SGN September 23, 2011 - Section 3 - Travel

a t n u Pana C Seattle Gay News

Issue 38, Volume 39, September 23, 2011

Fall Arts & travel vis ta ba ck .co m

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are Gay-friendly, as are fellow Latin Americans and Spaniards, and even a scowling Russian can Gorgeous, tropical, unspoiled, be tamed with a smile and polite and very remote, there she is ... greeting. There were several Gay Punta Cana. see punta cana page 18 This resort town, located on the southeastern shore of the Dominican Republic, has become quite the vacation hotspot for American, Latin American, and European tourists. With crystal blue beaches, temperatures at boiling level, ever-flowing rum, and the meringue playing like a surround-sound stereo system, this place is sizzling.

Getting to Punta Cana from Seattle requires a 10-hour journey with a connection in New York, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, Philadelphia, or Atlanta.

Spanish is the primary language spoken throughout the island country, which gained independence from neighboring Haiti in 1844, but all resorts, airport officials, and hospitality service counters have representatives who also speak English. Locals

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer

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s ’ c i l b u p e R t o n p a s t c i o n i h m g n i Do h c r co s

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Tenth Annual Dungeness Crab Seafood Festival “Home of the Dungeness Crab” October 8-9, Port Angeles, Free Admission!

by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer

STAY Getting into the city from BWI Airport is a cinch. Catch the MTA (Maryland Transit Authority) light-rail train ($1.60 one-way) right outside the terminal. Light rail and Metro subway are also available

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Things you may not know about Baltimore: It’s the birthplace of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. It’s the residence of filmmaker John Waters and the setting for his cult classic Pink Flamingo. Edgar Allan Poe is buried in the heart of the city, and every October a crowd gathers to memorialize his life by reciting poems. Two critically acclaimed TV shows, The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Street, were shot in these parts.

And, it’s an affordable destination to wine, dine, and shop ‘til you drop.

Nicknamed “Charm City,” Baltimore is a 40-minute plane ride from New York City or an hour-long train journey from Washington, D.C. It’s a college town, city of sports-lovers, historical hub, and its easygoing vibe lends itself to its openness to the Gay lifestyle – I didn’t have a single negative encounter in my four days there.

The gritty and uninteresting picture painted for me about Baltimore before going there isn’t what I found it to be. I quite enjoyed the peacefulness and the big-city/small-town feel of it, as well as the helpful public transportation system. Like any major living area, this city of 620,000 has neighborhoods transitioning from bad to better, and there’s still a lot of work to do. But the downtown sector, surrounding neighborhoods, and Gay district are clean, walkable, and safe. If traveling to Baltimore on business or leisure, visit www.baltimore.org for more information. Here’s how to spend a weekend in Charm City.

upon arrival at Penn Station.

“Brothers Grimm,” included a built-in Although Baltimore is chock-full of cor- fireplace, antique dressers, wall-mounted porate hotels, which accommodate a wide TV with DVD player (a movie selection is variety of conventions each year (and the available on the main floor), and windows recent NASCAR Grand Prix), the cozi- with wooden shutters that looked out to a est and most convenient place to stay is at sometimes busy intersection.

Scarborough Guests, rangFair Bed ing from a and Breakyoung newfast (www. lywed couple scarboroughto European fairbandb. tourists to mycom). Blocks self, a solo Gay away from traveler, were the “Camden pampered rouYards” light tinely during rail stop, this our stay, especentrally locially during cated rowbreakfast. The house-turnedmenu, posted B&B puts you the evening bewithin walkfore, features ing distance entirely homeof the watermade meals front, convenright down tion center, to the bisbaseball stacotti, granola, dium, retail and biscuits. stores, restauBreakfasts rants, and the are served in hip Federal a reasonably Hill district, sized dining and it does so room and in a homey are included e nv i r o n m e nt with your with privacy stay.

HomeUSS Constellation that you can’t cooked fritget at a modern tatas, croissant bread pudding, cereals, hotel. Innkeepers and real-life partners fresh fruit, coffee, and tea are just some Barry Werner and Jeff Finlay put their of the items you’ll be fortunate to have heart and soul into six wonderfully de- at Scarborough Fair, which received a signed rooms with contemporary ameni- “Certificate of Excellence” this year by ties and attached or detached individual Trip Advisor. A 24-hour non-alcoholic restrooms featurbeverage cooler, local restaurant menus ing Gilbert & with walking instructions, city bus schedSoames bath ules, and afternoon snacks are also proproducts. vided for guests. The “Charm City CirMy room, culator,” a free bus system that travels within the main core of Baltimore, has a stop a block away from the B&B and will take you all the way to the Gay district.

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Baltimore’s Inner Harbor at night

GAY NIGHTLIFE / RESOURCES The Gay district in Baltimore is located in Mount Vernon, a semi-upscale neighborhood close to downtown that contrasts sharply in appearance to other parts of the city. Perched on a small hill, Mount Vernon is covered with rustic, antiquated row houses, monuments, and adorable little parks that reminded me of being in Europe.

There are numerous hangout spots here, including the primary destination for Gay partiers, Grand Central (www. centralstationpub.com). Voted “Best Gay Bar” several times over by Baltimore City Paper, this corner lot pub is where you can mingle with locals in a fun, comfortable atmosphere. Upstairs is Sappho’s, a Lesbian watering hole that is also welcoming to all types.

If you want to work up a sweat, skip across the street to Club Hippo (www. clubhippo.com), another Gay club with a big dance floor. Half a block away is Red Maple (www.930redmaple.com), a nifty lounge frequented by Gay men, although it’s predominantly a mixed hotspot throughout the week and mostly straight on weekends. City Cafe (www.citycafebaltimore.com) is nearby, as well, and is packed with beautiful Gay (and some straight, or potentially wavering) men on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB, www.glccb.org) is a physically-standing resource center for local residents and visitors seeking information on events, organizations, and support groups for men, women, youth, and Transgender community members. The GLCCB also publishes its own magazine every other Friday called Gay Life, available at Gay businesses throughout the city. Another publication to pick up while visiting is Baltimore OUTloud. Baltimore Pride, which attracts about 20,000 people yearly, takes place the third week of June.

Finally, A New Gay Bar in West Seattle! www.outwestbar.com

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EAT / DRINK If the name Mr. Rain’s Fun House (www. mrrainsfunhouse.com) sounds quirky, it should be. This restaurant, on the top floor of the very unique American Visionary Museum, is to some degree intended to match the eccentricity of the attraction. The restaurant itself, however, is anything but odd.

With trendy decor, ample ambiance, outdoor patio, attractive staff, and a menu that is daringly interesting, Mr. Rain’s Fun House has become a popular spot for Baltimore foodies and young socialites. On the night I visited, a two-piece lumpia hors d’oeuvre was the lead-in to a fabulous dinner that followed with a succulent adobo-braised pork shank.

I’ll be thinking about that pork shank years from now.

Other items include East African spiced chicken, black-eyed-pea cakes, moulard duck breast, pear soup, and Bay scallop ceviche. Mr. Rain’s Fun House, run partly by the friendly and engaging husband-wife team of William and Maria Buszinski, is also open for lunch and weekend brunch – William Buszinski is the head chef, Perez Klebahn is the third proprietor of the business.

If you’re leaning towards good bar food, Pub Dog Pizza & Drafthouse (www.pubdog.net) in the Federal Hill district is a happening locale to enjoy fresh pizza with clever titles like Alaskan Husky, Pupperoni, Atomic Dog, Fox & the Hound, and the one I chose, Old Yeller (tomato sauce, mozzarella, grilled chicken, smoked bacon, tomatoes, red onion, spinach). Wash it all down with a “Mixed Breed,” two small pints of two different types of beer, for $4. At Regi’s (www. regisamericanbistro.com), also in Federal Hill, you can feast your eyes on good-look-

ing passersby, who jog or walk their dogs, as you sit on the restaurant’s outside deck. This is a cool place to start the evening off, and I suggest ordering “The Original AJ’s Tater Tots” smothered in melted brie and applewood bacon. And, if you’re out and about in Mount Vernon during daylight, drop by Red Emma’s Bookstore Coffeehouse (www. redemmas.org), a basement-level cafe/bookstore that serves all-organic food, even dessert, and allows you to surf the web on their hardwire computers for free.

