Mirror November 2017

s o u t h

f l o r i d a

g ay

n e w s Vol. 6 Issue 6 • 2017

POSTCARDS FROM

HAVANA A GAY TOUR AROUND A FORBIDDEN CITY Pages 26 -30

themirrormag.co

m

2017 | Vol 6 | Issue 6 2520 N. Dixie Highway | Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954.530.4970 Fax: 954.530.7943

Table of  contents Columns Publisher's Word  6

Winter Guide to Adventure

Jewel Box Revue  10

Postcards from Havana  26

Features Religious Exemptions Will Hurt Children  8 48 Hours in St. Augustine  14

Entertaining: Cosmic Cocktails  32 Destination: New York  34 Business: Blair Cambra, Balloonimals  36 Books: Addicted to Americana  38

Expose: a collection of classical nude photographs by Anthony Timiraos  16 Queer Coffee  22

Publisher NORM KENT norm.kent@sfgn.com Chief Executive Officer PIER ANGELO GUIDUGLI Associate Publisher/ JASON PARSLEY Executive Editor jason.parsley@sfgn.com Associate Editor Jillian Melero JillianMelero@gmail.com

EDITORIAL Art Director BRENDON LIES artwork@sfgn.com Senior Features Reporter CHRISTIANA LILLY A&E Editor / Design J.W. ARNOLD Digital Content Director BRITTANY FERRENDI

SALES & MARKETING Director of Sales MIKE TROTTIER & Marketing mike.trottier@sfgn.com Sales Manager JUSTIN WYSE justin.wyse@sfgn.comm Advertising Sales Assoc. EDWIN NEIMANN edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Assoc. TIM HIGGINS tim.higgins@sfgn.com Distribution Services Rocky Bowell Printing THE PRINTER’S PRINTER National Advertising RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863 sales@rivendellmedia.com Accounting Services CG BOOKKEEPING

The Mirror is published quarterly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor are those of the writers. They do not represent the opinions of The Mirror or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations in The Mirror. Furthermore the word “gay” in The Mirror should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material that appears in The Mirror, both online at www.themirrormag. com, and in our print edition, including articles used in conjunction with the Associated Press and our columnists, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper.

Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher of The Mirror, Norm Kent, at Norm@ NormKent.com. The Mirror is published by the South Florida Gay News. It’s a private corporation, and reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs.

MIRROR Copyright © 2017, South Florida Gay News.com, Inc. MEMBER

Associated Press Above: "Expose," by Anthony Timiraos. See page 16 for more. Photo courtesy of Anthony Timiraos.

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Florida Press Association National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association MEMBER

“For unto us a child is born!”

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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Publisher's word

The Mirror Illuminates Our

- Theodore Roosevelt

Lives, Loves, and Losses // Norm Kent

This is our sixth and last issue of the Mirror this year. I am embarrassed to write that just not enough of you know about our magazine, and yet, this represents the completion of our sixth year publishing it.

Our first issue was called SFGN.com, and we did features on local personalities, from attorney George Castrataro to Dr. Howard Cunningham, a popular local dentist.

At the time, Howard and his partner Steve had just adopted a Latvian child. He is probably kicking goals for his high school soccer team right about now.

At the time, George Castrataro was just kicking off his law practice, having finished a stint as an epidemiologist working on answers for HIV. Today, he is working on answers for District 2 in the City of Fort Lauderdale. Last week, he announced his candidacy for city commission.

Look at the feature in this month’s issue on Anthony Timiraos. Who knew that one of the top philanthropic and non-profit CEO’s in our community was also a remarkable photographer, showcased here this month?

With time, our lives grow, our horizons expand, and our souls emerge. So too have many of our professionals prospered, their careers grown, their stature recognized.

Dr. Cunningham’s ads in SFGN even won a National Gay Media Association award this year.

I am happy to share with you that both SFGN and the Mirror Magazine have also grown and prospered in these past years.

SFGN is about to conclude its eighth year and publish its 400th print issue. Including the Express Gay News that I published for four years, from 1999-2004, that is 12 years of publishing community newspapers and magazines in a digital age.

While I still believe you like having something to hold in your hand, frame in your office, or show a colleague, our publications also have thousands of stories

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online and available at www.sfgn.com.

My goal, as Stratton Politzer noted last week during an Equality Florida fundraiser, is that we are here to record the gay and lesbian history of South Florida, its people, its passion, and its pulse- with its clothes on. That was kind of him. That is indeed our task and our mission.

The magazine you hold in your hand, still needs to get better known and more marketing. But it is not doing too bad either.

Each issue is filled with diverse content, unique designs, and glossy colors. Our Fall and Winter Arts issue each season is over 100 pages, with iconic interviews, great indepth coverage of the theater, night life, and culture, along with a cross section of marvelous features on everything from LGBT travel to our community’s travails.

We touch all the bases. We illuminate. We showcase. We present. We share.

This magazine, like everything we do at SFGN, is driven by conscience and commitment. We cover people performing medical miracles as HIV specialists or making waves in government and law, commerce and community.

But we have also covered the diving prowess of Greg Louganis and Diana Nyad’s swim from Cuba to Key West. From sports to entertainment, travel to theater, politics to polemics, the Mirror provides a voice and a forum which reflects back onto all of us.

A friend recently said to me that the Mirror is the gay community’s ‘Riverwalk’ Magazine. It was a nice compliment, as the regal Riverwalk is rich with history and recognized as a leading local publication.

However, I have only one competitor.

It is usually myself. I just want both the Mirror and SFGN to be the best we can be, illuminating our lives and loves, our losses and hopes.

From Compass in Palm Beach to Miami Beach Pride, we have been able to showcase

the lives of the LGBT community, because you have made it happen. You do it at Hunter’s in Wilton Manors when you host a program for abandoned pets, and you do it in Lake Worth when you help LGBT teens find a shield with pride groups. We have not only built a safe world, we are putting armor around it.

In June of 2016, we saw how a deranged terrorist can inflict hurt and harm upon our community. We lived through PULSE, and our nation has endured too many tragedies too often. But the LGBT community, since the dark days of discrimination, since the tragic days of HIV apathy, has endured, experience, and emerged into a growing national spotlight.

