13 Fall Attractions Not To Miss in Fabulous Las Vegas

Opportunities to get away this season may be dwindling, but luckily, there’s plenty to entertain you this fall in fabulous Las Vegas.

While pool parties, grand openings and summer concerts have been raging on the Strip throughout the summer, the fun is slated to continue into the fall months. So though the temperature may start to dip (if only slightly), Las Vegas will turn up the heat with spectacular concerts, festivals and attractions this fall.

We put together a list of the 9 hottest attractions hitting fabulous Las Vegas next season. Check out all of the options, book your trip and say goodbye to summertime sadness.

Las Vegas PRIDE, September 13 – 19

Start your celebration of PRIDE at the PRIDE Party Poolside at Luxor Las Vegas. Hang at the official PRIDE kickoff party with host J.Son and DJ Casey Alva who’ll keep the music fresh while you take a dip and take in the crowd.

Head downtown for Las Vegas’ annual PRIDE Night Parade on September 18. While you might be used to a day time PRIDE, Vegas is all about the nightlife so this parade fits the city perfectly. Show up early to get a good spot along the parade route and take in the pre-show. Then check out the parade itself and stay until the end to cheer for your favorite entrants as trophies are doled out for best walking units, vehicle units, and floats. Head over to the after-party to keep the fun going.

Held each year at the Clark County Amphitheater’s beautiful outdoor main stage, Las Vegas PRIDE Festival (happening during the day on September 19) offers an expansive food court, convenient drink stations with hot bartenders from local LGBT bars and more than 100 exhibitors on site. Be sure to hit up the after party at SHARE Nightclub for nighttime fun.

Happening in the lead up to PRIDE, Gay Days Las Vegas 2015 kicks off September 8th and lasts until the 14th. Now in its 4th year, Gay Days includes a travel-retail expo, pool parties, and other events all around town. In case that isn’t alluring enough, a portion of the proceeds from Gay Days benefits local non-profit organizations.

Known as the official women’s event of Las Vegas PRIDE, Shedonism (September 17 – 21) has plenty to offer ladies celebrating PRIDE. The party gets started with Shedonism’s Lust event on September 17th. On the 18th, hit up “Sin”, the official girls after-party after the city’s nighttime PRIDE parade. Kick off your heels at “Envy”, Shedonism’s all girl dance party on the 19th. Then journey to Eden on the 20th for a girls’ daytime pool party. Finally, seek “Salvation” and say farewell to Shedonism’s sinful fun at their closing night party.

El Grito – September 12 – 16

El Grito de Dolores (“the cry of Dolores”) celebrates Mexico’s Independence Day. While you may think that honor belongs to Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May actually commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The most important national holiday in Mexico, El Grito is celebrated annually on September 16 and stretches into a weekend’s worth of festivities. Each year, thousands of travelers visit Las Vegas from Mexico to celebrate El Grito and with good reason. The city plays host to some of the biggest names in music each year.

Ricky Martin’s One World Tour stops by The AXIS at Planet Hollywood on September 15, catching the tail end of the El Grito celebrations. Performing songs off of his brand new album A Quien Quiera Escucher (To Whomever Wants to Listen), Martin’s most personal and intimate album released to date. A Quien Quiera Escucher includes the song “Disparo al Corazón” (“Shot to the Heart”), the video for which has the Latin stud celebrating marriage equality and paying tribute to love in all its various forms.

With numerous Grammy awards, American Music Awards, and Billboard Latin Music Awards under his belt, Latin music star Marc Anthony is undoubtedly one of the most influential artists of his time. He has collaborated with the likes of Pitbull among many others and has sold over 30 million albums. Anthony will be in Las Vegas as part of his national UNIDO2 tour that sees him join forces with another one of Latin music’s most prominent artists, Carlos Vives, to create one unforgettable night on September 14 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Enrique Iglesias will be making a special two night appearance on September 13 and 14 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to celebrate El Grito. Iglesias’ Las Vegas stop comes as part of his “Sex and Love” tour. The sexy Latin hunk (whose been known to encourage his gay male fans) will be performing songs off his latest album along with classic hits like “Hero”, “Escape”, and “I Like It.”

