IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®
This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.
(bik-TAR-vee)
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).
Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your
healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.
ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: dofetilide rifampin any other medicines to treat HIV-1
BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: Have or have had any kidney or liver problems,
including hepatitis infection. Have any other health problems. Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-
counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.
BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.
Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.
These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.
HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.
GET MORE INFORMATION This is only a brief summary of important information
about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.
Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 If you need help paying for your medicine,
visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.
BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, GSI, and KEEP BEING YOU are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2022 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-BVYC-0008 01/22
#1 PRESCRIBED
HIV TREATMENT * *Source: IQVIA NPA Weekly, 04/19/2019 through 05/28/2021.
CHAD LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2018 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT
KEEP BEING YOU. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.
BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.
Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. ONE SMALL PILL, ONCE A DAY Pill shown not actual size (15 mm x 8 mm) | Featured patient compensated by Gilead.
Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.
Scan to see Chad’s story.
SPRING BRINGS NEW LIFE
VIEWS
EDITOR’S LETTER
AND NEW OPPORTUNITY
SPRING HAS SPRUNG. THIS YEAR MORE THAN
Personally, I’m looking forward to rediscov-
EVER, THERE ARE CONSPICUOUS SIGNS OF
ering San Francisco this summer. It’s been (gasp)
NEW LIFE, BEAUTY AND OPTIMISM AS WE
four years for me. Our feature article “The Suite
EMERGE FROM THE GRAYS OF WINTER AND
and Sweet Life of San Francisco” in this issue
PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS. Events are being
has prompted me to plan a visit to the City by
planned, stage curtains are opening, and we’re
the Bay and get a peek at the newly renovated
much more confident about getting out to
Clift Hotel. And in the spirit of adventure and
explore new eateries, visit new exhibits, and plan
new experiences, maybe I’ll even try dining
adventurous getaways.
on octopus!
I recently took out my old-school 2022 wall
We were excited to hear about Gay Wine
calendar and started making plans to attend
Weekend in Sonoma being back in full force
events, festivals and pencil in some out-of-town
this year after a two-year pandemic haitus. This
weekend adventures. By the time I was on my
has been an annual event for several members
second cup of coffee, my calendar was half-full
of the Metrosource team and we are ready to
through September!
traipse through the vineyards once again this
After two years of virtual events, aren’t we all
July. Haven’t experienced the California Wine
ready to get out and enjoy some face time? And
Country in recent years? Or ever? Check out
I don’t mean on an iPhone.
our feature “Three Days of Gay in Sonoma
Some of the features in this issue are sure
Wine Country” which may just prompt you to
to inspire you to make some plans for yourself
pack your aerator and straw fedora and head to
this spring and summer – both locally and out of
Northern California this summer.
town. What have you always wanted to experience? Where have you always wanted to visit?
aboard the Orient Express. I imagined a journey
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cesar A Reyes MARKETING DIRECTOR Christopher Jackson FEATURE WRITER Alexander Rodriguez CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ben Rimalower
James Delyea Jeffrey James Keyes Mark A. Thompson Megan Venzin Michael Westman
NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com
Los Angeles 6475 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., #438 Long Beach, CA 90803 New York 511 Avenue of the Americas, #901 New York, NY 10011 800.818.0480 info@metrosource.com
An adventure which always seemed so romantic and high-brow when I was growing up was a trip through the European countryside
“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”
PUBLISHER Bent Share Entertainment, LLC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Westman COPY EDITOR James Delyea
on this grand hotel on rails would be like Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express with a cast of high-society passengers. Well my dreams can now become reality since as the Orient Express is steaming forward once again with new routes planned. And if you are planning some nuptials, our feature“Seven Romantic Honeymoon Destinations” may inspire you to consider some further afield locales. I encourage you to embrace this Spring 2022 by planning an adventure that engages
Subscriptions: One year (6 issues): $24.95; 12 issues: $39.95. Reproduction of any article, listing or advertisement without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. The people, businesses and organizations appearing in Metrosource are supportive of the gay community. Mention of any person, business or organization is not a reflection of their sexual orientation. ©2021 Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. Advertisers in Metrosource acknowledge that they do business in the spirit of cooperation, fairness and service, maintaining a high level of integrity and responsibility. Providers of products or services are fully and solely responsible for same as advertised. Metrosource assumes no responsibility or liability for improper or negligent business practices by advertisers. The appearance of any person, model, business or organization in this publication, by name, advertisement or photograph is not an indication of sexual orientation. Advertisers and their agencies assume all responsibility and legal liability for the content of their advertisements in Metrosource. Publisher assumes no liability for safe-keeping or return of unsolicited art, manuscripts or other materials. Metrosource reserves the right to edit all material for clarity, length and content. All contents are copyright Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved. Content may only be reproduced with written permission from Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. Metrosource assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained anywhere in this magazine and reserve the right to cancel or refuse advertising at publisher’s discretion.
your spirit and fills your heart.
@metrosource @MetrosourceMagazine @metrosourcemag
METROSOURCE.COM
4
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
CONTENTS
April/May 2022 | VOLUME 33, NO. 2
24
THIS PAGE: LANCE BASS PHOTO BY JERRITT CLARK/GETTY • MICHAEL FEINSTEIN PHOTO BY ART STREIBER • PHOTO COURTESY OF AMY SCHNEIDER
14
42 18
14 JULIA SCOTTI IT’S A WONDERFULLY FUNNY LIFE
18 MICHAEL FEINSTEIN TAKES US DOWN THE BACKROADS IN GERSHWIN COUNTRY
24 LANCE BASS BEHIND THE SCENES
42 AMY SCHNEIDER MAKING JEOPARDY! HISTORY FOR LGBTQ REPRESENTATION COVER: Lance Bass Photography: Dennys Ilic METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
5
DEPARTMENTS
April/May 2022 | VOLUME 33, NO. 2
38 10
CULTURE
30
7 THE SCOPE From Netflix The Andy Warhol Diaries to Harvey Fierstein’s I Was Better Last Night: A Memoir
TRAVEL 10 Voyage into the Groove Groove Cruise Delivers a Joyous Dose of Reprieve for a Fun-Loving Crowd
30 Gay Wine Weekend Three Days Of Gay In Sonoma Wine Country
6
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
TRAVEL 32 The Suite and Sweet Life of San Francisco
38 Seven Romantic Honeymoon Destinations
HEALTH 47 Tweak your Skincare Regime for Spring Moisturize. Moisturize. Moisturize
VIEWS 4 EDITOR’S LETTER Spring Brings New Life and New Opportunity
THIS PAGE: JOHN SUMMIT PHOTO BY @LLAURENMORELLL • GAY WINE WEEKEND PHOTO COURTESY OF GEDMAG.COM • FREDERICKS COUNTER PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CLIFT • WEDDING AT THE LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN COURTESY OF VISIT RICHMOND VA
32
CURATED BY MICHAEL WESTMAN
THESCOPE
WATCH
THE ANDY WARHOL DIARIES NETFLIX FROM
EXECUTIVE
MURPHY
AND
PRODUCER
DIRECTOR
RYAN
ANDREW
ROSSI, THIS BREATHTAKINGLY EXPANSIVE, SIX-PART
PORTRAIT
CHRONICLES
THE
OF
A
LEGEND
REMARKABLE
LIFE
OF ANDY WARHOL from the intimate
CULTURE
THESCOPE
vantage point offered by the artist’s own posthumously published diaries. Beginning with his childhood in Pittsburgh, the series traces Warhol’s almost unbelievably diverse journey fluidly moving between mediums and through eras as an artist-both revered and reviled-director, publisher, TV producer, scene maker, celebrity and much more. While he was a largerthan-life figure, Warhol was intensely private regarding his personal life. This series truly reveals much about the very complex man through his own words-often in his own voice using cutting-edge AI techniquesand those who worked, created, and played alongside him from the subversive to the mainstream, from John Waters to Rob Lowe. Executive produced by Murphy, Josh Braun, Stanley Buchthal, Alexis Martin Woodall, Scott Robertson and Rossi and written and directed by Rossi, The Andy Warhol Diaries deftly validates Warhol’s belief that the idea is not to live forever but to create art that will.
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
7
THESCOPE
LISTEN
THE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO FOR “BEAUTIFUL MUSIC,” DIRECTED BY BILLIE BLACK AND FILMED IN LOS ANGELES, WAS RECENTLY RELEASED BY NIERI, A MILAN-RAISED / LA-BASED ARTIST WHO IS SHARING
Nurtured by his European roots and inspired by his life in LA, Nieri pairs catchy melodies, punchy drums, analog synths, and personal lyrics, to create refreshing electronic pop that gets you dancing through the night. The debut single conjures a pulsing beat and fuzzy bass line, immediately transporting you to a late-night hotspot. His smooth vocals draw you to the dance floor with a seductive persuasion that dancing is the cure for all your ails. Nieri describes the track: “Beautiful Music is about the need to release tension and finding that release in music. Many of us try to escape the stress of modern life with coping mechanisms like alcohol, drugs, or casual sex. In most cases, that doesn’t really end well. I wrote this song as a reminder to myself that when things get tough, music has (and always will) be there for me. All I must do is turn it on, dance a little, and eventually I will be okay.” The single is part of a debut EP, slated for later this year. Written and recorded between LA and Stockholm, with producer Joakim Buddee, the EP will showcase Nieri’s versatility as a songwriter and vocalist.
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
THIS PAGE: NIERI PHOTO BY BILLIE BLACK
HIS UNIQUE BRAND OF POP WITH THE WORLD.
CULTURE
8
NIERI “BEAUTIFUL MUSIC”
READ
I WAS BETTER LAST NIGHT: A MEMOIR BY HARVEY FIERSTEIN THIS NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IS A POIGNANT AND HILARIOUS MEMOIR FROM THE CULTURAL ICON, GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST, and four-time Tony
Award–winning actor and playwright, revealing never-before-told stories of his personal struggles and conflict, of sex and romance, and of his fabled career. While he has never shied away from the spotlight, Mr. Fierstein says that even those closest to him have never heard most of the tales. Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows: Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Cheers, La Cage Aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, and Kinky Boots. I Was Better Last Night bares the inner life of this eccentric nonconforming child from his roots in 1952 Brooklyn, to the experimental worlds of Andy Warhol and the Theatre of the Ridiculous, to the gay rights movements of the seventies and the tumultuous AIDS crisis of the eighties, through decades of addiction, despair, and ultimate triumph. Mr. Fierstein’s candid recollections provide a rich window into downtown New York City life, gay culture, and the evolution of theater (of which he has been a defining figure), as well as a moving account of his family’s journey of acceptance. I Was Better Last Night is filled with wisdom gained, mistakes made, and stories that come together to describe an astonishingly colorful and meaningful life. Lucky for us all, his unique and recognizable voice is as engaging, outrageously funny, and vulnerable on the page.
VISIT
LESLIE-LOHMAN MUSEUM OF ART
26 WOOSTER STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10013 EXHIBITION: NOT ME, NOT THAT, NOT NOTHING EITHER (NOW THROUGH JUNE 25, 2022) NOT ME, NOT THAT, NOT NOTHING EITHER PRESENTS THE WORK OF ELEVEN CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS EMPLOYING FRAGMENTATION - THROUGH BOTH MATERIAL AND SUBJECT MATTER- IN PAINTING, DRAWING, SCULPTURE, AND TIME-BASED MEDIA. Historically associated with Modernist movements,
Composition in Yellow by Ceaphas Stubbs
strategies of bodily fragmentation (slicing the body into parts, isolating appendages, and distorting one’s self-image) are reconsidered by queer contemporary artists as a means of exploring their own perceptions of self-outside of the cis-heteronormative gaze. Rejecting societal notions of fixedness and individuation, fragmentation in this exhibition serves not as a method of deconstruction but as an additive process in which queer selfhood is malleable, ever-changing, tactile, and connected. The artists in this show forge a queer aesthetic, proposing a world in which the body-in-pieces is in fact the body-as-whole. Participating artists: Math Bass, Diedrick Brackens, A.K. Burns, Jibz Cameron, Theresa Chromati, KC Crow Maddux, Troy Michie, Christina Quarles, Devan Shimoyama, Ceaphas Stubbs, and Jade Yumang. Not Me, Not That, Not Nothing Either is curated by Rachel Beaudoin and Nirvana Santos-Kuilan. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
9
TRAVEL 10
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
VOYAGE INTO THE GROOVE
GROOVE CRUISE DELIVERS A JOYOUS DOSE OF REPRIEVE FOR A FUN-LOVING CROWD THAT’S DOWN FOR JUST ABOUT ANYTHING BY MEGAN VENZIN “FOLLOW YOUR INNER COMPASS.” THIS IS THE MANTRA ADOPTED BY THOUSANDS OF RAVERS THE MOMENT THEY STEP ABOARD GROOVE CRUISE, A SEAFARING MUSIC FESTIVAL
THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY @LLAURENMORELLL
THAT’S AMONG THE LONGEST RUNNING OF ITS KIND. After
witnessing the strange beauty ourselves, we can attest that these guiding tools point attendees to a few sure things: top-notch performances from electronic artists, larger than life theme parties and a fierce commitment to near-nudity that remains stalwart even on cooler, neon-tinted nights. “We’re never going home!” is a defiant chant that rings through the luxury ship’s sparkling promenade periodically, and for good reason. You’re crazy if you want to leave this unapologetically open gathering. Members of the close-knit “Groove Cruise Family” are pros, and many of them have been raging on the open waters since the early aughts. Their enthusiasm for its free-spirited and inclusive environment has never waned - in fact it’s only grown stronger as the days roll on. These long-time fans bring newbies along, all lovingly referred to as “virgins.” Metrosource falls into this category, and we’re ready to be born again this weekend. Set on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, this January’s East Coast sailing (January 20-24, 2022) from the port at Cape Canaveral, Florida is ultra-heightened. There’s a palpable energy as friends link up with cabin mates, friend squads and couples they haven’t seen since before our lives changed back in March 2020. There’s still a tentative air in the world as the covid pandemic enters a new phase propelled by the omicron variant, but those who commit to spend the next four days adrift boast brazen, YOLO-esque attitudes. Is “YOLO” still a thing? Whatever, we’re sticking to it because trust when we say that’s the whole damn mood on this Voyager Class vessel as we head toward a beach destination in the Bahamas. It’s there where we’ll dance in the sand as acts like live duo, SOFI TUKKER drench the crowd in sunny, upbeat melodies. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
11
12
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY @TRRIISSTTAAN • WRECKNO PHOTO COURTESY OF @MCM PRODUCTIONS
TRAVEL
“People used to want to go on Groove Cruise, but once you have been it almost becomes a need,” says Founder, Jason Beukema. “We need to feel the love and community and excitement that is missing from our lives.” He speaks from a place of passion as much as a former place of pain. Last year’s sailings were postponed due to COVID-19-related restrictions, striking a heavy blow to Whet Travel, the organization responsible for Groove Cruise that also happens to be the world’s largest independent music cruise company. His optimism is back now that the 2022 event is finally a reality. “I trusted my intuition and let my heart and soul guide me and it’s never led me wrong. And the #GCFAM deserves it,”he adds with conviction. It’s full steam ahead, and his loyal brothers and sisters are all in. Champagne bottles pop with abandon on the pool deck as we chat, and he’s got a good point - we all crave this release after a collective period defined by gloom and doom. Strict vaccine protocols and test requirements brought Beukema’s dreams back to life, as well as those of his favorite artists. Modern masters like Anthony Attalla and Marcus Schulz are back with their legendary GC marathon sets, which often last upwards of six-hours or more - a rare find for an average club night, let alone a floating festival. This winter’s voyage also boasts a fierce mix of rising stars and scene stalwarts like tech house darling, John Summit, and Dirtybird label boss, Claude VonStroke. There’s a list of queer visionaries in the mix, too, among them names like Chicago’s own J.Worra, rap disruptor Wreckno and the ever-ethereal CloZee, whose unique brand of world bass sends listeners on a sonic adventure to faraway lands. Tee So, a DJ who hosts the beloved No Boys in The Booth party, is another friendly face who never fails to rally the LGBTQ+ community together for onboard social activities like an AM Bloody Mary meetup (because it’s always
THIS PAGE: DOMBRESKY PHOTO COURTESY OF @LLAURENMORELLL • PHOTO BY @LLAURENMORELLL • PHOTO BY @LLAURENMORELLL
the right time to sip vodka cocktails on this judgment-free getaway). “It’s definitely a weirdo party at its core,” says Brandon Wisniski, who bass music and hip-hop fans know as the aforementioned Wreckno. His slot in Studio B - a tricked-out, laser-equipped theater space - is singular for this ship. He spits fierce rhymes over heavy vibrations, and he’s dressed to the nines in a stylish beret and plaid skirt.“I’m a very gender fluid person so when I was getting the lay of the land, I was very happy to see that in the crowd here as well,” he explains of an event he walked into with zero expectations. At a gathering revered for its trance and house-leaning lineups, he’s among an unusual breed of bass artists booked to play GC. That said, the tides must be turning. We hear heavy drops and resonant wubs most nights as they blast from state-of-the-art speakers during stage takeovers led by labels like Odyzey Music and Born Records. Though Wisniski admits he was nervous before his set for this reason, he’s positively beaming on the other side. Originals like his 2020 Pride anthem,“Meduza”(which he created with follow queer EDM star, GRiZ) and a high-energy reimagining of Gillette’s “Short Dick Man” quite literally sent the crowd into an ass throwing frenzy - a reaction that’s become synonymous with his salacious, one-man act. “When that song came in, I saw the crowd get lit,” he says smiling. “I don’t regret anything.” Even the performers walk away with a new perspective on their livelihood after Groove Cruise and Wisniski is a testament to that fact.“It was just awesome for me to see other facets of electronic music and the culture behind these events that are thrown,” he continues. “It was a nice peek behind the curtain at other things that I normally wouldn’t get to experience.” And in the end, that’s what Groove Cruise is really all about – embracing the novel and pleasantly unanticipated. For some attendees that experience takes shape when they watch the sunrise crest over blue waters while their musical heroes provide an epic soundtrack IRL. For others, it happens when they solve an escape room with a trailblazing female producer like LP Giobbi or embark on a ship-wide pub crawl with melodic dubstep icon MitiS. And for the rest, it occurs when they enter the main dining room wearing only pasties, harnesses, alien costumes or something equally risqué that would never fly as proper attire in the real world. For us it was all of these things, paired with a kindness among strangers that, after the past two years, we thought may have been gone for good. As it turns out, it’s still very much alive here on Groove Cruise – just follow your inner compass, and you’ll find it. Ready to join the #GCFam? Check out Groove Cruise Cabo 2022 sailing from Los Angeles, CA to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (October 19th - 24th). To book your cabin visit https://www.groovecruise.com/cabo ■ METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
13
CHAPPELLE’S ENTITLED TO HIS OPINION. I’M ENTITLED NOT TO LISTEN TO IT.”
IT’S A WONDERFULLY FUNNY LIFE
JULIA SCOTTI
SHARES HER COMEDY WITH THE WORLD POST AMERICA’S GOT TALENT BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ COMEDIAN JULIA SCOTT, AGED 63, AKA “THE CRAZY OLD LADY OF COMEDY,” TOOK TO MEL B, AND MILLIONS OF VIEWERS LOOKED ON. Her mission? To show that age has
nothing to do with anything, you don’t stop just because you have gray hair. She killed her set. This innocent-looking granny’s routine was bawdy and hip, and the audience couldn’t get enough. In her words, “I got a standing ovation, all four of them voted to pass me - and I didn’t have a heart attack!” Particularly taken was fellow comic Mandell who asked Julia why she started so late in life. A tearful Julia paused, and carefully replied, “For the first 28 years of my life, I was known as Rick Scotti.” The judges looked shocked as the audience applauded. Howie responded, “You know, whether you’re a man or a woman, you’re human. And you’re funny! You are talented. And you’re brave.” Brave indeed. At age 48, after doing comedy for 28 years, Julia gave everything up to live her authentic self.
14
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
PAGE 14-16: PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIA SCOTTI
THE STAGE OF AMERICA’S GOT TALENT AS SIMON COWELL, HOWIE MANDELL, HEIDI KLUM,
Julia’s success on America’s Got Talent and her triumphant comedy comeback are only a small part of what makes the documentary Julia Scotti: Funny That Way so powerful. The film, with classic footage, family photos, and intimate (and often heartbreaking) revelations from Julia’s friends, family, and past lovers, follows this New Jersey native who, as Rick Scotti, was having a successful run in the 80s era of comedy appearing with big names that included Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock and winning Showtime’s Funniest Person in New Jersey contest (barely losing the Showtime national competition to Ellen DeGeneres). Whereas some of the trans community wants no connection with their dead name or prior
like the guys I knew who were gay were really enjoying it. And with my couple of experiences, throwing up afterward is not really a good sign, you know? So, um, there had to be something else. And, and so (my ex) Kate, helped me get to that point. I had been told by numerous exwives that I was a woman. One of them said it genuinely, the others said it as a derisive remark, but something about the way Kate said it, after my last event with a guy, the light went on. I realized she was right. She came out. She lost the relationships with her former wives, her gigs, her comedy friends, and most tragically, her children.
