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June, 2007 - Volume 9, Issue 6
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Welcome to the Purple Roofs Travel Newsletter! This Month's Travel Articles This month we have a great article from the Gay Travel Guys, Donald and Ray, about Gay Travelers - thanks, guys! We also have a great article on Traveling Gay from friend of the editors Kevin Isom - thanks so much, Kevin, for granting us permission to reprint this article, which originally appeared in Q Vegas Magazine. Innkeepers - write us an article about your area, and we'll include it in a future issue of this newsletter with credit and links to your website and email addresses. Contact wheretostay@purpleroofs.com for more details. Purple Roofs Goes to Portland We visited Portland, oregon, last month, and LOVED it - Portland is an amazingly progressive city making all the right moves to build a liveable downtown and metro area. More in our travelog below. Special Offer Accommodation Notices As always, we also have our Late Availability & Special Offer notices (119 offers in 17 countries/regions) all at http://www.purpleroofs.com/lateavailability.html, or just check your favorite destination page - these notices are also right there on the regular listings. Travelers - Try a Home Trade Membership for Just $60 for 3 Years... ...and stay for free with other gay, lesbian, and gay friendly travelers around the world. More details on our Mi Casa Su Casa site at: http://www.gayhometrade.com. Seen Our Real Estate and Wedding Sections Lately? We've been beefing up our realtor, mortgage lender, and wedding vendor listings over the last several months, and now have over 450 real estate professional listings in 45 US states, Spain, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. We also have over 630 Wedding Vendor listings in 42 US states, Asia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mexico and the South Pacific. Check out our real estate professional listings here: http://www.gayrealtynetwork.com That's it for this issue - see you next time! :) Mark & Scott, PURPLE ROOFS |
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Like its skyline, Portland’s culture is hard to get in a single snapshot. The city is surprising on a number of levels, and surpassed all of our expectations for it when we visited in mid-May. A couple snapshots:
Portland is also a hotbed of liberalism, and guess what? It’s one of the most livable, welcoming, foot-traffic friendly US cities we’ve ever been to. It’s a city that works. Green Portland
Pioneer Courthouse Square is your living room, where you can relax, have lunch, meet with friends, and enjoy the city. And you don’t need a car – the city is your garage.
We live in one of Sacramento’s suburbs, and we’d have a hard time getting anywhere without a car. We’ll tackle a few of Portland’s wacky liberal ideas here, which, when you look at them more closely, don’t seem so wacky after all:
What also struck us about Portland is how thewy learn, even from their successes. The new light rial line will ride along the center of the street, veering to the curb at stations, to provide better traffic flow than the older lines, which run curbside throughout downtown. In another example, the old bus and rail stops had covered benches – and the covers tended to hold in cigarette smoke when someone smoked underneath them. The new ones have been designed to allow smoke to escape at the top while still providing cover from the rain. But they plan to keep one of the old stations around as a reminder of the old design.
In support of this idea, the city of Portland has provided the spaces for these cars, and you park for free in the designated spots. They’re marked by a bright orange pole with four “tabs”, which emphasize the preferred order of transit in the city – by foot on top, followed by bicycle, followed by mass transit, followed by car. With rising gas prices and global warming concerns, it’d be great to see other cities on the US emphasizing transit this way, and taking steps to make their cities more friendly to pedestrian traffic, cyclers and mass transit.
There are no meters, per se, in the city. Instead, you simply park, go to the nearest parking machine, and pay for the parking, getting a slip to put in your car.
Say you pay for parking near south park for two hours, but finish your picnic lunch there after half an hour, and want to visit the Pearl District. No problem – just drive there, park, and your parking there is paid until your ticket expires. Cool, huh? The parking times for each area are also very clearly marked on signs on each block, so you know if you’re in a 1/2 hour zone, an hour zone, etc.
The city is also blessed with beautiful trees that line the streets of downtown, and there’s so much great architecture to see here.
And city blocks are really short here, so walking 10 blocks takes 5 minutes here. Again, the city is built to a more human scale.
Here again is a simple idea that just makes sense – wherever the sign faces, the map is turned to correspond with that direction – in other words, if you’re facing south looking at a directory sign, the top of the map is the south end of town. If you’re looking at a sign facing east, the map is turned, so again, the way you’re facing is the same way the map is oriented. This is one of those things that took a little extra thought, but makes it so much easier to visualize your location when you’re looking at the map.