This is an informative seasonal tour that introduces you to various neighborhoods, including Fell’s Point, Little Italy, Harbor East, and Locust Point, and also guides you around historical landmarks, tourist attractions, and monumental sights, such as The Peabody Institute, Babe Ruth’s childhood home, and Edgar Allan Poe’s burial place.

Cost is $24.95, the tour is 90 minutes, and it’s conducted in an open-air vintage trolley.

Another way to get acquainted with Baltimore is to ride the water taxi from Harbor East to the Aquarium, Science Center, Fort EXPLORE / VISIT McHenry, or other points of interest. An To familiarize yourself with the city, take all-day pass allowing you unlimited rides is the Baltimore Trolley Sightseeing Tour just $10. Harbor East, the city’s famed wa(www.baltimoresightseeingtours.com). terfront, is filled with restaurants, shops, a

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visitors’ center, and lots of space to sit and take in the scenery – perfect for an afternoon stroll.

A visit to the American Visionary Art Museum (www.avam.org) is a must, especially to see the large statue of Divine, the famous drag queen who starred in several John Waters projects. This is America’s official museum for visionary, self-taught, and intuitive art – in other words, pretty weird stuff.

Among the items on display are a Christmas tree decorated entirely with dolls, a do-rag mural, dressed-up skeletons, a fallen black angel, a glittery Sesame Street portrait, and a slideshow devoted to smiles. I wasn’t sure whether to be inspired or creeped out, but it was definitely memorable.

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by Jessica Price SGN Contributing Writer For a first-time visitor used to the experience of urban travel destinations, Hawaii seems like a far-off utopian fantasy dotted with palm trees, gigantic fruit, and beautiful people with bronzed skin.

The true Hawaii remains fiercely connected to its land and roots, though it’s still a progressive destination with many faces. It’s a place that feels foreign yet recognizably domestic, familiar, and traversable, but miraculously a little beyond the grip of most mainland characteristics.

The melting pot created by the early Polynesian settlers and the later arrival of sun worshippers, businesspeople, and tropical adventurers lends a very real diversity to the feel of Hawaii as a whole.

The island of O’ahu is a first-time visitor’s ideal sampler of a life less ordinary; not so remote or illusory after all, and every bit as perfect as you’ve heard.

The vibrant metropolis at the heart of O’ahu is Honolulu, the main point of entry for most flights, including those that connect to the other islands.

With the reasonable prices of flights on Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Air and flight times clocking in at a little over five hours, getting there is easy for Seattle-based travelers.

The convenience and proximity from the West Coast make O’ahu a prime vacation destination for Washington, California, Alaska, and Oregon residents; these states make up the largest cross-section of U.S. visitors each year (Australians also make up a large part of annual tourist volume).

Locals from the neighboring islands are also frequent visitors to O’ahu, a name which means “the gathering place.”

Although most travel to the islands begins with the Honolulu’s bustling Waikiki and the world-class shops and clubs adjacent to the beach, there’s much more beauty and authenticity to be found in exploring the other parts of the island.

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to stay in your room, you’ll be missing the point of Turtle Bay completely. Wander the beaches on the hotel’s 880 acres; snorkel for an hour free of charge; rent bikes or mopeds; or choose between tennis, golf, or a tour by kayak or helicopter. If you prefer a more leisurely pace, the resort offers massage services, scenic poolside lounging, and cozy beach cottages as an alternative to standard rooms for longer stays. The stables at Turtle Bay are highly recommended; gentle, guided trail rides along the beach and through the ironwood forest take you through locations recognizable from LOST, Pirates of the Caribbean IV, and For-

of the World’s Best Places to Stay and is affiliated with the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) and welcomes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender guests. They also celebrate love by welcoming all weddings and commitment ceremonies.

Though it’s difficult to find a reason to leave the grounds of the Kahala, just a 15-minute walk through the surrounding neighborhood and its lovely homes will bring you to the West Coast boutiquestyle Kahala Mall. Whole Foods is an anchor there, and many restaurants can be found on Waialae Avenue such as Assagio’s (4346 Waialae Ave.) or Wahoo’s Fish Taco (4614 Kilauea Ave.). If you have a rental car, lunch and a top-notch Hawaiian microbrew can be found a little farther east at Kona Brewing Company at Koko Marina in Hawaii Kai (7192 Kalanianaole Hwy.). Local IPA Big Swell is a popular choice at the casual, open-air restaurant overlooking the marina.

Before leaving O’ahu, the extraordinary grounds of the recently integrated Honolulu Academy of Arts and The Contemporary Museum (2411 Makiki Heights Dr.) are must-sees. The museum is perched atop Honolulu’s scenic Makiki Heights, and the serene gardens feature outdoor art installations and Asian-influenced landscape architecture. The permanent collection features David Hockney, Jasper Johns, and Louise Nevelson, among others. The museum’s indoor/outdoor café is an excellent, offbeat place for a meal, serving up healthy, summery dishes perfect for admiring the changing outdoor art and sculptures.

These sights and places to stay are just a fraction of the diverse experiences the island of O’ahu has to offer. From peaceful tropical gardens and secluded beaches to bustling downtown Honolulu, the island presents many terrains and many faces to the sun-seeking vacationer. To fully experience the unique sense of place Hawaii is known for, O’ahu is the perfect place to begin your exploration. The island is vast and brimming with uncommon choices.

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The North Shore The drive from Honolulu to the North Shore along the Windward coast of O’ahu is breathtaking in any direction you look.

Pristine beaches and blue seas parallel occasional villages, small farms, and lush, green mountains looming in the distance (parts of Jurassic Park were filmed in the 4,000-acre Kualoa Ranch).

Surfing in the North Shore is a main attraction due to world-famous winter waves, but before you reach the impressive surfing beaches, you’ll pass the lush grounds of the North Shore’s Turtle Bay Resort (57-091 Kamehameha Hwy.). This charming resort boasts ocean views just 40 feet from high tide. Under current zoning laws in Hawaii, the hotel would be set back much farther, making the classic resort one of a kind for location alone. But the stunning views aren’t all the hotel has to offer. The resort was built in the 1960s as an all-inclusive property, which translates to all the activities you could choose from, arranged at the press of a button.

The modest rooms are clean, comfortable, and large, but if you’ve come to O’ahu

at the end of Kahala Avenue, and sets the bar high for providing a sense of tranquility and seclusion overlooking a stunning, crescent-shaped beach between the majestic Diamond Head and Koko Head craters. The hotel’s elegant lobby and open-air veranda are inviting and reminiscent of the hotel’s glamorous history. The grand chandelier is the same one that has been in place since the hotel was built in 1964. Over the years, film stars such as Elizabeth Taylor have made the hotel a frequent getaway; Elton John and his family were recent guests, and every president since Lyndon Johnson has visited – though guests aren’t treated like a ny-

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getting Sarah Marshall (which was filmed entirely on Turtle Bay’s beautiful grounds).

For dining, aside from the many restaurants at the hotel, you can visit the nearby town of Haleiwa for inexpensive, delicious healthy fare at Celestial Natural Foods (66443 Kamehameha Hwy.), a quaint café and grocery favored by locals. On Sundays, Haleiwa hosts a sprawling farmers market which serves as a community gathering place with Hawaiian music, crafts, and the best in fresh, locally grown produce. Also fresh, inexpensive, and unbelievably delectable are the offerings of the many shrimp trucks dotting the North Shore near the town of Kahuku, a busy aquaculture area.

Dishes are ordered at the windows of these moveable kitchens and typically come with rice, a green salad, and pineapple slices.

When the afternoon sun gets a little intense, find the nearest shaved ice shop such as the family-owned Aoki’s Shave Ice, which has been serving up this local treat for 30 years (66-117 Kamehameha Hwy.).

