BALTIMORE

Baltimore is a city of contrasts. There is a lot of poverty in and around Baltimore....but there are also amazing parts of the city as well. When I am Baltimore, I usually stay in the Inner Harbor area. This is the tourist area of Baltimore and one of the few places you will not need a car. In fact, when I stay in the Inner Harbor, I usually never get a rental car.

Lining the sides of the harbor itself are a ton of shops and restaurants. You can find anything from the national chains...to restaurants with more of a local flare. Right in the middle of the Inner Harbor is the National Aquarium. Although I have never been inside it myself (why visit it when I have the largest and best aquarium in my hometown of Atlanta!).....but I have been told it is pretty cool inside. Alongside the aquarium are a number of permanently docked US Navy and Coast Guard ships that you can tour. This area also seems to be one of the safest areas of the city as well.

Right next to the Inner Harbor is "Little Italy". This part of Baltimore is filled with one Italian Restaurant after another. On the advice of a local, I went to Sabatino's Italian Restaurant. I was told their house salad dressing was amazing....and their pasta was great as well. I definitely will go back here next time I am in Baltimore. Also....if you like gelato....there are numerous gelato shoppes around "Little Italy".

Since I visited Baltimore last, the city has introduced the downtown/inner harbor "Circulator". This bus system is free and arrives every 10 minutes. There is a north-south line...and an east-west line. The beauty of this system is that the buses are new, very nice, and have GPS systems onboard. These GPS systems let you track (on the Internet) when the next bus will be at your location. Also....most of the bus stops have digital readouts that give you an idea when the next "Circulator" bus will be arriving. Being someone that HATES public transportation (and avoids is like the plague), I actually enjoyed using the Circulator buses.

If you are looking for a gym in the Inner Harbor, there is really only one good option (there used to be two good options...but the Golds Gym at the Inner Harbor closed a month ago). The Maryland Athletic Club (MAC) on President Street is a great new facility. The equipment is all new and the gym is really nice. This is more of a health club than a gym....and the crowd seems pretty metro-sexual (straight).

From talking to gay guys in Baltimore, I get the impression that this is not much of a gay city. Gay guys usually live here because they are in school, work in the city, or have family close by. Most of the guys I talk to would prefer to live in "gayer" cities like DC and NYC....but they are here out of necessity....and not by choice.

BOSTON

Boston in the spring/summer/fall is amazing! Boston in the winter is just harsh! I visit Boston 2 times a year.....and my winter trips are my least favorite. Like a lot of northeastern US large cities, Boston is a walking city. As with any walking city, you can not escape the elements. That walk to the gym in 20 degree weather (with the wind whipping around you) is downright miserable.

When I am in Boston, I usually stay in the Copley Place area or in the Theatre District. Either area is convenient. For those of you that have never been to Boston before, Copley Place is a huge indoor mall that spans a dozen office buildings and hotels. Each part of the mall is connected over street level by 2nd story skywalks. If the weather is bad in Boston, you can literally stay at one of the hotels above the mall and never go outside. There is a gym in the mall, a ton of restaurants, and a lot of shopping too. Just about anything you need you can find in Copley Place.

If the weather is nice outside, I prefer to stay in the Theatre District. Halfway between the South End (the gay area of Boston) and Copley Place, this hotel is within walking distance of just about everything in Boston. One of my favorite places in Boston is the Boston Commons (pictured above). This large park right in the middle of the city is a great place to get away from the hustle and bussel of the city. It is a great place to relax and one of the places that makes Boston special.

Just a few blocks from Boston Commons is Newberry Street. This is Boston's high-end shopping area. Since most of these shops are in old townhouses, it is a very quaint street. There are lots of cool restaurants and a plethora of boutique shops.

As far as gyms go, Boston Sports Club (BSC) dominates this city. With locations everywhere, you are within a 10-15 min walk from one of their locations no matter where you stay in the city. I prefer the South End location. This location is the "gay" gym. I have heard that the showers/sauna is cruisy there....but I have never showered at this gym. When I stay at Copley Place, there are 2 BSC's close by. Once is just across the street from Copley Place...and the other is on Newberry Street. I have been to both of them....and neither seem all that gay. Regardless of which one you go to, all of them have great equipment and you will get a good workout.

One of the things you will notice about Boston is the amount of young, hot gay guys in this city. With a ton of colleges and universities in an around Boston, this city is FILLED with hotties. So...if you like the younger guys....and can take the weather....then this city is definitely for you!

