley.

Goulding’s safari-style tour trucks navigate the bumpy, roller coaster trails through the Valley with the help of an experienced Navajo driver and guide. The open-aired truck makes stops at superlative locations to photograph the most famous rock formations like the Three Sisters, the Eye of the Sun, Submarine Rock, and the Mittens. Inside the Valley, descendants of domestic sheep and horses from the conquistadors’ days roam freely. Those hoping to explore the valley on their own should think twice. Most rental vehicles struggle to handle the terrain, and the majority of the Valley is restricted to use by official tour and park vehicles. Through Gouldings, it’s possible to arrange Monument Valley activities in advance, like the tour described above, horseback group rides, and also ATV or hiking excursions to other near sites outside of the Monument Valley Preserve.

While Monument Valley consummates a childhood fantasy of playing “Cowboys and Indians,” getting to this clandestine destination is half the adventure. When planning a Utah tour de force, the most logical and spectacular way to reach here is via Bicentennial Scenic Byway 95, coming from Hanksville, 45 minutes east of Capitol Reef National Park. Pictures, pit stops, deep thoughts and all, this drive could easily take all day. Indeed, it’s likely that you will hope this road trip will never end.

Carved through the pinnacle of southeastern Utah’s Canyon country, the Bicentennial Scenic Byway showcases the diversity of the state’s landscapes. The byway passes through Bridges National Monument, the world’s largest display of natural bridges clocking in at 225 million years old, as well as the aquamarine oasis of Lake Powell. Veering south at Highway 261, the valleys of Southern Utah paint a jaw-dropping panorama as you descend the Moki Dugway, an 11 percent grade, gravel zigzagged road lowering 1000 feet to the valley floor. It is here on Moki Dugway that the greatness of the Monument Valley first comes into view.

But the sights don’t end yet unless your early end game is the town of Bluff at the Desert Rose Inn (desertroseinn.com) for a comfortable respite from the day’s driving and sightseeing. Whether overnighting in Bluff or heading all the way to Gouldings in the same day, take a short detour west before reaching the town of Mexican Hat (appropriately named for the rock formation that forms a figure resembling the profile of a Mexican sombrero on the head of a serape-covered person) and you’ll soon arrive at Goosenecks State Park (utah.com/stateparks). Over 300+ million years old, the San Juan River has carved out a stunning display of a rare labyrinthine geologic formation known as “entrenched meander.” As you exit your vehicle and grow mesmerized by these natural “goose necks,” not having seen more than a dozen vehicles in the entire day, enjoying nothing but the sounds of wind and rock in a land void of radio and cell phone coverage, the epiphany hits. Utah’s sandstone-strewn canyon lands have become the pages of your personal Choose Your Own Adventure Book, each detour or turn another page number, leading you to our bespoke conclusion. The Earth seems limitless and inviting and somehow all yours.

To learn more about travel in Utah visit  www.utah.travel.

Part 1 of this Travel Story is here:  Utah Unleashed Part I: Capitol Reef & Torrey

By PAUL RUBIO

Read: The Many Sides of Bali Part I: “New Bali”

Found along the island’s east coast and deep in its interior, the area known as “Traditional Bali” captures the island’s timeless spirit, still flourishing in today’s globalized world and unwavering in its cultural foundations. It is here, far removed from the chaos of the modern world, where you’ll lose yourself in the heartfelt hospitality of daily village life, the rewarding treks through rice fields, the burgeoning indigenous arts and craft scene, the odalan ceremonies held at Bali’s “1000 temples” and the pilgrimages to reach them. This is the Bali of fairytales and coffee table books, a land of spiritual awakenings and an invitation to journey to a time bygone.

Coastal brilliance notwithstanding, the country’s rich interior is the pinnacle of the island’s aesthetic and ethnic grandeur. The city of Ubud and its proximate villages showcase the island’s living culture, where eclectic artists interpret the modernization of traditional living, where esteemed Balinese architecture abounds, where village elders trek through the gates of mountaintop luxury hotels to fetch holy water from the temples below, and where the Agung River breathes life into all who grow around her. A seamless amalgamation of alternating levels of dense forest and rice terraces – an unwavering landscape of everlasting vertical and horizontal greens – this is the Bali of legends, the realization of wanderlust and life experience.

Within this sphere of Zen, it is possible to reside either in the heart of the cultural action or on the periphery, engrossed in the natural environment. The centrally located, luxury boutique hotel, Uma Ubud (uma.ubud.como.bz), and the more lavish Amandari (amanresorts.com) lie in the epicenter of Ubud’s prolific arts scene. Both boast the full throttle Eat, Pray, LOVE Ubud experience and are a short drive from renowned yoga centers, cooking schools, and convivial villages where healers, wood carvers, and silversmiths carry on the customs of generations past. A bit further afield, the COMO Shambhala Estate (cse.como.bz) is the evergreen of Ubud inspiration and enlightenment, providing breathtaking backdrops, utter luxury, and outlets for physical stimulation, combining for an end product of unparalleled mental invigoration.

