NEIGHBORHOODS
Hey There,
Neighbor ATLANTA IS FULL OF MICROCOSMS — NEIGHBORHOODS BIG AND SMALL, EACH WITH ITS OWN DISTINCT FLAVOR AND FLAIR. THOUGH SOME PARTS OF THE METRO AREA HAVE A REPUTATION AS LGBTQ ENCLAVES — WE’RE LOOKING AT YOU, MIDTOWN AND DECATUR — IN REALITY, THE QUEER HEARTBEAT PULSES THROUGHOUT ALL PARTS OF THE CITY AND SOME OF ITS NEIGHBORING SUBURBS. HERE’S OUR TAKE ON THE MUST-DOS AND HIDDEN GEMS OF ATLANTA’S BEST GAYBORHOODS: ANSLEY MALL/CHESHIRE BRIDGE
This here’s the reigning queen of queer neighborhoods, wherein a strip mall is as likely to have a sex shop as a supermarket, and even the grocery store is known as Kro-gay. Atlanta doesn’t get any tastier than Ansley Mall/Cheshire Bridge, with regard to both cuisine and clubbing. The neighborhood entices LGBTQ diners: grab a steak from Cowtippers, enchiladas from Las Margaritas, or
26 Destination Travel Guide
American fare at Roxx. The nightlife is hot, from the go-go boys at BJ Roosters, the hip-hop flow at Mixx, the drag queens and drunken karaoke at spots like at Felix’s, or the thumping dance floors at Midtown Moon and the Heretic. Even the apartment complexes are queer rites of passage — shout out to Vaseline Valley, err, Ansley Forest. In this ‘hood, you can search for a soulmate equally at Starbucks or in an adult-video arcade.