feeling of fathers and mothers arguing constantly in front of the kids and I just didn’t want that to happen. And so, I walked away, separating for 14 years with the hope that someday they would grow up and want to know who I was and make a decision based on who I was now ... who was really all I always was. Over the years, Julia would send instant messages to her kids on a birthday or holiday with no response. As they got older, Julia’s son was the first to respond. Reconnecting with her kids has been a very slow process, gradual, and still ongoing. But they are present, and they are supportive, even if they don’t know the right terms or what to call Julia. She, in her
life, Julia unabashedly embraces the life of Rick Scotti. I mean, there is no getting around it. I’m a public person, it doesn’t take a whole lot. You don’t have to be MacGyver to figure out who I was before. I’m not ashamed of who I was. I lived 50 years like that. I understand why some people don’t do it and they want to forget, but it’s part of who I am. At a time when the words gender dysphoria and gender reassignment surgery were rarely heard or were discussed as a perversion, Rick was trying to find out who he was. He just knew that he felt different. I had a number of failed attempts at being gay, and I guess if you really have to try to be gay, you’re probably not gay. I couldn’t understand why it seemed
One of her exes used Julia’s coming out as an opportunity to wrench her children away, using mental health as a scapegoat. I agonized over telling them. I selftalk a lot and what I asked myself was, “How can I, as a parent, ever tell my kid to be true to themselves, if I can’t be true to myself?” I have to have the courage of my convictions. It’s going to hurt everybody. There is no pleasant outcome here. And so, it was a difficult decision 22 years ago. It is a different world now. Back then, we were psychopathic killers. The most painful thing I ever did was to walk away just because I was asked to. My gut wanted me to fight tooth and nail, have the cops there, and go to court and do whatever I had to do. But I came from a broken home and so I know that
jovial laugh and typical humor, is still not sure of what the right terms or pronouns to use in today’s politically correct arena. I get the whole idea with the pronouns and all, but I’m old and it does confuse me. I’m probably going to get all kinds of shit for this, but it’s like the Abbott and Costello routine “Who’s on First?” It gets confusing and it puzzles people who are not in the LGBTQ community. So, in that sense, it’s off-putting sometimes, but I get why people are doing it because they’re fighting for identity. I understand that. Believe me, nobody gets it more than I do. So, if it makes you happy, then fight for your pronouns, that’s all. Julia’s big reveal (to which Simon Cowell said,“You’re just full of surprises tonight, aren’t you?”) was not premeditated or used as a METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
15
gimmick. She was not being used as a token member of the trans community who happened to be funny. Perhaps Julia could have used being trans as a way to ensure her place on national TV, but first and foremost, she’s a comedian. That’s her talent. They left it up to me as to whether I was even going to do the reveal or not. And I didn’t know up until I went out there, but I told them specifically, “If I do the reveal, it won’t be until after my set, because I want the set to be judged on its own merit.” And they were good with that. And now with this documentary, people get to see how it all turned out. It’s kind of cool. Julia has been working the circuit with a second wind, courtesy of the show, and while she appears at LGBTQ events and PFLAG symposiums, the majority of her gigs are in the straight world, a very important factor for the comedian. There are oftentimes stereotypes that the straight community has about who we are and what we do. 99% of the places I play are filled with cisgender people. I want them to walk out saying, “You know, she’s funny, she’s a human being. And as far as I’m concerned, I see her as female.”And that’s all I’m asking for, just give me a chance to show you what I can do. The comedy world of the not-too-distant past has been notorious for being a hotbed of misogyny, homophobia, racism, and transphobia. How have comics from Julia’s past as Rick and her present peers responded? I know the people who are not so accepting. That’s fine if you want to be that way. I steer clear of them and they steer clear of me. So far, we haven’t conflicted at all, but I must say that almost everyone who was my friend before, is my friend still. The comedy community is a very special one. A shocking part of the documentary reflects the comedy of the past where Julia, as Rick, makes a series of gay and transphobic jokes. It’s a chilling reminder of how self-hating we can be to our closeted selves and also of the culture that existed that separated Julia from her kids. Let me address what I did first. Okay. It was the nineties. I was struggling with everything at that point. I forgot that I had done the bit, but I remember the period and I know that I was looking for whatever it was that was “wrong” with me. There was something going on and the only way I knew how to be a man was to imitate what other men were like. You saw my reaction in the movie when I saw myself doing it and was horrified, and I wanted to take that person and just beat the snot out of them. But it’s all part of the growth process. Very recently, comedian Dave Chappelle discussed the death of his friend, trans comedian Daphne Dorman, who had opened for him. She committed suicide. He made a joke that purposely misgendered her, stating that she would have loved it. His jokes and statements regarding the trans community have come under fire with pressure on Netflix to pull his specials. Does this kind of comedy telling reflect what’s happening in the comedy world, what’s happening in the world, or what’s happening between the Black and trans community? And should Chappelle be canceled? I get that Chappelle maybe made his statements out of ignorance. He made it sound like because he took a Daphne as a comic to open for him that he was somehow doing a favor. Well, she killed herself, and I assume partly because
16
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
of that terrible opening set that she had for him. You don’t take a newbie and throw them out in front of a national act for 40, 45 minutes. It took me like four years before I could do 45 minutes. She had no business being there. I think he’s tried to make up for a lot of his sins by doing that. I hope he evolves, but Chappelle’s entitled to his opinion. I’m entitled not to listen to it. This is a First Amendment issue. The First Amendment doesn’t mean that only the people who agree with me should be allowed to speak. There were Nazi rallies in New York City in the 1930s. They were allowed to do it because that’s what the First Amendment says. Comics take pride in the fact that we still have the First Amendment, we hate it when other people try to censor us. Who am I to say to Chappelle, “You can’t say that. I’m offended!”Well, I can be offended. He’s still got the right to say it. I just don’t have to listen to it. Making jokes about her age, smoking, and health have been part of Julia’s routine, and even Rick’s routine. But it was no laughing matter when, after Julia received X-rays to prepare for back surgery, the doctors noticed a severe blockage issue. Two days before Christmas, Julia received a quadruple bypass, one valve repair, and one valve replacement. She almost died. It changed everything in my head about life. When you come that close to it, you see everything through a different lens. Again, it’s a blessing because I lived through it and now, I talk about it on stage. So, it was just, you know, more material! During her stay in the hospital, she dealt with transphobia. Coming years after she needed medical attention after her gender affirmation surgery, when she was told they didn’t handle“her kind,” to now, during a crucial recovery from her bypass, she would have to deal with hate in her own hospital room. He was a respiratory therapist. He kept calling me “Rick.” He kept calling me by my dead name throughout and I kept correcting him as best I could. I was very weak. He just kept doing it. He kept calling me “he, he, he” and finally, my daughter just went, “SHE! SHE, SHE, SHE!” Just like that. I thought, “that’s my girl.” Personally, at that point, I would’ve liked to have just kicked him in the nuts and thrown him out the window because he didn’t want to change, to have his consciousness raised. And he was young! In true Julia nature, she turned her medical scare and her treatment in the hospital as a way to make a statement under the guise of comedy. She called her next appearances part of her I’m Not Dead Yet tour. All jokes aside, what does more does Julia want from life? I am complete. My bucket list, with the exception of one thing, is full. I’ve done everything I ever set out to do. I want to go to Italy and I want to see where my ancestors came from. My heart called out to Italy, and I’m attached. I have to see it before I go. And then I’ll be fine. I’ve had this wonderful, wonderful life. I’ve got a movie about my life! Yeah. I’ve been loved. I have loved people. I have performed everywhere I wanted to perform. What more could you ask? ■
More at https://www.juliascottifilm.com/
18
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
PAGES 18-22: PHOTOS BY ART STREIBER
MICHAEL FEINSTEIN TAKES US DOWN THE BACKROADS IN GERSHWIN COUNTRY BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
GRAMMY AND EMMY-NOMINATED MUSICIAN MICHAEL FEINSTEIN, A KEEPER OF THE AMERICAN SONGBOOK, HAS LIVED A LIFE THAT IF PRESENTED ON SCREEN, WOULD BE TOO CRAZY TO BELIEVE. The icons (who have earned that title
rightfully), the music, the performances, the collaborations, and the chance meetings would spring up on Michael’s journey like characters waiting on the side of the yellow brick road. This season, he debuts a new album that is almost too delicious to believe. Called Gershwin Country, Michael reimagines the music of Ira and George Gershwin through a country music lens with a series of duets featuring the biggest names from the genre including Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, Lee Ann Womack, Amy Grant, and Rosanne Cash. Did we mention it was executive produced by Liza Minelli? The album was inspired several years ago by a conversation Michael had with none other than poet Maya Angelou when the two chatted about their love of music. Who knew that Angelou was such a country music fan? Many country music artists have covered the Great American Songbook, there is a symbiosis between the two genres. In today’s music where autotune and electronic riffs fill the airwaves, country music artists may be the last leaders in telling stories through original music. The bones of the classic American Songbook are malleable and can be interpreted in many ways. The symbiosis is that the country genre is based on melodic music and lyric interpretation and country music artists know how to tell a story and to interpret a lyric in a way that makes it their own, so the Songbook, in that sense, is a natural for country artists. Feinstein admits that he is a very tough critic of his own work, but because this is made of duets, is his most satisfying album yet. The first track on the album that was recorded was Dolly Parton’s “Love is Here to Stay.” From that session, Michael was able to move forward with a truly clear idea of what the sound of the recording should be and where it was going. By the time this album was completed, even this musical impresario learned something new. I learned a certain spontaneity or openness in recording because I worked with the most amazing group of musicians in Nashville. Recording in Nashville is different from recording any place else because these are very, very well-educated musicians, musically speaking, and yet they also have the tremendous ability, or tremendous gift, of improvisation. So even though there were blueprints for the arrangements on the recording, so much of it happened spontaneously, be it a key change or a riff or any other device that was incorporated into a track. It was coming up with an idea and then immediately being able to realize it through the extraordinary gifts of the musicians who were present. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
19
Michael’s relationship with the Great American Songbook started when he was 20, when, after moving to LA, was introduced to Ira Gershwin who hired him to catalog his extensive collection of records. This would turn into a six-year gig during which Michael would come into intimate contact with unpublished music and rare recordings that would expand from Ira’s collection and include that of his composer brother, George. I had grown up idolizing the work of George and Ira Gershwin. First, it was the music of George and then it was Ira’s lyrics, and I discovered the songs. I met Ira in July of 1977, and when I knocked on the door of his home in Beverly Hills, my knees were shaking. His wife, Lee Gershwin, let me into the house and when I saw Ira sitting at a table at a distance from the front door, I got even more scared. The minute I sat down with him, he was very welcoming and sweet. He disarmed me with his charm, even though he was very quiet and shy and retiring, he was sensitive. He sensed how I was feeling and did everything he could to put me at ease, even though he was not in very good health. That was the beginning of a relationship that only got better from that first meeting. I was able to speak his language and he started to tell me some anecdotes, some stories about collaborating with his brother. I knew all his references and he was a bit taken aback by that at first, but then he realized that I knew his world. And from then on, I was in. I spent six years with this beautiful gentle soul. Those years profoundly changed my life and the way I looked at the world, it was beautiful. His love affair with Gershwin music and the Great American Songbook was just beginning. His first professional brush with Broadway would be as the musical consultant of My One and Only, a celebration of the Gershwins, and his first CD was titled Pure Gershwin. By the late ‘80s, he was starring regularly on Broadway in a series of concerts celebrating the music he had become so close to. His star was on the rise, and he would appear on PBS specials, TV shows, NPR, and a dizzying number of concerts. He would appear at some of the world’s most iconic venues with some of history’s most iconic singers and songwriters. Many have called him one of the most important musical forces of our time. But no matter how many stars he has collaborated with, or how many Presidents he has performed for, he will never forget his roots, full of bittersweet memories.
20
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
After I moved to Los Angeles, I started playing in piano bars. Most of them were gay bars and they were places of celebration. I met so many special people, many of whom died only a few years later. It hurts my heart when I think about it, when I think about that time and the feeling of freedom and abandon and true joy that existed in those clubs that is different from the way it is now. There certainly is a lot of fun in clubs but, for me, the community that I had at that time was something I never experienced again. I’d play the piano till two in the morning and then we’d all go out to a restaurant, usually a Thai restaurant on Sunset Boulevard or Hollywood Boulevard that was open to four in the morning. We’d just party all night. When I started touring and performing in theaters and concert halls, I had to become much more disciplined in my life. I had to stop partying, smoking pot and had to clean up my act, so to speak. I guess I’m just saying I missed those days of abandon. I’ve come to recognize what is important in life. And that is, simply put – gratitude. Take nothing for granted ever. With project after project coming his way so early on in his career, when did he stop and take notice that he was becoming a sensation? It’s a funny thing, I think that every performer is always desiring more. I’ve seen some of the biggest names in the biz grapple with insecurity, looking at the career of somebody else who always had something that they didn’t have. So, there’s always that hunger to achieve more. As far as the realization that I’d reached a level of esteem, if that’s the word, it was probably after I had success on Broadway in 1988, when I was well out of playing piano bars. By that point, I played the Hollywood Bowl, which was pretty amazing because it all happened so fast. The experience of Broadway ran for months and so many people came to see the show and that was incredibly special for me. I was still young and fresh and yet there were so many people who came backstage that I would go, “Oh my God, how thrilling to meet so and so!” That gave me a sense of having accomplished something. And, it was with old songs, songs that were considered passe. Yet, there I was making a living from it. And make a living he has. The names he has performed with and befriended is a gay man’s (or any entertainment lover’s) fantasy. With so many of our favorite divas taking center stage in Feinstein’s life, who have been his standouts?
I REMEMBER BEING ON STAGE WITH ROSEMARY CLOONEY AT THE GREEK THEATER.AT THE END OF THE SHOW SOMEBODY YELLED, “YOU GO, GIRL!” I LOOKED AT ROSEMARY AND SAID, “YOU THINK THEY’RE TALKING TO YOU OR ME?”
Michael Feinstein and Liza Minelli, at the TCM 40 Anniversary of Cabaret. 2012. Photo by Kathy Hutchins Working with Nancy Wilson. Nancy Wilson is one of the greatest jazz singers of any time and she was someone I idolized. When she agreed to work with me, I was thrilled beyond words. We were to perform a duet and she didn’t want to rehearse! She said, “Oh, we’ll just fake it.” And I said, “Please, please, can we go over this?” She said, “No, honey, it’s going to be fine.” And my God, we got out on stage, and it was magical. It just all came together. That was amazing to me because I’m not a jazz singer, I’m not an improviser, and as she was. It was magic and I will never forget that because it was all chemistry the way it just came together. I loved working with Rosemary Clooney, who was my second mom. Debbie Reynolds was another extraordinary force of nature. Elaine Stritch. Working with Elaine was great because we were remarkably close and we were intimate friends. We shared a lot of secrets with each other and as brassy, bold, and tough as she was perceived, she did amazingly kind things for me. My father was in New York and was extremely ill and had to go to the hospital where we needed to get him into a room. He needed to be admitted, but there were no rooms available. I called Elaine and, wouldn’t you know, she knew somebody, called a doctor and got my father a private room at the hospital. Those are the kinds of things that she would do if she loved you. And if she didn’t, boy, watch out. And of course, there’s Liza. Not only have the two appeared together in performances of every kind (even on social media!), but they have also become close friends. Not only does Liza serve as executive producer for Feinstein’s new album, but the two also perform“Embraceable You,”a favorite of Liza’s father, Vincente Minnelli. Vincente not only was close friends with the Gershwins but chose Ira to be Liza’s godfather. Of course, Michael and Liza would connect. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
21
When I first met Liza, she said, “Okay, from now on, we’re joined at the hip.” I was taken aback by that because it seemed to be very enthusiastic hyperbole. I never dreamed that I would become close to her. We really bonded at her father’s house when I was playing at his Christmas party. And after everybody left, Liza was still there, sitting next to me on the piano bench and connecting musically on that level was extraordinary. The key moment that we became close was about three to four months after we met. We were hanging out every single night and Liza made a choice to go back to rehab because she was scared by what was happening in her life. She left on a private plane, which was supplied by Frank Sinatra, and I didn’t know if I would ever see her again. I thought, well, this was a wonderful few months I will always treasure. I didn’t know how different her life would be after she came back from rehab. We were able to reconnect when she came out of rehab and that’s when we truly and deeply bonded. She is a stalwart friend. In many ways, I owe my career to her. With so many stars that have crossed Michael’s path what makes a star a “star?” I guess I could quote the James Mason’s speech to Judy Garland from A Star is Born when he discovers her in that first scene in the nightclub. But I think it is very difficult to put into words what defines a star because there is something impossible to capture in words. Stardom is an odd thing. There are many different reasons people become stars, but the most enduring are ones who have the ability to connect very deeply with the hearts of other people on a level that is transporting. They have this God-given ability to present their art in a way that is, on one level, larger than life but also reminds us about something in ourselves that attracts us to their personality. Michael married his longtime partner in 2008, the fabulous Judge Judy performed the ceremony. Michael’s sexuality was neither being hidden nor was it being celebrated. It just was. In my late teens, I was out to everybody in my circle of friends and in the community theater where I appeared, but I wasn’t out to my parents. My mother found a Playgirl magazine hidden in my room and had a meltdown when I
22
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
confessed to her that I was interested in people of the same sex. Her response was, “You have to promise never to tell anyone.” And I said, “Mom, I, I can’t promise that.” But when I moved to California, I lived very openly. God knows I was playing lots of gay bars and there were write-ups in the local gay rags and all that, so it was no secret. When I started to get notoriety, I didn’t talk about my personal life, or at least not about that part of my personal life, because I was scared. I was frightened to talk about it, even though I was out in so many ways, but there was something about it that scared me, I’m sorry to say. But I still would do things on stage that were not exactly being discreet. I remember being on stage with Rosemary Clooney at the Greek Theater. We were doing a couple of numbers together. At the end of the show somebody yelled, “You go, girl!” I looked at Rosemary and said, “You think they’re talking to you or me?”This got a big laugh out of the audience. So, in that sense, I wasn’t in the closet. But, yeah, I did have trepidation about coming out. At that time, it was drummed into your head that you couldn’t come out and have a successful career. Everybody shared that belief and it was a collective belief. Labels from the LGBTQ community are now often fixed in each headline to take advantage of our current boom in media. Michael has befriended some of the biggest gay icons in entertainment and still, there has not been that kind of labeling for him or his career, it has stayed very mainstream. Does he feel part of the LGBTQ community? Yes. Yes, I do. I have a deep desire to connect with other people who share a certain aspect of their being with which I can resonate. There are certain things that are innately understood between us that others would not understand in the same way. There have been times when I’ve felt isolated from the community because I was characterized as being conservative and being Republican. None of this was ever true. I played several times for the Reagans and the Bush family, but I played for them because they were Presidents. I turned down the offer to play for George, the elder Bush’s, inaugural celebration because I didn’t want people to perceive me as politically supporting him. But I also felt, very strongly, that bridges are built by
Michael Feinstein with his husband Terrence Flannery take part of the annual San Francisco Pride 2013. Photo by Kobby Dagan connecting with people who have different points of view from our own. When W. Bush asked me to play at the White House on Valentine’s Day, I told my partner, now husband, Terrence, that I didn’t want to do it. He said, “Well, I’ve never been to the White House and I want to go.” He said, “Isn’t the White House for everybody?” I said, “Yeah, that’s true.” So, I contacted the Social Secretary and I said, “Okay. I’d be happy to play for the President on Valentine’s Day as long as Terrence and I are treated as a couple.” And they said that absolutely, we would be treated as a couple. And we were, and that to me was building bridges amongst a group of people who were almost all Republican because it was a private event with just the Bush’s closest friends and supporters. And so there I was with my life partner, mixing with people who probably didn’t approve of our lifestyle, but I’d like to think that their exposure to us and my music earlier in that evening created some sort of empathy or understanding in their souls. After his multi-decade career and his colorful journey, what has Michael learned the most about music?
The most important thing is always being true to your heart. I wish that I had been truer to my heart when I was younger. Now, I am absolutely true because my soul tells me what is right. I know in my gut what I’m supposed to do, and I try and always listen to that voice. So, when it comes to making music, the sky’s the limit, just follow that muse, keep going for it. I turned down opportunities when I was younger because I was scared. It wasn’t until later that I learned to say “yes” and then figure out how to do what they are asking. When I started doing that, most of the time, I rose to the occasion, and I was able to fulfill what was asked of me. Gershwin Country is now available wherever you get your music with a portion of all proceeds benefitting MusiCares®, a partner of the Recording Academy® that provides a support system of health and human services across a spectrum of needs, including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, preventative clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies, and disaster relief to the music community. ■ METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
23
24
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
LANCE BASS BEHIND THE SCENES
THIS PAGE: PHOTOS BY DENNYS ILIC
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
*NSYNC MAY HAVE BEEN WHAT PUT LANCE BASS ON THE MAP, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT KEPT HIM THERE.
Lance has gone from boy band personality to activist, entrepreneur, father, and star in his own right. Destined to become a mega multi-media personality, he started life in a small town in Mississippi where no one locked their doors. His musical instruction would start early as he began singing in his Southern Baptist church choir. The church became his second home and he would learn how to read music and harmonize, not knowing how much those skills would come into play in his later life. As much as he embraced those early beginnings, he also started to feel the divide between conservative religion and sexuality. I knew I was gay at five years old and I also knew that it would be something I would have to hide my entire life. At a young age, I started seeing the BS which changed my whole look on religion and the world. I knew at an early age that many of the adults around me were wrong about so many issues - especially in regards to homosexuality - and it was that realization where I became aware these authority figures weren’t to be fully trusted. I feel like I had to fake so much about myself just to appease everyone around me. It made me question everything, and religion doesn’t give you the space to question anything. I remember when I was “saved” and baptized - going through the motions - I had to pretend that I felt the light of Jesus. It was all just an act on my part to appease those around me. The exposure that would come with *NSYNC also came with the pressure of living life the way the public saw him, not who he really was. Pretty much exposed by the media, his real-life would come into the spotlight as his People magazine cover story would serve as his official coming out. Not calculated or planned, it happened in a media frenzy. I only had 48 hours to start coming out to the rest of my friends/family who I needed to tell before the whole world learned. I was outed. In hindsight, I am glad the band-aid was ripped off but I had a lot of learning to do about the gay community and I had to learn very quickly. No one should be forced to come out. Everyone needs to do it on their own time because you don’t know everyone’s story. There could be safety concerns and there are so many different experiences. It’s ultimately a very personal decision and should be decided by the individual and no one else. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
25
26
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
THIS PAGE: PHOTOS COURTESY OF PMC STUDIOS
Even as his coming out made headlines, he retreated. I didn’t want to read anything about myself because I thought people would just be mean and disregard me. I didn’t want to be felt “less than” because most gay people were treated like that at the time. Gay people were treated as novelties. Eventually, though, I couldn’t help but see the way that the media reacted, and to my surprise, everyone was mostly positive and even supportive. It was the first time I had seen a gay man treated with that kind of respect after coming out and it gave me hope moving forward. At that point, I knew I’d be known for being gay more than *NSYNC. My whole career changed from that moment on and my life went on a completely different path. I knew I could hopefully help move the needle for LGBTQ acceptance and I’d have to be more vocal. How did he change the most from his coming out? I became who I really am. Your relationships become better. You lose people because you see people’s true colors there’s a lot of ignorance, but that’s a good thing at the end of the day. It weeds out the bad ones and keeps the people who actually love you. Shortly after being embraced for his coming out, the LGBTQ community shifted gears and came after him regarding a comment he made about appearing “straight-acting,” claiming he was enforcing negative stereotypes. His role as a true activist would be later welcomed but, at the time, the inclusive nature of our community wasn’t being well represented, and was quick to judge. Just because he was a celebrity didn’t mean he had all the answers or was groomed to be a spokesperson overnight. Does he think our community has matured since his coming out? In many ways we’ve grown stronger, but we’ve also digressed in certain ways as well, in my honest opinion. As I mentioned earlier, when I was outed I only had 48 hours to let my friends, family, and colleagues know before the story was going to be published. That also only gave me 48 hours to educate myself as much as I could on LGBT issues which, in hindsight, is just absurd. I was ignorant of so much back then because even though I’ve always known I was gay, I had distanced myself so much from the community in
Lance Bass and husband Michael Turchin. Photo by Richard Shotwell/ Invision/AP
order to preserve my career and the careers of my bandmates. During that interview, I had relayed a story about how some of my friends (the few who, in fact, had known I was gay) referred to me as “sag” or straightacting-gay, and instead, the publication then erroneously stated that I referred to myself as that. At that time I admittedly had no clue about the offensiveness of this language and the problems it creates for many in the LGBT+ community. I obviously never wanted to hurt anybody but the damage had been done. I distinctly remember receiving an HRC award that year, and when I made my way to the stage two tables flipped me off and walked out. This is where I believe the LGBTQ community can sometimes be too impulsively judgmental to our own who make honest mistakes. We’ve come so far in our journey towards acceptance and equality that, at times, we’re too quick to knock down those within our own community who are still finding their way. Fortunately for me, I also had amazing LGBT people around me who helped educate me on these issues instead of immediately tossing me aside. Because of them, it’s affected how I react to others moving forward. Today’s celebration of openly LGBTQ entertainers is a totally different environment than the landscape Lance came out in. Having been through two previous substantial relationships, it was his involvement with Amazing Race’s Reichen Lehmkuhl that would make his coming
out inevitable. Does he wish he could have come out earlier? Knowing what I know now, I would have come out during *NSYNC. To be able to be an ‘out’ gay teenager in the biggest band in the world would have helped so many people. As a teenager, I didn’t understand that though. I’m not sure if my career would have been the same because in the 90s. I could have very well been fired. I never wanted to ruin my best friends’ careers and everyone else that worked for us. I didn’t want the band to get canceled and have my sexuality be the cause - only demonizing sexuality even more. In hindsight, I would have just loved to be authentic, and if people had an issue then SCREW THEM! I think the more representation we have out there in any capacity/industry, the better. Straight entertainers have been singing about heterosexual sex and relationships for as long as the medium has existed. It’s just par for the course. LGBTQ entertainers no longer have to hide and, because of that, their art now reflects their true lives. Gay performers have always existed, but now they finally have the freedom to be authentic. Though his activism was called into question, he has been an avid philanthropist even in his youth. Five years before his coming out, he founded The Lance Bass Foundation, a non-profit organization that was designed to meet the health needs of low-income children. Two years later he
donated $30,000 to establish the Amber Pulliam Special Education Endowment at the University of Southern Mississippi to aid students who planned a career in special education, all in honor of his cousin who has Down Syndrome. After Hurricane Katrina, he launched uBid for Hurricane Relief putting together celebrity auctions to benefit victims. He also appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that highlighted his donation to save a camp for disabled children in Russia. He’s been involved in environmental and animal organizations and has been an active supporter of GLAAD and the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. While his time is now more focused on his family, he is excited to see the younger generation of activists continue that legacy. He also continues to call on his fellow celebrities to become involved and use their platforms for activism. I hope we can continue to grow as an entertainment community. I think things are great and only going to get better. Just in the last ten years, we’ve seen so many LGBTQ artists getting so much respect for who they are and what they’re doing. Entertainers always have a significant impact on peoples’ mindsets because their fans start getting passionate about the same issues and then it becomes a domino effect. For example, many *NSYNC fans started to be really passionate about the LGBTQ community because I came out and it educated them. There are so many fans that are now LGBTQ advocates and creating change within their own communities. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
27
The *NSYNC fandom remains fervent supporters, even after the group’s hiatus in 2002. The group completed five nationwide concert tours and sold over 70 million records, becoming one of the best-selling boy bands in history. While in junior high school, Lance was approached by Justin Timberlake after the group’s initial bass singer dropped out. He auditioned, left school, and moved to Orlando to start rehearsing with the group full time. Even as *NSYNC became a global phenomenon, the boys were in a bubble. For years, we had no idea how big it got. It seemed like every day we were booked every hour. We didn’t get to really watch tv or listen to the radio. It was great because it kept us very humble. We were always chasing the Backstreet Boys. We always felt inferior to them, always trying to prove ourselves or get respect. It wasn’t really until 1999/2000 when we started realizing the impact we were having. We performed “Music Of My Heart” with Gloria Estefan at the Oscars and it was so surreal to be standing on stage in front of people who we’ve looked up to our whole lives. That was kind of where it dawned on us that this was big.
