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The perfect little gay town

Merboy

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Merboy Experienced

Merboy

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Now I realize there's no such thing as "perfect" fellas, but what if you were creating a town from scratch and you wanted it to be a place for gays to come and really be happy there, what would that town include?

 

Here are my top 10 things - Please share your top 10 things too!

 

1. A Sheetz. Yeah, that makes no sense, but it's Sheetz lol...but the Sheetz would be lit up in rainbow colors. :p (Oh and the local gas station would be called 69.)

2. A community center. I live in Boston right now and we have a good health center but no real community center. I would want to build a place where there was always something fun going on - bingo nights, movie discussions, book clubs, socials, dances, parties, personalized therapy sessions, maybe an in-house masseur... a place to just relax, make friends, and be social with real live breathing people (because I believe in balance and a little time away from the iPads and iPhones...)

3. A great local theatre. It would be the size of a Broadway house - and gorgeous architecture, and the seasons would be jam-packed with all the great classic shows plus new shows as well to support up-and-coming theatre people. And of course a star-studded gala performance by the likes of Linda Eder, Donna Murphy, and Audra McDonald.

4. A college. It would be a college town - brimming with hunky hot guys of course, but I'd name it Harvey Milk University. Any gay boy around the world that wanted a rich, happy college experience surrounded by other gay boys would be able to come tuition-free... but honestly I'd make it tuition-free for ANY one as well.

5. A library. The gay bookstore may, alas, be obsolete by now but we can build a magnificent library with every gay book in creation and every Broadway cast recording ever. It would have the complete back catalogs of magazines like The Advocate and Out and Genre and also International Male and Undergear because why not?

6. A big beautiful park. I miss the old park back in PA very much, and I'd just love to have an enormous park - maybe even half the size of Central Park, and it would also have waterfalls, flower gardens, different types of trees, peaceful walking paths, brooks and streams, lakes, statues of LGBTQ trailblazers...

7. A "Main Street Gay USA". I love towns with one strip with everything on it, but this one would have cobblestone streets like Greenwich Village has, and be simply for just walking with big parking lots surrounding it.

8. A fudge and hot cookie cafe/shop. I think "Billy's Fudge Factory" is a cute name but it would be like a central place to get all different kinds of fudge, hot cookies served with milk, pastries, coffee, tea, and then an adjoining shop with homemade soaps, candles, etc.

9. A fantastic Pride Month. Drawing people by the thousands from all around the USA and the world, this town would have the world's most spectacular pride celebrations - picnics, fairgrounds, rainbow fireworks - just an all-out extravaganza!

10. A theme park. To draw in tourists and families, a big theme park would be in the town. My idea was a new water park called Splash! with rides, pirates, a real-life Titanic replica, etc.

 

Got carried away lol but would love to hear all of your ideas as well.

 

I've been to Provincetown a few times and this was inspired by P-town. Basically this town would combine P-town, Key West, Eureka Springs, Broadway, Greenwich Village, your everyday college town, and wrap it all up in a small town friendly feel and charm.

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PetetKsfo Collaborator

PetetKsfo

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I love your list. This is great. I see that you reference Provincetown, where I live, which does have a number of these items. I also lived in San Francsico, where I also find many of these delightful places

 

Here are the things that I think of in these categories and some of my favorite places:

 

1. A Sheetz. - San Francisco Bay Bridge - often lit in rainbow for pride. (I'm not sure about the gas station, but I've always had fantasy about truck stops.

2. A community center. - New York City has one that is pretty good, and last I knew had a coffee shop and bookstore in it, in addition to meeting space and events. The artwork by Keith Haring throughout the building is also historic. Chicago also has one that is pretty good too. San Francsico built one that iniitally had a coffee shop but closed. The absence of that turned the place into a bit of a ghost town with no reason to go in just to hang out unless going for a specific meeting. I would love to see more development of community centers as a place to gather other than a bar.