Hitting Las Vegas from September 25th to 27th, the Life is Beautiful Festival brings food, music, art and iconic public speakers together to create a festival experience unlike any other. Now in its third year, 70 chart-topping acts such as Imagine Dragons, Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, Duran Duran, Hozier, Weezer, Death Cab for Cutie and Brandon Flowers of The Killers are set to perform in the heart of Las Vegas’ newly revived Downton district. Check out art installations, take in a lecture or visit the culinary villages and savor mouth-watering fare.

Country Music lovers won’t want to miss The Route 91 Harvest Festival taking place at The MGM Resorts Village from October 2nd to the 4th. Major acts hitting the festival’s two main stages include Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban along with Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen, A Thousand Horses, Frankie Ballard, Mark Chesnutt, Easton Corbin, Clare Dunn among others.

Pop music icon Janet Jackson recently brought us her first new single in over 7 years, “No Sleep,” and now Ms. Jackson is headed to Planet Hollywood for a two night engagement starting October 9 as part of her “Janet Jackson: Unbreakable World Tour.” Janet is getting audiences primed and ready for her new album coming out this fall, thought to be titled Conversations In a Cafe.

One of the biggest new festivals on the music scene is undoubtedly the iHeart Radio Music Festival. This two-night extravaganza at MGM Grand Garden, Sept. 18-19, includes performances by Kanye West, Coldplay, Janet Jackson, Blake Shelton, Lil Wayne and more. In addition to the arena shows, the festival’s daytime Village event on Sept. 19 features Hozier, Demi Lovato, Tove Lo, Trey Songz, Nick Jonas, Big Sean, Lee Brice and more.

For information on planning your fall getaway to Las Vegas, click HERE.

The post 13 Fall Attractions Not To Miss in Fabulous Las Vegas appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

13 Fall Attractions Not To Miss in Fabulous Las Vegas

BLgT USA Reflects On Its 50-State LGBTQ Equality Food Tour

Note: The following is the eighth post in a series of posts from GET//OUT regarding its BLgT USA 50-state food equality tour. Each week, we’ll be sharing updates, photos and more as the BLgT team travels across the country helping to raise awareness about and celebrate LGBT equality.

State number 35 today… final sandwich stretch! Midwest to the Wild West, yum and yeehaw! Quick and delicious recap: the last two weeks kicked off in Arkansas and Scott McGhee’s Lost Forty Brewing for the Center for Artistic Revolution in Little Rock. Half of the staff was LGBT and Scott was first responder earlier this year when Arkansas tried to pass a “religious freedom” discrimination bill. Niiiice. In North Dakota, we kicked it with Tina and her team at newly opened The District Warehouse and Kitchen for LGBTQ Programs at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

After swooning over the downtown market, we signed up The Market House in Omaha, Nebraska with proceeds to partner Rainbow Outreach. Our Wichita, Kansas, partnership with Schane Gross’s Fork & Fennel for the Center of Wichita was particularly epic, with Schane sharing stories of times past as a tattoo and piercing artist, then introducing us to new food industry friends. Tulsa, Oklahoma was a dud on the restaurant side of things (holler, Tulsa!). We did spend time with Kickstarter backer Mindy Roe and her family, and learned that sex education is basically nonexistent in Oklahoma. Probs for days. Oh, and Denver on Saturday. SO GOOD. The stories. The sandwiches. We’ll leave the Mile High City for next week.

One of the greatest gems of the last two weeks was Minneapolis, Minnesota. Our special event at Kim Bartmann’s The Third Bird was sponsored by Target and Smirnoff Vodka, with BLgTs benefiting Avenues for Homeless Youth all summer long. The gathering showcased the best of our model and what this fifty state tour is all about: The power of local partnerships.

