Next week, the 8th annual SoWa Winter Festival will open and this year’s festival will host more than 100 vendors who will be selling a wide range of goods, including specialty food, art, crafts, and other unique gifts at the SoWa Power Station.
In addition to perusing the stalls in the Power Station, the Winter Festival also includes delicious food options, specialty bars, and hot beverage stations, and the 2nd floor which provides a great vantage point for taking some beautiful photos of the Festival also includes live entertainment.
The 2023 SoWa Winter Festival will run for 3 weeks from Friday, Nov 24 – Sunday, Dec 17. Black Friday: 10am-9pm Saturdays: 10am-10pm Sundays: 10am-7pm Thursdays: 4pm-9pm Other Fridays: 4pm-9pm
Todrick Hall rolls into Boston with his Velvet Rage Tour on Wednesday, October 18th at the Wilbur in Boston’s Theater District. Tickets have been on sale for several weeks at this point so don’t delay if you’re interested in seeing this show. More information about tickets is available here.
If you’d like to see if Todrick Hall will be coming to a city near you, visit his tour page, todrickhall.com/tour.
While I’m no fan of the cold, there are certain activities that I do associate with the winter, my search for the perfect cup of hot chocolate, ordering a hot toddy at my favorite bar, visiting, and outdoor ice skating – which is usually bookended by grabbing a hot chocolate up front and a hot toddy following the misadventure (I’ve never really got the hang of ice skating).
Evenings out visiting one of Boston’s many outdoor skating rinks makes for an ideal date (it really can be quite romantic if you can avoid the screaming children) and is also a lot of fun to do with your friends. Below are a few skating rinks for you to check out this winter.
Boston Common Frog Pond located in the heart of the Boston Common and considered one of the best outdoor, public skating rinks in America, this is an obvious choice. The rink is open til 9PM on weekdays (except for Monday) and 10PM on weekends.
Following a few rounds on the Frog Pond you can walk to any number of places for a beverage. Two suggestions include visiting 75 Chestnut for their spiked hot apple cider or visit Emmets Irish Pub for an Irish hot coffee. Both drinks will warm you up.
Rink @401 Park in the Fenway / Kenmore neighborhood this outdoor rink is smaller but still a lot of fun and considering it is next to the Trillium Brewery Pub and TimeOut Boston market, there are more options for warming bevvies for you to try. This rink is open until 9PM on weekdays, 10PM on Saturdays, and 8PM on Sunday.
In addition to the two great choices I shared above to grab a drink or bite to warm up, I also wanted to give a shout out to Tatte Bakery and Cafe for something on the sweeter side and a delicious hot chocolate.
DCR Kelly Rink is in Jamaica Plain near the Stony Brook T station and is open until 7:30PM each evening. It probably closes a little too early to be a viable date place on the weekdays but can make for a great place to check out on the weekend.
This public skating rink is a 5-10 minute walk to the Sam Adams Brewery. I recommend trying their Winter Lager.
Canal District Rink in Kendall Square (Cambridge) is comparable in size to the Rink @401 Park. The hours vary by day so check ahead. If you work in or near Kendall Square, this is the place to head after work for some laughs with colleagues followed by something to drink.
Similar to the Fenway, there is a Tatte Bakery and Cafe nearby for a hot chocolate and a treat, but if you’re looking for an adult-beverage, walk to Sumaio Hunan Kitchen and order a sake or one of their Baijiu cocktails.
Should you decide to head out for some fun at the rink, don’t forget to bundle up. It is going to be a chilly few months until spring, but have fun.
Boston is comprised of 23 neighborhoods. Many of the downtown neighborhoods span less than a square mile, but they are full of interesting sites and places of interest. To that end, this month I selected four downtown neighborhoods and shared my thoughts about what make them worth visiting.
South End
I started this series with the neighborhood I know best, the South End. I’ve lived here for nearly twenty years now but have been visiting since I moved back to Boston in the late 1990s.
The South End is incredibly charming. Built on landfill in the mid-19th century as a residential district for Boston’s growing upper middle-class, hundreds of Victorian Bow Fronts were built and today it’s the largest enclave of urban Victorian residential architecture in the country. The picturesque neighborhood is full of parks, unique shops and restaurants and cafes. While only a few gay bars remain in the South End, this was an enclave for Boston’s LGBTQ+ community from the 1970s – 2000s. While most of the businesses that catered to the gay community have closed or moved online, it’s where many in Boston’s gay community come out for dinner or to meet up with friends for drinks. Read my full profile of the South End here.