This is a great example of both working with existing building owners to find a solution for new development which doesn’t devalue the older building, and an example of how a progressive city government doesn’t mean an anti-religion stance. In fact, you can make the case that the “liberal” values of tolerance, helping the poor, and stewardship of the Earth and our natural resources are very much in line with religious values. Keep your eyes open for some great architecture as you walk around Downtown Portland:
Some of it is epic in scale, like the amazing thirty six foot tall statue of Portlandia (at left)atop the entrance of the Portland Building (the building was designed by Michael Graves, the same guy who sells home décor at Target).
He also will not allow the statue to be moved, saying it was designed for its location.
Some of the art is smaller and more whimsical, like the Folly Bollards (at right) – the little faces that cap the poles in front of the Performing Arts Center. And some of these are more ephemeral and unintentional, like the bouquet of pink roses in the basket of a pink bike parked on the sidewalk.
The permanent art is mostly funded by Portland’s 1% for art program - new building projects have to incude 1% of their budget for public art. Here are a few of our favorites: You also may notice some of the street names that sound familiar – Lovejoy, Flanders, Quimby, Terwilliger, etc. – if they sound familiar, they should – they’e all last names of characters on the Simpsons. Matt Groenig, the creator if the Simpsons, grew up here, and took many of his characters’ names from city street names. You’ll also find the street the Simpsons live on – Evergreen Terrace – here. City Parks: There are a number of parks in Downtown Portland. There are several that caught our attention, each for a different reason.
It’s a great park for wandering, sitting on a park bench under the beautiful, huge trees, and enjoying a warm summer afternoon.
Finally, Waterfront Park runs along the Willamette River, offering a wide greenbelt that separates the city from the water. This park is not all that remarkable in and of itself – it’s a nice picnic spot, and offers some decent river views. But it’s more significant for what it represents. Some years ago, Highway 5 ran along this stretch of downtown Portland. The federal government wanted to build another freeway out to Mount Baker, but the locals objected. So instead of paving over even more land, they used the money, along with additional locally raised resources, to tear down the old freeway and to reconstruct it on the far side of the river, opening up the river view and the space for the park, similar to what San Francisco did in the early ninetes with the Embarcadero Freeway. Where to Eat We tried several places while we were here, mostly casual.
Pizza here is of the thin crust variety, kinda like Sabarros in the mall but without all the extra grease. The folks here are friendly, too.
The truffle fries were really good, but the rest of the meal wasn’t shabby either. Very cool interior and again, great friendly service.
This is a great restaurant for dinner – we met a couple of our friends here, and really enjoyed the food. The menu’s heavy on seafood, but there are other options too for folks who prefer their meals furry or green.
We also wanted to try Pazzo (www.pazzoristorante.com) an Italian restaurant (at right) in the heart of downtown. It looked wonderful, but we didn’t get the chance to go there.
The shop is in what’s being called the West End, an area in transition just across the street from the Pearl District, and Cacao is just around the corner from the Eagle, Scandals, and many of the local bars, right next to a big construction project, so it’s a little hard to find, but well worth it. Cacao is a must-see when you’re in Portland, but go early, because they don’t stay open late at night. Things to Do
Mr. Augustine came up with the name, claiming originally that it was because the district was like a crusty oyster – a bit rough looking on the outside, but with pearls inside for folks who looked a little deeper. But in 2002, he came clean, revealing that he’d really named the district after Pearl Marie Amhara, a social worker who was born in Ethiopia and whom Augustine had immense respect for. But he chose to wait until after her death in 1996 to reveal this, out of respect for her and her work. And apparently, the name was not universally embraced until someone writing for Alaskan Airline’s magazine picked it up, trumping other suggestions like the Warehouse District and the Brewery District (after a famous local brewery). Today, though, the name is universally accepted. Whatever the story, the area is undergoing a startling transition, as buildings are renovated, upscale furniture and clothing boutiques move in, new restuarants premier, and condo buildings spring up in and around the district. Ten-01 Restaurant, Powells, PF Changes, and a really cool furniture store called West Elm are all here.