28
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
To Lance, the realization of success was a double-edged sword. As success grows, there’s more outside influence as a group and also as an individual, especially for teenagers who are becoming adults. With more success, the less close we became. The first few years, we were in it together by ourselves. There was no outside influence and we formed this brotherhood that could never be broken. All we had was each other. More success meant more influence from the outside and sometimes it got in the way. I see that a lot with every musician I know. It’s somehow always the outside that destroys their art. I hate to say I regret anything, but of course I do. In hindsight, there are many things I would have changed. Number one, I would have at least wanted to tell my four brothers that I was gay. I wish I could have told them the truth. I think it would have led me to be a different person within the group. I look back in different interviews and I don’t even recognize who I was - I just wanted to fade into the background and I tried to do just that. If I could have
been open and honest with the guys, I would have been a different person and a better performer. Much media speculation has been made about why the group hasn’t reunited. Timberlake took the group’s hiatus to start his solo career and what was to last six months turned into an indefinite break. I think it’s ridiculous we never said goodbye - the fans are owed at least owed that. One last song, one last show. Though not the full reunion fans have been asking for, Lance and bandmate Joey Fatone joined forces with Backstreet Boys members AJ McLean and Nick Carter to create the ultimate boyband Back-Synch. Their debut performance would raise money for The Trevor Project. With a nod to the future of boybands, the group’s appearance was total nostalgia with the singers performing as well as ever. I love the stage, I love being a ham, I love performing. The main thing that drew me to Back-Sync was the charity angle. It was great that three of my close straight friends were so passionate about giving back to the LGBTQ community. All in all, it was a great experience and I would love to continue to do it around Pride every year.
THIS PAGE: PHOTOS BY DENNYS ILIC
IF I COULD HAVE BEEN OPEN AND HONEST WITH THE GUYS (*NSYNC), I WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFERENT PERSON AND A BETTER PERFORMER.”
Post *NSYNC would keep Lance busy with appearances on Broadway, in film, reality TV, and more, including a long-running stint with SiriusXM with Dirty Pop, his daily take on pop culture with celebrity guests. He has never been far from the media’s attention, especially present in Lance’s private life events such as becoming a husband and father. I’ve been in the public eye for most of my life so I don’t know anything different. The husband I am and the father I am is just me being who I should be. I also understand the whole world is watching and I want to be a good influence - someone that people look up to. I took that very seriously at such a young age because I was in a boyband with so many young impressionable fans. It’s always been that way my whole life. I chose to do good in this world and that spills into my home life as well. At the end of the day, there will always be outside chatter and noise and I’ve learned to not let it affect my real life. Lance has turned his efforts to the nightlife, becoming an entrepreneur in West Hollywood with the opening of the always packed Rocco’s and, most recently, Heart. Where Rocco’s serves up that neighborhood, sports bar feel with a bit of glitz, Heart is the mega dance club that West Hollywood never had. No matter your taste, you will end up brushing elbows with a celeb. His mission is to create a fun, safe space for anyone who needs to forget their troubles and experience inclusive fellowship, even if it’s just a few hours. Nightlife has been a huge part of my life since I was a teenager. The music industry happens at night. I’ve seen the best bars, clubs, restaurants, and VIP experiences all over the world. It’s easy to start getting accustomed to the way things should be run and be familiar with what people want. I didn’t come into this with strictly business in mind, I came into this as a patron who wanted to experience the best of the best. When my partners came to me about wanting to open up a gay sports bar in West Hollywood, I jumped at the chance. I am gay and I love sports - it made perfect sense! I also loved that I could use my love for hospitality in a fun way. I’m always the one hosting parties at my house - why not at my own sports bar or club?! I had NO idea it would blow up the way it has with our little bar and now owning a nightclub. It makes so much
sense to me. Additionally, I now have an entertainment venue that the LGBTQ community can use as their own - which was a dream I never thought I ever had. I wanted to give our community a stage for them to do whatever they want and we did just that. David Cooley and Lisa Vanderpump, two of my very good friends, own a lot of bars/ restaurants in the Weho area so I saw how they handled it and they definitely gave me great advice. The best part of my job in this scene is that I’m entertainment only. All of the other partners have their own expertise. I stay in my lane and it’s a way less stressful lane because no one is looking at me to operate the club, thankfully. I’m there to make sure the entertainment is amazing. I’ve learned that people need a safe space to be themselves and the LGBTQ community can be VERY loyal. We have our neighborhood regulars that are at Rocco’s every single week and it becomes a neighborhood family. A lot of the people that I work with
also go there regularly just because they love it so much. I love being able to give this neighborhood a place to go and not worry about being themselves. You can also meet SO many different types of people. It’s incredible to see every ethnicity, body type, and identity dancing together in a space that represents the actual world we live in. Throughout his career, his fans have been at the heart of everything. From the positive response of his coming out to the thrill of seeing Lance grow into the man he has become, they are unwavering. The fans have been such an intricate part of my entire life. Being in the type of band I was in, it was all about the fans as much as it was about entertainment and music. Their continued support is so humbling. I’m so appreciative that they’ve stuck by me all these years and now join in the fight for a lot of the things that I care about which include LGBTQ rights, environment, and animals. It’s nice to be an influence for someone to do better in this world so I appreciate them more than they could ever imagine. ■ METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
29
WINE COUNTRY IS A REGION OF CALIFORNIA IN THE NORTHERN BAY AREA KNOWN WORLD-
30
The region is famed for its wineries, its cuisine, Michelin star restaurants, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, historic architecture, culture, and nearly perfect year-round weather. Picturesque Sonoma County is among the LGBT-friendliest areas in the nation and was identified as the number two gayest area in the US, just behind San Francisco. This is the backdrop for one of the premier gay getaway events in the country, Gay Wine Weekend, brought to us by Out in the Vineyard, an experiential Wine Country event and travel company promoting positive LGBT lifestyles. Gay Wine Weekend started in 2008 as a way to introduce the LGBTQ community to this wine region and support local gay causes. It’s grown in participation over the years from 300 to an anticipated group of 700 this year. “We have a number of guests who plan their vacation around Gay Wine Weekend and return annually,” noted Gary Saperstein, owner of Out in the Vineyard.“Gay wine enthusiasts come from as far as New Zealand to participate each year,” he added. In addition to offering a first-rate Wine Country experience, Gay Wine Weekend also serves as a fundraising event to benefit Face to Face, a non-profit organization in Sonoma County dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS. “Over the years, through ticket sales and our annual live auction, we’ve been able to raise over $400,000 for a local organization that makes a meaningful impact to our community,” Saperstein revealed. This year the festivities will run Friday, July 15 through Sunday, July 17 at various venues surrounding the city of Sonoma. From the time you join the VIP kickoff on Friday afternoon, you’ll experience a weekend of gourmet food, winery tours, after-hour parties, a Drag Queen Brunch & Wine Auction, a pool party, and the ultimate vineyard fete: The Twilight T-Dance. It’s truly a weekend of wine and celebration. You can choose to participate in as many or few Gay Wine Weekend events as you wish, but the All Access VIP Pass available at outinthevineyard.com will provide the best value for those ready to soak up the whole Sonoma experience. The opening VIP reception is for All Access VIP Pass Holders, The Lodge at Sonoma hotel guests and sponsors of Gay Wine Weekend. APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
GET READY FOR ‘THREE DAYS OF GAY’ IN SONOMA WINE COUNTRY GAY WINE WEEKEND 2022 IS BACK! BY JAMES DELYEA PAGES 30-31: GAY WINE WEEKEND PHOTOS COURTESY OF GEDMAG.COM
TRAVEL
WIDE AS THE PREMIER WINE -GROWING REGION.
GAY WINE WEEKEND - SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
(Some activities require separate ticketing.)
FRIDAY, JULY 15 3:00pm 6:00pm 10:00pm
VIP Reception Winemaker Dinners After-Hours Party
SATURDAY, JULY 16 10:00am 5:00pm 6:30pm 10:00pm
Winery Tours VIP Reception Twilight T-Dance After-Hours Party
SUNDAY, JULY 17 10:00am 1:00pm
Drag Brunch & Auction Pool Party
Guests will enjoy light bites from our host hotel while sipping some fine wines poolside. Meet your hosts and other guests as the weekend events officially kick-off. Local winemakers have partnered with restaurants and world-class chefs to create intimate and exclusive dinners Friday evening. Still available as of this writing are the Ashes & Diamond Winery’s dinner at Chef Michael Mina’s newest venue, Wit & Wisdom; Equality Vine’s dinner at El Dorado Kitchen hosted by Jim Obergefell; or join Etude Winery as they showcase their enticing pinot noirs with cuisine prepared by heralded Chef Chad Carlstedt of Classic Culinaire. Something new this year is an all plant-based dinner with two pioneers in the industry, Miyoko of Miyoko’s Creamery and Chef Eric Tucker of Millennium Restaurant. Their cuisine will be paired with the wines of Knights Bridge Winery and will be held at the original Williams-Sonoma store. Select from three winery tours on Saturday which include transportation and lunch. Discover Carneros Region wines with a visit to both Roche Winery and Viansa Winery, with one of the most spectacular vistas overlooking Sonoma. Or get an up-close look, and taste, of two treasures of Napa Valley, Stag’s Leap and Etude Winery. Another option is a VIP visit to Dunstan and Sangiacomo Winery, two of Sonoma’s finest that are known for their wines and their vineyards. Chateau St. Jean Winery once again will host the Twilight T-Dance, the signature extravaganza of the three-day weekend featuring food, entertainment, and a selection of their wines in one of the most stunning Wine Country settings imaginable. Sunday morning starts with the Drag Queen Recovery Brunch. Guests will be entertained by San Francisco’s infamous hostess of hostesses, Ruby Red Munro, while enjoying a sumptuous Champagne brunch which is immediately followed by a fun and lively Wine Auction to benefit Face to Face. The last splash of the weekend is a pool party hosted at a private estate, where guests can relax in an idyllic location with warm rays and cool vibes. It’s the perfect way to unwind on a Sunday in Wine Country before heading home. ■
For full details on event, lodging and ticket information: https://www.outinthevineyard.com/ gay-wine-weekend-2022 METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
31
THE SUITE AND SWEET LIFE OF
SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL TO THE CITY BY THE BAY IN STYLE
TRAVEL
BY MARK A. THOMPSON
32
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
FOR MANY OF US, A SAN FRANCISCO LIFE CHAPTER IS ALMOST A PREREQUISITE TO LGBTQ+ ADULTHOOD.
The Clift Lobby. Photo courtesy of The Clift.
Until you live in San Francisco, at least for a while, it feels like you’ve missed everyone’s favorite college elective. You might even lose your gay card without a sojourn in San Francisco. Back when I first lived in San Francisco, the city was often depicted as Oz. One of the most popular postcards showed Dorothy and her friends following the yellow brick road to the skyline of San Francisco. The message was clear: San Francisco was the Emerald City where everyone was fierce and fabulous and rainbow horses were the norm. The City - always rendered in uppercase for those who resided there - was perceived as such a gay mecca that some politicians from that era castigated it as “the land of fruits and nuts,”an epithet that San Francisco turned on its head and wholeheartedly embraced. And like the protagonists of the HBO television series Looking, sometimes you need to return to your alma mater, the scene of your youthful indiscretions - and see what you’ve been missing. As any student of history knows, San Francisco has overcome adversity before. Less than ten years after the 1906 earthquake and fire reduced much of The City to rubble and ash, San Francisco welcomed the world to celebrate its rebirth with the PanamaPacific International Exposition of 1915. Learning to pivot and strategize in the face of disaster has become a global narrative during the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco responded with a citywide COVID-19 Prevention & Enhanced Cleaning Guidelines which ensures that hospitality businesses adhere to approved cleaning and safety protocols. Nearly 26 million people visited San Francisco in 2019, with more than three million international visitors - and all visitors to San Francisco are invited to honor and respect the city’s Safe Travel Pledge. To welcome and assist visitors, San Francisco Travel launched a marketing campaign with the theme “Our Gate is Open.” The citywide initiative includes a fleet of Welcome Ambassadors dressed in bright orange hats and jackets who offer advice on transit options, tourist attractions, restaurants, and shopping. In the wake of the 1906 earthquake, San Francisco faced a similar dilemma: how to bring people safely back to Oz. In response, the visionary hotel proprietor Frederick C. Clift advertised his brand-new, 300-room hotel, The Clift, as The City’s first “fire and earthquake proof”hotel. Should anyone have doubted his claim, Clift perched himself atop the hotel in a spacious penthouse apartment with sweeping panoramic city views. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
33
TRAVEL
(above)
Executive Suite. (below)
Redwood Room. Photo courtesy of The Clift.
Photos courtesy of John’s Grill.
34
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
For more than a century, the Clift has stood as a symbol of San Francisco’s resurrection and welcoming hospitality. One year during Folsom Street Fair, my husband and I checked into the hotel when Asia de Cuba was located just off the Redwood Room - and that weekend, the hotel’s dining room was home to more leather and boots than a Harley Davidson club. Now known as The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel, they recently completed a two-year, multimillion-dollar restoration of all its public spaces, guest rooms and suites. The soaring two-story lobby leads into the new Living Room with seating for cocktails or meetings, while the hotel’s iconic oversized French fauteuil (with its knowing wink on the underside) has been reupholstered and repositioned alongside Fredericks, the hotel’s new eatery and café named for Mr. Clift. For those who love classic speakeasy cocktails, the hotel’s beloved Redwood Room retains its Art Deco charms. Paneled in redwood from a single tree, the Prohibition-era room features newly restored paintings by Gustav Klimt and a bar carved from an 800-year-old redwood tree. It is the kind of room that makes you forget all your troubles, especially when sipping the hotel’s signature “Mr. Clift” cocktail. And speaking of, Frederick Clift’s penthouse apartment has been transformed into the Spanish Suite, a sophisticated aerie with an expansive terrace,
fireplace, and space enough for 125 guests. The city and bay vistas of the entire Bay Area offer a breathtaking backdrop for wedding ceremonies - just in case you get a bit juiced in the Redwood Room and pop the question. Hey, it happens. In the years before samesex marriage was the law of the land, my now-hubby and I got hitched in San Francisco’s City Hall - our first government-sanctioned certificate. And since we’re talking nuptials, the Clift’s newly renovated suites are larger than many city apartments and come outfitted with Staycast TV streaming service, Keurig coffee makers, rainfall showerheads, and signature Sonesta bedding. In-room Pelotons are also available, should you feel the urge to exercise. Sumptuously furnished and immaculate, the suites are so lovely that you might imagine them as your own San Francisco pied-à-terre. And for those who are always in the mood for love, the hotel’s Pop the Bubbly package can be enjoyed throughout the year. In the title essay of her collection The White Album, Joan Didion wrote that the Sixties ended abruptly on August 9, 1969 with the implication that the California Dream had shattered in the aftermath of the Manson murders. Nonetheless, the massive migration of LGBTQ+ people to San Francisco continued, and today, San Francisco holds the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ people of any city in the United States. Maybe it’s the food. According to the latest Michelin Guide, the Bay Area has once again claimed the top spot with the highest concentration of threestar restaurants in the States, as well as the most Michelin-starred restaurants in California. Furthermore, more than sixty area restaurants have been awarded Michelin’s Bib Gourmand designation for restaurants offering “great food and value.” Located just off Union Square, the Clift is but a short stroll from One Market where Chef Mark Dommen helms the kitchen. In response to the pandemic, Dommen and his partner opened Mark ‘n Mikes offering Jewish deli comfort food - a concept that proved so popular that it’s now served on Saturdays at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. But if you are looking to be where the magic happens, then claim a ringside seat at the Chef’s Counter at One Market where Dommen and his crackerjack crew showcase the best of California bounty at the open exhibition kitchen with its wood-fired grill and rotisserie. Just as a tip, loaded latkes pair well with the Monkey Business cocktail. And there is no better butterscotch pudding in the state of California. When Pride weekend rolls around in June, remember that One Market is located near the parade kick-off at the base of Market Street. When you are ready to burn off your gastronomic indulgences, head to Golden Gate Park. With more than one thousand acres and nearly 700 of them
Photos courtesy of One Market.
forested, the park is larger than Manhattan’s Central Park and includes 100 acres of meadows, 33 acres of lakes, 10 public gardens, two museums, and a greenhouse (but no partridge in a pear tree, last I looked). Or you might consider the 17-mile Crosstown Trail which connects San Francisco’s neighborhoods on a diagonal pathway across The City. San Francisco’s 49 square miles also include the nation’s most visited national park, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which encompasses the 1,500-acre Presidio of San Francisco and the brand-new Presidio Tunnel Tops which offers 14 acres of new national parkland. Of course, the more you walk, the more you’ve earned the right to park yourself in another restaurant. In the 1920s, novelist Dashiell Hammett used to work through the mornings in the Flood Building and then head next door for lunch (and a whiskey) at John’s Grill. Hammett made mention of John’s in his 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon and the bond between Hammett and John’s is marked with a commemorative plaque above the door of the restaurant, as well as a 150-lb. bronze falcon perched on the second-floor bar.
Opened in 1908, two years after the earthquake and fire, John’s Grill has been serving seafood and steaks to the city’s politicians and celebrities for more than a century. As owner John Konstin attests, the restaurant is a labor of love, inherited from his parents, and The City returns the favor as evidenced by the framed photographs lining the restaurant’s walls. And if you squint long enough at your martini, you’ll see the spirit of Sam Spade. Some people claim that San Francisco has changed, which is often a complaint expressed by those who rhapsodize about their youth and the world as it was then. The truth is, all cities change, but if you are yearning for that classic San Francisco neighborhood, then head up to Nob Hill where the“nabobs”of the Gilded Age built their mansions at the peak of California Street. When the 1906 earthquake decimated that rarefied enclave, only two structures survived the fires: the Flood mansion (now the Pacific-Union Club) and the newly completed Fairmont Hotel. Built in honor of US Senator James Graham Fair by his two daughters, the hotel reopened its doors less than a year later in 1907 - primarily due to the brilliance of American architect METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
35
(above)
Tinned scallops. (below)
Shrimp and Crab Roll. Bluestem photos by Kelly Puleio.
TRAVEL
The Fairmont Lobby. Photo courtesy of The Fairmont.
Photo courtesy of Bluestem Restaurant & Market
and engineer Julia Morgan who pioneered the use of reinforced concrete. During the course of its century-long reign atop Nob Hill, the Fairmont San Francisco has hosted so many US presidents that it’s often referred to as the “White House of the West.” There is a resemblance between the two buildings, especially when facing the hotel’s porte cochère which leads into a palatial white marble lobby of massive columns and grand staircases. Take the stairs. The Fairmont is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and those staircases are made for exits and entrances. Plus, that sense of arrival is particularly pleasing when entering one of the hotel’s signature Fairmont Balcony Suites. With two pairs of French doors that open onto a filigreed terrace large enough for candlelit dinner parties, the Fairmont Balcony Suites are beloved by guests for their jawdropping views of the Bay. Few sights are more mesmerizing than watching the fog roll in and blanket the city, especially if you’ve got
36
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
Tony Bennett singing in your head. That statue by the front entrance is in honor of Tony Bennett’s long association with the hotel in which he debuted his signature tune“I Left My Heart in San Francisco”in the Venetian Room in 1961. When my husband and I found the doors open to the Venetian Room, how could I resist? How could I not climb onstage where Tony and Diana Ross and countless other legends have performed? How could we not photograph the moment for posterity? Plus, we were a little loopy from our evening at Tonga, the hotel’s tiki bar. Yes, a tiki bar - and I know what you’re thinking, but even a tiki bar cynic could be converted after a night at Tonga. Since its opening in 1945, Tonga has become a San Francisco tradition as cherished as the cable cars. Housed in what was once the hotel’s indoor swimming pool, the Fairmont Plunge became a lagoon designed by an MGM set director, complete with an island band on a thatch-covered barge. Once the tropical rainstorm commences,
the crowd goes wild as the Island Groove Band warms up, and the gung-ho atmosphere quickly becomes irresistible, especially under the influence of drinks notable for their potency. You, too, might find yourself tap-dancing onstage in the Venetian Room. Fortunately, the Fairmont Balcony Suites feature an elegant parlor with separate bedroom and marble bath - in other words, a welcome sanctuary after a long night out. Morning coffee on the terrace overlooking the hotel’s gardens and apiary is wonderfully therapeutic, as is breakfast at Laurel Court. With its pastoral murals and Ionic columns, the ornatelydomed restaurant summons reveries of Versailles - although that might be a tiki-bar hallucination. When the sun is shining in San Francisco, there’s no good reason not to continue the party, regardless of the hour. Take a cable car down Nob Hill for a restorative wander through Yerba Buena Gardens. When you’re ready to eat again - because, after all, this is the best eating town in the US - make haste and head over to Bluestem Restaurant & Market. Bluestem’s founders Adam and Stacy are the unofficial mayors of the neighborhood, and their California-cool brasserie serves as a lively commissary for locals, thanks to large part to the couple’s infectious ebullience. Of course, there is also that cast-iron cornbread, served with honey butter or vanilla ice cream, whichever your preference. With a focus on sustainable local food, Bluestem’s curated market offers some of the best Bay Area comestibles. On Pride weekend, Bluestem hosts an annual Pride party on their rooftop terrace as the parade marches up Market Street. And should the night before haunt you still, there’s no better cure-all than Bluestem’s famous Honolulu Hangover Cake. And that’s San Francisco for you, that bit of sweetness that lingers on the palate. ■
TRAVEL
SEVEN ROMANTIC HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS
BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES Photo courtesy of the Belmond Orient Express. MAUI, PARIS, AND VENICE ARE ALL OBVIOUS HONEYMOON DESTINATIONS, BUT HAVE YOU CONSIDERED A ROMANTIC TRAIN RIDE WITH BELMOND, THE FORMER ORIENT EXPRESS TRAINLINE? OR SKIING THE DOLOMITES, OR CRUISING ALONG CROATIA’S NORTHERN COAST? OR SOMEWHERE CLOSER TO HOME LIKE HISTORICAL RICHMOND OR QUAINT DOOR COUNTY? There
are no real rules for picking a honeymoon location, just be sure to select a spot where you can spend quality time with your new spouse and start your life together in style!
BELMOND - THE ORIENT EXPRESS TRAIN
Back in the day, couples might have romanticized about taking the legendary Orient Express, a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 with the original train leaving Paris for Vienna. The formal route changed several times, with services often extending from Paris and the former Constantinople or from London to Venice or Athens. In 2014 Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. was renamed Belmond with an impressive list of hotels, river cruises, safaris, and luxury train rides. A fashion-conscious yet adventurous couple might consider traveling from London to Venice on the iconic and signature Venice Simplon-Orient-Express line to crisscross Europe while taking in the countryside en route to the Italian coastline. Put a cherry on top of your adventure with Belmond by staying at the Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice where you and your lover can take a dip in the famous Olympic-style swimming pool and relish in total Venetian luxury and style. For a taste of Asia, honeymooners can experience Southeast Asia aboard the Eastern & Oriental Express with their signature journey from Singapore through Kuala Lumpur, Cameron Highlands, Penang, and Huay Yang or a classic journey from Bangkok to Singapore.
38
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN
Wisconsin’s Door County, considered the “Cape Cod of the Midwest,” has over 300 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, providing phenomenal sunsets over the water and acres upon acres of orchards, mouthwatering cherries, and eleven lighthouses to provide the best thank you card or Instagramable moment. Door County is a completely LGBT-friendly community and offers full-service resorts, romantic B&Bs, and luxury waterfront hotels for honeymooners. Nine must-see landmarks include the Sturgeon Bay Bridge, Eagle Tower, Northern Sky Theater, Thordarson Boathouse, all eleven lighthouses, Anderson Dock, the Alexander Noble House, the Native American Village Site, and The Clearing Folk School. The Chanticleer Guest House Bed and Breakfast is an adorable 19th Century farmhouse converted into a bed and breakfast that’s ready to welcome you. In addition to a variety of guestrooms on the main property, guests can choose a little more privacy in their Evergreen Cottage, Oak Cottage, or their Hemlock Cabin. Nearby, the Eagle Harbor Inn offers a bit more of a community vibe where you can indulge in their sauna and indoor pool, go for a hike, or hit the links on the nearby golf course. The Bayshore Inn, celebrating 100 years of business, offers beautiful water view suites, a heated swimming pool and whirlpool and provides complimentary bikes, kayaks, row boats, paddle boats, and a private sandy beach just across from Green Bay.
(above)
Island Sunset. (below)
Fish Creek. Photo by Dan Eggert Destination Door County
(above)
ENNISKILLEN, NORTHERN IRELAND
Lough Erne Resort. (below)
Lough MacNean.
