Category Archives: Gay UK

Fogo de Chao and Awesome Wines from VIK

There is nothing better than a fantastic glass of wine with dinner!

We recently visited the Fogo de Chao (pronounced fogo-dee-shown) in River North for their announcement of a new partnership with award-winning Chilean VIK Winery. These VIK wines are only available at Fogo!

The VIK vineyard is affectionately called the “Place of Gold”, offering a variety of unequaled terroir, small microclimates, coastal breezes; giving their wines the complexity sought after to create the best wine in South America.

If you get to Chile, they have an unbelievable hotel and grounds! You can visit the vineyards, the wine spa, hotel and spectacular grounds. (photo to left).

Fogo has partnered with VIK, which is a holistic Chilean vineyard creating world class wines, to offer its award-winning and best in category wines at Fogo de Chão locations nationwide.

 

These 3 wines join the Wine List:

La Piu Belle, Red Blend, Cachapoal, Chile, 2011
Intense and well-balanced with notes of berries, wildflowers, spices and a touch of oak. Flavor of cranberries, the palate is incredibly fresh, silky smooth, with body and structure.

Milla Cala, Red Blend, Cachapoal, Chile, 2013
Incredibly vibrant red fruit aromas, elegant tannins and incredibly smooth mouth feel. Fresh spices, perfume and berry aromas accented with hints of toast and maple. In the mouth, black cherry and plum are underscored by a hint of black licorice.

VIK, Red Blend, Cachapoal, Chile, 2012
Elegant and balanced wine, dynamic with high precision of tannins and great structure that deliver an exquisite mouth feel. A mixture of aromas, including strawberry, raspberry and vanilla. Spicy and savory dark berry fruit on the tongue, tempered by an elegant structure.

 

The founders of Fogo de Chão grew up on a traditional Southern Brazilian farm in the Serra Gaucha. It is here that they learned to cook in the churrasco grilling tradition that would become the backbone of their story.

The founding brothers left the quaint, mountainous countryside of Rio Grande do Sul to Rio and São Paulo for formal churrasqueiro training, all while developing the Fogo concept. They had several resturants in brazil before coming to the US. premiere.

At the requests of loyal American guests, the Fogo concept was exported to the U.S. with a stateside debut in Dallas, Texas, in 1997. Between 1997 and 2013, this pioneering churrascaria continued its expansion in Brazil and the U.S. opening 29 new restaurants.

Just before Christmas 2013, Fogo opened a three story, 16,000 square foot flagship location in New York City. The stunning architectural design includes a seventeen foot bas-relief sculpture of Antonio Caringi’s, O Laçador, a historical monument in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The culinary team has continued the tradition of developing new menu creations rooted in the Brazilian tradition that push forward the Brazilian churrasco experience. In 2013, new seafood dishes were introduced. Later that year, the Bar Fogo concept emerged within Fogo restaurants, introducing guests to new Brazilian-inspired small plates, award-winning wines and cocktails. The culinary team is always testing and tasting new items for possible inclusion.

 

With the holidays just around the corner, consider Fogo de Chao for a group dining experience!

An elegant Brazilian dining experience presented by their helpful and knowledgeable staff will make Fogo de Chão the perfect location for your group or private dining event. Holiday parties, Corporate events, Lunch and Learn, any celebration!

 

Find a location  Worldwide, wherever your travels take you!

 

About Fogo de Chão

Fogo de Chão is a leading Brazilian steakhouse, or churrascaria, which has specialized for more than 37 years in fire-roasting high-quality meats utilizing the centuries-old Southern Brazilian cooking technique of churrasco. Fogo offers guests a wide variety of simply seasoned meats that are carefully fire-roasted to expose their natural flavors. The company was founded in 1979 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and expanded into the U.S. in 1997. There are currently 47 locations throughout Brazil, the United States, and Mexico, including locations in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Mexico City.