3. A great local theatre. - San Francisco Castro Theatre. Also the Victoria Theatre is a good back up. Somerville Theatre just outside of Boston is also another cool classic theatre.

4. A college. Agree - it is fuin to hang out at bookstores and student unions in college towns. Berkley, CA; Harvard Square/Cambridge, MA; Yale/New Haven, CT.

5. A library. Provincetown, San Francisco, Boston public libraries with great diversity and gay history

6. A big beautiful park. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, I also remember a fun public shower in Balboa Park, San Diego.

7. A "Main Street Gay USA". Commercial St, Provincetown; Castro St, San Francisco; Christopher St, New York.

8. A fudge and hot cookie cafe/shop. - Namely, "Hot Cookie" in San Francisco; Provincetown Fudge Factory, Provincetown Portugese Bakery.

9. A fantastic Pride Month. - San Francisco Pride; Provincetown Carnival, but also the entire summer is a gay pride festival.

10. A theme park. - Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco is kind of this, but if you really want one, a road trip down the coast to Disneyland makes for a fun weekend trip.

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CuriousByNature Grand Master

CuriousByNature

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My list is probably different than most, as I dont know what a gay town should include, but my ideal town would be a place that has:

 

Excellent architecture spanning many styles and eras,

As many cuisines as possible represented within walking/bus distance from home,

A weekly market for fresh produce, fish and meat, and a variety of international food stores and cook shops,

Antique stores and auction houses,

Vibrant churches that welcome everyone, and lovingly support those less fortunate in society both locally and abroad,

A collection of interesting gymns and spas that are priced according to income level,

A breeding program and centre for endangered animals,

Proximity to both ocean and forest,

Quality health care and staggered levels of seniors care depending on level of care needed,

Efficient and clean public transportation,

Free but time-limited public parking,

Annual community fairs and festivals,

Good and reliable wifi,

Movie theaters with reclining seats, including a theater for Silent Film with a Wurlitzer organ to accompany.

Four climate seasons, none of which are exteme.

Lots of public plantings and gardens,

Big box stores outside of town but within commuter distance,

A cemetary that allows standing headstones,

An international airport within a one hour commute,

Public vegetable gardens and acces to heirloom seeds,

Ample coffee shops that sell delicious tortes like Cafe Demel in Vienna,

Quality all-you-can eat sushi and dim sum,

Roads, paths and buildings that accomodate those with special needs,

A facility where elderly parents and their aging disabled children can live together and not have to be separated at the ends of their lives,

A place where the town motto is to love your neightbour as yourself, and wanting the very best for your neighbour at all times.

We could call it 'Agapeville'.

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rvwnsd Grand Master

rvwnsd

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...

 

2. A community center. - New York City has one that is pretty good, and last I knew had a coffee shop and bookstore in it, in addition to meeting space and events. The artwork by Keith Haring throughout the building is also historic. Chicago also has one that is pretty good too. San Francsico built one that iniitally had a coffee shop but closed. The absence of that turned the place into a bit of a ghost town with no reason to go in just to ...

Oh, the hell with a coffee shop. Chicago's has a Whole Foods. (Which, I believe, has a coffee shop and dining when a pandemic is not raging)

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Merboy Experienced

Merboy

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My list is probably different than most, as I dont know what a gay town should include, but my ideal town would be a place that has:

 

Excellent architecture spanning many styles and eras,

As many cuisines as possible represented within walking/bus distance from home,

A weekly market for fresh produce, fish and meat, and a variety of international food stores and cook shops,

Antique stores and auction houses,

Vibrant churches that welcome everyone, and lovingly support those less fortunate in society both locally and abroad,

A collection of interesting gymns and spas that are priced according to income level,

A breeding program and centre for endangered animals,

Proximity to both ocean and forest,

Quality health care and staggered levels of seniors care depending on level of care needed,

Efficient and clean public transportation,

Free but time-limited public parking,

Annual community fairs and festivals,

Good and reliable wifi,

Movie theaters with reclining seats, including a theater for Silent Film with a Wurlitzer organ to accompany.