DALLAS

When I think of vacation spots, Dallas is definitely not on the top of that list. What is great about Dallas is that it is a very "livable" city. Its not expensive to live in (in fact, the cost of living in Dallas is relatively cheap!) and there is enough to do that will keep your attention.

I actually like Dallas a lot. It is in my Top-10 list of cities I could move to in a heartbeat. It is centrally located and you can fly just about anywhere from the sprawling DFW airport. There is a HUGE gay population in Dallas and a lot of nightlife. For a big city, it is just an easy place to reside.

When I visit Dallas, I usually stay in the Market Center area of Dallas. Being right on I-35, this area is easy to get all around the city. It is also just minutes from the gay area of Dallas. I prefer to stay at the Renaissance Hotel in the Market Center area. It is centrally located and has great views of the downtown skyline (the picture above was taken from the top of the Renaissance Hotel).

As far as gyms go, there are a few options I have tried in Dallas. There is a new LA Fitness about 5 minutes from Market Center. Since this gym is new, it is still relatively dead....so if you want eye candy then you are at the wrong place. If you want a quiet, nice gym then this is a great option for you. Also, if you are looking to swim, this gym has a great indoor pool.

The next option is the 24-Hour Fitness downtown. Built on top of a parking deck in the center of downtown, this gym is about half gay....but does not have the eye candy vibe I prefer at a gym. This gym does have a co-ed steam/sauna/hot tub....and I have heard they can get cruisy as well.

There is an Equinox intown in Dallas. I have not been to this gym....but I heard it is nice but small.

Finally is the Golds Gym on McKinney. This gym is AMAZING! It is half gay/half straight.....and FILLED with hotties!!!! If you are the type that gets intimidated at the gym, then this is definitely not the gym for you. It is all VERY HOT metrosexual straight guys and VERY HOT gay guys. Definitely the pretty boy gym. The equipment here is second to none as well. The gym is new, clean, and nice. But....if you are looking for cruisy....then this is NOT the gym for you. This is more of the stand-and-pose crowd....and not cruisy at all. This is definitely my gym of choice in Dallas.

If you get in the mood for some nude swimming, then Club Dallas is a great option. They have a nice outdoor clothing-optional pool where you can relax and get that all-over tan. Nighttime skinny-dipping is my favorite! They also have a pretty nice gym as well....so you can workout and tan nude all in one afternoon.

All in all, I would say Dallas is a great place to live it. There is everything you need in a big city....all without the cost and hassle of other large cities.

PORTLAND

Portland, Oregon sits in one of the most scenic parts of the United States. Resting between towering mountains and quaint hills, the setting is unbelievable (see picture above). Since the climate is not as extreme as the rest if the northern USA, the trees are green even in the winter. This adds to the year-round charm of the city.

Portland is also one of the "greenest" cities in the USA. The city prides itself on its stewardship of the environment. With everything from recycling everywhere (including in each hotel room --- which is rare)...to bike trails throughout the city...to an amazing public transportation system (which is nice, clean, and FREE in most parts of the city), Portland is all about the environment.

When I am in Portland, I always stay downtown. Since everything is within walking distance, I never get a rental car in Portland. Even if you want to another part of the city, there is a streetcar line close by to take you there. And....as I mentioned before....a good part of the streetcar system is FREE!!! As an added bonus, the streetcars go where you actually WANT to go (unlike a lot of cities....where you still need a car to get around).

If you get a wild hair, there is a bathhouse in Portland called STEAM. Although I have never been there, I am told it is quite nice. STEAM is located just outside of downtown and you can either cab it there or find your way on the streetcars. All of the gay bars are located downtown as well....so you have everything you need close by.

If you are looking for a great gym, the 24-Hour Fitness in the Pearl District is the place I like most. It is a mix of gay and straight...and there are always a ton of hotties working out. With eye-candy everywhere and great equipment too, this is a great choice of gyms.

Speaking of the Pearl District, this part of downtown is all old 2-4 story brick warehouses that have all been converted into a uber-cool hip area to live. With stunning lofts, cool art galleries, and great restaurants, the Pearl District is a must see when in Portland.

SEATTLE

If you have never been to Seattle, the first thing you will notice is the scenery. The city itself sits between the mountains and the water. The setting is amazing. The only negative to this part of the country is the weather. It seems to rain every day. Unlike most cities that pour down rain for a while and then clear up, the rain in Seattle is like a fine mist/drissle all the time. For the sun-worshipers, it can be depressing...but it does add character to the city.