 

Additionally, Fogo offers a gourmet Market Table & Feijoada Bar, which includes seasonal salads, soup, fresh vegetables, feijoada (traditional black bean stew with rice, fresh orange and yuca flour), and much more. Southern Brazilian side dishes such as pão de queijo (warm cheese bread), crispy hot polenta, and caramelized bananas are served family-style. To further complement the dining experience, the restaurant offers an award-winning wine list, tempting dessert menu, and creative and classic cocktails. Guests can also choose between lighter seafood selections, or enjoy the gourmet Market Table only option. For more information, visit Fogo.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

For a visual representation of the story of Fogo de Chão, watch “The Gaucho Way,” a documentary-style video shot through the eyes of real Fogo de Chão Brazilian gauchos and explores the restaurant’s deep cultural roots in Southern Brazil.

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A Travel Agent Can Save Time and Money

 

When the internet exploded, many travelers went out on their own, searching, looking for deals and bargains, booking things themselves – I never understood that. Why would I want to spend HOURS doing all the work – when a travel professional probably knows most of the answers! Plus, if you are going somewhere for the first time, it can be a daunting task to put the trip together on your own.

They know what deals are happening – they know how you can save money – there are over 100 REASONS to use a travel agent –

here are just a few…..

Convenient One-Stop Shopping
Travel agents can handle every aspect of your trip from airline tickets to lodging,
ground transportation, activities, tours and more.

Consumer Advocate
If you should have a problem during your trip, travel agents can act on your behalf to see that proper restitution’s are made.

Expert Guidance
Travel agents are experts in helping travelers get where they need to go and
in helping to create possibilities most people never would have dreamed
were possible.

Save Time
Avoid the headaches and let the travel agents call around and do all the time consuming work of planning a complex itinerary.

Choice
Travel agents offer you an array of options and price quotes from a variety of
travel suppliers, giving you the upper hand when making your final
travel decisions.

 

Less Stress
Planning a trip can be stressful. There are so many options and details to worry about.
Travel agents do the work, resulting in less stress for you.

Updated Information
Travel agents are constantly communicating with the travel community, thus
giving you the most up to date info on airlines, hotels, car rental
agencies, travel visas, and other travel services to consider as you
plan your trip.

Customer Service
Travel agents offer that “personal touch” to your travel planning experience-
Offering help and advice that a website cannot provide.

Travel Expertise
Many travel agents are considered experts in the area you are traveling to and have probably
already been to your chosen destination.

Best Value for Your Money Spent
Travel agents can help you to make your dollars go farther while you are
away. They have access to finding all sorts of deals ranging from
flights to hotels to dinner recommendations.

Location, Location, Location!!!!
Travel Specialists can help you to find a place to stay pretty much anywhere
you desire. If it’s a hotel with a view of the ocean in Hawaii or a
jungle hut in the Nilgiri foothills, a travel agent can help you make it
happen.

Knowledge of All the Ins and Outs
Travel specialists can help bring you up to speed on the local laws and regulations of wherever your travels take you.

Avoid International Flight Confusion
Travel specialists can help organize those confusing international flights that internet search engines don’t cover.

Personalized Trips
A travel agent can prepare you a personalized trip based on where you want to go and what you want to do.

Where to Go to Avoid Kids
Want to go somewhere without children running all over the place? A travel
agent can help you to find excellent retreats that are open to adults
only.

 

Local Traditions
Travel specialists can update you on all local traditions and customs of
places you are visiting, so you make a good impression. For example, in
Japan many people expect their visitors to take their shoes off before
entering their homes.

Complicated Itineraries Made Simple
Travel experts can take care of all the details for those complicated around
the world itineraries and all the extra headaches that go with them,
such as hotel and transportation along the way.

 

Special Deals Worked Out in Advance – Travel
agents may have a relationship with certain tour operators and could be
able to get you a special price that might not otherwise be available.