Our goal here at the Mirror and at SFGN is to be a reflection of our lives. We are proud to see a Dean Trantalis run for the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, delighted that Michael Gongora was victorious in Miami Beach.

We are happy to see our lives showcased here on our pages. I am grateful for how many of you have supported us. I just hear that we had 5,000 votes for ‘Best Of’ and it is awesome. We are all winners, not just the business or person with the highest vote.

I hate to break this to my friends Zack and Steve at the Ramrod, who have probably the oldest running gay bar in South Florida, but they were not the original ‘rough riders.’ It was President Theodore Roosevelt, who once said that destiny belongs to those who compete in the arena, who fight the battles, who strive valiantly, whose faces are marred by dust and sweat, but still dare greatly.

As 2017 comes to a close, be proud of who you are, and who you have been. You don’t need to win a ‘Best of’ contest in a weekly newspaper. You just need to do your best, be your best, and become all you can be. Then you will have given the unforgiving minute sixty seconds worth of distance run, and had a life well lived.

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Family

Religious Exemptions

WILL HURT Children

A

// Christiana Lilly

Should religious based children’s homes be allowed to discriminate against LGBT familes?

federal law that was introduced in the Spring “The reality is that same-sex couples are eager to provide safe would allow child welfare agencies to refuse spaces for children in the child welfare system and these couples services based on their religious beliefs. are of course more than capable of providing safe, loving and The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2017, introduced protective homes for these kids,” said Hannah Willard, the senior in April by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Penn., would allow agencies, such policy director at Equality Florida. as adoption and foster childcare charities, to turn away people But even worse is deciding to remove protections. Also in because they don’t meet their religious standards. Furthermore, 2016, Equality Florida learned that the Department of Children 15 percent of federal funding would be removed from agencies and Families was planning to update its rules surrounding group that refuse to comply. and youth homes to include protections for LGBTQ children and “We are in a political climate that is emboldening legislators to families. Partnering with child welfare advocates and Lambda introduce more broad and deep religious exemptions,” said Heron Legal, the protections were put back in.

Greenesmith, senior policy analyst at Movement Advancement “It was almost more dangerous to take the language out than to Project. “There were several states who had these types of laws never have addressed it in the first place,” Willard said. “There’s before 2017, but certainly the political climate right now is a still a lot of work to be done in Florida to make sure all aspects uniquely favorable one for religious exemptions. of the child welfare system are up to date in protecting and safe MAP, a think tank based out of Boulder, Colorado, has been guarding LGBTQ youth.” using hard math and statistics to show the negatives of allowing According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human these religious exemptions. Should a charity decide to refuse Services, 428,000 American children live in foster care, and federal funding, that would mean up to hundreds of millions of 103,000 are waiting for adoption. Even so, states still pass laws dollars taken away from finding children families. that allow for discrimination — and lose 15 percent of its federal Currently, 20 states have religious exemption laws in place and funding. As a part of its study, MAP has shown that when agencies seven have specific legislation allowing adoption agencies and decide to part ways with the state, they’re choosing to put their foster services to refuse service to LGBT families and couples: beliefs before potentially tens or hundreds of millions of dollars Alabama, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, in funding — money that can go towards finding children homes.

South Dakota, and Texas. This year alone three states passed the laws (South Dakota in March and Alabama and Texas in The reality May). Oklahoma has a similar law moving through its state legislature. is that sameAlthough Florida is not a member of sex couples this list, it’s come dangerously close.

In 2015, groups were able to dismantle a are eager to Florida House bill that would have allowed provide safe adoption agencies to use “religious or moral convictions” to deny child placement. spaces for However, the following year the House children in the went even broader and attempted to pass child welfare another bill that would allow healthcare providers, businesses, child adoption system.” agencies, and religious institutions to deny services to people based on their religious - Hannah Willard senior policy director at beliefs. Again, the bill died.

Equality Florida

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“There are hundreds of thousands of children in foster care right now. Some are waiting to be reunited with their family, some are waiting for foster homes, some are waiting to be adopted, and one of the biggest concerns right now is the shortage of available homes,” Heron said.

One of those states is Michigan. In the summer of 2015, its governor signed into law a bill that allowed adoption agencies to refuse adoption and foster services to people based on their religious beliefs.

“Sexual orientation laws, along with the redefinition of marriage or the recognition of same-sex civil unions, are undermining the freedom of private foster care and adoption providers to place children only in homes that they consider suitable,” according to a supporting argument by the state (http://bit.ly/2iCqLNW).

In September, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Children’s Services Agency to try and undo this.

“Government services must not be provided based on religious standards and taxpayer money must not be used to fund agencies that discriminate based on religion or sexual orientation,” said Leslie Cooper, senior staff attorney at the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, in a press release from the ACLU. Coinciding with the lawsuit, MAP debuted the Kids Pay the Price ad campaign, educating the public about laws that are harmful to children. On Fox News Heron of MAP pointed out, “When a state looks at this problem and decides, like the Michigan legislature did, to reduce the number of available homes, it really makes you question whether they have the best interest of children in their hearts.”

Thankfully, some states are moving into the opposite direction and actually creating concrete protections for LGBT and samesex couples when it comes to fostering and adopting children: California, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. When Illinois legalized civil unions between same-sex couples in 2011, Catholic Charities, which handled the state’s adoptions, did not want to have to comply and sued the state for an exemption. The agency wound up dropping the case, halted services that required compliance with the state, and the state took over adoption cases (http://trib.in/2fOs0oV).

“LGBTQ people are not asking for special rights. We are asking for equal protection,” Willard said. “LGBTQ people are asking to be included in the existing protections in employment, housing, public accommodation, in the child welfare system, in our everyday lives. We’re not asking for anything new. We’re just asking for equality.”

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9

History

Before Drag There was

l e e B u o w v x Re Je // Graham Brunk

T

here are probably only a handful of people still alive today that remember Danny and Doc’s Club Jewel Box. One of South Florida’s earliest known gay bar/club, it was only around from the late 1940s until around the mid 1950s when it was demolished to make way for the Jordan Marsh department store at NE 15th street and Biscayne Blvd in Miami.