I always stay downtown in Seattle. There are numerous nice hotels downtown and everything you would need is within walking distance. If you stay downtown, you are also close to the tourist attractions including the Space Needle. If you have the time, I would highly recommend a trip to the top of the Space Needle (pictured above). Towering above the city, you get great views of the entire area from the top of the Space Needle.

If you are looking for a great gym in downtown Seattle, then the 24-Hour Fitness on Yale Avenue is a great option. In addition to this gyms reputation for being a very gay gym, it also has great equipment as well. Also, since it is within a few blocks of most of the downtown hotels, it is in a very convenient location as well.

TAMPA & ST. PETERSBURG

Although Tampa and St. Petersburg (St. Pete) are only separated by a 5 mile bridge over Tampa Bay, they could not be more different. On the Gulf of Mexico side is St. Petersburg/Clearwater. Life seems to be slower here on this side of the bridge. This is where most of the beaches are....and everything just seems more laid-back in St. Pete. When visiting the St. Pete/Clearwater area, I usually stay close to the St. Pete/Clearwater airport. There are a ton of hotels here and restaurants everywhere. The other benefit to this area is that it is convenient to both St. Pete, Clearwater, and to the bridge back to Tampa. The airport in this area is small, so unless you are flying in on Allegiant Air, you will probably touch down at Tampa/St. Petersburg International Airport on the other side of the bridge in Tampa.

When I am in St. Pete/Clearwater, I usually alternate between 2 gyms. The first gym I went to is the LA Fitness in Clearwater. Although the equipment is very new and nice, it is not what I would call the eye-candy gym. But...if you want a great workout and want great equipment....this is definitely a great option. The second gym I tried is the Gold's Gym on 38th Avenue in St. Petersburg. I was told this was the "gay" gym....but I found that to be far from the truth. In fact, I do not think I saw one gay boy at the gym the times I went there. The one thing I did find: HOT straight muscle boys. If you are looking for eye-candy and like hot straight guys, then this is the gym for you!!!

Now for the other side of the bridge. Tampa is more of the fast-paced city that you would expect from a large metro area. I usually stay in the Westshore area of Tampa. I prefer this area because it is close to the International Airport, a lot of nice hotels, 2 major malls, and a lot of restaurants. Whenever possible, I like to stay at the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza. This is not only a very nice mall; but the hotel is just steps away from a ton of great dining (and fast food) options as well. Even when I do not stay at the mall, I always stay close by so I can take advantage of the dining options at the mall.

If you decide to workout in Tampa, you may be on your own. I always workout at the Gold's Gym in Tampa just because it is easy and convenient. This gym is what I would consider adequate. It is not fancy and is pretty basic. It is never really packed either. There are a few hot straight guys that work out there, but I would not go out of my way to go to this gym. I was told there is a "gay" gym closer to downtown Tampa...but....considering my experience with gay gyms in St. Pete, I was apprehensive to drive across town to try another gym. The one gym I would tell you to definitely avoid is the Bally Total Fitness just north of the airport. This gym is a DUMP!!!! All I can say is STAY AWAY!!!

If you are looking for nightlife, Ybor City is the area to go. On a previous trip, I was taken to a gay nightclub in Ybor City and has a BLAST!!!

One day I will have to go to Tampa/St. Pete with a local and maybe I can find the right places to go, see, and do. Although I have been to Tampa many times now, I just have not seem to be able to get the groove that excites me about a city.

KANSAS CITY

The city of fountains, Kansas City has more fountains than any city in the world except Rome, Italy. The beauty of Kansas City was something I never expected when I ventured there for the first time. Instead of city streets running throughout the city, there are wide boulevards with parks and fountains running down the middle of the streets.

One of the main areas of Kansas City is Country Club Plaza. Country Club Plaza was built in the 1920's as the nations first suburban shopping district. It is built in the Spanish architectural style and the plaza area is filled with fountains, sculptures, and murals (the picture above is one of the fountains in the plaza). When I visit Kansas City, this is the area I prefer to stay. In addition to great shopping and restaurants, the plaza area is filled with a ton of hotels. Basically everything you need is within walking distance of your hotel.

Kansas City is known for its barbecue. Some of the best BBQ in the country can be found in Kansas City. This last trip I went to Gates BBQ. The BBQ here is amazing! I cleaned my plate and was stuffed for the rest of the night!!!

If you are looking for a great gym, then the 24-Hour Fitness on Ward Parkway is the ticket. Not only is it a nice gym....but it is packed with HOT HOT hotties!!! It is a mixture of straight and gay guys....and well worth the drive. In fact, it can be difficult to concentrate on your workout with all of the hot guys around you.