Back Bay
I moved into the Back Bay in the late 1990s after living in Atlanta for a few years. I thought I’d live in my apartment on Commonwealth Avenue for a year maybe two but ultimately, I stayed in the Back Bay for six years. I still consider it a homebase and love this neighborhood for all that it has to offer.
If you’ve visited Boston, you’ve probably spent time in the Back Bay. It is a centrally located, afluent neighborhood with some of Boston’s most iconic buildings, busiest streets, best restaurants, bars and shops. It is chock-full of office buildings, hotels, retailers, restaurants and of course residents. Tourists will love the parks (my favorite is The Esplanade) that run through this neighborhood, but Back Bay also has amazing architecture ranging from the modern I.M. Pei design of The Hancock Tower built in the 1970s to the beautiful McKim Building of the Boston Public Library and its hidden Italianate Courtyard that dates back to the late 1800s. In addition, this neighborhood has no shortage of restaurants, bars and shopping so there is plenty to see and do when here. Read my full profile of the Back Bay here.
Beacon Hill
I never lived in Beacon Hill but one of my best friends went to Suffolk University which is located here. I also spent many hours at bars in this neighborhood in my late 20s and early 30s.
Beacon Hill is a popular destination for visitors due to its many historical sites, with some dating back to the 1600s. While this neighborhood is less than a square quarter mile in size it contains a lot to see and enjoy with its pretty as a postcard streets to its many Freedom Trail sites of interest to great restaurants and good pubs. While the neighborhood’s stodgy image is well deserved there is still plenty of fun to be had here and my favorite time of year to visit is in the summer when you can sit outside and enjoy the people watching along Charles Street. For more information about this historic and interesting neighborhood, read my full profile of Beacon Hill here.
North End
The North End is where my maternal grandmother grew up as a kid. My brother briefly lived here and at the moment one of my cousins call the North End home. While I’ve never lived here, it is this familial connection to this tiny neighborhood that makes me feel connected to it.
The North End is charming unless you’re driving then it is a nightmare. The neighborhood is comprised of a maze of narrow, meandering streets that are chock-full of Italian restaurants, bakeries and cafes. The tiny neighborhood is hemmed in between Boston’s inner harbor to the North and East and The Rose Kennedy Greenway (a.k.a. The Greenway) to the West and South. This neighborhood is for those who love American History (esp. American Revolution) and for those who love food. For more information about Boston’s “Little Italy”, read my full profile of the North End here.
The World Naked Bike Ride is a free, clothing optional global protest for more bikeable streets and curbing urban pollution. Boston hosted its first world naked bike ride in 2010 but unfortunately this year’s ride has been cancelled. If you are interested in helping rebuild and organize Boston’s next World Naked Bike Ride you can connect with the national organizer, worldnakedbikeride.org.
I’ve written a four-part series featuring different luxury hotels in Boston for gay travelers who may be visiting the area. These articles are also for locals who may want to pamper themselves with a posh stay-cation and even for those who may never spend a night but would like to treat themselves to hotel services and or dining. We can all do with a little pampering and these hotels are ready, willing and more than able to help you feel special.
lux·u·ry ˈləɡZH(ə)rē/ noun: the state of great comfort and extravagant living.
Luxury hotels in Boston for gay travelers
Over the past few years several luxury brand hotels in Boston have opened and / or undergone significant renovations and are now open for business – like the Langham Boston Hotel. Even if you don’t have the budget to fully experience the ammenities, it is possible to experience luxury in doses.
The Langham, Boston Hotel’s address in Post Office Square has made it a favorite property for business travelers, but the hotel’s convenient location to many points of interest make it an ideal property for visitors coming to Boston for fun. The building first opened in 1922 as the Federal Reserve Bank and was declared an historical landmark in 1978. The granite building was inspired by the Palazzo della Cancelleria, in Rome and is considered an excellent example of Renaissance Revival architecture.
The 300+ room hotel closed in April 2019 to undergo a significant renovation that cost more than $150 million and reopened in June 2021. According to The Boston Globe, the hotel’s billionaire chairman, Lo Ka Shui, incorporated his collection in the Boston property along with a number of commissioned pieces specifically for this hotel from the Copley Society of Art.