Four climate seasons, none of which are exteme.

Lots of public plantings and gardens,

Big box stores outside of town but within commuter distance,

A cemetary that allows standing headstones,

An international airport within a one hour commute,

Public vegetable gardens and acces to heirloom seeds,

Ample coffee shops that sell delicious tortes like Cafe Demel in Vienna,

Quality all-you-can eat sushi and dim sum,

Roads, paths and buildings that accomodate those with special needs,

A facility where elderly parents and their aging disabled children can live together and not have to be separated at the ends of their lives,

A place where the town motto is to love your neightbour as yourself, and wanting the very best for your neighbour at all times.

We could call it 'Agapeville'.

 

This is wonderful!!!!

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SundayZip Mentor

+ SundayZip

Posted
Posted

Now I realize there's no such thing as "perfect" fellas, but what if you were creating a town from scratch and you wanted it to be a place for gays to come and really be happy there, what would that town include?

 

Here are my top 10 things - Please share your top 10 things too!

 

1. A Sheetz. Yeah, that makes no sense, but it's Sheetz lol...but the Sheetz would be lit up in rainbow colors. :p (Oh and the local gas station would be called 69.)

2. A community center. I live in Boston right now and we have a good health center but no real community center. I would want to build a place where there was always something fun going on - bingo nights, movie discussions, book clubs, socials, dances, parties, personalized therapy sessions, maybe an in-house masseur... a place to just relax, make friends, and be social with real live breathing people (because I believe in balance and a little time away from the iPads and iPhones...)

3. A great local theatre. It would be the size of a Broadway house - and gorgeous architecture, and the seasons would be jam-packed with all the great classic shows plus new shows as well to support up-and-coming theatre people. And of course a star-studded gala performance by the likes of Linda Eder, Donna Murphy, and Audra McDonald.

4. A college. It would be a college town - brimming with hunky hot guys of course, but I'd name it Harvey Milk University. Any gay boy around the world that wanted a rich, happy college experience surrounded by other gay boys would be able to come tuition-free... but honestly I'd make it tuition-free for ANY one as well.

5. A library. The gay bookstore may, alas, be obsolete by now but we can build a magnificent library with every gay book in creation and every Broadway cast recording ever. It would have the complete back catalogs of magazines like The Advocate and Out and Genre and also International Male and Undergear because why not?

6. A big beautiful park. I miss the old park back in PA very much, and I'd just love to have an enormous park - maybe even half the size of Central Park, and it would also have waterfalls, flower gardens, different types of trees, peaceful walking paths, brooks and streams, lakes, statues of LGBTQ trailblazers...

7. A "Main Street Gay USA". I love towns with one strip with everything on it, but this one would have cobblestone streets like Greenwich Village has, and be simply for just walking with big parking lots surrounding it.

8. A fudge and hot cookie cafe/shop. I think "Billy's Fudge Factory" is a cute name but it would be like a central place to get all different kinds of fudge, hot cookies served with milk, pastries, coffee, tea, and then an adjoining shop with homemade soaps, candles, etc.

9. A fantastic Pride Month. Drawing people by the thousands from all around the USA and the world, this town would have the world's most spectacular pride celebrations - picnics, fairgrounds, rainbow fireworks - just an all-out extravaganza!

10. A theme park. To draw in tourists and families, a big theme park would be in the town. My idea was a new water park called Splash! with rides, pirates, a real-life Titanic replica, etc.

 

Got carried away lol but would love to hear all of your ideas as well.

 

I've been to Provincetown a few times and this was inspired by P-town. Basically this town would combine P-town, Key West, Eureka Springs, Broadway, Greenwich Village, your everyday college town, and wrap it all up in a small town friendly feel and charm.

 

11. A bar with nude male strippers that all want to have wild sex with me as soon as I walk in the door.

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Luv2play Grand Master

Luv2play

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Now I realize there's no such thing as "perfect" fellas, but what if you were creating a town from scratch and you wanted it to be a place for gays to come and really be happy there, what would that town include?