If you’ve never heard of Powell’s, you have to see it to believe it. It’s a used/new bookstore that takes up a full city block, cobboled together from several original buildings. Wandering around inside is like being transported to book wonderland... For instance, most bookstores have a couple rows of Sci Fi and Fantasy Books – Powell’s has something like eight rows, each floor to ceiling, each 15-20 feet long. New and used copies of books comingle on the shelves, and you can often find a used copy in great condition for considerably less than the original. It’s like a huge old library, but you can buy the books! Another must-see in Portland. Take a walking Tour – there are several great walking tours that start at at the Visitor’s Center in Pioneer Courthouse Square – we took the Best of Portland Walking Tour (www.portlandwalkingtours.com), a two-and-a-half hour tour that starts at the square and winds in and around Portland, giving you a sense of the history, architecture, and community-mindedness of this beautiful city. The guide was friendly and well informed, and the tour provided a lot of the information about Portland and the city’s green policies that we’re bringing you in this article. Also offered is the Underground tour, into the old streets and catacombs beneath the current city. Here are a couple pics wetook on the tour - many of the other pics in this article were taken during those two and a half hours too:
Take the elevator up, and you’re literally right at the entry to the zoo. The zoo has a great central meadow for picnicking (as wel;l as snack bars if you don’t bring your own food), and a cool little Elephant Museum with a full-scale skeleton of an elephant inside. You can see the whole thing comfortably in a couple hours.
The city built this brick-paved plaza at the front of Pioneer Courthouse, with the visitor’s center framed by a beautiful waterfall fountain at one end. There’s also a Starbucks here perched on the northwest corner – a really cool glass structure where you can grab a coffee and a snack for your people watching time in the Square.
In the northwest corner, just below the Starbucks, is a small, circular amphitheater (see the oicture at right). Stand in the center and say “Keep Portland Weird” - it’ll freak you out. The bowl shape is an amplifier, that will return your voice back to you like an echo chamber. Walking around the square, you'll see many bricks with names on them - these are mostly everyday folks who paid to sponsor a brick to help pay for the building of the square. There’s also some great upscale shopping in the blocks around the square.
The theater is just on the edge of the West End. Hang out on Hawthorne Boulevard - an eclectic atmosphere reminiscent of University or Telegraph in Berkeley - just across the river from downtown. Lots of funky shops, cafes, and other interesting places to explore, with a bit of a lesbian vibe.
Go to the bars - there are tons of gay bars in Portland - our favorie for just hanging out is Scandals. Here are a few of the others in the downtown area:
Check out the Portland Saturday Market (www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com) - an outdoor bazaar/swap meet/yard sale with all kins of crafts and clothing, and even a guy who makes balloon animals. Though it's called the Saturday Market, it's actually on both Saturday and Sunday.
And if you need a little something new to wear under your jeans before you go out clubbing at night, stop by Under U for Men on Broadway (below). :)
Where to Stay
The closest to Downtown Portland of all the accommodations that we visited, the Guesthouse is about four blocks west of Highway 405, which defines the western edge of the downtown core, in a quiet residential neighborhood. The accommodations here are basic but very clean and affordable, and the hosts, Thomas and Stephen, are great guys. The property has a secured entrance, and wifi internet access throughout. The location, in Northwest Portland, is just a short walk from the West End area where many of Portland’s gay bars and Cacao are - walk two blocks down to Burnside, and then four blocks east to cross the freeway, and you're there. Walking directly east on Flanders, and you're in the Pearl District. The Guesthouse is also close to the Japanese Gardens and Washington Park, and to Forest Park with over 40 miles of hiking trails. This location is ideal for folks looking for affordable accommodations close to the heart of Portland, walking distance from everything downtown.
This new rental accommodation was built by Rupert and Scott, and sits behind their home on a quiet tree-lined lane across the Willamette River from downtown, also in the Irvington District. Kinley Manor Coach House is just three blocks north of Lloyd Center and the light rail line. They're also an easy walk to the Convention Center, and via bridge to Downtown Portland. Built in the style of a carriage or coach house, this vacation rental unit is brand spanking new, with a large, beautiful kitchen, comfortable living room, and loft bedroom overlooking the rest of the home. The building is separate from the main home (which is the owners’ private residence) has its own private entrance, and is also available for extended stays for business travelers or folks needing a home base while visitng the Portland area. There's also a Safeway, a post office, and (big draw for us) a Starbucks just a block away. This is a great place for privacy in a new, well decorated vacation rental unit, and is perfect for folks who want a self-contained rental with everything you need for longer stays. Central to all of the Portland Metro Area.
