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| STAYCATION SUGGESTION: Assistant office manager Martin Jimenez checks in Palomar guests. BRYAN AMANN/Dallas Voice |
BEST BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Hotel Palomar
5300 E. Mockingbird Ln.
Starting at $169 per night.
Accommodations and
rates may vary.
Some restrictions may apply.
214-520-7969
HotelPalomar-Dallas.com
Evaluating hotels in one’s own hometown is tricky business. After all, how often do you stay in a hotel a few miles from your own home?
But when you’re a charming boutique run by gay-friendly Kimpton Hotels, like the Hotel Palomar, the queer community flocks to you. And for good reason: In a few short years, Palomar has opened its doors to LGBT events, provided a top-notch spa (Exhale) for metrosexuals and gays alike, even tapped Dallas’ favorite foodie fag-hag, "Naughty Chef" Blythe Beck, to helm the kitchen at its acclaimed restaurant, Central 214.
Add to that an elegant sense of style and it’s almost enough to "accidentally" flood your kitchen, just to have a reason to lose yourself in luxury for a night.
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| SO Worth IT: Cowtown’s Modern Museum is spectacular. |
BEST DAY TRIP
Fort Worth
FortWorth.com
Some people think there’s a serious rivalry between Dallas and Cowtown — owing in part to frequent use of the nickname "Cowtown."
But the reality is, smart Dallasites love Fort Worth. It’s the baby brother who’s good at gymnastics and when he hangs out with us knows how to take a joke from our rude friends.
Fort Worth is cool… in a dorky way. Which is why it’s a no-brainer for best day trip: In half an hour, you can dash West to explore one of the best museum districts anywhere (Warhols at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and Caravaggios at the Kimbell to start); great theater, comedy and concerts (from Lily Tomlin to "Avenue Q") at the stunning Bass Performance Hall, Casa Manana or Stage West; window shopping around Sundance Square; terrific restaurants (including gay-owned Lambert’s steakhouse); and even "queervents" like TGRA’s recent Cowtown Rodeo.
Ride ’em, cowboy!
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| MAN-CATION: The White Party’s thick with muscle gods. DANIEL A. KUSNER/Dallas Voice |
BEST GAY EVENT CIRCUIT PARTY
White Party
Easter weekend
April 10-13, 2009
Palm Springs, Ca.
JeffreySanker.com
Are circuit parties dead? Kind of.
Even Jeffrey Sanker knows that smart promoters need to distance themselves from such a passé term. The White Party Palm Springs steers itself as a "spring break" weekend vacation. And from the looks of it, the White Party is alive and going strong. April 10-13, eight parties will be strung together in the gorgeous resort town east of Los Angeles.
It’s not a get-together that attracts mid-term queer collegians — because the tickets for these parties are steep. However at the White Party, youth has nothing to do with beauty. Attendance records are reported in the umpteen thousands, but the numbers of drop-dead gorgeous A-listers who attend is utterly staggering.
Instead of a all-out-sex buffet, the vibe is "see and be seen" — with a large population of Los Angeles muscle gods. On top of that, almost every Southern Californian queer celeb makes the rounds: Like Reichen, Alex Mapa and Wilson Cruz.
BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY
Rainbow Ranch
1662 LCR 800
Groesbeck, Tx.
888-875-7596
RainbowRanch.net
BEST COUPLES ROMANTIC GETAWAY
San Francisco, Ca.
OnlyInSanFrancisco.com
BEST SINGLES GET LAID DESTINATION
Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
ci.ftlaud.fl.us
BEST ONLINE TRAVEL SITE
AA.com/Rainbow
American Airlines
4333 Amon Carter Blvd.
Fort Worth
817-963-1234
AA.com
BEST U.S. AIRLINE
American Airlines
4333 Amon Carter Blvd.
Fort Worth, Tx.
817-963-1234
AA.com
BEST FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM
American Airlines AAdvantage Program
4333 Amon Carter Blvd.
Fort Worth, Tx.
817-963-1234
AA.com
BEST CAR RENTAL
Enterprise
(Locations nationwide.)
2820 Oak Lawn Ave.
Mon.-Fri. 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Closed Sundays.
214-522-0395
Enterprise.com
BEST CRUISE LINE
Norwegian Cruise Line
866-234-7350
NCL.com
BEST GAY BED AND BREAKFAST
Daisy Polk Inn
2917 Reagan St.
Starting at $139. per night.
Accommodations and
rates may vary.
Some restrictions may apply.
214-522-4692
DaisyPolkInn.com
BEST LUXURY HOTEL
W Dallas Victory Hotel
2440 Victory Park Ln.
From around $250. per night.
Accommodations and
rates may vary.
Some restrictions may apply.
214-397-4100
StarwoodHotels.com
BEST BUDGET HOTEL
La Quinta
(Locations nationwide.)
4440 N. Central Expy.
Starting at $49. per night.
Accommodations and
rates may vary.
Some restrictions may apply.
800-753-3757
LQ.com
BEST DALLAS HOTEL
Melrose Hotel
3015 Oak Lawn Ave.
Starting at $189. per night.
Accommodations and
rates may vary.
Some restrictions may apply.
214-521-5151
WarwickMelroseDallas.com
BEST FOREIGN AIRLINE
British Airways
BritishAirways.com
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 20, 2009.