 

Here are my top 10 things - Please share your top 10 things too!

 

1. A Sheetz. Yeah, that makes no sense, but it's Sheetz lol...but the Sheetz would be lit up in rainbow colors. :p (Oh and the local gas station would be called 69.)

2. A community center. I live in Boston right now and we have a good health center but no real community center. I would want to build a place where there was always something fun going on - bingo nights, movie discussions, book clubs, socials, dances, parties, personalized therapy sessions, maybe an in-house masseur... a place to just relax, make friends, and be social with real live breathing people (because I believe in balance and a little time away from the iPads and iPhones...)

3. A great local theatre. It would be the size of a Broadway house - and gorgeous architecture, and the seasons would be jam-packed with all the great classic shows plus new shows as well to support up-and-coming theatre people. And of course a star-studded gala performance by the likes of Linda Eder, Donna Murphy, and Audra McDonald.

4. A college. It would be a college town - brimming with hunky hot guys of course, but I'd name it Harvey Milk University. Any gay boy around the world that wanted a rich, happy college experience surrounded by other gay boys would be able to come tuition-free... but honestly I'd make it tuition-free for ANY one as well.

5. A library. The gay bookstore may, alas, be obsolete by now but we can build a magnificent library with every gay book in creation and every Broadway cast recording ever. It would have the complete back catalogs of magazines like The Advocate and Out and Genre and also International Male and Undergear because why not?

6. A big beautiful park. I miss the old park back in PA very much, and I'd just love to have an enormous park - maybe even half the size of Central Park, and it would also have waterfalls, flower gardens, different types of trees, peaceful walking paths, brooks and streams, lakes, statues of LGBTQ trailblazers...

7. A "Main Street Gay USA". I love towns with one strip with everything on it, but this one would have cobblestone streets like Greenwich Village has, and be simply for just walking with big parking lots surrounding it.

8. A fudge and hot cookie cafe/shop. I think "Billy's Fudge Factory" is a cute name but it would be like a central place to get all different kinds of fudge, hot cookies served with milk, pastries, coffee, tea, and then an adjoining shop with homemade soaps, candles, etc.

9. A fantastic Pride Month. Drawing people by the thousands from all around the USA and the world, this town would have the world's most spectacular pride celebrations - picnics, fairgrounds, rainbow fireworks - just an all-out extravaganza!

10. A theme park. To draw in tourists and families, a big theme park would be in the town. My idea was a new water park called Splash! with rides, pirates, a real-life Titanic replica, etc.

 

Got carried away lol but would love to hear all of your ideas as well.

 

I've been to Provincetown a few times and this was inspired by P-town. Basically this town would combine P-town, Key West, Eureka Springs, Broadway, Greenwich Village, your everyday college town, and wrap it all up in a small town friendly feel and charm.

In the 1970's so-called "gay villages" sprang up in major cities in North America. These were neighborhoods where gays could live, work and play in a sympathetic and supportive environment. At the same time they were surrounded by a major metropolis which could provide all the amenities that weren't available in the gay village itself.

 

The ones I remember the best were the Castro District in San Francisco, the West Village in New York City, Church and Wellesley in Toronto and Le Village in Montreal.

 

I ended up living in Le Village for 13 years during its heyday around the turn of the century.

 

As time went by, many things changed in the gay life in urban centers and without going into all the changes, the idea of a gay centric place to live became less attractive or necessary. I think access to all the cultural, social and recreational amenities is important but they don't have to be all within 20 blocks of where you live. The ones you don't use every day can be a little further away. Of course, which ones you want close by will probably determine where you want to live ideally. I just think you have to be willing to compromise a little in choosing.

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Merboy Experienced

Merboy

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In the 1970's so-called "gay villages" sprang up in major cities in North America. These were neighborhoods where gays could live, work and play in a sympathetic and supportive environment. At the same time they were surrounded by a major metropolis which could provide all the amenities that weren't available in the gay village itself.