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, situated on a natural island separating the North and South of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. The scenic backdrop is the spot where Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett went to boarding school (at Portora Royal) and the landscape provides a myriad of lush and poetic locations for portraits and quiet honeymoon adventures. The luxurious 5-Star Lough Erne Resort, home to the G8 Summit in 2013, is a decadent and upscale property featuring 120 luxury rooms and suites, a Thai-inspired luxury Spa, 36-hole golf course, and spectacular restaurants curated by award-winning Chef Noel McMeel. The resort’s Lakeview Suites, overlooking Castle Hume Lough and the Fermanagh Lakelands serve as the ultimate home base for a honeymoon in Northern Ireland. Be sure to take a romantic walk around Enniskillen castle, and the picturesque Devenish Island. Lough MacNean, just about a half hour drive from Enniskillen, is a stunning freshwater lake on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Get your cameras ready, you’re in for a treat with this stunning landscape. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
39
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
(above)
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. (below)
TRAVEL
Photo courtesy of The Jefferson Hotel
(above)
Quebec photo by Paul Fleming.
With 400 years of history, a vibrant arts scene, fabulous restaurants, and worldrenowned museums there’s something for everyone in Richmond. Honeymooners can embark on a romantic canal cruise on the James River and Kanawha Canal alongside Richmond’s historic Canal Walk or take in the impressive collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as well as the beautiful Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Be sure to check out Maymont, a 100-acre Victorian estate and public park featuring gardens, an arboretum, and nature center. The stunning Jefferson Hotel in Richmond has been welcoming lovers since 1895. Book a swank Richmond Suite at the hotel featuring a king bed, adjoining dressing area, and master bath featuring a luxurious soaking tub and separate shower. Champagne is additional, of course. Fun fact: The 1981 cult classic My Dinner with Andre featuring Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory was shot entirely inside the hotel and restaurant. In the mood for a little antiquing? It’s what married couples do, isn’t it? Carytown has got you covered. Stroll through an eclectic mix of shops and find the perfect souvenir to bring to your new home. If the weather’s nice and you’re on the hunt for a bit of nature, Belle Isle is a wonderful place for kayaking, biking, hiking trails, and even a glimpse of history.
(below)
Quebec photo by Martin Laporte.
QUEBEC
Picturesque Old Quebec, a UNESCO heritage site, is the only walled city north of Mexico. For over a century, Québec City’s Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has been the castle many dream about. This castle has welcomed kings, queens, presidents, celebrities, and diplomats alike. In 1952, the Château Frontenac was transformed into a movie set for Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, I Confess starring Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter. Lovers visiting Quebec can find horse-drawn carriages, the Place Royale, the Musée de la civilisation, and stunning views of the St. Lawrence River from the Old Port. Take a stroll down the rue Saint-Jean and take in local shops and landmark spots from central Place D’Youville. The street is closed to traffic all summer long so friends and lovers can meander around and smell the roses.
40
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
PULA, CROATIA
Croatia might not come to mind when planning a vacation yet but one trip to the Istrian coastline will definitely make even the most cynical groom a total romantic. One of Caesar Augustus’strongholds, Pula boasts a spectacular Roman amphitheater known as the Arena of Pula and has a remarkable number of Venetian and Byzantine architectural landmarks. In addition to the Arena, one can take in the spectacular Temple of Augustus, Triumphal Arch of the Sergii, Hercules Gate, and the 4th century Cathedral. The massive Park Plaza Histria Pula offers 368 modern rooms, a luxury spa, indoor and outdoor pools, and close proximity to a Blue Flag-awarded beach. The boutique Valsabbion features exquisitely designed (and spacious) rooms, a Mythos-Medical Spa Center, and outdoor heated swimming pool with sea views. Situated just outside of Pula, this spot is the perfect place to enjoy the company of your new spouse in a private yet gorgeous background.
(above)
Arena of Pula Croatia. (below)
Remple of Augustus Croatia.
SOUTH TYROL, ITALY
Honeymooning in Italy might normally entail a yacht off the coast of Positano, gallery hopping and cruising through fields of sunflowers in Tuscany or having a La Dolce Vita moment in Rome. Adventure seekers might pursue the mountain air of South Tyrol, a province in northeastern Italy affectionately known as “the other side of Italy.”This picturesque alpine region, situated on the border of Austria as well as the weather divide is a photographer’s paradise year-round. Heard of the Dolomites? Pack your skis and get ready for spectacular views and a landscape built for skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, cycling, and more. Ski resorts in the area include Kronplatz, Alta Badia, and the extremely popular Val Gardena - Gröden. If you’re a bit more into the apres-ski, South Tyrol’s Meran Spa is the perfect place to spend much of your honeymoon. Treat yourself to an immersive thermal bath experience with 25 pools, saunas, plenty of treatments, and a broad array of spacious rest and relaxation rooms. Looking to up your gastronomy game? South Tyrol boasts roughly 26 Michelin stars at restaurants like Alpenroyal Gourmet, Hotel Ristorante Elephant, and Parkhotel Holzner. Summer in the Alps brings a wide range of romantic possibilities with pristine lakes and outdoor pools, winding hiking trails over peaks and sweeping valleys, and wine tasting with the peaks of the Dolomites in the distance. A visit to South Tyrol is a masterclass in joie-de-vivre. What a way to spend a honeymoon.
(above)
Südtirol Alto Adige. Photo by Tobias Kaser (below)
Südtirol Wein. Phot by Tiberio Sorvillo
Our bags are packed. Can we come with you? ■ METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
41
AS JEOPARDY! CONTESTANT AMY SCHNEIDER TOOK TO THE SOUNDSTAGE, she had no clue
that she would end up being one of America’s favorite people of the year, making history as the show’s all-time most successful female contestant. She was just trying to get through her first episode. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I had done extensive mental preparation to get ready for that emotion. For one thing, in the week or so leading up to the taping, I really focused on the fact that I might lose in my first episode, and that it would be ok if I did. I realized that my fear of losing was getting strong enough that it risked becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. My mantra throughout was “stay in the moment,” and I think I managed to do that well. She had been waiting for that moment since eighth grade when she was nominated “Most Likely to Appear on Jeopardy!”Hers has been a lifelong journey into the world of knowledge. I think it is fair to say I was always a smarty pants. Learning has always come naturally to me, at least in part because I was raised in a family that valued it. I learned from my parents that knowing stuff is fun! It helps you engage with the world more fully, because the more you know, the more associations you have with whatever you are doing or reading or watching, and that can help you see the unstated assumptions and associations behind things I have always been a heavy reader, and I doubt that will ever change. I tend to lean towards history because a knowledge of history inevitably gives insight into just about everything else:
42
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
literature, philosophy, politics, technology’s place in society, etc. I have also had a habit for years, when I had some downtime, I would to go to Wikipedia and just click around until I found something new or interesting. Even with her eighth-grade nomination and years of knowledge in her pocket, the road to appearing on the show was a long one. Hard to believe that a history-making champion almost never made it to the show. What was the process? The first stage is an online test, 50 questions, 15 seconds each. During the years I was auditioning, you could only take it once a year at designated times. I did that step about ten times over the 15 or so years I was auditioning. After that, they take all the scores over a certain cutoff, and randomly select people from that group for an in-person audition. That consists of another 50-question test - I suspect to make sure you weren’t cheating on the online test. Then you chat with the Jeopardy! people a bit and they run you through a mock game. The purpose there is to determine whether you seem engaging and interesting to watch on TV, and to see if you can move fast. Jeopardy! runs at a really fast pace, and contestants who paused before picking every clue would kill the momentum. At that point, you would be told that you were in the active pool, and sometime in the next 18 months, you might get a call to be on the show. And if you didn’t, then it was back to square one. I believe the time I got on the show was the third or fourth time I had made it to that last stage.
AMY
SCHNEIDER
JOINING THE JEOPARDY! MILLION DOLLAR CLUB, STAYING GROUNDED, AND MAKING HISTORY FOR LGBTQ REPRESENTATION BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
43
How does one even prepare for an appearance on Jeopardy!? Well, I always say you cannot really study for Jeopardy!, but to the extent you can, the best way is to go through actual Jeopardy clues. The site j-archive.com has every clue ever in it. I would just go through game after game and watch for patterns in things I consistently did not know e.g., getting the Bronte sisters confused, remembering the different layers of the atmosphere. I would try to think of mnemonics so I would remember them if needed. Apart from that, there was the mental preparation described above, which also included the decision I made at the last minute to not worry about appearing “feminine,” but just to be myself and trust that it would be ok. And it was! As her run on the show continued episode after episode, month to month, the media and fan attention exploded. She was a hit, an American hero. One day she went from engineering manager to pop culture icon. When did she know she was becoming a sensation? I knew I’d be getting a decent amount of media attention. I just didn’t know how much. There are a couple of things that stand out. One was when I started seeing clickbait headlines about me such as “Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider reveals <some banal fact I mentioned on Twitter>.” And the other was when my run ended. I assumed that the demands on my time would drop off noticeably once I wasn’t on TV, but that didn’t turn out to be the case, which really threw off my planning. Her presence in pop culture was even further ignited by the fact that she was also making history for LGBTQ representation as the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions on one of America’s most beloved shows, a staple in the nation’s homes since 1964. The show has casually featured contestants who have openly talked about their same-sex spouse, but it wasn’t until the year prior to Amy’s appearance that Kate Freeman, who won, would become the first openly trans contestant in the program’s history. Amy’s appearance on the show as a trans woman was not introduced with pomp and circumstance, but rather with a nonchalant nod to inclusivity. Amy was there on her own terms with her own trepidation.
44
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
NOBODY ON JEOPARDY! MENTIONED THE FACT THAT I WAS TRANS UNTIL I BROUGHT IT UP MYSELF BY CHOOSING TO WEAR A TRANS FLAG PIN DURING ONE OF MY EPISODES.”
PAGE 42-46: PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY SCHNEIDER
Nobody on Jeopardy! mentioned the fact that I was trans until I brought it up myself by choosing to wear a trans flag pin during one of my episodes. It was clear to me that, had I not brought it up, they would have been perfectly fine with never mentioning or alluding to it, and I really appreciated that. I know what can happen to people who are trans and in the public eye. I also struggled with the dysphoria that being on TV brought to the surface, particularly around my hair and voice. But I got much
less negativity online than expected, A national TV appearance was a stress test for that dysphoria, so it was challenging but worthwhile. I’ve come out the other side with a much better relationship to my body and my appearance than I started out with. According to Amy, being trans is one part of who she is. She wanted to represent that part of her identity as important, but relatively minor. Other contestants’ private lives were not often headline material, why should hers? Does she think the media, and even the LGBTQ
community, affix labels for headline buzz? I think that’s true to a certain extent. I know to many people I am “the trans Jeopardy! contestant,” and I don’t love that it’s the case. But on the other hand, labels are important. It took me decades to understand my identity because, when I was growing up, I didn’t have any label for the feelings I had. Had I known that a thing called “trans” existed, maybe I would have realized a lot sooner that it matched who I was, and that would have spared me years of suffering in the closet. Even as a child, diversity and inclusivity were parts of Amy’s life. I think the most important things I learned came from growing up specifically in the Five Oaks neighborhood of Dayton. Dayton’s an extremely segregated city, but Five Oaks was one of the few diverse neighborhoods. It was a very conscious decision by my parents that I not be raised in an all-white environment, and I’m really grateful for that decision. As I got older, I could see how irrational my friends from the suburbs were about “sketchy” or “dangerous” areas. Obviously, I am still tainted by our nation’s culture of white supremacy, but that inoculated me from the worst of it. In a circle of events, her coming out was inspired by the entertainment industry, an industry in which she would later make history. Ten years ago, I was in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, playing Francis Flute. He’s a comic character, who performs in a play-within-a-play at the end but is forced to play a female role in it. The text plays up his dismay, but I decided to have him be into it. And then playing a character who was into performing as a woman, I suddenly had the thought “What if I just did that, in my daily life? What if I introduced myself to people with a female name?” And I was shocked at how right that felt. It took me years from that point to really accept that I was trans, and most of another year to come out. But from the moment I first had that thought, my coming out was inevitable. Amy recently made headlines once again as it was announced that she would marry her long-time girlfriend, this time headlines not focusing on her trans identity, but rather what the ring looked like. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
45
Genevieve Davis and Amy Schneider.
I knew she was going to propose in February, but I thought it might be on Valentine’s, or our anniversary. Instead, she invited some friends over on a random Tuesday, implying to me that she’d just invited one, but then other people had wanted to come over. I was so busy with everything going on that I didn’t notice anything strange even when she got dressed up just to hang out with friends at home. At some point, I stepped out for a bit, and when I came back in, she was on one knee. She completely surprised me! Our friends had brought balloons, one of them recorded the proposal for us and, all in all, it was exactly how I dreamed it. How did they meet? Her brother was dating my friend, and through some set of circumstances wound up picking up my friend at my place, to drive her to meet her brother. She came up and chatted for a bit, I gave her a tarot reading, and we hit it off. Before we knew it, she was coming over to my place every night, and staying over on weekends. We were still officially “just friends,” for a long time, even as it became obvious to everyone except us that we were actually a couple until we finally gave in to the inevitable and started dating. The continued success of Amy’s run extended her stay month after month. She was now a celebrity, acclimating to an entertainer’s way of life, bumps and all. On the taping day there isn’t really time between episodes. You pretty much go change outfits, get your makeup touched
46
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
up, and head back onstage. During the time between taping days, I just tried to rest. Maintaining that level of focus was exhausting and I needed to recharge as much as possible when I could. The first taping was the first time I’d spent the night apart from Genevieve since she’d moved in. And it was tough! We’d have long video chats every night, but at some point, I had to sleep in my lonely hotel bed - not to mention how much I missed our cat Meep! It was a final Jeopardy! answer of “Bangladesh” that would send Amy home after 41 episodes, $1,300,000, and a new career in pop culture. Saying goodbye wasn’t easy. In the immediate aftermath, the main feeling was one of loss. Taping those episodes was one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had in my life, and I was sorry to see it go. But after a day or two, I felt relieved. I’d known that my run would end at some point, and it had gone better than I ever dreamed, so I was glad to tie a bow on that part of my life and get back to my usual routine. Well, it hasn’t exactly been a usual routine for Amy. She left her job, signed with CAA, and continues to make media headlines. With a wedding on the way, the future is bright. What’s next? Well, I’m hoping to write a book. I’ve finished the proposal and now it’s just a matter of finding out whether there’s interest from publishers. Beyond that, I’ve been taking a lot of meetings about ideas for podcasts, TV shows, documentaries, etc. All of that is still in the exploratory
stages, and who knows if any of it will pan out, but I’m excited to see what happens! Has she stayed grounded in the face of her newfound fame? I think so. I mean, you’d probably need to ask the people around me to be sure. But one thing I learned quickly is that there’s a public Amy, and a private Amy. While they have a lot of overlap, they’re not the same. So, I don’t need to let my public image affect how I am in my personal life. I try to put my best face forward, of course, but at times I worry about showing an idealized version of myself. I do dumb things, I get angry, I drink too much sometimes, I’m secretly arrogant. I strive to be as authentic as possible in my public image, but I’m not showing all of myself by any means. She has left her mark in TV history, become part of the Jeopardy! legacy, represented our community in millions of American households, and warmed our hearts. She is a delight. Her message to Jeopardy! fans? Keep watching the show! I had a bunch of people tell me that it was boring without me, but stick with it! It is a great show. And you know the beauty of it? I guarantee there will be another champion coming along that you can enjoy rooting for - or against. They might not win 40 games, but your next favorite Jeopardy! champion will be here sooner than you think. ■
You can follow Amy on IG: @JeopardAmy
TWEAK YOUR
BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES
arcona.com $77 ARCONA has that innate ability to transport you to a momentary day spa with every application. Their Peptide Hydrating Complex is a daily hydrating complex rich in peptides and skin strengthening flavonoids, which is a diverse group of plant chemicals found in fruits and vegetables. The formula hydrates and plumps dehydrated skin to revitalize dull, dry skin. Protect your skin from environmental damage while nourishing and firming. Use just 2-3 pumps on
GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN A QUICK SHOWER AND A LITTLE POMADE ARE ENOUGH TO
clean, dry skin in the morning and night and you will notice
GET YOU READY FOR THE DAY. Between glaring UV lights, blue light from devices,
a gentle difference in texture and appearance. What makes
and harsh chemicals in the air, we’re encountering additional strain on our skin with each passing day. Over the past decade the landscape of manscaping and grooming has evolved tremendously, rising to the challenge of harsh environmental conditions. We have sampled and tested a wide range of moisturizers, creams, and oils over the past few months and assembled a list of some outstanding tools for you to replenish your shelves and medicine cabinets. With summer on the horizon, it is important to find gentle remedies to not only rectify dry skin but also nourish it. Remember to drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
it so luscious? Shea butter, soybean protein, rose hip, olive
HEALTH
MOISTURIZE. MOISTURIZE. MOISTURIZE.
ARCONA PEPTIDE HYDRATING COMPLEX
oil, grapefruit peel oil, bilberry fruit, tea tree, and more. If you have more of an oily complexion and on the hunt for more of a gel to moisturize, ARCONA’s Magic White Ice is a smart choice. This gentle daily hydrating gel that moisturizes with
BODY
SKINCARE REGIME FOR SPRING
white cranberry complex and hyaluronic acid without clogging the pores.
CURRENTBODY GREEN TEA SERUM currentbody.com $20 Looking for an affordable approach to the fountain of youth? CURRENTBODY’s brand new Green Tea Serum is lightweight, fast absorbing, calming, and hydrating all for an approachable price. Often free-radical-fighting formulas, especially those with vitamin C can irritate or smell unappealing. Green tea extract is proven to boost the effects of LED light. In addition to hydrating and moisturizing, CURRENTBODY Skin’s Green Tea Serum is great to use before or after using an LED device. Smooth out lines and wrinkles and give your face the hydration it deserves!
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
47
DERMALOGICA BIOLUMIN-C GEL MOISTURIZER dermalogica.com $65 Dermalogica was founded by Jane Wurwand, a skin therapist, and co-founder and chief visionary of Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute post-graduate training centers. The company understands the importance and responsibility of creating custom skin care solutions that work – not just today, but for life. This daily brightening gel moisturizer provides weightless hydration and gives skin a boost of radiance, and perhaps a bit of extra grace. The moisturizer is a lighly-stable vitamin C complex with advanced re-activation biotechnology that helps to boost bioavailability for brighter skin and improved barrier defense. This moisturizer, which smells amazing, contains quality products like jojoba wax PEG-120 esters, hyaluronic acid, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract, licorice root extract, orange peel extract, jasmine flower extract, sandalwood oil, and more. Want to brighten the appearance of
HEALTH
skin? Look no further.
EMBRYOLISSE LAIT CRÈME CONCENTRÉ – DAILY FACE AND BODY CREAM
BODY
embryolisse.com $28 Embryolisse is an amazing daily face and body cream that has been a bestseller since 1950. This cream, gentle for all skin types including the most sensitive skin, is a true allin-one and cleanses, hydrates, nourishes, and protects the face as well as the body with simple ingredients: shea butter, beeswax, soy proteins, and aloe vera. This Lait-Crème Concentré, considered “mythical since its creation,” because of its 24-hour moisturizing. It was created by a dermatologist from a Parisian hospital that specialized in skin pathologies. It gained the attention of the masses quickly and soon became a “cult favorite” appearing backstage at fashion shows and on film and television sets around the world.
ILIA LIP WRAP REVIVING BALM iliabeauty.com $24 Don’t forget your lips! Pucker up for this barrier-building balm, offering everyday protection and hydration with active levels of hyaluronic acid and Salicornia (sea succulent). Quench your lips with notes of lavender and chamomile and wrap them in a“hug of hydration”that will last. The balm contains a nourishing blend of emollient butters, Prickly pear oil, and ceramides that strengthen the skin’s barrier for lasting hydration. Kiss with confidence with ILIA.
48
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
JACK BLACK MP 10 NOURISHING OIL WITH ARGAN, ORGANIC MARULA & GRAPE SEED OILS getjackblack.com $35 Ten oils in one bottle? You heard that right. This concentrated blend of natural oils infuses skin and hair with intense moisture, antioxidants, essential nutrients, and fatty acids for a healthier appearance. The lightweight but concentrated formula helps soothe skin and helps relieve dryness and flakiness. What are the ten oils? Argan oil, moringa seed oil, organic marula seed oil, grape seed oil, plum seed oil, watermelon seed oil, baobab seed oil, jojoba oil, olive fruit, and rice bran oil. Use for the face, body, and hair. MP 10 is even great to use for a pre-shave preparation or even a stand-alone shaving oil. Go big or go home!
JUARA SWEET BLACK TEA AND GINGER OIL-FREE MOISTURIZER juaraskincare.com $69 JUARA products are inspired by jamu, the herbal healing tradition of Indonesia. Their products combine ancient beauty rituals with herbal medicinal practices with modern science to create a luxurious and indulgent array of skin and body care products. JUARA’s Sweet Black Tea and Ginger Oil-Free Moisturizer, embodies Indonesia’s traditional use of “probiotic kombucha,” also known also as “miracle tea” to energize, hydrate, and plump the skin while combating aging, minimizing pores, and controlling oil. Reduce shine and purify
as a longevity drink in Indonesia and throughout Asia and
KIEHL’S SINCE 1851 SUPER MULTI-CORRECTIVE ANTI-AGING EYE CREAM
is revered for promoting health and energy. For a little eye
kiehls.com $55
support, opt for the JUARA Miracle Tea Eye Creme for bags
Kiehl’s Since 1851 is continually putting high quality prod-
under eyes with turmeric ($61) a soothing blend of rice, clove
ucts out on the market. Their new Super Multi-Corrective
flower, fermented sweet black tea, and turmeric, the featured
Anti-Aging cream is clinically proven to reduce wrinkles,
ingredient in the iconic Indonesian Lulur treatment.
even skin tone, & smooth skin’s texture. Use just a small
with their formula, which contains avocado, ginger, and fermented sweet black tea - this unique ingredient originated
amount to visibly lift, smooth, de-puff and brighten the eye area to correct visible signs of aging around the brow bone, eyelid, crow’s feet and under-eye. This cream, supercharged with niacinamide and collagen peptide can be used to treat all four eye zones. Apply liberally each morning, after a late night or as you embark on an early morning. The cream can be used day and night, of course, and if you need a little extra SPF protection during the day, pair this product with their Super Multi-Corrective Cream SPF 30, available for $88.
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
49
NATURA BISSÉ DIAMOND COCOON HYDRATING ESSENCE naturabisse.com $80 Natura Bissé Diamond Cocoon Collection is a skincare line designed specifically for cleansing and protecting the skin from toxins and impurities. Our skin is constantly bomses, passive aggressive Slack messages, and more! Diamond
OSEA UNDARIA ALGAE BODY BUTTER
Cocoon Collection products are formulated with advanced
oseamalibu.com $48
ingredients that care for your skin in a comprehensive way:
OSEA Undaria Algae Body Butter, chock full of nutrient rich
OxySkin, OxySkin-HEV, alteromonas fermented extract, Ac-
Undaria seaweed, is a smooth blend of whipped shea but-
tibiome complex and PolyShield. The Hydrating Essence is a
ter and ceramides that melt into the skin. Clinically proven
moisturizing toning lotion that increases the skin’s absorp-
to provide 72 hours of hydration, this butter will revive the
tion capacity while enhancing the efficiency of your skincare
skin leaving it soft, smooth, and deeply moisturized. Un-
routine. Use this lotion as a finish to your cleansing ritual
daria seaweed works to replenish the skin’s moisture barrier
and your skin will look balanced, fresh, and well hydrated
while keeping it healthy and free of radicals. OSEA, founded
for up to 72 hours. This product is perfectly paired with the
by Jenefer Palmer in 1996, has a full line of extraordinary
Natura Bissé Diamond Cocoon Ultra Rich Cream ($335).
products inspired by the sea. In addition to the body butter,
But are there diamonds in the Diamond Cocoon Collection?
OSEA’s Atmosphere Protection Cream ($48) is a daily mois-
Prep your skin with their hydrating essence and it will sure
turizer that creates a hydrating barrier, and their Blemish
feel like it.
Balm is a sheer, fast-absorbing moisturizer with nutrient-
BODY
HEALTH
barded with blue light, particle pollution, heavy metals, gas-
rich seaweed, tea tree, juniper, and thyme essential oils that work together to calm and clarify while delivering hydration.
VOESH YOUTH THERAPY ELBOW-HIGH GLOVES voesh.com $15 Dry hands? Slide them into instant hydration with VOESH Youth Therapy Elbow-High Gloves. These vegan collagen long gloves are enriched with shea butter and niacinamide to effectively moisturize, brighten, and revive dry skin from your hands all the way up to your elbows. How does it all work? Simply remove the gloves from the package and place them onto a flat surface, then rub them gently to spread the lotion evenly inside the glove. Then, put them on, leave on for ten to fifteen minutes then remove the gloves while massaging the remaining lotion into the skin. These gloves are one-size-fits-all and will transport you directly to a spa day from the comfort of your own home.
