I'm being told that Fire Island's ferry service will be suspended at 3pm tomorrow and will resume sometime on Saturday. Tough break for those hoping to get out there after work tomorrow. But stay tuned, they may change their minds again.
UPDATE: You mightstill be able to get to the Pines and Cherry Grove if you get there quick enough after work. For now.
Fire Island Ferries will suspend service from Bay Shore at 3 p.m. tomorrow. It said ferries would resume early on Saturday, Sept. 4, once conditions improve. The Sayville Ferry Company told the News the 7 and 8 p.m. ferries to the Fire Island Pines tomorrow night are canceled. Ferries to Cherry Grove remain unaffected as of this posting. Ferries to Sailors Haven and Watch Hill have also been cancelled, and the campground in Watch Hill will remain closed tonight and tomorrow night. Davis Park-bound ferries will continue to run (at least for the time being). “We’re going to try and run as many ferries as we can,” said an operator at the Davis Park Ferry Company.
Today NY1 covered the gay hotel and nightclub complex coming to 42nd Street. I first told you about this back in February, but it doesn't appear that a whole lot of work has been done since then.
Montreal's Divers/Cite climaxed yesterday with an all day street party called La Grande Danse, which was headlined by the red-hot Freemasons. This clip was shot quite early in the day while opener DJ Danny Verde was spinning and before it got super-packed. I'm told about attendance at the party peaked at around 40,000.
Saturday began with a trip to the "24-hour hipster joint and poutine mecca," La Banquise, where my able homo-guide ordered us the traditional version of Montreal's specialty seen several posts below this one. From there we went to Parc Lafontaine in the Le Plateau-Mont Royal borough, where we lounged on the grass and scarfed our fries and curds. Lafontaine seems like a mini-Central Park, with an open-air theater, playing fields, bike paths, fountains, and waterfalls. Lovely.
Next we headed down to the waterfront, as Daniel had promised a jet boat ride around the Island of Montreal. What I hadn't realized is that we were actually going to ride the white waters of the Lachine Rapids on the St. Lawrence, which it turned out are second only in ferocity to the Colorado River. When I saw the safety gear, rubber boots, and giant padded head-protectors on the boat...I very nearly backed out. Especially when the pilot shouted to me, "New York City? FRONT ROW!" I am so not a thrill-ride person, particularly when the pre-ride spiel includes barfing instructions. (Into the hood of your poncho, please.) The ride was actually exhilarating (and terrifying) and I'm glad I did it, even if my shoulders ache today from holding on. BTW, those ankle-length rubber ponchos, haute couture though they may be, are useless when the water is up to your chest in the boat.
After dropping our sopping clothes with hotel housekeeping, Daniel and I joined the Farmboyz for the solo show debut of Blowoff artist Linas Garsys, where local and USA bear-types ogled the artwork and dished about that coming evening's entertainment options. From there we headed to rotisserie specialist St. Hubert for some of that there organic, free range, only-spoken-softly-to chicken.
And then we were off to Mascara, Les Nuit Des Drags, Montreal's Divers/Cite version of Wigstock, where long-reigning queen of the city Mado held court before 25,000 wildly enthusiastic fans in between numerous highly choreographed group drag numbers. Mado is apparently quite hilarious, judging by audience response, but of course I couldn't understand a thing. After a couple of hours, we moved to the other end of Divers/Cite's sprawling blocks-long area to hear legendary DJ Frankie Knuckles work his Whistle Song magic at the Sunset Party (above photo.) As longtime readers know, I consider dancing with thousands of homos in the dwindling light to glorious swirling house music to be one of life's greatest pleasure. Happy happy JMG.
Then it was back to the hotel, where Frankie's final notes rattled our windows from a block away as we changed for our assault on St. Catherine's zillion bars and clubs. First stop was the L'Aigle Noir, where some kind of electric-fetish demonstration was taking place, after which we headed once again to my new favorite bar, Le Stud, where they thoughtfully do not pump the dance floor's audio into the adjacent rooms. I should have hit a lot more of the clubs and bars purely for investigative purposes, but the long lines of youthful clubbers outside places like Complexe Sky and Club Unity dissuaded me from even a casual poke-in. Anyway, more to come on my first visit to Montreal, including some video from Mascara and the Sunset Dance. Big hugs to all the JMG readers who stopped to say hello yesterday! Full-screen versions of the below slideshow are here.