Before leaving the North Shore area, drive inland to the Dole Plantation (64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy.) if not for the softserve-over-fresh-pineapple treats, then for the incredible sight of spiky pineapple fields stretching out on either side of the two-lane highway.

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t h i n g less than royalty no matter who they are. What is unique to the resort is the service and sense of family that you fall under the moment you arrive. Many of the hotel employees have been with the Kahala since it opened, and the rooms and bungalows feel more like a fantasy vacation home than a hotel. Also on-site is a picture-perfect swimming pool and beach cabana with recreational sporting gear available, or you can book a relatively inexpensive, education-focused dolphin encounter with one of the resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Many ocean-facing rooms actually overlook the dolphin lagoon and ponds that are home to sea turtles and reef fish. The Kahala Hotel & Resort is listed in the 2009 Condé Nast Traveler Gold List

Kahala East of the thickly populated beaches at Waikiki and discretely tucked beyond Diamond Head Crater Park is the upscale residential area of Kahala.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort (5000 Kahala Ave.) is the hidden gem

Daniel Russo

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Ottawa The quiet capital

by Eric Andrews-Katz SGN A&E Writer

Eric Andre ws-Ka tz

Ottawa is the smallest large city that you’ll visit in Canada. While being the nation’s capital, it retains an intimate feel, making the city an enjoyable, comfortable, and affordable place to visit. Activities and entertainment can be found no matter your interest, including wonderful food, gorgeous views, great museums, and beautiful parks.

Like any other major city, Ottawa has a hotel to fit every budget. The ARC hotel is located in the heart of downtown, just a short walk away from Parliament Hill and most major attractions. The ARC hotel (www.arcthehotel.com) may be modern, but it possesses an intimate feel from check-in until checkout. This boutique hotel, a major supporter of Ottawa Pride, offers comfortable beds with pillow-top mattresses, flatscreen televisions, and a shower with great water pressure and what seemed like an endless hot-water tank. Breakfast in the restaurant is a great way to start the morning, and dinner in the ARC Lounge, with its locally grown foods and seasoned meats, will end your evening on a good note. If you need suggestions, the extremely courteous and friendly concierge is always willing to help out. With a standard WiFi charge in the rooms, free access is available in the lobby, with printers and fax machines at the ready.

If staying historical is more your scene, then the Fairmont Chateau Laurier (www.fairmont.com/laurier) is it.

This castle-like structure is located next to Parliament and originally set up for visiting royalty and heads of state. This hotel is as comfortable as it is lavishly decorated. For that pampering touch, ask about the Gold Floor (4th and above) that includes access to a separate (and flawlessly friendly) concierge service, as well a private dining room including complimentary breakfast buffet, and hors d’oeuvres with cocktails from 5 to 7 p.m.

For an after-dinner stroll, go through the lobby and see the recognizably famous photographs by Yousuf Karsh, or the pictorial history of the Chateau dating back to 1912. Included are photographs of English royalty, heads of state, and the Chateau’s builder, Richard Hayes, who drowned with the Titanic five months before the hotel’s grand opening.

Food is an important part of any culture. The C’est Bon Cooking Food Tour (www.cestboncooking.ca) walk is not to be missed. Rain or shine, this 1.6-mile walk tours around the famous ByWard Market and lets tour groups meet with local restaurateurs and specialty chefs.

With a great tour guide, you can sample local foods from German

chocolatiers, Neapolitan pizzas, Italian bottegas, cheese houses, and Polish delis among many others places.

The Courtyard Restaurant (www.courtyardrestaurant.com) is also in the ByWard Market, and a great place for relaxation or romance. The outdoor patio is perfect, if

Unfortunately, not every meal is stellar, and the odd lot happened at The Metropolitain Brasserie. The experience was extremely disappointing from start to finish. The onion soup gratinée was mere broth with a bland cheese melted on top to, literally, cover up the tastelessness. The steak was served rare-medium instead of medium-well, but since the waiter dropped off the food and disappeared for another 20 minutes, there was little to be done. He also added in a 15% gratuity – for a table of one. Dessert was sought out elsewhere. Unless you really like average food with awful service, there are plenty of better eateries in Ottawa.

For things to do, there’s a variety with many happenings geared for families. The Ottawa Little Theatre (www.ottawalittletheatre.com) is the oldest community theater in Canada. Offering a variety of shows,

Maman sculpture at the National Gallery

weather permits. Try the beet salad for a starter; a mixture of roasted beets and goat cheese with strawberries, beet pickles, and rhubarb. For a main course, the wild boar could not be a better choice. Tasty, tender, and nowhere as gamey as expected, the boar was an excellent recommendation by an extremely courteous server.

If a health-conscious eatery is for you, try the Zen Kitchen (www.zenkitchen.com).

You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy this vegan paradise. The cashew paste Alfredo sauce was delicious, and the nut-butter cheesecake (really, no cheese) was incredibly fantastic and full of flavor, enough to make any golden girl jealous. The restaurant’s opening was recorded on the docudrama The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave. For the green-conscious, look for the “Savour-Savourez Ottawa” sticker in windows, on menus, and on shop stalls to show the support of using only local farmers and producers.

at community prices, the cast and crew are made up strictly of local members to entertain all who watch.

The Canadian Museum of Nature (www. nature.ca) has an exhibit of live insects, arachnids, and slugs to delight kids of all ages. The Canadian Museum of Civilization (www.civilization.ca), with the largest indoor collection of totem poles, also boasts a children’s museum, which focuses on handson activities. The Ghosts and Gallows tour is a 90-minute evening’s walk with a guide retelling ghost stories about Ottawa’s darker history. More informative than scary, it’s simple fun.

Parliament Hill is a host to many major attractions.

The changing of the guard occurs every morning at 10 in front of Parliament.

Based on its London predecessor, the full pomp and circumstance of bagpipes, red-coated soldiers

with tall bear-fur hats, and years of tradition is something not to be missed. Obtain a map from the tourist center and find the trail of strategically placed historic statues which lead followers across Parliament Hill. Don’t miss the “Whispering Wall,” a structure curved so that when a person whispers at one end, another can hear them perfectly at the other. There’s even a cat sanctuary with over 200 feral residents. During the summer evenings at 9:30, there’s a light show shown on the side of Parliament with music and narration.

Other activities won’t be suitable for children under 10 years of age. The Bytown Museum is a history of the building of the Byward canal, and is extremely informative and interesting. Keep in mind that it’s a slower-paced museum catering to a specific interest.

Despite its name and appeal, the Canadian War Museum (www.warmuseum. ca) is NOT for kids. These are pictures of warfare: gas warring, the Nazi Holocaust, burn victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and Agent Orange victims among many others, and will last in the minds of those who see them. There is a lot of extraordinary information that most people don’t know about Canada’s contributions to military history, from the French and Indian War, through both World Wars and beyond. The subject may pique younger interest, but this is an adult museum and a child’s attention will wane quickly.

Careful thought should be given when taking the free tours of the Parliament buildings. Despite adults’ desires to learn about politics in foreign countries, most children won’t understand or even care about the 45-minute tour. Although these things should not be missed, take turns with your spouse watching the kids and going through the exhibits – your children won’t embarrass you on the tour, and they won’t be distracting to everyone else who wants to enjoy the tour.

The National Gallery (www.gallery. ca) is easily recognizable thanks to its beautiful glass structures. There’s also the iconic landmark of the 30-foot bronze spider, known as Maman, that sits in the front plaza. With galleries dedicated to Pop Art and Contemporary Art, it is the European Gallery that stands out. Among works by Cassatt and Monet, there is a Bernini bust of Maffeo Barbarini and works by other great masters. Always check out the special exhibit, currently Caravaggio: And His Followers in Rome.

The Baroque master of the profane and profound painted some of the greatest works in the world. There are 11 paintings on display, of the 93 attributed by the Baroque master, alongside those of his contemporaries and followers in both subject and school. This exhibit includes the “newly found” Caravaggio work, St Augustine, discovered in April 2011. This is the first time the work has been displayed in public. Coming in 2012 to the museum is a large exhibit of works by van Gogh.

