Throw away the bowler hat and screw the tea-drinking etiquette, this summer London is going XXX – the city hosts the 2012 Games of the 30th Olympiad. What, you thought “XXX” suggested something else other than the Roman numeral for 30?
And if you haven’t got your tickets yet, get online NOW. Running from July 27thto August 12th, it is safe to say the Summer Olympics are the set to be the biggest sports event of the year. And while we gay boys readily admit to chomping at the bit waiting to check out the male gymnasts and if Michael Phelps will do a repeat of that full-body Speedo photo (Oh. My. God.), if you are jetting off to see Team USA kick ass in the city nick-named “The Smoke,” chances are you are seeing just one event. This leaves the rest of London open for games of a different sort.
Despite being home to Europe’s largest gay population, London, surprisingly, doesn’t have a declared gay ghetto like Marais in Paris or Schöneberg in Berlin. What this means is that gay bars and clubs are splashed all over the city and, thankfully, within easy reach via the city’s extensive subway system (they call it “the Tube;” feel free to make all the penile puns you want), but to make it easy on the first-timer, the sections of Soho (by day) and Vauxhall (by night) are safe bets to get your gay on with impunity. Old Compton Street, in Soho, is a virtual catwalk of cruising, and a few blocks over are Brewer and Berwick Streets, London’s red-light district.
In all the hyper-competitive one-upmanship that dominates London’s gay dancescape, it is a dangerous game to bestow the title of “the best” on any one place. However, to see how the city earned its rep as a infamous, and deafening, party town, Fire, Central Station, and East Bloc are all safe bets, and in the case of the club named G-A-Y, a really safe bet. The same danger goes for the gay barscape, but Barcode Vauxhall and Sweatbox will do you proper.
While you are out, keep in mind that many pubs begin to close at the party-pooping hour of 11:30 PM, and that the Tube (hee-hee-hee!) grinds to a halt at midnight and does not start up again until 5:30 AM. However, most clubs keep the party going well into morning, so this may not be an issue. If you must use a taxi, plan for it; London cabs are wildly expensive.
Steele Luxury Travel will plan your trip to London “XXX” from soup to nuts! Contact us at 646-688-2274 or visit www.SteeleTravel.com for more information!