There we circled the Biosphere from the 1967 World's Fair and rode the actual raceway of the Canadian Grand Prix, past the Casino de Montreal and the Olympic Basin. Then we crossed back across the St. Lawrence, rolled past the way cool Habitat 67 (above) and down into Old Montreal, where we docked the Bixis and strolled around the cobbled streets in a sea of tourists, stopped for girly frozen drinks on the rooftop terrace of the fancy-schmancy Hotel Nelligan, and had a fab meal at Garde Manger.
After dinner we headed back to the gay village to drop at the Divers/Cite concert being held at the park directly adjacent to my hotel, where the capacity crowd was jumping to DJ sets in between live performances from local Montreal bands and singers. I was unfamiliar with the artists and didn't understand a word, but it was all pretty great. And I got to run into my pal Suzanne Girard, the co-founder of Divers/Cite, whom I know from back when she ran Montreal Pride.
Then I had to run off to meet up with my beloved Farmboyz, who have driven up to revisit their former hometown. I was pretty beat from my 10-mile bike ride (those bridges!) but I managed to hang on for a few drinks at Le Stud (packed!) and the Aigle Noir (Black Eagle), from whose front deck we enjoyed the parade of hotties down St. Catherine. GREAT day! Lots more to come. Full-screen versions of the below slideshow are here.
GayTravel.com's contest to select their North American gay travel guru is in its last few days and our own Father Tony remains a strong contender to become a finalist. Hit the link (they make you register, ugh) and find "Tony Adams" under the "guru" button. Be sure to award him the full five points. Trust me, Father Tony's the man you want uncovering the hot, the not hot, and the seamy underbelly of gay travel destinations. (And he used to live in Montreal, so he knows Canadia too.)
Now that he's a retired man of leisure, our beloved Father Tony has entered GayTravel.com's contest to become their Gay Travel Guru, a six-month gig which would take him all around North America to sample and review gay hotspots. The contest has now entered its second round and is open to voting from the public. Please click over and view Father Tony's sample videos and consider throwing him your support. (Make sure you rate him a "5.") And here's his direct plea for support from JMG readers, shot from his oceanside balcony in Fort Lauderdale. Tough life, I know.
Long-running gay travel title, Guide Magazine, announced today that after 30 years in business, their final print edition will be published in July as the company migrates to a web-only presence. Via press release:
Pink Triangle Press (PTP) today announced plans to migrate the international gay travel publication Guide magazine from a print publication to an internet-based publishing operation. A redesigned GuideMag.com, focused exclusively on gay travel, will launch at the end of May. The final print edition of Guide magazine, the August 2010 issue, will roll off the press the third week of July. For more than three decades, Guide magazine has been renowned for providing gay male readers with a quirky blend of gay travel information, culture and politics.
The Canada-based Pink Triangle Press also publishes local editions of the gay newspaper, Xtra, in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
Heralding it as the first of its kind, the state of Massachusetts has launched an iPhone application for gay tourists. "From restaurants to lodging to attractions, this iPhone app gives travelers an easy way to plan a trip and experience the Commonwealth." The app can be downloaded on iTunes and at the above link. Below is the list of functions.
• Explore a directory of accommodations, nightlife, restaurants, events and attractions. • “Explore By Region” allowing users to browse points of interest based on areas of the state. • Search specific types of activities and attractions tailored to their lives within the “Persona’s” section including: “Art Lover,” “History Buff,” “Sports Fan,” “Outdoor Enthusiast” • Keep up to speed in the “Spotlight” section that features an event, attraction or activity for the user and includes the latest LGBT hotspots. • Stay connected with the latest LGBT happenings on their iPhone with MOTT’s online blog: http://www.lgbtmassvacation.com/blog • Stay informed on the latest Massachusetts LGBT scene.
I'm being told that Fire Island's ferry service will be suspended at 3pm tomorrow and will resume sometime on Saturday. Tough break for those hoping to get out there after work tomorrow. But stay tuned, they may change their minds again.
