This $2 million marketing and ad campaign is aimed at out-of-towners looking to get their gay on in the one place that has more queers per square foot than all of San Francisco. It boasts gay-friendly travel packages and provides extensive information on the city's seasoned and sometimes even unpleasant gay history. It also chronicles important gay landmarks, a calendar of events, listings for nightlife, parties, organizations, gay-friendly hotels and restaurants and tons more, and seems to strive to be the one stop spot on the web for gay NYC travelers. With the roughly 47 million people that visit New York every year, and 10% of those visitors are reportedly gay, it's kind of surprising that NY hasn't taken more advantage of this well-known fact until now.
Truth be told, the site has long way to go. Under "Best Bars to Meet People" there are only 5 listings. And one of them is in Queens. But its intentions are obviously well placed, and so is the money that it will bring. As jaded as we city folks can sometimes be, it's always nice to see a fresh and friendly face in a crowded bar. Bringing more travelers here still doesn't mean our commute costs won't go up, but the lit-up face of a backwoods southern boy stepping off the F train into the East Village for the first time makes it all somehow worth it in the end. As long as he buys me a drink.
-- ROBBIE IMES
Previously > Gay bars to bachelorettes: Take that tiara and shove it