The club originally opened inside the Embassy Hotel in South Beach in 1946. Danny Brown and Doc Brenner, a gay couple 7 years apart in age, brought the concept to Miami from Tampa, where they operated a similar venue for a decade before.

Initially the club operated as a known Miami gay establishment, but in obscurity from everyday people as such. It did have a brief touch with the law in 1947 when the club was raided by the Dade County Sheriff’s office during a show featuring male dancers. Men only were arrested for allegedly consuming alcohol after hours, and for a short time the club was shut down.

After the raid the club started up again to find a lot of success.

Despite what has been described in numerous accounts as a "mostly gay staff" it was significant for its time because it was not only a major destination for gay men who faced homosexuality in a homosexual repressed world, but the club was frequented by straight couples as well.

In fact, during its height, straight couples often outnumbered the gay men in attendance. This was due in part to its popular “female impersonator” shows, advertised heavily throughout mainstream media and were aptly titled “Call Me Sir,” “Jackie White & the Darlings,” and performed by the, “Jewel Box Revue.”

Despite the club’s popularity, the people living around the club didn’t like the unwanted crowds it created in the area. It was soon brought to the city’s planning board’s attention that the area was not even properly zoned for the club. Despite a forceful fight by Brenner and Brown, the city refused to budge in allowing the club to open and it was closed for good by around 1952.

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The closure, however, was not the end of the Jewel Box Revue, it was just the beginning.

As they say, the show must go on, and it did, traveling all over to major cities in the U.S., Canada, and even Mexico.

While there were other female impersonation shows in large cities throughout the country, at this time they were mostly recognized as a novelty performance, and often times did not have more than a brief appearance apart of a larger performance.

The Jewel Box Revue performance was a complete show featuring “twenty five men and a real girl” – a gimmick the audience was supposed to figure out. They performed original music, dance routines, comedy sketches, and burlesque style strip teases. There was no lip syncing in those days however. Its popularity and impact can easily be summed up in this quote from “Variety Magazine” that was often featured on the back of a Jewel Box Revue program, “Doc and Danny’s Miami Beach ‘Jewel Box Revue’ at Balconades in Pittsburgh, has prompted a flock of other niteries around there to go in for female impersonator shows in effort to boost drooping trade.

Biz has been terrific right from the beginning of the Jewel Box engagement, and has shown no let up in the more than eight weeks. If anything, it’s building every stanza.”

The show was also unique in that it was the only one completely gay owned and operated. Despite owning, what basically was a traveling drag show, Brown and Brenner were not flamboyant as some might assume.

They knew how to handle themselves

e th st . ju ing as nn t w gi I be

in rough environments and were very protective over their group. Their mothers also allegedly traveled with the show.

They had enough sense to know that while their show did cater to a gay audience, they had to gear it towards a straight audience and by doing so it would be viewed as permissible entertainment, allowing it to expand. Brown and Brenner separated the show from a homosexual link by claiming the show was really an evolvement of theater in Shakespearian times when it was quite normal for men to dress as women as part of a performance.

The revue continued to perform well into the 1960s‌and some of its performers gained notoriety later during the night the Stonewall Inn in New York City was raided for fighting back.

Brenner and Brown retired to Hallandale where they both died a couple months apart in 1976. Both men can certainly take a lot of credit for making female impersonation, a respected art form.

Their financial backing, their discipline, assertiveness, and connections to many venues throughout the country gave it the notoriety others were unsuccessful in doing. Today drag shows continue to be a major focal point of many gay bars and clubs as well as an art that continues to evolve.

THE

11

The South Florida Depression Glass Club Presents its 44th Annual Show & Sale

Glass Through the Decades Featuring the

Fabulous Fif ti es

February 3-4, 2018 Saturday 10 AM–5 PM Sunday 10 AM–4 PM

Emma Lou Olson Civic Center 1801 NE 6th Street Pompano Beach, FL 33060

 Hundreds of dollars in door prizes  First 100 paid attendees get free gift  Free parking  Glass repair onsite  Free seminars  Glass identification

Award winning author, Frank Constentino, will give a seminar on both Saturday and Sunday at 1 PM and will sell and sign his books on Figural Acid Etchings 1870-1970.

Come shop with dealers from around the country who specialize in selling American depression, elegant, kitchen, and mid-century modern glass, art pottery, dinnerware, and lighting. A hall full of booths where you can buy unique vintage tableware and home décor in many styles including Art Deco, Depression Era, Country Rustic, Mid Century Modern, Kitsch, and even Mod 60s-70s.

Admission: $5.00 ($4.00 with this ad)

Info: 561-767-5233 or showinfo @ sfdgc.com | www.sfdgc.com | facebook.com/sfdgc

NOV 28  DEC 17, 2017 A HIGHENERGY YOUTHFUL DANCE MUSICAL SENSATION

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BACKTOBACK HIT MUSICALS 12 THE

Jupitertheatre.org Box Office: (561) 575-2223 1001 East Indiantown Road Jupiter, FL33477

Travel

48

Hours in

St. Augustine // Aaron Drake

Flagler College Courtyard. Photos courtesy of Aaron Drake.

14 THE

T

Ice Plant Bar.

he oldest city in the country is open with minimal damage after Hurricane Irma passed through. And it’s back with a kick!

St. Augustine’s history comes alive with a new exhibit at the Lightner Museum, formerly the Alcazar Hotel built by railroad magnate-turned-wealthy-hotelier Henry Flagler in 1888. The costumes from the TV series Dowtown Abbey have come to town, and along with some of the hotel’s restored original furniture, has made quite the exhibit. But Downton fans should act fast to get tickets before the run is up in January 2018.

The museum has also recently started an “Upstairs/Downstairs" tour as well, showcasing the museum’s former life as a hotel for the elite, but also taking visitors up to the museum’s previously unopened fourth floor to experience behind-thescenes of how the hotel’s employees lived.

Don’t miss the chance to dine at the bottom

of a swimming pool—what was previously the hotel’s pool is now a delightful cafe serving afternoon tea (all in the spirit of Downton, of course)!