Last time I visited Kansas City, I hung out with porn star hottie Scott Campbell. He is one of a few porn stars that call Kansas City home.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Kansas City, it is definitely worth the trip. You will be surprised at what you see there....I definitely was.

HOUSTON

For those of you that have never been to Houston, it is one hell of a spread out city. The car definitely rules in Houston. Houston is also home to most of the major oil companies as well; so the automobile is king here (and traffic is bad too!).

When I am in Houston, I stay at (or close to) the Galleria. The Galleria Shopping Center is one of the largest malls in the country. You can find just about anything here. There is also a cool ice skating rink in the middle of the food court; so there is plenty to watch as you eat. The Galleria area is one of the Houston business districts; so there are a ton of hotels next to the mall (and some in the mall as well). I prefer staying in this area because you can get everything you want within a few blocks of the mall.

If you are looking for gyms, I have found 2 great options in Houston. There is a very nice (and new) 24-Hour Fitness on Richmond Ave (just a few blocks from the mall) that just opened recently. The facility is very nice and one of the best gyms I have found in the Galleria area. If you are willing to drive, there is a heavily-gay gym located across in the Montrose/Midtown area. This 24-Hour Fitness Super-Sport is not only very nice....but filled with gay-boy eye candy during the 5pm-7pm prime time hour.

If you are wanting to go out in the city, most of the gay bars are located in and around the Montrose section of Houston. There is also a very nice bathhouse (Club Houston) located between Montrose and downtown. The bathhouse has a nice relaxing outdoor clothing-optional pool that helps you escape from the south Texas summer heat. Although I did not make it to Club Houston this trip, I was able to visit the club a while back with a few friends that were also visiting the city. It was a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Also, as a bonus, it has a pretty nice gym as well.

Houston is also close to the Johnson Space Center. The space shuttle control center for orbiting spacecraft is located in Houston. That is where the picture above comes in. This is a piece of art in the middle of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport (the main airport in Houston). It is a statue of a cow in astronaut gear with the words "Houston, we have landed" at the base of the statue. It is one of the first things you see when you land in Houston....and I thought it was pretty cool.

ASHEVILLE

I have been traveling around the world continuously for the last 4 years now, and at this point most cities do not excite me. Been there, done that for the most part. Since this was my first trip to Asheville, North Carolina, I was looking forward to something new. Living in Atlanta, I had heard a lot about Asheville, but I had never considered going there. I had my opportunity a few weeks ago.

Asheville is a small city in the middle of the mountains (see the picture above). It reminded me of a quaint college town. The big difference was that (at least at this point), Asheville is mostly mom-and-pop stores. Although I heard rumors that some major chains were trying to come to Asheville (Urban Outfitters, Apple Store, etc), none had made it there yet. I have a feeling local opposition is strong to keep these stores out of town.

Driving through downtown was not what I expected at all. It kinda felt like a hippie-town. All sorts of "earthy" stores and a very eclectic mix of people walking around. For such a small town, there seems to be a lot of gay and lesbians as well. It is definitely not what you would expect from a small mountain town in North Carolina.

The scenery in Asheville is amazing. Everywhere you look you see hills and mountains. When I was there the leaves were changing color, and it was absolutely beautiful. Asheville is best known for the Biltmore House. The Biltmore House is the largest house in America and is only a few miles from downtown Asheville. Unfortunately, I did not have time to take the tour of the house; but I was told by everyone that is is truly amazing. If you do decide to visit the Biltmore House, you need to spend at least 4-6 hours to see it all. It is that big!

When I was in Asheville, I stayed downtown. This was very convenient and made walking around the city easier. The downtown area is very walkable. For those of you big-city types, it is similar to the Castro in San Francisco.

In the city itself there are not a lot of gym options. I worked out at the YMCA downtown. I had to sweet-talk my way in....since the YMCA downtown does not sell day-passes. I was told a few of the hotels are negotiating deals with the YMCA, but that had not happened when I was there. As far as the actual gym itself, I would call it adequate, but nothing to write home about. It is basically like a large hotel gym (and if you travel a lot, you know that hotel gyms are not that great).

I was told that Rush Fitness on Hendersonville Road is a good gym with great equipment, but I was not able to independently verify that. Since the YMCA downtown is not that great, you may want to try Rush Fitness.

If you decide to go to Asheville, I would recommend going with a date/boyfriend. It definitely seemed like a great city to get-away and relax with someone special. I would highly recommend Asheville....it met and surpassed all of my expectations!