In planning BLgT USA, there were multiple directions that provided paths to impacting all fifty states. We could have worked with a national restaurant chain, a hyped celebrity chef and a national non-profit. We could have produced only a national campaign, without a tour. Instead, we internationally chose to focus on local partnerships and live events. Local eateries. Local nonprofits. Connecting people in their local communities in all 50 states. With a team of four (well, now three with Katie Barnes taking a job at ESPN — congrats, KB!), this is pretty much insane for a startup, and we know it. What keeps us going? It’s working. Throughout 35 states, we’ve built 50+ restaurant partnerships, with the BLgT sandwich on their menu supporting 40+ local LGBT organizations. We’ve engaged 12,000+ people online via our Tumblr blog, HuffPo series, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Is it perfect? Nah. But here’s the skinny. Our partnerships are win-wins for everyone involved in making BLgT USA happen. 

–       Nonprofits // Receive visibility and funding. Send their supporters to the restaurant.

–       Restaurants // Most of our events are free or cash bar small dollar fundraisers. Restaurants see increased sales during our events, both with food and beverage. They also get visibility in a community they care about, which brings in business.

–       Brands // Receive visibility locally and nationally. Access to a community of supporters and potential customers.

–       Supporters // Have an approachable, fun, delicious, and shareable way to do something about a cause they care about.

BLgT LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Nonprofit: Avenues for Homeless Youth

Restaurant: The Third Bird

Brands: Target Corp, Smirnoff Vodka, DJ Fancy Restaurant of Flip Phone

Supporters: 50 locals at the event

 We always start with the why. It doesn’t make sense to do anything if there isn’t a need. “This is literally how we survive. We don’t take government grants. Any funding that comes from the community goes directly to services for youth in the twin cities.“ – Kelly, Avenues for Homeless Youth. The event provided value and met a nonprofit need. Win.

Target, which is based in Minneapolis, both sponsored and attended our event, which allowed for people and partners within the community to meet and build relationships. Attendees were impressed. Katie, from St. Paul, MN, said “I already love Target. When I met Michael at the event it was like, ‘Wow. This is real. They care.’ It wasn’t just lip service. Also, this sandwich is amazing. This Moscow Mule is amazing. When are you coming back?” The event engaged supporters. Win.

“For us, inclusivity and community are really important parts of our brand and what we are about,” said Michael Abata, Multicultural Marketing at Target. “Not everyone has full equality right now. It’s really important to us that our guests and communities know that they belong and they’re a part of something bigger.” Sponsors were connected to the community. Win.

Beyond sponsoring our Minneapolis event, Target donated Fuji film (for other events) and gift cards for our tour. These are things that make us run daily. BLgT USA is happening because of partners across the country, who are always with us. Our car is sponsored in part by Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Avon, CT, Co-founder Taryn Miller-Stevens’ hometown. Miller Foods, home of Oma’s Pride also sponsored the tour, with BLgT pet treats. Orbitz is covering our flights to Alaska and Hawaii. The Embassy Row Hotel (DC), Eden Roc Hotel (Miami) – both Destination Hotels, and The Rewards Boss sponsored homes on the road. Impact Hub New York was our work sanctuary before leaving NYC in May. Huffington Post Gay Voices for the airtime that you’re reading right now. Finally, the people who seed funded us on Kickstarter, and currently on Indiegogo are making this summer happen. It takes a village. A hungry, connected, hustling village. And we would not be here without everyone. Thank you.