Like most Canadian cities, Ottawa is easy to get around in. Public transportation is available, but most things can easily be reached by walking. Full of history, Ottawa is the quietest capital city you’ll want to visit.

Maria Azzurra Mugnai

Parliament Hill

Trinity Episcopal Church 6

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Join us October 9 for the 12th annual Matthew Shepard Memorial Sermon with the Rev. Dr. Derek Penwell.

An Open and Affirming Congregation - Come join us! Sundays 8:00 and 10:30 - Wednesdays & Thursdays 5:30 Eighth Avenue & James Street, Seattle www.trinityseattle.org September 23, 2011

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SGN picks good reading for the fall season

by Jeremy Behrens SGN Contributing Writer

the Dodd family struggles to exist in a world where the unthinkable is unfolding before their very eyes.

Why you should read it: Besides the fact that Larson is a fellow Seattleite, In the Garden of Beasts is a fantastic look into the American you in disbelief and shock that something role in Europe during Hitler’s rise to like this could actually happen in today’s power. Larson weaves a tale that is as world. With a story ripped straight from entertaining as it is informational. As the headlines, Room is a unique, touching, someone who typically finds himself and intense look at what growing up locked bored about 10 pages into a nonfiction away from the world might be like. work, I was enamored by Larson’s novel. Having read his 2003 novel Nonfiction Pick Devil in the White City: Murder,

The cool weather of autumn is setting in, and for me, there is nothing better than curling up with a good book at the end of a long work day.

However, with all the books out there, it can be hard to weed out the ones worth In the Garden of Beasts: reading. Perhaps you tend to stick with Love, Terror, and an the same author or a particular genre, or American Family maybe you haven’t picked up a book since in Hitler’s Berlin college. It can be a daunting task to dive

by Erik Larson into the literary world.

More than 70 years after the rise of Well, look no further. Here are five books, some new and some old, that are the Nazis in Germany, Seattle author sure to pique your interest and get you Erik Larson has written a chronicle of an American family caught up through the chilly months of fall. in the web of Hitler’s rise to power.

In the Garden of Beasts, Larson’s most recent foray into historic nonfiction, is a gritty look at what it was like to stand idly by and watch as a nation spiraled into fear and chaos with a cunning and charismatic leader at the reins.

The Dodd family has been placed in Germany after William Dodd, a professor from the

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Science Fiction/ Fantasy Pick

Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, I knew what to expect in Larson’s writing style which made it very easy for me to pick up the story quickly. I found myself a bit distanced from William and his family because they each fit stock character roles more often than I would have liked, but it was not enough to turn me off from the haunting tale of a darker part of world history. This book is sure to be

Fiction Pick Room

by Emma Donoghue I just picked up Room a few months back and was blown away by the narrative. Five-year-old Jack has spent his entire childhood confined to the Room, a small room with the barest necessities, with his mother. Never allowed outside, Jack sees the room as his entire world, thinking everything he watches on television to be made up. Other than Ma, the only person he knows is Old Nick, a man who comes every night and shares a bed with his mother, but leaves each morning, locking the door behind him. When Ma learns of Old Nick’s unemployment, she plots to escape from the room with Jack in tow. In a daring escape attempt, Jack’s tiny worldview is blown wide open, making him realize there is more to the life than meets the eye.

Why you need to read it: It is not often that a narrator in an adult fiction novel is a child, but Room is told entirely through the eyes of Jack. With a rudimentary understanding of his existence and life inside the room, Jack seems like a lessthan-ideal narrator. However, Donoghue expertly captures the essence of Jack’s childlike nature in explaining what is going on around him. A short read, Room is a page-turner which at times will leave

talked about a lot this year, so go out and pick it up, especially if you are looking for more than a dry piece of nonfiction.

University of Chicago, is appointed American ambassador by the Roosevelt administration. Although many others before him had turned down the position, Dodd jumped at the chance to revisit his beloved Germany along with his family. His daughter, Martha, seemed to be as thrilled about the move to Germany as her father; she reveled in the attention paid to her by men from all walks of life. As Germany faced the threat of Hitler’s rise, witnessed by Dodd and Martha on two very different levels, the American government seemed to be almost of no assistance to Dodd. Caught in a country where Jewish extermination was a political focus,

September 23, 2011

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline The world in 2044 is not a pretty place in Cline’s Ready Player One. With reality a less-than-desirable place, millions of people have logged on to the biggest virtual world online.

OASIS, a “sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be,” is a place of refuge for those unable to confront the hardships of the real world. But for some, OASIS is more than an escape, because deep within the vast virtual universe, the game’s creator has hidden a treasure trove of clues, promising the one who solves them a huge fortune and control of the game. It has been years since the creator released the puzzles, all based on ’80s pop culture, and no one has been able to solve the first one – until now. Wade Watts has cracked the first puzzle, and now all eyes are on him, in both worlds. Pursued by some hardcore gamers, Wade’s success in the real world hinges on his solving the puzzles in the virtual world before anyone else.

Why you need to read it: For me, science fiction and fantasy titles are not that interesting. The most I ever got invested in fantasy was the Harry Potter series, and that shouldn’t really count.

It was with much apprehension I picked this title up – I have never been a gamer, and being the ex-boyfriend of a World of Warcraft junkie, I know the toll virtual worlds take on real-life human relationships. However, the promise of ’80s pop culture hooked me.

While Cline never makes the reader forget they are in a virtual world, I found myself as invested in the game as Wade himself was.

As a trivia junkie, Ready Player One was as much a quiz book as it was a novel.

Facing very real problems himself, Wade is a character any reader can sympathize with, fighting to balance his online life with his real life, but with the highest stakes.

An action-packed adven-

Celebrating 38 Years!

ture, this book isn’t for everyone, but it is worth a try. Plus, if you are a child of the ’80s, why not relive a little of your past?

Book-to-Film Pick The Help

by Kathryn Stockett Although about two years old, The Help has been on The New York Times’ bestseller list for 30 weeks. Recently, it received a second wind thanks to the movie adaptation released this summer. Following three women from the South during the 1960s, The Help uncovers what it was like for AfricanAmerican maids working in white women’s homes. Skeeter, a white college graduate, yearns to be more than a housewife and sets out to write her very own book. Inspired by the treatment of the help in her and her friends’ homes, Skeeter approaches Aibileen and Minny, two maids in Jackson, Mississippi, to tell it like it is. Skeeter hopes to blur the gender barrier, while Aibileen and Minny struggle to get over the fear of being found out. Writing this book might be the best thing that has happened to these women – or it could drive Jackson into an all-out

civil rights war.

Why you need to read it: With the movie having just been released, everyone seems to be swarming to the theaters. It goes without saying that the book is always better than the movie (I challenge anyone to prove otherwise). While the film seems to focus greatly on Skeeter’s story, Stockett balances the three story lines incredibly well. The reader really gets to know Aibileen and Minny on a deeper level than the film allows. Minny’s storyline in particular is much deeper in the text than on screen.

A great story with very strong female characters, this book is another in a long list of books that are better than the movie.

Classic Pick East of Eden

by John Steinbeck Steinbeck seems to be required reading for almost any high school student nowadays. When I was in high school, Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Pearl were all English class go-tos. However, Steinbeck’s most impressive piece is one that, while often talked about, is rarely read

by high school literature classes. East of Eden, one of Steinbeck’s longest and most elaborate novels, tells the doomed story of two interconnected families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks. Samuel Hamilton and his wife have lived in the Salinas Valley in California for years, and when Adam Trask buys one of the best ranches in the area, Samuel becomes fast friends with the man.

Charles, Adam’s half-brother, gives his brother money from their father’s inheritance at the same time Adam falls for Cathy Ames, a woman driven by violence and sex.

When Cathy gets pregnant with twin boys and it becomes too much to handle, she flees, leaving her husband and children to fend for themselves. Growing up oblivious to their mother’s whereabouts, the boys, Caleb and Aaron, begin to grow apart, pursuing their own hopes and dreams while the past creeps up on them.

