Instagram sensation Troy Solomon has made a name for himself in Los Angeles with the gender-bending blog, A Bear Named Troy, giving make-up tutorials and style advice.
Recently in WeHo, as he walked his dogs while wearing a sequin track suit, a car stopped at a four-way intersection, rolled down the window and shouted, “You better work!”
The influencer gave GayCities a round-up of the hottest spots in Los Angeles for fun under the SoCal sun.
Favorite neighborhood? WeHo. You have the best of both worlds: you can party at all the best bars, but also find some peace and quiet in the residential parts.
Favorite gay bars/clubs? The Bayou, Pump, The Eagle
Which LA hotels do you recommend for visitors? Palihouse, Le Parc Suite, or the Ramada.
Favorite place to grab a bite? My favorite lunch spot in all of LA is Aroma Coffee & Tea in Studio City. I always order the crab cake sandwich with a side of garlic fries and their cold brew is out of this world. It’s literally heaven.
Where do you eat when you’re feeling fancy? I love Cliff’s Edge. It’s definitely a place you want to get dressed up real cute for.
Where do you go to see-and-be-seen? I always see someone [famous] at Rock N Reilly’s or Aroma Coffee and Tea Co.
Have you had any celebrity encounters? This is not necessarily an encounter, but I was scouted while at Pride four years ago to be in a Demi Lovato music video for the song “Really Don’t Care.” If you watch you’ll see me pop up (without a beard) for like a millisecond.
Favorite LA hangout that’s off the gay radar? I really like Breakroom 86 and this place called A Simple Bar that’s literally off the 101 in a strip mall but it is so fun.
Favorite travel destination? Rome. Amazing food, friendly people, gorgeous architecture, and crazy cool nightlife.
Related: See Trixie Mattel, ABearNamedTroy and other 2018 Queerties red carpet arrivals
Where are you traveling next? Coachella. Find me twirling around in some ridiculously long sheer kimono or a crazy wig dancing to Beyonce.
How do you relax? I like to be laying around in the pool or on the beach with a cold drink and good friends listening to music.
Favorite Pride town? Los Angeles. We always have great musical artists which really draws me in because I’m a concert junky.
Which “GayCities” are on your bucket list? I really want to go to P-Town for Bear Week. I’ve also yet to really party in the Castro up in San Francisco – somebody take me.
Anything else we should know about you? I’ve seen the movie Scream about 40 times. It used to be my hookup movie when I was dating; if I put on Scream you were almost guaranteed to get some.
How did A Bear Named Troy start? I created it about three years ago. I was really coming into my own (and wore WAY too much flannel) and wanted a place to express myself through fashion so I turned to Instagram.
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Photos courtesy of ABearNamedTroy
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