Difference in Days to Save Money
Instead of playing around with dates on the internet for hours, your travel
agent can advise you on any changes to your travel dates that might save
you hundreds of dollars.

Staying In-the-Know of Daily Promotions
Travel agents get emails and faxes of daily money saving promotions.

 

They Are Considered Travel Experts and Specialists – Wouldn’t you rather have a travel expert plan your trip rather than a pre-programmed website?

It just Makes Sense to Use a Travel Agent.
They’re Out There… Use Them
Why do the work if someone else like a travel specialist can.

Travel Agents Must Be Doing Something Right. They Sure Have a lot of Business

Travel agents still sell 51 percent of all airline tickets, 87 percent of all
cruises, 81 percent of all tours and packages, 45 percent of all car
rentals and about 47 percent of all hotels.

It Makes Traveling Easy
Once you find a good travel agent, your dream vacation is just a phone call away.

We highly recommend Dave at Donovan Travel!

 

Donovan Travel
Let Dave help YOU with YOUR next Trip!
1-800-252-2660   E-MAIL THEM

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Gay Travel to Cardiff Wales

Cardiff’s sequins and glitter

By Sebastian Saenz @sebastiaenz

Madrid, San Francisco, Puerto Vallarta, even Tel Aviv… gay tourists have plenty of locations to chose from all over the world to let themselves go. However, personal experiences have taught me that, even though some gay Meccas are true musts, gay tourists shouldn’t overlook some little places that actually may have a lot to offer, such as Cardiff, Wales.

This city is truly underrated. I myself have not even heard its name until my early twenties, when I was looking for universities to get my masters degree. All I’ve ever heard of Wales (like most people) was that certain controversial and beautiful princess from there died in a tragic car accident in the 90s. Apparently, people into sports (ew) may have also heard from the Welsh rugby or soccer teams. However, Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones are from Cardiff, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins and Duffy are Welsh, and Rihanna, Katy Perry and Kylie Minogue have included Cardiff in their tours.

Surprisingly, when I got to the tiny nation, my inner tourist was amused by the friendliness of the locals, the unexpected masses of international students, the delicious (and zero-diet-friendly) welsh cakes, the sublime Millennium Centre, the outstanding Millennium Stadium (which I actually visited a few times, I swear), the nice bay, the peaceful Bute Park (great to watch topless guys playing Frisbee when it’s warm), the overwhelming National Museum and Art Gallery (which portrays a wing for local LGBTQ personalities), the artistic Chapter Center, and the historic Castle. Mostly a city of “uni” students, Cardiff may be surrounded by sheep and hills, but it is not pretentious like posh London. Everything is walkable and cheaper!

There is another thing that most people outside the UK also ignore about Cardiff: it is the British Vegas. People from the whole continent visit it during long summer weekends to have fun, drink and dance with no inhibitions. People find any reason to wear costumes. Bars are open since lunch time till three or four in the morning. Of course, Friday and Saturday nights are always busy, but if you’re thirsty on a Monday or Tuesday afternoon, you’ll even find a small crowd in most bars. This obviously comes with some perks, such as barefoot ladies with bright talons, drag queen makup and flashy leggins avoiding piss puddles outside The Live Lounge (the college bar par excellence) on their way to Maccy D, or cheeto-tanned muscular lads from the Valleys having chicken curry and chips and taking selfies with cops before heading to The Prince of Wales (two pitchers for 12 quid). And the atmosphere gets even wilder during rugby game days (broadcasted at any bar, gay or straight), because even though the game may be from two to five, true Welsh people drink from dawn til the last straight man wearing a bachelorette party veil stands semi-conscious.