One word comes to mind when you arrive at Portland’s White House – Grand. Fronted by huge white columns and a wrap-around driveway, the colonial style mansion overshadows everything around it. And the tasteful opulence continues when you enter, with a huge central staircase and luxuriously furnished dining and sitting rooms downstairs. The Bed & Breakfast features 8 rooms, each with ensuite bathroom, The White House is across the river from downtown in North East Portland's Irvington District, in a quiet, tree-lined residential neighborhood, close to Lloyd Center, where you can catch the light rail at 11th Ave. to the airport or Downtown Portland.
Originally a motel, The Jupiter Hotel has been fully remodelled, with modern furnishings, art with a metropolitan vibe, and an on-site bar and restaurant. The hotel features 80 rooms, all with ensuite bathrooms, some with kitchenettes. All rooms are non-smoking. There’s no pool (it’s now a below-ground storage area) but there is a cool urban feel, fun touches like doors that double as blackboards (so you can personalize your own and leave messages for friends) an on-site salon, and an adult store on-site The hotel has a large, tent-covered patio and stage for events, and the hotel, although not a gay property per-se, has a high percentage of glbt guests, holds gay events, and is a major sponsor and host hotel for the annual pride parade in Portland. You can walk to Downtown Portland from here - it's about 8 blocks west on Burnside to the Wilamette River. If you like more of a party atmosphere, and want to stay in the middle of the scene, this is the place for you - an old hotel with a cool new vibe for the 21st century.
Near Hawthorne Blvd, a funky street with am eclectic, sorta Telegraph Ave, feel (for folks familiar with Berkeley, CA), Bluebird Guesthouse has a bit of an eclectic feel itself. On the second floor, the owner cut out the wall to expose the wagon-wheel that runs the dumbwaiter, so you can watch it turn as the mechanism is raised and lowered - believe us, it's pretty cool. The Guesthouse features seven guest rooms, 2 with ensuite bathrooms - the rest have shared bathrooms. Continental breakfast is served each morning. There's a con-op laundrey on site for guest use, as well as a guest kitchen, if you feel like cooking instead of going out every night. This is a great place for folks who want to explore the eastern end of Portland - Downtown is accessible by car or public transit.
In Gresham, about 40 minutes from Downtown via light rail (you do have to drive to the light rail station in the center of Historic Gresham, but it’s only two miles away), this gay-owned B&B offers three cute rooms in a beautiful, historic craftsman-style mansion. The grounds are extensive - two and a half acres surrounded by beautiful trees, set back from the main road for peace and quiet. The owners are working on renovating the grounds, including restoring a pond on the property. The house has views from the dining room of the Southern Buttes, and can accommodate meetings of up to 30 folks indoors and larger events and weddings (up to 100) outdoors. Breakfast is served using mostly locally grown and organic ingredients. The Springwater Trail Corridor is just a mile away up the road - you can hike or bike all the way down to the Willamette River on this paved trail. Forest Springs is great for singles and couples who want nice, quiet bed and breakfast accommodations in the Portland area with easy access to downtown but also close to Mt. Baker and the parks and natural areas east of the Portland Metro area.
About an hour to the west of Portland by car in Seaside is the Hillcrest Inn – an affordable motel-style accommodation in this little seaside town. Seaside is cute in a kind of Boardwalk beachfront town sort of way, with a cute main street filled with lots of little shops, arcades, and other beach attractions. The Inn is perched on a hillside near the ocean, and has 28 rooms. This includes several cottage-style accommodations along its southern border, fronted by a large, grassy lawn. The other units are in multi-story buildings, and range from smaller units to larger suites, some with romantic fireplaces and jacuzzi tubs. The rooms also have kitchenettes with mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. Beach access is just a block away, the Seaside Aquarium is next door, and the cute main street with all of its shopping and little cafes are just a couple short blocks away. Overall, the property offers a low-key, affordable gay friendly accommodation with fairly large, clean rooms.
Wanna Move Here?
There are also new towers going up along the river south of the University. Prices are higher than you might think, running in the upper $700-800’s and up – the Northwest is the only place in the country where the real estate market remains fairly hot.
