Opened in 1983, Neighbors has been an icon of gay nightlife in Seattle for more than 30 years. Nightlife is centered on the Pike/Pine corridor. There are several venues in town specifically catering to a gay clientele. You won’t soon forget the unique sushi experience at Wataru, where a masterful Chef Kotaro Kumita serves up sushi Edomae-style, a special way of curing and marinating. This is Seattle's longest running celebrity impersonation drag show Have brunch or dinner with a side of drag at Julia’s on Broadway, a performing arts venue offering an extensive food and drinks menu.
Don’t miss the muhammara, made from roasted peppers, walnuts, chili, and pomegranate. Settle in at this inviting café serving upscale Lebanese dishes and a large choice of whiskeys. Of course, you can always count on classics like clam chowder, sushi, and fried chicken. Seafood takes top billing here, but you’ll find unique creations like a Seattle dog (topped with cream cheese and grilled onions) and piroshkies, Russian pastries filled with things like beef and cheese or smoked salmon pate. Seattle’s cuisine boasts global influences and a wide range of flavors, thanks to the city’s eclectic mix of cultures. The fish market at Pike Place Market is another favorite spot to explore in the city, and the view from the Space Needle shouldn’t be missed. Outdoor activities including camping, hiking, kayaking, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, and climbing are popular seasonally. Seattle is an unparalleled base for nature lovers, and it boasts a relaxed vibe that caters to a lifestyle facilitated by the natural environs. Logging was Seattle’s primary industry in the 19th century, but today one can hike and explore the mossy woods without hearing chainsaws in Olympic National Park or on Mount Rainier. “The Emerald City” receives its sobriquet from the lush, green foliage surrounding the area. If you come in spring or winter, be prepared for chilly temperatures and frequent drizzle (no need to bring an umbrella - just endure the rain like the locals do). While the summer months are always popular thanks to an increased chance of warm temperatures and sunshine, fall is a gorgeous time to make your way to Washington as well. Most gays congregate around the northern section of the beach, away from the more family-oriented southern side. Madison Park Beach, located on the shores of Lake Washington, is Seattle’s unofficial gay beach. It’s no wonder, given Seattle’s reputation as a bastion for liberalism and counterculture, that the people here are so accepting of their fellow gay citizens. There are also a number of venues and fringe theaters showcasing performances of a more vaudevillian nature. Here you’ll find thriving nightclubs featuring a diverse mix of musical tastes-in fact, hip hop artist and ally Macklemore happens to be from the Emerald City. Seattle’s de facto gayborhood has one of the highest concentrations of LGBT residents per capita in the United States. Seattle has a bustling arts scene unsurprisingly centered on its gayest neighborhood: Capitol Hill. That makes Seattle the second-gayest city in America! Dan Savage would be so proud. In fact, the only American city to claim more LGBT residents is San Francisco. But it also has a reputation as a very gay-friendly destination with a significant gay population. The city is known as the birthplace of grunge music and Starbucks Coffee, and its rainy and cloudy weather is the stuff of legends. I felt safe and loved and truly happy.Of the stereotypical things that pop into mind when thinking of Seattle, a robust gay population isn’t necessarily one of them. Over the years I danced, I drank, I made friends, I kissed cute boys on the dance floor it was the time of my life. As I walked out, she yelled back to me, “You should stop back around 10 or 11.” I finished my Diet Coke, got up to leave, thanking my bartender. She knew I was gay from the moment I walked in. A place where I would never have to come out. A place where I didn’t have be someone else. It was the first time in my life that I felt that there was a place for me.
I’m not sure how long I stayed, but we made small talk. She flipped a bar stool down for me and I ordered a Diet Coke. In that instant, the woman knew exactly who I was. If it were any other business, I’m sure the staff would have yelled that they were closed and to go away. It’s obvious to me now that the club was closed, and naïvely I was hours early. The only person in the place was a woman cleaning behind the bar. when I entered, the house lights were on and the barstools where up on tables. On the third visit, I was determined to go inside.
The second time I parked and sat in my car for over an hour before returning home. The first visit I circled the block a few times, then left. I found the address to Za’s in the back of a newspaper, or maybe a local magazine.