Visit the city for a memorable holiday for St. Augustine’s Nights of Light. Inspired by the tradition of lit candles displayed in windows of homes around town during the holiday, it has become a citywide tradition on a grander scale. Three million white lights make the city aglow during the season, just the thing to put you in the holiday mood.

St. Augustine is a city full of history, but there’s no shortage on culture. From its Spanish founding before being taken over

by British rule, and eventually purchased by the U.S.—with additional strong influences from the city’s early residents of Mediterranean and African descent—the cuisine and architecture tell the city’s story.

Here are the best options for soaking up the best of what St. Augustine has to offer.

Stay

Eat

Play

Relax at the cozy Casa de Suenos located in St. Augustine’s downtown historic district. This historic bed and breakfast, built in the early 20th century, has all the modern amenities needed to feel like home. And it’s within walking distance of the best restaurants, museums, shopping and attractions the city has to offer.

Another intimate option is the gayowned At Journey’s End Bed and Breakfast, this 5-room inn is also located right downtown. Park your car and make your way around town on foot, the city’s trolleys—or if you really want to step back into the past, take a guided tour by horse and carriage.

Of course, before you eat, it’s time for cocktails. Take a tour of the city’s distillery, St. Augustine Distillery. Known for distilling rum, gin, vodka and whiskey bourbon, it’s a great way to taste the city and experience locally crafted spirits made in an environmentally conscious distilling process using only locally sourced ingredients.

The distillery will whet your appetite for the upstairs Ice Plant Bar & Restaurant.

Both are housed in what formerly was an actual ice packing plant. The warehouse space was transformed into a vintage bar that will keep you in the mindset of the early 1900s, but with a detailed list of cocktails crafted with the distillery’s housemade spirits and a delicious local farmto-table menu made from fresh seasonal ingredients.

Pay a visit to a local classic, The Floridian. The restaurant’s farm-to-table menu is comprised of Southern dishes with an intriguing twist (like Shrimp ’n Grits made with purple rice grits), fresh seafood and vegan options. Don’t forget to order dessert—choose from a curious list of delights like apple pie with sour cream or the butternut squash pie.

Though there are no “official” gay bars in St. Augustine, check out a local favorite, Tini Martini Bar at the Casablanca Inn. You can select your martini of choice from an extensive list, like a watermelon or cucumber tini, or peruse the wine and craft beers. Relax on the outdoor patio with a waterfront view while listening to live jazz and blues.

Make an escape to the Guana Tolomato Reserve for an afternoon. Listed as one of the top 10 gay beaches in Florida, this seaside reserve in Ponte Vedra Beach is situated between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Besides gorgeous beaches, lofty sand dunes, salt marshes, tidal wetlands and estuarine lagoons, there’s an unofficial gay meet-up at Guana’s first beach access point. Just follow the boardwalk down the 40-foot dunes to a secluded spot on the beach along A1A. Explore St. Augustine Alligator Farm & Zoological Park. The park is home to every species of Crocodilia in the world, including the American Alligator. The attraction has been home to the giant reptiles since the late 19th century. It’s a chance to get up close and personal with one of nature’s most frightening beasts. Be sure to stick around for one of the park’s feedings to get really up close and personal. If you’re feeling even more daring, the park also offers Crocodile Crossing, a zipline course soaring over the park’s enclosures.

St. George St.

THE

15

photos

expose a collection of classical nude photographs

by Anthony Timiraos

About the author...

Born in Havana, Cuba, Anthony Timiraos currently resides in South Florida with his husband who has been by his side for the past 47 years. He began his professional career as a Certified Public Accountant in Hartford, CT and subsequently moved to Boston, MA. Another move to New York City 8 years later, he became the Chief Financial Officer for an international market research company in Manhattan and worked with management to list the company on the American Stock Exchange.

Shortly after his first retirement in 1997, he and his husband acquired real estate in Stamford, CT and opened a large restaurant and catering facility which was subsequently sold in 2000. He retired again and made a move to South Florida in the summer of the 2003.

16 THE

Shortly after arriving in South Florida, he came out of retirement for the second time and accepted a position as the Chief Financial Office for a casino cruise ship line. After several years, he left the casino business and joined a large South Florida community foundation as their Chief Financial Officer. In 2011, together with four other philanthropists, he founded and became the first Chief Executive Officer and President of a Florida based community foundation serving the LGBT community.

His love for photography began in his early college years.

Today, retired for the third time, he is exposing his free time to creating art through photography - capturing that moment in time that describes his life, views and heart.

photos

THE

17

photos

Note from the author...

Photography has been a passion of mine since my early college days. Not the career I chose back then, but it was something I studied and experimented with for many years. I recently retired and felt it was time to devote more of myself and my newfound time to my adopted passion.

Over the years, my husband and I have traveled across this country and to Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. At every opportunity during our trips we visited art museums and were always aware of the beauty and form of classical nude art. The body has unlimited artistry, elegance and grace, and artists through the ages have portrayed the human form by exposing the body as they see it. One artist’s view of the classical nude is always different from another, but what we do see in common is the beauty of the natural curves and shapes that the models form.

I began this project just over 18 months ago and now, almost 40 models later, I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to meet so many individuals who helped me expose my views of the classical nude. My goal was to

18 THE

include models of a wide range of ages, body types, skin tones, backgrounds and personalities. I wanted the viewer to feel the same emotions I felt when photographing them at the studio. Originally as a “male only� book, I had the opportunity to photograph one female who reflected a graceful serenity in her poses. Pleased with the results of this photo shoot, I decided to include her in this special collection.

Every one of the models I used is unique and beautiful, but capturing the best of each while disclosing their personalities and channeling them through the lens was my challenge. My short narrative for each model provides the reader with just enough facts to connect the art to the individual on the page. I am hopeful that you will feel and appreciate the same emotions I felt in the studio and also hope that this book will get you exposed to this beautiful art form, the classical nude.

Anthony Timiraos

Intoxicated AND Incarcerated?

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Norm Kent & russelL cormican Attorneys at Law

954.763.1900

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food

// Colton Wooten

E

arlier this year, Michelle Berber decided to name her newly established, idiosyncratically-themed fair trade coffee company Queer Coffee.