Why you should read it: Face it, you haven’t read Steinbeck since high school.

You may not have understood it then, but you really didn’t care much when you were a teenager, did you? Why not give it another shot? East of Eden is one of my favorite novels, one I read once a year because the story is so layered. With rumblings of the biblical

story of Cain and Abel as a jumping point, Steinbeck penned a family drama rife with guilt, remorse, and forgiveness. With sensory detail that, at times, comes off as a bit overbearing, Steinbeck paints a picture of the agriculturally rich Salinas Valley. Don’t let the length of this work scare you away – it moves quickly and is full of interesting and unique characters, all heartbreakingly honest and truthful in their portrayal. If you are looking for a book with some meat on its spine, this is the one for you.

THE EDMONDS DRIFTWOOD PLAYERS PRESENT

AlTERNATivE STAgES foR 2011-2012 Theatre that makes you think.

Classic, Adventurous, Challenging, Original, Smart.

ThE lEgENd of SlEEPy hollow ANd oThER SPooky hAllowEEN TAlES A Chilling Halloween treat for the whole family!

October 27- 30, 2011 Thurs-Sat at 7:30, Sat & Sun at 2:00 pm Spotlight On New Local Playwrights: ThE PEREgRiNE SoNATA by AmANdA AikmAN Five very different women struggle through their work, passions, and art to create a better world.

January 13-15, 2012 Fri, Sat, Sun @ 8pm; Sat @ 2pm loNEly PlANET Two gay men ponder death and friendship in this fanciful, sensitive look at what it means to have lived.

March 1-4, 2012 Thurs - Sun CyRANo dE bERgERAC The swashbuckling classic love triangle.

May 10-13, 2012 Thurs-Sun ThiRd ANNuAl fESTivAl of ShoRTS A great line-up of 8 playwright finalists display their most innovative, hilarious, or profound in 15 minutes.

July 13 & 14, 2012 Fri-Sat

All Performances at the wade James Theatre 950 main St., Edmonds Season Tickets on-Sale now!

See all 5 shows and save over 17% over the individual ticket prices ($12.00 each) or buy all 10 (mainstage & Alternatives) and save over 20%

for information: 425-774-9600 or www.driftwoodplayers.com

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 23, 2011

Seattle Gay News

9

by David Webb Courtesy of The Rare Reporter I fell in love with Puerto Vallarta decades ago. In fact, it was before I ever even visited there.

It was when I was a teenager, and I was reading the news stories about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton escaping there after they left Europe. Their scandalous romance on the set of Cleopatra in the early 1960s had made them the prey of photographers and reporters from all over the world.

So, still married to others¸ they fled to the tiny Mexican village nestled in a

cove surrounded by mountains where Burton filmed Night of the Iguana. They bought a house in Puerto Vallarta with the hope it would be a respite from the prying eyes of the world.

Of course, the media just followed them there, and before you knew it, Puerto Vallarta was catapulted into fame. The tiny fishing and agricultural village grew to become a worldclass

Co ol ca esa r

tourist destination.

I made up my mind in those early days that I would one day also visit Puerto Vallarta, but I had a while to wait because I was only like 13 at the time – if that old. I think my family would have frowned on that idea, as they did on just about everything else I proposed.

But I eventually made it, and I’ve been traveling to Puerto Vallarta for a really long time. I know the city well, and I certainly can still find Elizabeth Taylor’s old house. I had the good fortune to tour it years ago after someone else bought it from Elizabeth.

This year, for my 62nd birthday, I decided to return to Puerto Vallarta. Two friends – one a high school friend who now lives in Alabama and the other a college friend who lives in Houston, Texas – met me there.

I hadn’t been to Puerto Vallarta in two years because, like many people, the drugwar violence had alarmed me. But I decided to abandon caution and revisit the city I love.

ourselves on great food at the sidewalk cafés and fine restaurants the city offers and on drinks at the many Gay bars in the Old Town area, which is known as the Romantic Zone.

We also decided to get really active and went on the tree canopy tour outside of the city. This involved hiking 800 meters up a jungle-covered mountain, being attached by a pulley to a series of cables, and gliding through the air down the mountain until we reached a bar on the edge of the river.

The next day, we went on a boat cruise called “Wet and Wild” down the ocean coast. The cruise proved to be aptly named, as the crew served an amazing number of drinks in some highly creative ways on the seven-hour trip.

The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about the state of Jalisco, which includes Puerto Vallarta, but the city seems to have been spared the drug-war violence that apparently is concentrated in more remote areas. Acapulco has been plagued by violence, but it is much further to the south on the Pacific Ocean coast.

Despite the warnings and the scary headlines, Puerto Vallarta seems to be as popular with LGBT people as it always was, and the townspeople still welcomed us with open arms.

I did catch someone trying to pick my wallet out of my pocket on a street in front of a nightclub one night, but they abandoned the idea when I raised a fuss. The same thing could happen in Dallas, Los Angeles, or New York. This happened to me once before in Puerto Vallarta about five years ago, and I lost the wallet. This time I was more alert to what was going on around me.

In a far more serious incident, a Canadian man who was married to a Mexican woman was stabbed to death in his home on May 30 and robbed of $20,000 in his safe, but again, anyone who keeps that kind of cash at home is asking for trouble. It

Warwick Goldby

Puerto Vallarta at

10 Seattle Gay News

Seahorse Monument on the Malecon

September 23, 2011

A lot of other LGBT travelers obviously had the same idea. While I was there, I saw quite a few faces from Dallas, and I met many nice people from Los Angeles, New York City, Australia, Las Vegas, and even Memphis.

One of the first treks my friends and I made was to go find Elizabeth’s old house in the hills on a remote cobblestone street. The two houses she owned on opposite sides of the street are now under restoration by a new owner, but the little pink bridge arching over the street connecting them is still there.

After that, we proceeded for days to sate

night

could happen anywhere.

The really good news is that Puerto Vallarta is still charming and apparently safe.

What’s more, the decline in tourism has led to some really good travel deals for both airline flights and lodging. So if you have the nerve, it’s a great time to visit this fabulous city.

I’ll be going back again. I’m dying to know how Elizabeth’s house turns out after the restoration.

David Webb is a veteran journalist who has covered LGBT issues for the mainstream and alternative media for three decades. Email him at davidwaynewebb@ yahoo.com.

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Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 23, 2011

Seattle Gay News 11

Gay-themed Ghost Light highlights late openings at Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival

by Milton W. Hamlin SGN A&E Writer

the intimate indoor New Theatre proved to be an unexpected sell-out, prompting the company to add additional performances on unscheduled nights during the season. The controversial staging, reviewed below, casts

bethan Theatre stage (a rare mounting of a non-Shakespeare title on the theater’s original performance area) turned into such a box-office sensation that OSF added additional performances on select Monday nights when the theater is normally closed. Unprecedented. Moving into its final two months, OSF hopes to make up its repair expenses through ticket sales and associated fundraising. It might just happen.

The two late-season productions, the Gay-themed Ghost Light and the historic The African Company Presents Richard III, have brought added box-office attention from select audiences and from general ticket buyers as well. Starting October 4, OSF members receive a 40% discount on all tickets – incredible savings which will undoubtedly inspire many budget-minded ticket buyers to consider OSF for a late-season theater vacation. All in all, Charles Robinson in The African Company Presents Richard III things are looking good for OSF as the a woman as Caesar, which confused some 2011 season comes to an end. audiences but intrigued many more. The (In passing, it should be noted that SGN added performances are unprecedented in is the only Seattle-area paper to review the OSF history. complete season at OSF. With Ghost Light Then the June opening of The Pi- opening in mid-summer, that is clearly an rates of Penzance on the outdoor Eliza-

12 Seattle Gay News

September 23, 2011

Charles Erickson

Open to the sky, the outdoor Elizabethan Stage seats 1,200 people.

Jenny Graham

Jenny Graham

when the 2011 season opened in February, single ticket sales were running ahead of the previous year. Impossible. Unprecedented.