For delicious photos of our events, check out our Facebook Page. For more Sandwich Stories from the road, get after our Instagram. Also, we <3 email. For questions, sponsorship, and/or media inquiries, email us: [email protected] 

BLgT USA has engaged 12,000 people online and on the ground across 35 states. So far 660 people have contributed $150,000 to make it happen. We’re raising the final $50,000 to reach people in all 50 states. You can help us impact the entire country on the ground this summer, by joining our crowdfunding campaign until August 17th on Indeigogo. Thanks for bringing us home! // www.indiegogo.com/projects/blgt-usa-50-state-food-tour-for-equality

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Lesbian country music star shames debate audience for laughing at Trump’s insult of Rosie O’Donnell

Donald Trump making a joke at the expense of Rosie O’Donnell during last week’s Republican presidential debate was bad enough to country music singer Chely Wright.

But the worst part, Wright says in a new Facebook post, is the way the audience reacted to it.

‘The crowd went wild. They cheered and whooped and clapped and belly laughed – at Rosie’s expense. You saw it and I saw it. I felt a wave of nausea sweep over me and it has remained for days.

‘Nearly ALL 5,000 people allowed this man – who aspires to be the leader of OUR America – to publicly bully, mock, attack Rosie O’Donnell (again– he’s been doing it for a decade and it’s bothered me for as long), but they cheered him on as he did it.

Wright, who came out publicly as a lesbian in 2010, adds: ‘Shame on you, if you were in that audience and you cheered for this. Shame on you if you cheered and snickered at home. This is not a matter of the Left or the Right– this is a matter of basic decorum and decency. I saw very little of either in that moment.’

Trump’s poke at O’Donnell occurred when moderator Megyn Kelly asked him about his various insults aimed at women over the years.

‘You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,’ Kelly began before being interrupted by Trump who said: ‘Only Rosie O’Donnell.’

Kelly replied: ‘No it wasn’t. For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell.’

The audience laughed.

“For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell,” Kelly responded before continuing her question.

O’Donnell, a mother of five, has not reacted to Trump’s remark except to tweet: ‘Try explaining that top your kids.’

The post Lesbian country music star shames debate audience for laughing at Trump’s insult of Rosie O’Donnell appeared first on Gay Star News.

Greg Hernandez

www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-country-music-star-shames-debate-audience-for-laughing-at-trumps-insult-of-rosie-odonnell/

Gov. Chris Christie Vetoes Another Important Bill for Transgender New Jerseyans

Governor Christie has shamefully vetoed a bill that would have made easier for transgender residents to obtain an appropriate birth certificate reflecting their identity.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/gov.-chris-christie-vetoes-another-important-bill-for-transgender-new-jerse?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Stonewall Star Jeremy Irvine Comes Out Swinging Against The Proposed Boycott Of His Film

Hardly a day goes by lately without a member of the Stonewall team attempting damage control by posting a message that defends the upcoming historical drama against activists who are calling for a boycott, certain that this cinematic retelling of the 1969 riots in New York City — the pivotal moment in the queer rights movement — has been “whitewashed” of its important trans players, such as late icon Marsha P. Johnson. It should be noted — once again — that these angry LGBTs haven’t yet seen the full film and they’re taking this stance based solely on viewing the film’s music video trailer. We’ve heard from director Roland Emmerich, who says his movie “deeply honors the real-life activists who were there — including Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Ray Castro.” Screenwriter Jon Robin Baitz insists this version of the Stonewall riots is “is not the definitive story of a revolution” but it’s “about an awakening, one young man’s awakening to the reality of what it means to be ‘the other’.” Now, Stonewall‘s star Jeremy Irvine, who plays that awakened young man, Danny, a fictional character, has joined the counter-protest with a message posted on his Instagram account in which he not only defends the depiction of the events (Jonathan Rhys Meyer’s character represents the influential Mattachine Society, but praises his director’s sensitivity to the story and the portrayals of his costars.

Related: Larry Kramer To “Crazies” Boycotting Stonewall Film: “Where The F**k Were You?!”

Read Irvine’s message in its entirety below then scroll down for a couple of stills for the film that have just begun to circulate and which feature characters of color.