Any health, wellness, medical or cosmetic claims contained in this feature should be verified with the product provider and your health care professional.
50
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
TRUST (WITH FUSE*) ARTECHOUSE® NYC 439 W 15th Street New York, NY 10011 Runs through May 30th Circumstances across history play a role in the way humans develop feelings of trust – in one another, in our governments and in the institutions that guide our daily lives. The implications of trust and how we perceive it are under examination at ARTECHOUSE® NYC’s newest exhibition aptly titled TRUST, built in collaboration with the multidisciplinary art studio, Fuse*. The new datadriven, audio visual experience explores how our own feelings of trust can impact those around us, as well as the rest of the world. The newly-opened XR Bar is also open for those who wish to imbibe on craft cocktails while mulling over the intricacies of this delicate emotion. For tickets visit https://www.artechouse.com/location/nyc/ Photo by
Rykov
NY SCOPE
NEVER LOSE YOUR SENSE OF WANDER BY MEGAN VENZIN
NEW YORK
IS THE TRAVEL BUG BITING AGAIN? YOU COULD BOOK A PLANE TICKET AND VISIT A NEW COUNTRY ... OR YOU COULD EXPERIENCE THE VERY ESSENCE OF ONE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD. One of the best
perks of living in New York City is the near limitless access it provides to cultures that differ from our own. Across the five boroughs it’s never hard to find invigorating places and activities that help us broaden our perspectives and ultimately make us feel brand new. This April and May, take in the sights, sounds and art that flow freely through our city’s landmarks and institutions. You just may find that escape you’ve been seeking is just a short train ride away.
CANADA’S NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA: “TRUTH IN OUR TIME” CARNEGIE HALL April 5, 2022 881 7th Ave. New York, NY 10019 You don’t have to cross the border to hear our northernmost neighbors play breathtaking music. On April 5th, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and music director Alexandra Shelley will take the Perelman Stage in Carnegie Hall’s legendary Stern Auditorium for an evening of contemporary works from composers Nicole Lizée, Korngold and Shostakovich, as well Philip Glass, whose Symphony No. 13 will see its U.S. premiere that night. Commissioned by the orchestra and dedicated to Canadian-born journalist, Peter Jennings, Symphony No. 13 serves as Glass’s personal ode to the freedom of the press. It’s a perfect fit for the evening’s “Truth in Our Time ‘’ theme, and should resonate well along other selections which touch upon other hyper-relevant topics such as the complexities of authoritarian regimes. Get tickets at www.carnegiehall.org
Photo
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
irta
risa B
by La
51
LET’S MAKE DRINKS! COCKTAIL CLASS @ WINNIE’S JAZZ BAR (INSIDE REFINERY HOTEL) April 6 & May 4, 2022 63 W 38th St. New York, NY 10018 Learn how to mix and perfect your favorite libations at Winnie’s Jazz Club during their monthly cocktail class sponsored by Sagamore Spirit. During each session, booze enthusiasts will receive expert instruction on how to concoct three classics, ranging from prohibition-style recipes to exotic sippers that will transport taste buds to faraway lands. Enjoy live music performed in-house by the Modern Martinis, and then head continue to indulge with a special discount at midtown’s own Parker & Quinn. This is your ticket to a happy hump day. Book a spot at https://winniesnyc.com/
NEW YORK
NY SCOPE
SQUIRREL THEATRE PRESENTS BORABISH: AN IMPROV SHOW Mondays at 7:30pm Under St. Mark’s Theatre 94 St. Mark’s Pl New York, NY 10009 There’s a fresh comedy school in town that’s creating space for LGBTQ+ and other diverse voices. Even better yet, the founders of Squirrel Theatre host their own weekly show on Monday nights at an intimate black box theater located conveniently on the Lower East Side. Start your week off right with Borabish, a show where stand-up comedians lend the inspiration for an outlandish evening of improvised fun and laughter. Featuring performers who have appeared on shows such as The Other Two, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Amber Ruffin Show, 30 Rock, Late Night with Seth Myers, Rick and Morty and more, Borabish ensures you’ll never have a case of the Mondays ever again. And if you do, well, that one’s on you, honey. For information on Borabish and classes visit https://www.thesquirrelnyc.com/
nie’s
e Villag
ar
Jazz B
ur
to co
r pho
Pou Green
f Win tesy o
GAYLARIOUS: LGBT LAUGH FESTIVAL April 7, 2022 Broadway Comedy Club 318 W 53 Street New York, NY Lord knows, we could all use a good chuckle. Thankfully, there will be plenty of those in store on April 7th when NYC’s funniest LGBTQ+ comedians the stage at Broadway Comedy Club for GayLarious: LGBT Laugh Festival. This inperson event will feature a lineup of queer comics from film, TV, radio and comedy club fame. Life is heavy, and these silly pros are here to keep it light. Go ahead, take a load off. A two-drink minimum is required with all tickets. For advance ticket discounts and more information about this month’s show, visit https://www.themenevent.com/events/ gaylarious-apr2022-6ybgy
52
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
Photo co
urtesy of
Squirrel Th
eatre
CANDLELIGHT: A TRIBUTE TO ABBA Through April 23, 2022 St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church 157 Montague St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 Enjoy a blissful candlelit evening with buoyant instrumental covers of ABBA’s greatest hits, as performed by The Highline String Quartet. During this 65-minute performance, attendees will have a chance to immerse themselves in the low-lit architectural landmark, St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church while listening to Euro-pop favorites like “Money, Money, Money”,“Dancing Queen” and “Waterloo”. This serene and unique experience is sure to rekindle fans’ love for these 70s classics, and illuminate a one-of-kind night out in beautiful Brooklyn. For tickets visit www.feverup.com
GIRL TALK - NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Photo by Sash Sri
ganesh
oto by Joey
Girl Talk ph
Kennedy
April 28, 2022 Brooklyn Steel 319 Frost St. Brooklyn, NY 11222 The master of mash-ups is back! Pittsburgh-based producer Gregg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk, is embarking on a North American tour for the first time in nine years. Those who live for his high-energy, genre-defying shows will undoubtedly want to make the “rare exception” and party on a school night when he stops off at Brooklyn Steel on Thursday, April 28th. Expect to hear cuts from his wide discography including those from his three acclaimed studio LPs, Night Ripper, Feed the Animals and All Day, as well as new productions made alongside his favorite rap stalwarts like Erich the Architect, T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa and many more. Believe the Talk – it’s hard to find a better dance party. Los Angeles rapper Hugh Augustine will share the bill with him at each stop. Get tickets at www.bowerypresents.com
33RD ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS May 6, 2022 New York Hilton - Midtown 1335 6th Ave. New York, NY 10019 And the winner of Outstanding Film is ... well, you’ll have to attend the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards to find out! Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards pay honor to media channels and productions that fairly and accurately represent LGBTQ+ people and issues. Since 1990, the event has emerged as one of the most high-profile LGBTQ annual awards shows in the world, with installments taking place bi-coastally in Los Angeles and New York. Whether you want to splurge on a Presidential Table with friends or opt for a regular seated ticket, your admission will also provide access to the pre-show reception and a lavish after-party where you can celebrate alongside celebrities, industry MVPs and other champions of LGBTQ+ rights. Secure your entry at www.glaad.org METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
53
MADE EVENT & AVANT GARDNER PRESENT: KASKADE’S REDUX 004 May 28, 2022 Brooklyn Mirage 140 Stewart Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11237 Kaskade returns to the majestic Brooklyn Mirage this spring with a club-adjacent Redux set. Those who’ve been following the EDM mega-star since the beginning will erupt when he adds a distinct house flair to a growing list of his iconic hits. Expect to hear an array of brand new music from his REDUX 004 collection, as well as new spins on old favorites. This show is sure to be a popular one, so if you’re part of the Kaskade crew, make sure you grab tickets soon. To join the waiting list visit https://www.avant-gardner.com/
NEW YORK
NY SCOPE
kaskade
ky 2018
photo by
NOT ME, NOT THAT, NOT NOTHING EITHER LESLIE LOHMAN MUSEUM OF ART
Devan
54
Freaky Dea
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
am Shimoy
y for a, Read
lution,
a Revo
2018
Through June 25, 2022 26 Wooster St. New York, NY 10013 The art of fragmentation has long provided queer artists with a platform to express themselves, especially in the context of how their sexuality exists outside of widely accepted heteronormative confines. The exhibition Not Me, Not That, Not Nothing Either, features 11 contemporary artists who use this technique to propel their narratives through mediums ranging in style from sculptures and paintings to other various time-based media. names like Math Bass, Diedrick Brackens, A.K. Burns, Jibz Cameron, Theresa Chromati and KC Crow Maddux are just a few of the artists presenting at this provocative exhibition which is curated by Rachel Beaudoin and Nirvana Santos-Kuilan. To purchase advance entry tickets visit www.leslielohman.org
KC Crow Mad du Soft Target / Sh x, ell Game, 2021
@rukes
LANDMARK UNDERGROUND CINEMA AUTEURCUM-MAINSTREAM QUEER ICON JOHN WATERS MARKS HIS 76TH BIRTHDAY APRIL 22 AND HE’S
THIS PAGE: PHOTOS BY EVERETT COLLECTION
BUSIER THAN EVER. To celebrate, he’ll give spe-
JOHN WATERS LIVING A FALSE NEGATIVE BY BEN RIMALOWER
cial performances of his one-man-show, False Negative, April 22, at Sony Hall in New York City, and April 23, at Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City. He can currently be seen in the most recent seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Search Party, on Amazon Prime and HBO Max, respectively. His debut novel, Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance, will be published May 3 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. And most interactively, fans can once again get away, with the legend himself, to Camp John Waters September 9-12 in Kent, Connecticut. As it all kicks off, he sat down for a chat with Metrosource’s Ben Rimalower. Happy almost birthday! God, I love a birthday. One’s in New York and one’s in Atlantic City. I haven’t played Atlantic City in a long time. Are you a casino person? No, whenever I go to a casino, I always want to lose. I always wanted to have a slot machine with my name on it - you know Elvira has one with her name on it - but I want one where you always lose, because that way you can go up to your room and read, which is what I like to do. When I go, I play and I’ll say, “Okay, I’m gonna lose a hundred dollars.” But every time you win ten bucks, it just prolongs it. Lately I’ve been winning at scratch-off lottery tickets that people give me. And so that’s why my Christmas card this year was a scratch-off lottery and I gave away prizes. But so few people scratched them because they didn’t think it was real. They thought it was a joke. Many of the good prizes no one claimed. They thought that if you scratched it, it would ruin them, like if you collect the cards I send every year, then scratching this one would make it less valuable. But I think the ones that will be the real collectibles will be the scratched ones because there were only 25 different winners. And the prizes were like old porn, or there was $500. And nobody got that one Do you just hold those prizes to be collected at some future point? They’ve got one year! How about being in New York? I’ve read that you have a place in the Village. Do you spend a lot of time there? METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
55
56
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
weekends, sometimes when I’m on the road I do. But look, when I’m on the road I stay in great hotels, I fly first-class, a car picks me up and takes me. A lot of times people say, “Aren’t you going to retire?” I’m like, “No!” I’m afraid I would drop dead! I like being in touch with my audience. It’s what’s kept me going all this time, to see what people are like. I’m always flattered when there are all ages in my audience. I’ve never been a separatist. I want gay, straight, everybody all together, whatever you wanna be today, I think we’re all in this together. One of the things I bonded over with my straight dad was your movies, he was such a fan going back to the first releases. Oh, that’s good, because my audience is not about sexuality, they’re angry and have a good sense of humor about themselves. That’s the one thing all my audiences have going on. That’s sorely missing in this country today. That’s the problem and I talk a lot about that. It’s the righteousness of the politically correct. When I was young, we used political incorrectness as a weapon, but the first thing we made fun of was ourselves. You gotta make fun of yourself first before you can get people to listen to you. During the depths of the pandemic, did you miss live performing? Did you do any virtual gigs? Never once did I do one. As soon as I do one, who’s gonna pay me to come? Once I did it years ago, we filmed my one-man-show, This Filthy World. It was the first thing Netflix ever produced and Jeff Garlin directed it, but I realized then once it’s on film, why go? It’s better to continue doing it. You know there’s no guest list for the camp and we don’t let the press come. Because if we let everybody know what it’s like, then there’s less to come see. Well, there was that great New York Times piece when it first started. Yes, that was the first one, we did it once the very first year. You have a waiting list every year. Oh, the camp is really touching to me and every year it gets better and better. The first year we had t-shirts that read “Jonestown with a happy ending.” Ricki Lake said, “I wouldn’t have believed this, and in the best way.” We have guest counselors every year. It was Kathleen Turner and Patricia Hearst last year. Mink Stole comes every year. This
THIS PAGE: PHOTOS BY S_BUKLEY
I’ve had the same place since 1990. I don’t spend a lot of time there, but every time I walk in, I think, “Oh God, I love this apartment!” I have an apartment in San Francisco, I have my house in Baltimore, and I rent a place every summer in Provincetown. And all the ones I own look exactly the same! But I’ve always said happiness is three sets of underpants. You arrive and there’s always underpants. People talk a lot about the loss of old, dirty New York. I’m wondering, being a connoisseur of filth, is there anything in particular from those years you would like to see brought back as New York is sort of rebuilt? Not really, I mean, I got hideously mugged once in New York, so I don’t miss the bad old days. And I’m not so sure it isn’t getting a little more like that today, unfortunately. San Francisco is even more shocking to me how different it is. Baltimore always was an extreme place to live, so even now it’s not so different. But I still love all three cities. San Francisco, I spent my wild youth there. New York is where I first saw underground movies, where the art world is, so I can’t imagine not having a place in either city. When I bought my New York apartment in 1990, it was a real stretch for me because I got my house at the same time, but that’s when I was making money workin’ for the Hollywood studios. Before that, I used to sleep on people’s couches for years, at Cookie Mueller’s house and at Dennis Dermody’s house. So finally it got to the point where I was like The Man Who Came to Dinner. I’d be on the phone working all day, they couldn’t even get a phone call. I had outstayed my welcome. How about being on the road with False Negative, do you like that lifestyle, I assume you’re not on couches with that tour? I have two shows, one is the Christmas show and one is False Negative, which I wrote last year when I went back on the road because the world’s changed so much. I did 18 cities at Christmas and I just made it because of the new COVID strain. If it had hit a week earlier, the whole tour would’ve been canceled. But I did make it and I got through all 18 cities and didn’t get sick. But now I’m back on the road, I did two Valentine’s shows recently, I’ve got two birthday shows, plus the book tour. It never ends. Yes, I like being on the road, but it’s not like I’m Elton John, where I’m touring constantly for the rest of my life. I don’t work on
year it’s Deborah Harry and Colleen Fitzpatrick, who played her daughter in Hairspray and went on to be Vitamin C. And the campers are from everywhere. I see them at every show I do, they’re everywhere in the world. And they see each other all year round. People get married at the camp! What do you think is the appeal of a camp experience? I think it’s just a certain type of people who like to hang out. I mean Kathleen Turner brought her daughter and her daughter liked it so much, she stayed. She didn’t go home with Kathleen. Sometimes you get assigned a cabin, you don’t even know who’s in it - total strangers - but everybody seems to get along. They’re all united with a sense of humor. And they dress up as the characters from my movies and use props. They’re really clever and creative and really know my movies, which is incredibly flattering to me. It’s amazing to see the ingenious ways they come up with celebrating them. Do you have any advice for people entering the costume contest? Well, the more obscure, the better. I mean last year’s winner came as the painting of Don Knotts from the flea market in Serial Mom. One year we had an obscene phone call contest with Mink. The guy that won said (about Mink), “Nancy, that’s her real name, isn’t it?” They’re really hilarious. My advice is to be witty. You got good competition at this camp, I’ll tell ya. Is it true you reward the people that lose in sports? They might have done that at some of the events, but you know it doesn’t even matter anymore. I mean, I was the Nike ad. How could that be? I’ve never caught a ball in my entire life. No one’s ever even thrown me a ball, I don’t think! My father, I wish he’d been alive, because it would’ve been the most shocking thing of all to him. I did get to say, “Just do it” and on the last take, I said, “Just do it, Mary.”They didn’t use it, but maybe they will one day. I’ve read that at your camp growing up, one of your favorite things and something that changed your life was Backward Day.
Oh, yes, I put that in Desperate Living. Backward Day was the first surreal thing I ever experienced. They picked you up in reverse order in the morning. You had to wear your clothes backwards - which was Comme des Garçons before its time! You had dinner when you got there. You did everything out of order. I just loved it because it was so obsessional and so weird that I never got over it. So really in my mind every day is Backward Day intellectually. You’ve also talked about the sort of delinquent aesthetic and how you gravitated toward that and maybe it protected you from bullying. Well, bullies thought I was nuts and they sort of left me alone because I could make them laugh. Also, I was very anti-authority, which helped with the bullies. Although you can’t tell your children, “Just be really mean to the teachers and the bullies won’t beat you up.” That is what I did, though, make fun of the teachers and then the bullies left me alone. But in Catholic school, the bullies were allowed to beat you up. And they did. And the other thing that’s really amazing to me about Catholic school is we were allowed to smoke cigarettes. There was a smoking area, from 9th grade on. Isn’t that bizarre? How many years from that indoctrination did it take you to quit? You know it’s the only thing in my life I regret: smoking cigarettes. I write it down on a note card every day - 6,982 days I’ve been without cigarettes. Will that be hard for you in Atlantic City, the smoky casinos? When I hitchhiked across the country, I wound up in the one hotel in Reno that didn’t allow smoking, although you could still smell it everywhere. But I’m really looking forward to Atlantic City. I just love that all the names are in Monopoly. And I love a beach town. I’m quite curious to see what it’s like and especially see the people who come see me who live there. I bet they’re really my kind of fans. I bet it takes more of a commitment to live in Atlantic City even than it does to live in Baltimore. What are the cool places in Atlantic City? I don’t know. I guess the Anchor Rock Club. That’s where I’ll be. ■ METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
57
HAPPY SPRING, EVERYBODY! NO, THERE WASN’T A FULL SHUTDOWN BUT ALL OF NEW YORK SEEMED BACK IN THAT SLOG OF THE DARKEST DAYS OF 2020, ONLY WITHOUT ALL THE HOPE AND COURAGE! But most days now, the sun is shining, the
virus is receding, and at least for the moment, not only are those neon lights bright on Broadway, but there is indeed also that famous magic in the air. By far, the most exciting thing happening on Broadway right now is Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning A Strange Loop (Lyceum Theatre, previews April 6), directed by Stephen Brackett. From the homage to Sondheim’s Company in its opening strains through every hilarious and heartbreaking, human moment charting the main character’s search for self, amidst obstacles external and internal, this“big, Black and queer-ass American”musical offers mainstream’s most moving, satisfying and intelligent original work in years. Nowhere near as guaranteed a good time, but another show I wouldn’t miss for my life is the first ever Broadway revival of Funny Girl (August Wilson Theatre, opens April 24), directed by Michael Mayer. Let’s be honest, no one considered this script for the Pulitzer and producers have understandably hesitated to revive it without the original production’s supernova, young Barbra Streisand. Fanny Brice for the new generation is American Crime Story: Impeachment and Booksmart star Beanie Feldstein. Her sharp work in those two projects proved she can act and get laughs. She was featured in the Bette Midler Hello, Dolly! and studied musical theatre at the lauded University of Michigan program. But this is the ultimate high-wire act of star turns. All eyes on Beanie! The other upcoming musical revival I’m excited about is City Center Encores’ concert staging of the Sondheim/Lapine classic, Into the Woods, traipsing the boards for a strictly limited two weeks, May 4-15. Direction by Encores! artistic director Lear deBessonet is no doubt intriguing, but the cast is the draw with Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife, Christian Borle as the Baker, Ashley Park as Cinderella, and Generation X’s grandest Broadway star, Heather Headley, as the Witch. Less of a revival and more of a return, 2019’s Beetlejuice (Marquis Theatre, opens April 8) gets a second chance at gory glory, once again directed by Alex Timbers. The great news is uber funny man Alex Brightman is back to haunt the house again.
58
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
TAKE TWO!
BROADWAY IS BACK BY BEN RIMALOWER Funny Girl Beanie Feldstein. Photo by Matthew Murphy
A Strange Loop cast. Photo by Marc J. Franklin
Beetlejuice Photo by Matthew Murphy
Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse How I Learned to Drive official promo image
Paradise Square Photo by Alessandra Mello
Sara Bareilles. Photo by David M. Benett/ Dave Benett/ Getty Images
Photo courtesy of The Minutes Hangmen The original Broadway cast courtesy image
Mr. Saturday Night cast. Courtesy image
Billy Crystal has adapted his 1992 movie, Mr. Saturday Night, into a musical with a score by Jason Robert Brown and Amanda Green (Nederlander Theatre, opens April 27), directed by John Rando. Crystal recreates his Buddy Young, Jr. opposite original film foil David Paymer and Broadway mega talents Randy Graff and Shoshana Bean. New musical Paradise Square (Ethel Barrymore Theatre, opens April 3) depicts the lives of a group of saloon goers, from multiple races, in the cultural crossroads of Civil War era New York City. As far as straight plays go, I’m most looking forward to the latest from August: Osage County scribe Tracy Letts, The Minutes (Studio 54, opens April 17 through July 10), directed by Anna D. Shapiro. If Letts’s take on a small-town city council is anywhere near as skewering and invigorating as his previous works, we’re all in for a treat. The stellar cast includes Letts, Blair Brown, K. Todd Freeman, Jessie Mueller, Austin Pendleton and, coincidentally, the women who gave us such moving Julie Jordans in the last two revivals of Carousel, Sally Murphy. Another great playwright who’s been prolific on Broadway in the last 20 years, Martin McDonagh returns with Hangmen (John Golden Theatre, opens April 21 through June 18), directed by Matthew Dunster. A new Broadway play from a new Broadway playwright arrives with Selina Fillinger’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive (Shubert Theatre, opens May 9 through August 14), directed by Susan Stroman. The starry ensemble cast of Lilli Cooper, Lea DeLaria, Rachel Dratch, Julianne Hough, Suzy Nakamura, Julie White, and Vanessa Williams make this White House comedy seem like a potentially good time. Not exactly a revival per se, the Broadway debut of Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, opens April 19 through May 29), directed by Mark Brokaw, comes 25 years after its Off-Broadway premiere. Thrillingly reuniting original stars Mary-Louise Parker and David Morse with their original director, this production promises a chance to revisit the landmark portrayal of sexual abuse from today’s perspective. METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
59
Debbie Gravitte
Jane Monheit
Cast of for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf. Photo by Joan Marcus
Take Me Out Patrick J. Adams, Jesse Williams, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Photo by Catherine Wessel
Karen Akers
Suffs: Off-Broadway cast including Jenn Colella, Phillipa Soo, Nikki M. James
Plaza Suite: Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick
60
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
I was lucky enough to catch the Public Theater’s 2019 revival of Ntozake Shange’s groundbreaking 1976 kaleidoscope, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. I am very encouraged that the new Broadway production (Booth Theatre, opens April 20 through August 14) will be directed and choreographed by that production’s inspired Camille A. Brown. In the realm of likely crowd-pleasing commercial play revivals, we are finally seeing the pandemic-delayed Plaza Suite (Hudson Theatre, through June 26), directed by John Benjamin Hickey. This classic Neil Simon comedy offers megastars Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick each three different characters and scenarios to bust us up, all set in - wait for it - a suite at the Plaza Hotel. Presumably less riotous, but possibly just as hard to get a ticket, Macbeth (Longacre Theatre, opens April 28 through July 10), directed by Sam Gold, is back again,
this time with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga (Preacher, Loving). Something wicked this way comes. Broadway will also see a revival of Richard Greenberg’s 2003 Take Me Out (Hayes Theatre, opens April 4 through May 29), directed by Scott Ellis. The original production seemed very provocative pondering what would happen if a Major League Baseball star came out. Sadly, the story still seems likely to resonate. This time around, Jesse Williams and Jesse Tyler Ferguson top the team. For an Off-Broadway show, Shaina Taub’s new musical Suffs (Public Theater, through May 1), directed by Leigh Silverman, certainly features a lot of heavy-hitting talent. Another in the “we wish this show wouldn’t resonate to poignantly today,” Suffs portrays the crucial days of the women’s suffrage movement. With Jenn Collella, Aisha de Haas, Nikki M. James, Grace McLean, Jaygee Macapugay, Phillipa Soo, and Shaina Taub.