One February opening, To Kill A MockThe Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, continues its 76th season ingbird was totally sold out before the with performances through November 6. Two late-season openings – one sure to draw impressive numbers of LGBT ticket buyers, one an important “message play” about civil rights, circa 1820 – brings the total of productions this year to 12.

Structural weakness in the beloved indoor Bowmer Theatre caused nearly $1,000,000 in related costs – repairs (now completed), moves to various other temporary performance sites, lost ticket revenues – which OSF hopes to recoup from donations, fundraising, and extra performances to sold-out hit shows. In a word, the 2011 season has been unprecedented.

Despite the setback associated with the Bowmer repairs, there has been much good news for Christopher Liam Moore (l) and Bill Geisslinger in Ghost Light the 2011 season. It seemed impossible for the theater to top its record-breaking ticket sales for 2010 – the curtain went up on opening night. Unpreccompany’s well-publicized 75th year – but edented. Toward the end of the run, OSF extended Mockingbird with additional performances in nearby Medford. Unprecedented. Those shows were also sell-outs.

A spring opening of Julius Caesar in

Celebrating 38 Years!

important detail to many LGBT theater fans.)

A quick summary: Ghost Light is the funny, sometimes painful, always riveting story of the life of Jonathan Moscone, the son of George Moscone, the mayor of San Francisco who was killed

by Dan White at the same time that White killed Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly Gay supervisor.

Jon was 12 years old at the time of his father’s assassination. He was home sick that day (but “not sick enough” for his father to stay home with him, an element that is replayed again and again in this memory play) and heard the news of his father’s death while watching reruns of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on daytime TV. Jonathan is now an openly Gay adult theater director and designer. His own story, which he conceived as a play, was developed with Tony Taccone, the artistic director of the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where the show moves, intact, after it closes in Ashland in early November. Although Taccone takes writing credit for Ghost Light and Moscone takes directorial credit for this world-premiere production, there is little doubt that both are closely involved in all aspects. Christopher Liam Moore tackles the role of the adult Jonathan with a theatrical glee. Since he is the life partner of Bill Rauch, OSF’s first openly Gay artistic director, and making his first performance in an out-and-out leading role, the casting adds more than a bit of backstage interest to LGBT ticket buyers.

As the title suggests, Ghost Light is a play about theater conventions – a “ghost light” is the bare bulb left burning on stage for safety reasons when the theater is locked at night, and it is also a theatrical superstition that a ghost light keeps resident ghosts of the theater at bay. It is also a play about ghosts – specifically the ghost of Hamlet’s father in Shakespeare’s classic tragedy. That’s the play that the adult Jon is trying to design and preparing to direct as this play unfolds. No matter how hard he works, the Shakespeare ghost always seems to be costumed as Jon’s father was the day he died – a business suit, white shirt, and tie. His best friend, a buoyant Robynn Rodriguez, encourages him to get over it, to get moving on the costume designs which are facing an upcoming deadline. Past lovers, current tricks, and a hired hustler keep intruding in his memory. Time goes back and forth. A large supporting cast plays multiple roles, all solidly conceived.

While the play deals with serious matters – “Why is Harvey Milk a Gay icon and my father a municipal parking garage?” – it does so with comic, even flippant overtones.

The adult Jon seems a combination of Nathan Lane and a zillion stereotypes of “the Gay best friend,” but it works. “I don’t have problems being Gay – I have problems with men,” Jon explains at one point.

While Ghost Light will undoubtedly be refined (and tightened) in its Berkeley move, it is now an important new play with a guaranteed after-Ashland life. It’s part of OSF’s series of commissioned plays, titled “American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle.” It’s an impressive new script, and

the ideal anchor for an LGBT theater trip to OSF. The African Company Presents Richard III records a nearly forgotten moment in the history of American civil rights. In the 1820s, a black theater producer in New York staged a series of Shakespeare’s plays with an all-black acting company. Designed for black audiences (with admission at 25 cents) a production of Richard III became such a success that white audiences flocked to it.

Ironically, since even New York rarely permitted mixed audiences, the white patrons were seated at the back of the theater so that they would not have to mingle with the predominantly black audience.

Carlyle Brown’s 1987 script recreates this historic event. When a white producer of an upcoming white production of Richard III asked the African Company to close its production, the request was refused. This act led to a minor, nearly forgotten, step toward civil rights in America.

As a play, the show is not as strong as most OSF selections, but for an audience devoted to Shakespeare, the play is elevated. Much of the early humor in the play is based on the often illiterate black actors of the historical acting company misquoting Shakespeare.

In Ashland, 90% of the audience recognizes the misquoting. It is clearly the perfect play for Ashland audiences.

Julius Caesar, in the indoor New Theatre, is a strange reworking of the classic Shakespeare tragedy. Casting Vilma Silva as Caesar (and cutting the role of Caesar’s wife) seems gimmick casting at first. For this reviewer, the controversial casting added no depth of understanding to the script. Instead, it seemed to just get in the way. Silva plays Caesar as a woman – unlike historical precedents, like a famous Victorian performance of Hamlet in male attire and manner.

No matter – OSF audiences have turned the intimate production into a roaring box office success. A “must” for feminist audiences.

August: Osage County, reviewed in June in SGN, remains an audience favorite. Featuring perhaps the most dysfunctional family in modern American theater, August shocks with delight – one sister remarks on the basically happy marriage of their mother and father, but another sister observes, “He killed himself.”

“Well, yes, but up until that time...” the bubble-brained sibling continues.

Complete box office information is available at (800) 219-8161 or www.osfashland. org. Check it out. Twelve shows to choose from offer the proverbial “something for everyone.”

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 23, 2011

Seattle Gay News 13

Historic Mary Stuart soars at ACT

by Milton W. Hamlin SGN A&E Writer Mary Stuart ACT Theatre Through October 9 Seattle’s A Contemporary Theatre continues its 2011 season with a soaring production of a 211-year-old play. The staging of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart, originally produced in 1800, sparkles with contemporary overtones and returns ACT to a familiar pattern from its early days.

For ACT’s first decades, the theater clearly lived up to its name – A Contemporary Theatre. Season subscribers and single ticket buyers were sure to experience first-rate Seattle productions of recent works from Broadway and London. Now and then a classic title with a contemporary overtone would be included. A new script from a promising playwright would often balance out the season.

In that fondly remembered era, Seattle’s major theaters were defined and lived by their own mission statements.

The Seattle Repertory Theatre was the big guy in town. ACT followed with its emphasis on contemporary works. Intiman started small, producing Scandinavian plays in classic stagings. Somehow, in following years, all three of Seattle’s major theaters got sidetracked and lost their focus.

After floundering financially several seasons ago, ACT seems to have returned to its original, successful concept. Kurt Beattie has turned out to be an ideal artistic director and the theater seems financially stable.

So, the 2011 season has been a lively mix of plays – a minimusical,

a Neil Simon hit of yesteryear, a well-received new work, and now a classic historic drama with a contemporary twist.

The season will end with a new stage version of the literary and Hollywood classic Double Indemnity, opening in late October. All in all, a wonderful mix.

ACT’s stylish Mary Stuart is another wonderful mix. The original German script has been updated by contemporary playwright Peter Oswald but retains a classic, stylized language. The riveting tale of Queen Elizabeth I and her rival, Mary, Queen of Scots, holds its historic power, and this new translation/ adaptation was a huge hit in both London and New York. As in those recent productions, ACT’s on-target direction by Victor Pappas retains the London and Broadway theatricality of mixing glorious period gowns on the two queens with modern-day suits and dresses on other characters. This successful mixture of costume periods gives the play an immediate modern focus and conjures up the modern day political intrigue that dominates London and Washington, D.C., politics. The double dealing of the men in the royal Elizabethan court could easily comment on Watergate, the Downing Street Minutes, or other current political intrigues. While modern suits dominate the royal court, an Edwardian frock coat and vaguely period guard costumes bridge the modern and historical gaps – an intriguing idea that works well.

While Mary and Elizabeth, cousins in real life, never met in person, Schiller’s historic script includes a chance meeting in a royal garden as an opportunity for theatrical fireworks as each verbally attacks, accuses, and denounces the other.