To anyone with concerns about the diversity of the #StonewallMovie. I saw the movie for the first time last week and can assure you all that it represents almost every race and section of society that was so fundamental to one of the most important civil rights movements in living history. Marsha P Johnson is a major part of the movie, and although first hand accounts of who threw the first brick in the riots vary wildly, it is a fictional black transvestite character played by the very talented @vlad_alexis who pulls out the first brick in the riot scenes. My character is adopted by a group of street kids whilst sleeping rough in New York. In my opinion, the story is driven by the leader of this gang played by @jonnybeauchamp who gives an extraordinary performance as a Puerto Rican transvestite struggling to survive on the streets. Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ character represents the Mattachine Society, who were at the time a mostly white and middle class gay rights group who stood against violence and radicalism. I felt incredibly nervous taking on this role knowing how important the subject matter is to so many people but Roland Emmerich is one of the most sensitive and heartfelt directors I’ve worked with and I hope that, as an ensemble, we have not only done such an important story justice but also made a good movie as well. Jeremy

A photo posted by Jeremy Irvine (@_jeremyirvine) on Aug 6, 2015 at 12:36pm PDT

 

Jeremy Kinser

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‘FOX & Friends’ Doesn’t Get Why Target Is Removing Gender Specific Toy Labels: ‘Who Is This Helping?’ – WATCH

On Monday, FOX morning show FOX & Friends took on the subject of Target’s decision to remove gender specific labels from its toy aisles along with a few other areas such as home and entertainment.

Being a bastion of sensitivity, the folks at FOX wondered aloud “Have the PC police gone too far?” and “Who are we helping?”

Raw Story reports:

“Is this going to confuse you? I know it’s going to confuse me,” Alcides Segui of Fox affiliate WTVT laughed. “And they’re doing it not only at this store here in Tampa but all Target stores across the country.”

“Wow!” Kilmeade exclaimed following Segui’s live report.

“How many times have you gone into a store — when I go to buy glasses,” Doocy remarked. “And all of them are up on the wall, I will ask the person, ‘Are these men’s or women’s?’”

Hasselbeck, however, predicted that the signage would not be a problem for her children because they would “end up self sorting” the toys.

“But who are we helping?” Kilmeade wondered. “The nine people who are upset by this? If you go buy a gift for a boy who is nine or six or a girl who is nine or six, you want to be able to go to that section and pick out a toy they might want.”

“Now you have to sit there and look at a blended area and wonder, ‘Is this for a boy or a girl,’” he complained. “There’s going to be some unhappy boys and unhappy girls now.”

Watch the video below:

The post ‘FOX & Friends’ Doesn’t Get Why Target Is Removing Gender Specific Toy Labels: ‘Who Is This Helping?’ – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

Sean Mandell

‘FOX & Friends’ Doesn’t Get Why Target Is Removing Gender Specific Toy Labels: ‘Who Is This Helping?’ – WATCH

Take It From a Middle School Teacher, Trump's a Bully
Like many Americans, I couldn’t help but be disgusted by Donald Trump’s misogyny during Thursday night’s Republican debate. But as much as I was disgusted by Trump, I was even more so by the audience. I wondered out loud on social media about everyone that laughed with Trump after he referred to Rosie O’Donnell and other women as “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, (and) disgusting animals.” Would they have done the same, I wondered, if it had been their daughter, mother, or wife? Would they be cheering then?

I was revolted then, and I remain so. Clearly I’m not alone, as many pundits have condemned Trump’s hateful speech. (Although watching other Republican nominee wannabes go out of their way to not call Trump out on his misogyny is its own special kind of horror).

But I was missing something; everyone is. And it took the observation of a Facebook friend who’s also worked with young adults to point it out to me. “Kids that bully are bad kids, but adults that bully are apparently funny.”

Trump is a bully.

As a former middle and high school teacher I’ve been on the front lines watching the inhumanity kids can inflict on one another. While there has been a concentrated effort to address bullying in schools, there is still a long way to go. It’s even worse for LGBTQ kids, although here, too, progress is being made.