Their slogan: “the coffee that makes you feel more like yourself.”

Simple and alliterative, and definitively queer-centric, it is the kind of name that says what it has to say, quite plainly and from the start.

Visit QueerCo ffee.org for more informa tion.

22 THE

While Berber, who lives in Vermont, characterized her product as “a novelty item with a message,” she was careful to explain over the phone that such queer-minded novelty is not to be conflated with the empty gesture of a gimmick.

“LGBTQ people want good coffee--and most of us buy a lot of it--so [the coffee] might as well give back to our community,” she said.

“This is a purchase that will make you feel good about giving back, plus it's a fun treat for yourself or as a gift.”

The coffee can be found at a price of $15 per bag on the company’s website, from which $2 will be donated to charities such as the Campaign for Southern Equality. The coffee, a dark roast, comes in twelve ounce bags of organic fair trade beans from a cooperative in Peru named La Florida. The coffee's bouquet, Berber said, contains “hints of chocolate and macadamia with a creamy, smooth finish.”

Berber, who graduated from Kentucky’s Murray University in 2003, majored in business administration while minoring in queer- and gender-theory, so she is fluent in the language of identity politics.

As the rhetoric of queer theory--a once subversive and esoteric parlance confined to the academy--infiltrates the millennial mainstream, more and more people are raising their voices to describe the intersectional experience.

For those inclined to moral indignation at the mention “Queer” in the company’s name, their website explains a new iteration of its usage that has taken hold: “It used to be [offensive], yes. And it still can be too. But many LGBTQ people are using the term to describe all of us, without derision,” it said. “Queer Coffee embraces all of us in the LGBTQQIAAP community:

I believe that if you have a little bit of power or privilege, you should reach out and keep the door open or help others into the boat. You know,

‘lift as you climb.’”

- Michelle Berber Co-owner of Queer Coffee

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, and pansexual.”

Although Berber grew up in Detroit, and has for the last 14 years lived in Vermont, her loyalties lay with the South—where the gay, lesbian, and transgender people who live there are mainly fringe citizens, underrepresented in public life, far from the enemy heart of things.

“I chose to support the Campaign for Southern Equality with Queer Coffee because 1/3 of all LGBTQ Americans live in the south and yet lack basic lived and legal protections which many of us in the north take for granted,” Berber said.

“I believe that if you have a little bit of power or privilege, you should reach out and keep the door open or help others into the boat. You know, ‘lift as you climb.’”

Comparing queer life in Kentucky versus that in Vermont, Berber said, “It's clear that, politically, VT has politicians that represent liberal and LGBTQ causes fairly well, whereas KY has conservative and anti-LGBTQ representation in Congress. The personal is political and vice versa, so this makes a difference.”

“But both states are rural, both are community-minded in their own ways, and both have been home to me, she said.

Queer Coffee supports the Campaign for Southern Equality (https://southernequality.org), an organization that provides grant money to programs that aid disenfranchised individuals.

Although Berber currently donates $2 from every bag to such organizations, she plans to raise money separately to different organizations on occasion throughout the year.

But “since Queer Coffee is just starting, we want to raise a significant amount of money for the CSE and then see what other causes have a need or are of interest to our LGBTQ customers,” she said.

THE

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Chameleon Musicians‐Chamber Music with a Twist

Three Concerts ‐ Sundays at 4pm ‐ Broward Center for the Performing Arts 201 S.W. 5th Avenue ‐ Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312

January 14 – 4 PM “In Honor of Martin Luther King” A chamber music concert by the Amernet String Quartet with cellist Iris van Eck.

Music by George Walker, Dvorak “ the American” Quartet, Glazunov and Scott Joplin

Dvorak Glazunov Walker

Amernet Quartet

Joplin

March 18 – 4 PM “Cello and Piano Recital” World renown Pianist Kemal Gekic and cellist Iris van Eck, a duo for over a decade, team up for a

romantic cello ‐ piano duo afternoon. Works by English woman composer Ethel Smyth, Romanian composer George Enescu, Maurice Ravel and more

Gekic van Eck Smyth April 29 – 4 PM Brahms at the Broward Center”

Funding for this organization is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.

Music by Brahms for violin/viola cello and piano, featuring the stellar violist of the Amernet

Quartet, Michael Klotz, on both violin and viola, Iris van Eck on cello, Kemal Gekic on piano

Gekic

van Eck

Brahms

Klotz

Chameleon Musicians Inc. Contact Chameleon: (954) 761‐3435 Known for its innovating, enlightening, edifying, and exciting concerts.

Purchase Tickets: Single tickets $40—Subscription for all three: $100 Ticketmaster Box office: 954‐462‐0222 Groups tickets : 954‐660‐6307 www.browardcenter.org

Welcome to

Your winter guide to

Adventure Take a peek at these exclusive features to help your life stay interesting.

J.W. Arnold

THE

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Havana POSTCARDS FROM

Story and Photos by J.W. Arnold

26 THE

The Malecón, the broad avenue, esplanade and seawall that also serves as a popular gathering place, extends five miles along the shore of Havana harbor.

A

s my flight began its final descent over Havana and into Jose Martí International Airport, my mind was racing.

What would Cuba be like? Would the people be friendly?

Would I be questioned by the customs agents at the airport?

Would the police be tracking my every move?

Located just 90 miles from Florida, life on the Communistruled island has been a bit of a mystery to three generations of Americans. We’ve seen the pictures of the old cars speeding along the Malecon and the crumbling art deco facades that have seen better days.

More importantly, we’ve heard the fiery rhetoric of disgruntled Cuban exiles who congregate at the famed Versailles restaurant in Little Havana to “discuss” politics on the island and, more recently, complain about the liberalization of relations initiated

by President Obama two years ago.

I wanted to see the island for myself. I wrote my first high school term paper abou the country 30 years ago and today count many Cuban-Americans as friends. With the election of President Trump and his promise reinstate harsh sanctions, I knew this might be my only opportunity.

It was relatively easy to book my airline ticket and hotel and my press credentials made the U.S. government paperwork easy.

