gaypartyblog.com gay nightlife scene

When you think of Shreveport you normally think of one of the gambling cities of the Southern states close to the swamps of Louisiana.  We recently traveled to an event in Pensacola, FL and decided to stop in on the way to Baton Rouge, LA.  We looked over the websites online first to see if anything was open on a Thursday night.  We found out they have bars open until 6am.  I am jealous of a city that has bars open until 6am since I am normally in cities that only serve alcohol until around 2am (sometimes closing around 1:40 or so).

Baton Rouge bars close at 3am so since we were going to be driving through at 2am we thought Shreveport would be our best bet.  We drove first to the Central Station club which is located right underneath I-20 and near the Line exit.  We had trouble finding a street sign that was not faded out to make sure we were turning on the right streets.  We finally found the street and there was no lights on or anything and it was completely dark outside with some bum following our car.

I was actually just joking around saying that was the club and it really turned out to be the building that the club was in called Central Station.  Since the outside lights were not turned on we thought the club was dead and it was not exactly the safest looking area so we jolted out of there.  Our return trip we went by there in the semi-daylight and learned that they had just not had the light strands on the outside that night and that the parking was in the rear.

People from out of town would have no idea that the parking was in the rear or that the club was even still in business since there are no gay pride signs facing the street or no real signage.  Although there is an old engraved sign on the historic building that is hard to see at night.

On the return trip we discovered that this place looked like alot of fun.  We stopped by and had a few drinks and saw they had a nice outside patio, 2 dancefloors and one of them was rather big in another room they open for Fridays and Saturdays.  I totally want to check out this club when it is hopping on the weekends.

We also stopped into the Korner Lounge which is just a few blocks down the street and near some buildings with neat paintings.  It was seductive inside playing videos and a hunk of a bartender.

Both bars had video cameras on the parking lot which kind of made me weary to leave my car parked outside for too long.   Maybe because it is a casino town or because it is high crime? I am not sure.

Shreveport is a great place for a weekend trip to go gambling, drinking, and watch drag shows at the Korner Lounge and Central Station.

I have to admit that skiing is a sport I have only tried once and, although I remember the experience well, I didn’t actually do very much. Mind you it was in Scotland in December, in a blizzard and I had had no training. Consequently I slid downhill at great speed for a few seconds before I realised I didn’t know how to stop. After purposefully falling into a snow drift I trudged back up through the snow and fog to find the café and drank hot chocolate for the next hour while my friends had a great time. I also had a great time with the après-ski as the place I stayed at had ice skating, saunas and other attractions. But it wasn’t a gay resort or skiing holiday and if you want to get into the sport with other like minded guys and gals then you may want to check out some of the functions and events I found recently.

In North America most of the gay ski weeks (as the gatherings are called) take place in the West, in places like Aspen, Park City and Whistler. Over in Picturesque Stowe, Vermont, a popular gay ski gathering has been taking place annually for over 20 years. The Winter Rendezvous, as it is called, traditionally takes place at the end of January/beginning of February. The best way to find out more about this (and other events) that I found was to visit a specialist gay travel website and browse around. For example, I discovered that it’s not just a question of turning up to a gathering and joining in. These are popular events and you are advised to book early. Bear in mind that you will need accommodation, lift passes, equipment if you don’t have your own and that entertainments may also be provided with tickets selling out fast. The Winter Rendezvous this year features a drag show and cabaret including live singers and guests DJs. Plenty of après-ski there.

The Aspen Gay Ski Week runs at a similar time to the event at Stowe and also features extras, with plenty to do after your skiing or snowboarding activities during the day. At this gathering you can expect to find club nights, costume parties, a comedy night and a pool party. The Utah Gay Ski Week, which has just taken place, included a welcome party, social dinners and meetings and a different mountain, or collection of runs to try out every day.

I don’t want you to think that the only reason guys and gals go to these gatherings is for the evening entertainment but I just wanted to point out that there is plenty to do once you have finished you’re skiing or snowboarding. Not everyone is a good skier and I didn’t find any information about the level of expertise needed to attend these events. I assume that beginners are welcome and that like most if not all ski resorts, you can pick up some training from professionals when you are there. But having the extra entertainment makes for a great holiday for partners who don’t ski, for example, so whatever your level of ability or interest, if you like the great outdoors, snowy conditions (with warm hot chocolate and cafes as an alternative), roaring fires and great scenery then you may well want to consider a ski week as an alternative holiday.

As for other countries around the world, well, after a quick search around I found events being held in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria. For more information and details there was a great collection of news and ideas at gaytravel.about.com (search ‘ski’).

And we thought Republican jerks took over the country without harming San Francisco. It is so sad that San Francisco did not have its Annual Halloween street party and that the Castro gay area is being extinguished of gays. Of course the housing is becoming too expensive for younger gays and the “crime is increasing” are some of the excuses they are using but what about other big cities like Dallas and West Hollywood, CA. You can also find a kick butt street party in Houston of all places.

The city of San Francisco can shove the HomeforHalloween.com site up your butts. It is sickening you even have that website as if your bragging that all the clubs are closed and there is absolutely NOTHING to do in the Castro on one of the biggest party nights of the year. It is also too bad that Chris Crocker or Matthew Lush (well he has one issue = being a Vegan and a gay but no issues besides his own selfish agenda) don’t entertain real issues like this. Instead they talk about stupid things all day long and stare into a web camera queening around making our entire community feel completely dumb and embarrassed. We need to stand up to these mayors and city officials who are stopping gay activities in NYC, San Francisco, and every other city these jerks control.

I say don’t spend any money in the Castro or NYC until they get things changed. Keep your money in cities where they are happy to have the queers and appreciate our fabulous companionship. Money talks and creates change — you are what you eat and you are what you buy!

Update: (From PlanetOut.com)

On Wednesday night, bars and restaurants closed early, public transportation halted nighttime service to the area and sidewalk barricades were set up to discourage pedestrians from spilling into the road. The landmark Castro Theatre stood with its lights shut off, guarded by barricades and nine police officers.