It gives the play a needed pivotal scene and a sensational acting opportunity for the two major women.

Anne Allgood, an ACT staple (she has appeared in 10 ACT productions in the past 10 years), is glorious as Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland. In 1587, she had been under house arrest in England for 19 years, fleeing Scotland in a religious intrigue. Devoutly Catholic, Mary is well aware of her scandalous past. A threat to the crown of Elizabeth, the Protestant head of the Church of England, Mary is more than a political problem. Elizabeth is nearly 30 years into her lengthy reign. Unmarried, the aging Elizabeth, proudly the Virgin Queen, is unlikely to marry and produce an heir to the English throne. The rivalry between Catholics and Protestants continues, 50 years after Henry VIII’s break from the Church of Rome. (In true history, and in an ironic turnabout, Mary’s son, James VI, King of Scotland, will follow Elizabeth as James I on the English throne.)

A perfect match to Allgood’s powerful performance, Suzanne Bouchard, one of the Emerald City’s most accomplished actresses, is riveting as Elizabeth I. Mary is a more direct role – her plea for freedom is clear and direct. Elizabeth is more bound by court intrigue – she hesitates in sending Mary to her death and leaves too many options to her court members.

As cousins, the two queens are related by more than their flaming red hair. Dramatically, they are two sides of one coin.

Theatrically, there is electricity in each queen’s solo scenes and double dynamite in their one hair-raising encounter.

Victor Pappas is the perfect Seattle director of this accom-

Toyota of Bellevue 14 Seattle Gay News

September 23, 2011

Chris Bennion

Suzanne Bouchard as Elizabeth Tudor (l) and Anne Allgood as Mary Stuart in Mary Stuart

plished Mary Stuart. Subtle characterizations help balance some of the play’s overwrought drama. Robert A. Dahlstrom’s in-the-round set design works beautifully for the play. The weight of the crown does indeed hang heavy over the heads of these two historical queens – a large crown dominates the space above the playing area. The crown is bisected by a cross-like structure, uniting the themes of politics and religion in one nifty visual element.

The costumes by Frances Kenny are a visual delight – the elaborate Elizabethan gowns, the conservative modern business suits, the time bridges of the guards’ robes, and the occasional frock coat with Victorian and Edwardian overtones. Mary Louise Geiger’s lighting design is another plus.

The supporting cast is solid in all areas. Marianne Owen is an anchor of the royal court as Queen Mary’s loyal nurse and companion. Her costume, one of the first to mix modern day with historical elements, is simply perfect.

She is prim, she is proper. Her skirt hits mid-calf. A few inches lower, it could touch the ground and make the black modern dress into period attire.

While the men in the production are all strong, they tend to blur into various powers of authority. The stars here are the two queens and no one at ACT fails to understand that.

Mary Stuart continues performances through October 9 with a combination of evening and weekend matinee performances. Budget-minded audiences should be sure to check on the various, and varied, discounts – seniors get 25% off standard prices, student tickets are priced between $15 and $20, and paywhat-you-can prices are offered every day starting at 1 p.m. Complete details at ACT’s box office, (206) 292-7676, or www.acttheatre. org.

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L’SHANA TOVA!

Wishing You a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Jewish New Year!

Congregation Tikvah Chadashah will host a full complement of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur High Holy Day Services.

For more information, please visit our website: www.tikvahchadashah.org

All are welcome!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 23, 2011

Seattle Gay News 15

Exploring artistic Minneapolis

by Marian Michener SGN Contributing Writer CHECKING IN AT THE MILLENNIUM HOTEL The skyline of Minneapolis was impressive as our taxi pulled up to the Gay-friendly Millennium Hotel.

The front was decorated nicely with a giant revolving door and slate-gray granite, which was echoed in the tiles on the floor. We walked into the artdeco appointed sea glass and blond wood lobby. I use a walker and found the hotel accessible throughout.

My partner and her 15-year-old daughter checked in with Ben, the friendly desk clerk. He told us about the relaxing pool, sauna, and hot tub.

He asked if we had a car. I said no.

He said Minneapolis is very walkable. That turned out to be true.

Our suite was large with a separate sitting area my partner liked. The furniture, which echoed the lobby’s green glass and blond wood, was attractive. The king-sized bed had high-thread-count sheets, a white comforter, and red and green accent pillows. The bedroom also had generous mirrors and a large desk with an art deco lamp. There was a TV in each room, in case our teenager and us wanted to watch something different.

The sitting room also had a beige and black sofa with brown pillows. A green glass coffee table was a nice addition.

The bathroom was huge, with a deep bath with soothing jets. Beige tiles on the walls and floor were picked up by beige striped wallpaper.

I thought the art in the room had a Midwestern theme. My partner thought it was reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper.

My partner was frustrated when she tried to order room service, trusting the menu that said it was available until 10:00 p.m., only to be told it closed at 9:00 p.m.

We tried again the next day and the food was worth waiting for. The French toast with apple cinnamon sauce and huevos rancheros were delicious.

The hotel lounge also had good bar snacks in generous portions.

We enjoyed a chicken quesadilla with spiced sour cream, roasted cashews, and a cheese board with cheese, crackers, and seasonal fruit.

There were a few imperfections, like cracked glass next to the

bathroom water faucet. However, the staff was so great, they made up for it. If you decide to stay there, check it out first at www. millenniumhotels.com.

lbs. and the spoon comes in at a whopping 5,800 lbs. The cherry is also a fountain in the summer, with water cascading from the stem and gently flowing over the rest of the

Wheatstack by Claude Monet at the Minneapolis Institute of Art

WALKER ART CENTER FRUSTRATING FOR THE DISABLED We found the Walker Art Center within a few blocks. Its exterior and interior were attractive, though it wasn’t very accessible to the disabled. There seemed to be steps everywhere, and although there was an elevator, it was old and slow. After a while, it became frustrating waiting for it to arrive.

When my partner mentioned our frustration at the lack of accessibility to a docent, he acknowledged that it was an old building and they’d done what they could to make it accessible for everyone. Those efforts were not entirely successful. The Walker Art Center was exhibiting a show curated by John Waters. My partner saw a Warhol she liked.

Across the street was the sculpture garden with the icon for Minneapolis, Spoonbridge and Cherry, created by the husband-andwife team of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The cherry weighs 1,200

sculpture. The garden had 40 other sculptures, including two beautiful Henry Moore pieces, one of which is entitled Mother and Child. My partner liked the sound sculptures. This charming sculpture garden is most definitely worth a visit.

Wac-pr

September 23, 2011

GUTHRIE THEATER A HANDSOME DESTINATION My partner and I were also excited to see a play at the Guthrie Theater. The current theater was handsomely built five years ago. The view is beautiful – it overlooks the Mississippi with gorgeous views of the St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. The play, God of Carnage, was smoothly directed by John Miller-Stephany. The script, by Yasmina Reza, was well-written. The ensemble of Jennifer Blagen, Chris Carlson, Tracey Maloney, and Bill McCallum acted well together. The story was about two couples meeting after an altercation between their sons. The alliances shifted a lot. The dialogue had us laughing. My partner pointed out the acting was very physical.

To see great photos of the Guthrie Theater and their current season, visit www. guthrietheater.org.

MUSEUM OF RUSSIAN ART The Museum of Russian Art, just a bit out of the way, was small but well worth the effort to get there. It is simply lovely, with great exhibits including “Shades of Red: Evolution of Early Soviet Painting.”

The Spanish-Colonial Revival building was once the Mayflower Congregational Church built in 1925. The church eventually relocated across the street, and in 2005, it became the neighborhood museum. It is a sumptuous, visually pleasing environment both inside and out. If the exterior seems familiar, it’s because the façade resembles the Alamo.

