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Cobalt
(Photo by Rudy K. Law)
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Friday, October 15,
2004
From hot new gay hangouts (think Logan Circle’s Halo)
to bombshell news events (David Catania bolts the GOP),
the past year has brought much change to gay life in
Washington. The Blade’s annual “best of” edition is
filled with editors’ and readers’ picks of the best in
D.C. nightlife, dining, people and community life.
Blade readers made their choices by voting
online,while the editors debated picks that, where
possible, offered alternatives to our readers’
selections.
Chris Crain, Kevin Naff, Rhonda Smith, Ken Sain,
Brian Moylan, Bryan Anderton, and Joe Crea compiled the
guide.
After
five successful years, it’s hard to imagine what the gay
scene would be like without VelvetNation, the place to
be for gay dance music fans in Southeast D.C. on
Saturday nights. Featuring two rooms where patrons can
dance and frolic — as well as an outside deck when the
weather is warm and dry — there really is no competition
in town for the gay scenester. Drawing all the top
circuit DJs in the world and some of the better musical
talent in town, Velvet always provides the perfect
soundtrack for shirtless dancing, cruising, drinking or
just watching the beautiful boys walk by.
Saturday
from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Half & K Sts., SE
http://www.velvetnation.com/
While
there are always plenty of boys sitting around with
martinis in the lounge downstairs, the second-story
dance floor is where the action really can be found at
Cobalt, 17th Street’s hippest spot. This place is
hoppin’ six nights a week, especially on Fridays and
Saturdays where rotating resident DJs Rob Harris, Victor
Martinez, Karl Matthews and Jason Royce keep the room
filled to capacity. Cobalt is a hot spot during the
week, too. Royce spins the best retro night in town on
Tuesday nights, which always draws a crowd of dancers
eager to remember the good ol’ days and those riding the
New Wave for the first time.
1639 R St.,
NW
202-462-6569
http://www.cobaltdc.com/
Really, there is
only one choice for this category. Not only is the Phase
One a popular spot for ladies in town — and D.C.’s
oldest continuously running gay bar — but really the
only 24/7 lesbian bar in the nation’s capital. This
Capitol Hill mainstay doesn’t necessarily attract a
diverse clientele, but if you’re a gay woman looking for
a safe place to relax, the Phase is still a nice option
for a nightcap or to meet friends to dance, chat or play
pool.
525 8th
St., SE
202-544-6831
While the boys are down at
VelvetNation, this long-running lesbian Saturday night
dance party is where the girls go. The nightlife options
for women in this town aren’t plentiful, but Liquid
Ladies is one of the places where women can get down and
really party. Whether it’s the music from rotating DJs
Randy White and Alexis J or VJ Steve Rosa playing music
videos in the club’s back room, this party transforms
Apex, the normally gay male playground, into something
magical.
Saturdays at 9 p.m.
Apex
1415
22nd St., NW
202-296-0505
http://www.liquidladies.com/
Out of a lack of variety in entertainment for area
lesbians sprang Merge, a happy hour event held the
second Friday of every month from 6-11 p.m. at Club
Daedalus in downtown D.C. The nearly two-year-old
party, held by Inhertwined Entertainment, caters
to the upscale African-American lesbian crowd. A
smiling hostess is waiting at the door to greet
visitors and to enforce the strict dress code, which
discourages jeans, athletic wear and sneakers. Once
inside, a great party is going on, with women grooving
to R&B on the dance floor, lounging on comfortable
couches with friends or flocking to the VIP room.
2nd Fridays from 6-11 p.m.
Club Daedalus
1010 Vermont Ave.,
NW
http://www.inhertwined.com/
If there’s one bar that represents what
it’s like to be gay and live in Dupont Circle, then it
would be JR.’s. It has been called a “gay Cheers,” which
aptly describes the neighborhood pub feel here. It is
the place for gay happy hour in town, with many men
stopping by in suits and ties after a day at the office
downtown, and is a perfect place to meet and network
with gay professionals. Later on, jeans and T-shirts
take over for the neighborhood regulars dropping in for
a beer or two. Be sure not to miss $2 vodka drinks on
Sunday, which is a popular special all day long.
Duplex Diner
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1519 17th St.,
NW
202-328-0090
http://www.jrsdc.com/
r
If you are a preppy, professional gay
man living in D.C. and you don’t hang out at JR.’s, then
chances are you hang out at the Duplex Diner. While
there is much more attention paid to food at this 18th
and U St. restaurant, the bar is always packed with the
after-work crowd and those fresh from a workout at
Results just down the street. Duplex has a flock of
devoted regulars, who are more likely to ask one of the
cute bartenders to shake up a cosmopolitan than to pop
open a Bud.
2004
18th St., NW
202-265-7828
(See entry
under “Best Neighborhood Pub”)
How
can you resist a place whose motto is “the world gone
fabulous.” This swanky lounge/restaurant in the Hotel
Helix near Logan Circle always attracts an eclectic,
trendy and beautiful crowd and is a rare gem come happy
hour. Monday through Friday, the Helix Lounge offers an
“All-American Happy Hour” from 5-7 p.m., with
half-priced burgers and beers, always a brilliant
combination. While Helix may not be as filled with gay
people as some other joints, there are always more than
a few. The bar’s signature drinks —Pajama Party, Tequila
Mockingbird, Mango Tangotini — show off the space’s
whimsical individuality.
Helix |
1430 Rhode
Island Ave., NW
202-462-9001
http://www.kimptondchotels.com/
Ella
Fitzgerald and her “Ladies of Illusion” sure know how to
put on a show. D.C. institution Fitzgerald puts her
delightful humor to work emceeing and directing a drag
show at Southeast’s Ziegfeld’s that is second to none,
not only in D.C., but also in the country. From old
school Tina Turner numbers — thanks to Tina Turner
Adams, no less — to more experimental fare, fans are
always appreciative of the ladies who regularly include
Lena Lett, Vicki Voxx, Monet DuPree, Blair Michaels,
Gigi Couture and Miss Ziegfeld’s 2004 Brandi Mizrahi.