Jim Caruso
Susie Mosher
Bridget Everett Lillias White
Michael Kelly
Robbie Rozelle
Joanna Gleason
Rizo
Marilyn Maye Cyrille Aimée
The Kinsey Sicks
Eva Noblezada
Lainie Kazan
Dianna Agron The Boy Band Project
Marieann Meringolo
Ari Shapiro
Reeve Carney
Mario Cantone
For truly intimate entertainment
“Broadway’s Living Room”,
“The Jazz Corner of the World,”
The coolest joint in town Joe’s Pub
there is no place more elegant than
Feinstein’s/54 Below, in the
Birdland crams a lot of highlights in
has a packed spring calendar featuring:
the venerable Café Carlyle, where
storied basement of Studio 54,
with the blue notes:
• Somebody Somewhere’s Bridget
you can catch:
has something for everyone this
• Broadway and pop culture maven
Everett in Bridget Everett and The
• Glee diva Dianna Agron appears
season including:
Robbie Rozelle in The Inevitable
Tender Moments March 27 - April 10
there March 29-April 9
• NPR’s All Things Considered host
Return April 4
• Spellbinding chanteuse Rizo
• Sex and the City’s screamingly funny
Ari Shapiro April 3-4
• A capella drag divas The Kinsey
in Rizo: In the Flesh May 18-20
queen Mario Cantone April 12-16
• Acclaimed baritone Michael Kelly
Sicks April 7
in new cabaret opera The Pleasing
• Soulful, folky, and fresh jazz artist
Recollection April 5-6
Cyrille Aimée April 19-23
• Nonagenarian nonpareil Marilyn
• Velvet voiced legend Karen Akers
The new room in town, Chelsea Table & Stage, is worth checking out, especially for
Maye in 94, Of Course There’s More!
in Among My Souvenirs April 25
• Marieann Meringolo in Between
Avenue” Green Room 42 is a fun
April 6-16
• Jazz great Jane Monheit
Yesterday and Tomorrow: The Songs of
setting for nights on the town, espe-
• Film and nightclub legend (and
April 26-30
Alan & Marilyn Bergman April 24
cially to see their long-running hits:
Streisand’s Funny Girl understudy!)
• Tony winner Debbie Gravitte (al-
• Candy for the eyes and ears, The
• Miss Saigon and Hadestown Tony
Lainie Kazan May 5-7
ways a good time) in Debbie Gravitte
Boy Band Project April 10 & 24
nominee Eva Noblezada Sundays at
• Tony winner Lillias White in
Plus One: With Marc Shaiman May 9
7pm April 3, May 1, and May 29
Divine Sass, A Tribute to the Divine One
• Jim Caruso’s Cast Party every
• Penny Dreadful and Hadestown
– Sarah Vaughan May 26 - 28
Monday at 9:30pm
hottie Reeve Carney Sundays at
• Original Into the Woods gold stan-
• The Lineup with Susie Mosher
Cumming any Monday night at
9:30pm April 3, May 1, and May 29
dard Joanna Gleason in Out of the
every Tuesday at 8:30pm
8pm, Daniel Nolen and I promise a
The “worth the walk to 10th
Eclipse May 30-31
Finally, if you swing by Club
delightful diversion in our variety and game show, Cast Offs.
METROSOURCE.COM
■
APRIL/MAY 2022
61
DAVID DEAN
BOTTRELL GETS REAL AND GAINS STREET CRED
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ THROUGHOUT CHARACTER ACTOR DAVID DEAN BOTTRELL’S MULTI-DECADE CAREER, HE HAS PLAYED JUST ABOUT EVERY KIND OF CHARACTER YOU CAN THINK OF. His credits span a list of
After a decade, David Dean Bottrell Makes Love: A One-Man Show, featuring tales of missed connections, random hook-ups, and poor decisions, returns with new stories and an update to include dating from a gay man’s perspective in the digital age. If you have never had the privilege of seeing David tell a story, caution: you may need to bring an extra pair of pants. His signature humor, unique outlook on life, and almost too crazy to believe reallife experiences take the stage with finesse and hilarity that only a craftsman like David can pull off. After ten years, hasn’t David learned how to make love yet? Well, as they say, practice makes perfect! And I’ve been practicing a lot lately! Mostly on the weekends. I’ve gotten 10 years older - which was something I always dreaded, but it’s actually been great. And the word “love” really means something very different to me now. I always thought of it as this rare, hard-to-find commodity. But now it feels like something much more accessible. And less sexual or romantic. I guess it feels more spiritual now, if that’s the right word. As long as we’re surrounded by living, breathing humans, then there’s someone to notice, someone to care for, someone who deserves a little attention. It’s a gift any of us can both give and receive. In my youth, it seemed very uncomplicated. I’d date someone for a while. Then,
62
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
when it ended, I’d wash my hair, put on my tightest jeans, and go back to the bar. I’d stand there for a few minutes until someone came up and talked to me, and that was my new boyfriend. It was really that easy. I miss the part where we were all fishing from the pond of guys who were actually in the room. There was some sport (and some skill) involved in that. More than once I managed to steal some guy that someone else had tagged. It was so fun. Apps are not so fun to me. What I don’t miss from those days is the fear that this particular evening of fun might cost your life. Dating in the gay community is notorious for being fodder for comedy. From David’s many attempts in the gay world, he has a master perspective on why it’s so hard to date. I think it kind of depends on where your community is located. If you don’t happen to live in some huge place like LA or New York, I think one of the biggest problems is “choice.” But if you live in a mega-metropolis, it can seem like a new truckload of sexy, appealing partners gets delivered to your local bar every weekend. And let’s face it - it’s easy to get trapped in always waiting for something bigger, better, smarter, or cuter to arrive. Dating a zillion men must come with a crazy hookup story. Eagerly, David shared a sneak peek
into the world of David Dean Bottrell Makes Love and again solidifies the fact that David’s real-life stories can rival any script he’s acted. Once, a guy answered my Match.com ad who said he was new to town and didn’t have a car, so I agreed to pick him up for a coffee date. Imagine my surprise when I pulled up to find him waiting for me outside a drug rehab facility. Before I could speed away, he ran up and jumped in my car. I didn’t know what to do, so we just drove around for a couple of hours as he told me his long, bizarre story about going on a black-out bender in St. Louis and waking up in Los Angeles in this facility. He mentioned that he didn’t have any money, so if we went out for lunch it was going to be on me. I didn’t know what to do, so I finally took him back to my house, where, when we ran out of things to talk about, jumped into bed and had some gangbuster sex. I then drove him back to rehab and never saw him again. The show does have its intimate moments as well. Talking about dating and love cannot come without doses of heartbreak, what-ifs, and lost loves. It is raw and unfiltered Bottrell, a gamble for any actor. This show is the scariest thing I’ve ever done. When you’re acting, the job is to basically disappear behind a character someone
THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY JOHN FLYNN
iconic TV shows that is longer than a CVS receipt and include True Blood, iCarly, Modern Family, Justified, Ugly Betty, NCIS, Castle, Law and Order: SVU, and of course his deliciously villainous turn in Boston Legal. This season, he plays his most colorful character yet: himself.
THIS PAGE: PHOTO COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
else wrote. When you’re storytelling, it’s the exact opposite. There is no character - it’s you. And your job is to become as transparent and honest as possible. Prior to this show, I was always so embarrassed by my love life. I either had no partner or a partner who was a huge mess with big hard-to-miss issues (like active meth or alcohol addiction). When I started this show, I thought I’d feel judged if I told the truth. And the exact opposite has happened. People consistently say, “OMG, I thought it was just me. Thank you for making me laugh about all of it.” With the lack of privacy that often comes with stardom and in our age of an oversharing social media world, there is the risk that a well-established actor like David could tarnish his image. We see Bottrell in all his naked glory, bumps and all. I was nervous about it at the beginning. But oddly, it’s actually expanded my career. I think my old “brand” was sort of a nerdy, churchgoing, schoolmarm. Not many people in the business knew I was actually sort of a desperate whore. I think I gained a little street cred by revealing it. The show has been a critical hit as well as with audiences. Though the stories are from a gay man’s experience, it is a hit with straight audiences as well. The language of love truly knows no limit. It’s enormously fun for me to tell a blowjob story and hear an entire “mixed” gay-straight audience crack up. I think the reason most people dig the show is because the stories are about three universal questions: How do you find love? How do you keep it? And what do you do when it goes away? It’s amazing when you think about it. Love has been written about for thousands of years, but it is still a total mystery to everyone. I guess it always will be. This is a weird thing to say, but I think that, as funny as the show is, it is basically about faith. Faith in ourselves and faith in other human beings who have the same wants and needs that we do. I think making a real connection is still very possible, but we got to have the balls to exit the safety zone and really try. Though Bottrell was never in the closet, he is not typically one of the first actors who come to mind when thinking about a“gay actor.”It wasn’t a leading part of his Hollywood story. As a character actor, it just never came up. I came out when I was 19, but my coming out story feels like it’s never-ending. And it’s not like I’m exactly “Stud Manley” or
anything. Weirdly, it still feels like every time I start a new job or attend an industry event, or get introduced to someone’s family, the process starts all over again. And the truth does set you free. I have always assumed if anybody buys a ticket to my show, they already know that I’m gay. I mean, Jesus, it’s in my Wikipedia entry! I feel grateful to be gay and I am deeply proud of my community. In the world we live in, there are so many hugely successful out LBGTQ actors (particularly funny ones) who have big straight followings. The days of “Don’t ask - Don’t tell’’ really feel like they are behind us, in show business anyway. Some days, I feel like we have outgrown the need to state it. I can’t imagine a headline saying, “Lesbian Comedian Jane Lynch appearing on Broadway” or “Gay Actor Neil Patrick Harris headlines new series.” But if someone is up-and-coming and they are establishing their brand, I’m really glad when I see the LGBTQ tag upfront, because it gives me a chance to support and amplify their signal - something I hope the whole community is ready and willing to do. What is it like for a veteran like David to see a younger generation of openly celebrated LGBTQ actors? It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I am so proud of everybody. And the trans and non-binary crew is ripping up the rule book! And they are all really, really talented! It’s a dream come true. We are everywhere in the business now. It’s great. Not only has dating changed drastically over the course of David’s life, but so has the landscape of television since his time on Boston Legal. It’s almost unrecognizable from 2007. The increased corporatization of the entertainment industry has really increased the
pressure to make everything faster and cheaper. Great work is still being done, but it’s being done in less-than-ideal circumstances. And then the product has about two weeks on the air to succeed before being deemed a failure. It has affected what gets on the air for sure. Remember that hideous reality show on Fox, Labor of Love, where all those guys were competing to impregnate that white woman? I told a friend of mine who worked for Fox that they should have called the show, It’s Cum to This. On the other hand, the streaming world has created a whole new playing field. As far as David’s love life goes, spoiler alert: he is all good. I met someone wonderful about four years ago and we’re still going strong. I tried hard to get rid of him, but he wouldn’t go away. And now, I’m so grateful for that. He’s deeply kind. It’s not an act. It is really who he is. He wants to help everyone. I am in awe of him. Even amidst David’s crazy relationship with love, he has found his mate. Is there any hope for the rest of us eternally single gay men? If you’re young, have fun and keep your eyes open. It will probably take care of itself. If you suspect you have already, or are about to, exit the “young” category, my advice is to be honest with yourself and trust your grown-up instincts. Change what you suspect needs to be changed. What you want is probably just on the other side of that shit you don’t really want to do. So, begin - do it. You’ve got nothing to lose. Stay in the game. It’s not too late. ■ David Dean Bottrell Makes Love: A One-Man Show returns to New York for 8 Weeks at the Triad Theater at 158 West 72nd Street New York, NY 10023 (2nd floor above Seven Hill restaurant). METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
63
NEW YORK BAR SOURCE BAR SOURCE Edited by Jeffrey James Keyes
CHELSEA BARRACUDA Cool music, cute crowds, wild drag shows and talent competitions hosted on the tiny stage in the rear. 275 W. 22nd St. at Eighth Ave., NYC 212-645-8613
BOXERS CHELSEA Big gay sports bar with games on flat-screens, pool tables and a smoking patio. A pizza oven dispenses mouth-watering pies, but the bartenders are even hotter. 37 W. 20th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves., NYC 212-624-5942. boxersnyc.com
THE EAGLE This dark and cruisy leather-and-Levi’s clubs boasts a great rooftop deck and popular events for specific fetishes. 554 W. 28th St. between Tenth and Eleventh Aves., NYC 646-473-1866. eagle-ny.com
GYM Popular after work sports bar with plasma-screen TVs broadcasting games, a pool table and a basement dugout. 167 Eighth Ave. between 18th and 19th Sts., NYC 212-337-2439. gymsportsbar.com
EAST VILLAGE/LOWER EAST SIDE THE BOILER ROOM A throwback to the days when the East Village was for the punky and funky, this no-frills lounge is popular with the college set, attitude-free, and rocks with an eclectic mix of music and scruffy pool players. 86 E. 4th St. at Second Ave., NYC 212-254-7536
OSCAR WILDE
BOXERS WASHINGTON HEIGHTS
FAIRYTAIL LOUNGE Glittery Centaurs and other enchanted-forest motifs distinguish this cozy lounge in way-west HK with theme parties and guest DJs. 500 W. 48th St. between Tenth and Eleventh Aves., NYC 646-648-3897
Boasting NYC’s Best Happy Hour seven days a week, this way uptown outpost of the gay bar phenomenon always offers incredible eye candy. 3820 Broadway at 159th St., NYC. boxersnyc.com
FLAMING SADDLES
WEST VILLAGE
When not serving vodka sodas in glass steins, bartenders jump on the bar for boot-scootin’ to Achy Breaky-type tunes. 793 Ninth Ave. at 53rd St., NYC 212-713-0481. flamingsaddles.com/nyc
HARDWARE Enjoy cheap drinks at the front bar and fun tunes on the rear dance floor when live performers like Jan Sport, Marti Gould Cummings, Brita Filter and Paige Turner aren’t on stage. 697 Tenth Ave between 47th and 48th Sts., NYC 212-924-9885. hardware-bar.com
INDUSTRY Big venue with couch-filled nooks, a game room with a pool table, and industrial design that’s a nod to its parking-garage past. Tina Burner and Kizha Carr shake things up. 355 W. 52nd St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves., NYC 646-476-2747. industry-bar.com This neighborhood fixture attracts tourists, locals and theater pros from both sides of the footlights with strong drinks, cheap prices and friendly staff. 656 Ninth Ave. at 46th St., NYC 212-307-1503
POSH A mixed bag of Hell’s Kitchenites and the occasional celeb spill out onto the sidewalk as this lounge spins pop and dance tunes. 405 W. 51st St. at Ninth Ave., NYC 212-957-2222. poshbarnyc.com
RISE BAR
REBAR
This upscale boy boîte had places to perch on multiple levels, but a kickin’ sound system makes it unlikely you’ll settle down. 369 W. 46th St. at Ninth Ave., NYC 212-333-2554. ritzbarandlounge.com
EAST VILLAGE CLUB CUMMING Willkommen to this sassy, performance-based club from Alan Cumming, Benjamin Maisani, Darren Dryden and Daniel Nardicio. Picture backstage at a Berlin nightclub where anything goes from Drag Race viewing parties to (of course!) cabaret. 505 E. 6th St. between Aves. A and B, NYC 212-777-2555. clubcummingnyc.com
THE COCK Longtime late-night haven for naughty go-go boys and those seeking debauchery from the naughty to the nightlife glitterati. 29 Second Ave. between First and Second Sts., NYC
NOWHERE Ultra-mellow East Villager with distressed décor, a pool table and what may be the smallest back room ever. 322 E. 14th St. between First and Second Aves., NYC 212-477-4744. nowherebarnyc.com
PHOENIX Find folks enjoying video games, a pool table, a jukebox and the diverse crowd in an exposed-brick space with an uncomplicated vibe. 447 E. 13th St. at Ave. A., NYC 212-477-9979. hoenixbarnyc.com
HELL’S KITCHEN/MIDTOWN WEST ATLAS SOCIAL CLUB Josh Wood, Benjamin Maisani, Pablo Raimondi, and Asi Mazar hit a home run with this HK hotspot, where celebs like Andy Cohen, Anderson Cooper, and Cher have made cameos. 753 9th Ave. between 50th and 51st Sts., NYC 212-262-8527. atlassocialclub.com
BARRAGE This HK lounge has au courant accouterments and outrageous drinks. Late happy hour from 11pm to midnight is the perfect time for a discount. 401 W. 47th St. at Ninth Ave., NYC 212-586-9390
BOXERS HK This outpost of the Chelsea sports bar features a large ground floor, basement game room dubbed The Dog Pound, and big rooftop patio. 742 Ninth Ave. at 50th St., NYC 212-951-1518. boxersnyc.com
TO ADVERTISE CALL 212 691-5127
DJ20_BARSOURCENY_Working.indd 69 APRIL/MAY 2022 METROSOURCE.COM 64
Home to the local lesbian crowd (and a few boys), this small, unpretentious bar features a capricious décor heavy on fish. 281 W. 12th St. at Fourth St., NYC 212-243-9041. cubbyholebar.com
THE DUPLEX
Downstairs at the city’s oldest continuing cabaret/piano bar, the staff performs while serving. Upstairs is a more traditional boy bar and an intimate room that books cabaret acts. 61 Christopher St. at Seventh Ave. South, NYC 212-255-5438. theduplex.com
THE HANGAR
Manly neighborhood bar with a diverse crowd. 115 Christopher St. between Bleecker and Hudson Sts., NYC 212-627-2044
HENRIETTA HUDSON
9TH AVENUE SALOON
Acclaimed mixologist Johnny Swet sets the scene at this cocktail lounge, ironically situated at the former headquarters of NYC’s Bureau of Prohibition. The gastropub is a tribute to its great Irish namesake and displays a collection of related relics. 45 W. 27th St. at Sixth Avenue., NYC 212-213-3066. oscarwildenyc.com Sexy Chelsea hangout where G Lounge used to be with ondustrial décor and sexy staff drawing all kinds of men (especially local muscle bears). 225 W. 19th St. between Seventh and Eighth Aves., NYC 212-929-1085. rebarchelsea.com
CUBBYHOLE
Kings of NYC nightlife joined forces for this fab yet unpretentious watering hole right where you can dance all night every Friday and Saturday. 859 9th Avenue., NYC 646-892-3313. risebarnyc.com
THE RITZ BAR & LOUNGE
THERAPY The modern duplex draws a fierce crowd to weekly shows by legendary performers like Pixie Aventura. Don’t miss Paige Turner’s infamous Sunday night Slurp show. 348 W. 52nd St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves., NYC 212-397-1700. therapy-nyc.com
EAST SIDE THE TOOL BOX This two-level dive bar with a cozy downstairs hosts parties with DJs and go-go boys on Friday and Saturday. 1742 Second Ave., between 90th and 91st Sts., NYC 212-348-1288. thetoolboxnyc.com
THE TOWNHOUSE Two levels of mature gents and their younger fans swaying to live songs from the Jerry Herman oeuvre. 236 E. 58th St. between Second and Third Aves., NYC 212-754-4649. townhouseny.com
UNCLE CHARLIE’S After a remodel that put its piano in the center of the action, this effervescent lounge is once again going strong with live entertainment and multiple bars. 139 E. 45th St. between Third and Lexington Aves., NYC 212-661-9097. unclecharliesnyc.com
UPPER WEST SIDE
Popular lesbian lounge with a multicultural crowd. 438 Hudson St. at Morton St., NYC 212-924-3347.henriettahudson.com
JULIUS’
On a normal night, the city’s oldest gay bar is a comfy place for cheap drinks, burgers and fries. Once a month, Mattachine turns it into a crowded, rowdy dance party with excellent vinyl music. 159 W. 10th St. at Waverly Pl., NYC 212-243-1928. juliusbarny.com
MARIE’S CRISIS
Old-school sing-alongs are on tap at this long-running piano bar. Stop in and “sing out, Louise!” 59 Grove St. at Seventh Ave. South, NYC 212-243-9323. mariescrisis.us
MONSTER
Sheridan Square stalwart where fab guys and dolls sing along to show tunes upstairs while DJs spin for a diverse crowd downstairs. 80 Grove St. at Seventh Ave. South, NYC 212-924-3558 Open Mon-Fri, 4pm-4am; Sat & Sun, 2pm-4am. monsterbarnyc.com
PIECES
Bop to retro dance tracks or laugh at drag queen antics like Ms. Vodka Stinger’s B-Movie Mondays. 8 Christopher St. at Sixth Ave., NYC 212-929-9291. piecesbar.com
ROCKBAR
For boys who prefer fur, there’s this butched-up bar with a fist-pumping soundtrack, cheap drinks and very sexy parties. 185 Christopher St. at Weehawken St., NYC. rockbarnyc.com
STONEWALL
Daddies, faux thugs, and girls who like girls rule this two-story birthplace of gay pride. Every night offers a different theme, e.g. drag shows, karaoke and beer blasts. 53 Christopher St. at Seventh Ave. South, NYC 212-488-2705. thestonewallinnnyc.com
TY’S
Ye Olde Boy Bar serves a loyal and friendly Christopher Street clientele — NYPD and Firemen especially welcome. 114 Christopher St. between Bleecker and Hudson Sts., NYC 212-741-9641. tys.nyc
OUTER BOROUGHS & BEYOND ALBATROSS
Homey Astoria bar with a pool table and jukebox. 36-19 24th Ave. at 38th St., Astoria, NYC 718-204-9045. albatrossastoria.com
SUITE This adorable spot attracts Columbia gays with leopard-print lamps, leather banquettes and drag entertainers. 992 Amsterdam Ave. between 109th and 110th Sts., NYC 212-222-4600. suitenyc.com
WEST END LOUNGE
ICON ASTORIA
Beefcake dancers and NYC nightlife legends flock to this unassuming Astoria watering hole for great beats and impressive drag. 31-84 33rd Street., Astoria, NY 347-808-7592. iconastoria.com
Columbia boys and neighborhood cubs converge at this Morningside watering hole for Topless Tuesdays, karaoke nights, and local drag queens. 955 West End Avenue between 107th and Duke Ellington Blvd., NYC 212-531-4759. thewestendlounge.com
GINGER’S
UPTOWN
B-burg bar with a spacious patio. 559 Lorimer St. at Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg, 718-599-4444. metropolitanbarny.com
ALIBI LOUNGE Popular Harlem bar that’s a great spot for after work. Bring some cash for the jay-dropping go-go boys on Man Crush Mondays. 2376 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. at 139th St., NYC 917-472-7789.
Popular with lesbians, this long, dark bar has a jukebox and an outdoor garden. 363 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn 718-788-0924
METROPOLITAN
THE ROSEMONT NYC
Mixed cocktail bar with eclectic entertainment and a big back deck. 63 Montrose Ave., Brooklyn 347-987-3101. therosemontnyc.com
METROSOURCE.COM
DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020
69 11/5/19 5:51 PM
NEW YORK DIRECTORY ACCOUNTING – COUNSELING/PSYCHOTHERAPY
ACCOUNTING
ARCHITECTURE
Dikman, Bernard L., C.P.A. 37 W 20th St, Ste 703, NYC ������� 212 929-4299
Woloshen, Robert A. CPA 29 W 15th St, Ste 1 NYC ������������������������������������ 212 843-3486 www.rawcpa.com
ACUPUNCTURE Acupuncture-NYC
80 Fifth Ave, Ste 906 NYC �������������������������������������������� 212 874-0898 www.acupuncture-nyc.com
ADOPTION SERVICES Friends in Adoption
NYC �������������������������������������������� 800 982-3678 www.friendsinadoption.org
AESTHETIC SERVICES Advanced Dermatology Associates
200 Central Park South #107 NYC ������������������������������������������� 212 262-2500 NYC ������������������������������������������� 212 246-0800 www.adv-derm.com
Lexington Plastic Surgeons
113 E 39th St, NYC ��������������������� 646 374-2410 www.try.lexingtonplasticsurgeons.com/metrosource
Sexual Health Men
290 Madison Ave 6th Fl NYC �������������������������������������������� 973 493-7607 www.sexualhealthmen.com Stoller, Roy B., D.O.
515 Madison Ave, Ste 1205 NYC ������������������������������������ 212 920-4499 www.hairdoctornyc.com
Torre, Martin B. RA AIA Architecture + Planning PLLC 605 E 14th St, #8 NYC ��������������������������������������������� 646 257-9081
Li-Lac Chocolates West Village: 40 8th Ave, NYC Greenwich Village: 162 Bleecker St, NYC Grand Central: 43rd & Lexington, NYC Chelsea Market: 75 Ninth Ave, NYC Industry City: 68 35th St, Brooklyn NYC ��������������������������������������������212 924-2280 www.li-lacchocolates.com
ATTORNEYS
Paul Evans Catering
David Stern Architecture www.davidsternarchitecture.com
Bing, Steven E.
276 5th Ave, Ste 1008 NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 286-1666
20 W 20th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 321-1822 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 243-4494 www.paulevanscatering.com
Chianese & Reilly Law, P.C.