We liked it much more than the Walker LOOKING FORWARD Art Center. My partner liked the post-revTO FALL COLORS olution pieces. I liked the Russian Imperial Not everyone can deal with the weather porcelain. You can check it out online at in Minneapolis – it can be hot and mugtmora.org. gy in the summer and frigid cold in the winter. But if your timing is good, it’s a MINNEAPOLIS INSTITUTE delightful city to play in, and truly an art OF ART A KNOCKOUT lover’s haven. And did I mention that the The Minneapolis Institute of Art knocked city loves baseball? I would love to go us out. It had delightful architecture back in the fall to see those delicious auwith columns and a pair of Chi- tumnal colors. nese lions in front of one of the

Spoonbridge and Cherry at Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

16 Seattle Gay News

entrances. It was very disabled-accessible. My partner’s favorite part was the impressionist collection, which she said was amazing for a city of that size. (The greater metropolitan areas of Seattle and Minneapolis have roughly the same population.) The collection includes Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, Monet, Gauguin, Vuillard, Kirchner, Morisot, Bonnard, Klee, Chagall, Degas, O’Keefe, Mapplethorpe, and Warhol, just to name a few! There is also an exhibit of Stickman furniture.

My stepdaughter’s favorite part was the replicated period rooms, including a Japanese tea room. She also liked the 19 people dressed up as Lincoln. My partner liked the fact that the museum is out of downtown so parking is easier – sometimes a frustration at the Seattle Art Museum, and we all loved that admission is free! For more info about the museum and to view some of the collection, go to artsmia.org.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 23, 2011

Seattle Gay News 17

courtesy caribbean news

punta cana continued from cover

couples at the resort where I stayed, and we shared the facilities with everyone else and encountered no problems – heck, I even partied with a few straight couples I met in the adult pool from New York, North Carolina, and Colombia.

If you’ve “been there, done that” in Hawaii, Florida, and Mexico, consider this new tropical playground that is lushly surrounded by sugarcane fields and coffee plantations. Here’s what I suggest doing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

STAY Of the many resorts plotted in and around Punta Cana, the one to choose is the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe (www.barcelobavaropalacedeluxe.com). With nearly 1,500 rooms (expanding to 2,000 by year’s end), a golf course, tennis courts, multiple restaurants and bars, casino, church, swimming pools, and two kilometers of beachfront, it’s a massive compound. But due to smart planning, there’s enough wiggle room for guests

Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe

to explore its laid-back, island-style setting – you shouldn’t ever feel crowded.

The best part is it’s an all-inclusive resort.

All meals, beverages (alcoholic and nonalcoholic), mini bar, and on-premise activities (kayaking, sailing, paddleboating) are included with your stay. You’re only responsible for off-resort excursions, premium liquor, and golf cart rentals. Booking reservations at the U Spa, which offers a great assortment of treatments like a tension-relief

massage (shoulders, neck, back), is also an additional charge. Most rooms and suites, grouped by category and view, provide generous space and are decorated modernly with private balcony and outdoor Jacuzzi, firm beds, work desk, marble-top vanity counters, separate shower/toilet, LCD TVs, iPod docking stations, coffeemaker, Santo Domingo coffee, tea, wireless internet, and an abundant variety of bath amenities (razors, shaving cream, dental kit, shoeshine sponge, hair product). And, of course, the gratuitous mini bar is stocked with Presidente beer (Dominican Republic’s national hoppy beverage), Coke, Fanta, bottled water, club soda, and fruit juices.

The property’s casino has a limited number of table and slot games, and inside you’ll find another form of entertainment, the “Disco”, which plays throbbing club mixes of Latin hits. An open-air theater provides free nighttime performances suitable for all ages.

Consider an upgrade to “Club Premium,” worth every penny, giving you premiere concierge service, a suite in the Palace Deluxe block of rooms, complimentary bottles of Dominican Republic rum and champagne, 45-minute daily access to U Spa’s private pool and gym, and VIP privileges at the Disco.

Think of being on a cruise ship, where everything goes on one tab. Now imagine it being on land, and you don’t have to pay extra for alcohol (except the really expensive stuff). This is the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, a luxury Caribbean resort where you can let your hair down over and over again without emptying your wallet. Room rates are anywhere from $120 (off-season) to $520, depending on what type of suite you request.

EAT / DRINK If you’re staying at the Barcelo Bavaro Deluxe, you need not leave the area or worry about any of your meals – as mentioned, they’re all-inclusive. Restaurants range from Japanese (Kyoto) to Italian (La Dolce Vita), Spanish (La Fuente) to seafood (El Coral), French (La Comedie) to an aptlytitled Steakhouse, plus two all-day buffets and a sports bar with billiards and numerous TVs tuned to soccer or other sporting events. Lounges, like Lobby Bar or Coffee, Cigars, and Rum, are there for those who simply want a sophisticated spot to cocktail.

Drinks at these bars, like a good martini with Stoli vodka, are all-inclusive as well.

Reservations are required for all dining spots, except the buffets and sports bar.

Though your meals are covered with your room, it’s encouraged to tip your servers and bartenders - many guests bring 50 to 100 single U.S. dollar bills to have on-hand for tips, but there are ATMs available should you run out. Retail boutique stores and side excursions can process major credit-card transactions.

Should you feel the desire to wander outside the resort for local food, about five minutes away is a roadside strip of hut-like food vendors, including the popular El Pollo Boracho. The San Juan Shopping Center is also nearby with places to eat and shop, or to see a movie at the Caribbean Cinemas. There are no Gay bars in the area yet – in time, this may change. For now, mingle with the other

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September 23, 2011

Gay guests at the resort.

DAYTRIP EXCURSIONS For just $100 (US), you can get an allinclusive, off-resort excursion to Saona Island, a side trip you’ll be talking about for years. The 90-minute ride aboard a shuttle van or bus affords you a glimpse of the rustic Dominican Republic lifestyle as you pass through the small towns of Veron, Higuey, and La Otra Banda. Mornings to early afternoons are calm in these villages, but they come to life at night, especially on the weekends. These little dots on the map are fantastic places to take in authentic local culture, but don’t be too touristy – walking around with an expensive camera or appearing vulnerable could present challenges, as residents are just beginning to see an increase of international tourists and are therefore quite curious about them. It’s best to stop for short periods and then be on your way. In Higuey, the landmark basilica is worth a quick detour. It’s an interesting architectural display, and if you’re fortunate enough to drop by on a Saturday morning, you can attend public mass.

Accessing the even more remote Saona Island is done by speedboat, and your tour guide will bring the boat to a complete stop and encourage you to dip into a “natural pool” – pristine, aqua sea water about four feet deep. Unlimited complimentary rumand-Cokes are provided as you frolic in the water with fellow adventurers. When you reach the island, be prepared to eat and chill. A lunch of grilled fish, locally harvested yucca, fresh salads, and unlimited beer, rum-and-Cokes, and soft drinks are prepared. After that, play beach volleyball, swim in the Caribbean Sea (watch out for sharp, slippery rocks underneath), get a massage under a palm tree ($20, 20 minutes), or find some shade and keep cool with a view that long outlasts a photo. A slower journey back to your shuttle aboard a catamaran also involves more unlimited drinks and on-deck dancing to everything from cumbia to salsa.

This excursion will probably include a visit to Altos de Chavon, a village of artists with a beautiful, natural backdrop and an amphitheatre that has hosted some of Latin music’s biggest recording artists – and even a one-time performance by Frank Sinatra. Here’s where you can stock up on artisan souvenirs, somewhat pricier but more unique. The $100 quoted price includes land and water transportation, meals, drinks, and any stops to/from, including a large warehouse store for inexpensive, local gifts like Dominican Republic coffee, beach towels, mugs, postcards, and snacks.

Daytrips to the country’s capital, Santo Domingo, are also available. However, I’m told the bus ride is long and treacherous.

Off-resort excursions can be booked in advance or on-site through Barcelo Vacations (www.gobarcelo.com). Their offices or counters are located at the resort and airport. They can arrange your stay to include airport transfers to/from the resort – a 12.5mile hike either way – and anything else you want to add onto your itinerary.

But the best thing to do in Punta Cana is soak up the sun, and that begins immediately when you step off the plane.

Celebrating 38 Years!

Visit us online www.sgn.org

September 23, 2011

Seattle Gay News 19