Shall we start with options for our community? Due to the young population, Cardiff has a broad mind, and pretty much the whole city is friendly. You can spot a few same sex couples holding hands on St. Mary St. or Queen St. If you stay long enough, pretty soon you’ll start running into the same people all the time (the population is around the 325 thousand), but for such a tiny city, there are numerous gay (and very straight friendly) options concentrated at the City Center (barhopping is almost mandatory). Icon is great to start drinking (ask for a deadly Glitter Bomb), drag shows, contests and show tunes of Wow are broadly famous, Minsky’s is huge for hen nights, Locker Room is the gay sauna, bears concentrate at Eagle (duh), daddies at The Golden Cross, and most students from LGBTQ uni societies enjoy dancing at the Pulse basement. If possible, try to visit during the Mardi Grass. Oh, and before I forget, Cardiff may not be a fashion capital of the world (Londoners actually consider it a tad tacky) but if you’re in a shopping mood, St. David’s mall and Primark will satisfy your labels thirst.

Getting used to the strong accent is completely worth the experience, Love. Be ready for one pint after the other, but culture and warm smiles as well. Don’t forget to get an issue of Attitude Magazine to have material to break the ice. Oggy Oggy Oggy Oi Oi Oi!

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Gay Pride 2014 is Coming ! To a City Near You!

GAY PRIDE IS COMING!  Over the next 6 months, gay prides will be happening  coast to coast!

PHOENIX PRIDE  April  5-6, 2014

MIAMI  PRIDE   April  11-13

TOKYO PRIDE  April 27rh

SAO PAULO PRIDE    May 4th, 2014 – the BIGGEST in the WORLD

 

NEW JERSEY  PRIDE   June 1st, 2014

LOS ANGELES  PRIDE  June 6th-8th

MILWAUKEE  WI   Pride   June 6th-8th

CAPITAL PRIDE  DC  June 6th-8th

DETROIT  PRIDE  June  7th-8th

HONOLULU PRIDE June 7th

PHILADELPHIA PRIDE   June 8th

BOSTON PRIDE  June 8th-16th

KEY WEST PRIDE  June 11th-15th 2014

NASHVILLE PRIDE  June 12th-14th

SITGES SPAIN PRIDE June 12th-16th

PITTSBURGH  PRIDE   June 14th-15th

BERLIN PRIDE   June 14th-15th

OSLO PRIDE June  20th-29th

HOUSTON GAY PRIDE  June 20th-29th

TORONTO PRIDE June 20th-29th – BIGGEST in NORTH AMERICA!
PLUS in 2014, Toronto will actually be  WORLD  PRIDE with even BIGGER  crowds

RHODE ISLAND / PROVIDENCE  PRIDE  June 21st

NEW YORK CITY PRIDE  June 24th-29th

TAMPA  FL   PRIDE  June 27th-29th

PARIS PRIDE   June 28th

LONDON PRIDE  June 28th

MINNEAPOLIS PRIDE June 28th-29th

CHICAGO PRIDE FEST  June 21st – 22nd

(they are trying to fill in the days in between to make a full week of pride)

CHICAGO  PRIDE  June 29th

SEATTLE  GAY  PRIDE  June 29th

MADRID PRIDE July 2nd-6th

COLOGNE GERMANY PRIDE  July 6th

SAN DIEGO PRIDE  July 18th-20th

STOCKHOLM PRIDE  July 28th – Aug. 2nd

MONTREAL PRIDE July  July 28th-Aug. 3rd

AMSTERDAM PRIDE August 1st-3rd – with floats on the canal!

ANTWERP PRIDE August 4th-11th

REYKJAVIK PRIDE August 5th-10th

CHICAGO MARKET DAYS – August 9th-10th   (not really pride – but a big party!)

OTTAWA PRIDE  August 15th-24th

PRAGUE PRIDE August 11th-17th

COPENHAGEN PRIDE  August 26th-31st

ATLANTA  PRIDE  August  27th-Sept. 1st

SOUTHERN DECADENCE  –  August 27th-September 1 (not really pride – but a big party)

LAS VEGAS PRIDE  September 2nd-8th

AUSTIN TX  PRIDE   September 20th

DALLAS PRIDE   September 21st

MAUI HAWAII   October 4th-5th

GAY PRIDE is a time of celebration and with that, usually comes some drinking.  MAKE SURE YOU DRINK WATER AS WELL!  Keep yourself hydrated! You don’t want to go to the hospital with your boa and go go shorts on!  (poor guy!)

