Gayest Cities in America

8. Washington, D.C.

In the past few years, D.C. has been loosening its tie and doffing the boring blue blazer. There are large, thumpy dance clubs like Town (TownDC.com), which hosts variety shows by LGBT troupe Crack (CrackDC.com), and monthly parties have cropped up all over the city, such as the alt-queer/pop/dance night Taint at DC9 (DCNine.com). Even the once-defunct, sleazy stripper bar Ziegfeld’s/Secrets (SecretsDC.com) reopened in a grand new Southwest location in February 2009. The gay center of the city has migrated east to Logan Circle, a hip, funky area with friendly bars and Whole Foods. Plus, gay-owned restaurants like L’Enfant and Comet Ping Pong are tantalizing the city’s more refined palates.