 

The ones I remember the best were the Castro District in San Francisco, the West Village in New York City, Church and Wellesley in Toronto and Le Village in Montreal.

 

I ended up living in Le Village for 13 years during its heyday around the turn of the century.

 

As time went by, many things changed in the gay life in urban centers and without going into all the changes, the idea of a gay centric place to live became less attractive or necessary. I think access to all the cultural, social and recreational amenities is important but they don't have to be all within 20 blocks of where you live. The ones you don't use every day can be a little further away. Of course, which ones you want close by will probably determine where you want to live ideally. I just think you have to be willing to compromise a little in choosing.

 

A part of me has always wanted that gay village back... it's not realistic today, and not going to happen anymore in the future, but it kinda was a little magical <3

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JEC Grand Master

+ JEC

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Now I realize there's no such thing as "perfect" fellas, but what if you were creating a town from scratch and you wanted it to be a place for gays to come and really be happy there, what would that town include?

 

Here are my top 10 things - Please share your top 10 things too!

 

1. A Sheetz. Yeah, that makes no sense, but it's Sheetz lol...but the Sheetz would be lit up in rainbow colors. :p (Oh and the local gas station would be called 69.)

2. A community center. I live in Boston right now and we have a good health center but no real community center. I would want to build a place where there was always something fun going on - bingo nights, movie discussions, book clubs, socials, dances, parties, personalized therapy sessions, maybe an in-house masseur... a place to just relax, make friends, and be social with real live breathing people (because I believe in balance and a little time away from the iPads and iPhones...)

3. A great local theatre. It would be the size of a Broadway house - and gorgeous architecture, and the seasons would be jam-packed with all the great classic shows plus new shows as well to support up-and-coming theatre people. And of course a star-studded gala performance by the likes of Linda Eder, Donna Murphy, and Audra McDonald.

4. A college. It would be a college town - brimming with hunky hot guys of course, but I'd name it Harvey Milk University. Any gay boy around the world that wanted a rich, happy college experience surrounded by other gay boys would be able to come tuition-free... but honestly I'd make it tuition-free for ANY one as well.

5. A library. The gay bookstore may, alas, be obsolete by now but we can build a magnificent library with every gay book in creation and every Broadway cast recording ever. It would have the complete back catalogs of magazines like The Advocate and Out and Genre and also International Male and Undergear because why not?

6. A big beautiful park. I miss the old park back in PA very much, and I'd just love to have an enormous park - maybe even half the size of Central Park, and it would also have waterfalls, flower gardens, different types of trees, peaceful walking paths, brooks and streams, lakes, statues of LGBTQ trailblazers...

7. A "Main Street Gay USA". I love towns with one strip with everything on it, but this one would have cobblestone streets like Greenwich Village has, and be simply for just walking with big parking lots surrounding it.

8. A fudge and hot cookie cafe/shop. I think "Billy's Fudge Factory" is a cute name but it would be like a central place to get all different kinds of fudge, hot cookies served with milk, pastries, coffee, tea, and then an adjoining shop with homemade soaps, candles, etc.

9. A fantastic Pride Month. Drawing people by the thousands from all around the USA and the world, this town would have the world's most spectacular pride celebrations - picnics, fairgrounds, rainbow fireworks - just an all-out extravaganza!

10. A theme park. To draw in tourists and families, a big theme park would be in the town. My idea was a new water park called Splash! with rides, pirates, a real-life Titanic replica, etc.

 

Got carried away lol but would love to hear all of your ideas as well.

 

I've been to Provincetown a few times and this was inspired by P-town. Basically this town would combine P-town, Key West, Eureka Springs, Broadway, Greenwich Village, your everyday college town, and wrap it all up in a small town friendly feel and charm.

A Spa. Like, a 10,000 sq foot deluxe Vegas-style spa with steam, sauna, whirlpool and 100 hot masseurs.

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