Thanks to the internet, I located a gay travel guide, Ivan Sánchez, who would introduce me to LGBTQ life in Cuba’s capital city.

The first day would be devoted to the traditional “touristy” destinations: cathedrals and forts in the oldest UNESCOdesigated historic distict, sites frequented a century ago by expat novelist Ernest Hemingway, massive concrete monuments and buildings in the Plaza de la Revolucíon, and even a visit to the dismal grocery stores frequented by the locals.

Ivan, 33, could easily be mistaken for any young resident of Miami with his closely cropped beard and dark eyes hidden behind gleaming Ray-Ban knock-offs.

As we walked through the streets, it became apparent that the gregarious young guide had deep respect for his countrymen who also yearned for a better life. All along our route on the cobblestone streets of Old Havana, he pointed out the businesses owned by “entrepreneurs.”

“We’re learning to be taxpayers,” he said, “and we’re not good. We never had to pay taxes before because everything was provided by Fidel...so we don’t like to pay. when this is what you get.”

Cuba has developed an underground economy and, in response, the issue of business licenses was suspended by the government recently.

DINING Dining in Cuba can be a less-than-spectacular experience due to years of rationing, shortages and import restrictions.

Government- and cooperative-run restaurants vary widely in food quality and service, although they are generally better in the tourist areas of the city where hard currency can be earned.

Hotel restaurants are especially pricey, but generally better.

The best dining experiences can be found at paladores, the family-owned private restaurants run out of private homes that began springing up in the 1990s during the country’s “Special Period” of limited commercial liberalization.

Freshly caught fish and seafood, usually prepared with a tomato-based Spanish Creole sauce, are served in greater abundance, but beef, chicken and pork can also be found on menus, along with the Cuban staples of rice and beans.

A few favorites include:

El Floridita, 557 Calle Obispo and Calle Monserrate, Old Havana “Ernest Hemingway ate here.” The daiquiris are famous and tuxedo-clad waiters serve primarily seafood dishes. Yes, it’s touristy and expensive, but the excellent live entertainment makes the experience worthwhile.

Torre del Oro, Hotel Mercure Sevilla, Trocadero 55, Old Havana The food is acceptable in this vintage rooftop hotel dining room, but that’s not why you’ll choose to eat here. Instead, you’ll remember the sweeping 360 degree views of the city from the Capitolio to the castillo guarding Havana Bay. Castropol, 107 Malecon, Central Havana The harbor views from this two-story cooperative can’t be beat. On the first floor al fresco terrace, enjoy grilled meats and seafood. Upstairs in the air conditioned dining room, the menu features seafood dishes. The friendly servers hustle for tips from American visitors, too.

StarBien Restaurante, Calle 29 #207, Vedado This stylish and contemporary paladar occupies an entire house in the upscale Vedado district and offers a surprisingly varied menu, including seafood, chicken and beef dishes.

The owners have high-level connections, my local friend suggested.

THE

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Renovations are underway on the Capitolio in anticipation of the 60th anniversary of the revolution in 2019. The legislature plans to move back into the building, inspired by the architecture of the U.S. Capitol.

GAY LIFE Bars and Clubs Believe it or not, the Cuban government is in the gay bar business. These government-run clubs are not hard to differentiate from the newer, private bars that have begun to spring up in recent year—they’re often dingy and dirty, staffed by surly straight employees and the nightly drag shows are preceded by the obligatory safe sex video. Even though the drag shows are entertaining, these government bars are also frequented by hustlers because of the relatively low cover charge, according to our guide. Here are few of the most popular clubs: Café Cantante, Teatro Nacional de Cuba, Plaza de la Revolución This Saturday dance party runs into the wee hours of Sunday morning and is held in the National Theatre, sitting in the shadows of towering monuments to the revolution.

King Bar, Calle 23, Vedado This intimate, privately-owned restaurant and lounge in Vedado attracts a young, relatively affluent crowd and charges a high (for most locals) 10 CUC cover. English and Spanish language music videos keep the crowd swaying all night long.

Karabali, Calle 23, Vedado This crowded, cooperative-owned nightclub is busy on Friday and Saturday nights and attracts guests from around the world (and lots of handsome hustlers). The drag shows are first-rate, but watch your wallet and cell phone!

GRNDR and Facebook Many gay Cubans have smartphones now and sporadic wi-fi and cellular service is available in most public parks. Hookups can be difficult when service is spotty. Also note: Cuban nationals are not allowed in hotel rooms, but if an encounter awaits, you can bring him (or her) back to your AirBnB. The Gay Beach Mi Cayito, 15 miles from Havana in Playa del Estes, is the most popular gay beach. Technically, Americans aren’t allowed to vacation on Cuban beaches. Instead, meet the locals on the vibrant, unofficial gay section of the Malecon from Paseo de Marti to the National Hotel.

28 THE

After strolling through the many traditional Spanish squares in Old Havana, we hopped in a Cocomovil, the bulbous motorcycle taxis reminiscent of the tuk-tuks found in Thailand. We would take in the spectacular views from the top of the Jose Martí memorial, a monument to one of the country’s earliest heroes, predating the 1959 revolution.

Tomorrow, he promised, I would get a taste of Havana’s gay scene, which, if as vibrant as the Cubans I had met so far, would be a real treat.

After traveling to Vedado, the upper class neighborhood that is also home to many diplomatic missions, our first stop was King Bar. The privately-owned lounge would have fit in perfectly on South Beach or Wilton Drive with its contemporary furnishings, well-stocked bar and upbeat music videos.

Again reflecting on his entrepreneurial leanings, Ivan indicated his preference for this bar with its relatively high cover charge, 10 convertible Cuban pesos. “You don’t get the hustlers here,” he explained. That would not be the case at our next stop, Karabali.

Karabali, located closer to the Melacon and the cruisy Bim Bom, a former ice cream factory, features drag shows and seemed to attract tourists from around the world, including the U.S. A grungy government-owned cooperative, it also attracts dozens of hustlers, eager to meet cash rich foreigners. That was fine, Ivan said, but unless the tourists are staying in AirBnB rentals—there are many apartments available—they will not be able to take a Cuban into their hotels.

