It’s no surprise to learn that the folks at the tourist office touts London as the most gay friendly city in the world. That’s their job. But here at GayCities we can attest that it is indeed one of the most fascinating and diverse gay cities in the world. Just last spring, the city hosted our very own founder, Scott Gatz, and he got a first hand look at all it has to offer, from world class Indian food to the fabulous nightclub Heaven. The streets of Soho bustle with gay life.

And this year we hired a terrific London journalist and champion, David Oppedisano, to create what we humbly believe is the best gay guide to the city, one that’s unparalleled both in detail and scope. Here’s how David sums up London’s many charms:

Which city has more theatres than New York, more artists than Paris, and a gay and lesbian scene to rival San Francisco? Home to Europe’s largest gay and lesbian population, London remains a hot spot for the discerning international gay traveler. And with more than 300 languages spoken (though you’ll need just the one) and nearly a third of the population born outside of the country, you don’t get much more international.

The downside? It’s too expensive to stay forever. Maybe the tourist board can tackle that little problem next…

More London on GayCities

Photo of Ku Bar by London tourist office

Bobby Crush as Liberace. Not such a stretch for the highly-regarded London pianist, now his third turn as the celebrity in Liberace, Live from Heaven at the Leicester Square Theatre. Crush took an intermission from his performance, hailed as “full-blooded and affectionate,” to chat with GayCities about Liberace the man, the closeted performer–and where to hang out in two of the camp icon’s favorite cities, London and Las Vegas.

GC: You would seem made for this role–gay man, musician, performer…

This is actually my third Liberace project. The first was a play called Liberace’s Suit, which I did five years ago at the Jermyn Street Theatre. It was a dramatisation of the court case that Liberace took against the Daily Mirror in the 1950’s. The next Liberace show was a recreation of his old nightclub act with a live band, singers and dancers …. which brings us to the new show. The playwright and director Julian Woolford has come up with a one-man show called Liberace, Live from Heaven, which charts Liberace’s ascent to Heaven after his early death in 1987.

GC: The name of your show is sooo appropriately over the top! Was Liberace actually a good musician and performer or just great camp?

He was spectacular in both areas. A lot of people just remember him for the outrageous outfits but he was a gifted, classically trained pianist who played with some of the finest orchestras in the world.

GC: What would it have been like to actually be him, this icon who never really revealed himself publicly as gay yet was gayer than, well, than a three dollar bill, as we say in the US? Can you imagine, since you came out in 2007?

I nearly met him once. Early in my career, just after I got my initial TV break, my publicist at the time approached Liberace’s publicist to see if we could set up a photo shoot along the lines of The Old Trooper Meets The New Boy. He was coming over to do some concerts at the Palladium. Apparently, he was up for it but unfortunately, as he flew into London for his concerts, I flew out to Australia to do my first work over there, so it never materialised.

GC: The gay aspect of his life must have been difficult. Things were very different back then and his audience was middle-aged women who might have found it hard to accept.

My own “coming out” was a lot easier although even I would have thought twice about coming out in the 70’s, when attitudes were not as relaxed as they are now.

GC: Much like Sir Elton John, who came out early. Why do performers still think they can’t be openly gay, even in this day and age? Hollywood is full of closet cases, though the closet in England appears less strong.

I can understand it, to an extent–actors not being open. They think it will cancel them out when it comes to “romantic leads” and that they’ll no longer be “believable.” In 2009 it really shouldn’t be a big deal. Young people seem to be quite accepting of the whole gay thing with openly gay pop stars, gay storylines in soaps, civil partnerships, etc. Hopefully, we’ve turned a corner.

GC: Liberace played all over the world, but was a huge hit in Vegas.

Yes, I visited the Liberace Museum in Vegas in preparation for my first role. It’s wild! I loved viewing the costumes and the cars and. when the volunteers got to hear that I was a famous pianist from England, I was invited to play Liberace’s mirrored piano, which was quite a thrill. Liberace, along with the Rat Pack, was the person who really put Las Vegas on the map as a centre for entertainment.

GC: What do you think of Las Vegas? Where do you stay? Where do you go out there?

I only started going about five  years ago. When I fly to the States, it’s nearly always to New York so I can see the new shows on Broadway but I was desperate to see Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme at the Stardust Hotel, LV, so that prompted my first visit. They were sensational … one of the best acts I’ve ever seen. I stayed at the Flamingo Hotel but I’ve been back a couple of times since then and stayed at the MGM Grand and the Bellagio. I go and see a show every night and so far have seen Barry Manilow, The Pointer Sisters, Celine Dion and Gladys Knight, as well as countless Cirque de Soleil shows and the like. I love it!

GC: Wow! Sounds like fun… How ’bout London. Where do you like to hang out there, say, before & after your show? Where should a visitor to your show get a hotel? Do you have a favorite?

Well, I live in London so I’m not really one for staying in hotels here. Dinner after the show is often at Joe Allen’s in Exeter Street or the Ivy, which has long been a favourite. I’ve just become a member of the Groucho Club so if I’m just going for drinks, perhaps there. My show is at the Leicester Square Theatre and friends who came down from Birmingham to see it last week stayed at the Soho Hotel in Richmond Mews, which they absolutely loved.

GC: Where should your audience go to really enjoy London. Any inside tips?

It’s an old cliche but go and stand on Waterloo Bridge for a while and take in the stunning view from both sides … especially effective at night!

GC: Anything else you’d like to impart to visitors to London?