He also pointed out an amazing weather device on top of one of the downtown buildings (it used to be visible from most of downtown before new buildings went up around it). This device uses flashing lights to tell everyone what the weather will be like for the day. Early weather prediction technology? Nope. Some guy in the building reads the daily paper each morning and sets it to flash appropriately. When we were here, we had two cloudy, rainy days where the weather averaged mid fifties all day, and then two gloriously sunny days where the temperature jumped up to the 80’s, and the locals were sweating. :)
Things That Make You Go Hmmm... First, a trio of the written word. We loved the first one below - "The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave." We're not sure what to make of the second, found scrawled in a concrete bunker in Eastern Portland - color us intrigued. And seeing Bill Clinton's name was like bumping into an old friend unexpectedly on the sidewalk.
Next, Amazon.com wouldn't fit here - apparently a relic of an old ad campaign by the online bookseller to emphasize how big a bookstore they are. Show me yours... Next, Bear Awareness week at the zoo - Is this like gay day at Disneyland? And finally, a sentiment near and dear to our hearts... Next, a couple for the foodies out there... the first sounds like the that gay guy from the Madonna film we all wanted to daye - Rupert someguy or other? But hey, it's just a food cart. And the second invites folks to become one of us - or wait, is that an O at the end? Guess it's just a japanese lunch shack. And our last trio - ok, the first one is a big purple octopus - 'nuff said. We've heard about these new mailboxes (R2D2, center), but this one, by the zoo, is the first one we've seen in public. And for the last one - Young Guys for just $5? Where do we sign up?
There's a gay and lesbian center here - The Q Center (www.pdxqcenter.org) at 69 SE Taylor at Water Ave - the center offers theater performances, gay bingo, art shows, and much more. The Portland, Oregon Visitor's Center also has a gay/lesbian section (www.travelportland.com/glbt/) and even puts out a gay visitor's guide (pictured at right) that you can get a copy of at the Pioneer Courthouse Square visitor's center. |
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Traveling in Our Fabulous World Of all the things that we learn in our travels are how some other gay men live. We have met "couples" who have been together for over 5 years but yet live in different residences just so their parents/family, friends and co-workers won't think that they are gay. If this just happened once in a while, we might be able to understand it, but in our travels we have met a lot of couples like that! Who do they think they are kidding? They will go to lengths to not let anyone know that they are gay and this most likely would entail listening and telling "gay jokes" around the water cooler at work. We know one couple in St. Louis who have been together for over 20 years but live 3 miles apart so that their families won't think that they are gay! But when they go to a resort city like Palm Springs or Ft. Lauderdale they have such a great time being around other gay couples but then they "revert" back into their secret life once they return home. Life is just too short to lead your life that way. Wouldn't it be horrible to lead a lie all of your life? Several have said that after their parents die, then they will come out as a gay couple. Trust us on this one, if you have a "friend" over 5, 10 or even 20 years, your parents/family knows.... your friends know and your co-workers know and they could care less. One really needs to respect others more. They must think that their parents/family, friends and co-workers are complete idiots not to know! We of course have been a "VERY" out gay couple for over 36 years and our parents/family, friends and business associates appreciate the fact that we are extremely honest and above board with them. They treat us just like any other "couple". Our neighbors think of us a just another "couple". It is just no big deal! When we do meet couples when we are traveling that are hiding their "gayness" we first talk to them very intelligently and then after a while we turn away and go in another direction. We simply do not have time in our lives to put up with that kind of behavior. In all of our travels to B &I B's, hotels, resorts, motels, etc. we have never encountered any problems with being a gay couple. Other straight couples just accept us for who we are and they appreciate the fact that we are honest. Thousands of gay men prefer going on straight cruises rather than gay cruises. Most everyone on board knows about the gay couples being on board and they enjoy them. Many gay couples have made lasting friendships with straight couples that they have met on a cruise. We have heard dozens of gay couples tell us about straight couples that they have met on cruses and visit them when they are in that couples city or that the straight couples visit them at their home city. Whether flying, staying in a hotel/motel or dining out, be PROUD of who you are. If you go to a restaurant and are having an Anniversary with your partner, why not tell the Maitre 'd that it is your Anniversary? and let them bring you a free cake? We hope that younger gays don't