Not surprisingly, it was a late, but insightful night. I headed back to my hotel, but for most of the Latin men and boys in the packed clubs, the action was just beginning and, from what Ivan, 16 years my junior, told me, would continue tomorrow afternoon on the gay beach, Mi Cayito. I realized I’m getting old.

It’s impossible to absorb everything in a 72-hour trip, obviously, and I could have written 10 pages about the experience. I did realize that the Cuban people are strong and hopeful, and everyone— including the party elites—knows the day will inevitably come when the current system cannot continue.

The recent changes in U.S. policy will do little to bolster the Cuban people, but that’s not the purpose of this essay. I did my best to support the entrepreneurs and LGBTQ-owned businesses and am confident their spirit will endure until Americans can once again travel more freely to the country.

To book Ivan Sánchez to guide your visit, contact him at ISanchezPro5@gmail.com.

My guide, Ivan Sánchez, strikes a pose.

Faded government reminders of the 1959 Communist revolution can be found everywhere around Havana.

Lines are long and selection limited at government-owned grocery stores.

The José Martí Memorial towers over the Plaza de la Revolución.

The Castillo de la Real Forza was commission in 1555 to protect the Spanish colony from pirates and European enemies.

GETTING THERE On Nov. 9, the Trump Administration announced tightened restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens. American visitors will also no longer be able to travel to Cuba on individual people-to-people exchange programs. They must travel now under the auspices of a licensed sponsoring organization and guide or, if there on educational travel, with an American group or university.

U.S. tourists and companies will no longer be able to do business with a long list of government-owned hotels, restaurants and companies that allegedly have ties to Cuban military, intelligence or security services.

Commercial airlines, including JetBlue, American and Southwest continue to maintain daily nonstop service to major cities in Cuba. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines and several of their subsidiaries all offer selected itineraries that visit the port of Havana. Many of those cruises include an overnight stay, allowing passengers the opportunity to experience the local nightlife without arranging accommodations. Passengers are not currently required to obtain a special Treasury Department license to visit Cuba, making cruises the most affordable and covenient way to see Havana.

For more information, visit the website of your airline or cruise line or go to Cu.USEmbassy.gov.

30 THE

ENTERTAINING Cosmic Cocktails

Beam me up for a drink, Scotty!

Nerd Culture is taking over—the top-rated TV sitcom features socially-inept scientists, superhero movies are big hits at the box office and comic “cons” (conventions) draw tens of thousands of costumed fans. If you’re a fan of the BBC sci-fi television series Doctor Who, then you’ve probably heard of The Way Station in Brooklyn, New York, owned and operated by Andy Heidel. Named one of the best sci-fi bars in the world by Buzzfeed, Time Out and Village Voice, the out-of-this-world bar offers hundreds of themed cocktails and even a TARDIS bathroom.

Now Heidel has published The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy filled with hundreds of proven recipes that evoke pop culture references from Star Trek and Back to the Future to Game of Thrones and Guardians of the Galaxy. Quench your thirst with a Jurassic Park Daiquiri, James T. Kirk, Galaxy Queen or Shirley Temple of Doom. Here are a few of our favorites:

Warp Core Sex on the Breach (Star Trek)

While we saw very few sexual encounters on the Enterprise, it is a little-known fact that the engineering staff engages in adrenalinefueled orgies after preventing a warp core breach. With just enough vodka to keep Chekhov dancing, this cocktail is sure to provide the fuel you need.

1 part vodka 1/4 part peach schnapps 1/4 Barrow’s intense ginger liqueur 1/4 Chambord 1 part orange juice 1 part pineapple juice

Pour all the ingredients into a large glass filled with ice. Stir or shake. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Mai Tai Fighter (Star Wars)

Hard day chasing down rebel scum? Enjoy your shore leave with this classic.

1/2 part Captain Morgan’s spiced rum 1/2 part Malibu rum 1 part pineapple juice 1 part papaya juice Splash of orange juice Splash of grenadine

Pour all the ingredients into a large glass filled with ice. Shake or stir, then pour into a medium glass.

Damn Dirty Grapes (Planet of the Apes)

You’ll want to get your filthy paws on this one! Drink carefully and try not to blow up Earth, you maniac!

2 parts Cîroc vodka (or any other vodka distilled from grapes like Hangar 1) 1/4 part dry vermouth 1/4 part olive brine Pour all the ingredients into a large glass filled with ice. Stir, then strain into a fancy glass. Garnish with a grape.

32 THE

My Precious (Lord of the Rings)

The next time you gather your Rellowship of the Drinking, beware this: the one true (condensation) ring (those things will ruin the wood). My Precious will call to you. You’ll do anything for it. You’ll pay a steep price for it (especially once happy hour is over).

1 part Bombay Sapphire gin 1/4 part Meletti amaro 1/4 part Grand Marnier Splash of lemon juice

Pour all the ingredients into a large glass filled with ice. Stir, then strain into a fancy glass.

Aeryn Sunrise (Farscape)

This is a twist on a Tequila Sunrise, but made with mezcal, because, like mezccal, Aeyrn is smokin’.

1 part mezcal 1 part orange juice 1/4 part grenadine

Pour all ingredients into a small glass filled with ice.

Negronomicon (The Evil Dead)

The evil cocktail of the dead. Perfect to drink while you read out loud in Latin from your favorite tome bound in human flesh. Don’t speak Latin? You will after a few of these babies.

1 part gin 1/4 part Campari 1/4 part sweet vermouth Tonic water

Pour the gin, Campari and vermouth into a medium glass filled with ice. Top up with tonic water and garnish with a lemon wedge.

Recipes reprinted with permission from St. Martin’s Press.

The Cocktail Guide to the Galaxy

by Andy Heidel St. Martin’s Press, 2017, 224 pages $22.90

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DESTINATION New York City

There’s no place like New York City during the holidays. After enjoying the dazzling Christmas revue at Radio City Music Hall, a stop by Rockefeller Center and a little shopping along 5th Avenue, head over to the city’s newest gayborhood, Hell’s Kitchen...umm, “Clinton,” for the local nightlife.