Organized as 3, 5, and 7-day wellness programs, the personal sojourn at COMO Shambhala Estate begins with a consultation from the in-house Aryuvedic doctor, who prepares a bespoke itinerary for time spent at The Estate. Days alternate between spa treatments, hilltop yoga and Pilates classes, jungle treks, and unapologetic relaxation, interspersed by guiltless indulgence in innovative organic meals and revitalizing juices. The suggested structure leaves ample time for a cathartic journey of self, where getting lost around the 23-acre estate and exploring the natural spring pools hugging the mountain’s edge, delighting in the sounds and sights of nature at the riverbank, reflecting on personal achievement, or testing physical fitness at the bonafide “jungle gym” are all options.  Accommodations are structured as five luxury “residences” and five “retreat villas,” with the full gamut of haute resort offerings showcased through individualistic motifs like fire, water, and earth. For example, Tejasuara or “Sound of Fire” is a residence where understated design flawlessly tempers the darkness of

the dominant Sumba stone and black bamboo, illuminated by the fire pit that burns beside the sparkling infinity pool.

Indeed, it seems ironic that an island celebrated for its coastal majesty boasts some of its greatest treasures inland. In fact, Bali’s fortunes are everywhere – superbly distributed over its vast volcanoes, lush mountains, and its remote and crowded beaches where timeless villages and show-stopping resorts co-exist in harmony. This multi-faceted island has evolved as a land of diverse escapism, ripe with endless opportunity for adventure, vacation, and self-reflection in the presence of living history and natural wonder.

Next week, Part III: The Rustic East

By AJ Cross

Click Here to read Cross-Eyed Sideview Mirror Part 1

(The following is the second of a four part series which will run for four consecutive weeks)

He told me he took care of some horses at a stable not far from where he found me, and that he was actually just headed home from work. He looked at me once while answering a question and I finally got to see his eyes.  They were as I had suspected – stunning. They were deep blue with a burst of green and a hint of amber. His lips were full and so red.  He was beautiful.

He told me that he felt bad just dropping me off somewhere and offered to take me back to his place. He told me he would drive me back to my car when the rain stopped. Of course I could not decline his offer, so I said yes almost before he finished asking me. We drove a few more miles and then turned off the main road onto a dirt and stone road on which we drove for another ten minutes.  We drove past a large field with trees and an old wooden fence that seemed to encase the entire field until I could see a small house.

We pulled up to a house with a large porch that wrapped all the way around the side. The paint on the house, which was probably once pristine white, was now dark beige with chipped paint in many areas. He parked, then grabbed my bag and simply said “let’s go”. I got out and ran onto the wooden porch shaking my head like a dog in the rain. I could tell the house was old, as every step I took toward the door was followed by a creak in the wood panels of the porch.

He opened the unlocked door and I followed him in. The room we entered was dark and he told me to give him a minute to get the lights, so I just stood by the door. A few minutes later the room began to glow and I could see the source of the light was a fire he had just started in the fireplace. I found the smell of the burning wood to be very unexpected and pleasant.

As he turned to face me, I was frozen because

he looked so good. It seemed like his denim jeans were airbrushed onto his strong thick thighs and his waistband sat just low enough that I could see what I could only refer to as Brad Pitt lines followed by intense 8 pack abs and incredibly muscular chest with the lightest mist of hair on it. I was speechless to the point that he asked me if I was ok.

It wasn’t until he repeated the question that I responded that I was fine. He told me to go sit by the fire and, as I did so he, came behind me and raised my arms up and pulled off my shirt. I did not expect him to get so close to me, let alone take my shirt off.
I felt so inadequate when compared to him. I am lean and just a bit more than half his size, not nearly as muscular and I immediately crossed my arms over my chest as if to hide myself from him.

He walked out of the room and my mind began to race, wondering how I ended up in his house. Why he looked the way he did and why, of all the people that could have stopped to help me, it was him. As he came back into the room he gave me a cup of hot tea and sat next to me on the small carpet near the fire which, by the way, felt incredible. He pulled off his cowboy boots and his socks and began to rub his feet. Even his feet were beautiful. I was surprised at how perfectly clean and pedicured they were. I asked him if he lived alone and he told me that the house was his grandmother’s and that she had just passed a little over a year ago and left it to him.  His parents were still in Dallas, Texas, where he was from. He told me he liked the sense of isolation and tranquility that moving here had given him. I began to relax a bit and simply leaned back and supported myself by placing my arms behind me on the floor.  I was surprised at how nice he was and impressed by how knowledgeable he was about horses. We talked for a long while and then he stood up and walked to a window and looked back saying “well I guess the rain stopped”. A sense of disappointment came over me as the rain seemed to be the only thing justifying me remaining in his house and in his company. Just as I reached for my shirt, he told me that if I wanted I could just sleep there and leave in the morning since there was not much I would be able to do at 4 in the morning. I had a feeling this was leading somewhere, but I could never imagine what was to come.

To be continued…