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte is known as the "Queen City". It is named after Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg - the queen consort of King George III - hence the nickname Queen City. Being a major banking center (with the headquarters of both Bank of America and Wachovia), there are definitely other reasons to call it the queen city! A lot of big banks seem to attract the gay boys, and Charlotte is filled with the shirt and tie corporate gay boy types.

Charlotte has the feel of a small version of Atlanta. The downtown is full of public art and the buildings are well designed. The Bank of America headquarters building towers over the rest of downtown. Charlotte is just finishing building the NASCAR Hall of Fame (see picture above). The area around Charlotte is NASCAR country.

When I visit Charlotte, I stay close to South Park Mall. Not only are there a ton of nice hotels in the area, but there are restaurants everywhere as well. The mall itself has pretty much anything you would want.

As far as gyms go, the YMCA is definitely the place to be. I used to go to the YMCA in the Wachovia headquarters building downtown. The lunch crowd at this location is HOT HOT HOT! Although they are all straight, they line up to shower in the open shower room before going back to their offices. All I can say is YUM!!!! If you are looking for more of the gay-boy gym, the Dowd YMCA (just outside of downtown) is both a very nice facility, and filled with homos (although most are closeted).

Charlotte is also home to AEBN. For those of you that do not watch much porn, AEBN is the largest streaming porn site on the Internet. AEBN also owns Raging Stallion and a ton of smaller studios.

MILWAUKEE

Considering its reputation as a working-class city in the Midwest, Milwaukee is not what I expected. The downtown area is surprisingly walkable...more so than most comparable sized cities. The first few times I came to Milwaukee I stayed downtown. If you stay downtown, you do not need a car. There are a lot of nice hotels downtown and a great gym too. The YMCA downtown is FILLED with hot college guys (Marquette University is downtown in Milwaukee) and the equipment is very nice as well. It is one of the nicer YMCA facilities I have been to. In the complex with the YMCA there are also a lot of meal options as well (including one of my favorite sandwich shops - Potbelly Sandwich Works).

The last few times I have been to Milwaukee I have stayed about 8 minutes north of downtown. I prefer this location now because it is close to Bayshore Mall. Bayshore Mall is an outdoor mall with a lot of great food options. This is also the location of the Milwaukee LA Fitness. Although this gym is never packed, it has great equipment and the facility is very nice as well. There are also a lot of very hot straight guys at this gym....so the eye candy is great as well. There is also a bd's Mongolian BBQ, CPK, and a Cheesecake Factory at this mall....so food options are plentiful.

Now for the picture at the top of this post. The Milwaukee Art Museum sits on Lake Michigan. It is architecturally stunning. It is definitely not what you would expect in this working-class Midwestern town.

SOUTH BEND & UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

South Bend developed around heavy industry (led by Studebaker) and education (led by the University of Notre Dame). With the decline of industry in South Bend (and a lot of the rust-belt for that matter), South Bend now relies heavily on its proximity to Notre Dame. Education is now the driving force around South Bend. Although Notre Dame itself is separate from South Bend, you see traces of the university everywhere in South Bend. The interesting thing is that Notre Dame pretty much keeps to itself; and unlike a lot of other colleges, it owns all of the property surrounding the campus to give it a "buffer" from the rest of South Bend.

When I was in South Bend last week, I stayed downtown. Since I was basically just in South Bend to visit Notre Dame, I wanted to stay close to campus....and downtown South Bend is just 5 minutes from campus. Unlike downtown Ann Arbor (see prior post), downtown South Bend is not the quaint downtown you would expect near a major university. I would suspect that is because the Notre Dame campus is pretty much self-contained and there is no need for a traditional college town downtown area.

A far as gyms go, I was hoping to workout at the Notre Dame campus gym....but even as an alumni I could not get in. I was able to find a pretty nice gym to work out at in the South Bend area. Pinnacle Athletic Club is about 5 minutes from downtown South Bend in the city of Mishawaka. Although the gym is currently under renovation, it has great equipment and I am told the locker room and other facilities will be nice as well once the renovation is completed.

If you go to South Bend, you definitely need to venture over to the Notre Dame campus and walk around. Although I an somewhat biased (since I graduated from Notre Dame), I think the Notre Dame campus is one of the most beautiful of any university in the country. One thing you will also notice is how hot the guys are at Notre Dame. Since the university only admits well-rounded students, the type of guy this usually attracts is the high school student-athlete. So when you walk around campus, you will notice a lot of hot A&F-type college boys.

For those of you that do not recognize the picture at the top of this post, that is the Golden Dome. It rises above the main administration building in the center of the Notre Dame campus.