CLOTHING
122 E 42nd St, Ste 3900 NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 953-6447 100 Merrick Rd, Ste 103E Rockville Centre, NY �������������������� 516 599-2020 www.awclawyer.com
Aziz, Michael, M.D., FRSM
Midtown Integrative Medicine 509 Madison Ave @ 53rd St, Ste 1111 NYC �������������������������������������������� 212 906-9111 www.michaelazizmd.com
Dave’s New York
581 Ave of the Americas, NYC Toll Free ��������������������������������������800 543-8558 www.davesnewyork.com
Chou, Luna, Esq. NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 226-2610 www.lunachoulaw.com
Jackson Boutique
Goldman, Jeffrey E., Esq 501 Fifth Ave #1900 NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 983-8999 NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 949-5085 www.jgoldmanlaw.com
CONTRACTORS/CONSTRUCTION
Law Offices of Thomas Sciacca, PLLC
COUNSELING/PSYCHOTHERAPY
44 Wall St, 12th Fl NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 495-0317 www.sciaccalaw.com Long & Associates NYC ��������������������������������������������� 212 360-0394 www.landapllc.com Parker | Waichman LLP 6 Harbor Park Dr. Nationwide ��������������������������������� 800 JUST-CALL www.yourlawyer.com
ALLERGIES
CATERING
Tesler, Richard, Esq. 41 W 72nd St NYC ������������������������������������� 212 362-6961
www.jacksonboutiquenyc.com
ABS Design & Construction
NYC ��������������������������������������������212 731-0642 www.abs-construction-nyc.com
Angers, Marc E., M.A. Oxon, L.C.S.W./L.P.
Licensed Psychoanalyst, NCPsyA NYC ��������������������������������������������917 678-7929
Barneson, Jeff, LCSW
119 Washington Place NYC ��������������������������������������������212 252-2314 www.jeffbarneson.com
Blatter, Andrew, LCSW
NYC ��������������������������������������������917 442-5213 www.andrewblatter.com
2022 aRCh ny aRy/m uRCe feBRumetRoSo
hen Step dheim nofficial Poet Soe un
GET ALL THE FABULOUS THAT’S FIT TO PRINT! SAVE 30% OFF THE COVER PRICE
th te of re laureaal theat muSic
Ce ouR RoS met
ng mberi Reme
y Bettite Wh
Stan With rman Zimme
the its n of Queen Summ Seve
Ry / feBRua
o vad ia SiLv uezd-LcaaptunreS vaSqaWe anattentio
2022
ay 90 Dncé With ndo ‘real’ Fia ttinG arma y& Kenn
Metr osou rce
maRCh
eS ’S inSpir Wood holly
Ge
y Sunn Beat the of Liayfe S to taW eS Side Blu ree Ge er th Wint the
e Gam it’S t! GameS niGh d
l Michareie U
aPril/M Metros ay 2022 ource ny
oe o-t t oe-t bes G t the h Goin wit
Mich Feinstael ein
takes the bacus down in Ger shwin kroads Countr y
aMy schneid er
join MiLLions Jeopardy’s doLLar CLu for LGband Makes hist b tQ repr esen ory
Boar ket to Son theSe ur tic thiS Sea yo t are
emen Excit
tation
aPril/May
Julia scotti sha
2022
LANCE BASS
Beh the ind Scen eS
NY $6.95
US $8.95
CAN
ORDER your one year subscription (six issues) to METROSOURCE, METROSOURCE NY, or METROSOURCE LA by visiting our secure website at metrosource.com/print-subscriptions.
res her comedy with the
AmericA worLd pos ’s Got t tAlent
Only $29.95 mailed direct to your door within the US.
the
and Sw eet suite san Fr ancisLife of co seve hone n roMantiC destinyMoon ations
John WaterS
Orders are processed and paid to Bent Share Entertainment, LLC, 6475 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., #438, Long Beach, CA 90803
Livi
ng FAlse a neGAtiv e
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
65
NEW YORK DIRECTORY COUNSELING/PSYCHOTHERAPY – DENTISTS Bloom Psychotherapy NYC 19 W 34th St, PH NYC. �������������������������������������������347 921-0431 www.nycbloomtherapy.com
Campbell, Robert D., LCSW Psychotherapy for Individuals & Couples NYC �������������������������������������� 646 783-8155 www.robertdcampbell.com Davies, Ann Conant, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.
COUNSELING/SUBURBAN
DENTISTS
Kingan, Peter L., Ph.D.
Babushkin, Howard, D.D.S., L.L.C.
31 Oak St Patchogue, NY ����������������������������631 447-6425
DATING SERVICES SEE ALSO INTRODUCTION SERVICES
ManMate
NYC ��������������������������������������������212 564-4025 www.manmate.com
740 West End Ave, Ste 1 Cell ���������������������������������������������917 923-2257
ManMate Dinners For 8
Dicker, Phyllis D., L.C.S.W., A.C.S.W., B.C.D.
Wheaton, Grant
NYC ��������������������������������������������718 855-5171
NYC ��������������������������������������������212 564-4025 www.manmate.com Dating Coach NYC ��������������������������������������������212 564-4025
525 West End Ave #1G, NYC �������� 212 874-2880 www.manhattanoasisdentistry.com
Cassidy, J.R., D.D.S.
West 10th Dental P.C. 45 W 10th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 982-5883 www.west10thdental.com
De Bonis, William B., D.D.S.
World Wide Plaza Dental Associates 370 W 50th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 333-2650 www.wwpdental.com
Factor, Rhonda J., PhD 85 5th Ave, Ste 912 NYC ��������������������������������������������347 834-6057 www.rhondafactorphd.com
w
Jarratt, Kent, L.C.S.W. 19 W 34th St, NYC ������� 212 947-7111, ext 119 Oceanport, NJ �����������������������������917 686-6179 www.kentjarratt.com
Johnson, Thomas E., L.C.S.W. Chelsea ���������������������������������������212 645-3952
Kingan, Peter L., Ph.D. 99 University Pl, 4th Fl NYC ������������������������������������������������917 428-2431
Koetting, Michael E., L.C.S.W. NYC ��������������������������������������������212 741-2606 www.koettingpsychotherapy.com
VILL AGE APOTHECARY T H E C O M M U N I T Y P H A R M AC Y T H AT C A R E S
McFadden, Stephen, LCSW SEP 435 W 23rd St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 627-8419 www.smcfadden.com
Nelson, Joshua, Ph.D. 71 W 23rd St, Ste 1115 NYC ������������������������������������646 512-0043 www.jnelsonphd.com Rayhill, Daniel, Ph.D. 276 Fifth Ave #1101 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 683-2454
Ross, Steven, LSCW
Union Square ������������������������������917 406-7900 www.stevenrosstherapy.com
Schuetz, Volker, PsyD
for your
1133 Broadway #913 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 470-9024 www.nychangemanagement.com
BRInG THIs CARd In And RECEIVE $10 off On AnY PuRCHAsE Of $25 OR mORE
Schwartz, Alan, M.D., Psychiatrist
fOR OTC PuRCHAsEs & nEw CusTOmERs OnLY. LImIT 1 PER CusTOmER
West Village/Chelsea NYC ��������������������������������������������212 727-0923
Tallent, Marc, Ph.D.
51 Fifth Ave NYC ��������������������������������������������212 645-5795 http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/33692
66
fREE wELCOmE KIT! Come in
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
Store HourS: Mon - Fri 8aM - 8pM • Sat 9aM - 6pM • Sun 10aM - 5pM 346 Bleecker St • Greenwich VillaGe, nY 10014 • VillaGeapothecarY.com
2 1 2 . 8 0 7. 7 5 6 6
NEW YORK DIRECTORY DENTIST (CONTINUED) – HAIR REMOVAL Lew, Spencer, D.D.S.
30 E 40th St #706 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 286-1717 www.nycdental.com
LuxDen Dental Center
2579 E 17th St, Ste 11 Brooklyn �������������������������������������718 382-3444 www.luxden.com
Rosa, John D., D.D.S., P.C. 40 Newport Parkway, Ste P-1 Jersey City, NJ ����������������������� 201 626-2700 Sengos, Demetrios, D.D.S.
West 10th Dental P.C. 45 W 10th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 982-5883 www.west10thdental.com
OMNI Aesthetic MD
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
EMPLOYMENT
New York Life/NYLIFE Securities
Marlon J. Altoe 420 Lexington Ave, 15th Fl NYC ������������������������������������������� 646 227-8605 Cell �������������������������������������������� 646 761-4372 www.newyorklife.com/agent/maltoe
Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD)
Peloso-Barnes, Julia A., CFP, CPM, CRPC Purchase, NY ������������������������������914 225-6391 www.advisor.morganstanley.com/the-pelosobarnes-group
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
FITNESS/GYMS/PERSONAL TRAINERS
1700 Stadium Way LA �����������������������������������������������213 847-LAFD www.joinlafd.org 700 E Temple St, B-38 LA �����������������������������������������������866 444-LAPD www.joinlapd.com
EVENT PLANNING & EVENT SPACE/RENTALS
Mercedes Club
550 W 54th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 265-1111 www.themercedesclub.com
SEE ALSO CATERING, WEDDING SERVICES
FLORISTS
Bizzell, Steven J., D.M.D., D.A.B.P.
Elite Private Yachts NYC ��������������������������������������������866 862-7245 www.eliteprivateyachts.com www.entertainmentcruises.com/new-york
la Fleur d’Harlem
OMNI Aesthetic MD
Hornblower Cruises & Events Pier 40, NYC �������������������������������646 832-2805 www.hornblowerny.com/metrosource
FRAMING
DENTISTS/PERIODONTISTS 50-02 5th St Ste B, Long Island City ��������������������������718 530-6539 www.licdentalassociates.com
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
DENTISTS/SUBURBAN Rosa, John D., D.D.S., P.C. 40 Newport Parkway, Ste P-1 Jersey City, NJ ����������������������� 201 626-2700 Dermatology
Advanced Dermatology Associates
200 Central Park South #107 NYC �������������������������������������������212 262-2500 NYC �������������������������������������������212 246-0800 www.adv-derm.com (SEE AD IN THIS ISSUE)
Arora, Navin, DO, FAAD
Arora Dermatology 115 Broadway, Ste 1800 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 244-1252 www.aroraderm.com
Houston Hall 222 W. Houston St NYC ������������������������������������������� 212 582-2057 Patina Events - Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn �������������������������������������718 307-7133 www.patinaevents.com The Riverside Church 490 Riverside Dr. NYC ��������������������������������������������212 870-6762 www.trcnyc.com
Yachts for All Seasons NYC �������������������������������������� 212 534-6380 Cell ��������������������������������������� 917 864-7670 www.y4as.com
EVENT SERVICES Big Apple Event Audio Visual 519 8th Ave, Ste 815 NYC �������������������������������������� 212 518-3175 www.avnycrentals.com
203 W 144th St NYC �������������������������������������������646 850-5973 www.lafleurnyc.com
14th Street Framing Gallery
225 W 14th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 691-8156
GIFTS Li-Lac Chocolates West Village: 40 8th Ave, NYC Greenwich Village: 162 Bleecker St, NYC Grand Central: 43rd & Lexington, NYC Chelsea Market: 75 Ninth Ave, NYC Industry City: 68 35th St, Brooklyn NYC ��������������������������������������������212 924-2280 www.li-lacchocolates.com
GUEST HOUSES/B&B’S Chelsea Pines Inn
317 W 14th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 929-1023
Colonial House Inn
318 W 22nd St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 243-9669
Incentra Village House
150 Broadway #111 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 962-1115
FINANCIAL SERVICES
32 8th Ave @ W 12th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 206-0007 www.incentravillage.com
Juva Skin & Laser Center
Ameriprise Financial Services
MisterBandB
Goldman, Barry D., M.D.
60 E 56th St #2 NYC ������������������������������������������� 212 421-9501 www.juvaskin.com
Lance R. Kash, Financial Advisor, CFP® 122 E 42nd St #2215 NYC ����������� 646 964-9400
Lumos Dermatology
44 Wall St, 12th Fl, NYC �������������212 495-0317 www.sciaccalaw.com
Peter Chien, MD, PhD 37 E 28th St, Ste 304 NYC ��������������������������������������������646 820-1716 www.lumosdermatology.com
Law Offices of Thomas Sciacca, PLLC
www.misterbandb.com
HAIR REMOVAL Advanced Dermatology Associates 200 Central Park South #107 NYC �������������������������������������� 212 262-2500 NYC �������������������������������������� 212 246-0800 www.adv-derm.com METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
67
NEW YORK DIRECTORY HAIR REMOVAL – PHARMACIES/DRUGS Brisk N Posh 132 Crosby St, Ste 8E NYC ��������������������������������������������212 433-4477 www.brisknposh.com
OMNI Aesthetic MD
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
1200 Alta Loma Rd West Hollywood CA �������������������� 800 858-9758 www.sunsetmarquis.com
2426 Kuhio Ave Honolulu, Hawaii ������������������������ 808 687-2000 www.vivehotelwaikiki.com
INSURANCE
OMNI Aesthetic MD
HealthSherpa
Stoller, Roy B., D.O. 515 Madison Ave, Ste 1205 NYC �������������������������������������� 212 920-4499 www.hairdoctornyc.com
Toll Free �������������������������������������� 844 346-9476 www.metrosource.healthsherpa.com
INTRODUCTION SERVICES SEE ALSO DATING SERVICES
ManMate
NYC �������������������������������������������� 212 564-4025 www.manmate.com
LASER VISION CORRECTION
HOTELS The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Atlantic City, NJ ��������������������������609 317-1000 www.outatborgata.com
Foxwoods Resort & Casino www.foxwoods.com
The Graham & Co
Phoenicia, NY �����������������������������845 688-7871 www.thegrahamandco.com
Holiday Inn Manhattan 6th Ave - Chelsea
125 W 26th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 430-8500 www.hi-nyc.com
Hotel Hayden
127 W 28th St NYC ��������������������������������������������844 423-6004 www.hotelhaydennyc.com
Hotel Henri
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
West Village Eyecare Associates
10 Sheridan Square NYC ��������������������������������������������212 242-6592 www.eyecarenyc.com
44 E 12th St, Ste MD1 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 993-8573 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 594-1600
PERIODONTISTS OMNI Aesthetic MD
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC �������������������������������������������� 212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
LIPOSUCTION Marfuggi, Richard M.D., D.M.H, F.A.C.S.
Bizzell, Steven J., D.M.D., D.A.B.P.
Periodontist 50-02 5th St Ste B Long Island City ��������������������������718-530-6539 www.licdentalassociates.com
PET SUPPLIES
50 E 69th St, NYC ����������������������� 212 317-1188 Denville, NJ ��������������������������������� 973 377-8950 www.askdrm.com
Nulo Pet Foods
OMNI Aesthetic MD
PHARMACIES/DRUGS
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St, NYC ����������������������� 212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
Brand2Fly
GayVan.com Travel Marketing www.gayvan.com
Sandman Suites on Davie
OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel
Coad, Christopher T., M.D., F.A.C.S. Chelsea Eye Ophthalmology 157 W 19th St NYC �������������������������������������������� 212 220-0066 www.chelseaeyeophthalmology.com
METROSOURCE.COM
OMNI Aesthetic MD
Samuelson, Stefan T., MD
San Jose �������������������������������������� 408 763-7924 www.brand2fly.com
APRIL/MAY 2022
Coad, Christopher T., M.D., F.A.C.S. Chelsea Eye Ophthalmology 157 W 19th St, NYC ��������������������������������������������212 220-0066 www.chelseaeyeophthalmology.com
Coad, Christopher T., M.D., F.A.C.S. Chelsea Eye Ophthalmology 157 W 19th St NYC �������������������������������������� 212 220-0066 www.chelseaeyeophthalmology.com
Opus Hotel Vancouver
1088 Burrard St Vancouver, BC Canada ���������������������������������������604 331-1000 www.sheratonvancouver.com
OPTOMETRISTS
PAIN MANAGEMENT
MARKETING SERVICES
1160 Davie St Vancouver, BC Canada ���������������������������������������604 681-7263 www.sandmanhotels.com
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
SEE ALSO OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
37 W 24th St NYC ��������������������������������������������844 277-9123 www.hotelhenrinyc.com
322 Davie St, Vancouver, BC Canada ���������������������������������������604 642-6787 www.opushotel.com
OMNI Aesthetic MD
VIVE Hotel Waikiki
HAIR REPLACEMENT/REPLICATION Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
68
Sunset Marquis
nulo.com/love
Ansonia Pharmacy
446 6th Ave NYC ��������������������������������������������212 477-0762 www.ansoniapharmacy.com
Apthorp Pharmacy
2201 Broadway, NYC ������������������212 877-3480 Arrow Pharmacy 883 Ninth Ave NYC ��������������������������������������������212 245-8469 www.arrowpharmacy.com
Avalon Chemists
7 2nd Ave, NYC ��������������������������212 260-3131
Bigelow Chemists
414 Sixth Ave, NYC ��������������������212 533-2700
Chelsea Specialty Pharmacy
171 Seventh Ave NYC ��������������������������������������������212 255-9900
NEW YORK DIRECTORY PHARMACIES/DRUGS (CONTINUED) – PLASTIC SURGERY CVS Specialty
126 8th Ave NYC �������������������������������������������212 807-8798 (SEE AD IN THIS ISSUE)
Mayfair Chemists 21 Seventh Ave, NYC ���������� 212 242-1444 New London Pharmacy
246 Eighth Ave, NYC ������������������212 243-4987
New York Chemists
77 Christopher St, NYC ���������������212 255-2525 www.newyorkchemists.com
Thompson Chemists &
Thompson Alchemists 137 Thompson St 449 West Broadway NYC ��������������������������������������������212 598-9790 www.thompsonchemists.com
Village Apothecary
346 Bleecker St NYC �������������������������������������������212 807-7566 www.villageapothecary.com (SEE AD IN THIS ISSUE)
PHYSICAL THERAPY Galán, Antonio, PT, DPT, MBA, CHC
RestoreRehab Physical Therapy 664 10th Ave NYC ��������������������������������������������212 245-5259 www.restorerehabpt.com
Symbio Physio Therapy
Dillon, Stephen, M.D.
Int. Med., Inf. Dis. 314 W 14th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 620-0144
Dormer, Anita L., M.D., F.A.C.C.P.
22 E 72nd St, 5th Fl NYC ��������������������������������������������212 535-5905
Fonville, T.W., Int. Med.
29 Fifth Ave @ 10th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 674-1020
Goldberg, Edward S., M.D.
Int. Med., Gastr. 121 E 60th St, 3rd Fl NYC ��������������������������������������������212 980-8800
Hsu, Ricky K., M.D.
154 W 14th St, 4th Fl NYC ��������������������������������������������212 627-7560
Icochea, Rosendo S., M.D.
117 E 18th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 387-9199
Jaeger, Lawrence D., D.O. 200 Central Park South #107 NYC ������������������������������������212 246-0800 NYC ������������������������������������ 212 262-2500 www.adv-derm.com Jarratt, Kent, L.C.S.W.
19 W 34th St, Penthouse Ste NYC ������������������������������ 212 947-7111, ext 119 Oceanport, NJ �����������������������������917 686-6179 www.kentjarratt.com
214 W 29th St, Ste 901 NYC ��������������������������������������������917 338-6268 www.symbiopt.com
Leach, Eric G., N.P.
PHYSICIANS & MEDICAL SERVICES
Lexington Plastic Surgeons
Midtown Integrative Medicine
Aziz, Michael, M.D., FRSM 509 Madison Ave @ 53rd St, Ste 1111 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 906-9111 www.michaelazizmd.com
Namdar, Isaac, M.D.
Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist 425 W 59th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 262-4444 1090 Amsterdam Ave NYC ��������������������������������������������212 663-2210 www.newyorkentspecialist.com www.namdarmd.com
OMNI Aesthetic MD
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St, NYC �����������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com
154 W 14th St, 4th Fl, NYC ��������212 627-7560
Pearl, Alan, M.D., Psychiatrist
Advanced Dermatology Associates 200 Central Park South #107 NYC ������������������������������������ 212 262-2500 NYC ������������������������������������212 246-0800 www.adv-derm.com
113 E 39th St NYC ��������������������������������������������646 374-2410 www.try.lexingtonplasticsurgeons.com/ metrosource
Mandell, William, M.D.
Amida Care NYC ������������������������������������855 462-6432 www.amidacareny.org
Infectious Diseases 31 Washington Sq West NYC ��������������������������������������������212 475-8833
Astor Medical Group
Marfuggi, Richard A., M.D., D.M.H., F.A.C.S.
67 Irving Place, 5th Fl @ E 18th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 253-2968 www.astormedical.com
Central Park Medical Associates
200 Central Park South #107 NYC �������������������������������������������212 262-2500 NYC �������������������������������������������212 246-0800 www.centralparkmedicalassociates.com Coad, Christopher T., M.D., F.A.C.S. Chelsea Eye Ophthalmology 157 W 19th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 220-0066 www.chelseaeyeophthalmology.com
50 E 69th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 317-1188 Denville, NJ ���������������������������������973 377-8950 www.askdrm.com
135 W 70th St, NYC �������������������212 724-5188
Samuelson, Stefan T., MD
44 E 12th St, Ste MD1 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 993-8573 NYC ��������������������������������������������212 594-1600
PLASTIC SURGERY Dr. WW Med Spa and Laser Clinic
85-16 Queens Blvd, 2F, Elmhurst, NY 139 Centre St #224, NYC �����������718 457-0707 www.drwwmedspa.com
Lexington Plastic Surgeons
113 E 39th St NYC ��������������������������������������������646 374-2410 www.try.lexingtonplasticsurgeons.com/ metrosource
Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health
Maze Men’s Health Maze Women’s Health Maze Labs Maze Cord Blood 633 Third Ave, Ste 9B NYC �������������������������������������������646 585-8980 www.mazehealth.com (SEE AD IN THIS ISSUE)
Marfuggi, Richard A., M.D., D.M.H F.A.C.S.
50 E 69th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 317-1188 Denville NJ �����������������������������������������������973 377-8950 www.askdrm.com METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
69
NEW YORK DIRECTORY PLASTIC SURGERY (CONTINUED) – RETAIL OMNI Aesthetic MD
Eviatar, Joseph, M.D., F.A.C.S. 5 W 19th St, NYC �����������������������212 257-0007 www.omniaestheticmd.com Sexual Health Men 290 Madison Ave 6th Fl, NYC �����973 493-7607 www.sexualhealthmen.com
TF Cornerstone www.tfc.com Wright, Daniel Compass NYC ��������������������������������������������917 304-4270
REAL ESTATE/SUBURBAN Habeeb-Clark, Deborah
Skintology
Cosmetical Aesthetics 157 E 57th St, NYC 181 7th Ave, NYC �����������������������212 989-6555 www.skintologyny.com
Keller Williams Hudson Valley, NY �����������������������845 800-5413
Perasso, Matt Prominent Properties/Sotheby’s International Realty 2 Main St, Edgewater, NJ ������������201 840-8898 Cell ���������������������������������������������917 834-0454 www.goldcoastcribs.com
RETAIL Eva’s Supplements
11 W 8th St (bet 5th & 6th Aves) NYC ������������������������������������������� 212 982-2500 www.evassupplements.com
PODIATRISTS Ciment, Ethan J., D.P.M.
Collins, Michael, D.P.M. Chelsea Foot & Ankle Center 37 W 20th St, Ste 308, NYC �������646 929-4149 www.chelseafootandankle.com
REAL ESTATE Bonavita, David Compass NYC �������������������������������������� 212 501-8281 www.davidbonavita.com Chroughan, Judy
Julie B. Fee Sotherby’s 49 Purchase St Rye, NY ��������������������������������������914 262-5323
Coldwell Bank Residential Brokerage
JC Waterfront – Team Francesco Robert G. Harris 1 2nd St, Ste 1 & 4 Jersey City, NJ �����������������������������201 604-4200 Cell ���������������������������������������������646 334-0559
Enzo Morabito Team
Douglas Elliman Real Estate Bridgehampton �������������������������� 631 537-6519 Cell ���������������������������������������������516 695-3433 www.theenzomorabitoteam.elliman.com
Hendler, Lisa E.
Berkshire Hathaway Blake Realtors Kinderhook, NY ��������������������������518 929-4519
McGrotty, Amy, JD
Castelli Luxury Real Estate Services Fort Lauderdale, FL ����������������������954 347-1732 www.amy.castellihomes.com
Powell, DeWayne A.
Town Residential NYC ��������������������������������������������917 748-5100 www.townresidential.com
Prince, Keith A.