have to put up with some of the things that some of the older gays had to put up with in the past and by making "waves" now, it will only help future generations of gays. But we have to try being "out" all the time and everywhere! Thousands of gays are teachers, policemen, fireman, politicians, businessmen, doctors, dentists practically every profession that there are. We have dozens of friends who are "gay" grandfathers and their sons and daughters and their grandchildren are all very respectful of them. Just be proud of who you are. If you are Jewish, be proud that you are Jewish. If you are African-American, be proud of who you are and it you were fortunate enough to be born gay, then by all means be PROUD of who you are! Celebrate yourself! Always remember to have fun when traveling, meet new people and talk to everyone! TRAVELING IN OUR FABULOUS WORLD is written by Donald Pile and Ray Williams, Award-winning Celebrity travel columnists who write for gay publications from Coast to Coast. You can email them at: gaytravelers@aol.com or visit their webpage at: http://www.hometown.aol.com/gaytravelers. Traveling Gay So how gay do you travel? It occured to me to wonder this after a straight co-worker I was traveling with asked me, "Is that a rainbow on your computer satchel?" Why yes," I responded. "It is a gay flag sticker, and on my carry-on suitcase, that sticker that many people seem to think is the Swedish flag, is actually a Human Rights Campaign equality sign. And interestingly enough," I added with a self-congratulatory nod, "nobody ever pucks up my bags by mistake." He nodded, no doubt impressed with my prowess, or with his own enlightened curiosity - I wasn't sure which. I hadn't actually thought about the stickers in years. You see, I have always had a gay flag sticker on every car I've had, and years ago I decided that if the flag was with me on one form of transportation, it should go with me on others. Thus, I had put the stickers on my bags so that people would see subtle reminders of gay folks around them - at airports, at hotels, in taxis and at offices. Reminders that, while still reasonably subtle, are a little more overt as indicators of my gayness than the fact that I have a decent haircut and that my socks actually match. That, and if makes it easier for the occasional flirtation when the nearby gay guy sees the stickers and realizes that it's ok to flirt - which, admittedly, always ends up with the occasional amusing surprise when I lend one of my bags to my dad when he's with me on a trip. (Fortunately, I think dad is too busy scoping out fiancee number four to notice.) And, as I mentioned before, no one ever, ever picks up my bags by mistake. They're always waiting for me in the overhead bin, on the other side of airport security and on the baggage claim carousel - the cheery rainbow beckoning for my attention, the cool yellow and blue of the HRC sticker speaking volumes of equality and, to some misinterpreters, Swedish-ness. But recently, I had a different idea as to the importance of mu carry-on bag markings, one more important than my own quiet statement and my avoidance of my luggage ending up with Tammy Sue Straight Woman from Corpus Christi, Texas. As I watched the recent immigrant rallies and marches on TV, it seemed to me that Americans were really taking note of the number of immigrants who are here in the United States (admittedly, legal and otherwise - I'm not making a value judgment on their status here - that would be a whole other article). For there they were, in big groups everywhere, their immigrant status visible for all to see. Not that they weren't around if you looked for them in the first place - you see them in places of business where they work and in the groups of day laborers waiting for work at the hardware store parking lots and gas stations of almost any city. But just like all the gay passengers whom my gaydar tracks walking through any given airport, those immigrants are scattered and, as a result, are not so apparent. When you made them more visible, they got more attention. So I wondered - if more people traveled gay, wouldn't we get a lot more everyday notice? I know there are plenty of folks like me who travel frequently through our nation's airports, stay at hotels and schlep to offices when there. And there are many, many more who simply commute to an office every day. So what if we all put our rainbow flag stickers, our HRC insignia or similar gay emblem on our bags? Would people begin to notice? Would Pat Robertson begin to decry the prevalence of Swedes in our nation's airports? I think it would be worth finding out. Of course, if all the gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transexuals who travel through the airports were to start putting gay flags and HRC stickers on their luggage, it would make my quick spotting of my own little black bags less easy. Someone might actually pick up mine by mistake for a change. They might even get home and - egad - discover that I like French cut briefs. In smurf blue. But if that's the price I have to pay, I'm willing to pay it to see a little more gay in our airports, hotels, and offices. So let me ask you - how gay do you travel? Columnist Kevin Isom is the author of It Only Hurts When I Polka and Tongue in Cheek and Other Places, available at bookstores and online. |