ANN ARBOR

Ann Arbor is a quaint college town on the outskirts of Detroit. You can get from downtown Detroit to downtown Ann Arbor in about 45 min. Although they are close geographically, they are worlds apart when it comes to the setting and feel of the city. Ann Arbor is the ultimate college town. The downtown is lined with a cool mixture of restaurants, shops, and bars. It is just what you would expect a small-town college town to look and feel like.

University 0f Michigan is definitely the dominate force in Ann Arbor. Not only do you see their buildings and signs everywhere, but a large part of this city is connected in one way or another to the university.

When I am in Ann Arbor, I usually stay close to Briarwood Mall. There are a lot of hotels close to the mall and just about anything you would want to eat close by as well. If you want to head downtown to eat, one of my favorite places is BD's Mongolian Grill. If you have never had Mongolian BBQ before, you are in for a real treat!

The gym situation is not as good as I would like (at least for visitors). There used to be an amazing Gold's Gym in Ann Arbor; but this gym has apparently closed. The only other options I have found are the Bally Total Fitness (old, run-down, tired equipment) and One-On-One Athletic Club. You can get a basic workout at One-On-One, but I would not expect much. The gym needs a serious renovation and new equipment. You also will not see many students at any of these gyms. Just like any university, the students probably have an on-campus gym. Unfortunately, being a visitor to Ann Arbor, I have to use the non-campus gyms.

If you have the opportunity, drive around Ann Arbor (especially the campus areas and downtown), and you will see how quaint this college town really is.

DETROIT

Detroit is a very unique city. With rare exception, in most cities the gay population lives close to the city center. The "gay ghetto" effect where the gays move into a run-down area...fix it up...and then the straight population moves in. This is not at all what has happened in Detroit. With the exception of a very small area downtown, the city of Detroit is mostly run-down. Not even the gays want to try to fix up areas within the city limits. So...the gays moved to the suburbs. There are 2 heavily gay suburbs of Detroit. These are Royal Oak and Ferndale. They are both just outside of the road called 8-Mile (8-Mile Road is the boundary of the city limits of Detroit). Both Royal Oak and Ferndale are very quiet and quaint areas....and that is also where you will find a majority of the gay bars as well.

When in Detroit, I prefer to stay in the City of Troy. I usually stay close to Big Beaver Road (I think lesbians must have named this road!). A good location is the intersection of Big Beaver and I-75. This gives you easy interstate access to most of the suburbs of Detroit. There are a good number of nice hotels and great restaurants in the area.....and a TON of healthy eats up and down Big Beaver Road.

If you like shopping, there is one of the largest (and nicest malls) in all of Michigan. Summerset Mall is right on Big Beaver (just a few blocks west of I-75). This mall is so big that it spans both sides of Big Beaver (connected by a huge moving sidewalk above the street). You can find pretty much anything you want in this mall.

There are a number of gyms in the area as well. One of the busiest is the Bally Total Fitness on Big Beaver Road. It is one of the nicer Ballys and it gets very packed at peak hours. A few miles away is a huge Lifetime Fitness. I tried this out and did not like the vibe in the gym. Too many families and not enough hotties. Now I usually just go to the LA Fitness on Big Beaver. It is a very nice gym with a lot of hot guys....but not very busy (even during peak hours). I have been told there is a huge LA Fitness under construction in Royal Oak and everyone seems to think that will be THE gym to go to once it opens. We will see......

If you are lucky, you may run into Raging Stallion Exclusive RJ Danvers. The hot, young, hairy porn star lives in the Detroit area and you may just see him around town. He is one of many porn stars that make Detroit their home.

Now for the picture at the top of this post. This is the Ambassador Bridge. It connects Detroit with Windsor, Canada. It is an easy hop-skip-and jump from Detroit into Canada.

PHOENIX

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

CLEVELAND

Cleveland is a city of contrasts. Although it has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, there are some very good things about the city. Cleveland has some beautiful suburbs and some great shopping - especially on the east side of the city. When I am in Cleveland, I stay in Westlake. Westlake is on the west side of the city and close to the airport. From what I have been able to gather, most of the gay population lives on the west side of downtown. Westlake is right on Lake Erie, there are some beautiful areas close by including Rocky River.

When in Cleveland, I usually stay close to the intersection of I-90 and Columbia Road. Although this is about 10-15 min west of downtown, the area is quiet and there is a reasonably good gym nearby. I usually workout at the Bally's on Columbia Road. Although the gym itself is somewhat run-down, the equipment is new and you can get a good workout. There is some eye-candy at the gym (but not much)...especially around 4pm-7pm. The weekends are pretty dead; and the lunch time crowd is not the best to look at.