Brown Harris Stevens NYC ��������������������������������������������917 826-3451 www.brownharrisstevens.com
70
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
Comprehensive HIV support • Guidance from a patient advocate and pharmacists trained in HIV therapy • Timely Rx refill reminders • Contactless delivery at no extra cost or pick up at any CVS Pharmacy®* retail location *Where allowed by law. In-store pick up is currently not available in Oklahoma. Puerto Rico requires first-fill prescriptions to be transmitted directly to the dispensing specialty pharmacy. Products are dispensed by CVS Specialty and certain services are only accessed by calling CVS Specialty directly. Certain specialty medication may not qualify. Services are also available at Long’s Drugs locations. ©2020 ProCare Pharmacy, L.L.C. and affiliates. 75-53590A 121820
Call 1-800-362-7828. CVS Pharmacy® Specialty Services 126 Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10011
Mon. – Fri.: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sat.: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
NEW YORK DIRECTORY SCHOOLS– WINE & SPIRITS
SCHOOLS
TRAVEL/GETAWAYS
Brooklyn Heights Montessori School
Foxwoods Resort & Casino
185 Court St, Brooklyn ���������������718 858-5100 www.bhmsny.org
Philadelphia, PA ��������������������������215 599-0776 www.visitphilly.com
Li-Lac Chocolates West Village: 40 8th Ave, NYC Greenwich Village: 162 Bleecker St, NYC Grand Central: 43rd & Lexington, NYC Chelsea Market: 75 Ninth Ave, NYC Industry City: 68 35th St, Brooklyn NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 924-2280 www.li-lacchocolates.com
WEDDING SERVICES
Make My Cake
www.foxwoods.com
Visit Philadelphia Rudolf Steiner School 15 E 79th St NYC ��������������������������������������������212 535-2130 www.steiner.edu
SPA/SALON SERVICES Brisk N Posh 132 Crosby St, Ste 8E NYC �������������������������������������������212 433-4477 www.brisknposh.com (SEE AD THIS ISSUE)
TRAVEL
Bespoke Matchmaking
NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 234-2344 www.makemycake.com
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Fl NYC ��������������������������������������������888 422-6464 www.bespokematchmaking.com
Manhattan Penthouse
Elite Private Yachts NYC ��������������������������������������������866 862-7245 www.eliteprivateyachts.com www.entertainmentcruises.com/new-york
New York Zoos and Aquarium
Bucks County Pennsylvania www.visitbuckscounty.com
Feinstein’s/54 Below
Kennedy Travel 130 W 42nd St #401 NYC �������������������������������������� 212 398-0999 Toll Free �������������������������������� 800 237-7433 www.kennedytravel.com
Gatherings Floral Design
254 W 54th St, Cellar NYC ����������������������������������� 212 302-5559 x114 www.54below.com www.gatheringsfloraldesign.com
Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce 36 Main St Ogunquit, ME ����������������������� 207 646-2939 www.visitogunquit.org
Hornblower Cruises & Events
Sullivan Catskills Catskills, NY ������������������������� 800 882-CATS www.sullivancatskills.com
222 W. Houston St, NYC ����������� 212 582-2057
Pier 40, NYC �������������������������������646 832-2805 www.hornblowerny.com/metrosource
Houston Hall
NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 627-8838 www.manhattanpenthouse.com
NYC ������������������������������������������ 718 741-3836 www.nyzooevents.com
Oheka Castle
135 West Gate Dr Huntington, NY ������������������������ 631 659-1400 www.oheka.com
Our Wedding Officiant NYC
Peter Boruchowitz NYC ������������������������������������������ 917 523-1438 www.nyc-gay-weddings.com Patina Events - Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn ����������������������������������� 718 307-7133 www.patinaevents.com Paul Evans Catering 20 W 20th St NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 321-1822 NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 243-4494 www.paulevanscatering.com The Riverside Church 490 Riverside Dr. NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 870-6762 www.trcnyc.com Yachts for All Seasons NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 534-6380 Cell ������������������������������������������� 917 864-7670 www.y4as.com
WILLS Law Offices of Thomas Sciacca, PLLC
44 Wall St, 12th Fl NYC ������������������������������������������ 212 495-0317 www.sciaccalaw.com
WINE & SPIRITS Cork Wines & Spirits
1450 Washington St Hoboken NJ ��������������������������������������������� 201 942-9964 www.corkwines.net METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
71
NEW YORK DIRECTORY FIRE ISLAND PINES – CHERRY GROVE FIRE ISLAND PINES – CHERRY GROVE Horizon Beach House
BARS Blue Whale
Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6278 NYC��������������������������������������������212 689-2699 www�horizonbeachhouse�com
Cherry’s
Cherry Grove ������������������������������917 763-9029
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6500 www�bluewhalefireisland�com Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6820
Cultured Elephant
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6500 www�thepinesfireisland�com
Harbor Club
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6500 www�thepinesfireisland�com
GYM
Sip n Twirl
Bay Walk Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6237
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6500 www�pavilionfireisland�com
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-3746
CLOTHING/GIFTS
LIQUORS/WINES
Gostoso
Beachscapes
The Pines Liquor Shop
Pines �������������������������������������������646 262-1910
Summer Solstice
Harbor Walk Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6442
Harbor Walk Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-4200
POOL MAINTENANCE
CONTRACTING
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-7748
Walter Boss, Custom Builder
REAL ESTATE
Pines and Pools
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6262
Main & Bayview Cherry Grove ������������������������������������ 631 597-6140
Pines Propane
D� Katen Fire Island Properties, LTD
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6262
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-9191
GROCERIES
Dependable Pools
A Summer Place
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-7000 www�fireislandpines�com
Pines Harbor Realty
Grove Market
Main Walk Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6239
The Pines Pantry
Harbor Walk Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6200
GUEST HOUSES/HOTELS Belvedere Guest House
Bay View Walk, Cherry Grove������631 597-6448 www�belvederefireisland�com
Carousel Guesthouse
36 Fire Island Blvd Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-7575
RESTAURANTS Blue Whale
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6500 www�bluewhalefireisland�com
Cultured Elephant
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-6500 www�thepinesfireisland�com
Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6766
Pines Bistro & Pizza
Cherry Grove Beach Hotel
TRANSPORTATION
Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-3597
Sayville Ferry
Dune Point
Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6261
River Rd NYC��������������������������������������������631 589-0810
DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 METROSOURCE.COM 8080FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
METROSOURCE.COM
APPLE SOFTBALL LEAGUE BIGBIG APPLE SOFTBALL LEAGUE West 208208 West 13th13th St St New York, 10011 New York, NY NY 10011 212212 696-7482 696-7482
CHEER NY NY CHEERLEADING CHEER CHEERLEADING Felipe Hernandez Felipe Hernandez 888888 671-7312 671-7312 www.cheerny.org www.cheerny.org
CITY CRUISERS MC MC CITY CRUISERS Old Chelsea Station Old Chelsea Station PO Box 1614 PO Box 1614 New York, NY 10011 New York, NY 10011 www.citycruisers.com www.citycruisers.com (gay men’s motorcycle club)
EZRYDERS SNOWBOARDING EZRYDERS SNOWBOARDING W 46th St #4D 445445 W 46th St #4D New York, 10036 New York, NY NY 10036 www.ezryders@ondbdx.com www.ezryders@ondbdx.com
FAST AND FABULOUS CYCLING FAST AND FABULOUS CYCLING 23008, Ansonia P.O.P.O. BoxBox 23008, Ansonia Sta Sta New York, NY NY 10023 New York, 10023 212212 567-7160 567-7160
FRONT RUNNERS NY NY FRONT RUNNERS P.O.P.O. BoxBox 87 87 Ansonia Sta Ansonia Sta New York, NY 10023 New York, NY 10023 212 799-8781 212www.frny.org 799-8781 www.frny.org
GARDEN STATE GAY
GARDEN STATE GAY BOWLING LEAGUE BOWLING LEAGUE www.gsgbo.com www.gsgbo.com
GOTHAM VOLLEYBALL GOTHAM VOLLEYBALL P.O.P.O. BoxBox 961961 New York, 10034 New York, NY NY 10034 388-8208 212212 388-8208 info@gothamvolleyball.org info@gothamvolleyball.org
KNIGHTS WRESTLING KNIGHTS WRESTLING CLUBCLUB P.O.P.O. BoxBox 720161 720161 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 718718 815-3244 815-3244
JERSEY G&L BOWLERS NORTH NORTH JERSEY G&L BOWLERS Belle Aire Lanes Belle Aire Lanes West Caldwell, NJ West Caldwell, NJ 201 823-2250 201 823-2250
GAYLEAGUE POOL LEAGUE NY GAYNY POOL PO Box PO 1502 Ansonia Sta Box 1502 Ansonia Sta New York, NYYork, 10023 New NY 10023 212 496-4585 212 496-4585
NY RAMBLER’S SOCCER SOCCER NY RAMBLER’S CLUB, INC. CLUB, INC. 917 767-9789 917 767-9789 www.nyramblers.com www.nyramblers.com
NYC GAY BASKETBALL LEAGUE NYC GAY BASKETBALL LEAGUE www.nycgaybasketball.org
www.nycgaybasketball.org
OUT OF BOUNDS OUT OF BOUNDS NYC & TEAM NYC & TEAM NEW YORK NEW YORK 372, PO Box PO 372,Box Times SqTimes StationSq Station New NY 10108 New York, NYYork, 10108 www.oobnyc.org www.oobnyc.org
PINKNY PONG NY PINK PONG Sunnyside, Sunnyside, Queens Queens 718 623-2926 718 623-2926 www.pinkpongfoundation.org www.pinkpongfoundation.org
SUN/MON/TUE SUN/MON/TUE NIGHT TEAMS NIGHT TEAMS c/o Chelsea Piers AMF Bowl c/o Chelsea AMFYork, Bowl NY 10011 Pier Piers 60, New Pier 60, 212 New835-2691 York, NY 10011 212 835-2691
SUNDANCE OUTDOOR
SUNDANCE OUTDOOR ADVENTURE SOCIETY ADVENTURE SOCIETY www.sundanceoutdoor.org www.sundanceoutdoor.org sundanceoutdoor@yahoo.com sundanceoutdoor@yahoo.com
TEAM NEW YORK AQUATICS TEAM NEW YORK AQUATICS 212 691-3440 212 691-3440 (hotline) (hotline)
CULTURAL, CULTURAL, ETHNIC & & ETHNIC SOCIAL SOCIAL
Grove Pizza & Restaurant
185 Holly Walk Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6612 Cherry Grove ������������������������������631 597-6600
ATHLETIC ATHLETIC
HARDWARE
LANDSCAPING/FLORAL
The Pavilion
Metrosource is committed to helping
Metrosource is committed to helping non-profit organizations in ongoing their ongoing non-profit organizations in their efforts to serve our diverse community. efforts to serve our diverse community.
Steel Gym
Pines www�steelgym�com
Pines Hardware & Sundries
36 Fire Island Boulevard Pines �������������������������������������������631 597-3599
72
SeaBreeze Rentals
NEW YORK NEW YORK COMMUNITY COMMUNITY RESOURCES RESOURCES
LONG ISLAND LONG ISLAND RAVENS MCMC CLUB RAVENS CLUB c/oc/o Long Island Eagle Long Island Eagle 94 94 Clinton Ave Clinton Ave Bayshore, NY 11706 Bayshore, NY 11706 631631 968-2750 968-2750 www.liravensmc.org www.liravensmc.org
MONDAY NIGHT FOURPLAY MONDAY NIGHT FOURPLAY BOWLING LEAGUE BOWLING Syosset Bowl LEAGUE Bowl 631Syosset 842-5166
631 842-5166
APICHAAPICHA 400 Broadway 400 Broadway New York, NYYork, 10013 New NY 10013 212 334-6029 212 334-6029 www.apicha.org www.apicha.org
BEST FRIENDS BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY ANIMAL SOCIETY 5001 Angel Canyon Rd 5001 Angel Canyon Rd Kanab, UT 84741 Kanab, UT 84741 435 644-2001 435 644-2001 www.bestfriends.org
www.bestfriends.org
ADVERTISECALL CALL 800-818-0480 212 691-5127 TOTO ADVERTISE
NEW YORK COMMUNITY RESOURCES Metrosource is committed to helping non-profit organizations in their ongoing efforts to serve our diverse community.
BIG GAY MEN OF NEW YORK 9111 Liberty Ave #662 Ozone Park, NY 11417 631 780-2807 www.convergence.nyc
LESBIAN HERSTORY ARCHIVES PO Box 1258 New York, NY 10116 718 768-3953
QUEENS L&G PRIDE COMMITTEE PO Box 580445 Flushing, NY 11358 718 460-4064
EMPIRE CITY MEN’S CHORUS P.O. Box 1017 New York, NY 10185 empirecitymenschorus.org
LESLIE-LOHMAN MUSEUM OF GAY AND LESBIAN ART 26 Wooster St New York, NY 10013 www.leslielohman.org
QUEENS PRIDE HOUSE 76-11 37th Ave Jackson Heights, NY 11372 718 429-5309
GAY & BI FATHERS FORUM OF GREATER NY PO Box 1321, Midtown Sta New York, NY 10018 212 721-4216 (recording) 718 728-0476 GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION (GLAAD) 150 West 26th St New York, NY 10001 212 807-1700 www.glaad.org GAY FATHERS OF NY 245 Eighth Ave #897 New York, NY 10011 212 388-2618 GAY MEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT 44 Court St, 10th Fl, Ste 1000 Brooklyn, NY 10201 718 222-6300 www.gmad.org GAY MEN OF THE BRONX PO Box 511, Bronx, NY 10451 www.gmob.org IMPERIAL QUEENS & KINGS OF NY 70-A Greenwich Ave #120 New York, NY 10011 212 229-5900 x3655 IN OUR OWN WRITE 208 West 13th St New York, NY 10014 212 620-7310 x305 (monthly readings) IN THE LIFE 30 West 26th St, 7th Fl New York, NY 10011 212 255-6012 JERSEY CITY LESBIAN & GAY OUTREACH (JCLGO) 113 Pavonia Ave #247 Jersey City, NJ 07302 201 333-5725 LATINOS & LATINAS DE AMBIENTE/NY (LLANY) 208 West 13th St New York, NY 10014 212 367-1092 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER 208 West 13th St New York, NY 10014 212 620-7310 www.gaycenter.org LESBIAN & GAY NATURAL HISTORY GROUP OF NY 80 Garfield Pl Brooklyn, NY 11215 718 965-0013
LIVE OUT LOUD 45 West 36th Street, 6th Fl New York, NY 10018 212 378-4095 www.liveoutloud.info THE LOFT-LOWER HUDSON VALLEY LGBT CENTER 252 Bryant Ave White Plains, NY 10605 914 948-2932 www.loftgaycenter.org THE L.I. GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL ORG P.O. Box 360 East Northport, NY 11731 www.liglff.org LONG ISLAND GAY & LESBIAN YOUTH 34 Park Ave Bay Shore, NY 11706 631 665-2300 www.ligaly.org LONG ISLAND RAVENS M.C. c/o The Long Island Eagle 94 North Clinton Ave Bay Shore, NY 11706 631 968-2750 www.liravensmc.org MALES AU NATUREL (MAN) MEN’S NUDIST GROUP 347 704-0704 www.males.org MEN OF ALL COLORS TOGETHER NEW YORK PO Box 1518 Ansonia Station, NY 10023 NYC GAY MEN’S CHORUS 561 Seventh Ave, Ste 803 New York, NY 10018 212 344-1777 www.nycgmc.org NYC PRIDE 154 Christopher St, Suite 1D New York, NY 10014 212 807-7433 www.nycpride.org PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS (P-FLAG) PO Box 553 New York, NY 10021 212 463-0629 THE POINT FOUNDATION 5757 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 370 LA, CA 90036 866 33-Point www.pointfoundation.org PRIME TIMERS c/o Don Hargus 208 Anderson St, Suite 8DS Hackensack, NJ 07601 201 488-4839
QUEENS RAINBOW COMMUNITY CENTER 30-74 Steinway St, 2nd Fl Astoria, NY 11105 718 204-5955 SERVICES AND ADVOCACY FOR GLBT ELDERS (SAGE) 305 Seventh Ave New York, NY 10001 212 741-2247 www.sageusa.org SOUTHERNERS/L&G MEN IN NY PO Box 881 New York, NY 10008-0881 STONEWALL CHORALE Box 920, Old Chelsea Sta New York, NY 10011 212 971-5813 STONEWALL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 119 West 24th St, 7th Fl New York, NY 10011 212 367-1155 www.stonewallfoundation.org TRI STATE LG&B STUDENT COALITION 208 West 13th St New York, NY 10014
HEALTH/ COUNSELING AIDS CENTER OF QUEENS COUNTY 97-45 Queens Blvd #1220 Rego Park, NY 11374 718 896-2500 AIDS DRUG ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ADAP) 800 542-2437 AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION 475 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn, NY 11217 718 637-2970 888 AIDS-CARE www.ahfpharmacy.org AIDS HOTLINE/NYC DEPT OF HEALTH 311 Broadway, 4th Fl New York, NY 10007 800 TALK-HIV
THE ALLIANCE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE 64 West 35th Street, 3rd Fl New York, NY 10001 212.645-0875 www.alliance.nyc (SEE AD PREVIOUS PAGE) AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR AIDS RESEARCH 120 Wall St New York, NY 10005 212 806-1600 ANTI-VIOLENCE PROJECT 240 West 35th St, 12th Fl New York, NY 10001 212 714-1184 212 714-1141 (Hotline) BAILEY HOLT HOUSE 180 Christopher St New York, NY 10014 212 337-3000 BAILEY HOUSE 275 Seventh Ave, 12th Fl New York, NY 10001 212 633-2500 BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER AIDS CLINICAL TRIAL UNIT DIV OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES 350 East 17th St, 3rd Fl New York, NY 10003 212 420-4519
GAY MEN OF AFRICAN DESCENT 44 Court St, 10th Fl, Ste 1000 Brooklyn, NY 10201 718 222-6300 www.gmad.org GAY MEN’S HEALTH CRISIS 446 West 33rd St New York, NY 10001 212 367-1273 212 367-1489 800 243-7692 www.gmhc.org GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER 166 Ave of the Americas New York, NY 10013 212 294-8142 212 294-8100 www.godslovewedeliver.org www.racetodeliver.org GREENWICH HOUSE 80 Fifth Ave New York, NY 10011 212 691-2900 HEALTH EDUCATION AIDS LIAISON PO Box 1103 New York, NY 10113 212 873-0780 HETRICK MARTIN INSTITUTE 212 674-2400 www.hmi.org
NAMES PROJECT NYC 75 Varick St #1404 New York, NY 10013-1917 212 226-2292 NYC DEPT OF HEALTH OFFICE OF G&L HEALTH 125 Worth St, Suite CN67 New York, NY 10013 212 442-6944 PROJECT ACHIEVE New York, 212 305-2201 Project ACHIEVE (Union Square) New York, 212 388-0008 www.nycvaccine.org www.hopetakesaction.org THE SAMARITANS OF NEW YORK SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE PO Box 1259 New York, NY 10159 212 673-3000 (24 Hours) TALK SAFE + PLUSES 203 West St #408 New York, NY 212 604-1500 TREVOR PROJECT 9056 Santa Monica Blvd #100 West Hollywood, CA 90069 310 271-8845 VILLAGE NURSING HOME DAY TREATMENT PROGRAM 133 West 20th St, Ground Fl New York, NY 10011 212 633-1616
BODY POSITIVE OF NY 19 Fulton St Suite 308B New York, NY 10038 212 566-7333 800 566-6599
HEALTHSHERPA 844 346-9476 www.metrosource. healthsherpa.com
BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS 165 West 46th St #1300 New York, NY 10036 212 840-0770
HISPANIC AIDS FORUM, INC. 213 W 35th St, 12th Fl New York, NY 10001 212 868-6230 www.hafnyc.org
LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND 120 Wall St #1500 New York, NY 10005 212 809-8585
HIV STOPS WITH ME www.hivstopswithme.org
LEGAL (L&G LAW ASSN OF GREATER NY) 799 Broadway #340 New York, NY 10003 212 459-4873
BROOKLYN AIDS TASK FORCE 465 Dean St Brooklyn, NY 11217 718 783-0883 CALLEN LORDE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER 356 West 18th St New York, NY 10011 212 271-7200 CHEST (CTRHIV/AIDS EDUCATION STUDIES & TRAINING) 250 West 26th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 212 206-7919 DESIGN INDUSTRIES FOUNDATION FOR AIDS (DIFFA) 200 Lexington Ave #1016 New York, NY 10016 212 727-3100
AIDS RELATED COMMUNITY SERVICES 2269 Saw Mill River Rd Elmsford, NY 10523 914 345-8888
F.E.G.S. MANHATTAN COUNSELING CENTER 80 Van Dam St New York, NY 10013 212 366-8289
AIDS SERVICE CENTER NYLIVEC 64 West 35th St New York, NY 212 645-0875 www.ascnyc.org
FRIENDS HOUSE IN ROSEHILL PMB#248 50 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10010 212 995-5000 www.friendshousenyc.org
INSTITUTION FOR HUMAN IDENTITY 322 Eighth Ave, Suite #802 New York, NY 10011 212 243-2830 www.ihi-therapycenter.org LI ASSN FOR AIDS CARE (LIAAC) 631 385-AIDS (hotline) 631 385-2451 MEN OF COLOR AIDS PREVENTION PROGRAM (MOCA) 125 Worth St, Box 67 New York, NY 10013 212 788-4402 MEN’S HIV SUPPORT GROUP 212 877-8227 x214 MINORITY TASK FORCE ON AIDS 475 Riverside Dr New York, NY 10115 212 870-2691 NAMES PROJECT NJ P.O. Box 716 New Brunswick, NJ 732 249-3933
LEGAL
LESBIANS LESBIANS ABOUT VISUAL ART 118 Fort Greene Pl Brooklyn, NY 11217 LES HERSTORY ARCHIVES PO Box 1258 New York, NY 10116 718 768-3953 LESBIAN MOTHERS @ THE LOFT 180 East Post Rd Lower Level, White Plains, NY 914 948-4922
POLITICAL LOG CABIN REPUBLICANS OF NY Radio City Station PO Box 2321 New York, NY 10101 212 202-6431 www.newyork.logcabin.org
METROSOURCE.COM
APRIL/MAY 2022
73
NEW YORK COMMUNITY RESOURCES Metrosource is committed to helping non-profit organizations in their ongoing efforts to serve our diverse community.
PRIDE DEMOCRATS 70 Greenwich Ave New York, NY 10011 212 613-6039
TREVOR PROJECT 212 545-0081 www.thetrevorproject.org
RELIGIOUS
STONEWALL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 119 West 24th St, 6th Fl New York, NY 10011 212 367-1155
BROADWAY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST 263 West 86 St, 3rd Fl New York, NY 10024 212 316-5700 www.bwayucc.org
STONEWALL DEMOCRATIC CLUB 212 561-9008 www.stonewalldems.com STONEWALL REPUBLICANS PO Box 650052 Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 718 357-7075
PROFESSIONAL
DIGNITY NEW YORK PO Box 1554 New York, NY 10150 646 418-7039 Brooklyn - 718 565-2171 Metro NJ - 973 857-4040 New Bruns. - 732 968-9263 Nassau - 516 781-6225 Suffolk - 631 654-5367
FSIX FINANCIAL SERVICE INDUSTRY EXCHANGE www.fsix.org GAY OFFICERS ACTION LEAGUE PO Box 2038, Canal St Sta New York, NY 10013 NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NY 340 West 42nd Street New York, NY 10108 646 964-5027 www.nglccny.org
INTEGRITY/NEW YORK (LBGT EPISCOPALIANS) PO Box 20067 New York, NY 10011 212 691-7181 MARBLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH 1 West 29th St New York, NY 10001 212 686-2770 www.marblechurch.org
OUT PROFESSIONALS 332 Bleecker St #149 New York, NY 10014 212 462-9255 THE PUBLISHING TRIANGLE 332 Bleecker Street #D36 New York, NY 10014 www.publishingtriangle.org
REFERRALS/ SWITCHBOARDS
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NY 446 West 36th St New York, NY 10018 212 629-7440 www.mccny.org MIDDLE COLLEGIATE CHURCH 112 Second Ave @ 7th St New York, NY 10003 212 477-0666 www.middlechurch.org NOT SO CHURCHY www.notsochurchy.org
G&L SWITCHBOARD P.O. Box 693 New York, NY 212 989-0999 THE GAY PARENTING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND New York, NY 10011 www.menhavingbabies.org
APRIL/MAY 2022
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NY 40 East 35th St New York, NY 10016 212 683-4988 www.ccny.org CONGREGATION BEIT SIMCHAT TORAH 130 West 30th St New York, NY 10001 212 929-9498
ASSOCIATION OF LESBIAN AND GAY AFFIRMATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPISTS 250 West 15th St New York, NY 10011 212 517-1722
74
CHURCH OF ST PAUL & ST ANDREW 263 West 86th St New York, NY 10024 212 362-3179
ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH Reverend Mark Erson 81 Christopher St. New York, NY 10014 212-242-5737 www.stjohnsnyc.org
METROSOURCE.COM