The Lobby Bar: Check Into One of Seattle's Best

The sign for The Lobby Bar, illuminated in a neon green light, instantly grabbed my attention and pulled me across the busy intersection of Pike and Broadway like a moth caught on it's final flight towards a bug zapper. Unlike the moths final experience I'm happy to report that my experience was defiantly buzz worthy.

At The Lobby Bar I found it incredibly easy to approach and strike up a conversation with people around the lounge. This was a refreshing experience to have in a gay bar because other times it has felt like I wasn't only approaching one person but their entire group of friends who would be circling around them like winged monkeys. In fact I was surprised to actually have multiple people come up and start conversations with me.

Walking into the lounge I was quickly greeted by a friendly bartender named Dave who offered me one of The Lobby's newest signature drinks, the 23 oz Lobby Long Island. Thankfully it was Long Island Thursday because the drink was only $6.00! How could I say no to a drink of that size, quality and price? I could get two Lobby Long Islands for the price of a smaller drink at another bar and still have enough cash left over to sample one of the items from the food menu.

The patrons of The Lobby Bar that night covered almost every demographic present on Capitol Hill. From gays, lesbians, straight couples and Seattle hipsters, the crowd was defiantly mixed but yet delightfully gay. I enjoy going into mixed bars, the atmosphere is usually more relaxed and less intense then when you get an entire lounge full of gay men or women.

The Lobby Bar is the official viewing party for Ru Paul's Drag Race and will be having its grand kick off in January when the new season kicks off. I was happy to find out that I could still get my weekly drag dose on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm when The Lobby Bar hosts an outrageous version of the classic game show Family Feud.

The Lobby Bar is the perfect place to meet people, connect with friends or enjoy one of The Lobby Bar's premium cocktails. The Lobby Bar is the newest LGBT lounge and defiantly one of the best.

JOSHUA MICHAEL RUMLEY

TRAVELGAYSEATTLE.COM

The Inn At The Market, As In As It Gets

My stay at the Inn began on a sunny summer afternoon with the sun sparkling off the waters of Elliott Bay and The Pike Place Market alive with activity. The valet parking and intimate courtyard entrance immediately sent me into vacation mode, I was ready to play. The lobby was furnished beautifully with an amazing collection of artwork. The woman that checked me in had a wonderful sense of humor and minutes after I arrived I was checked-in and ready to go. Although my room wasn’t immediately available I was shown to a smaller room to freshen up and then on to the roof top patio to soak up the sun. I also took this opportunity to snoop and I found out that this little hotel in the middle of the city isn’t so little.

I discovered that the guest rooms range from intimate to 2-story spacious.  There are two meeting/event rooms that are capable of hosting up to 50 guests and a wonderful array of amenities such as free wifi throughout the hotel, fluffy bathrobes in every room and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries—it’s all about the little luxuries here. The most extraordinary feature is the rooftop deck with a 180-degree view of Elliott Bay, the Olympic mountain range and the city skyline. My room was lovingly appointed with windows that seemed to flood light in from all directions. The whole place screamed, “relax."

Yahoo! Travel Names Seattle Top Travel Destination

Yahoo! Travel just ranked Seattle the #3 travel destination in the country based on weather, family friendliness, parks and farmer's markets. Our sister city in the Pacific Northwest, Portland, took the top spot.  There are so many reasons to come visit.

Here's a link to the full article:
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-34887215

Chill Out With a Northwest Rafting Adventure

As I’ve come learn from living here in Seattle the past few years, this is one of those special places that offers myriad appealing and accessible outdoor activities.  As an avid outdoorsman, it’s one of things I treasure about the Emerald City. 

I’ve enjoyed cycling around Lake Washington, running around Green Lake and hiking beautiful Lake Annette.  Always looking for a new adventure, I was ready for something different.   At a corporate retreat I had a blast white water rafting in Colorado some time back; I was excited to discover guided trips in our own back yard.

Gay Pride Seattle 2010 Makes History

Seattle Gay Pride 2010 had many firsts, starting with an historic, symbolic and highly visible surprise.  Almost like out of a movie script, the celebration commenced ceremoniously Friday afternoon with city officials and representatives of the GSBA raising the rainbow flag 605-feet in the air atop the iconic Space Needle.  With our colors waiving high in the Seattle sky, the party was set to begin!

The huge flag, which was visible from almost everywhere revelers traveled throughout the weekend, served as the apropos backdrop for Seattle's first pride after the groundbreaking approval last fall of Washington's Referendum 71 domestic partnership law.

Seattle Gay Pride Starts With Historic Flag Raising

Yesterday officials from the Greater Seattle Business Association joined state and city officials to make history, hoisting the rainbow flag high atop Seattle's landmark Space Needle for the first time ever. The flag will stand as a beacon of the city's support of the LGBT community throughout the Gay Pride Celebration.

As I sit on the patio of my boyfriend's 15th floor downtown apartment which looks west with a bird's eye view of the city and the Needle, a tremendous sense of pride in our progressive city overcomes me. Welcome to all who have come to our city to celebrate with us. We stand together!

Photo courtesy of Seattle Gay News photographer James Whitley

Welcome to the Emerald City!

The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) and the City of Seattle welcome you to the new Travel Gay Seattle blog. Our goal is to become the definitive source for LGBT travelers interested in visiting our gay friendly city. For more visitor information or to make travel arrangements, visit http://www.travelgayseattle.com/

Thanks for checking us out; let us know what you think of the city and our site!