Langham Boston Hotel dining and things to do
If you’re unlikely to book a room in this beautifully renovated Boston hotel, there remain several ways to appreciate this property. As part of the renovation, a new Italian restaurant called Grana, and a London-inspired cocktail pub called The Fed (which has an outdoor terrace) will open shortly after the hotel’s reopening I’m especially intrigued by The Fed because there are so few pubs and bars with outdoor space in the Financial District.
Grana is Langham Boston’s new Italian restaurant
The Fed is Langham Boston’s London inspired cocktail pub
For many gay travelers who plan on visiting Provincetown, The Langham might be a good choice. It is a 10-minute walk to either ferry service company or an easy ride from a taxi or Uber driver. Additionally, the hotel is close to points of interest, including the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall as well as Beacon Hill and the North End.
Boston Pride has been embroiled in a nasty back-and-forth with activists who have called the organization racist and “trans-exclusionary”. In response to the ongoing pressure and criticism Boston Pride president, Linda DeMarco, stepped down last month. For background on her departure and the criticism leveled at the organization, read more here.
Activists were not satisfied by that response saying it was too little too late and that the all white Boston Pride board didn’t represent the LGBTQ+ community and needed to resign now. And a boycott Boston Pride event was scheduled on Saturday, June 12th in conjunction with the second annual Trans Resistance March and Vigil. In response to the mounting pressure, the Boston Pride Board issued a statement today at 4:30 p.m. that the entire Board would resign and Boston Pride will shutdown.
“By making the decision to close down, we hope new leaders will emerge from the community to lead the Pride movement in Boston.”
The sudden dissolution of Boston Pride puts into question if there will be a 50th anniversary Boston Pride celebration later this fall. Earlier this year Boston Pride had indicated in-person celebrations might be scheduled in October.
Donna Summer was born in Boston and grew up in Mission Hill. Shortly after her passing in 2012, Boston started hosting an annual summer disco party to honor the Queen of Disco. Initially hosted in Government Center, the celebration was suspended last year due to COVID-19 but will return to Copley Square tomorrow, Thursday, June 24th.
Unlike past years, this year’s event will not feature a roller-skating rink, but dancing is ecouraged as DJs play Donna Summer’s greatest hits in a groovy atmosphere complete with glow sticks, colorful lights, and a disco ball.
Shown below is artist Maxine Hwang Blomberg with her wearable art, the Prodigal Poppy Head. Many may remember Maxine from her days working at the Green Light Cafe and her creative pop-up shows in SoWa. She is one 30 emerging and established queer local artists who are exhibiting their works from the Boston LGBTQIA+ Artist Alliance (BLAA) at The Distillery Gallery.
The Distillery Gallery is located at 516 E. 2nd Street in Southie and is open Monday thru Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Swing by and check out the gallery showing which will be on view through Friday, July 23rd.
I’ve written a four-part series featuring different luxury hotels in Boston for gay travelers who may be visiting the area. These articles are also for locals who may want to pamper themselves with a posh stay-cation and those who may never spend a night but would like to treat themselves to hotel services and or dining. We can all do with a little pampering and these hotels are ready, willing and more than able to help you feel special.
lux·u·ry ˈləɡZH(ə)rē/ noun: the state of great comfort and extravagant living.
Boston luxury hotel spotlight for gay travelers
Over the past few years several luxury brand hotels in Boston have opened and / or undergone significant renovations and are now open for business. Even if you don’t have the budget to fully experience the ammenities, it is possible to experience luxury in doses at these properties. The Four Seasons One Dalton in Boston’s Back Bay is one such newcomer worth checking out.
The 61-story five star hotel and residence, which opened in May 2019, is Boston’s third tallest building. This is the second Four Season’s hotel in Boston and the glass and steel elliptical design hints at a more modern property than its sister property, the Four Seasons Boston located across from the Public Garden. While the 160 private residences located on the uppermost floors have the best views, the 215 room hotel offers a great vantage point with views of the Charles River, Back Bay and points south and west.
All rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows and come with iPads, premium bedding, 65″ plasma televisions and complimentary Internet access to make your stay as comfortable as possible. The muted colors in the guest rooms are intentional and designed to help guests relax, and the rooms’ furnishings have clean and simple lines consistent with the building’s modern design.
Four Seasons restaurants and more
Some of the amenities available to guests who stay at this sleek property include The Wellness Floor (on the 7th floor), which includes a worldclass spa, fitness center and salon facilities along with a stunning indoor pool that has great views of the city below. However, you don’t need to be a guest to make an appointment which is now open Friday through Sunday. Call and make a reservation.