Although I have never been there, I have been told that Cleveland has 2 of the largest bathhouses in the country. Flex and Club Cleveland have the reputation of being huge. I can not independently verify that (since I have never been).....but that is what everyone tells me. I guess there is not much to do when it is freezing cold in Cleveland; so the bathhouse would be a great place to hang out.

One thing Cleveland does have is the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame. For those that like to find a touristy thing to do when visiting a city, this is a must see. Since I am not much on doing tourist things when I travel, I have never been. But you hear about it a lot when in Cleveland....so it must be good.

BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham seems to be the business center of Alabama. As such, it attracts a fair amount of younger guys. But, considering its size, you would expect a much larger gay population. There seems to be a lot of bi/married guys here in Birmingham; but a very small gay population. This may be because it is very close to Atlanta and most gay guys want to live in a city with a much bigger gay population. You do find a number of younger gay guys here; but they are mostly in college. The one this that Birmingham does attract is a lot of hot young straight guys. These are the All-American southern guys that want to stay close to family.

When I come to Birmingham I always stay south of the city. I usually choose a hotel close to the US280/I459 intersection. This is the nicer side of Birmingham. It is also filled with great restaurants and a surprisingly nice outdoor mall called The Summit. You can pretty much get anything you want at The Summit (from food to shopping). The picture you see above is looking out over the hills surrounding Birmingham from The Summit.

My gym of choice in Birmingham is also in the area. Sitting right at the US280/I459 intersection is a very nice Gold's Gym with great equipment and hot guys to boot. I do not think there is one gay guy that works out at that gym...but....it is filled with some amazing looking straight guys with amazing bodies! The locker room is like a Sean Cody porn set! Since the guys in the locker room think everyone is straight, they just get naked without even thinking. It is hard to get ready to workout without looking. If you want a great workout and want eye candy to boot, the Gold's Gym at US280/I459 is the place to be!

PITTSBURGH

I visited Pittsburgh a few weeks ago. The weather the entire time was rainy and overcast. If you have never been to Pittsburgh, you will be amazed at the level of civic participation there is in the city. I usually stay on Penn Avenue in the downtown area of Pittsburgh. This is considered the Cultural District of Pittsburgh. There are a bunch of huge ornate theaters lining this street. Most of them carry the name of one of the corporate benefactors in this city. Heinz is a big contributor here (their name is on Symphony Hall...and also on one of the stadiums).

The downtown itself has a someone gritty feel about it. It definitely had a industrial steel-town influence. One of my favorite parts of Pittsburgh is the drive from the airport to downtown. Right before you hit downtown, you enter a long underground tunnel. When you exit the tunnel on the other side of the mountain, you are on a steel bridge over the river that faces downtown. The view of downtown when you exit the tunnel is amazing!

One of the other things I like about downtown Pittsburgh is that it is a very walkable city. Being from Atlanta, I almost always get a rental car when I travel. Not in Pittsburgh. You can pretty much walk anywhere in downtown (and it feels relatively safe).

In past trips, I stayed at the Westin Hotel on 10th/Penn Avenue. This time I decided to save some money and stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott on 9th/Penn. Both hotels are within walking distance of the gyms in Pittsburgh.

Last time I was in Pittsburgh (a few years ago), I went to the Ballys on 6th Street. Since my last trip, that gym has closed (probably because the gym needed a renovation bad!). In the past year, a Gold's Gym has opened downtown in Pittsbugh. I decided to try it out. All I can say is WOW! What an improvement over the Ballys!!! This gym is not only nice (with great equipment).....but if you go during the 5pm after-work rush....it is FILLED with some of the HOTTEST straight guys you have ever seen. And....unlike most gyms....the hot straight guys all shower after they workout! So, as you are changing to head to the gym, there are hot straight guys walking around in towels everywhere. It is a HOT scene!!

The only negative I found with staying downtown (without a car) is the food options at night. I found that most of the places to grab a quick bite to eat closed around 6pm....so I ate Wendy's every night (that was just about the only place I could find open). I have a feeling there are probably some nice sit-down restaurants downtown that are open later....but when I am traveling alone I like to eat quick (but healthy). Thank goodness Wendy's has some healthy things on the menu (as long as you know what to order).

Now for the picture at the top of this posting. There is a cute park right in the middle of Penn Avenue in the Cultural District. It was filled with funky sculptures. It looked like someone on crack might have designed it. But it was fun....so I decided to take a picture of it.