DINING Restaurateur Shelly Fireman has relocated his famed Bond 45 (Bond45NYC. com) to 221 46th St. The rustic industrial design by David Korin is only upstaged by the antipasti and pastas by corporate executive chef Brando de Oliveira. A couple of blocks over in Hell’s Kitchen, check out eco-minded Bareburger (Bareburger.com), 366 W. 46th St., a local favorite that always boasts a line, or VNYL (VNYL-NYC.com), 756 9th Ave., for a meal with a Southeast Asian twist.

34 THE

ENTERTAINMENT Julie Taymor made a much-anticipated return to Broadway this fall with David Henry Hwang’s genderbending play, M. Butterfly, playing at the Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St. Clive Owen and Jin Ha star in this story of seduction and espionage.

Tickets to Hamilton are still nearly impossible to snag, so instead, check out the rip-roaring farce, The Play that Goes Wrong, about, well, a play that goes awry, at the Lyceum Theatre, 149 W. 45th St. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.

NIGHTLIFE No matter what flavor of nightlife you prefer, you’ll find it in Hell’s Kitchen.

Boxer’s Sports Bar (BoxersNYC.com), 742 9th Ave., is a friendly neighborhood sports bar that is expecially busy on game days. The spacious and loungy Industry Bar (Industry-Bar.com), 355 W. 52nd St., is popular with the after-work happy hour crowd. The urban cowboys (and cowgirls) can be found drinking and dancing later at Flaming Saddles Saloon (FlamingSaddles.com), 793 9th Ave.

Come See the Queens of Lake Worth Playhouse!

DIVAS HOLIDAY PARTY DECEMBER 8, 2017 GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY!

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BUSINESS Blair Cambra, Balloonimals

Satisfaction in a Smile B

lair Cambra has a hidden talent and, until this interview was published, you probably would have had to ask him about it, had you known.

“This is one of those hidden talents that you just don’t tell everybody about.

It’s not something that comes up unless you bring it up,” explained the soft-spoken balloon artist who moved to South Florida from the San Francisco Bay area two years ago.

Cambra first became interested in balloon art while working for the San Jose parks and recreation department: “At that time, we didn’t have internet, so I went to the store and picked up books. Later on, I started going to conventions. There are actually balloon conventions,” Cambra said.

He began making small creations and graduated to larger arrangemets. Cambra recalled one trade show in Austin, Tx., where the featured display was a large Trojan horse that filled the foyer of the host hotel where he was staying. The only limit, he realized, was his imagination.

Soon, he launched a company and was regularly volunteering his creations for HIV/ AIDS fundraisers and other charity events in the area. After moving to Wilton Manors, Cambra began working out at Crunch gym and created a balloon bouquet for one of the employees. She was so ecstatic about his unique gift, she began showing it around the gym to other members. Buzz spread quickly about his skills.

Cambra decided the time was right to share his talent with the residents of his new home and he relaunched Balloonimals.biz. He is quickly booking parties and holiday events and looks forward to again volunteering his creations for other worthy causes.

“The thing with balloon making is that I get to make people smile. That’s what it’s all about, it’s unexpected. The bottom line in this day and age is I’m lucky to have the task of making an animal or a bouquet of flowers for anybody and seeing them smile,” he said.

36 THE

Blair Cambra, Balloonimals.biz

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305-302-0988 THE

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BOOKS A Sentimental Journey

Addicted to

Americana

The Ambassador of Americana, Charles Phoenix, launches readers into the stratosphere of space-age style, amazing attractions, roadside wonders, crazy car culture and more in his new book.

C

harles Phoenix celebrates classic and kitschy American life and style in his latest volume, Addicted to Americana.

He is a showman, tour guide, food crafter and author known for his crowd-rousing retro slide show performances, fun “field trip” tours, madcap test kitchen videos and colorful coffee table books.

On television, Phoenix has appeared with Jay Leno, Martha Stewart and Conan O’Brien, was a judge on Food Network’s Cake Wars and is frequently heard on National Public Radio.

A native of Southern California, Phoenix was educated at theme parks, thrift stores and his dad’s used car lots. Fans enjoy his keen expertise, genuine reverence and trusted guidance to time-honored attractions from coast to coast. He explains the inspiration for this book: “The pop culture explosion that rocked the United States in the 1950s and ‘60s was second only in scale to the BIG BANG. never before or since has a society so cleverly fashioned such a high-quality, colorized, progressive-and-proud-ofit supercalifragilisticexpialidocious buffet feast of productivity, prosperity, and national pride. For many Americans, the standard of living skyrocketed into a magically delicious life of leisure, and America was an enchanted land of optimistic opportunity.

In 176 technicolor pages, Addicted to Americana takes readers on a journey to:

• • • • • • • • •

Visit iconic theme parks and World’s Fairs Ride monorails and Weinermobiles Tour kitschy hotels, motels and restaurants Encounter dinosaurs and mermaids, giant donuts and muffler men Explore vintage Las Vegas Discover electrifying neon signs Catalog Wild West and exotic tiki memorabilia Appreciate Space Age showcars Shop vintage strip malls and shopping centers

Sit back and enjoy the fabulous flight as Phoenix guides you through his actionpacked, fun-filled, wondrous world of nostalgic mid-century marvels.

Your imagination will be inspired and your spirit will soar.

I was born to celebrate this classic and kitschy American life and style.

The mid-century is my muse. Looking through layers of time in search of treasures, traditions and time warps is my life’s work. Sharing my delightful discoveries...is the icing on the cake and the cherry on top.”

To learn more about Charles Phoenix visit his website: CharlesPhoenix.com.

Addicted to Americana

by Charles Phoenix Prospect Park Books, 2017, 176 pages $29.95 38 THE

Greta Garbo

Rock Hudson

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HISTORY was never as STRAIGHT as we were told.

Ricky Martin

Sal Mineo

RECORDING our history means reporting the TRUTH.

Truman Capote

Josephine Baker

Peter Lorre

Jane Lynch

Online every day at SFGN. On Stands every Wednesday in over 540 locations.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

44 / June 19, 2011 / SFGN.com

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