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The largest attraction in the Midwest is Chicago, a real crossroads and a veritable gay hotspot. Lots of great architecture, food, and, of course, hot-hot men. It was and is a big draw for gay visitors. In 2006, The Gem of the Prairie will be the home of the Gay Games. But that's not the only reason or time to visit this metropolis. There are gay and gay friendly accommodations, bars, restaurants, saunas, and much more. Two pride events - Gay Pride and the North Halsted Market Days - two thriving gay neighborhoods (BoysTown and Andersonville), and a gay beach make this a perfect place to enjoy Naked opportunities. We'll hit the fleshy highlights and let you explore some Web sites for more details. The North Halsted area, also called BoysTown is packed with men, bars, and restaurants. Some of the hottest eateries are on North Halsted. HB (Hearty Boys) serves up lots, including a French Quarter-inspired weekend brunch; Jack's on Halstead has a menu that is eclectic but relies heavily on Italian, Asian, and good old US cooking; pingpong (no caps), a pan-Asian restaurant, is usually packed; at Orange you can indulge in green eggs and ham - honest; and if you're looking for drinks after dinner all in the same place, Roscoe's is the spot. A well known gay bar, Roscoe's is also a great restaurant. Don't be put off by the outside; it looks small, but inside it's a different story. What? No naked sights? Where the Naked Traveler is involved there's always somewhere and some way to see flesh. Several venues offer some of the hottest dancers on either side of the Mississippi. At the top of the list is Madrigal's (madrigalsclub.com), which showcases hot men stripping and dancing and all quite close to the clientele, who show appreciation with generous tips. The stage is in the center of the room; you can't miss the long, gleaming, brass pole the dancers use. It gets packed, so go early unless you like clawing your way to the top. Lucky Horseshoe (on N. Halsted) has dancers performing often as early as two o'clock in the afternoon, until 2am. Club Paradox is a strip club which looks decidedly sleazy (but sports a huge neon sign of the type the Naked Traveler can never resist "Bare Bodies XXX"). There are good times to be had in this "gentlemen's club." You need to know that you'll see male dancers, but there are also female strippers. Lap dances are available for the adventurous. For those wanting to join the legions of Naked performers, The Jackhammer conducts an amateur strip night (prizes include $150 to the winner). Called Strip Search, it draws lots of cute guys who want the exposure (jackhammer-chicago.com). On Clark Street you'll find one of Chicago's gay saunas, Man's Country (manscountrychicago.com). Male Dancers are featured every weekend all weekend. Here, the audience wears as much as, or less than, the performers. Which makes for one hell of a Naked experience. There are two other saunas, Man's World and Steamworks (http://SteamworksOnline.com) which has a complete fitness center. Don't they all? If you want to see flesh but not onstage, try Manhole when it's having an Underwear Party, which occurs once a month. You may choose to enter clothed but there'll be plenty who are clad only in underwear. If you visit Manhole's backroom on Underwear Night, underwear and nothing else is required. Berlin (berlinchicago.com) and Sidetrack (sidetrackchicago.com) are extremely popular bars where the flirting is fun and the men are hot. Each has something to recommend it, but the surest sign these places are hot is the number of people flocking through their doors. Both are large, both have music you can't resist, and both have an individual character that sets them apart. See for yourself. If you're lucky enough to be in town when Hydrate (hydratechicago.com) is holding its Lube Wrestling night, you'll have a few fleshy surprises. Much like mud wrestling, only water soluble, the lube version is lots of fun. Watching two (sometimes more) guys all lubed up, clad in underwear or jock straps, and squirming around on the mat locked in an embrace is titillating to say the least. For the leather crowd, there's the Chicago Eagle (chicagoeagle.com), home of the International Mr. Leather contest each year. This annual competition is held on Memorial Day weekend, and Michael Egdes, Mr. Ramrod 2004 of Fort Lauderdale, FL, was this year's winner. The Cell Block (cellblock-chicago.com) is another leather bar that is a classy operation. For the country music set there's Charlie's (http://charlieschicago.com), where you can hear country music, do line dances, and lots more. Visiting Chicago in the warmer months enables the Naked traveler to experience some of the beaches Chicago has to offer. Hollywood beach (official name: Kathy Osterman Beach) is divided, like so many beaches everywhere. One side is decidedly hetero and the other caters to the gay community. Close to BoysTown, it's convenient and provides an alternative to walking city streets. It's a popular place and with the southern half totally gay, there's plenty to see for the naked traveler. There's lots of information on the Web where you'll find a complete list of bars and clubs, restaurants and places to stay that are gay or gay friendly. BoysTown Chicago (boystownchicago.com) is filled with information for the traveler, as is Gay Chicago magazine (gaychicagomagazine.com). So wiggle into your Naked Attitude and visit the Windy City, there's lots to occupy your time and even more to satisfy your needs.  Joe DeMarco's latest projects include The Lavender Raven, an online GLBTQ mystery & more journal, at www.lavenderraven.com, as well as Mysterical-E, www.mystericale.com. Joe's website is www.josephdemarco.com Top |
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