Yes, come and see Liberace, Live from Heaven at the Leicester Square Theatre! Audiences are loving it and we’re getting a lot of repeat business. It’s a fun night out, glorious costumes and a chance to hear some of Liberace’s greatest hits … you even get to vote whether he stays in Heaven or gets sent below!

More of the fabulous GayCities London guide

1. Madrid: Gay Hostel Puerta del Sol

This cheap stay in Puerta del Sol Square couldn’t be more central (or easier to find). Very clean and well-equipped with free Internet and TVs in every room, prices start at just €20 pppn, including breakfast and homemade buns…This friendly hostel also has great advice for gay travelers in Madrid and can offer free entry to some of the most popular gay discos in the city.

2. Rio de Janeiro: El Misti Hostel

Cosmopolitan Rio has a large gay and lesbian community and a hedonistic club scene that attracts millions of visitors each year. Just three blocks from Copacabana beach, this gay hostel in Rio de Janeiro is right in the heart of the action. The hostel’s open-door policy attracts a diverse crowd that makes for a vibrant atmosphere. They even offer a free pick up from the airport or bus station to help you get straight down to partying hard!

3. Madrid: Gay Pizarro Hostel

Slightly off the beaten track and with a great location in the Chueca neighborhood, which is world-famous for its gay and lesbian nightclubs (A Noite, Gris, Long Play), it’s easy to see why this smart Madrid gay hostel has impressed its guests. The welcoming staff provide information on (and sometimes discounts for) all the top events and clubs in the district, helping travelers to get their bearings and make the most of their stay in the city. It may not be a party hostel, but it offers clean, comfortable rooms at a great price – perfect for a laid-back tour of this famous city.

4. San Francisco: Elements Hostel

Located in the colorful Mission district, Elements Hostel is an affordable place to head home to after a night out in San Francisco’s notorious gay scene. With both dorms and private rooms available, this gay hostel in San Francisco also has a restaurant and rooftop bar with great views over the city.

5. London: London House Gay Hostel

One of just a handful of hostels catering exclusively to gay travelers in London, London Hostel Gay House has provided a friendly, comfortable place to stay since 1984. Newly remodeled in 2003, this gay hostel has a lounge area and kitchen that offer an informal, friendly base for exploring the city, as well as a good place for making new friends.

Know of a fabulous gay hostel that didn’t make the list? Share it with us and spread the love!

Photos courtesy of HostelBookers.com

The city of London was creative enough to make its version of the gay beach–Hampstead Heath Ponds (which allows nude sunbathing)–a centerpiece of its marketing to gay tourists with a funny video.

                                                   photo by epaul-07

New York’s Central Park has plenty of gay cruising in the brambles. But if you are looking for a beach, check out sheep’s meadow, near the center of the vast urban park. Our friends at Popnography captured this group of frisky, camera-friendly guys there on a summer day:

San Francisco’s Dolores Park, just a short walk down the hill from the Castro, is famous for the gay beach in the southwest quadrant, which of course boasts the best view and is also home to the annual “hunky jesus” contest:

Then there is Chicago’s Hollywood Beach, which is actually on the lake. So there’s a real beach, not to mention plenty of gay boys sunning, socializing and just plain showing off on the southside near Andersonville, which they long ago colonized as their own. Sundays tend to be the best days to hang out there, but any warm summer day will do.

                                                                                  photo by albany_tim

Washington, D.C.’s P Street Beach in at the start of the vast Rock Creek Park is a lush green oasis that abuts the end of the heavily gay block of P Street, lined with gay bars, cafes and eateries. The park has a long tradition of cruising (be wary of the park rangers) but in the daytime it’s a great place to sun, meet guys, and watch the nearby volleyballers before heading back to P Street proper (or 17 Street) for a night out on the town.

See our Barcelona and Madrid guides for tips on where to stay and play with or without the bambinos.

Photo by LifeShadows.

Fearless Buenos Aires guide author Chino toasts gaycities users on NY's eve in his hometown

In a major step forward in our obsessive quest to map the entire gay world for you, dear user, we are pleased to announce the launch of four major new GayCities guides: London, Paris, Madrid, Buenos Aires are now live. As always, please review your favorite venues, and let us know what we are missing.

Over the next week, we will be blogging about the excellent creators of these guides. First up is Chino, the author of the Buenos Aires guide. Born and raised in Argentina, Chino, 25, grew up in the city he covers. He likes to say that the historical and sizzling neighborhood of Belgrano prepared him “very well for certain things, and not so greatly for others.”

While in college, he decided to study abroad and not altogether surprisingly picked the gayest city on earth: San Francisco, where is working toward an MFA in creative writing at the University of San Francisco. He especially admires his adopted city’s ability to embrace a truly dizzying range of human diversity. Yet at the same time he misses the vibrant social and cultural life that the streets of Buenos Aires offer.

Chino, as he is known back home, did much of the “in-depth” research for this guide while spending the holiday season in Buenos Aires, where he bunked with his beloved parents but took ample advantage of the incredible gay scene the city offers, advantage he was not able to exploit growing up there as a teenager. Though he has lived in SF for only a few years, he always finds himself startled at just how liberated his hometown has become in such a short period of time. It was during this latest trip that he noticed all the straight boys preening in pink shirts and tight jeans, a sure sign that they are less afraid than ever of being mistaken for gay. Latin machismo has taken on a decidedly lavender hue. At long last, now everyone, gay, straight & in-between, can share in the great time the gay scene has to offer.

                                                                                  More of Chino’s gay Buenos Aires

                                                                                   Chino’s gaycities profile

Photo credit: Chino