If a stay at this new hotel is unlikely, it is still worth coming to see the property. Located off of the hotel lobby is a vibrant installation of the British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s Great American Library. The captivating bookshelf installation brings a smile to my face when I walk through the room to take the stairs up one flight to the contemporary Japanese restaurant, Zuma. However, if contemporary Japanese cuisine isn’t your thing visit Trifecta, the Four Seasons cocktail lounge serves light bites. It is also here that weekend tea service is offered from 11:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.
If you’re looking for something to do during the day and you’re not tempted to make use of the 7th floor pool, gym or spa, head out to Newbury Street for some retail therapy. The hotel is just a few blocks from Boston’s shopping district. Just a few blocks beyond Newbury Street is my favorite park in Boston, The Esplanade. Here you can go for a walk, run or bike ride.
If the dining options at the Four Seasons One Dalton are not of interest, read my post about the Back Bay and South End, which have more LGBTQ+ tips and places to eat or enjoy a few cocktails. The closest gay bar, Club Cafe, is a 10 minute walk. There you can have a meal, check out a cabaret show or go dancing.
For those of you looking for a mid-week escape, head over to Legacy Boston in the Theater District for Latino Wednesdays. This popular dance night has returned. The weekly party is hosted by Gay Mafia Boston.
Get more information about Gay Mafia weekly parties by subscribing to their mailing list.
Boston-based non-profit, Verna Felton, launched their website last week. The non-profit aims to support LGBTQ+ emerging adults interested in drag by applying the green concept of “reduce, reuse, recycle”. Verna Felton encourages anyone who may have one of a kind, beloved statement pieces such as drag costumes, dresses or gowns that have been relegated to closets and storage to be donated to LGBTQ+ young people who have an interest in drag but lack the financial resources to purchase such garments. I think of it as giving these sequins and sparkles previously worn to parties, tea dances and cruises an opportunity to shine in the spotlight once again.
The popularity of drag is hard to deny. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, drag was experiencing a renaissance. Drag nights, brunches and contests were everywhere, and the growing popularity of shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race has helped fuel the interest in drag with LGBTQ+ youth.
Scottie Gage conceived of the non-profit after he realized he had a closet brimming with statement pieces he was no longer using or intended to wear again and wanted to share with other young men who could make new memories with their friends in these clothes.
Recognizing that many gay men have garments that no longer fit or will be worn again provides a thoughtful approach and alternative to discarding these items. In addition to providing a practical solution to gift drag costuming, Verna Felton aims to be a resource for LGBTQ+ young people seeking additional clinical and behavioral health resources.
For more information about how to help support this non-profit financially and through clothing donations, or if you would like to learn more about how to receive a donated garment from Verna’s closet, please visit, vernafelton.org.
I’ve written a four-part series featuring different luxury hotels in Boston for gay travelers who may be visiting the area. These articles are also for locals who may want to pamper themselves with a posh stay-cation and those who may never spend a night but would like to treat themselves to hotel services and or dining. We can all do with a little pampering and these hotels are ready, willing and more than able to help you feel special.
lux·u·ry ˈləɡZH(ə)rē/ noun: the state of great comfort and extravagant living.
Boston luxury hotel spotlight for gay travelers
Over the past few years several luxury brand hotels in Boston have opened and / or undergone significant renovations and are now open for business. Even if you don’t have the budget to fully experience the ammenities, it is possible to experience luxury in doses. The XV Beacon in Boston’s Beacon Hill is one such property worth checking out.
Although it is not part of the definition, exculsivity is often associated with luxury. For that reason, XV Beacon stands out as the only boutique property in this series.
XV Beacon first opened on Beacon Hill in 2000 and is consistently noted as one of Boston’s preeminent places to stay. It has earned the admiration and respect of Bostonians, guests and the travel industry. It was named by Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Best Hotel or Resort in every state and has many rave reviews on Trip Advisor.
This 63-room boutique property is in a beautiful ten story Beaux Arts building of iron, limestone and brick. It is capped with a copper cornice exterior and exudes great curb appeal. The hotel rooms were individually designed and have four-poster queen bed classic rooms or queen and king-size bed studio rooms that include whirlpool baths, heated towels, in-room fireplaces, complimentary high-speed Internet access, 400-thread-count linen sheets, and museum-quality artwork throughout.