JACKSONVILLE

My trip to Jacksonville brief....but here is what I learned from my short stay there.

Jacksonville is very spread out. From what I could see, there was no area that would be considered the best area to stay. I decided to stay close to the gym that I workout at when I am in Jacksonville. Since I workout every day when I travel, it is important for me to be close to the gym and multiple food options. I always stay around the I-95/J.T.Butler Blvd. area of Jacksonville. That seems to be fairly central and everything I need when traveling is close by.

I have been to Jacksonville a number of times....and every time I always workout at the Gold's Gym. I usually go to the one on Phillips Highway since it is closer to my hotel....but I have also ventured over to the location on Beach Blvd. Both locations have good equipment and both are filled with hotties during the 5pm-7pm rush....but from what I could tell, everyone at both locations were straight. That being said, in my opinion there is nothing better than a gym full of hot straight guys!! If you are looking for a "gay" gym...then you need to look elsewhere (although I am not sure there is really a "gay" gym in Jacksonville).

Now for the picture you see at the top of this post. That picture was taken last night on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. It features porn star hotties Chad Manning and Tom Wolfe. Since they were both wearing matching locks around their necks, I think it is safe to assume they are the latest porn couple.

NEW ORLEANS - SOUTHERN DECADANCE

I came to New Orleans this weekend not knowing what to expect. I had tried coming here for Southern Decadance before...but every time I tried a Hurricane hit (or came close).....so I never made it here for Decadance. The main reason I wanted to come here was to see my friends in porn. I always enjoy seeing Ryan Raz....and Jeremy Bilding is such a sweetheart.

The picture above is of Jeremy Bilding outside the Bourbon Pub on Friday night....

I stayed in the Central Business District (CBD) of New Orleans....right across the street from the French Quarter. The big benefit for staying in the CBD is that it is quiet (so you can get sleep at night). If you want to just party all the time, a good place to stay is the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. It is right next door to the 2 main gay clubs (OZ and Bourbon Pub).....so convenient if you want to stumble back to your place after a night of drinking (or if you want a close place to bring your trick!).

The gym situation in the CBD/French Quarter is pretty bad. The "best" gym is the New Orleans Athletic Club. I did not go there this trip...but when I was here 4 years ago, the gym was just an average gym (and they charge a LOT for day passes....not really worth it in my opinion). The only other gym in the CBD area is the Elmwood Fitness Center. I was going to workout there....but they close at 2pm on Saturdays and are closed on Sundays. I was in luck though. The JW Marriott has a good BASIC gym with dumbbells, cable equipment, basic machines, and cardio. If you are creative with your workouts, you can actually get a pretty good workout at this gym. The gym at the JW Marriott is free for guests of the hotel AND also for guest of the Courtyard by Marriott next door (of course, that is subject to change).

The bars in New Orleans were all PACKED this weekend with guys visiting for Southern Decadance. The 2 biggest bars (OZ and Bourbon Pub) are right across the street from each other. They are both located on Bourbon Street (after you pass all of the straight bars). It was interesting to see how many "straight" bars had gay flags flying outside this weekend. I guess everyone wants to make a buck these days. OZ and Bourbon Pub are mostly what I would call the younger, circuit crowd. They both have strippers (at least they did this weekend) and the music and atmosphere is great!

I met up Friday night with a friend from Austin,TX and he gave me the bar tour. We started at OZ and Bourbon Pub....and then went to the "seedier" bars in the French Quarter. We first went to Good Friends Bar. It was smaller....the crowd was older....and the strippers upstairs were fully nude (with hardons). The atmosphere was a little more laid-back.

Next we went to the Rawhide. This bar is the KING OF SLEEZE! Half of this bar is a back-room....and guys were fucking and sucking all over the place. The crowd is definitely a older crowd....but if you are looking for young hotties.....I am told by the locals that there is always one or 2 that stumble in looking to get some action. This bar is basically just a glorified sex club with a bar in the middle.

Finally, we went to Lafitte's. It is located on Bourbon Street as well (1 block from OZ/Bourbon Pub). The downstairs was like any other bar (with strippers and guys cruising).....but the upstairs had a back-room area where I saw guys getting fucked and sucked in the dark corners.

After the bar tour, we walked around Bourbon Street in front of all the gay bars. The street in front of OZ/Bourbon Pub was PACKED and there was really no need to even go inside at that point. It was almost like a street party (it reminded me of Folsom Fair in San Francisco).

I head to Birmingham next........