Donald Trump is the opposite of progress because he is a bully – a textbook one, in fact.

According to Australia’s National Centre Against Bullying — and domestic resources will tell you the same — there are different types of bullying. One is verbal bullying, and Trump’s comments about Rosie O’Donnell Thursday night certainly fall into that category. Not that it’s the first time.

As many people have noted, Trump’s pattern is to insult or attack anyone that questions him. On Friday morning, when the Today show’s Savannah Guthrie asked him about his poor showing with a focus group, Trump attacked the man leading the group. Trump did the same on Twitter calling the leader, “a low class slob who came to my office looking for consulting work.”

Textbook bullying, says the NCAB, “includes name calling, insults, teasing, intimidation, homophobic or racist remarks or verbal abuse.” Throw in Trump’s comments about Mexican immigrants last month, and he’s pretty much nailed it.

Not that Trump limits his bullying to the traditional playground style; he’s a 21st century bully. Again, from the NCAB: “Cyberbullying… Abusive or hurtful texts emails or posts, images or videos.”

Twitter is Trump’s favorite means of cyberbullying, where he once wrote of Hillary Clinton: “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?”

As a teacher it’s now easy for me to recognize that Trump is a bully, but I keep in mind it took another educator to remind me. I can allow that perhaps it’s hard for other people to see the bullying behavior as well.

After all, if you’re not Hispanic and happen to hate Rosie O’Donnell and Hillary Clinton, it might be easy to miss. Based on the crowd in Cleveland, lots of people even find it funny. Perhaps that’s why Trump’s support is as high as 40 percent in some polls.

Even from the outside, however, Trump manifests himself as a bully in many ways. According to EverydayHealth.com, many things mark Trump as a bully:

1) Behavioral Issues

According to D. Janell Dietz, EdD, “Being hot-headed, impulsive, or easily frustrated are three common behaviors that could indicate that a child is a bully.” Trump, whether it’s his insult wars with Rosie O’Donnell, Jeb Bush, and now apparently Megyn Kelly, typifies in some way all three of these behaviors.

2) Your Child Is Getting Into Trouble at School

Obviously, the Donald is not in trouble at school. But no matter where he goes, he seems to make a lot of people angry. If you Google “Donald Trump Feuds” there is page after page of stories about people he’s mad at. Be his disagreements “famous,” “notorious” or “public,” his behavior matches perfectly what Dr. Dietz calls “dominant or aggressive” acts.

By contrast, if you Google “Jeb Bush Feuds,” more than half of the first page of stories are about his feud with Trump — which Trump started.

3) Your Child Is Obsessed With Popularity

Trump has a history of this, easily demonstrated in the lies he tells about himself. He says 15,000 people came to his rally in Phoenix. Most people agree there weren’t even one-third that. He claimed numerous times that “The Celebrity Apprentice” was the most popular show on television. It was not, and never was.(13)
Trump is a bully, there is no question.

What remains unanswered, however, is why America is not only willing to put up with Trump, but endorse his behavior? Perhaps like Trump they see his actions and words and decide, “I don’t have time for total political correctness.“(14)

What Trump and his apologists describe as political correctness, however, the rest of us understand as decency. Again: How many of us would want the things Trump says to be uttered about our children? Our friends? Our parents? No one I know.

When I was the middle school advisor to the Gay Straight Alliance, I often confronted bullies about their behavior towards my LGBTQ kids. Often they’d try to excuse their behavior as being an effective way to get what they wanted, usually the diminution of their victim. Many claimed they don’t know better — and that one I believe. Bullies aren’t born, they’re created by the world around them.

I suppose one could say the same for Trump. In the rough and tumble world of business, perhaps the way he behaves is necessary for him to be the billionaire he is. I wouldn’t know; I’ve never been part of that world. My interests are much more definitely Main Street than Wall Street.

What I do know however, is this: Whatever street Mr. Trump comes from, he should stay there. Pennsylvania Avenue is no place for a bully.