 

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Birmingham UK Shows New Gay Mascot for Village

Birmingham Pride is the largest free gay and
lesbian event in the United Kingdom.

It takes place in
Birmingham  – this year  June  2 & 3, 2012.
. The spectacular ‘Carnival
Parade’ passes through the city-centre from Victoria Square and makes
its way through the streets of the city to the “gay village”.

Launched from Victoria Square in Birmingham’s city centre at 12 noon on Saturday 2nd  the Carnival Parade route will be our best and most visible procession through the city ever! 

 This year it will wind its way down Colmore Row, and include other streets like Bull Street, Temple Street, Colmore Row and New Street, before finishing right in the heart of the Gay Village area for festival-goers to continue the celebrations.

Huge tents act as nightclubs for gay and straight revellers alike. In
the daytime, specialist stalls and fairground rides make good
entertainment. Many famous music acts perform on stage throughout the
festival. Take a look at the Birmingham Pride Website


A huge, rhinestone-encrusted sculpture of a rhinoceros  is planned to mark entry to the city’s gay village.But it may be installed in time for Pride –

Partly funded by Birmingham’s LGBT
group and remaining cash from grants awarded for the council’s
initiative to improve the city centre, the horned beast will stand at
the junction of Bromsgrove and Hurst Streets as a mascot for the city’s
gay village. The sculpture’s bling armoury is intended to reflect
Birmingham’s history as a jewellery-producing city.

The full cost of the model, is £15,000 with Birmingham City
Council providing the bulk. Those behind the beast said that a rhino had
been chosen as they are “associated with strength and were originally a
symbol of the gay rights movement in the United States.”

David Viney of Birmingham LGBT told the Birmingham Mail: “This is a
hugely exciting project that represents the culmination of four years’
work between Birmingham LGBT and the city council to create a truly
iconic piece of art.”

Not everyone was quite so enthusiastic about the project, however,
and a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: “Taxpayers will wonder
why Birmingham City Council are blowing money on public art at a time
when it’s pleading poverty in other areas. Art projects like this are
capable of raising money for themselves.”


see also   Birmingham UK  Gay Places

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Sir Ian McKellen Shows Support for Homotopia in Liverpool England


HOMOTOPIA,
 is Liverpool’s annual
celebration of Queer Culture,
 every November.



Queer culture is truly celebrated with Liverpool’s first ever-dedicated perspective of events by and for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Homotopia is a bold and ambitious festival featuring a variety of events including theatre, film, art, performance, photography, heritage and storytelling.

Lord Of The Rings star  Sir Ian McKellen has pledged  support and backing to Liverpool’s LGBT arts group.  “I fully support Homotopia’s determination to tackle the violence which defaces the reputation of Liverpool as a friendly, inclusive community. Homophobia, in all its manifestations, should always be challenged. We are all different, thank goodness: we all deserve to be treated equally with respect.”   Said the popular star,  who was impressed with the way Homotopia galvanised the  LGBT community in the city following  the brutal murder of  Michael Causer and the horrifying homophobic attack on  policeman James Parkes in Liverpool’s gay quarter last year.

Homotopia’s latest project features a group of lesbian and gay teenagers from the northern UK city travel to  World War II concentration and death camp Auschwitz -Birkenau to see first hand the effects of hate crime.    This special trip has been turned into a documentary,  also a education pack has been produced,  it’s aim is to inform young people about homophobic bullying,  hate crime and the effects of  discrimination and prejudice.   The pack and documentary is being made available to 100 Liverpool school and will be seen by over  20,000 young people.


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