XV Beacon goes the extra mile by providing helpful guest services like their fleet of chauffeured Lexuses for complimentary trips around Boston. Their superb conceirge services can arrange for on-site massages in your rooms, private tours to places of interest and of historical significance, tickets to shows as well as airport transfers. Tempted? Check out one of XV Beacon Hotel Packages & Promotions and treat yourself.
XV Beacon Hotel restaurant and more
However, if a stay at this beautiful property is unlikely, one can appreciate this unique property’s excellent restaurant (also part of the Columbus Hospitality Group), MOOO. The modern steakhouse is perhaps best known for their private dining room ‘The Wine Cellar’, with double vaulted ceilings and 4,000 bottles of fine and rare wine dating from the 1700s to present day. For an additional private dining option, XV Beacon’s Parlor Suites can be booked, but a more realistic option for those seeking luxury on a budget is to visit MOOO for a cocktail at their bar with a few apps. The staff is superb and the cocktails delicious. Also be on the lookout for MOOO to (hopefully) bring back their acoustic jazz brunch this fall.
The central location of XV Beacon makes it easy for visitors to enjoy some of Boston’s most popular attractions. From the historic Freedom Trail to biking and walking paths by the Esplanade to Fanueuil Hall and shopping in the Back Bay there are plenty of ways to spend your time. If you have limited time and unsure what to do, speak to the concierge team at XV Beacon who have an impeccable reputation and can tailor suggestions to your interests.
After you are done sight seeing, perusing the unique shops on Beacon Hill’s Charles Street or strolling down Newbury Street, head over to Club Cafe for a cabaret show or dancing in the back. For more information about places to shop, dine or go out read my post about the Back Bay and South End which include more places to eat or enjoy a few cocktails at Boston’s gay bars.
XV Beacon Hotel 15 Beacon Street, Boston 02108 1.877.XVBEACON xvbeacon.com
Boston Pride has been embroiled in a nasty back-and-forth with activists who have (for some time) called the non-profit organization racist and “trans-exclusionary”.
The tipping point for activists came last summer after the Boston Pride board’s tepid response to the police killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The organization’s response was developed without consulting Black Pride subcommittee members. Critics said the board routinely disregard LGBTQ+ minority groups (especially those in the trans community) and that the all-white Boston Pride leadership and board needs to go. Organizers say by removing the entire board it will give the organization a fresh new start – one that is hopefully more representational of Boston’s LGBTQ+ community.
In today’s Boston Globe, Sue O’Connell, copublisher of Bay Windows and a host at NECN, the official media sponsor of Boston Pride, said, “The pandemic and the reckoning of our unjust racial past has just claimed the Pride committee because they were unable to actually do the right thing over many, many years.”
Activists are calling for the entire Boston Pride board to resign and are holding their second annual vigil for Black Trans Lives on Saturday. DiMarco’s announcement will certainly be acknowledged from the stage, but will DeMarco’s resignation be enough? The protest and vigil will start in Nubian Square and people will march to Franklin Park. More information about that is available here.
Over the next year Boston will get two new state-of-the-art live music venues. These mid-sized venues will be welcome additions to the city and provide new space for musicians, artists and performers. The first venue expected to open is the MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park, which is eyeing a late fall 2021 opening. The second, is The Roadrunner, will open at Boston Landing in Allston / Brighton in the spring of 2022.
MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park is a new performing arts center located at the corner of Lansdowne and Ipswich Streets. The new venue has a 5,000 person capacity and will be operated in partnership with Live Nation Entertainment. MGM Music Hall is expected to open in the fall of 2021, but no website or further information has been forthcoming. This venue will provide Boston yet another indoor, performing arts space with a capacity that is approximately twice that of the neighboring House of Blues on Lansdowne Street and roughly the same as the seasonal venue, Harbor Lights (now known as Leader Bank Pavilion). Stay tuned for more updates on this new venue.
Roadrunner is set to open in the spring of 2022. Located at Boston Landing in Allston / Brighton, the venue is larger than the House of Blues but smaller than the MGM Music Hall. With a capacity of 3,500 the Roadrunner will be the largest general admission indoor music venue in New England when it opens. In case your wondering, the venue’s name comes from the 1976 rock song Roadrunner by the Modern Lovers, which has been proposed as the state’s official rock song. This venue will be operated by The Bowery, which also own and operate The Sinclair in Harvard Square and Royale in Boston’s Theater District. You can sign-up to receive updates from this venue by visting their website at roadrunnerboston.com.
BosGuy 