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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5 reasons Denver is one of the US’s most underrated cities

It’s located almost slap bang in the center of America, miles from the East and West Coasts – but if Denver, the state capitol of Colorado, isn’t on of your list of cities to visit in the USA, it should be.

It’s the natural start to a road trip through Colorado’s awe-inspiring scenery, or a skiing holiday in the mountains – but first, you should spend a bit of time in the city itself and take in all it has to offer.

In this quick countdown, we list five reasons why the ‘Mile High City’ (named as such because its highest point is one mile above sea level) is among the most exciting, cosmopolitan and gay-friendly cities in the Home of the Brave…

1 The shopping

You go to America, you shop. Them’s the rules. And Denver is a superb place to, ahem, blow your wad.

The 16th Street Mall (below) is a haven for shopping. A mixture of high street chains and Coloradoan designers, it’s completely pedestrianized. The only vehicles you’ll find on the road are the free buses that’ll whisk you from one end to the other. Cherry Creek is a more traditional mall. It’s big, but not intimidatingly so, and is packed to the rafters with familiar names.

If you shop nowhere else, you must visit Rockmount Ranch Wear. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of cowboy couture, from boots to buckles, and more fringed leather than you can shake a stick at. The store’s founder, Jack A. Weil, (who worked right up until his death aged 107) created the first cowboy shirts with poppers as opposed to button, and Rockmount’s clothes have been worn by Elvis and Queen. Of course, if it’s good enough for royalty…

2 The scene

You wouldn’t imagine a city in the central United States to be especially welcoming to LGBT travelers and, in some cases, you’d be right. Not where Denver’s concerned though. It’s conservative in comparison to NYC or LA, but it’s also a city that prides itself on its cosmopolitan attitude and there’s a thriving LBGTI community there.

As far as nightlife is concerned, get yourself along to Charlie’s Denver if you fancy country and western, line dancing lessons and karaoke. Girls, Blush & Blu is the best lesbian bar in town and has comedy and burlesque, as well as a daily happy hour. Tracks, meanwhile, is the granddaddy of the Denver scene.

3 PrideFest

Denver’s PrideFest is one of the biggest prides in the USA. Held in June, 2015 saw it celebrate its 40th birthday, and over 370,000 people showed up to say happy birthday. The whole city comes together to celebrate the gay agenda, and Denver’s magnificent outdoor theater, the Greek Theater, becomes party central. This year, the center stage saw 25 acts over three days, including Mya, whilst Lisa Vanderpump made an appearance at Drag Nation, where she shared a stage with the delectable Sharon Needles. Because of its 300 days of sunshine a year, the parade is very rarely rained on.

4 The food

Colorado’s food scene is excellent – we’ve never eaten so well. Coloradoans like fresh, locally-produced ingredients, and meals served in portions that are manageable, rather than gargantuan. Everywhere has a signature dish, and your only real limit is your budget. We ate at Guard and Grace, where the cod was to die for and the steak cooked to perfection, and both for around $30 (£20, €28). And, if Mediterranean fare’s your thing, Rioja’s an intimate venue with meals prepared by award-winning chef Jennifer Jasinski.

5 The location

Denver boasts the unique quality of having hundreds of mountains visible from viewpoints throughout the city; a constant reminder of the state’s dramatic, rugged terrain. One such example is the stunning, snow-capped Pikes Peak, which stands 4,302m tall. As such, there are countless one-day excursion options that allow you to explore the nearby landscape that drop you right back in the city by sundown (Pikes Peak is a two-hour drive away, for example). For a comprehensive list of day trip options, click here.

Gay Star Travel stayed at The Curtis Hotel in Denver. www.denver.org

Words: Andrew Gonsalves

The post 5 reasons Denver is one of the US’s most underrated cities appeared first on Gay Star News.

GSN Contributor

www.gaystarnews.com/article/5-reasons-denver-is-one-of-the-uss-most-underrated-cities/