This may be your last year to catch drag action at this
venue, as the proposed baseball stadium would displace
the club.
1345 Half
St., SE
202-554-5141
http://www.ziegfelds.com/
The
ceilings may be low at this subterranean 17th Street
venue, but the energy is always high thanks to a bevy of
beautiful ladies. Dupont’s best spot for drag, Chaos
offers full-on drag shows, hosted by resident queen
supreme Xavier Onassis Bloomingdale, both Friday and
Saturday nights, frequently featuring some of the best
out-of-town talent. Sunday is time for Hollywood Drag
Brunch, where you can simultaneously enjoy a mimosa and
a drag show. Even during the week, Chaos has plenty of
fun planned. Perennial favorite Drag Bingo on Tuesday
nights is always a hoot. Drag diva Gigi Couture hosts
ladies’ night on Wednesdays, which has been a hit with
D.C. lesbians for years.
1633 Q St.,
NW
202-232-4141
http://www.chaosdc.com/
(See entry under “Best Neighborhood
Pub”)
Maybe
the reason that Apex, the club formerly known as
Badlands, is well-known as a great place to meet men is
that it tends to attract a completely different crowd
every night it’s open. Since before the club’s
renovation and name change, Thursday night is college
night. With no classes on Friday morning and free
admission with a college ID, all the young men from area
universities (and those who love them) flock to the
joint and party like, well, college kids. Though Friday
is now 18 and over, it still attracts the same mature
crowd as it did in its 21+ days. And don’t forget about
Saturdays, when Apex is also the destination for ladies
looking to hook up.
1415 22nd St.,
NW
202-296-0505
http://www.apex-dc.com/
(See entry under “Best
Lesbian Night”)
Lizard
Lounge |
In a city as diverse as D.C., it’s
surprising that every demographic group tends to flock
to its own niche bar. But when the only place to be on a
Sunday night (and it is the place to be) is Lizard
Lounge, everyone comes together for one of the city’s
premier parties. Celebrating its seventh year, and its
second year at its new, plush location at MCCXXIII on
Connecticut Ave., NW, Lizard has a reputation for great
music (thanks to DJ Kostas), great crowds and a great
venue. Between lounging with friends upstairs or shakin’
it on the dance floor downstairs, a slow start on Monday
morning is definitely worth being out on Sunday
night.
1223
Connecticut Ave., NW
202-331-4422
http://www.atlasevents.com/
The Excursion Tea Dance,
held on Sundays from 4-10 p.m. at the Blue Room in Adams
Morgan, is a great party, but it hasn’t been known to
pack in the crowds — yet. Excursion kicked off this
summer, and promoter Tony Villa is going for the “gay
chic” crowd. In the past he has created a fake airplane
cabin and decorated the club to look like a frozen
wasteland for the theme of his parties. According to
Villa, the party aims to be a stylish alternative on
Sunday nights for a sophisticated crowd, and it seems to
be just that.
Select
Sundays
2321 18th St., NW
http://www.excursion-dc.com/
You
won’t hear any Madonna extended dance remixes or
overplayed house music at Taint, which targets the
edgier gay set. Instead, it’s Brit pop, electronic
music, new wave, and indie rock, both from the DJ on the
packed dance floor upstairs or from the juke box at the
bar below. Taint launched this summer and is held on the
first Sunday of each month from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Though a
bit scary getting there, the crowd inside (mostly male,
with a good dose of women) is welcoming as can be. Going
to Taint is like going to a really hip house party with
all the cool queers, with no attitude allowed.
First Sunday of
the month
1940 9th St., NW
202-483-5000
Plenty of gay men and lesbians
commute into D.C. for work, so it’s not fair that they
should have to drive into the city for play as well. For
those in Northern Virginia, Crystal City’s Freddie’s
Beach Bar & Restaurant has been serving up campy fun
and good food for the past few years. Featuring karaoke
almost every night of the week, this joint will
definitely get a song out of you. Also drop in for
Monday night’s comedy night, featuring the hilarious
Jolene Sugarbaker and Sunday night’s “Freddie’s Follies”
drag show hosted by Jymmye Jaymes.
Freddie's Beach
Bar |
555 S. 23rd St.
Arlington,
Va.
703-685-0555
http://www.freddiesbeachbar.com/
When
gay people in D.C. think of Baltimore, three things come
to mind: John Waters, the Orioles, and the Hippo. Just
35 miles up I-95, Baltimore’s most happening gay
nightclub has been an alternative for gay men looking
for a night of something different away from the
District. Open since 1972, the Hippo is the crown jewel
of a strip of gay and gay-friendly bars in Charm City’s
Mount Vernon neighborhood. Featuring a large dance floor
as well as a piano bar and saloon, this place really has
something for everyone. Saturday night is still the
hottest night, with top DJ talent and plenty of hot
Maryland boys crowding the dance floor.
1 W. Eager
St.
Baltimore, MD
410-547-0063
http://www.clubhippo.com/
It’s about time Logan Circle,
the up-and-coming gay neighborhood, got another gay bar.
Halo, which opened this summer, is the first all-gay
hip, swanky lounge in town. With its all-white walls,
fabulous interior and moody lighting, Halo is more of a
place to have a fabulous cocktail (think blueberry
mojito) with a group of friends than a loud, noisy
cruising spot. It’s even voluntarily smoke-free. There
are no gimmicks or special nights at Halo, just seven
days of good service and even better atmosphere.
1435 P St.,
NW
202-797-9730
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